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．

    Reading can be a social activity. Think of the people who belong to book groups. They choose books to read and then meet to discuss them. Now, the website BookCrossing.com turns the page on the traditional idea of a book group.

    Members go on the site and register the books they own and would like to share. BookCrossing provides an identification number to stick inside the book. Then the person leaves it in a public place, hoping that the book will have an adventure, traveling far and wide with each new reader who findsit.

    Bruce Pederson, the managing director of BookCrossing, says, “The two things that change your life are the people you meet and books you read. BookCrossing combines both.”

    Members leave books on park benches and buses, in train stations and coffee shops. Whoever finds their book will go to the site and record where they found it.

    People who find a book can also leave a journal entry describing what they thought of it. E-mails are then sent to the BookCrossing to keep them updated about where their books have been found. Bruce Peterson says the idea is for people not to be selfish by keeping a book to gather dust on a shelf at home.

    BookCrossing is part of a trend among people who want to get back to the “real” and not the virtual(虚拟). The site now has more than one million members in more than one hundred thirty-five countries.

    Doctors in Britain are worried because British teenagers eat lots of fried potatoes, sweets and fat food. Most teenagers don't have enough fruit or vegetables and more than one million British school children are overweight.

    Some teenagers say that they don't have time to eat good food, but kids who have a poor diet often have health problems when they are older.

    Americans have been with fast food for a long time, and it was born there. American fast food is now a part of life far beyond the stores of the United States. McDonald's, Pizza Hut, and KFC have restaurants all over the world.

    No one can say no to the fact that fast food at a fair price has its place around the world. It is popular now, and it is giving a hand to a country's economy (经济).

    A diet of hamburgers, fries and soda may seem happy, but it won't give your body things you need to stay healthy. Fast food has little of many important things our bodies need.

    Some parents are saying no to the fast food restaurants where people eat junk food and doctors are giving young people books and games about a good diet. Having a healthy and well-balanced diet can help you feel better and live longer.

Healthy eating begins with learning how to eat smart—it's not just what you eat, but how you eat. Your food choices can reduce your risk of illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, as well as defend against bad mood. Moreover, learning the habits of healthy eating can increase your energy, sharpen your memory and stabilize(稳定)your mind.

    Healthy eating is about more than the food on your plate.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Healthy eating habits can be learned and it is important to slow down and think about the food as nourishment rather than just something to gulp down between meetings or on the way to your school.

    Eat with others whenever possible.

Eating with other people has a lot of benefit—particularly for children—and allows you to follow healthy eating habits.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Take time to chew your food and enjoy mealtimes.

    Chew your food slowly and taste every bite. We always tend to rush through our meals, forgetting to taste and feel the food in our mouth. Reconnect with the joy of eating.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Ask yourself if you are really hungry, or have a glass of water to see if you are thirsty instead of hungry. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It actually takes a few minutes for your brain to tell your body that it has had enough food, so eat slowly.

    Eat breakfast and smaller meals throughout the day.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}And eating small, healthy meals throughout the day(rather than the standard three large meals)keeps your energy up and your metabolism(新陈代谢)going.

A. It is also about how you think about the food.

B. Eating in front of the TV or computer often leads to mindless overeating.

C. Listen to your body.

D. During a meal, stop eating before you feel full.

E. A healthy breakfast can start your metabolism,

F. It is about where you eat your food.

G. Drink more water when you are hungry.

    The extreme hot weather often makes people restless with sweats in summer. Even though people are annoyed by it, experts suggest that summer is the best season to give out your body's poisonous matters and refresh your energy.

    One popular choice is hot-stone massage(按摩). Therapists(理疗师)use smooth and heated stones, usually river rocks, to massage certain parts of the body, or set them on key points of the body. The warmth of the hot stones will promote blood circulation and also help muscles relax, while sweating is also believed to be good for letting out the body's poisonous factors.

    Another popular choice is hot-stone baths. The hot-stone bath will help the body give out poisons and humidity(湿气) that build up during the last winter. Summer is the best season to form a good body. Rather than use water or steam to heat and wash the body, people simply wear a coat or something comfortable, and then lie on heated stone tablets made of hot stones, which are warmed to around 45^oC. The body will gradually warm up and blood circulation will also be improved. More sweat will come out quickly. The sweat is smooth and fresh, not smelly like that released after sports activities. Such baths bring a number of health benefits, such as anti-aging, improved blood circulation and stress relief. The slimming effect of dieting can even be promoted.

    It dates back to ancient times to use hot stones for treatment, but the modern hot-stone massage generally owes to Mary Nelson, a native of Tucson, Arizona, America, whose trademark is "La Stone Therapy".

    The therapy is earning a good fame and popularity with many people, especially those who are often seated in cool rooms with air-conditioners. The hot-stone therapy can help cure many illnesses, back pain included.

    Think of everything that could go wrong in your life. What if your city floods tomorrow and you lose your home? What if a tornado passes by and you are struck by flying objects, leaving you with several broken bones? Or maybe next year you crash your car and are badly in need of a life-saving surgery. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    All of these incidents, terrible as they are, require money to fix. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} With an insurance policy, you are given a safety net which you can land on in the event that anything terrible happens to you or your family.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} As a part of this plan, you will have to pay a premium (保费). It is a monthly or yearly payment to an insurance company. If you do have an insurance plan, then in exchange for your premium money, an insurance company will agree to cover the cost of whatever accident may occur to you. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} For example, if you tend to get sick a lot, you will have to pay more in your premium because it is more likely that you will go to the hospital.

    In many ways, getting an insurance plan is a bit of a bet. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} However, by getting an insurance plan, you can ensure that you will always have a safety net to land on if anything terrible does occur, as you have a guarantee that at least some portion of the cost will be covered by your insurance company.

A. What will you do then?

B. We should have the sense of insurance.

C. And this is where insurance comes into help.

D. There are some ways to help you handle the problems.

E. Your payment usually varies based on your risk factors.

F. Insurance companies offer insurance plans to people in need.

G. You never know whether you will have an accident in the future.