"You see someone just sitting there, looking like they're stupid," explains teenager Manny Logan excitedly. "You just run up to them, slap(掌击) them and run off. It's funny."

    The 16-year-old Logan was describing "happy slapping". It's supposed to be fun but it's a new problem in Britain. Young people will attack passers-by while their friends record the whole thing on camera phones. It was first reported in south London six months ago. But, the practice has spread to other parts of the country and videos of attacks have become popular on the Internet.

    The young people are called "hoodies" because they usually wear a sweatshirt with a hooded top. The top can be used to cover the head or face.

    One study in England published earlier this year suggested that as many as one in four teenagers is an active offender. That includes both serious crimes and small acts like not paying for a bus ticket.

    The fear of youth crime has left some parts of towns empty of ordinary people.

    So, the British government declared war on public disorder last week. The Prime Minister has supported a decision by the country's biggest shopping centre in southeast of England to ban teenagers wearing hooded tops. The clothing helps troublemakers hide from the centre's cameras.

    This week, the government is going further. It plans to force teenage offenders to wear orange jackets while they do public service. The idea is to shame them in front of others.

    But some teenagers and experts have complained that, in their rush to stop the hoodies, politicians risk tarring all teenagers with the same brush.

    Suppose you work in a big firm and find English very important for your your job because you often deal with foreign businessmen.Now you are looking for a place where you can improve your English,especially your spoken English.

    Here are some advertisements about English language training from newspapers.You may find the information you need.

Global English Center

●General English in all four skills: listening,speaking,reading and writing.

●3-month (700 yuan),6-month (1,200 yuan) and one-year ( 2,000 yuan) courses.

●Choice of morning or evening classes,3 hours per day,Mon.—Fri.

●Experienced college English teachers.

●Close to city centre and bus stops.

Tel: 67605272           Add: 105 Zhongshan Road,100082

Modern Language School

●Special courses in English for business,travel,banking,hotel management and office skills.Small classes (12-16 students) on Sat.& Sun.from 2:00-5:00 pm.

●Native English teachers from Canada and USA.

●Language lab and computers supplied.

●3-month course: 1,050 yuan; 6 month course: 1,850yuan

Write or phone: Modem language School,675 Park Road,100056

Tel:67353019

The 21^st century English Training Center

●We specialize in effective teaching at all levels.

●We offer morning or afternoon classes,both of which last three months and a half at a cost of 800 yuan.

●We also have a six-week TOFEL preparation class during winter and summer holidays.

●Entrance exams: June 1 and Dec.1.

●Only 15-minute walk from city center.

Call 67801642 for more information

The International House of English

●Three/Six-month English courses for students of all levels at very low cost: 60 yuan for 12 hours per week; convenient class hours: 9:00-12:00 am.and 2:00-5:00 pm.

●A four-month evening program for developing speaking skills (same cost as day classes).

●Well-trained Chinese and foreign teachers experienced in teaching English as second/foreign language.

●Free sightseeing and social activities.

●Very close to the Central Park.

For further information call 67432308

    Two thieves came to a house to steal something, they dug a hole in the wall of the house.

    There lived many mice in the house. The woman in the moonlight saw a mouse crawl (爬行) into the house. “Look! In comes one,” she said to the man in the house. He was so frightened that he hurriedly crawled out of the house and said to the one waiting outside, “She found me when I was just in.” But the thief outside didn't believe him, so he said, “Let us two try to crawl into the house together.” At that time two mice happened to crawl into the house, too. The woman saw the mice and shouted, “In come two, catch them!” The two thieves were terribly frightened. The man in the house said, “You saw them come in but where are they? I will catch them tonight.” The two thieves started running away at once.

    The two thieves wanted to make it clear whether they had been found or not the night before. The next day they acted as men selling sweet potatoes and came before the house. The man and the woman were ploughing in their fields. The rein (缰绳) broke and the woman came home for a rope. She saw two men selling sweet potatoes and wanted to buy some. She picked out two which looked like mice. At the time the man couldn't wait for her any longer in the fields and he ran back from the fields to hurry her up. The woman showed the sweet potatoes to the man and said, “How they look like the two of last night.” The man said, “I asked you to fetch a rope, why don't you hurry for it?” The two thieves ran away very quickly without their sweet potatoes.

    Overheated property markets in major cities have started to cool down after authorities took measures against speculative buying and a potential home market bubble. However, a long-term effort is needed to make the market stable and sustainable, analysts said.

    Last month, new home prices dropped in seven cities, compared with six in September, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, which monitors housing prices in 70 cities nationwide. In Shenzhen, where housing prices rocketed by more than 30 percent in the past several months, prices declined by 0.5 percent in October.

    “After first-tier cities and some key second-tier cities launched cooling measures, home prices have obviously become stable,”Liu Juanwei, NBS senior statistician, wrote in a note posted on the NBS website.

    Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Xiamen and Zhengzhou began to see home prices switching from rising to dropping in the second half of October, with average prices down by between 0.1 percent and 0.4 percent compared with the first half of the month, he noted.

    Housing authorities in more than 20 cities have launched various measures against speculative buying to curb rapid home price growth, including setting stricter requirements for qualified buyers and limits on buying second and third homes.

    Yan Yuejin, an analyst with property research agency E-House China R&D Institute, said the residential property market is “digesting these policies and measures gradually, and it is likely for the market to have rational and stable prices in the near future.”

    Ma Junwei, an analyst with Deyi Realty in Shanghai, said it will require a long-term effort by regulators and local authorities to battle speculative buying while keeping supplies stable for buyers with solid demand, including those who plan to buy their first home or upgrade their housing.

    In Shanghai, real estate agents said that they have noticed that homebuyers have become more rational. “Buyers are starting to take their time and study their options. They will compare prices, designs and locations and bargain with sales representatives,”said Luo Dingjun, sales manager at Jinyu Property Marketing.“This was not the case two months ago, when they rushed to buy for fear that if they hesitated, prices would grow too fast and they would no longer be able to afford. ”

For the past 60 years,the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) has protected animals,restored lost habitats and advocated for policy changes that benefit wildlife.Now,the conservation organization is trying a new approach.

This year,AWF launched the inaugural Benjamin Mkapa African Wildlife Photography Awards.The contest aims to reach a different audience.While photography competitions are nothing new,AWF hopes that the exhibition of winning entries will encourage African people to take a more active role in conservation.Its CEO Kaddu Sebunya said,"Africans need to take responsibility for the conservation of their heritage."

Photographers of all ages and backgrounds,professional and amateur,were invited to submit to the competition.A judging panel,comprised of photographers,conservationists,activists and safari guides,selected photos from 12 categories including "Art in Nature" "Coexistence and Conflict" and "Conservation Heroes".

 The "Conservation Heroes" category had special appeal for Kenyan conservation photographer Anthony Ochieng Onyango."I realized there was a communication gap because most of what was being communicated was data in scientific publications," said Onyango,adding that images are a simple way for people to connect to complex issues.

While there were many entries in the AWF competition,there's only one 19-year-old Cathan Moore from South Africa among the category winners.There's a lack of opportunity for young aspiring photographers on the continent.AWF is seeking grants and partnerships to enable more African people to participate next year,and to make nature photography competitions more accessible to those unable to pay or buy expensive camera equipment,allowing people to use whatever camera they have and photograph wildlife in urban environments.

Sebunya hopes that the competition can open up a dialogue about conservation and why it's so important for Africa's future.Many people in Africa look at conservation as a thing done by and for foreigners,said Sebunya.While he praised the work of international NGOs,he emphasized that it's vital that African voices are heard and for local people to lead conservation efforts.

Recently, I carried out an investigation to discover what it was that prevented people from journalling. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So, today, I want to introduce a very simple tool — The MicroMOVEment Wheel. It will help you pick up your journal even at times when you really don't feel like it.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} She describes creating this method so she could use it as a creative planning tool for her writing projects and goals. While it was originally aimed at writers, you can use this technique to help you complete any project in a fun and creative way.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Here's how it works. Take a blank sheet of paper and draw a large circle, and then another smaller circle in the middle, In the center circle, write down what you are inspired to achieve. Remember, journaling does not need to feel like a chore in your day. So come up with descriptions for your journalling that are inspiring and energizing. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} These are what SARK refers to as the MicroMOVEments. Each MicroMOVEment is five minutes in length, So, in the case of journalling, that would represent a minimum of up to five minutes of journalling in one sitting, on any given day.

Let's say you're new to journalling. By setting aside five minutes out of your day, you could write one word in your notebook that sums up a feeling or an experience. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The idea of the MicroMOVEment is to create easy steps to get your journal writing or writing projects moving. When you keep the steps small, it will become doable and achievable.

A. Next, divide the rest of the circle into eight equal parts.

B. It is the brainchild of international bestselling writer SARK.

C. There are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to journalling.

D. Where to start and not having enough time were amongst the top responses.

E. Daily tasks such as sweeping and washing are time-consuming and laborious.

F. Then, list any associated words, images or thoughts that are generated by the word.

G. The medicine with this approach is breaking your actions down into the tiniest steps.