If you want to become a fluent English speaker, you should take some advice: there are four skills in learning English. They are listening, speaking, reading and writing. The most important thing you must remember is that if you want to improve your speaking and writing skills you should first master the skills of reading and listening.

    Read as much as you can. But your reading must be active. It means that you must think about the meaning of the sentences, the meaning of the unfamiliar words, etc.

    There is no need for you to pay much attention to grammar—or try to understand all the unfamiliar words you come across, but the fact you see them for the first time and recognize them whenever you see them, for example in other passages or books, is enough. It would be better to prepare yourself a notebook so you can write down the important words or sentences in it.

    As for listening, there are two choices: besides reading, you can listen every day for about 30 minutes. You can only pay attention to your reading and become skillful at your reading, then you can catch up on your listening. Since you have lots of inputs(输入) in your mind, you can easily guess what the speaker is going to say. This never means that you should not practice listening.

    For listening you can listen to cartoons or some movies that are specially made for children. Their languages are easy. Or if you are good at listening, you can listen to VOA or BBC programs every day. Again the thing to remember is being active in listening and preferably(更好地) taking some notes.

    If you follow these pieces of advice, your speaking and writing will improve automatically(自动地)，and you can be sure that with a little effort they will become perfect.

    Which comes first, happiness or money? Are richer people happier? And if so, how do people get much richer? A recent study could tell you the answer.

    The study looked into thousands of teenagers and found that those who felt better about life as young adults tended to have higher incomes by the time they turned 29.Those who were happiest earned an average of $8,000 more than those who were the most depressed.

    The researchers, from University College London and the University of Warwick, say that very gloomy teens, no matter how tall or smart they were, earned 10% less than their peers, while the happier ones earned up to 30% more.

    Happier teenagers have an easier time getting through school, college and a job interview, chiefly because they always feel better about life. It may also be true that happier people find it easier to make friends, who are often the key to homework help or networking.

    A report in June suggested that professional respect was more important than dollars in terms of workplace happiness. In August scientists announced that they had found the gene for happiness in women, Alas (the same gene doesn't appear to have the same effect on men).And in October researchers in the UK and in the US announced that people who eat seven portions of fruit and vegetables a day report being the happiest.

    The big question is: if it really is true that happier kids end up being wealthier kids , is it necessary for parents to get their kids to do the homework? The fact is that no homework will make kids happy but surely hurt their grades. Studies do show, after all, that more education leads to better-paid jobs, which may give us a deep thought.

    "These findings show that the teenagers' happiness is important to their future success," one of the report's authors writes. "But what is the most important is that we should find a way to help children gain more satisfaction from doing schoolwork."

    Food festivals around the world

    Stilton Cheese Rolling

    May Day is a traditional day for celebrations,but the 2,000 English villagers of Stilton must be the only people in the world who include cheese rolling in their annual plans.Teams of four,dressed in a variety of strange and funny clothes,roll a complete cheese along a 50-metre course.On the way,they must not lack or throw their cheese,or go into their competitors' lane.Competition is fierce and the chief prize is a complete Stilton cheese weighing about four kilos (disappointingly,but understandably the cheeses used in the race are wooden ones).All the competitors are served with beer or port wine,the traditional accompaniment for Stilton cheese.

    Fiery Foods Festival—The Hottest Festival on Earth

    Every year more than 10,000 people head for the city of Albuquerque,New Mexico.They come from as far away as Australia,the Caribbean and China,but they all share a common addiction—food that is not just spicy,but hot enough to make your mouth bum,your head spin and your eyes water.Their destination is the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival which is held over a period of three days every March.You might like to try a chocolate-covered habanero pepper—officially the hottest pepper in the world—or any one of the thousands of products that are on show.But one thing's for sure—if you don't like the feeling of a burning tongue,this festival isn't for you!

    La Tomatina—The World's Biggest Food Fight

    On the last Wednesday of every August,the Spanish town of Bunol hosts La Tomatina—the world's largest food fight.A week-long celebration leads up to an exciting tomato battle as the highlight of the week's events.The early morning sees the arrival of large trucks with tomatoes—official fight-starters get things going by casting tomatoes at the crowd.

    The battle lasts little more than half an hour,in which time around 50,000 kilograms of tomatoes have been thrown at anyone or anything that moves,runs,or fights back.Then everyone heads down to the river to make friends again—and fora much-needed wash!

                                                                              Learning a Second Language

    Some people learn a second language easily. Others have trouble learning a new language. How can you help yourself learn a new language, such as English? There are several ways to make learning English a little easier and more interesting.

    The first step is to feel positive about learning English. If you believe that you can learn, you will learn. Be patient. You do not have to understand everything all at once. It is natural to make mistakes when you learn something new. We can learn from our mistakes. In other words, do not worry about taking risks.

    The second step is to practice your English. For example, write a diary every day. You will get used to writing it in English, and you will feel comfortable expressing your ideas in English. Several weeks later, you will see that your writing is improving. In addition, you must speak English every day. You can practice with your classmates outside class. You will all make mistakes, but gradually you will become comfortable communicating in English.

    The third step is to keep a record of your language learning. You can write this in your journal. After each class, think about what you did. Did you answer a question correctly? Did you understand something the teacher explained? Perhaps the lesson was difficult, but you tried to understand it.

    You must be positive about learning English and believe that you can do it. It is important to practice every day and make a record of your achievements. You will enjoy learning English, and you will feel more confident in yourself.

    Orlando, the “Theme Park Capital of the world,” has enough to keep your family entertained for weeks. Four Best gives you a description of what each of these parks has to offer.

    Aquatica Orlando

    Aquatica Orlando brings the best of an aquarium(水族馆), zoo, water park and amusement park together into one experience. With 38 slides, 84,000 acres of white sand beach, you can easily spend the entire day enjoying the Florida sun with your family. Don't miss the Dolphin Plunge, a clear tube water slide that takes you through the dolphin habitat.

    LEGOLAND Florida

    LEGOLAND Florida, the largest LEGOLAND park in the world, features 50 rides, shows and attractions spread out over the Lego-strewn 150-acres. If you're traveling with younger kids, LEGOLAND makes a great choice since it's designed for kids between the ages of 3 and 12. Besides, Buddy is our walk-around character mascot(吉祥物)of the park. He's tall, yellow, friendly, and loves taking pictures with LEGOLAND Florida guests.

    Discovery Cove

    With guest access restricted to 1,300 per day, Discovery Cove feels more like a resort than a theme park. Without crowds to worry about, you'll get to enjoy up-close animal meetings with dolphins, sting rays, tropical fish and exotic birds. It's all-inclusive too, so you won't have to worry about food, towels or equipment.

    Disney's Animal Kingdom

    At the Animal Kingdom, Disney changes the concept of a zoological park to something completely new. Here you can take a ride through the wilds of Africa, complete with real animals, raft down the Amazon or ride a runaway train through Mount Everest. The park is home to about 1,500 animals representing 250 species.

    TODAY, Friday, November 12

JAZZ with the Mike Thomas Jazz Band at The Derby Arms Uepper Richmond Road West, Sheen DISCO Satin Sound Dieo. Free at The Lord NApier, Mort Iake High St., from 8 a.m. to 8p.m. Tel: 682—1158.

    SATURDAY, November 13

    JAZZ Lysis at The Bull's Head, Barnes. Admission 60p.

    MUSIC HALL at The Star and Garter, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, provided by the Aba Daba Music Hall company, Good food and entertainment fair price, Tel: 789-6749

    FAMILY night out? Join the sing along at The Black Horse. Sheen Road. Richmond.

    JAZZ The John Bennett Big Band at The Bull's Head, Barnes .Admission 80p.

    THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion (手风琴). Tel: 789-4536

    SUNDAY, November 14

    DISCO Satin Sounds Disco, free at The Lord Napier, Mort Lake High Street, from 8am. to 8 pm.

    FOLK MUSIC at The Derby Arms. The Short Stuff and residents the Norman Chop Trio. Non-remembers 70p. Tel: 688-4626

    HEAVY MUSIC with Tony Simon at The Bull, Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen.

    THE DERBY ARMS, UpPer Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion.