In the last few years the popularity of eBooks has exploded．The advantages are clear：You can carry as many books with you as you want．You can simply download every book you like and instantly start reading instead of having to wait for the book to arrive by mail．

    However，one thing hadn't changed．If you wanted to rent a book you were still forced to use hardcopy books．Until now that is, Amazon．com recently announced the start of a new program where you can rent eBooks．

Where to rent eBooks？

    As mentioned before，Amazon．com is the first and currently the only retailer (零售商) that has a program in place for renting eBooks． Luckily，Amazon is the largest online retailer in the world and their eBook assortment (分类) is massive．They are also the producer of the Kindle，the most popular Reader，which means you can be sure that the eBooks you rent will work．

You can currently only rent Textbooks．But this is likely to change as soon as word gets out that you can save money by renting eBooks.

Why rent eBooks at Amazon?

* Save money：Save up to 80% of the normal price of the eBook．

* Decide how long you rent：From 30 days to 360 days，you decide how long you want it．You can extend the time by as little as a day．Or simply buy the eBook if you want to keep it after all．

*Use any device：If you rent an eBook from Amazon，you can read it on your PC，Mac，iPad，iPhone，Android device，Windows Phone 7．Blackberry．or Kindle．

* Keep your notes：Do you like to keep annotations (注释) and highlights in your eBooks？Don't worry．You can always revisit your notes and highlights through Amazon．com．

How to rent eBooks？

    Simply search for the eBook you want to rent on Amazon．com and select the "Rent eBooks" option. After that，a new page will open where you can select how long you'd like to rent the eBook．You can read eBooks for a period of 30 to 360 days．

    You decide how long you need the eBook．If you later find out you need it for longer, you can simply extend the time．Or buy it for the normal price whenever you want.

    Once you've chosen the time you want to rent the eBook，you simply go to checkout．Or you can use the "Rent now" button．

    Think twice the next time you decide to copy your boss in an email. That simple little “CC” box (抄送框) could send a message that ruins your relationship with the other receivers.

    A study in Harvard Business Review asked working adults to imagine that their coworker always, sometimes, or rarely CC'ed their boss in emails. The study results show that employees felt less trusted when their coworker “always'' copied the boss than when they ''sometimes” or “almost never” did. The results of the survey aren't surprising, says career expert Bruce Tulgan. Sometimes the boss really does need to stay in the loop (在圈内) with an email chain. But most times, employees are purposely sending the message that they don't think the receiver follow through with what they're asking unless the boss gets involved, says Tulgan. “That is an expression of lack of trust,'' he says.

    Breaking down that trust level in your office can have serious consequences. Like in any relationship, coworkers need trust to keep things running smoothly. “When people have trust, there is a much higher level of wanting to deliver for each other,” says Tulgan. “When people have enthusiasm, they try harder.” That means more willingness to take risks and make decisions, he says. Even if you don't trust your coworker to follow through for you, copying the boss in an email is not the best strategy, says career expert Todd Dewett, PhD. “CC'ing is the adult version of being a tattletale (告密者),” he says. “It tells your colleague you didn't agree without telling it to their face, and you want your boss to know without talking about it.”

    As a rule of thumb, only about 20 percent of what you do in the office is truly urgent, and those are the only times you should consider getting your boss involved in, says Tulgan. “The most important people, the most important project, key relationship,” she says. “That's when you might consider the occasional use of CC.”

    “Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you much stronger. If you do little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves,” said Dale Carnegie.

    Sometimes, doing your best work or trying your hardest at something is difficult. It may have something to do with trying to do something new for the first time, like a new sport or activity at school. It may have something to do with doing homework for a subject that is not your favorite or is not your best.

    As Hunter S. Thompson once said, “Anything worth doing is worth doing right.” And as Albert Einstein added, “We have to do the best we can. This is our sacred human responsibility.”

Developing the habit of trying your hardest and doing your best is something that will help you succeed throughout your life. If you have looked at some quotes related to trying your hardest, you will see that many of them come from people who have made a big difference in the world. This is not a coincidence. It was not only their cleverness that helped them stand out and change the world, but their ability to try their hardest and do their best in whatever they were doing. If you can develop this same habit—to do your best in any situation, it will be a great benefit to your family, career, school and community.

    As Bob Cousy put it, “Do your best when no one is looking. If you do that, then you can be successful at anything you put your mind to.” The choice is yours.

    “He is the best choice for goodwill ambassador.” Indian movie fans in China say.

    Indian actor Aamir Khan has got his major celebrity status in China. Aamir Khan was in China last week to promote his latest Hindi film Secret Superstar. During his weeklong stay, first in Shanghai and then in Beijing, the Indian actor also found out that he has become a major celebrity in a country where Hollywood's reach has been traditionally limited.

    Some local analysts compare his star status in China to that of Hollywood actors Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio. Others wonder if Khan is an activist actor. Still others describe him as a feminist（女权主义者）. The Chinese media seem to have called him Mishu, or Uncle Aamir. The surprising rise in popularity of the 52-year-old Bollywood star is owing to his striking movies. At more than 1 million, Khan has the most followers as an Indian on Sina Weibo, the country's Twitter-like platform.

    Secret Superstar had made more than 400 million yuan（$63 million）earlier this week. The story of a teenage Muslim girl's fight against ugly patriarchy（父权制）to realize her dreams was released in China on Jan 19.

    Last year, his film Dangal, inspired by the real journey of an Indian wrestler through a conservative landscape to turn his daughters into world-class athletes, had made nearly 1.3 billion yuan.

    In 2011, Khan's work first got major attention from Chinese moviegoers with Three Idiots, which was released in India much earlier. A statement on India's orthodox education system, similar to that of China, the Hindi film went along with the local audience. Film critics and fans alike recommended it to their friends.

    Some film critics say the education systems, gender discrimination（性别歧视）and domestic violence（家庭暴力）that Secret Superstar shows are among similarities of social issues in India and China. A series of “masterpieces” have made Khan an effective brand in China, in addition to his movie marketing and film devotion.

    Passenger pigeons (旅鸽) once flew over much of the United States in unbelievable numbers. Written accounts from the 18th and 19th centuries described flocks (群) so large that they darkened the sky for hours.

    It was calculated that when its population reached its highest point, there were more than 3 billion passenger pigeons—a number equal to 24 to 40 percent of the total bird population in the United States, making it perhaps the most abundant bird in the world. Even as late as 1870 when their numbers had already become smaller, a flock believed to be 1 mile wide and 320 miles (about 515 kilometers) long was seen near Cincinnati.

    Sadly the abundance of passenger pigeons may have been their undoing. Where the birds were most abundant, people believed there was an ever-lasting supply and killed them by the thousands.

    Commercial hunters attracted them to small clearings with grain waited until pigeons had settled to feed, then threw large nets over them, taking hundreds at a time. The birds were shipped to large cities and sold in restaurants.

    By the closing decades of the 19th century, the hardwood forests where passenger pigeons nested had been damaged by American's need for wood, which scattered (驱散) the flocks and forced the birds to go farther north, where cold temperatures and storms contributed to their decline. Soon the great flocks were gone, never to be seen again.

    In 1897, the state of Michigan passed a law prohibiting the killing of passenger pigeons but by then, no sizable flocks had been seen in the state for 10 years. The last confirmed wild pigeon in the United States was shot by a boy in Pike County, Ohio, in 1900. For a time, a few birds survived under human care. The last of them, known affectionately as Martha, died at the Cincinnati Zoological Garden on September 1, 1914.

Westwinds Farm Campsite

    Open April - September

    (Booking is advised for holidays in July and August to guarantee a place.)

    Jim and Meg Oaks welcome you to the campsite. We hope you will enjoy your stay here. We ask all campers to show due care and consideration whilst staying here and to observe the following camp rules.

    Keep the campsite clean and tidy: dispose of litter in the bins provided; leave the showers, toilets and washing area in the same state as you found them; ensure your site is clear of all litter when you leave it.

    Don't obstruct rights of way. Keep cars, bikes, etc. off the road.

    Let sleeping campers have some peace. Don't make any noise after 10 o'clock at night or before 7:30 in the morning.

    Dogs must be kept on a lead. Owners of dogs that disturb other campers by barking through the night will be asked to leave.

    Disorderly behavior will not be tolerated.

    The lighting of fires is strictly prohibited.

    Ball games are not allowed on the campsite. There is plenty of room for ball games in the park opposite the campsite.

    Radios, portable music equipment, etc. must not be played aloud.

    The management reserves the right to refuse admittance.