An important question about eating out is who pays for the meal. If a friend of yours asks you to have lunch with him, you may say something like this,“I'm afraid it'll have to be someplace cheap, because I have little money.” The other person may say, “OK, I'll meet you at McDonald's.”

    This means that the two agree to go Dutch, that is, each person pays for himself. He may also say, “Oh，no，I want to take you to lunch at Smith's,”or“I want you to try the Chinese dumplings there. They are great.”This means the person wants to pay for both of you. If you feel friendly towards the person, you can go with him and you needn't pay for the meal. You may just say, “Thank you. That would he very nice.”

    American custom(习惯) about who pays for dates (约会) are much the same as in other parts of the world. In the old days, American women wanted men to pay for all the meals. But, today, a university girl or a woman in business world will usually pay their way during the day. If a man asks her for a dance outside the working hours, it means “Come, as my guest.”So as you can see, it is a polite thing to make the question clear at the very beginning.

   Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa. It is also the second largest lake in the world. It is an important lake because it is one of the sources(源头) for the longest river in the world, the Nile River. Lake Victoria provides a source of water, food, and power(电力) for several African countries. Lake Victoria is a big part of African life.
   Unfortunately, Lake Victoria has a problem. It is shrinking. There are several power stations at Lake Victoria in Uganda. These are on the Nile River, and besides producing power, they keep the water of the lake at a certain level. For the past forty years, that level has been 11.9 meters. Over the last several years, the water level has dropped by about 2.5 meters. There seem to be several reasons for this drop.
   One possible reason is drought(干旱). Drought has been very bad in the area since 2000. Lake Victoria gets all of its water from rain, so the drought means less water in the lake.
   However, some environmentalists believe that the real problem is the power plants(工厂) on Lake Victoria. Uganda depends on those power plants for most of its power, and they made the power plants larger in 2000. Many people believe the power plants have been taking too much water off Lake Victoria. As a result, they have been asked to use less water until Lake Victoria goes back to its old level.
   Whether the low water level is caused by drought or power plants, the result is the same. This is already a poor area of Africa, where many people live a really hard life. People, animals and plants around Lake Victoria will suffer even more from low water levels on the lake. Many people need Lake Victoria for fishing or growing food. Fish need the water to live, and animals need it for water. Plants around the lake will die without the water, and then more animals and people will suffer. Unless the lake fills soon, many people will suffer and die.

    Books are our best friends. They are very quiet, but we can always find both fun and knowledge once we open them. Here are two good books you can read during the holiday.

    The Little Prince(王子)

    French Writer: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

    Both adults and children love this classic book. It is about the adventure of a young prince. It shows the importance of innocence(纯真), imagination and love.

    The little prince comes from planet B-612. In his eyes, adults are all very strange. Unlike them, he sees the essence(本质) of things. He cares more about a flower and a sheep than the "important" things of the adult world.

    The prince lives on his planet with a rose. He loves the rose very much. But he soon feels tired and leaves his planet. He meets many more strange adults on other planets.

    On Earth, he discovers interesting things such as a snake, other roses and a fox. The fox tells him a secret: Only the heart can discover the most important things. This helps the prince realize his love for the rose and he goes back to his planet.

    To Succeed on One's Own

    American Writer: Liu Yong

    Writer Liu Yong from Taiwan wrote this book for his daughter. It can help young people succeed.

    The book teaches you about student, how to use your free time and even what kind of clothes to wear. It answers many teenagers' most common questions. Liu uses his daughter's stories as examples to help readers understand the principles(原则).

    His book is far from boring. There are lively stories and dialogues, with objective analysis (客观分析), hope and confidence(信心) from a good father.

    Meiyu, born in 1991, is from Turkey(土耳其). She is the youngest child of her family. After high school, many people learned English or Japanese, but Meiyu decided to learn Chinese in university. She learned Chinese for four years in Ankara University in Turkey, and got her name Meiyu there.

    Meiyu fell in love with Chinese after going to university. She became more interested after she knew more about Chinese history. In the beginning many people did not understand her decision. But they all said Meiyu had made a right choice when she graduated from university in 2013. Since then, more Chinese have been visiting Turkey. The trade between the two countries also requires Chinese-speaking people. "Speaking Chinese means more job opportunities." said Meiyu.

    Now Meiyu has been in Wuhan, China for about two years. Besides going on studying Chinese, she shows great interest in Chinese kung fu as well, so she spends her free time on kung fu training with her coaches. Not only can kung fu help improve her health, but she is also fascinated by the history and culture behind it. Meiyu said, "The more I know about China, the luckier I feel to have been here. But the truth is that fun and pain go together in the process of learning."

    Meiyu will graduate in June this year. Her friends want her to stay in China, but her parents hope she can come back home. Meiyu thinks it is difficult to decide. "Even if I go back to Turkey, I will choose Chinese language education as my job," said Meiyu.