When the weather is good, most children would like to play outside. So we asked some kids and their parents whether the following toys kept them happy.

Played by Martin, nine, and five-year-old Alex in Crewe, Cheshire.

Mother Jennifer says, “The boys thought the toy was excellent and really wanted to play with it. It can be played with alone or with another child. It’s for the right age range but I believe the toy can be played with by all ages and is suitable for the whole family.”

Played by Jessica, four.

Mother Lucy Hayburst, 37, in Chichester, West Sussex, says, “Jessica played with this toy for a few minutes but quickly stopped playing with it. Since we bought this toy for her, she only played several times. The quality is very good. It can be played with by one child or more. Besides, I believe it’s more suitable for older kids.”

Played by Matthew, two.

Father Richard Lee, 36, from Dartford, Kent, says, “Matthew was very interested in the toys and liked to play with them, but that only lasted for around five minutes. The skittles were fun at first but that feeling soon disappeared. Two or more children can play with the toy together. And I think they are most suitable for kids aged between three and seven. Our youngest son, Ethan, just kept trying to eat the lion’s head.”

Played by James, five.

Mother Sarah Schwar, 39, from Grays, Essex, says, “James loved the toy.” He enjoyed balls so it was perfect for him We used it in the summer as it was easy to take on trips It is suitable for kids over five years old I think the price is fair and your children deserve it.”

Everybody has one of those days when everything goes wrong. This is what happened to Harry.

He got up one morning very late because he had forgotten to wind up (上发条) his alarm clock. He tried to shave (刮胡须) quickly and cut himself. When he got dressed he got blood all over his clean shirt so he had to find another one. The only other shirt that was clean needed ironing so he ironed it. While he was ironing it there was a knock at the door. It was the man to read the electricity meter (电表). He showed him where the meter was, said good-bye and found that the iron had burnt a hole in his shirt. So he had to wear the one with the blood on it after all. By this time it was very late so he decided he couldn’t go to work by bus. He telephoned for a taxi to take him to work. The taxi arrived and Harry got in and began to read the newspaper.

In another part of the town a man had killed a woman with a knife and was seen to run away in a taxi When Harry’s taxi stopped outside his office a policeman happened to be standing there. He saw the blood on Harry’s shirt and took him to the police station. He was kept till 3 o'clock in the afternoon before the police were sure that he was not the man they wanted. When he finally arrived at the office at about four his boss took a look at him and told him to go away and find another job.

You’re happy to let your best friend borrow your mountain bike, but would you be willing to loan it out to a total stranger if you could make some money from the arrangement?

That’s the idea behind peer-to-peer (P2P) renting, a new model concluded by sites such as eBay and Craigslist. Instead of selling an idle (闲置) thing, you loan it to people in your town, get paid a small rental fee and gel it back when the borrower’s done with it. In the past few years, almost a dozen websites have popped up promising to connect lenders and borrowers. For example, you can use GetAround to rent out your car or motorcycle, SnapGoods to rent out electronics and gadgets, ToolSpinner to rent electric drills and lawnmowers, Zaarly and Knb to rent out a little bit of everything else.

Old as it may sound, P2P renting is more high-tech than before, with websites that avoid cash for credit cards. A user creates an online listing for the item she wants to rent out, choosing her own rental fee. When someone wants the item, he keeps it on an online calendar, and the two arrange a time and place for pickup. Each site operates a little differently, but all use technology to make renting easy, safe and relatively inexpensive.

Why rent your idle things? You may not make a ton of money, but it is a good way to get some use out of idle things. The people who rent those goods are able to save thousands of dollars by renting instead of buying new.

There may be other benefits. “It brings convenience, security and adventure,” says Ali Hart, JustSharclt’s spokesperson. “But, more importantly, we’re really connecting people and building community, too.”

Get to know your neighbors and make a few dollars in the process? Sounds like a good deal.

Reports tell us that Americans work more and vacation less than people in other major industrial countries. Still, millions of Americans do try to get away from home for a week or two in the summer months. Some might even have the time and money to spend longer on vacation.

For example, many retired Americans can be found driving around the United States in big recreational vehicles, known as R. V.’s. These serve as a home away from home. In fact, it might even be their only home as they see the country.

Some American families get in their cars and drive to historic places like Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. There, they can experience what life was like for early Americans. If that is not exciting enough, also in Williamsburg is a water park and an amusement park with rides.

Other Americans visit national parks like Yellowstone or Yosemite out in the West. They want to spend time with nature. Or they take their vacation by a lake or the ocean. They might swim or fish. But many just want to sit and enjoy the feeling of doing nothing, except maybe read a book.

Some families fly to other countries on vacation. Or they go on a cruise ship (大型游轮) and stop in different ports. Cruise ships are like floating cities.

But not everyone goes someplace special on vacation. This might be the only time for people to work on things like home improvement projects. And while they do that, they might think of all the fun their friends are having.