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.

7 . In our city there is a big zoo. There are a lot of different animals in it. There are some scary tigers and lions. They like eating meat and they eat much meat every day.

There are also two big elephants and a baby(婴儿) one. The elephants are very kind and friendly. They eat much grass and many bananas.

In the zoo, we can see different kinds of bears, brown(棕色的) bears, black bears and white bears. They are all slow and clumsy(笨拙的). They stand on their back legs and lift their front legs to ask for food. They like cakes very much.

Do you like pandas? There’s only one in the zoo. Her name is Lingling. She is very cute. She likes eating bamboo(竹子) a lot. She is kind of shy. She’s very interesting and lovely.

9 . If you go to Hong Kong by air, you will arrive at Hong Kong International Airport. Because there was not enough land, it was built (被建造) out into the sea. It is in the part of Hong Kong called Kowloon. Kowloon is one of the three big cities in Hong Kong.

The city of Hong Kong is on an island. You can get there by ship or through a funnel (隧道) under the sea. Much of Hong Kong is farmland and mountains.

The population of Hong Kong is over six million. Chinese and English are spoken by many people. Clothes, computers, radios and TVs are made in Hong Kong. You can buy all kinds of things, such as watches and computers there.

People from all over the world travel to Hong Kong every year. You can watch dog racing or motor racing. Some places are quiet and beautiful. When you are hot and tired, there are small cool gardens to rest in. There are also a lot of hotels to live in. Hong Kong is also a good place for wonderful Chinese food. You can enjoy many kinds of food such as fish, vegetables and the famous Peking Duck. There is certainly a lot to see and to do in Hong Kong.

10 . Good morning, everyone! Welcome to our school. Now you are students of a middle school. All the things here are new. The life here is a little different. I think you must know what you can do and what you can’t do. It can help you study well and live happily. Here are some rules of our school.

You have to come to school from Monday to Friday. You will learn some important subjects, such as Chinese, math, English and science. Classes begin at 8:00. You have four classes in the morning. You have lunch in the school dining hall. You can’t eat in the classroom. You have two classes in the afternoon. Classes are over at 3:30 and then you can join your favorite clubs to have fun. You can’t play balls or run in the classroom and hallways. You mustn’t break these rules. I really hope you will have a happy life here. Thank you.