We use the Internet for many things: business, shopping, writing letters, talking to people, finding information, and so on. In recent years, a new kind of English has grown on the Internet. There's no real word for it yet, so we'll call it e-talk. People don't like typing too much. To save time, they turn phrases (短语) into a few letters called acronyms(首字母缩略词). Acronyms are often used in chat rooms.
Some of them are:
BTW(by the way) BRB (be right back)
LOL (laughing out loud) IMO (in my opinion)
People also use many abbreviations. They are shortened forms of words. Some common abbreviations are:
info (information) puter (computer) pic (picture) sec (second)
We usually don't see people when we communicate on the Net, so people have new ways to show feelings. Most people use their keyboards to draw “feeling”, such as:
: ) (happy) :-( (sad) ; : P (joking) : O (surprised)
These days, many forums have picture feelings. For example:
happy sad angry cool
There are even whole new words, like ‘newbie' (someone who is new on a chat board or forum). When you write something bad about someone else, it's called ‘flaming' the person.
It takes time to get used to e-talk. Also, different groups in the Net have their own special ways of communicating. Newbies sometimes have to ask other people what they mean. As the Internet grows, e-talk will continue to grow and change.

Did you ever wonder how some of your favorite foods, products or toys came about? Believe it or not, they may have been an accident, or a failure of some other intention. Below, we found three mistakes we're thankful for turned out to be what they are.

1. Most historians hold that the Chinese invented fireworks in the 9^th century when they discovered how to make gunpowder. Story has it that a Chinese cook accidentally mixed together what were then considered common kitchen items and noticed they burnt. When put tightly in a bamboo tube and lit, it blew up.

2. In May of 1886, a law led John Pemberton, a pharmacist(药剂师), to rewrite the formula(配方) for "Pemberton's French Wine Coca", his popular headache treatment. Containing sugar instead of wine as a sweetener, the outcome became something for Coke, which was later mixed with carbonated(碳酸) water. His bookkeeper suggested the name Coca-Cola because he thought the two C's would look good together, which is how what we call Coca-Cola, a world-wide drink came into being.

3. During World WarⅡ, scientists at the University of Birmingham invented the magnetron(磁控管)—an important heat-producing part of the microwave oven. While working for Raytheon Corporation after the war, the American engineer Percy Spencer was testing the magnetron when a chocolate bar in his pocket melted. He went on to test other foods including popcorn kernels(仁), and found it to be a much more efficient way to cook. In 1947 Raytheon came out with the first restaurant microwave oven, which was six feet tall and weighed 750 lbs.

    What do you think of black cats? Are they unluckier than cats of other colors? Many people in Western countries think so. Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), did a study on cat colours and people's understandings of cat personalities.

    The study found that people do judge(判断) cat personalities by color. Scientists did a survey(调查) on the Internet. There were 49 statements (描述) matching five cat colorings with 10 personalities. People think orange and bi-colored (双色的) cats are friendly, tri-colored (三色的) cats are not generous, and white cats are calm, lazy and shy. As for black cats, people think they don't have special personalities.

    But why do so many people dislike keeping black cats as pets? People think black cats have less special personalities, which might be because of their bad reputation (口碑). They think black cats may bring bad luck, especially at Halloween. Movies and television shows also make people believe that.

    Although people have these ideas, UC Berkeley scientists give another reason: people don't think black cats are pretty enough. After all, nothing can show black cats are unluckier than other cats. “You can't judge a cat by its color, because it's the personality of the cat, not the color, that will let you know if the cat is right for you,” Cathy Marden, a scientist said.

    Some British and American people like to invite friends for a meal at home.You should not be upset if your English friends don't invite you home.It doesn't mean they don't like you!

    Dinner parties usually start between 7 and 8 p. m. and end at about 11 p.m. Ask your hosts what time you should arrive.It's polite to bring flowers,chocolates or a bottle of wine as gifts.

    Usually dinners start with drinks and snacks.Do you want to be extra polite?Say how much you like the room,or the pictures on the wall.But remember－it's not polite to ask how much things cost.

    In many families,the husband sits at one end of the table and the wife sits at the other end.They eat with their guests.

    You'll probably start the meal with soup or something small,then you'll have meat or fish with vegetables,and the dessert.It's polite to finish everything on your plate and to take more if you want.

    Did you enjoy the evening?Call your hosts the next day,or write them a short “thank you” letter.British and American people like to say “thank you,thank you,thank you” all the time.

    For most people, the word "fashion" means "clothes"。 But people may ask the question, "What clothes are in fashion？"And they use the adjective "fashionable" in the same way:

    "She was wearing a fashionable coat. His shirt was really a fashionable colour."

    But of course there are fashions in many things, not only in clothes. There are fashions in holidays, in restaurants, in films and books. There are even fashions in school subjects, jobs…and in languages.

    Fashions change as time goes. If you look at pictures of people or things from the past, you will see that fashions have always changed. An English house of 1750 was different from one of 1650. A fashionable man in 1780 looked very different from his grandson in 1860.

    Today fashions change very quickly. Some of this is natural. We hear about things much more quickly than in the past. Newspaper, radios, telephones and television send information from one country to another in a few hours. Newfashions mean that people will buy new things, so you see there is money in fashion.

    Quince, a restaurant in San Francisco, is serving a dish called "A Dog in Search of Gold" on an Apple iPad that's playing a video of a dog hunting for truffles (松露). If you're wondering about the connection, the dish is composed of white truffle croquettes (油炸丸子).And in case you're not into truffles, Quince also serves frog legs on top of iPads playing videos of frogs in a pond.

    "The idea is simply about taking the guest on a voyage," Michael Tusk, who runs the restaurant, told Inside Scoop SF. "Living in San Francisco for over twenty years, I have seen the technological development, and I want to combine (结合) food industry with technology and a Me bit of education." Local chef Richie Nakano attracted the attention of social media after showing a photo of the UA Dog in Search of Gold" that a friend had ordered. Some people complained about the high price of the dish, but most wondered whether it was healthy.

    Tusk said, "We asked local wood worker Luke Bartels to create a housing (防护外壳) for the iPad — a glass cover that protects the screen. The food does not directly sit on top of the iPad. The cover is washed after every use."

    Interestingly, Quince is reportedly the first U.S. restaurant to use iPads as plates, but definitely not the first in the world. The Daily Mail reports that restaurants in the UK have been using them for the last two years.