Now women are free to enter any career that attracts them, and working can bring them pride, confidence and independence. Working women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, and 51 percent of professional workers, like doctors, lawyers, nurses and accountants, are female. While climbing the career ladder can be rewarding, it often comes with one big disadvantage: weight gain!

    New research published this week in the International Journal of Obesity shows that working women are more likely to be overweight, and the more you work, the more pounds you're likely to pile on. Like many women, I work... a lot! As a self-employed nutrition communications specialist, I sit at my desk, in front of a computer, for hours on end. Sitting alone is one of the worst things you can do for your health, and it's directly linked to being overweight and increased fatness, so the fact that women in the workforce gain weight isn't that surprising. If you work, you have less time to move around. Obesity researchers are revealing many other ways that employment is harmful to your diet and waistline(腰围).

    In the International Journal of Obesity study, some 9,276 Australian women aged 45-50 had their body weight and employment status monitored for two years. Results? Those who worked more than 35 hours were likely to gain weight compared to those who worked fewer hours or were out of the workforce. What's more, the more hours a woman worked in a week, the more weight she gained.

    The authors of the Australian study attribute weight gain among working women to inactivity, lack of time for food preparation, more use of prepared foods, high levels of stress, lack of sleep and consuming more alcohol. I'll also add in travel, meals eaten out and working at night as other factors that I can find to make balancing work with a healthy diet a challenge.

    China plans to launch 156 small satellites by 2025 to provide Internet services in low signal areas and places with adverse natural environment, according to China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC).

    Due to environmental conditions of deserts, mountains and seas, half of the world's population has no access to the Internet, and the information deficiency hampers local development.

    It will be China's first broadband Internet access system with small satellites hovering in low orbit, which will also help meet the needs of commercial space development.

    The project, named Hongyun, plans to send the first satellite by 2019, and launch four more by 2020. By the end of 2025, CASIC plans to have all of the 156 satellites in operation.

    The Hongyun Project, which focuses on communication, remote sensing and navigation, can offer communication and Internet services for China and less-developed 3 countries with reduced latency. Meanwhile, the project can also benefit emergency communication, sensor data collection and remote control of unmanned equipment.

    Currently, international maritime satellites are widely used in communications in mountainous areas and airplanes, but those satellites, 36, 000 kilometers above the Earth, have time and signal delay as well as high cost for providing services.

    The small satellites sent by the Hongyun Project will hover in low orbits only hundreds of kilometers to 1, 000 kilometers above the Earth, and thus could improve the Internet access. However, the low orbit satellites may face challenges in power supply, as they need more energy to reduce the influence of air-resistance compared to high orbit satellites. Experiments are needed to determine whether solar energy alone is enough.

    If you have come to Britain, there are some beautiful places you can't miss. Below are four that you can enjoy during your trip to Britain.

    Cotswolds

    The Cotswolds are a range of hills measuring about 2,000 square kilometers, designated as an area of outstanding beauty and shared by countries of Somerset, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Sometimes known as "The Heart of England", the hills are small but perfectly formed and dotted with pleasant towns and well-preserved old villages inhabited mainly by well-preserved old English folk.

    Bath

    Bath is a historic Roman and Georgian spa city. It is a World Heritage (遗产) site, situated in 100 miles west of London and 15miles southeast of the nearest big city, Bristol. A unique city, Bath is famous for its hot springs, Roman period baths, medieval heritage and stately Georgain architecture. The famous English writer Jane Austen spent some time there, and her novel is a satire of the social life of the city at the time. Many of the sites she mentioned are still able to be visited in the city today.

    Much Wenlock

    The Shropshire town of Much Wenlock is a characteristically English town, off the beaten track, but well worth a visit. Not only is Much Wenlock a stunning beautiful medieval town, but it also played a part in the birth of the modern Olympic Games. Much Wenlock is the birthplace of William Penny Brookes, the inspiration for the modern Olympic Movement and founder of the Wenlock Olympian society. In recognition of its sporting heritage, the 2012 London Olympic Games named one of their mascots Wenlock.

    Castle Combe

    Nestled in a wooded Cotswold valley, with the ambling Bybrook River flowing through its heart, Castle Combe is a truly delightful example of the traditional English village. Architecturally, little has changed since the 15^th century. There are no street lights or TV aerials and you enjoy the peaceful atmosphere, and you will understand why it has won the "Prettiest Village in England" award so many times. Castle Combe is also a favored location for Hollywood film and television companies.

    An earthquake is one of the most common natural disasters. It may cause great damage. So it is wise to learn some simple safety tips to protect yourself or your family members.

    Fragile items like those made of glass are easily broken and should usually be placed on a lower surface, near the ground instead of placing them in the cupboards higher up. Never place them near your bed, sofas and other furniture where you would be sitting or lying down. When there is a strong movement, these pieces will fall on the floor directly and not on you.

    There is a strong chance of short circuits (短路) and fire during an earthquake. Make sure you turn off electrical connections and gas immediately when an earthquake happens.

    During an earthquake, lie beneath an object that is not easily damaged. Do not go near objects that could directly fall on you. Never use the elevator to go down. Stay inside until the shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries happen when people inside buildings try to go out. Use the staircases at all times.

    If you are outdoors, do not take shelter under a tree, streetlights, electric poles or tall buildings. If you are driving, stop your car and stay in a safe place. Do not park your car under a tree or any tall object.

    If trapped in debris (瓦砾堆), cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing. Tap on a pipe or the wall so that rescuers (营救人员) can find you. Use a whistle (哨子) if one is available. Never shout for help. Shouting can cause you to breathe in dangerous amounts of dust. Do not light a match because you may burn yourself. Do not move about or kick up dust.

Once upon a time, science fiction was just a style among other styles. There were crime stories, there were horror stories, there was literary fiction, and there was science fiction. But today science themes dominate these other styles. It's difficult to think of much modern crime, horror or "serious" fiction that doesn't involve science.

And its not just books. With every second movie and computer game having a sci-fi element, science fiction seems to have controlled our entire entertainment culture. It's clear that if we want to define science fiction, we should relate it to the role that science plays in our lives.

Although some experts have claimed to be able to trace sci-fi back to ancient times, it is more reasonable to find it in initial form in the 19^th century, when industrial societies arose. One of the features that set industrial societies apart from other kinds was the increasing part that science played in everyday life. Factories with vast machines turned out huge quantities of goods, which were transported by trains, motor vehicles and ships all over the world. Cities were built on the back of technology, with electricity in homes and hospitals helping everyone to lead healthier, more convenient lives. All of these changes had great effects not only on people's real lives, but on their imaginative ones.

Writers began to describe these changing physical and mental landscapes, eventually giving science fiction a large and devoted fan base of especially young readers, who found that it spoke to their curiosity about the future that science would create.

But sci-fiction reflected fears about science more than it did hopes. These typical early science fiction novels might be a UK novel like H. G. Wells' The War of the worlds (1897). With great skill, Wells played upon the fears of technology by imagining Earth under threat by a civilization-that of men from Mars.

The science fiction of today expresses the impact of the computing revolution, robotics and our environmental challenges, while it is less concerned with "little green men from Mar" and other themes of past sci-fiction.

Given that science, technology and polities are always intertwined, contemporary science fiction often has a great deal to say about power. Many recent novels-like American Cory Doctorow's Little Brother (2008)-are concerned with government and security service "conspiracies (阴谋)" against the people, particularly as the revelations of whistleblowers like Edward Snowden sink in. This can give sci-fi writing a "skeptical (怀疑的)" feel.

This underlines one of the features that remains constant between the beginnings of the empire of science fiction and its state today.

As then, so now: We want to read about how fearful the future will be, not how it will be a paradise.