A beautiful and very successful actress (女演员) was the star for a new musical show. Her home was in the countryside, but she did not want to go back there every night, so she bought an expensive house in the centre of the city, got some beautiful furniture and got a man to paint the rooms in new colours.

    It was very difficult to get tickets for her show, because everybody wanted to see it. So she decided to give the painter two of the best seats. She hoped that this would make him work better for her. He took the tickets without saying anything, and she heard no more about them until the end of the month, when she got the painter's bill (帐单). At the bottom of it were these words: “ Four hours watching Miss Hall sing and dance : 3 pounds,” with this note: “ After 5 p.m. I get 15 shillings (先令) an hour instead of 10 shillings.”

    This may be music to your ears.

    Researchers P. Jason Rentfrow and Samuel Gosling gave 3,500 people a personality quiz. “We found that the musical styles people like are closely linked to their personalities,” Gosling says.

    RAP/HIP-HOP

    Known for their quick speech, some rappers can say more than 700 syllables（音节）a minute!

    If you like rap/hip-hop, you are energetic（精力充沛的）and have a way with words. You put a fresh spin on things, whether it's new moves on the dance floor or your hip style.

    CLASSICAL

    In the 18th century, classical musicians were like rock stars. Beethoven and Mozart, for example, played in crowded concert halls.

If you like classical, you are open to new ideas and like debating with friends. Creative and imaginative, you can easily spend many hours scrapbooking, writing or painting.

    COUNTRY

    Country music came from the folk songs of English, Scottish, and Irish settlers of the southeastern United States.

    If you like country, you express your opinions well, which makes you the ideal class president or team captain. Traditional and loyal, you enjoy spending time with your family.

    POP

    Pop music is designed to attract almost everyone, and it does. Each year, the industry brings in about 30 billion dollars!

    If you like pop, you are attractive to your friends. You can make big things happen, like planning for a huge party or inspiring your team to victory.

ROCK/ALTERNATIVE

    In the 1950s, rock music created a brand-new culture. Teenagers, for the first time, had an identity separate from adults and children.

    If you like rock/alternative, you are a risk-taker who never accepts no for an answer. You rise to any challenge, like doing very well in a big exam or landing the lead in the school play.

    If these personality profiles（人格剖析）don't match you, that's OK. These are just for fun.

    I travel a lot, and I find out different "styles" of directions every time I ask "How can I get to the post office?"

    Foreign tourists are often confused in Japan because most streets there don't have names; in Japan, people use landmarks in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, "Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop."

    In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, "Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile."

    People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. "How far away is the post office?" you ask. "Oh," they answer, "it's about five minutes from here." You say, "Yes, but how many miles away is it?" They don't know.

    It's true that a person doesn't know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, 'Sorry, I have no idea." But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers "I don't know." People in Yucatan believe that "I don't know" is impolite, they usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!

    New England is the six northeastern states of the United States: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The six states were among the first colonies (殖民地) in America. The colonies were ruled by England, and this is how the area became known as New England. After the Revolutionary (革命的) War the colonies became states.

    Many things are similar in the six New England states. For example, there are many stone walls, fishing villages and forests in these states. The houses and buildings are similar, too. People cut down trees from the forests to make space for their farms and villages.

    They then used wood from the trees and stones from the field to build houses, schools, and churches. Even today, most of the houses in New England are made of wood.

    There are big cities in New England, but there are also small cities and farms, especially in the northern part. There is much industry and business and New England is one of the most populous (人口稠密的) parts of the United States. It has many busy seaports on its long coast. There are always many tourists who enjoy the beautiful lakes, beaches, and mountains and who visit the historical places.

    Which country can you travel to in 2020 that will allow you to go for longer, enjoy a higher standard, and save more money? The following destinations offer accommodation, transportation, and food for less.

Kyrgyzstan, $25/day

    Kyrgyzstan is the choice for most travelers interested in trying out Central Asia, and most well-suited to travelers of all budgets. Food is cheap, so is getting around using the minibuses. You can find hostels and local home stays for less than $10. Meals cost $4 – $8 per day.

    Romania, $33/day

    If you are planning a European trip that's affordable and a little bit off the beaten path, Romania is perfect for you. Unlike other popular places, many charming towns here remain unknown to most foreigners. You can also take free walking tours in the numerous historical sites. Hostels run $10 – $15 per night, food is hearty and delicious, and the public transportation is reliable and affordable. Meals cost $10 – $15 per day.

    Arizona & Utah, $55/day

    For an American Southwest road trip, you'll spend an average of $110/day when you are solo. If you have just one other person, you'd be able to split the costs almost perfectly in half. If you have two other people along, take it down to one third and so on. The more the merrier.

    South Africa, $40/day

    Any hostels in South Africa are in beautiful settings and each has a unique personality, and affordable too. Food can get expensive. To save money, cook your own food. Grocery stores are plentiful and have reasonable prices. By at least cooking your own breakfast, you can save a lot of money. The best (and possibly cheapest) way to get around the country is to rent a car and share with 3 other people. Meals cost $12 – $15 per day.

Do you have plastic bottles at home？Did you throw empty plastic bottles into the trash，just because you didn't know how to use them？However，there are many interesting things you can do with empty plastic bottles! {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

● Spray for your garden. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Then adjust the rubber bracelet to the mouth of the bottle，and make sure the plastic bottle mouth neatly fits through the hole in the lid.When everything is ready，you will have a spray bottle for your garden! 

● Separate eggs.Do you find it challenging to separate eggs？In some recipes，you just need the yolks （蛋黄） or the whites，but the process is a bit complicated. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Break the egg into a bowl.Remove the lid from the bottle and pinch a little.Then continue the pressure，put the ends into the yolks and stop the pressure.In this way，the yolks will be absorbed into the bottle while the whites will remain on the plate. 

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} When making biscuits，you may need tools to cut them.Plastic bottles will do again.Making a homemade biscuit cutter from plastic bottles is the best way to reuse plastic bottles，as you never know the situation when you need to use it.You just need a small or a large plastic bottle depending on your needs. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} And then take one of two sections to cut the biscuits. 

A.Cut off the biscuits. 

B.Make biscuits easily. 

C.Cut the bottle into half. 

D.So next time take advantage of them. 

E.Use bottles to kill garden pests effectively. 

F.Don't worry，and you can solve this problem with a plastic bottle. 

G.For this trick，you only need to drill a few holes in a plastic bottle.