1 . What are your plans for the summer vacation? Here are three summer camps in 2020. You can choose for your summer vacation. If you join the summer camps, you will feel excited and enjoyable.

2 . I was hungry because after a full day of exploring the German town, I ate only a pizza. I’m comfortable travelling through a country where I don’t speak the language, but I would almost rather go hungry than sit in a restaurant eating alone.

After wandering around the town for hours, I finally chose an Italian restaurant that seemed friendly enough. I know I like traditional German food, but a plate of spaghetti for only six euros (欧元) was not to miss. So I nervously entered. As I stood there, I noticed all the happy families and friends eating together. The hostess found a small table for me next to the front entrance.

“Great,” I thought, “now people can look at this friendless traveller as they enter.” Then I started to wonder how many of the customers might mistake me for the hostess and how much this would interrupt my meal. Then a woman, whose name is now lost to memory, invited me to have dinner with her and her family. I couldn’t believe it! This was the German friendliness I had read about.

I walked to their table. I can be quite shy when talking to new people. I also started to wonder how this would work. The meal began awkwardly. The woman’s two children mostly stared at me.

Fortunately, the parents spoke enough English and I knew a little German. I came into this restaurant afraid of eating alone and I ended up happily.

6 . Having an older brother comes with plenty of benefits. Big brothers tend to look after their younger brothers and sisters, and despite the occasional unpleasant moments here and there, many siblings(兄弟姐妹) enjoy life-long close relationships. However, a new study finds an interesting disadvantage. Children with older brothers take longer when it comes to developing language skills.

Researchers studied more than 1,000 children from birth to the age of five-and-a-half years old. Each child’s language skills were tested at ages 2, 3,and 5.5,using tests specially designed to measure lots of aspects of language development such as vocabulary, syntax(句法), and verbal(文字的)reasoning. What the research team discovered was significant. Children with an older brother had, on average, a two-month delay in their language development compared to studied children with an older sister.

As far as explaining this phenomenon(现象), researchers have proposed two assumptions. The first is that older sisters tend to talk more often than older brothers, which would compensate(补偿)for parents potentially being less present than they were for their first child. The second assumption is that older sisters usually compete with their siblings less than older brothers for their parents attention. The study’s authors say they can’t say for certain why children with older brothers have a harder time developing language skills. In the future they would like to study if culture or location impacts the prevalence(盛行)of these results.

The study is published in Psychological Science.

8 . It was raining. I went into a cate and asked for a coffee. While waiting for my drink, I saw many people playing computer games,

I stood up and walked between the tables. When I came to the biggest computer, I saw a thin, small man sitting in front of it. “I am Steve,” he finally answered after I asked him a couple of times what his name was. “I can’t talk with you. I’m busy,” he said. He was chatting online and, at the same time playing a computer game—a war game. I was surprised.

Why didn’t Steve want to talk with me? I tried again to speak to that computer geek (电脑迷), but not a word came out of his mouth. I touched his shoulder, but no reaction. I was unhappy. I put my hand in front of the monitor and he shouted, “Leave me alone.” I took a few steps back, wondering if all those people were having a nice conversation with their machines, not with people, especially Steve. I wouldn’t want to imagine the future of human beings if they preferred sharing their lives with machines instead of with people. I was worried and sank in my thoughts. I didn’t even realize that the coffee was bad, just as Steve didn’t notice there was a person next to him.

9 . What types of books do you enjoy reading? What are some of your favourite books? What’s your favourite type of books? Here are some books you might like to try.

The Venice Experiment : A Year of Trial and Error Living Abroad (2011) by Barry Frangipane

Type: travel

A few years ago, a real-life American couple decided to escape the competitive life and live in Venice for a year. This is the story of their experiences there, and it’s full of funny events about their struggle to adapt to the Venetian lifestyle. An author said, “For anyone thinking of an overseas adventure, The Venice Experiment is a laugh-out-loud read...”

The Hunger Games (2008) by Suzanne Collins

Type: science-fiction/adventure

The story is set in the future. A governor rules the country and most people are very poor. Every year, there’s a game show called “The Hunger AOLLNS Games” in which 18 teenagers are sent into the wild to battle it out until only one survives. The book has just been made into a highly successful Hollywood movie.

There but for the (2011) by Ali Smith

Type: general fiction

The book is the sparkling satirical novel by Ali Smith. There once was a man, Miles Garth, who one night between the main course and the sweet at a dinner party, left the table, locked himself in a spare bedroom, and refused to come out. As the days passed, Miles became a famous man, and people gathered outside his house. People even started selling Miles-themed goods.

An Idiot Abroad by Karl Pilkington

Type: travel/humour

Karl is a British TV personality and comedian (喜剧演员) who stars in the popular TV show An Idiot Abroad. In the show (and in this book), Karl Pilkington visits the Seven Wonders of the World and makes funny observations about his experiences. The Spectator magazine called Karl “the funniest man on the planet”.

10 . BBC: Top 4 Wonderful English Novels