1 . Building with 3D printing technology is sparking widespread interest in the construction industry. Besides reducing waste and our impact on the environment, it can speed up construction from weeks, or months, to days. To see how the technology can change the world around us, here are some projects that highlight bold ideas in 3D print building.

Instant Neighborhood

Community building takes on new meaning with the creation of a neighborhood of 3D printed homes in Tabasco, Mexico, aimed at tackling global homelessness. American non-profit New Story and tech company ICON built each concrete house from start to completion in 24 hours. New Story says its aim is to provide shelter for people without homes around the world.

Nested Housing

Shamballa is the idea of Italian 3D print construction company WASP. This project uses soil and straw to build a home in days that cost only 48 Euros in materials and energy. Its round designs are based on the wasp (黄蜂) nest. Each home features a laboratory with a desktop 3D printer for making furniture, artistic objects and more.

Think Schools

African island state Madagascar is hosting one of the world’s most forward-thinking school building projects. Non-profit Thinking Huts is using 3D print technology to provide schools where children have little or no access to education. Schools are built using local materials and low carbon concrete in under a week.

Concrete Steps

Researchers at the Swiss University ETH Zurich used concrete 3D printing to build the 16 metre long curved Striatus footbridge in a couple of days. The project used 500 layers of concrete and 53 hollow blocks, held in place by compression (压缩). This reduces materials by up to 70 per cent, and the entire bridge can be pulled down and recycled.

3 . As for long-distance travel, there are some wonderful destinations that actually offer you great value for your money, especially for those who do not hope to empty their pockets after a holiday.

Tokyo, Japan

Food lovers should go to this busy city which has the lowest cost of eating out — you can even buy two evening meals (three dishes for each), with a bottle of wine, for just under ￡34. For sightseeing there are plenty of free museums and attractions, while tour bus ticket prices start from as little as ￡11.56.

Bangkok, Thailand

Thailand’s capital is second to none as the best value long-distance city. Although there isn’t a big difference in all prices compared to the other cities, it is accommodation that really makes it stand out. If you’re only stopping for a long weekend, then be sure to pay a visit to the breathtaking temples.

Beijing, China

The Chinese capital stands out with the total price of ￡337.49. If you only have one cultural day out during your stay, make it a trip to the Forbidden City. There are some beautiful buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties. At the same time they’re home to priceless artificial objects from ancient Chinese emperors’ families.

Dubai, UAE

Although Dubai does have a reputation for being quite the splurge (挥霍) when it comes to holidays and if you’re going to enjoy shopping or experience the roller-coasters, it is in fact quite worth the money. The city also offers some cheaper prices across its museums, galleries and attractions as well as airport transfers.

5 . For high school leavers starting out in the working world, it is very important to learn particular skills and practise how to behave in an interview or how to find all internships(实习). In some countries, schools have programmes to help students onto the path to work. In the United States, however, such programmes are still few and far between.

Research shows that if high schools provide career-related courses, students are likely to get higher earnings in later years.The students are more likely to stay in school, graduate and go on to higher education.

In Germany, students as young as 13 and 14 are expected to do internships. German companies work with schools to make sure that young people get the education they need for future employment.

But in America, education reform programmes focus on how well students do in exams instead of bringing them into contact with the working world. Harvard Education School professor Robert Schwartz has criticised education reformers for trying to place all graduates directly on the four-year college track. Schwartz argued that this approach leaves the country’s most vulnerable(易受影响的)kids with no jobs and no skills.

Schwartz believed that the best career programmes encourage kids to go for higher education while also teaching them valuable practical skills at high school. James Madison High School in New York, for example, encourages students to choose classes on career-based courses. The school then helps them gain on-the-job experience in those fields while they’re still at high school.

However, even for teens whose schools encourage them to connect with work, the job market is daunting. In the US, unemployment rates for 16 to 19-year-olds are above 20 percent for the third summer in a row.

“The risk is that if teenagers miss out on the summer job experience, they become part of this generation of teens who had trouble in landing a job,” said Michael, a researcher in the US.

6 . Eliana Yi dreamed of pursuing piano performance in college, never mind that her fingers could barely reach the length of an octave (八度音阶). Unable to fully play many works by Romantic-era composers, including Beethoven and Brahms, she tried anyway — and in her determination to spend hours practicing one of Chopin’s compositions which is known for being “stretchy”, wound up injuring herself.

“I would just go to pieces,” the Southern Methodist University junior recalled. “There were just too many octaves. I wondered whether I was just going to play Bach and Mozart for the rest of my life.”

The efforts of SMU keyboard studies chair Carol Leone are changing all that. Twenty years ago, the school became the first major university in the U.S. to incorporate smaller keyboards into its music program, leveling the playing field for Yi and other piano majors.

Yi reflected on the first time she tried one of the smaller keyboards: “I remember being really excited because my hands could actually reach and play all the right notes,” she said. Ever since, “I haven’t had a single injury, and I can practice as long as I want.”

For decades, few questioned the size of the conventional piano. If someone’s hand span was less than 8.5 inches — the distance considered ideal to comfortably play an octave — well, that’s just how it was.

Those who attempt “stretchy” passages either get used to omitting notes or risk tendon (腱) injury with repeated play. Leone is familiar with such challenges. Born into a family of jazz musicians, she instead favored classical music and pursued piano despite her small hand span and earned a doctorate in musical arts.

A few years after joining SMU’s music faculty in 1996, the decorated pianist read an article in Piano and Keyboard magazine about the smaller keyboards. As Leone would later write, the discovery would completely renew her life and career.

In 2000, she received a grant to retrofit a department Steinway to accommodate a smaller keyboard, and the benefits were immediate. In addition to relieving injury caused by overextended fingers, she said, it gave those with smaller spans the ability to play classic compositions taken for granted by larger-handed counterparts.

Smaller keyboards instill many with new confidence. It’s not their own limitations that have held them back, they realize; it’s the limitations of the instruments themselves. For those devoted to a life of making music, it’s as if a cloud has suddenly lifted.

7 . With summer behind us and the fall and winter holidays just around the corner, now it seems as good a time as any to start planning the next family vacation. Instead of a beach break or ski getaway, a family cruise offers a convenient and cost-effective alternative winter vacation.

Regent Seven Seas, all-inclusive ships take visitors to world-class destinations. This winter, visitors will discover top destinations across Asia, from Hong Kong to Beijing, aboard the Regent Seven Seas Voyager. Departing on Dec.17, this 12-day cruise offers plenty of outdoor activities. Kids will enjoy the waterfalls of Miyazaki, Japan, and the legendary street food scene in Hong Kong.

For a far-flung family vacation this winter, consider exploring Australia aboard the Sea Princess this winter. Leaving Brisbane on Dec. 17, the Sea Princess will take passengers to Airlie Beach. And on the ship, little ones can enjoy a variety of onboard activities and entertainment, from dance classes to volleyball to enrichment classes.

Aboard each Disney ship, you’ll find numerous kid-friendly activities and services that are well-suited for the young—and the young at heart. Disney characters pop up frequently throughout the kids club and in public spaces. Best of all, there are plenty of family-friendly stateroom category choices for families having a concern for budget(预算).

Norwegian Cruise Line offers a unique style of cruising—Freestyle Cruising. It offers a delicious lineup of excellent restaurants ranging from casual to fine dining, thrilling entertainment, exciting fitness activities and classes.

9 . August is one of the most popular months to travel for Chinese. Choosing the perfect destination for an August vacation isn’t easy. We looked at airfare trends, climate data, and cultural calendars to select 4 vacation spots that are some of the best places to visit this August.

Mackinac Island, Michigan

Visitors can enjoy the sunny weather while boating, fishing, and sailing. On land, you can hop between historic sites like Fort Mackinac and Fort Holmes, both key sites in the War of 1812.

And sweet teeth will have something to celebrate too: the Fudge(软糖)Festival, which takes place every August and allows the many fudge shops on the island to show off their best work.

Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts

Martha’s Vineyard is praised as one of the most classic summer getaways in the United States. The charming island south of Cape Cod is dotted with simple and elegant New England homes, relaxing sandy beaches. The sunny summer weather in August sets the perfect stage fora boat outing or a shopping trip to the town’s shops of all kinds.

Krakow, Poland

Krakow, Poland, is the perfect mixture of history and nightlife.

Tourist favorites in Krakow include Wawel Cathedral, St. Mary’s Basilica, and the Schindler’s Factory museum, each of which gives a glance into Poland’s religious and political history. After the sun sets, enjoy Krakow’s world—famous har and restaurant scene, and don’t forget to pop into a cafe for a late-night snack.

Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Every year, one of the grandest wonders in nature is performed here—the Great Migration.

The annual migration sees more than 2 million wildebeest(羚羊), zebras make the dangerous journey across the Serengeti in search of greener fields. Along the way, predators(食肉动物)such as lions and crocodiles lie in wait for the incoming foods, providing tense scene for brave sightseers and nature lovers.

10 . People trained to detect lies often rely on multiple signs, such as eye contact, length of responses and the details in what people say, but studies have shown that assessing a wide range of behavioral information can make it harder to decide if someone is lying. Bruno Verschuere at the University of Amsterdam and his colleagues wondered whether solely focusing on the detail of statements could provide more consistent results.

To test this idea, researchers asked 44 students to go for a walk or steal from a mock(模仿的)crime. Students were instructed to lie if they committed the fake theft.

Next, the researchers recruited 171 people to watch six truthful and six deceptive(欺骗的) interviews from these recordings, ranking interviewees’ eye contact and detail level. The results revealed that both truth-tellers and liars averted (转移) their gaze a similar amount, but truthful statements were substantially more detailed than deceptive ones, suggesting the latter is a more useful way to tell that someone is lying.

The researchers then asked 405 people to judge the true nature of six truthful and six deceptive statements randomly chosen from the interviews. Around half of the participants used multiple cues to identify liars. The remaining participants solely ranked the level of detail in answers on a scale of 1 to 10, with l a 6 or above counting as truthful. Those using multiple cues distinguished lies from the truth 59% of the time, while those relying solely on detail achieved 66%.

“Our take is that using just one cue can provide a simpler way to judge lies from the truth,” says Verschuere. Nevertheless, in the real world, you would probably need to confirm the accuracy of statements through extra further investigations or follow-up questions, he says.