Why are so many British people interested in historical television programs like Downton Abbey (《唐顿庄园》)? Maybe because they want to see how both rich and poor people lived years ago. Or is it because they like looking at the beautiful buildings people lived in the country houses?

Downton Abbey is not a real place, but the house they used for the program is real. Highclere Castle in the south of England was a castle (城堡) 900 years ago, but in the 19th century, people changed it into a house.

Why did people build country houses? Probably because they wanted other people to see how much money they had. These houses often had lots of furniture (家具), paintings and servants (仆人) to cook, clean, and look after the family.

But as we know from the story of Downton, the money of the families who lived in these houses did not last.

Today, many country houses are open to anyone. People pay money to take a look inside. Some of the houses were sold and became hospitals, schools, hotels, and even prisons (监狱). And some are used for making films and TV programs like Downton Abbey.

3 . You may know the English letters A, B, C, but do you know there are people called “ABC”? You may like eating bananas, but do you know there are people called “banana people”? If you don’t know, I will tell you about them. They are some Chinese people like you and me, but they aren’t in China. Why do people call them like that?

If we call somebody an “ABC”, we mean he or she is a Chinese person but was born in America. Sometimes, people also call them “banana people”. A banana is yellow outside and white inside. So if somebody is a “banana person”, he or she is “white” inside and “yellow” outside. By saying that, we mean he or she has yellow skin (皮肤) but does things in an American way. “Banana people” were born in America and they live in America for a long time, so they think like Americans and do things like Americans. However, these people still have Chinese blood (血统). Their parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents are from China. They all have black eyes and black hair, so they look like us, Chinese people.

There are many famous “banana people” in America. They do very well in America and they are really great in their own fields.

4 . This book is for children. It is about the seas. It tells us about different kinds of water pollution and the things we can do to keep the seas clean. It also tells us about the different ways we can save water. In this book, Simon Walker said, “Three-fourths of the Earth is water. For thousands of years, the seas have helped us by giving us food and water, but we are feeding them with dirty water from factories and rubbish from our homes. Now, the seas are crying because they are very sick. Please help to save them!’’

You can see many wonderful photos of the seas in this book. There are also beautiful photos of sea animals like whales and seahorses. You can also see photos of the pink dolphins.

I think it is a very interesting and useful book.

5 . What’s your favourite weather? Do you like sunny or rainy days? Many people like sunshine a lot. They don’t like rain. They think rain can make them feel sad. During a long holiday, they like going to the beach to enjoy the sunshine. Sunshine can make them feel good and happy. I like sunshine very much, but I also enjoy rain.

I enjoy the sound of rain. It can make me feel quiet. On rainy days, I like listening to music and doing some reading, or just looking at the rain and daydreaming. When you daydream, you don’t have to think about other things. I think it’s a good way to relax when it rains.

Sunshine can make one run around and rain can make one quiet, so I hope you can feel happy no matter it rains or shines.

All around the world, people drink tea. But in different countries, people have very different ideas about drinking tea.

In China, for example, people always serve (提供) the tea when people get together. The Chinese drink it at any time of the day at home or in teahouses. They like to drink plain tea (素茶) best.

Tea is very important in Japan. The Japanese have a special way of serving tea called the “tea ceremony (仪式)”. It is very old and full of meaning. People do everything in a special way in the ceremony. There is even a special room for it in Japanese homes.

Another tea drinking country is England, and the late afternoon is people’s “teatime”. Almost everyone has a cup of tea then. The British usually make tea in a teapot and drink it with milk and sugar. They also eat cakes, chocolate and a few candies at teatime.

In the United States people drink tea mostly for breakfast or after meals. Americans usually use tea bags to make their tea. It is fast and easy to use tea bags to make tea. In summer, many Americans drink “iced tea”.

7 . Do you like snow? Many people in the world never see snow. In the north of England, there is quite a lot of snow every winter, but in the south of England there is usually little snow. When a student from a warm country comes to England in autumn for the first time, he feels cold. There are always dark clouds, gray skies and cold rain in England in autumn.

Snow is different. It is very cold, but it is very beautiful. Perhaps, after several dark mornings, the student wakes up (醒来) one day and there is a lot of light (光) in his room. He thinks, “Is it so late?” and gets up quickly. But it is not late at all. He looks out of the window and there is snow on the ground, in the trees, on the roofs (屋顶) and so on. The light in his room comes from the clean and beautiful snow.

Have you ever heard of netball? It is a team sport which is similar to both basketball and handball.

Netball was first played in England in 1895 at Madame Ostenburg’s College. In the first half of the 20th century, Netball’s popularity continued to grow, with the game being played in many countries, it is particularly popular in Australia and New Zealand. In 1995 Netball became a “recognized” sport of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and one of the International Netball Federation’s goals is to encourage the IOC to include netball in the Olympic Games Programme in the future.

There are seven players on each team and they each wear a bib (号码布) which shows the name of the position they play. Players must throw the ball to one another and the aim of the game is to pass the ball to the “Goal Shooter” or “Goal Attack” who can shoot the ball into the net to score a goal. However, the key rules of netball are that you cannot bounce (拍) the ball and you cannot move your feet when you have the ball. This is called the footwork rule and it can be quite difficult to grasp (掌握) for young children playing the game! A full match lasts for one hour and in a single match often about 100 goals are scored which shows what a fast-paced and exciting game netball is!

Netball is typically played by women and girls. However, at many universities, there are mixed netball leagues (联赛) in which teams must have both male and female players.

In the UK, there are many different ways to try to attract women to play netball. One such plan is called “Back to Netball” which encourages women who have not played netball since they were at school to rediscover their love for the sport and get back on the court! Walking Netball is another variation (变化形式) of the sport aimed at older women and those who want to exercise in a gentler way. So, why not watch a video of netball online and then have a go for yourself?

10 . Today's Shanghai

Shanghai, one of the largest cities in China, attracts people at home and abroad like a magnet(磁铁). People come here for its culture, its people, and its history. Shanghai is also named "Hu(沪)" or "Shen(申)" in short. It is in the middle part of China's east coastline. It has a pleasant climate(气候), with four distinct seasons.

These years, a number of modern buildings have been added to the city, such as the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai Science & Technology Museum, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Library, Shanghai Grand Theatre, Shanghai Circus City and Jinmao Tower.   They have become new scenic sights in Shanghai.

Shanghai, this modern city, succeeded in winning the bid of sponsoring the 2010 World Expo in 2003. The theme(主题) of 2010 Shanghai World Expo will be "Better City, Better Life. " So Shanghai will be more beautiful.