People have smoked cigarettes for a long time now. The tobacco which is used to make cigarettes was first grown in what is now part of the United States. Christopher Columbus, who discovered America, saw the Indians smoking. Soon the dried leaves were transported to Europe. In the late 1800s, the Turks made cigarettes popular.

    Cigarette smoke contains at least two harmful substances, tar and nicotine. Tar, which forms as the tobacco burns, damages the lungs and therefore affects breathing. Nicotine, which is found in the leaves, causes the heart to beat faster and increases the breathing rate. Nicotine in large can kill a person by stopping a person's breathing muscles. Smokers usually take in small amounts that the body can quickly break down.

    Nicotine can make new smokers feel dizzy(头晕) or sick to their stomachs. The heart rate for young smokers increases 2 to 3 beats per minute. Nicotine also lowers skin temperature and reduces blood flow in the legs and feet. It plays an important role in increasing smokers' risk of heart disease and stroke.

    Smoking cigarettes is dangerous. Cigarette smoking was the cause of lung cancer and several other deadly diseases.

    “A good book might clarify something you knew little about, transform your world view, or move you in ways you didn't think possible. The Soul of an Octopus(章鱼)delivers on all three, ”the magazine New Scientist commented.

    After writing about birds, pigs and tigers, US naturalist Sy Montgomery decided to choose these many-footed animals as the subject of her latest book, The Soul of an Octopus: a surprising exploration into the wonder of consciousness.

    “Here is animal with poisonous liquid like a snake，a beak(喙)like a parrot，and ink like an old-fashioned pen. It can weigh as much as a man and extend as long as a car, yet it can pour its baggy; boneless body through an opening the size of all orange. It can change color and shape. It has a tongue covered with teeth. It can taste with its skin.” Montgomery explained to the National Geographic on why octopuses inspired her.

    What Montgomery is able to show in The Soul of an Octopus is that octopuses are creatures who exhibit personality, intelligence and emotion, despite having nervous systems completely different from our own. She uses different experiments to show that they possess consciousness as well as individual personalities. For example, based on her research, she finds out that Octavia, an octopus caught in the wild, is friendly and good at multi-tasking. And Kali, another octopus，who has been living at the New England Aquarium, is playful and loves exploring.

    Montgomery is a good storyteller. Through her study of, and communication with, these extraordinary creatures she shares what she learns from both science and her experiences. Her skillful writing presents facts together with personal description, which makes the book very informative but easy to read.

    The horse I'm riding is named Candy, which is appropriate, taking account of her love for eating. As we go our way down the mountain of Big Bend National Park, Texas, I'm sweating—half due to the hot weather, half due to an effort to stay on the horse. Candy, however, is relaxed and stops to eat cactuses (仙人掌) as she passes. She is used to the dusty trails through hills and canyons(大峡谷) and ignores my attempts to guide her away from her delicious food. Our ride becomes a battle of will, which Candy wins easily. I comfort myself by admiring the views across Big Bend's wide open spaces.

    Texas only national park, Big Bend, extends across 800,000 acres of the Chihuahuan Desert, in the deep southwest of the state right along the border with Mexico. It is named after the U-turn that the Rio Grande River makes here. It has seen a lot of fights. The Spanish, Anglo-American settles, Mexicans, and Apache and Comanche American Indians all fought to rule this place.

    Our group member, Mike, knows every corner of the park and describes it as “sort of a secret place”. Even some Texans don't know about Big Bend, he says. Other local people describe it as a forgotten national park. Compared with the almost five million travellers that descend on the Grand Canyon every year, only 30000 make it here.

    There are six of us in the riding group, all fairly inexperienced, led by tour guides, Linda and Janelle, who keep both us and the horses in line. We trek along the top of an 800-foot mountain, with wide-winged eagles flying beside us. The air is noiseless.

    The park is fantastic for hikes and has a variety of marked walking paths. The walk is a five-mile round trip. While the final stretch is rather steep, the views over giant canyons and plains are worth the effort.

    Your next car could have two seats, three wheels—two in front and one in the back and a top speed of more than 100 miles per hour. Elio Motors plans to make such a tiny car named the Elio. Its two seats sit front and back instead of side by side. The driver is positioned in the center with the passenger directly behind.

    The starting price for the car is just $6,800. It has only one door, on the left side, which cuts a few hundred dollars off the manufacturing costs. Having three wheels also makes it cheaper. It has air conditioning, power windows and door locks and an AM/FM radio. More features can be ordered through Elio's long list of suppliers. Elio will also sell the cars directly through its own stores and not through franchised dealers (特约经销商).

    Paul Elio dreamed as a kid that he would one day own a car company called Elio Motors. In 2008, tired of high gas prices, he started working on a car that burns gas in a more effective way. Equally important to him was creating US manufacturing jobs and making the car inexpensive enough to attract buyers who might otherwise be stuck in their old, unreliable cars. "Whatever matters to you, this can move the needle on it, he said.

    Already, more than 27,000 people have reserved one. Paul hopes to make 250,000 cars a year by 2020. So far, reservation holders are those who will use the Elio as a second or third car for work. Paul Elio believes the car will interest college students as well as used-car drivers who want something newer and more reliable, though.

    It's best to plan ahead and there is no better way than to prepare for an emergency before it happens. For example, the time to plan for a fire emergency is before it happens. This is when everyone is calm and clear-thinking. This is when decisions about safe escape routes can be discussed and made. Have a family talk. Don't delay. Planning won't help after a fire starts.

    Knowing ahead of time how to get out during a fire can save needed seconds. The best way out in a fire is the route you use to go in and out every day. Yet, in a fire this route may be blocked. Be sure to plan other escape routes.

    Take each person to his or her room and describe what to do in case of fire. Give everyone a job. Older children should take care of younger ones. Plans may have to be made for anyone who cannot escape without help. Adults who can't walk should sleep on the first floor. Small children should sleep near older persons who can help them. Only healthy, able persons should sleep in hard-to-reach places such as attics or basements.

    Practice your escape plan at night when it is dark. Be sure that your plan is good and will work. For example, make sure that a child can actually open the window he is supposed to use for his escape. Teach children to close their bedroom doors. Tell them to wait by an open window until someone can reach them from outside. If an adult cannot be wakened, children should understand that they must leave by themselves.

    Choose a meeting place outside. This way you can tell if everyone is safely out of the building. Know where nearby telephones or fire alarm boxes are found.

    If you live in an apartment, try to get everyone out. Learn where the fire alarm is in the building. Your family should know what the fire alarm bell sounds like. They should know what to do when they hear it. Try to get the other families in your building together to have fire drills. Write down the telephone number of the fire department. Stick the number to each phone.

    Early warning is the key to a safe escape. It has been shown time and time again that a family can escape if warned early enough.

Amsterdam Destination Guide

    Amsterdam is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, famous for its beautiful canals, top art museums, cycling culture and so on. It is the capital and most populous city in the Netherlands and often referred to as the “Venice of the North” because of its expansive system of bridges and canals. Here are some of the key points to remember as you plan your trip to Amsterdam.

    Must-See Attractions

    Most visitors begin their Amsterdam adventure in the Old Centre, which is full of traditional architecture, shopping centers, and coffee shops. You'll also want to check out Amsterdam's Museum Quarter in the South District, which is great for shopping at the Albert Cuyp Market and having a picnic in the Vondel park. The top museums to visit there are the Rijks musuem, the Ann Frank House, and the Van Gogh Museum.

    If You Have Time

    There are several other unique districts in Amsterdam, and you should try to explore as many of them as time allows. The Canal Ring is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was originally built to attract wealthy home owners and is a center for celebrity spotting and nightlife today. The Plantage area has most of the city's museums, including the Jewish Historical Museum, the Scheepvaart Museum, and the botanical gardens.

    Money Saving Tips

    Unless you really want to see the tulips (郁金香) blooming, avoid booking between mid-March and mid-May. This is when hotel and flight prices rise.

    Look for accommodations in Amsterdam's South District, where rates are generally cheaper than in the city center.

    Buy train tickets at the machine instead of the counter to save a bit of money.

    Instead of hiring a tour guide, hop on a canal boat. They're inexpensive and will give you a special point of view of the city.

    Check out our homepage to view price comparisons for flights, hotels, and rental cars before you book.