【推荐1】Where is the world’s happiest place? The answer is Denmark. Denmark is neither the richest nor the biggest country. So, what makes its 5.7 million people so happy?

The country is famous for its welfare system(福利体系), that includes health care and education. But besides that, the main reason Danish people are so happy is because of their lifestyle.

Have you heard of the word “hygge”? In English, it can be translated into comfort. But hygge is more than that—having a tasty meal with family, talking with friends under the sunshine on weekend, enjoying music or having a movie night. All these things can be called hygge, which is Danish people’s everyday life.

Danish people also have a healthy habit—riding bikes. In Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen, bikes are used about 50 percent of the time on the way to school or work. Biking is not only helpful to protect the environment. It is also good for people’s health. Just 30 minutes of biking every day adds about one to two years to a person’s lifetime. Trust is also important for Danish people. They trust others and people they don’t even know. In Aarhus, the second biggest city of Denmark, you can see people buy flowers even when the owner isn’t there. People just put money in the empty flowerpot. Trust helps make people happy.

“The Danish have no great expectations about what they will do or what will happen to them,” Kaire Christensen, a university teacher said, “They are happy with what they have.”

【推荐2】Emily St. Denny is fifteen years old. She was born in Beijing, China, where her mother worked as a French teacher and her father taught English. When she was five years old, Emily and her family moved to Belgrade, Serbia. When she was seven years old, they moved to Nairobi, Kenya, where her little sister was born. Two years later, her family moved to Hong Kong, where she attended a French international school. After five years, the family moved to France.

Emily's mother was born in France. Emily's father is American. Emily says her little sister is very French, like her mother. However, after living in so many places, Emily does not really know who she is. She says she feels more American than anything else, as English is her first language, but she has never lived there! Emily is a "Third Culture Kid".

This term (shortened to "TCK") was made up in the 1960s by doctors Ruth and John Useem. They used it to talk about the experience of mainly immigrant(移民)children growing up between two cultures: their culture of "origin"(or that of their parents), and the place they are presently living.

Today, TCK also refers to children who have travelled a lot and who are "culturally blended". These are children who are familiar with many cultures, but not as familiar with their parents'.

【推荐3】Imagine that while walking through a park one day, you begin to notice strange things all around you. People in colorful clothes from centuries ago walk on the paths. A magician is doing amazing tricks. Musicians play strange music on strange instruments. Knights on horseback show their skills in riding competitions. The smell of roasting meat begins to make your mouth water. A pleasant voice shouts, “Good morrow!”

What is going on? Have you traveled back in time? In a way, yes. You have found yourself in the midst of a Renaissance fair! Since the 1960s, Renaissance fairs have grown in popularity in the US and Canada. Communities in at least 44 states and two Canadian provinces now hold annual Renaissance fairs. Over 200 fairs are held every year, with 40 in California alone. The first Renaissance fair was started in the 1960s by a school teacher in southern California named Phyllis Patterson. She wanted to give her students a real-life history experience, so she created the “Renaissance Faire” in her backyard. The rest, as they say, is history.

Since Renaissance fairs are “living history”, you might think they are designed to be mainly educational. It’s true that some people try to make the fairs as genuine as possible. However, for many others, the key word is entertainment. With all the musicians and magicians walking about, you will definitely be entertained. A renaissance fair will be a feast for your eyes and your ears, not to mention your stomach.

You can enjoy sampling the food and drink while watching parades and live animal displays. Browse through the booths and admire the artwork and handicrafts. You are sure to be both educated and entertained. If you’re wondering how to dress to attend a Renaissance fair, that’s up to you. Some people go all out and dress up in costurnes. Others just go in their normal, everyday clothes. However you dress, you’re sure to be overwhelmed by the sights and sounds and smells of a Renaissance fair. And if you have ever wanted to travel back in time, here’s your chance.

【推荐1】Born in the 2000s, what do you think of your generation (一代人)? Young, creative, connected, global, smart, maybe good - looking? But what do other people think about your generation?

Some adults worry that you’re more interested in the phone than the world around you. They see you as the “face-down generation” and wonder how you will deal with school, friends, and family. Are today’s teenagers too busy texting and taking selfies (自拍) to become successful in real life or “IRL”, as you would say?

Other adults worry that today’s youth are spoiled and don’t want to face the challenges of adult life. Many children born in the 1990s and 2000s were raised by “helicopter parents” who were always there to do everything for them. So today’s young people seem to prefer to live like teenagers even when they are in their 20s or 30s.

Does the face - down generation need a heads - up? Well, probably not. The fact is that many of today’s teenagers are better educated and more creative than past generations. They also seem to be willing to become leaders. More young people than ever volunteer to serve their communities. There are also brave young people such as Malala Yousafzai, the teenager who won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for pushing girls’ rights to go to school.

So if you are one of them born in the 2000s, there’s reason to be hopeful about the future. Things are looking up for the face - down generation.

Every country has its favorite food. Italians like to eat pizza. Indians like to eat hot food. Japanese like to eat fish. Often they don’t cook it.

In England, one of the most popular kinds of food is fish and chips. People usually buy it in a fish and chip shop. They put it in paper bags, and take it home, or to their workplace. Sometimes they eat it in the park or on the road. The world’s favorite food is American fast food. If you go to some important cities in the world, you can find people eating hamburgers and chips.

Fish and chips, and Chinese takeaway food are very popular in England. But they are less popular in the USA. They eat takeaway food, too, like chicken. But the most popular kind of takeaway food is the hamburger. It looks like bread with meat in it. Ham (火腿) is a kind of pork, but the hamburger does not have any pork in it. The beef is inside a kind of cake hamburgers that are delicious. They are also popular in England and Australia.