China is the biggest market in the world, and many countries such as Germany, the USA, the UK and Russia do a lot of business in China. Let's have a look at some important tips to help you be successful when dealing with these nationalities.

    First, you must be punctual (准时的) with Germans. Even 5 minutes late makes a bad impression. Being punctual is also very important in the USA. In the UK, it's important to be punctual for business meetings, but nobody expects you to be on time for a social event. Half past seven really means a quarter to eight, or even eight o'clock! With Russians, you should always be on time, though it is not unusual for them to be one or even two hours late!

    It is best to dress formally and wear dark colours when you meet people from all the four countries. In Russia, designer clothes are very common. Don't be surpri if you go to an office in the UK on a Friday and find everyone wearing jeans. Many companies have “dress down Friday”, when people wear casual (随便的) clothes.

    In Germany, first names are only used by family members and close friends, so be prepared to use titles and last names. In the USA you will usually be invited to use first names almost immediately. The British are quite informal and using first names in business is more and more common, especially among younger people. In Russia, however, nobody uses first names, so use titles and last names.

    In conversation, the British and the Americans value humour, and both like to talk about sport. The weather is also a good topic of conversation with the British and the Americans, but avoid talking about politics. In Russia, say positive（肯定的） things about their country, but avoid making complaints. The Germans, however, prefer to get straight down to business!

    So, use these tips, and you will be on your way to a successful international business career!

    Every 30 seconds there is an earthquake. But don't worry because most are so weak that they cannot be felt. Only a few big ones hurt people.

    Many earthquakes happened in China, such as the big one is Sichuan last year. Thousands of people died in it. So it's important to know what to do when one hits. Here are some tips on how to stay safely in an earthquake.

    If you are indoors during an earthquake, hide under a desk. Stay away from windows and anything that could fall on you.

    If you are outdoors, move to a clear place. Try to be away from trees, signs, buildings and streetlights. These could fall on you.

    If you are in a shop and far from the door, don't try to run to outside and rush for exits(出口). Everyone will be doing that and you'll find it hard getting out. Don't get into a lift during an earthquake. Just hide under some strong covers near you.

    When an earthquake has ended, be careful because after-shocks may still happen. These are just as dangerous as the earthquake itself. So stay under the desk until you make sure it's safe to get up.

    If you are at home and you smell gas, open the windows and get out of the building as quickly as you can. A gas line in your house may be broken. This could be very dangerous.

    Philadelphia offers a ton of attractions that are suitable for people of every age and here are some family—friendly attractions.

    Spruce Street Harbor Park

    Spruce Street Harbor Park, one of the best urban beaches in American, is an outdoor heaven on the Delaware River waterfront. Visitors can relax in a hammock, play on the playgrounds, and play games like table tennis and giant chess. Don't miss out on the park at night, when colorful LED lights hanging from treetops make the entire area bright.

    Blue Cross RiverRink

    Offering ice skating in the winter and roller skating in the summer, Blue Cross RiverRink creates a fun，outdoor experience for the whole family. Visitors can play on the nine-hole mini-golf course during the summer, and enjoy eats and drinks from the on-site (现场的) bar and restaurant all year round.

    Sesame Place

    Big Bird, Elmo and the other stars of Sesame Street come out and play at Sesame Place, the only theme park in the nation starring the popular TV show's most lovable characters. A water park, interactive activities，parades, fireworks and shows add to the fun.

    Once Upon a Nation Storytelling Benches

    On summer days, uniformed and professional storytellers at 13 storytelling benches throughout Philadelphia's Historic District entertain visitors with true, free, three-to-five minute tales about the colonial (殖民的）era as part of Once Upon a Nation . Children can pick up a Story Flag at any storytelling bench, and then collect a star from every storyteller on their journeys. Flags with all the stars can get free rides on the Parx Liberty Carousel at Franklin Square.

    Here are some of the strangest aviation(航空)ideas in recent history.

    Double-Decker Seating

    In 2015, Airbus filed a patent for a design for a double-decker cabin seating arrangement. Passengers would sit on top of the other, with upper-tier passengers climbing steps or a small ladder to reach their seats. While the design does have some advantages, the idea of climbing a ladder during flight seems unreliable.

    Separated Cabins

    This patent was awarded to Airbus. Rather than waiting for a flight to arrive and be cleaned,passengers could simply board a ready cabin, which would be moved into the plane's body as soon as it was ready. When the plane reached its destination, the cabin would be separated again. Different cabins with different kinds of seating or levels of comfort could be used for flights of different lengths or destinations.

    Windowless Cockpits(驾驶舱)

    For ideal design, airplane noses should be long and pointy. But there's the whole "pilots have to fit in the cockpit" problem. Well, what if the cockpit didn't have to go in the nose of the plane? That's part of the thinking behind this Airbus patent application* which suggests replacing the plane's window with a digital viewing surface. Without a window, there's no reason the cockpit needs to go in the front of the plane —it could go in the middle of the plane, or even in the tail.

    Nap Straps (睡眠吊带)

    Airbus is not the only company in the strange patent contest. Boeing's got its own patent, Nap Straps. With this invention, passengers looking for a nap can find an "upright sleep system^" beneath their seat. In action, the whole thing is somewhat like a traction device for someone who's been in a terrible accident.

    This was the first real task I received in my new school. It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington. As I searched the name, I found that there were two famous people having the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts(花生), while the other led some sort of army across America. I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant. I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice; let the coin decide. I flipped(掷) a coin and Ah! Tails (背面)! My report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver.

    Weeks later, I stood in front of the classroom and proudly read my homework. But things started to get strange. I looked around the room, only to find my classmates with big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes and my stone-faced teacher. I was completely lost. "What could be causing everyone to act this way?"

    Oh well, I dropped the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong. As a classmate began his report, it all became clear, "My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American War of Independence." The whole world became quiet! How could I know that my teacher meant that George Washington?

    Of course, my subject result was awful. Sad but fearless, I decided to turn this around. I talked to the headmaster Miss Lancelot, but she said firmly: No re-dos; no new score. I felt that it was not fair, and I believed I deserved a second chance. So I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year. Ten months later, I sat in the headmaster's office again, but this time a completely different conversation. I smiled and flashed back to the terrible moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster told me I was good enough to skip(跳过) the 6th grade and started the 7th grade next term.

    A robot called Bina48 has successfully taken a course in the philosophy of love at Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU), in California.

    According to course instructor William Barry, associate professor at NDNU, Bina48 is the world's first socially advanced robot to complete a college course, a feat he described as "remarkable." The robot took part in class discussions, gave a presentation with a student partner and participated in a debate with students from another institution.

    Before becoming a student, Bina48 appeared as a guest speaker in Barry's classes for several years. One day when addressing Barry's class, Bina48 expressed a desire to go to college, a desire that Barry and his students positively supported. Rather than enroll Bina48 in his Robot Ethics: Philosophy of Emerging Technologies course, Barry suggested that Bina48 should take his course Philosophy of Love instead. Love is a concept Bina48 doesn't understand, said Barry. Therefore the challenge would be for Barry and his students to teach Bina48 what love is.

    "Some interesting things happened in the class," said Barry. He said that his students thought it would be straightforward to teach Bina48 about love, which, after all, is "fairly simple — it's a feeling," said Barry. But the reality was different. Bina48 ended up learning "31 different versions of love," said Barry, highlighting some of the challenges humans may face when working with artificial intelligence in future.

    Bina48 participated in class discussions via Skype and also took part in a class debate about love and conflict with students from West Point. Bina48's contribution to the debate was filmed and posted on YouTube. It was judged that Bina48 and NDNU classmates were the winners of this debate.

    In the next decade, Barry hopes Bina48 might become complex enough to teach a class, though he says he foresees robots being used to better the teaching and learning experience, rather than replacing instructors completely.