Businesses are witnessing a difficult time, which has in turn produced influence on consumers, desire to go green. However, shoppers are still laying stress on environmental concerns.

    Two thirds of customers say that environmental considerations inform their purchases to the same degree as they did a year ago, while more than a quarter say that they are now even better aware of the environmental effect on what they buy.

    This may help to influence how shops store goods on their shelves. And the companies should still make efforts to become more environmentally friendly. Two out of three people think it is important to buy from environmentally responsible companies, with about one in seven saying that they had even decided to take their custom elsewhere if they felt a company's environmental reputation was not good enough.

Harry Morrison, chief executive (主管) of the Carbon Trust, sympathizes: "I understand this situation where survival is very important now. But from environmental considerations, the clock is ticking—we don't have much time. In addition, cutting carbon has an immediate effect as costs drop and a medium-term benefit for the brand."

    Larger companies have an extra motivation to look at reducing their carbon footprint, as new rules next year will require businesses to buy carbon allowances to make up for their emissions (排放). Those that have taken early action will have a head start. More than two thirds of consumers are not clear about which companies are environmentally responsible. This suggests that firms that are able to relay clearly their message to the public will be in a pole position to attract shoppers.

The Carbon Trust believes that it can help by informing customers about the good work companies are doing. "When companies are granted (授予) the standard, they can use a logo (标识) in all their marketing which makes it clear that they are working towards cutting emissions," Mr. Morrison said.

    An Israeli law banning too skinny models went into effect with the start of 2013. The law, approved last March in Israel, requires models to prove they have maintained a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 18.5 for three months before a fashion show. That means a woman who is 68 inches tall can weigh no less than 119 pounds.

    "This law is another step in the war against eating disorders," said physician Adatto. "Underweight models," he explained, "can no longer serve as role models for innocent young people who copy their false image of being skinny."

    But some critics in this country say it is misguided, focusing on weight instead of health. They also say the Israeli ban is bound to fail because of the strong power of the fashion industry. "I think it's an approach that isn't going to work." said eating disorder expert Susan Ice, who worked with an organization which creates a healthy working environment for models.

    But Adatto told the reporter that he began to concern the issue after meeting an ambitious model who looked like she needed to be hospitalized. He said. "I realized that only legislation(立法) can change the situation. There was no time to waste; so many girls were dieting to death."

    However, the efforts to regulate models' weight in Spain and Italy have not resulted in significant changes in part because of difficulties in determining reliable methods of measuring weight and health.

    Still, folks including Ice say there's no denying that images from Hollywood and the fashion industry can be difficult for young women to deal with. "Certainly I don't believe the modeling industry has caused the rise in eating disorders, but it makes it harder," she says. "It's a difficult recovery environment, worshiping thinness as the beauty ideal."

Life getting you down? Learn to bounce back

    "That which does not kill us makes us stronger.＂ Nietzsche said. There are a number of ways that can get us through tough times, help us to bounce back and make us happier. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Find something you can control.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} But taking small, positive steps in any area of our life can have a ripple effect, enabling us to move forward in the problem area.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    As a species, we tend to focus on what's wrong rather than what's right. But we can benefit a lot from paying attention to what's going right. Psychologists have shown consciously focusing on these good things helps to increase our experience of positive emotions.

    Check your thinking.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Leading psychologist Martin Seligman found that the way we interpret the causes of everyday setbacks can have a significant impact on our ability to cope and our physical health. He also showed we can learn more resilient(有弹性的) thinking styles.

    Distract yourself.

    When we are immersed in a problem, it is hard to think creatively about ways to deal with it. It often helps to take time out from the things you are worrying about.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Not only does this give us a break from what we're doing and our worries, it's also great for our minds.

A. Always do something that is right.

B. It's true that there are lots of things we can't control.

C. An effective way of taking time out is exercise.

D. Next time you are feeling stressed or stuck, give them a try.

E. Focus on what's right.

F. Next time something goes wrong for you, pause for a moment.

G. The way we think can destroy our own resilience.

    Let children learn to judge their own work. A child learning to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time; if corrected too much, he will stop talking. He notices a thousand times a day the difference between the language he uses and the language those around him use. Bit by bit, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people's. In the same way, children learn to do all the other things without being taught to walk, run, climb, whistle, ride a bicycle…They compare their own performances with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the needed changes. But in school we never give a child a chance to find out his mistakes and correct them for himself. We do it all for him. We act as if we thought that he would never notice a mistake. If it is a matter in mathematics or science, give him the answer book. Let him correct his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time in such routine(日常的) work? Our job should be to help the child when he tells us that he can't find the way to get the right answer. Let the children learn what all educated persons must some day learn, how to measure their own understanding, how to know what he does not know.

How to Be a Good Tourist

    We travel not only for work but also for fun and learning. Restaurants, galleries, temples and architecture...These places are like homes for people who live and work there. How would you want visitors to behave in your own home? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} There are many ways of doing this without sacrificing our own holiday.

    Do your homework. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Guides will help you when you get to the site, but is that the best place to go? Is it popular only because the one-day tourist can see it easily or because it is really a worthwhile place to visit？You'd better check it out.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Walk around, even if in the streets closest to your hotel. Eat in local restaurants. Talk to the locals. Learn a few in the local language and use them. You will surely get a smile from the hotel staff and street sellers.

    Help preserve the sites. Most of the sites you visit may be visited by millions of people a year, so care needs to be taken to allow others to enjoy them as well. Some of these monuments are so old and fragile that they are sensitive to the touch of hands or bags and shows. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} This way, you don't encourage the use of those plastic bags that fly all over many sites.

    And here's the big one — good manners are nearly universal. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If that doesn't sound like you, then give the world a break and stay home.

A. Experience the place.

B. Always have a cloth bag with you.

C. Read about the places you want to visit.

D. Try to buy something from the local stores.

E. A good tourist is polite, positive and eco-sensitive.

F. We've cleaned up after ourselves and taken only good memories.

G. I think we would like them to make it a little better because of their visit.

    UK-based swimming pool manufacturer (制造商) Compass Pools has announced plans for the world's first 360-degree infinity (无限) pool. Titled Infinity London, the pool would contain 600,000 liters of water, and would sit at the top of a 55-story hotel.

    According to Compass Pools' plan, the pool would feature transparent (透明的) walls and floor, offering views across London's skyline and down into the hotel below. These walls would be made of cast acrylic, a material chosen to make sure that the material is completely clear.

    The main problem with designing the pool was how to make sure entry or exit from the pool without affecting the view. Speaking about this design, Compass Pools' technical director and designer Alex Kemsley explained，"Normally a simple ladder would suffice, but we didn't want stairs on the outside of the building or in the pool as it would spoil the view – and obviously you don't want 600,000 litres of water running down through the building either. The solution is based on the door of a submarine, coupled with a rotating spiral (螺旋的) staircase which rises from the pool floor when someone wants to get in or out."

    Take a look at early models of how the pool might look in the gallery above. At present, no contract has been made but building work could begin as early as 2020.