In the last few years the popularity of eBooks has exploded．The advantages are clear：You can carry as many books with you as you want．You can simply download every book you like and instantly start reading instead of having to wait for the book to arrive by mail．

    However，one thing hadn't changed．If you wanted to rent a book you were still forced to use hardcopy books．Until now that is, Amazon．com recently announced the start of a new program where you can rent eBooks．

Where to rent eBooks？

    As mentioned before，Amazon．com is the first and currently the only retailer (零售商) that has a program in place for renting eBooks． Luckily，Amazon is the largest online retailer in the world and their eBook assortment (分类) is massive．They are also the producer of the Kindle，the most popular Reader，which means you can be sure that the eBooks you rent will work．

You can currently only rent Textbooks．But this is likely to change as soon as word gets out that you can save money by renting eBooks.

Why rent eBooks at Amazon?

* Save money：Save up to 80% of the normal price of the eBook．

* Decide how long you rent：From 30 days to 360 days，you decide how long you want it．You can extend the time by as little as a day．Or simply buy the eBook if you want to keep it after all．

*Use any device：If you rent an eBook from Amazon，you can read it on your PC，Mac，iPad，iPhone，Android device，Windows Phone 7．Blackberry．or Kindle．

* Keep your notes：Do you like to keep annotations (注释) and highlights in your eBooks？Don't worry．You can always revisit your notes and highlights through Amazon．com．

How to rent eBooks？

    Simply search for the eBook you want to rent on Amazon．com and select the "Rent eBooks" option. After that，a new page will open where you can select how long you'd like to rent the eBook．You can read eBooks for a period of 30 to 360 days．

    You decide how long you need the eBook．If you later find out you need it for longer, you can simply extend the time．Or buy it for the normal price whenever you want.

    Once you've chosen the time you want to rent the eBook，you simply go to checkout．Or you can use the "Rent now" button．

    Holiday makers wanting to get away from the pressure of modern life might consider staying at a wooden hut in Sweden.

    The Kolarbyn Eco-Lodge Hotel is not for everyone. If you can't even understand the idea of living without electricity, running water, or a modern toilet, then the charm of this place will probably not appeal to you. But for anyone trying to escape the pressure and busy life of the big city or take a break from the Internet and other modern devices, this place is a paradise(乐园). Located 1 km south of Skarsjon Beach, in the middle of a pristine Swedish forest, Kolarbyn Eco-Lodge consists of 12 wooden huts with nothing but two sheepskin-covered wooden beds, and a wood stove that uses wood cut by the guests themselves.

    Self-catering breakfast, lunch and dinner consist of items like spaghetti（通心粉）, tomato sauce, bread, fruit and eggs that tourists have to cook themselves over an outside fire; there is no shower, only a nearby spring and as for toilet, visitors are encouraged to go behind a tree, or visit one of the two sheds（棚子）.

    Adding to the charm of this place is the long coal-making tradition of Kolarbyn. Locals have been building these huts from wood and mud for over 400 years, and a few of them came up with the idea of recreating a few of them in the woods as an eco-lodge to keep tradition alive in the area.

    “People visit Kolarbyn lodges because they want to experience the nature and to test sleeping in the historical huts. They want to get away from the normal life,” the owner Andreas Ahlsen said. “The huts themselves are relatively small, as if they are too big , it will destroy the nature experience.”

    Making friends is a skill like many other skills. It improves with practice. If you want to meet people and make friends，you must be willing to take some actions. You must first go where there are people. You won't make friends staying home alone. Join a club or a group. Talking with those who like the same things as you do is much easier. Or join someone in some activities. Many people are nervous when talking to new people. After all meeting strangers means facing the unknown. And it's human nature to feel a bit uncomfortable about the unknown. Most of our fears about dealing with new people come from doubts about ourselves. We imagine other people are judging us or finding us too tall or too short，too this or too that. But don't forget that they must be feeling the same way. Try to accept yourself as you are and try to put the other person at ease. You'll both feel more comfortable.

    Try to act self­confidently even if you don't feel that way. When you enter a room full of strangers，such as a new classroom，walk tall and straight，look directly at other people and smile.

    If you see someone you'd like to speak to，say something. Don't wait for the other person to start a conversation.

    Just meeting someone new does not mean that you will make friends with that  person—friendship is based on mutual liking and“give and take”. It takes time and effort to develop.

    When John was growing up, other kids felt sorry for him. His parents always had him weeding the garden, carrying out the garbage and delivering newspapers. But when John reached adulthood, he was better off than his childhood playmates. He had more job satisfaction, a better marriage and was healthier. Most of all, he was happier. Far happier.

    These are the findings of a 40-year study that followed the lives of 456 teenage boys from Boston. The study showed that those who had worked as boys enjoyed happier and more productive lives than those who had not. "Boys who worked in the home or community gained competence（能力）and came to feel they were worthwhile members of society, " said George Vaillant, the psychologist（心理学家）who made the discovery. "And because they felt good about themselves, others felt good about them."

    Vaillant's study followed these males in great detail. Interviews were repeated at ages 25, 31and 47. Under Vaillant, the researchers compared the men's mental-health scores with their boyhood-activity scores. Points were awarded for part-time jobs, housework, effort in school, and ability to deal with problems.

    The link between what the men had done as boys and how they turned out as adults was surprisingly sharp. Those who had done the most boyhood activities were twice as likely to have warm relations with a wide variety of people, five times as likely to be well paid and 16 times less likely to have been unemployed. The researchers also found that IQ and family social and economic class made no real difference in how the boys turned out.

    Working—at any age—is important. Childhood activities help a child develop responsibility, independence, confidence and competence—the underpinnings（基础）of emotional health. They also help him understand that people must cooperate and work toward common goals. The most competent adults are those who know how to do this. Yet work isn't everything. As Tolstoy once said, "One can live magnificently in this world if one knows how to work and how to love, to work for the person one loves and to love one's work."

    University of New South Wales has launched its new 12-month Women in Maths & Science Champions Program designed to give women the skills and confidence to build their public recognition and set up a connected network of women in maths and science. The first group of 30 female PhD students started in August this year, and the second group of 19 early- career researchers was formally announced yesterday.

    Over the 12 months, the champions complete at least 20 hours of related activities as part of a community of representatives who will influence and inspire women to pursue a career in maths and science. The activities are varied, ranging from visiting schools and conducting science presentations, to attending conferences and creating content for social media. At the end of the program, PhD champions have the chance to apply everything they've learned to the Postgraduate Research Competition. Above all, participating is a requirement for program completion.

    Rose O'Dea, a member of the first group, is a PhD candidate at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences. She said, "I'm excited about the opportunity to work with school children. I hope to inspire some girls so they see not all scientists are older men in lab coals and that science is quite diverse and means different things depending on who you are."

    Dr. Mariana Mayer Pinto is an early-career researcher at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, where she mainly works with marine (海洋的) ecologists. She is originally from Brazil and said that being a woman from a developing country meant she knew the struggles that lack of role models can create. "You can't be what you can't see! I always have the hope that I can change the world bit by bit, and if one little girl says she can become a scientist because I talked to them, that'd be awesome, and that would make everything worth it."

    Many of us know about Russia's Lake Baikal from our textbooks, or by listening to Chinese singer Li Jian's hit song, Lie Baikal. But over the past decade, the world's deepest freshwater lake has been in the spotlight for an extreme sport.

    Each March since 2005, about 150 people from around the world sign up for the Baikal Ice Marathon. They come to explore the lake's breathtaking beauty and challenge themselves in unpredictable conditions. The 26-mile (41.84-kilometers) journey starts on the lake's eastern shore. In March, the ice is a meter thick and iron-hard. Runners cross this frozen surface, finishing on the western side of the lake.

    Known as the "blue eye of Siberia", Lake Baikal has exceptionally clear waters. This means its ice is almost perfectly transparent (透明的). "Seen from above, a runner on the ice looks as if he or she were jogging through space." The New York Times noted.

    The landscape might be beautiful, but it's also harsh. Strong winds blast (侵袭) across the lake and frostbite can occur within half an hour. Runners say the cold climate is what draws them. They want to test their limits.

    "When you are in such an environment, you don't have cars around you, and you don't have the noise around. I think these extreme races allow you to be alone with nature." Alicja Barahona, a 64-year-old runner from the US, told ABC news.

    The location offers some strange and unique characteristics for this marathon. The finishing line is visible from the start, but the endless white offers no progress markers. The race also ends with little fanfare (隆重的欢迎). Tourists crowding the ice are mostly addicted to snapping selfies (自拍) and just ignore the runners.

    For some runners, the absence of spectators makes the race more challenging, because it's lonely. They must fight with themselves. "You are alone on Baikal. It is your race. You are alone with yourself. All you need to do is to defeat yourself." Veronique Messina, a French runner, told the Telegraph.