In the UK, bus journeys are very common. Buses are often convenient（便利的）for the people who live or work in the city center. Passengers can avoid heavy traffic and not have to pay for the parking. However, taking the bus is just a necessary but boring part of life: they get on the bus, pay for it and sit or find a place to stand when it is crowded. Everyone seems sad and bored.

 In Latin America, however, bus trips can be wonderful. For a start, films are showed on the buses between cities for passengers to have fun along the journeys. Local buses do not show films, but drivers usually turn on the radio and it can be great for passengers to listen to songs and get relaxed.

 Even better than films and music are the sights and sounds on the buses. Local buses always go to parts of the town that passengers would not visit by themselves. There passengers can see shops that they have never heard about. And they can also see other cultures of the town from the windows of the buses.

Besides, passengers' luggage（行李）is also interesting. It is common to see a happy dog's head getting out of somebody's bag or a lovely chicken“speaking cheerfully”under somebody's arm. Once on a bus in Peru, a farmer even tied a sheep to the top of the bus. It was quite surprising.

 In all, taking the bus in Latin America is really fun and unforgettable.

    Have you ever taken photos by using mobile phones with selfie sticks (自拍杆)?{#blank#}1{#/blank#} 

    However, a pair of US artists from New Mexico, Arie Snee and Justin Crowe believe they have invented a better one and they call it "selfie arm". {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It makes those people in the pictures seem to be holding hands with a love one.

The pair say it offers a far better experience than using a straight stick. The selfie arm makes people feel they are not alone when they take photos. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They think their invention solves the main problem that the selfie stick has – people look alone while they are taking pictures of themselves with great interests. The product, at present, just an art project and a model, conveniently provides you a welcoming arm. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The pair say they are fascinated by these new ideas.

    The "selfie are" is made of fiberglass. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    The project that they work on shows the growing selfie stick phenomenon (现象) directly and increasing need for narcissism (自恋) and Internet agreement.

    Britons are well known for drinking tea. The average (典型的) person in the UK drinks around 1.9 kg of tea every year. That's around 876 cups of tea. Tea is drunk by all levels of society. But tea does not grow in Britain. Most tea grows in India and China. So, how did it become an important part of British culture?

    Tea arrived in London in the 1600s. At this time, British ships were exploring the world and came across the drink in China. It was not long before green tea could be bought from the market. However, it was only for the rich people.

    At the beginning of the 1700s, the amount (数量) of tea arriving in Britain increased rapidly. Black tea arrived at this time. At first this tea served exactly as it was in China. They soon discovered that it mixed really well with a little milk and sugar, giving the drink a special British colour.

    In the 1800s, tea was still a product enjoyed only by people with money. At this time, they began to have "afternoon tea". They drank tea with a snack around 4 pm to avoid feeling hungry between lunch and dinner. It is a still going today but has become less popular in recent times.

Title: {#blank#}1{#/blank#} and Britain-a short history

    When you go to a new school, it can be terrible. You may worry about making friends. But do not worry too much. Most of the time some people are friendly and some people are not. What makes a person a friend? Here are what the two students say.

    "My name is Helen. Amy and Sally are my best friends. I made friends with Amy when I was three years old. Now we're 14! I like her because she is happy and very friendly almost all the time. Sally is a quiet girl. She makes friends more slowly. However, she is just as good a friend as Amy. They are interested in the same things as me. We all like sports and we often play tennis together in the park. And we also like reading books in the school library. And we listen to each other's problems. We are all good at different school subjects, so we help each other with our homework too!"

    "I'm Tina. My best friend is Mabel. She and I always talk and laugh (笑). There are many things we both like. We like music. We often play the guitar and sing. We also go to movies, but sometimes we can't agree (同意)on which movie to see. Sometimes we just walk around. We also like swimming. On weekends, we usually do the homework, play sports and go to the Music Club. When I'm busy, sometimes I can't see Mabel for about a month. But we still find time to see each other. It's always fun to be with her.