1 . My grandfather is an eighty-year-old man. He always complains about how things have changed, and he says that life used to be better.

Families aren't families the way (they used to be). A lot of families have broken down. If husband and wife are having problems with their marriage, they no longer stay together. And mothers used to stay at home and take care of their children, but now not any more. Everyone's working. No one has time to look after their children anymore.

And the cars! No one walks anymore; everyone drives. They used to walk five miles to school every day, even in winter. And in school, the children don't have to think anymore. In math class, for example, they used to add, subtract (减) , multiply( 乘), and divide (除) in their heads. Kids don't use their heads anymore; instead, they use calculators(计算器).   

Most families have computers now. In their day, they didn't have computers. They didn't even have electricity. His mother used to spend all day cooking in the kitchen. Nobody eats home-cooked food anymore.   

And people don't talk to each other anymore, they are too busy to talk, too busy to eat, too busy to think ... Life used to be simple, but it isn't anymore. It's complicated.

2 . If knowledge is power, then books are fuel and libraries are power stations! Here are four amazing libraries that can get you positively charged.

New York Public Library—New York

Opened in 1911, New York Public Library was the largest marble building in the world. Over the years the library has a collection of 53 million items, including rare first edition books, 300 million pages of historical newspapers and around 40 ,000 restaurant menus dating back to 1850!

Chetham's Library— Manchester

Founded in 1653, Chetham's Library is a free public library with the longest history in the UK. The building itself is even older —built in 1421, it's one of the most well—protected medieval buildings in England!

With 100 ,000 + books lining the shelves, the special atmosphere of the library attracts students and scholars alike to attend guided tours offered throughout the year.

The Library of Congress Washington, D. C.

Located on Capitol Hill, the Library of Congress is considered the national library of the US and the second largest library in the world. The library has around 168 million items, adding 10 ,000 to this number every day.

Need to catch up on the news? The Library of Congress, which was founded in 1800, holds the world’s largest newspaper collection, with some dating back as far as 1659!

The British Library—London

The British Library was founded in 1973. With around 170 million items spread across 750 km of shelving, it's the largest library in the world. And this number is continually growing and 8 km of shelving has to be added every year! This is partly because the British Library must receive a copy of every publication produced in the UK and Ireland, by law.