To develop one's taste in English，the most effective way is to read English books extensively. However, one may be at a loss to choose the appropriate books，especially as a beginner.I would like to share some of my experience.

    My first English novel was Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice，recommended by many English teachers and professors as an ideal book for English learners. But I had great difficulty in understanding the novel，let alone enjoying it. It's not the vocabulary that troubled me，but rather the way Austen constructs sentences，and her way of thinking，which seemed too remote to me at that time. My fading enthusiasm was much recovered after reading Hemingway's novel Farewell to Arms. I particularly liked his brief and lively style. So my first suggestion is，as a beginner, you'd better choose contemporary novels instead of classical ones.

    However，reading novels is not the only way to improve your English. English essays can at once inform you，entertain you, and improve your taste in English. The best example is Bertrand Russell's work. Its language is plain, yet you cannot help feeling the elegance and the unique sense of humor. His simple language enables his philosophy(哲理) within the reach of ordinary people. Here comes my second suggestion—essays are indispensable.

    Never follow other's opinions blindly，however famous or influential the person might be. As a saying goes，one man's meat is another man's poison. With that in mind，we are sure to find out our favorite writers through reading and develop our fine taste in English.

    In US, the potato is one of the most widely consumed crops. French fries are commonly found in typical American fast-food burger joints and cafeterias. French fries were introduced to the US when Thomas Jefferson served them in the White House during his presidency from 1801 to 1809. Potato chips are popular with consumers as well.

    The humble potato is more than just a kind of food. In many ways it's part of the American pop culture. Let's take a look at some pop culture potatoes.

Mashed Potato dance

    The Mashed Potato dance is a craze that began in 1962. The name of the dance came from the song it accompanies, Mashed Potato Time, performed by American R&B singer Dee Dee Sharp. The move vaguely resembles that of the Twist dance style, by Sharp's fellow Philadelphian.

Chubby Checker.

Hot Potato!

    Hot Potato! is an action puzzle video game released in 2001. In the game the player must drive a bus and clear the road of alien potato beings. The potato beings are either red or blue; when two like-colored potatoes touch each other, they disappear. Over the years, Hot Potato! has received mostly positive reception from critics.

Mr. Potato Head

    Mr. Potato Head is an American toy invented by George Lerner in 1949. The toy consists of a plastic potato model and a variety of plastic parts like hands, feet, ears and mouths. In 1952, Mr. Potato Head became the first toy advertised on television. This commercial revolutionized marketing and caused a boom that solidified this toy's place in American pop culture.

    Worldwide, the most people willing to return your mobile phone if you've lost it are to be found in Slovenia, and the fewest in Malaysia. This finding is the result of an interesting study in 32 of the world's largest cities. Altogether, researchers 'lost' 960 new mobile phones. They got back 654 of them，or 68 percent. Prague came in at number eight. There, 23 out of 30 people who were willing to return the mobile phone.

    It wasn't a traditional study. Two researchers carefully chose different places such as areas with high crime(犯罪)and busy downtown shopping areas, to “lose” the phones. When one of the researchers dropped a phone, the other would keep watching from a distance. The honest finders tried their best to find the owner with the help of the address book in the phone. They were told why the study was done and asked why they acted the way they did.

    It was found that the busier the place where the researchers dropped the phone, the greater the chance of it being returned. Another interesting finding was that women were generally more likely than men to return the phone. Researchers also found that most people still have a sense of honesty. “Crime is simply not good behavior (行为), ”said an expert. “People want to trust others, and want to be trusted.”

                                                                                            San Francisco Fire Engine Tours

    San Francisco Winery Tour

    Running: February 1st through April 30^th

    This delicious tour goes through the city on its way to Treasure Island where we will stop at the famous Winery SF. Here you can enjoy 4 pours of some of the best wine San Francisco has to offer.(Included in tickets price)

    Departing from the Cannery: Tell time upon request.

    Duration(时长)：2 hours

    Price: $90

    Back to the Fifties Tour

    Running: August 16th through August 31^st

    This tour transports you back in time to one of San Francisco's most fantastic periods, the 1950s! Enjoy fun history as we take you through San Francisco for a free taste of ice cream.

    Departing form the Cannery 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm

    Duration:2 hours

    Price:$90

    Spooky Halloween Tour

    Running: October 10th through October 31st

    Join us for a ride through the historical Presidio district .Authentic fire gear （服装）is provided for your warmth as our entertainers take you to some of the most thrilling parts of San Francisco

    Departing from the Cannery: 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm

    Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes

    Price: Available upon request

    Holiday Lights Tour

    Running: December 6th through December 23nd

    This attractive tour takes you to some of San Francisco's most cheerful holiday scenes. Authentic fire gear is provided for your warmth as you get into the holiday spirit.

    Departing from the Cannery 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm

    Duration: I hour and 30 minutes

    Advance reservations required.

    The Healthy Habits Survey shows that only about one third of American seniors have correct habits. Here are some findings and expert advice.

    ⒈How many times did you brush your teeth yesterday?

Finding: A full 33% of seniors brush their teeth only once a day.

Step: Remove the 300 types of bacteria in your mouth each morning with a battery-operated toothbrush. Brush gently for 2 minutes, at least twice a day.

    ⒉How many times did you wash your hands or bathe yesterday?

Finding: Seniors, on average, bathe fewer than 3 days a week. And nearly 30% wash their hands only 4 times a day—half of the number doctors recommend.

Step: We touch our faces around 3,000 times a day—often inviting germs(病菌）to enter our mouth, nose, and eyes. Use toilet paper to avoid touching the door handle. And, most important, wash your hands often with running water and soap for 20 seconds.

    ⒊How often do you think about fighting germs?

    Finding: Seniors are not fighting germs as well as they should.

    Step: Be aware of germs. Do you know it is not your toilet but your kitchen sponge (海绵）that can carry more germs than anything else? To kill these germs, keep your sponge in the microwave for 10 seconds.

    It was only a dollar. Belscher noticed it on the floor as he sat at the back of his English class. When the school day ended, Belscher wandered back to the classroom. The old bill was still there. He could easily have pocketed it without thinking twice. Instead, he picked it up and brought it to his English teacher, Mattison.

    "It wasn't my money," Belscher says. Mattison was a little surprised he'd turned the dollar in, knowing a lot of people would have just kept it. She suggested that Belscher tape(贴) it to the whiteboard at the front of the classroom, where she always puts lost things.

    Rose, another student, was in English class after break when he spotted the dollar on the whiteboard. After class, he asked Mattison why it was there. She was still waiting for the original owner to claim it, so she replied, "I don't know." Rose took the tape from Mattison's desk and taped a second dollar to the board.

    That got it rolling. The sight of the two dollar bills, side by side, started something in Mattison's students. They started asking about the purpose of the money, to which Mattison always gave the same answer: She didn't know. At that point, it was true.

    More students, curious, taped up single dollar bills. Mattison started to leave the tape on the tray of the whiteboard. The effort snowballed. Even with no clear purpose, many students wanted to be part of whatever this was. The amount continued to grow over several weeks, until it reached $175.76.

    That left Mattison to make the best decision. She kept thinking about her brother-in-law, Jack Hains. Eight years earlier, Jack had died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a rare and devastating neurological disease(神经疾病).

    Mattison explained to her classes that Jack had raised money every spring for the ALS Therapy Development Institute, established to seek a cure for the disease. She asked the teens whether they minded if she donated the dollars in their names in honor of Jack.

    Their answer was to tape enough money to the whiteboard over the next few days to push the amount to $321.06. Mattison, choking back tears as she recalls the moment, says she carefully picked the cash off the board and made the donation just before the beginning of May, which is National ALS Awareness Month. That was Saturday. By Monday afternoon, eight more dollars had been taped to the board.