My mother once was a follower of traditional methods when it came to anything. She cooked traditional food, liked dressing up traditionally and thus was fond of traditional way of shopping. She loved going to the market and going from one shop to another to find out what suited her best. She could walk miles when it came to shopping along with her friends. She was familiar with all the local markets and shops and by now knows very well where she can get best discounts and material.

    However, now she begins to feel her age and gets tired when she goes out in the market. So one day I decided to introduce a new shop to her, a shop that is much bigger than her usual markets and where she gets better discounts. Yes, I am talking about the online gift stores. She has basic knowledge of computers and can operate a laptop. Initially (起初) she was doubtful about shopping from these online gift shops and wasn't too sure about the quality of the products.

    One fine day I decided to get some branded things for her first so that she could build trust in these shops. I ordered a Timex watch for her along with a Sisley handbag. She never bought things online but when they were delivered as a gift, she jumped for joy. She could not believe that I had ordered these gifts for her despite her being not very positive about online shops. However, after she saw both the products, she believed that these online gift shops would send the promised brand and products. She loved her new watch and the handbag.

    After this incident she ordered a gift for her friend's wedding anniversary. She chose a gift basket that could be made to her requirements. They sent a beautifully decorated basket with fine wines and chocolates. The basket was so carefully decorated that it immediately became her friend's favorite gift. Since then my mother has been often shopping online.

    Every country has its heroes .They may be soldiers or sports people, doctors or film stars. We admire（钦佩） them for their courage, their strength, their devotion（忠诚） to duty or their talent. Their example inspires us to live better, to work harder.

    Terry Fox was a young student who loved life and who loved sports. When he was just 18 years old a terrible tragedy happened: his right leg had to be cut off because of cancer. Such an experience would have destroyed a weaker person — but Terry Fox was a fighter. He refused to give up. Instead, while he was recovering from the operation, an idea slowly formed in his mind. He decided he would run across Canada, in order to raise money for cancer research.

    Slowly and carefully, he began to train. Every step was extremely painful, but he insisted, increasing the distance covered day by day. Sixteen months later, in the spring of 1980, he was ready for the long journey across Canada — his Marathon of Hope .It was a time of inspiration and heart breaking emotion. Through television, every home saw his particular way of running, a kind of half- hop and half- run. Thousands of people lined the route to encourage him and to wish him well. They also gave money to fight cancer. Then, on 1st September 1980, after 143 days and more than 5000 kilometers completed, everything came tragically to an end Terry had to stop. He lived on for another nine months and died on June 18th 1981. He was almost 23.

    There are campus museums all over China that offer various collections and make for eye-opening visits.

    Beijing Air and Space Museum at Beihang University

    Admission: free

    Opening hours: Tuesday and Saturday, 9:00 am -12:00 pm

    Highlights: Included among the more than 300 historic aircraft and space artifacts are one of the two Northrop P - 61 Black Widows in the world and China's first light airliner, Beijing 1.

    Fudan University Museum

    Admission: free

    Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday, 9:00 am - 11:30 am and 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Highlights: A unique collection of native artifacts from the Gaoshan aborigines in Taiwan. Some of them, such as pearl vests, are rarely seen even in Taiwan.

    China Ichthyic Culture Museum at Shanghai Ocean University

    Admission: 10 yuan

    Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 am - 11:30 am and 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm

    Highlights: In this collection of more than 40,000 specimens of about 3,000 ocean-dwelling species, the most eye-catching one is an 18. 4-meter-long sperm whale skeleton.

    Yifu Museum of China University of Geosciences

    Admission: 40 yuan; half price for students

    Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 am - 12:00 pm and 2:30 pm - 5:00 pm; weekends and holidays, 9:00 am - 4:30 pm

    Highlights: It houses a collection of more than 30,000 mineral and rock specimens, more than 2,000 of which are rare ones like the museum's well-known dinosaur fossils.

    China Academy Museum at Hunan University

    Admission: 50 yuan

    Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 8: 00 am - 6: 30 pm in summer and 8: 30 am - 6:00 pm in winter

    Highlights: China's only museum to feature the history of academies and cultural education in the country.

    On a recent trip to London, I decided to visit some exciting new restaurants that are using technology to change the way people dine out. My first stop was at an Italian restaurant in the city center. When I walked into the restaurant, I was given a tray (托盘)and a special card, but I had no idea what to do next! The manager came up to me and explained that I could swipe (刷) my card at any of the food and drink stations in the restaurant, and that the card would record my order. No waiters necessary! I made my selection and then handed my card to the cashier. Once I'd paid for my meal, I collected it and made my way to the dining area on the second floor. The food was very delicious, but, I must admit, I didn't enjoy having to carry my food up two flights of stairs.

    On the next night, a friend of mine suggested that we visit his favorite high-tech restaurant. When we arrived, I was surprised to discover that there were no paper menus; instead, the menus appeared on the touch screen surface of the table. All we had to do was touch our choices with our fingers and wait for the waiters to bring us our meal. The touch screen tabletop also allowed us to change different tablecloths and even play games. We had so much fun playing games that we hardly touched our food when it arrived--we really should have told the waiter to give us takeaways instead.

    On my last day in London, I decided to get some tapas from a Spanish takeaway near my hotel. I had heard that the owners had placed a webcam (网络摄像机) at the restaurant to allow their customers to watch the long lunchtime queue (队列) online. This came in very handy for me. While I packed my baggage, I kept an eye on the queue and then raced to the restaurant when the lunchtime rush was over. Without that wonderful webcam, I could have missed my plane.

    Steven Stein likes to follow garbage trucks. His strange habit makes sense when you consider that he's an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce litter, including things that fall off garbage trucks as they drive down the road. What is even more interesting is that one of Stein's jobs is defending an industry behind the plastic shopping bags.

    Americans use more than 100 billion thin film plastic bags every year. So many end up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities do not allow them at checkouts(收银台). The bags are prohibited in some 90 cities in California, including Los Angeles. Eyeing these headwinds, plastic-bag makers are hiring scientists like Stein to make the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume.

    Among the bag makers' argument: many cities with bans still allow shoppers to purchase paper bags, which are easily recycled but require more energy to produce and transport. And while plastic bags may be ugly to look at, they represent a small percentage of all garbage on the ground today

    The industry has also taken aim at the product that has appeared as its replacement: reusable shopping bags. The stronger a reusable bag is, the longer its life and the more plastic-bag use it cancels out. However, longer-lasting reusable bags often require more energy to make. One study found that a cotton bag must be used at least 131 times to be better for the planet than plastic.

    Environmentalists don't dispute(质疑) these points. They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shoppers to use the same reusable bags for years.

    Facebook was running my life.

    But what killed Facebook for me was when I posted a photo, and five minutes later my son asked me how many "likes" it had got. His question was a wake-up call.

    "Likes" are signs of acceptance and approval(赞同). I had forgotten that acceptance and approval need to come from within and had unknowingly set him a bad example.

    Before absorbed in Facebook, I spent a lot more time reading books and magazines. I checked in with friends through texts, emails and phone calls.

    To set a healthier example to my son, I deactivated my Facebook account.

    I'd been in the habit of checking Facebook many times a day, so I had to come up with some new habits. I carried a novel and a crossword puzzle book around with me. I rediscovered knitting. I started taking yoga classes.

    I started to remember a few things. My body is fine just the way it is. I have friends who will help me out when I'm in trouble, and I will help them out. I do my best to be a good mother, and our son is happy and healthy. We are very lucky to be able to afford two vacations a year.

    I stopped looking at the world through my cellphone. I felt completely present in the moment. The break left me feeling better about myself, my family, my home and my life.

    After a few weeks, I returned to Facebook. Now I look at the photos of my friends' kids growing up and treasure how social media allows me to keep in touch with family. I no longer have the desire to post updates often.

    It is not an addiction(上瘾) any more.