Instagram is a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your life with friends and family. Take a pictureor video, choose afilter to transform its look and feel. and then post to Instagram—it's that easy. You can even share to Facebook. Twitter andmore. It's a new way to see the world. So many photos of food are contained on Instagram—now a pop-up diner in London is taking advantage of this new trend by letting people settle the bill for their meals simply by uploading photos of their dishes to social networks.

    I always thought people's taking pictures of their food was kind of silly, but at this new pop-up restaurant in the UK, I'd probably do it too.“The Picture House”is the world's first pay-by-photo restaurant—you order, click a photo of the food, share on Instagram and eat for free!

    The restaurant belongs to frozen food giant(巨人) Birds Eye, who came up with the idea to cash in on people's addiction with photographing food and sharing the pictures online. They conducted a survey and found out that more than half of the British population regularly took pictures of their meals. So they realized it was a better way to advertise their new dining range.

    The pop-up diner was open in Soho, London for three days in May, and is now moving to other major UK cities. They serve two-course meals that customers don't have to pay for, if they photo and lnstagram it.

    The restaurant is a part of Birds Eye's“Food for Life”campaign, a new marketing project that aims at changing the way people look at frozen food.“Taking photos of food enables people to show off and to share their mealtime moments—from the everyday to the special.” said marketing director Margaret Jobling.

    The reaction to The Picture House has been great so far and the pay-by-picture concept has proven to be an effective way. Alternative payment methods are actually gaining popularity among a lot of businesses. Last year in a cafe in Germany customers pay by how much time they spend there, not by what they eat.

    A minister was on a long flight from China to London. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on: Fasten your seat belts. Then, after a while, a calm voice said, "We shall not be serving the drinks at this time as there is going to be something unexpected. Please be sure seat belt is fastened."

    Soon the storm broke out. One moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of air. The plane dropped as if it were about to crash.

    The minister believed that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him. As he looked around the plane, he could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. The future seemed ominous and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm. Then he suddenly saw a little girl. Apparently the storm meant nothing to her. She was reading a book and everything within her small world was calm orderly. Sometimes she closed her eyes and then she would read again. Then she would straighten her legs, worry and fear were not in her world. The minister could hardly believe his eyes.

    It was not surprising therefore that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers hurried to leave, the minister walked up to the girl he had watched for such a long time. Having commented about the storm and the behavior of the plane, he asked why she had not been afraid. The girl replied, "Because my dad is the pilot, and he's taking me home."

    Winter is for working hard, summer is for playing hard. From the Bahamas to Amsterdam, we have several most appealing summer vacation spots for you to choose from.

    The Bahamas

    While there is a risk of getting rained on during hurricane season, June generally sees mild weather, fewer crowds and significantly lower prices. While some resorts (度假胜地) in the Out Islands may close, New Providence and Paradise Island remain open year-round. It's a good choice for families looking for a taste of relaxing island living.

    Mackinac Island, MI

    Mackinac Island, 20 minutes by boat from either the Upper or Lower Peninsula of Michigan, comes alive on summer weekends. Most of its roughly 4 square miles is parkland, suitable for hiking and cycling. Be sure to take in the beautiful architecture―Victorian cottages that date back to just after the Civil War. You can have a taste of times gone by; cars were banned more than a hundred years ago, and horse-drawn carriages are still used to get around today.

    Ocean City, MD

    This East Coast beach town is best known for its boardwalk, which is known for old-school amusement rides. Cycling in the town is also a great pleasure. Grab your wallets and feast on hard-shelled crabs at Hooper's crab house or drink in the sunset with a local beer in hand from Fager's Island Restaurant & Bar's large bayfront decks. Parking is free with your consuming receipt. You can't miss a classic walk along the boardwalk and the taste of Thrasher's vinegar and Old Bay French fries.

    Amsterdam

    Summer is the ideal time to visit this city. The gray skies have lifted, festivals abound and events to enjoy include the Open Garden Days, when visitors can peek (窥视) into the private gardens behind the beautiful Houses that line the famous canals. You can experience urban adventure, crossing Amsterdam's thousands of bridges and waterways by bike and by boat in search of the perfect brown cafe.

    More students than ever before are taking a gap year (间隔年) before going to university. It used to be called the "year off" between school and university. The gap-year phenomenon originated (起源) with the months left over to Oxbridge applicants between entrance exams in November and the start of the next academic year.

    This year, 25,310 students who have accepted places in higher education institutions have put off their entry until next year, according to statistics on university entrance provided by the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS).

    That is a record 14.7% increase in the number of students taking a gap year. Tony Higgins from UCAS said that the statistics are good news for everyone in higher education. "Students who take a well-planned year out are more likely to be satisfied with, and complete, their chosen course. Students who take a gap year are often more mature and responsible?" he said.

    But not everyone is happy. Owain James, the president of the National Union of Students (NUS), argued that the increase is evidence of student hardship—young people are being forced into earning money before finishing their education. "New students are now aware that they are likely to leave university up to £ 15,000 in debt. It is not surprising that more and more students are taking a gap year to earn money to support their study for the degree. NUS statistics show that over 40% of students are forced to work during term time and the figure increases to 90% during vacation periods," he said.

    Starting Cycling

    We have two services designed to give people the confidence and knowledge to cycle successfully.

    Lessons

    All our instructors have been trained to National Standards level of “Bike-ability”. This means you will be trained to a standard consistent across the whole country.

    There are three levels of skills to progress through. Children would start levels 1&2, progressing from the playground or park to cycle on less busy local roads. Teenager and adult beginners can also learn levels 1&2 in an off-road and quiet environment.

    Confident teenagers and adults can broaden their skills by learning level 3, using multi-lane roads and larger roundabouts. We provide both complete packages of lessons for the beginner or individual lessons tailors to the client. Whatever the need we can address and practice until perfect!

    Cost is ＆30 per hour.

    Guided Ride

    We know that riding on the roads in London can be scary, and if you have to navigate(确定行车路线)as well it can become a real hard task! The Guided Ride service takes all the stress out of it for you by providing the following:

    Route planned in advance to suit your skill level. Route map provided to you.

    Cycle and equipment checked. We will teach you a simple method to check basic roadworthiness(车辆性能)of your bike that you can perform on a weekly basis.

    Route discussed and focus given to any areas requiring special attention.

    Cycle along with the instructor close behind. Here the traffic can be controlled by the instructor and rider observed.

    We currently cover London Zones1&2. Please contact us if your requirements are outside of these areas.

    Cost＆30 per hour.

    When Lina was awoken by the sound of thunder, she was alone on the island. The air was cool and bullfrogs croaked. It was that brief moment when the summer sun had set but the stars hadn't yet appeared. Lina rubbed her eyes and looked around.

    "Hello?" she called. "Celia? Marie?"

    There was no response.

    The moon was rising now, shedding light on the island. They had always called it "Forgotten Island" because no one but they seemed to remember its existence. It wasn't on any of the maps they could find, and even the forest rangers didn't know about it. Lina loved that the island, hidden in a heavily-wooded side stream of the river, was a secret between the three friends -her, Celia, and Marie.

    But now Lina was here alone, and it was night. Worse still, it was her own fault.

    "Come on, Lina, let Marie row the boat." Celia had said. Marie was two years older than Lina, but she was a hopeless rower. That's why Lina refused and rowed the boat to the island. The argument that followed the refusal took the usual form. Celia took Marie's side, as she always did. Lina had exploded and yelled at them to just leave. So they got back in the boat and left.

    A bolt of lightning crossed the darkened sky, accompanied by a deafening thunder clap. The storm was here. As the first cold raindrop slid down her neck, Lina's mind returned to her current problem. She was stuck here by herself. She just hoped she didn't become as forgotten as the island. The thought of it sent a chill（寒意）down her back.

    Suddenly, Lina spotted something in the water. It was a boat, and inside it were Marie, Celia, and Marie's dad, who was steering through the fast flowing waters. As the boat approached, they saw Lina waving and the worried expressions on their faces turned to relief.

    In her excitement Lina jumped into the river. Only once she was in the icy water did she remember how fast the water was moving. Luckily a strong arm reached into the water and pulled her out. She smiled weakly at Marie's dad and, without a word, hugged Celia and Marie. They didn't seem to mind becoming wet.