In ancient Egypt, a shopkeeper discovered that he could attract customers to his shop simply by making changes to its environment. Modern businesses have been following his lead, with more tactics(策略).

    One tactic involves where to display the goods. For example, stores place fruits and vegetables in the first section. They know that customers who buy the healthy food first will feel happy so that they will buy more junk food later in their trip. In department stores, the women's shoe section is generally next to the women's cosmetics(化妆品) section: while the shop assistant is going back to find the right size shoe, bored customers are likely to wander over and find some cosmetics they might want to try later.

    Besides, businesses seek to appeal to customers' senses, stores notice that the smell of baked goods encourages shopping, so they make their own bread each morning and then fan the bread smell into the store throughout the day. Music sells goods, too. Researchers in Britain found that when French music was played, sales of French wines went up.

    When it comes to the selling of houses, businesses also use highly rewarding tactics. They find that customers make decisions in the first few seconds upon walking in the door, and turn it into a business opportunity. A California builder designed the structure of its houses smartly. When entering the house, the customer would see the Pacific Ocean through the windows, and then the pool through an open stairway leading to the lower level. The instant view of water on both levels helped sell these $10 million houses.

Top attractions

    Amsterdam is most famous for its artistic heritage. This tradition is proudly on display in the Rijksmuseum (translates as State Museum). Once you've taken in all that has to offer, artists, history fans, and families shouldn't pass up the chance to visit the Van Gogh Museum —containing around 700 paintings and drawings by Vincent and his contemporaries (同时代的人), including Gauguin, Monet, and Toulouse-Lautrec.

    Amsterdam is also home to the Anne Frank Museum, where Anne hid with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. On a lighter note, taking a canal cruise through its extensive waterways is a rewarding way to see the Dutch capital.

    Art lovers get their kicks at:

    ♦♦ The Van Gogh Museum Rijksmuseum Museum het Rembrandthuis

    Food and drink

    Cheese lovers love Amsterdam. You can find an excuse to eat cheese at any time of the day here. Gouda is Holland's favorite, developing a more intense flavor the longer it's aged. Find a selection at the markets，try a cheeseboard at dinner time, or just order cubes with mustard for dipping to accompany a drink.

When you're hungry for non-cheese food groups, you'll find Michel in-starred restaurants, vegetarian, and organic restaurants that accompany an array of global cuisine. For old-fashioned and modern Dutch food, try these Amsterdam restaurants: Moeders, Haesje Claes, Loetje, Greetje, and De Silveren Spiegel.

Don't leave without tasting:

    ♦♦ Patat (hot chips with toppings) Stroopwafel (waffle cookie) Chocomel (chocolate milk)

    Amsterdam Fast Facts

    Approximate flight times:

    ♦♦NYC/Newark 7 hours 20 minutes Philadelphia 8 hours Boston 7 hours

    ♦♦Miami 9 hours 45 minutes Los Angeles 10 hours 15 minutes

    Entry requirements: Passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned departure from the Schengen area and have 2 blank pages for entry stamp.

    As most people know, in the last few years, sandstorms have swept across many cities and areas of North China, polluting the air and disturbing daily lives of human beings. People look dirty and suffer many kinds of illnesses, such as breath difficulty. The sandstorm is such a serious problem that it has not only weakened the industrial and agricultural development of our country but also caused a lot of trouble to the living conditions of the Chinese people.

    Therefore, effective measures should be taken as soon as possible to stop its happening. So how should we deal with the frightening sandstorms?

    Some experts offer practical advice as follows: For one thing, more money ought to be put into tree planting and forest protection in order to keep more water on the Earth. For another, government of all countries should make laws on environment protection. For example, banning the use of throw-away chopsticks and punishing illegal tree cutting. Scientists should also study and find ways to lower the grade of its destruction and to improve the environment. As for some schools, education about sandstorms should be spread properly and timely to make more and more people attach great importance to this problem.

    How people look forward to sunny days with soft wind touching their faces now and forever! The golden days can come back so long as we try our best to protect the natural environment from today on. And the fact is that what I expect is not just a dream. There are some sweet fruits from the early efforts.

    During this shopping season, salesmen will come up with different strategies to get your business. Many product companies use specific colors to cause positive emotions and compete for a sale. However, sight is not the only sensory (感官的) retail that companies use. Sounds and smells can also influence consumers' purchasing decisions.

    Nobel Prize-winning research shows that our sense of smell has great power to cause an emotional response. A study published earlier this year compared purchasing in a French flower shop when the smell of lavender (薰衣草) was given off and when it wasn't. It found that the smell increased the number of consumers' purchasing items and the amount of their purchases. An earlier study using Nike shoes found that consumers desired the shoes more, and were willing to pay more, when the room had a mixed smell of flowers. Realizing the subconscious impact of smell, many stores apply artificial scents (气味) through their heating and air-conditioning vents (通风口) or place scent machines above their doors. For instance, a coconut scent might make that bikini more appealing as you long for a vacation.

    Ever felt frenzied due to a store's fast-paced music? Or calmed by a piece of light music? A retailer's choice of music can have a big impact on consumers' moods. One study found that when subjected to loud music, consumers will spend less time in a store. But interestingly, the researchers did not find a difference in sales or customers' satisfaction. Another interesting finding from a recent study was that customers actually shop longer when exposed to unfamiliar music. Just as department stores use different scents in certain departments, many use different music in some areas to appeal to varying consumers.

    Well, you could always leave the store and take a break, but the food court probably isn't your best choices as brands like Cinnabon and Panera Bread also use scents as part of their customers' experience. Online retailers (零售商) use a variety of other strategies to get your business, but you can always neglect those and enjoy the familiar scents of home.

    One night I received a Facebook message from Laura, a former classmate. "Hey Steve," she said, "I know you've always been an animal lover. I've just had a baby and I can't keep my mini pig."

    Being fond of animals, I knew I wanted the pig. I just had to figure out how to make it happen. I lived in a two-bedroom single-level house in Georgetwon, Ontario. It's tough to bring a pig back to the house I share with two dogs, two cats, and my lifelong partner.

    But I was not letting that pig go. So I told Laura I'd take the animal. When I got home with the pig, I hid her in the bedroom, and began to prepare a dinner for Alisha—her favourite bacon cheeseburgers. It's better to make her happy before introducing the new member to her.

    When I led her to the bedroom and showed her the surprise, Alisha stood in the doorway like a statue. It took her a few seconds to know what I had done. She complained about my unreasonable action. She insisted there was no more room in the house.

    I knew I was wrong, but I hoped I could smooth things over. Soon enough, the lovely pig did the smoothing for me. Never had we felt such joy as she brought to us. We got her a name "Esther".

    Esther's arrival changed our lives. A few weeks later, we decided to stop eating bacon. We figured it was our turn to try to change the world for other animals. A few months later, we moved to a farm where we cared for abandoned animals—so far, six rabbits, six goats, two sheep, one horse, three cows and three chickens.

    If you love eating and drinking for free and are looking to make some pocket money, there's a job in China with your name on it. A new type of online service allows people to hire others to eat or drink their favorite treats, either to cure their boredom or satisfy their appetite without the calories that usually come with it.

    Chinese media recently reported on an increasingly popular service on online platform Taobao that's as startling as it is appealing. People can now go online and hire others to consume certain foods and drinks, and ask them to provide video evidence of them eating or drinking the said treats.

    Fees usually range from two to nine yuan ($0.30 - $1.35) plus the cost of the food. It's not exactly a get-rich-quick job, but there are quite a rot of people willing to do it for the free treats alone.

    "Bubble tea drinking" is a particularly popular service, as the chewy tapioca(木薯粉)balls and popping drink is all the rage in Asia these days, but there are also ads from people willing to eat fried chicken or hot pot for anyone willing to pay for them.

    Advertised as being "fat-free" and "free of queues" those who pay for the service will receive the full experience, which includes a 360-degree video of the drink, photos, and a detailed description. Prices of the service are based on the drink's sweetness level, its price, and popularity. Some clients even require a short written review to be sure that the person they hired actually does what they are supposed to.

    Sellers explained that most customers buy their "Bubble tea drinking" service maybe because they're trying to shake off desires while they're on a diet. Drinking bubble tea by proxy may help customers avoid high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and other health problems that the sugar-laden drink may cause.

    So why would anyone pay a total stranger to enjoy a treat rather than consume it themselves? Well, apparently, the online service is so cheap that some people simply do it out of boredom, while others get satisfaction from watching others indulge in their favorite treats.

    This indulging-by-proxy service(代享受服务)has received a lot of attention on social media in China, with some people describing it as the job of their dreams.