It could happen just about any time you step out in public. You get onto an almost-empty bus, but the next passenger in decides to ignore dozens of empty seats to sit right next to you. While you're waiting in line at a supermarket, the next customer insists on standing only two inches behind you and shouting into his cell-phone. You go into a public restroom, and the next person to enter decides to use the next stall. Transgressions(冒犯) like these don't just make us feel uncomfortable; we often feel anxious, alarmed; and violated(被侵犯的). It is the attack of the personal-space invaders.

    In any society, shared definitions of personal space govern how we interact with other people. People living in densely(密集地) populated cities like Mumbai, Beijing, or Mexico City tend to require less personal space than people living in sparsely(稀少地) populated places within the country. In America, New Yorkers often have smaller requirements than residents of western states, like Montana, Shenandoah and Wyoming. Because everyone has different standards, gestures that are innocent in one place can be interpreted as opposite in another, especially in Britain.

    As the British etiquette(礼仪) website Debrett puts it, as a British person, somebody standing too close may make you "focus less on what somebody is saying than on how close they are to you". Simple acts like putting an arm around someone you don't know may seem friendly in China, but they can make us very uncomfortable. People from many European countries such as France and Spain kiss each other on the cheek when they meet, yet to British person, this seems too friendly and "touch-freely". The website explains! "The British are not backslappers(拍人后背的人) and generally do not show affection in public".

    Are British people unfriendly? Far from it. The website adds that they are not as "stand-offish and aloof' as they may seem, but very friendly and helpful to foreigners. However, remember not to be too close. If you are going to come closer than an arm's length, please let them know.

    Sharing E Umbrella, a new umbrella sharing company based in Shenzhen, China, recently announced that it had lost most of the 300,000 umbrellas since it set up.

    China's sharing economy has been growing rapidly, with companies offering anything from bicycles and basketballs to phone batteries for people to rent. Customers make a small deposit（押金）and get to use the thing for a daily cost, with a fine put in place for every day if they fail to return the product in time. It's a simple business model, and market data shows that people see sharing as a cheap and convenient way to cut down waste.

    Zhao Shuping founded the Sharing E Umbrella, an umbrella sharing service, in April. By the end of June, he had already started in 11 major Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Nanjing and Guangzhou. While picking up the umbrellas was simple, as they were made available（可得到的）at bus and subway stations, the return system turned out to be a different matter. “Umbrellas are different from bicycles,” Mr. Zhao told Chinese news site thepaper.cn. “Bikes can be parked anywhere, but with an umbrella you need something to hang it on.”

    So instead of bothering to return the umbrellas back to a station, a lot of people just took them home, and Sharing E Umbrella has reportedly lost track of most of the 300,000 umbrellas. Considering that borrowing umbrellas requires a 19 yuan deposit, with a fee of 0.50 yuan per half an hour usage, Zhao says that he suffers a loss of 60 yuan per lost umbrella, so the company is now in the red, but he is not ready to stop it just yet. Zhao announces that Sharing E Umbrella still plans to roll out（推出）30 million nationwide by the end of the year.

    Of all nature's disasters, forest fires are often considered the most frightening. Moving at lightning speed, huge walls of flames can burn acres of land in just a few minutes. And although technology, including the use of fire-retardant chemicals, has greatly helped the fight against forest fires, they still do great damage.

    According to the National Interagency Fire Center, the fire season last year was the worst on record in terms of the number of fires and acres burned. There were 96. 385 fires and 9.873429 acres affected by fire in a year that was 125% more destructive(毁灭性的) than the10-year average. These fires cost the federal government $1.5 billion to fight, and this figure does not include the money spent by local and state governments as part of the effort.

    Fires in the southern states represented half of the national total last year with Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas being home to a usually high amount of activity. Wildfire has also taken place in Western states such as California, Colorado and Alaska throughout the past 10 years.

    It is said that two-thirds of forest fires are started accidentally by people. Almost one quarter are purposely set, while lighting causes 10%.

    Forest fires can have advantageous effects. Charcoal(木炭) enriches soil and some plant species(种类) grow well after fire. The cones of the jack pine tree, for example, will not spread their seeds unless there is heat. Douglas fir trees grow best in open sunlight areas after fire.

    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.

    Whenever I talk about personality (个性) in relation to choosing a career, someone always complains like this: those tests are so stupid. When I was in the sixth grade, I took one of them and it said that I should be a farmer. While I don't think I would be a very good farmer, the results are probably a lot more accurate (准确) than I'd like to admit. At the time, it seemed ridiculous­I hated the outdoors and physical work, and was particularly sick of being dirty or sweaty. Now, though, as I think in terms of personality, it might have had something to do with my personality: I like long­term planning, working by myself, and being the master of my own fate.

    Personality tests are various, and some are complete nonsense. Be careful of any personality test that claims to be capable of concluding what your dream job is from your favorite food for breakfast, or by the type of animal you like best. While there are many personality assessments (评估) that are very accurate, I'd love to say that they are a second (and often expensive) step. The best choice is to find out about yourself for yourself.

    Before determining the ways to examine your work preferences, it's important to know the difference between liking a topic and liking the work. I once had a young guy who was a third­year marine (海洋的) biology student at a large state school in Ohio. He applied for and was placed into the Whale Watch program, where he found out that he became terribly seasick on any kind of boat­a big disadvantage for a student who thought he wanted to study whales in the wild.

Four Top Family Camping Trips

Camp Clearwater: White Lake, North Carolina

Camp Clearwater in White Lake, North Carolina, features its own 1, 100-acre lake complete with 1, 300 feet of shorefront. On-site facilities here include a mini-golf area, sports fields and a park that allows pets. Further, the family campground hosts various activities, including games, cornhole tournaments and golf cart parades. Overnight campsites run from $40 to $60 per night. 

A Tiny House Resort: Cairo, New York

Those cager to try tiny living in a natural setting should check out this tiny location in the heart of the Catskills Mountains region. There are on-site facilities including a pool, a dog park, kayaks, massage services and even goat yoga. You can spend your time walking on the waterfront trails or relaxing on a boat. Rates start at $295 per night for tiny homes that sleep two, but some tiny homes with more space for additional guests or amenities（便利设施） cost more. 

Meeman-Shelby Forest: Memphis, Tennessee

The Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park features 12, 539 acres of outdoor space along the Mississippi River. This area is known for its magnificent trees as well as the many endangered and protected plants that call it home. You can camp here in a two-bedroom cabin（小木屋） or on one of the 49 campsites. Cabin rentals start around $110 per night, and you can rent a camping spot for as little as $25 per night. 

Flamingo Adventures at the Everglades: Florida Keys

Families within close driving distance to the Florida Everglades have plenty of outdoor options to consider, including houseboat and eco-tent rentals through Flamingo Adventures. Houseboat rentals sleep four adults and two kids maximum and prices start at $350 per night. Eco-tents, which sit on platforms and feature bed linens, electricity, sitting areas and plenty of storage, start at $50 per night.