【推荐1】Old people in Changsha are happy. In the morning you can see old people play sports in the park. Mr. and Mrs. Chen are always among them after their sons and daughters go to work and grandchildren go to school. Mr. Chen is in a sports club. There he can run, swim and play ball games. Their friends Mr. and Mrs. Zhang aren't in any clubs. They play computer games at home because they want to learn a lot about(了解）their grandchildren. Their grandchildren all love then very much. These days some old people want to have a Shopping Club. In the club they can talk about how to buy cheap things.

How happy the old people in Changsha are! They all think they are lucky to live in a place like Changsha.

【推荐2】In the park, you see a group of people, all looking up at the sky. Without thinking about it, you look upwards, too. Why? In the concert, someone begins to clap and suddenly the whole room joins in. You do, too. Why?

Sometimes we feel we are acting correctly when we do the same as others. The more people follow an idea, the better or truer we think the idea is. It’s the social proof (社会认同感) that works.

The scientist Asch carried out an experiment(实验). It shows how social proof can influence(影响) us. In a room, a man is shown Line 1, and next to it are three lines (A, B,C). A is longer, C is shorter and B is as long as Line 1. He must tell which of the three lines is as long as Line 1. When the man is alone, he gives the correct answer B. Then, five other men enter the room, and each of them gives the answer C as someone told them the answer C was right. Now the man changes his idea and gives the answer C. Asch got the same result many times among different subjects(实验对象).

              Well, in the past, following others was a way to keep from danger. Suppose that 5000 years ago, you were hunting(打猎)with friends. Suddenly, they all ran away. What would you have done? Would you have stayed? No, you would have run, too. We are descendants (后代) of those who copied others’ action. It is so deeply planted in our mind that we still use it now.

Social proof has special power. The advertising industry (广告业), for example, often makes use of it. So be careful whenever a company says its product (产品) is “the most popular”.

Thank you so much for inviting us to the birthday party for your daughter Mary.As her aunt and uncle，we are glad to take part in(参加) such a happy event.We are going to get to your house on the evening of May 10 at seven o'clock.We are looking forward to meeting you.And we'd like to take some dishes.

Yours，

Jenny & Bob

Daniel and I were happy when you accepted our invitation to our dinner party on July 10.I feel really sorry that I have to cancel(取消) it.Daniel became ill yesterday and he is in hospital now.I'm looking forward to inviting you again.

Yours，

Tina

【推荐2】Many expressions that we use in American English come from novels. Today we will look at some of them from Lewis Carroll’s famous novel Alice in Wonderland in detail.

The story is about a young girl falling down a rabbit hole. When she finally lands, she finds herself in a strange world and meets some strange characters.

The first character Alice meets is the White Rabbit, who runs past her and says some strange words. Alice chases him, and that is where her adventures begin. As she runs after the rabbit, she falls down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. The expression to fall down the rabbit hole can mean to enter an unexpected situation. However, usually we use this expression to mean we get interested in something to the point of distraction (分神). It often happens by accident and is about something not that meaningful.

Later in the story, Alice meets the March Hare and the Hatter at a crazy tea party. Hares have long been thought to behave excitedly in March, which is their mating (交配) season. Scientifically, this may not be true. But to be mad as a March hare means that someone is totally mad, or crazy. The expression to be mad as a hatter also means to be completely crazy and is more common. But don’t tell the March Hare. He must be green with envy!

There are many English proverbs (谚语) about “home”. Here are some of the best.

“    1    .”

This proverb comes from the song Home Sweet Home. It simply means home is always the best place.     2    , but it’s where love and family can be found. After being away for so long, you will always find there’s no place like home. So if you have been elsewhere for a long time, you can say “There’s no place like home.” as soon as you arrive home to show how you miss your home and parents.

“The longest way round is the shortest way home.”

Though this proverb also has the word “home”,     3    . Sometimes some students do their homework in a really quick way. They may think it’ll save time if they do it as fast as they can. However, if they only care about the speed, it’s easy to make mistakes, and more time will be spent to red o the task.     4    .

“Home is where the heart is.”

Home doesn’t have to be the building that you live in. It is where you most want to be.     5    . It may be the same city they live in now, the city where they grew up, the house where their parents live, or the place where they are raising their family.

【推荐1】Why Should We Learn Body Language?

In English classes, we spend a large amount of time studying grammar and learning new words. We work hard to improve our reading and listening skills. Few of us, however, pay enough attention to body language. So body language is not important, is it?

The answer is, “Yes!” As the old saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words.” Sometimes, we can communicate things even without a single word. For example, shrug our shoulders, and, without a word, we’ve just said, “I don’t know.”

Body language can help us stress what we are saying. It can help us express our true, inner feelings. Moreover, body language can help us find out if someone is lying. Often, people who are lying do not make eye contact. They may turn away or raise their shoulders because they are uncomfortable with the conversation.

In job interviews, the interviewers can sometimes judge the interviewee before he or she speaks. Body language is important in our personal lives, too. It can show if you really care about your friends. Leaning forward into the conversation, for example, means you are interested in what is being said. Listening without making eye contact means you are not paying attention but are waiting for your turn to speak.

Scientists have been studying body language for a long time. They say more than 70 percent of our messages are delivered through body language. Sometimes, body language is more accurate (精准的) than the words we use.

So it is very important for us to learn body language. By understanding body language, we are less likely to be misunderstood. We will find it easier to get a job. We will also have lasting friendships.

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【推荐2】If someone says “give me five” to you, do not search your pocket to get five yuan.     1     In the US, “give me five” or “give me the high-five” is a popular gesture. You can see it often in films or on TV.     2    . People do it when they meet for the first time or something happy happens. For example, if a student has good marks in exams or gets No. 1 in the school sports meeting, he will give a high-five to everyone around to celebrate it.

Who did this gesture first?     3     There are many different stories about how the high-five began.     4     A very long time ago, some American men who were excited by a group of wild animals put their hands up into the air. At that moment, they just want to hit each other. In another story, people who were very short got used to putting their hands up high to shake hands with people of normal height.     5     From then on, it became popular.

【推荐3】Gestures are used to replace words in many countries. They usually have different meanings in different cultures. ▲ .

What does the “O” gesture mean?

If you are an English speaker or diving (潜水) under the sea, it means “OK” or “good”. In fact, it’s believed that this gesture is popularized (普及) by divers. The Japanese read it as “money”. The French read it as “zero” or “no value”.

What does the “thumb-up” gesture mean?

This gesture also means differently in different countries. English speakers use it to stand for “OK”, which is the same meaning as the “O” gesture. The two can be used almost interchangeably. To most people, it stands for the number “1”, since they count from 1 to 5, beginning with the thumb for 1 and ending with the little finger for the number 5. Although Americans and British people usually ask for a ride with their thumbs raised, the gesture will not make a Greek driver stop to give them a ride.

What does it mean to stretch out your index finger (食指)?

Extending the index finger means different things in different countries. The Chinese stretch their index finger upward to indicate the number. They can refer to integers (整数) such as “one”, “one hundred”, “one thousand”, etc. In Japan, the index finger up means only one or once. This gesture represents the first in order. In the United States, use this gesture when asking the other person to wait. In Australia, in bars and restaurants, the forefinger is extended upward, saying, “A glass of beer, please.”

In the Middle East, it is impolite to point at something with your index finger.

【推荐1】Tea Drinking

All around the world, people drink tea. But tea does not mean the same thing for everyone. In different countries people have very different ideas about drinking tea.

In China, for example, people always serve (提供) tea when they get together. The Chinese drink it at any time of the day at homes or in teahouses. They prefer (更喜欢) their tea plain (简单的), with nothing else in it.

Tea is also important in Japan. The Japanese have a special way of serving tea called a tea ceremony (仪式). It is very old and full of meaning. Everything must be done in a special way in the ceremony. There is even a special room for it in Japanese homes.

Another tea-drinking country is England. In England, the late afternoon is “teatime”. Almost everyone has a cup of tea then. The English usually make tea in a teapot and drink it with milk and sugar. They also eat cakes, cookies and some sandwiches at teatime.

In the United States, people drink tea mostly for breakfast or after meals. Americans usually use tea bags to make their tea. Tea bags are faster and easier than making tea in teapots. In summer, many Americans drink cold tea — “ice tea”. Sometimes they drink iced tea from cans, like soda.

【推荐2】When people meet each other for the first time in Britain, they say “How do you do and shake hands. Usually they do not shake hands when they just meet or say goodbye. But they shake hands after they haven’t met for a long time or when they will be away from each other for a long time.

Last year a group of German students went to England for a holiday. Their teacher told them that the English people hardly（几乎不）shake hands. So when they met their English friends at the station, they kept their hands behind their backs. The English students had learned that the Germans shake hands as often as possible, so they put their hands in front and got ready to shake hands with them. It made both of them laugh.

【推荐3】I've always been very interested in the beauty of China’s culture and history. So when one of my friends moved to Beijing from the UK.It was the perfect excuse to visit.

My friend Tony and I had expected a big city filled with buildings and busy streets. But when we arrived,we were surprised.

The first thing that surprised us was the space. Beijing is really huge.Its wide streets and green spaces made every area feel less crowded（拥挤的）.Everywhere we looked,there were people cleaning and tidying.It really gave off national pride.

We were worried that few people would speak English in Beijing.But we found that it was common for Chinese people to know a few words of English.and many knew much more.

But the most exciting part of our visit was riding around in the sunshine on bicycles—we felt very Chinese as we travelled around the city on shared bikes.

It was great to experience Beijing in person. This was my first visit to China. but certainly not my last.