“Clothes Swapping”has become an increasingly popular activity for women in the United States. The women can give away unwanted clothing at a clothes swap event and get something different in return.

    Recently about 300 women went to a clothes swap at a high school in Springfield, Virginia. It was the largest crowd ever for the area's popular clothing-swapping group.

    Daphne Steinberg was having a good day.“For anyone who knows Ann Taylor LOFT, Ann Taylor is a really nice women's designer and I will totally wear this to work. So I love that, I love that I can equip myself for work, have a good time in doing it, not totally bankrupt myself.”

Sandy Van Dusen likes the idea that clothes are finding new homes instead of being thrown away. “Because it helps to keep the Earth green. There's no point in my opinion in continuing to buy new clothes when we can reuse what's already here. Give it a new home— let somebody else love what you used to love and no longer love.”

    Kim Pratt organized the clothing-swapping event in Springfield. She also organized a money-raising activity for the high school's debate team. It is one of several ways that her group gives to charitable causes. Another is by donating all of the“un-swapped” clothing to shelters for victims of domestic violence.

    “I started doing this four years ago, and we've been doing it for four years, getting bigger and bigger each time we have a swap.”

    She used the social media website meetup.com to help publicize the events. The website has helped her group grow from 30 members to 1,300. Mrs.Pratt says most of the members respect the clothing swap rules. But she say competition for desirable fashion can be strong.

    “We have to tell people sometimes not to hover over the new people coming in with their clothing. As they put it out, some people tend to grab the stuff right out of their hands and it becomes like a free-for-all. We try to avoid that as much as possible.”

    It's no secret that your personal characteristics directly affect how you interact with the world-but you might be surprised at just how deep it goes. Experts think that your personality can even affect how you exercise and influence what sports are suitable for you.

    Highly Sensitive

    Highly sensitive people may be more uncomfortable with group exercise classes or team sports where they feel their every move is being observed. Additionally, they may feel more upset over an ineffective or poor workout, says researcher Elaine Aron.

For such people, individual or non-competitive activities like biking, running and hiking are ideal.

    Type A Personality

    Type A individuals often have an "all or nothing approach" to exercise. This personality type is known for sticking closely to their plan, not to mention being super competitive. However, this can cause them to stick too closely to a fitness routine, which means they might try to push past an injury.

    To get better exercise results, Type A people need to be aware that following an exercise plan too strictly may limit their progress. They should be more flexible and listen to their body, especially when they are in pain.

    Type B Personality

    This laid-back group may get too lazy about their exercise plan, which prevents them from seeing results. They are often less willing to devote enough time and energy to their fitness goals, especially if exercise is something that makes them anxious.

    Type B individuals succeed in creative and co-operative environments, so team sports and group gym classes may be perfect.

    Remember, there are plenty of ways you can adapt a fitness plan to suit your needs, regardless of your characteristics. Just keep in mind what you like.

    Dujiangyan is the oldest man­made water system in the world, and a wonder in the development of Chinese science. Built over 2, 200 years ago in what is now Sichuan Province in Southwest China, this amazing engineering achievement is still used today to irrigate over 6, 000 square kilometers of farmland, take away floodwater and provide water for 50 cities in the province.

    In ancient times, the region in which Dujiangyan now stands suffered from regular floods caused by overflow from the Minjiang River. To help the victims of the flooding, Li Bing, the region's governor, together with his son, decided to find a solution. They studied the problem and discovered that the river most often overflowed when winter snow at the top of the nearby Mount Yulei began to melt as the weather warmed.

    The simplest fix was to build a dam, but this would have ruined the Minjiang River. So instead Li designed a series of channels built at different levels along Mount Yulei that would take away the floodwater while leaving the river flowing naturally. Better still, the extra water could be directed to the dry Chengdu Plain, making it suitable for farming.

    Cutting the channels through the hard rock of Mount Yulei was a remarkable accomplishment as it was done long before the invention of gunpowder and explosives. Li Bing found another solution. He used a combination of fire and water to heat and cool the rocks until they cracked and could be removed. After eight years of work, the 20­metre­wide canals had been carved through the mountain.

    Once the system was finished, no more floods occurred and the people were able to live peacefully and affluently. Today, Dujiangyan is admired by scientists from around the world because of one feature. Unlike modern dams where the water is blocked with a huge wall, Dujiangyan still lets water flow through the Minjiang River naturally, enabling ecosystems and fish populations to exist in harmony.

    When I was about 5 years old, I experienced my very first random act of kindness. I was sitting at the roadside one evening, crying alone for some reason when suddenly, a boy came up to me and gave me a plastic rose, I remember the moment when I took the rose from his hand; I was smiling from ear to ear, whispering "I want to be like him" to myself as I watched him walking away.

    From then on, I made it as my life mission to do random acts of kindness whenever I can. I was very determined to make other people smile. That was the only reason why I joined my school's Red Crescent Society and became a volunteer. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks in the same way as I did. Whenever I do something nice to others, people around me will start to judge my actions. Often I will just keep quiet and ignore what they say, but every once in a while, they do drive me up the wall.

    These people like to complain about how humans nowadays are lacking of humanities and compassion. However, when they actually see somebody doing a good deed in front of them, they start to question and criticize that person's honesty. Perhaps it is the increasing crime rate and the never-ending rat race that caused them to be so suspicious to nice strangers. In other words, people nowadays have lost sight of the real meaning of kindness and just let it go unnoticed. That is why I think random acts of kindness are really important. These selfless acts are not only capable of bringing joy to the receivers but also to the givers. Because of this, I want to help spread the idea of these random acts to the whole world. I want to show the people how the little things they give could make a big difference in someone else's life.

    For thousands of years, people have known that the best way to understand a concept is to explain it to someone else. "While we teach, we learn," said Roman philosopher Seneca. Now scientists are bringing this ancient wisdom up to date. They're documenting why teaching is such a fruitful w ay to learn, and designing creative ways for young people to take part in instruction.

    Researchers have found that students who sign up to tutor others work harder to understand the material, recall it more accurately and apply it more effectively. Student teachers score higher on tests than pupils who're learning only for their own sake. But how can children, still learning themselves, teach others? One answer: They can tutor younger kids. Some studies have found that first-born children are more intelligent than their later-born siblings(兄弟姐妹). This suggests their higher IQs result from the time they spend teaching their siblings. Now educators are experimenting with ways to apply this model to academic subjects. They arrange college undergraduates to teach computer science to high school students, who in turn instruct middle school students on the topic.

    But the most cutting-edge tool under development is the "teachable agent" — a computerized character who learns, tries, makes mistakes and asks questions just like a real-world pupil.

    Computer scientists have created an animated(动画的)figure called Betty's Brain, who has been "taught" about environmental science by hundreds of middle school students. Student teachers are inspired to help Betty master certain materials. While preparing to teach, they organize their know ledge and improve their own understanding. And as they explain the information to it, they identify problems in their own thinking.

    Feedback from the teachable agents further improves the tutors' learning. The agents' questions forces student tutors to think and explain the materials in different ways, and watching the agent solve problems allow s them to see their know ledge put into action.

    Above all, it's the emotions one experiences in teaching that improve learning. Student tutors feel upset when their teachable agents fail, but happy when these virtual pupils succeed as they develop pride and satisfaction from someone else's accomplishment.

    Theme parks are magical places where adults can act like children and kids have the time of their lives. Here are the top four theme parks across the world.

    Ferrari World－Yas Island. Abu Dhabi

    Abu Dhabi in the Middle East is home to the world's largest indoor theme park. The main attraction is the Ferrari Rossa-officially the fastest roller coaster in the world. The ride goes from 0 to 240 kilometres per hour in less than five seconds. The force is so strong that those daring enough to go on it have to wear safety glasses.

    Tickets:￡ 40 per adult and half price for children under 1.2 metres tall.

    Alton Towers-Staffordshire, England

    Alton Towers is the most visited theme park in the UK. The park offers thrilling rides such as the popular 800-metre long horror roller coaster. Or if you're interested in experiencing the sense of flying, head for the famous Airflying, where you'll need to avoid objects and trees as you fly. The park also has many other attractions, including live shows.

    Tickets:￡ 43 per adult and ￡21 per child. Children under the age of 3 get in for free.

    Disneyland Paris－Paris, France

    Disneyland Paris' two theme parks create a fantasy world that both children and adults can enjoy. Disneyland Park gives girls the chance to meet their favourite Disney Princesses and to explore Sleeping Beauty's castle. Exciting roller coasters will keep the whole family entertained for hours on end.

    Tickets: ￡34 per adult and ￡27 per child. Children under the age of 3 get in for free.

    Oakwood Theme Park－Pembrokeshire, Wales

    For those who are eager to experience speedy(高速的)turns and drops, this is the park for you. Be daring and go on the Megaphobia roller coaster, a wooden coaster making you scream.

    Tickets:￡ 38 for adults, ￡ 20 per child. Children under 3 years get in for free.