When it comes to perfect views, it really does take a village. Searching for the most camera-ready communities on the planet, we find four villages that fit the bill. Spend a few minutes there and you will realize that “quaint (古色古香的)” and “charming” aren’t just adjectives and that they are a way of life.

Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia

The village seems to disappear into the sky and the blue horizon. All the houses are painted white, the skies are clear, and the backdrop includes the Bay of Tunis which is only in a deeper shade of blue. It’s not surprising that the atmosphere here is a bit random, and it is also home to plenty of lively cafes and art galleries.

Wengen in Switzerland

Wonder how the world was before cars were invented? Wengen, a Switzerland’s village, might just help you get the answer. Cars have been banned in this area for more than 100 years. Imagine seeing woods all around you, snow covered mountains, log cabins and the locals who have kept their Swiss culture undamaged.

Eze in France

France’s most attractive village is Eze. Seemingly frozen in time, Eze has managed to keep its old-world charm. It is the perfect melting pot of cultures because of its closeness to Nice, and today the village enjoys its rich heritage. The architecture here is so special that Walt Disney frequented this village for inspiration.

Bibury in England

Bibury was described by William Morris as “the most beautiful village in England” — known for its watercolor views. The 17th-century stone cottages and a still-working 1902 farm are some of the ancient village’s must-sees.

You can study the English language for years and still not understand a native speaker of English when you meet one. Many language leaners know that native speakers say a lot of things that you can’t find in a dictionary. Well, here’s a secret for you: A lot of British people can’t understand each other either!

Across the UK, a number of regions have different dialects—that is, they have their own unique vocabulary and grammatical phrases. There are many different accents in London, because it is not just where a person is born in the UK that decides their accent. Language and accents also vary across social class and level of education. Hence the recent rise of a new accent coined at the end of the 20th century—“Multicultural London English”.

Other factors are also important in the invention of new accents and ways of speaking. These include the influence of people from different ethnic backgrounds and different age groups, too.

“Yoof culture” is an example. The word “yoof” is a slang spelling of “youth”. Young people are creating their own language, concepts and identity. By using words that their parents don’t understand, children can talk about things that their parents might not approve of. For example, instead of saying something like “That’s good!” or “I understand”, yoof will use a single adjective like “Safe!”, or “Sorted!” Besides, Yoof would use “kind-a-thing,” or “sort-a-thing” to replace “if you understand what I’m saying”. In this way, they are starting to find freedom, independence and self-expression.

As learners of English, we may wonder how well we can talk to a native speaker, but perhaps we should worry less about this. Research commissioned by the British Council shows that 94 percent of the English spoken in the world today is spoken among non-native speakers of the language. In fact, when we think about “international English”, there is no such thing as a native or non-native speaker. The UK no longer owns the English language.

According to a new US study, couples who expect their children to look after them in old age should hope they have daughters because daughters are twice as loving as sons generally.

The research by Angelina Grigoryeva, from Princeton University, found that, while women provide as much care for their elderly parents as they can manage, men do as little as they can get away with and often leave it to female family members.

Her analysis of the family networks of 26, 000 old Americans concluded that gender （性别）is one of the most important things that decide whether or not people will actively care for their elderly parents.

In a paper presented at the annual conference of the American Sociological Association in San Francisco, she concludes that simply having a sister makes men likely provide less care. Using data from the University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study, a study which has been recording those people over 50s for the last decade, she analyzed that women provide an average of 12. 3 hours a month of care for elderly parents while men offer only 5. 6 hours.

“Sons reduce their relative caregiving efforts when they have a sister, while daughters increase theirs when they have a brother.”

“This suggests that sons pass on parent caregiving responsibilities to their sisters.”

In the UK, the 2011 Census showed that there are now around 6.5 million people with caring responsibilities, a figure which has risen by a tenth in a decade.

But many are doing so at the risk of their health. The census showed that those who provide 50 hours or more of care a week while trying to hold down a fulltime job are three times more likely to be struggling with ill health than their working counterparts who are not carers.