World's Wonderful Libraries

    How cool can libraries be in an era of iPads and Kindles Morethan you think. Only if you know where to go.

                                                                                         Central Library

    The Central Library in Seattle,United States is modern and sophisticated. The building is an impressive work of art, which has tourists from around the world paying visits and taking tours. The library offers free self-guided cell phone tours, along with group tours.

    The library holds various art exhibitions, book signings andother events throughout the year.

    Open: Monday-Thursday 10 a.m-8 p.m, Friday-Saturday 10 a.m-6p.m, Sunday noon-6 p.m

                                                                                      Trinity College Library

    The Trinity College Library in Dublin is the oldest library in Ireland, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I.

    Not only is the exterior impressive, it boasts the largest single chamber library in the world, also known as the Long Room, which contains more than 200,000 of the library's oldest books.

    Various exhibitions and tour are available; admission 9(US 12)

    Open: Monday-Wednesday 9:30 a.m -5 p.m, Tuesday 9:30 a.m -9 p.m,Saturday 9:30 a.m -1 p.m, Sunday closed.

                                                                                    Bibliotheca Alexamdrina

    The Bibliotheca Alexamdrina is the revival(复兴) of theancient Royal Library of Alexandria, which was the largest and most influential library in the Greek world. It was built by Alexander the Great some 2, 300years ago.

    The new library was reborn in 2002 on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea after 10 years of designing, planning and construction.

Along with the standard libraries, there are four museumscovering science, Arabic Calligraphy, the history of printing and the Greekart.

    Open: Saturday-Thursday 9 a.m- 4 p.m.

                                                                                       Stuttgart City Library

    The Stuttgart City Library is controversial. Some say it's innovative, while others say it doesn't match its environment.

     Nevertheless, the library is one of the most interesting buildings in Germany. The design of the cubic facility was influenced by the ancient Pantheon in Rome. It serves as a multi-story meeting space that draws natural sunlight through the roof.

    Open: Monday-Saturday 9 a.m--9 p.m

    My mom takes pride in the fact that I was talking in three and four word sentences before I was ten months old. Some say it's a gift while others simply think I talk too much.

    As my thirties came to a close, I found myself reflecting on my life. I'm very happy and have no significant regrets. However, when I looked back on those times of difficulty, I saw a clear common denominator(特征); I didn't seem to know when to stop talking. Whether it was hurting someone's feelings, or having carelessly told a secret, the incident could have been avoided had I closed my mouth sooner. So I decided to practice the power of quiet.

    To take this step, I needed to understand how people could sit comfortably in a group and not talk. Why does my husband feel completely content to say nothing in a conversation? He's highly intelligent and has wonderful opinions but he'll sit quietly and just listen. Even when he's asked a pointed question, he'll answer with few words while still communicating effectively. What a talent!

    Can you imagine being happy just listening? In surveying those I know who talk less than I do, I got two answers—they either didn't feel confident enough to speak up, or they just didn't feel the need to participate in the conversation. Of course there were other reasons for not talking, but these were the two most popular answers.

    The first one didn't work for me. I'm just fine letting people know what I think about them, and hopefully it will make the conversation much more interesting. The second one didn't work either. I do feel the need to participate. I feel it physically like an electrical pulse through my body; sometimes it's so strong that it causes me to behave badly in the form of interrupting or speaking in an unusually loud voice. I had to look further.

    An interesting thing happened on this journey to the power of quiet. During my weekly yoga class, it came to me like an answer so clear that the words rang in my head like soft, heavenly bells.

    I talked too much so people would know I cared about them. It was my way of taking care of those I love. I decided before my fortieth birthday, that from that day forward, those around me would know I loved them, and cared what they thought and felt, but I was going to practice the power of quiet.

    As my forty-second birthday approaches, I can say that deciding to talk less has been more about focusing on quality rather than quantity. I've found that listening more shows those who I care about that I really do care how they feel. Now when I break in, it means more to them. Oh, sure, I still have my short periods of talking too much, but for the most part this has been one resolution that I can call a success.

    I came to study in the United States a year ago. Yet I did not know the real American society until I was injured in a car accident because after the accident I had to see a doctor and go to court.   

    After the accident, my roommate called a doctor for me. I was very grateful and determined to repay him one day. But the next day, he asked me to pay him $200 for what he had done. I was astonished. He had good reason to charge me, he said. And if I wanted to collect money from the person who was responsible for my injury, I'd have to have a good lawyer. And only a good doctor can help me get a good lawyer. Now that he had helped me find a good doctor, it was only fair that I should pay him.  

    But every day I went to see the doctor, I had to wait about 50 minutes. He would see two or three patients at the same time, and often stop treating one so as to see another. Yet he charged me $115 each time. The final examination report consisted of ten lines, and it cost me $215.    

    My lawyer was all smiles the first time we met. But after that he avoided seeing me at all. He knew very well the other party was responsible for the accident, yet he hardly did anything. He simply waited to collect his money. He was so irresponsible that I decided to dismiss him. And he made me pay him $770.    

    Now I had to act as my own lawyer. Due to my inexperience, I told the insurance company the date I was leaving America. Knowing that, they played for time and I left without getting a cent.

    Are you a problem shopper? The answer is “Yes”, if you or someone else thinks that you sometimes get carried away with shopping. In other words, do you or does someone else think you are occupied in extreme shopping? If people have regrets later about their shopping, or have an “out-of-control” feeling about the quantities of what they buy or the amount of credit they use, they may be considered to be problem shoppers.

    Extreme shopping can lead to a more serious problem — addictive shopping. Addictive shoppers feel driven by the desire to shop and spend money. They experience great tension which drives them to shop and spend money and they feel a “rush” during the time they are occupied with the shopping activity.

    Extreme or addictive shopping may result from long-time unpleasant feelings, of which anxiety, pain and shame are common ones. When we feel bad inside, we often do something to make ourselves feel better. In this case, we often go shopping.

    A few people shop to relieve their boredom or emptiness. For some people, the motivation is a desire for status, power, beauty or success. Some love to shop as it makes them feel valued in the eyes of the shop assistants. Others shop simply because it makes them forget, at least temporarily, tension, fear or unhappiness in their life.

    Besides, shopping malls are designed to encourage continual shopping. For instance, there are some malls where you can't see clocks displaying the time because they don't want you to become too aware of the time you spend there. What's more, food courts, coffee shops and restrooms are provided, so you don't have to leave the mall because of your physical needs.

    Therefore, once you become aware of how market forces work, you will certainly come to control your shopping behavior. For example, how much time you will spend and what areas you will visit can be decided before you enter the mall. Keep a written account of what items you will buy and how much money you will spend. Make a plan for what you are going to buy before you feel the urge to shop and then stick to it. That is vital for gaining self-control.

    A good book is indeed the best friend of a person.The same goes for high—profile CEOs of world recognized companies as well.Let's have a look at the favorite books of some of the world-famous CEOs.

    Apple CEO—Tim Cook,Competing against Time by George Stalk Jr.and Thomas M.Hout

    This book is based on 10 years of valuable research done by the authors.It talks about how new concepts of managing time in new product development,production and sales provide companies with the advantages to succeed in this highly competitive world.

    Microsoft CEO(Former)—Bill Gates,The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger

    A few themes explored in the novel are rebellion（叛逆）,anxiety and confusion.It admits that young people are a little confused,but can be smart about things and see things that adults don't really see.Gates said,"I didn't actually read The Catcher in the Rye until I was 13,and ever since then I've said that's my favorite book."

    Oracle CEO—Larry Ellison,Napoleon by Vincent Cronin

    This book is considered by far the best biography ever written on Napoleon Bonaparte.Ellison said,"It's interesting to read about him for a couple of reasons: to see what an ordinary man can do with his life and to see how history can distort（歪曲）the truth entirely."

    OWE CEO—Oprah Winfrey,To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    This book talks about how a little girl observes the people around her.Winfrey said,"I read it in eighth or ninth grade,and I was trying to persuade other kids to read the book.So it makes sense to me that now I have a book club, because I have been doing that probably since I read this book."

    China officially informed the World Trade Organization on Tuesday that it will ban the import of 24 different types of solid waste by the end of this year as part of a campaign to deal with environmental pollution and protect people's health.

    In response to growing public concerns over the potential environmental and health danger caused by the increasing amounts of solid waste imported into the country for recycling and treatment, China passed a special law in 1995 to control imports of waste materials, such as plastics, slag from steelmaking, unsorted scrap paper and discarded textile materials.

    A year later, the country published a list for solid waste imports and began implementing a permit system to control the import volumes and types of waste imported.

    However, due to the lack of effective supervision(监管) and the failure of relevant departments to fulfill their duties, solid waste imports have not been effectively controlled.

    So far, China is the world's largest importer of solid waste. According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, China imported 7.3 million metric tons of plastic waste worth $3.7 billion in 2016, accounting for 56 percent of global imports of solid waste.

    Correct recycling of solid waste materials is an important part of the global economy, and moderate imports of scrap plastic, scrap paper and scrap rubber products, such as vehicle tires, can to some extent, make up for China's shortage of various raw materials.

    However, the lack of supervision has resulted in the country's severe soil and environmental worsening.

    Given that China's continuing efforts to push for industrial transformation and upgrading have resulted in a noticeable decline in the demand for the materials recycled from solid waste imports. It is right for the country to restrict such imports for the sake of the environment and public health, and to better adapt to the changed industrial structure.