During my free time one day, I wandered down a lonely path into the woods and sat against a tree. Then I saw one of the camp counselors approaching me. "Oh great," I thought, since counselors were always trying to cheer you up or make you laugh.

    "Hey," he said, "mind if I have a seat?" I shrugged(耸肩). I wasn't going to encourage him, but I couldn't exactly stop him, either. He sat down alongside me and extended a hand. "I'm Gary," he said, "and you're Erica, right?" I nodded. "You don't exactly look like you're having a good time," he began.

    I crossed my arms and gritted my teeth. "Look," I said, "I didn't want to come to camp, I don't like it, I'm not having fun, and it basically stinks." I glared at Gary.

    "So there's nothing here at all for you, huh?" he asked.

    "Nothing," I answered.

    "Let me show you something," said Gary. He got up, and I followed him along the path until I heard a sound like a roaring freight train.

    "What's that?" I asked.

    "Wait and see," he replied, with a small smile.

    When we rounded the corner, I couldn't believe what I saw. There was the biggest waterfall I could ever imagine, right in front of me. "Cool!" I said, and I could feel my eyes getting bigger and a smile tugging at my mouth.

    "Still think there's nothing here for you?" asked Gary. "Because there's a whole lot more of this kind of 'nothing' around here." I had to admit, the waterfall was impressive.

    "Look," said Gary, "camp is what you make it. You can be sullen(阴郁的) and closed-minded and have a rotten four weeks, or you can take a look around you and see some of the incredible sights and appreciate the opportunity. It would be useless for me to try to make you have fun. You can only do that for yourself. But if you loosen up a little, you might actually have a good time." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving me on the path.

    That night, by the campfire, I found myself singing along with everyone else. By the time the four weeks were up, I didn't want to leave. I'd seen some amazing things and made some great friends.

    Beauty is where you find it. Life is what you make it. I think it's going to be a good year this year. I mean, I'm going to work to make it one. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get to go back to camp next year!

    China is the biggest market in the world, and many countries such as Germany, the USA, the UK and Russia do a lot of business in China. Let's have a look at some important tips to help you be successful when dealing with these nationalities.

    First, you must be punctual (准时的) with Germans. Even 5 minutes late makes a bad impression. Being punctual is also very important in the USA. In the UK, it's important to be punctual for business meetings, but nobody expects you to be on time for a social event. Half past seven really means a quarter to eight, or even eight o'clock! With Russians, you should always be on time, though it is not unusual for them to be one or even two hours late!

    It is best to dress formally and wear dark colours when you meet people from all the four countries. In Russia, designer clothes are very common. Don't be surpri if you go to an office in the UK on a Friday and find everyone wearing jeans. Many companies have “dress down Friday”, when people wear casual (随便的) clothes.

    In Germany, first names are only used by family members and close friends, so be prepared to use titles and last names. In the USA you will usually be invited to use first names almost immediately. The British are quite informal and using first names in business is more and more common, especially among younger people. In Russia, however, nobody uses first names, so use titles and last names.

    In conversation, the British and the Americans value humour, and both like to talk about sport. The weather is also a good topic of conversation with the British and the Americans, but avoid talking about politics. In Russia, say positive（肯定的） things about their country, but avoid making complaints. The Germans, however, prefer to get straight down to business!

    So, use these tips, and you will be on your way to a successful international business career!

    Libraries are doing well in the digital times. Here are some of the most awesome examples.

    ⒈Freiburg University Library, Germany

    The original library of the Freiburg University was rebuilt in 2015 following the project of Degelo Architects. The new building has 41,000 square meters and looks like a cut diamond. Inside, there are 1,200 workspaces in four reading rooms plus 500 work areas. The library offers in the basement a system of automated checkout machines and 700,000 volumes that can be borrowed.

    ⒉Microlibrary at Taman Bima, Indonesia

    This wonderful little public library is located in a Kampung neighborhood near the Bandung airport, Indonesia. The building was designed by the Bandung office of SHAU architect studio. It has 160 square meters and is built upon a preexisting stage that was already used by the local community for events and gatherings. The Bima public library is the first of a series of similar microlibraries that are planned to be built across Indonesia.

    ⒊Public Library of Constitución, Chile

    The city in Constitución, Chile, was devastated by 8.8 degrees earthquake in 2010. The new public library, designed by Sebastian Irarrázaval, is a part of the initiative to rebuild the city. Constitución is one of the biggest clusters of wood production in Chile. This heritage is reflected in the construction of this post-disaster library. It's made almost entirely of wood, and only the firewalls are done with exposed poured concrete. The internal area of the library exceeds 350 square meters. The building was opened in 2015, five years after the earthquake.

    ⒋LiYuan Library, China

    Built in 2011 in a small village of Huairou on the outskirts（郊区）of Beijing, this beautiful nature-inspired library was designed by Li Xiaodong. The 175-square-meter building's interior is spatially diverse by using steps and small level changes to create distinct places. The wooden sticks temper the bright light and spread it evenly throughout the space to give a perfect reading environment. The library closes at dusk because there is no electricity in it.

    Gardening is a very popular hobby. And it is one that produces wonderful results – food for your dinner table and flowers for your home! Gardens themselves can be very beautiful. So you would think that a garden path is a great place to be. Well, in conversation, it is not. Leading someone up the garden path means you are trying to trick them. You are not trying to show them your beautiful flowers.

    Speaking of beautiful flowers, gardeners love to see small buds (芽) forming on their plants. Besides plants and flowers, people can bud, too. If a child is good at drawing and painting, we can call him a budding artist. So “budding” describes something that is beginning to develop.

    On the opposite end, you stop something from growing if you nip it in the bud. This is a common expression when we talk about stopping something bad and preventing it from continuing. It's good to nip small problems in the bud before they turn into big problems.

    Now flowers that bloom （开花）are beautiful to see – even garden-variety flowers. “Garden-variety” describes anything that is common and not so special. You can have a garden-variety cold—not a serious illness.

    Now, a problem that many gardeners have is weeds. Weeds grow easily and can quickly take over a garden. In conversation, we sometimes use “weeds” to mean too many details. So, if you are in the weeds, you are taken over by too many details.

    As we said, weeds grow quickly. So do children. So, we like to say a child grows like a weed. This expression compares a child's fast growth to that of a weed.

    Finding a summer job often shows that you're growing up, and it's also a way to earn money to pay for what you dream of. It's never too early to start considering the future. Now, here are some good choices for you!

    Retail（零售）Sales

    Retail offers plenty of chances for teens who are looking for a job. This type of work can pay from $ 10 to $ 15 an hour depending on the duty you are expected to take on. For more information, call us at 4005075.

    Food Service

    A job in the food service industry is a natural fit for sociable teens who enjoy communicating with the public. It allows employees to work as part of a team while learning about following instructions. It also comes with the chance to earn between $ 7 and $ 9 per hour. Just call 4005077 for more information.

    Babysitter （保姆）

    This job requires someone who is highly responsible. Though it pays generally between $ 6 and $ 8 hourly, it also requires a lot of patience. This is a great choice for teens who wish to make a career in teaching, child care, social work or any other field that makes use of social skills or requires interaction（互动）with kids. Got a question? Just call 4005076.

    Housekeeping

    This type of work can bring in about $ 5 an hour and it will allow teens to learn the tourism industry, so hotels are often looking for more housekeeping staff, and parks often need more people to help with keeping public areas clean and organized as well. Telephone 4005079.

    I've recently published a book of letters from 32 amazing Australian women about their experiences of new motherhood. Perhaps the most common question I've been asked since publication is why more of the mothers didn't ask for help. If those early months were so hard and so exhausting as they were described, then why didn't more of these women simply ask for help?

Embedded (把……牢牢地嵌入) deep in this enquiry is the assumption that if you ask, you shall receive—and that you shall receive without judgment. And if there is any experience of new motherhood in the 21^st century it is the inescapability of judgment. By asking for help new mothers open themselves up to a wave of quiet—and not-so-quiet—disapproval of why on earth they need it.

    The earliest moments of motherhood are synonymous with sacrifice(等同于牺牲). A mother sacrifices her body for not nine but almost ten long months, sharing her shell with a new being. A mother sacrifices her control, and often her mental and physical health, during the painful process of childbirth. A mother, in the weeks and months that follow, puts the needs of another before her own, sacrificing her sense of self, her ambition and all too often, her happiness.

    We don't normally use the word sacrifice to describe the newborn period. It's supposed to be sweet and milky and warm but a sacrifice is exactly what it is. And when we sacrifice we should be entitled (使享有权利) to mourn—a privilege new mothers are expressly prevented from.

    We have reached the point where being a mother who admits she needs help is like saying your child isn't worth the sacrifice. The suffering has become a badge(徽章) of honor, worn in service to your family.

    The role of mothering is not an easy one, nor will it ever be. But it could be made more manageable if we were all to offer help or support.