English is full of colorful phrases to describe shyness. Someone shy might be called shrinking violet or a wallflower, while for especially nervous types we have the curious expression: they wouldn't say boo to a goose.

    None of these are traditionally seen as positive descriptions, even if you like geese. In a culture of go-getting, high achievers, shy people don't come first. Or that's what the self-help industry would have you believe. Bookshops are filled with vital tomes(巨著) that promise to help beat social fears and find success in life, love and business. That is why one book, Shrinking Violets: A Field Guide to Shyness, bucks the trend. It became a sudden success across English-language media recently for its new take-on shyness.

    Author Joe Moran says that despite struggling with shyness and longing for loneliness all his life, being shy can also be "a gift". Freed from the constant urge to participate and compete in social situations, people are liberated to look at the world in new ways, and gain fresh insights.

    Indeed, many of the world's great thinkers and artists are introverts(内向的人). Scientists Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein preferred their own company; actress Keira Knightley often finds herself tongue-tied at parties; and Harry Potter author JK Rowling claims she used to be too nervous to even borrow a pen.

    Moran told BBC Future: "I think shyness probably does turn you into an amateur anthropologist(人类学家), really-you are more likely to be an observer."

    So, while extroverts make all the noise, they don't necessarily have the best ideas.

    If you're shy, you've probably known this for a long time. You just don't shout about it.

    Our warming planet is expected to face serious water crisis（危机）in the coming decades — which means each nation's natural resource will be more important than ever.

    Average humans can consume 15 or more drinks in plastic bottles a month. If you were born after 1978, and live until 80 years old, you will leave behind a minimum of 14,400 plastic bottles on this planet. These bottles take hundreds of years to break down into tiny pieces of plastic, never to completely disappear. Most of the waste is consumed by fish and birds, which has shortened their lifetime greatly.

The Plastic Bottle Village is just a great idea that might finally save us from being buried in plastic. It's a community in Panama that is going to be made of used bottles. The design process begins with building steel frames, which are then filled with these bottles. Once this step is complete, and electrical and plumbing (管道装置) lines are put inside, the plastic walls are covered by concrete—both inside and outside. So no one will actually be able to tell that the walls are made of plastic. Besides, the material will keep the house 17℃ cooler than the outside, which is the biggest benefit to people living inside.

    The village is the brainchild (主意) of Robert Bezeau with the intention of setting up several environmental projects. Having started a recycling program four years ago, during which a number of plastic bottles were collected, he started to think of how they could be put to use. Soon enough, he decided to use them to build houses, and came up with a basic idea for the construction process.

    The project hopes to make people conscious of the waste that these bottles create so that they can do more to protect the environment. The village will also create an education center that will teach individuals from the world how to reuse plastic bottles as construction materials for shelter. Recycled bottles could neutralize the negative effect of your passage on this planet, and move closer to leaving only your “footprints”.

    Do you love Beats headphones, True Religion jeans, and UGG shoes? These are some of the most popular brands(品牌) around. They are also expensive. But some experts say they are not much better than cheaper brands.

    For example, Jim Wilcox works for Consumer Reports. He tested all kinds of headphones. He says that $80 Koss Pro headphones provide basically the same quality and comfort as Beats. So why do people pay twice or even 10 times as much for the hottest brands?

    Experts say because it's fashionable, and expensive brands send a message. Brands say "I belong" or "I can afford it."

    Some people think that expensive brand names are worth the price. They say that some designer clothes are really of top quality and that they last longer than cheaper brands. Some teenagers choose to wear popular brands because these brands make them feel good about themselves.

    Alexandra Allam, 17, likes to buy brand-name products. "I'd rather spend the extra money getting something I know I'll be satisfied with." she says. Her friend Emmy Swan agrees, saying "As long as you can afford it, it seems reasonable to buy what you want." But not all teenagers agree. "Spending hundreds of dollars for designer is stupid and unreasonable," says Daniel Steinbrecher, 16. "It's fake（假的）happiness."

    People who are against wearing expensive brand names say that many designer brands aren't any better. "It's wasteful to buy things just because they are popular." says Edmund Williams, 15. "You'll feel better if you buy things because you like them. If you have extra money to spend, it would be better to give it to people in need."

    Even the hardest days contain lessons that will help you be a better person. Feeling down？Consider these things to remember when you're having a bad day.

    No one promised life would be perfect. If you look for perfection, you'll never be content. Don't condition your happiness on meeting every expectation you set for yourself. It is good to be ambitious，but you'll never be perfect. If you expect otherwise, your life will be filled with disappointments.

    Success doesn't happen overnight. Trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit. Don't kid yourself into thinking success will come quickly. It isn't easy to be patient，but anything worth doing requires time. If you get frustrated, remind yourself why your goal is important.

    There is a lesson in every struggle. And once the storm is over，you won't remember how you made it through or how you managed to survive. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about. Don't complain about how terrible your life is. If you search for the lesson in your present struggle, you'll be able to make positive changes that would prevent similar situations in the future.

    Without hard times, you wouldn't appreciate the good ones. Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to give in, that is strength. It is hard to find much to smile about when you fail, but how else would you improve yourself？If you look at failure as a part of your evolutionary process, you'll stay positive and pursue your goals for as long as it takes.

    Little black taxis, often run-down and falling apart from decades of use, have for a long time been a main feature of Cairo's chaotic urban landscape. But their days may be numbered, thanks to a new taxi replacement programme aimed at knocking out older, potentially unsafe vehicles.

    The government-sponsored action, launched earlier this year, allows drivers of taxis 20 years or older, mostly Fiats and Peugeots, to trade their cars for shiny new all-white ones at generous rates of financing. Drivers can choose between five different locally manufactured car models.

    According to officials, more than 11,000 brand new taxis, sporting trademark checked stripes on the sides, have already hit the streets of the capital, and they've been welcomed enthusiastically by passengers. Many people say that not only are the new taxis more comfortable, but they also make the streets of Cairo far more presentable. Furthermore, taxi fares have only increased by a small amount.

    The poor condition of most black and white taxis is almost legendary. Passengers often have to deal with windows and doors that do not open and close, and heavy, thick petrol gases. Air conditioning is unheard of. The new all-white taxis, meanwhile, are cleaner, more fuel-efficient and provide air conditioning on request. Furthermore, all the new taxis come equipped with functioning fare meters, which avoids arguments and sometimes fights with passengers!

    The government hopes to replace all of the capital's 40,000 elderly black cabs soon, but not everyone in Cairo will be happy to see them go. Hotel manager Ibrahim Al-Toukhy says that the old black cabs were weak and run-down, and maybe even a little dangerous, but they were part of the city, and part of Cairo's character.