Musical for the new era

    Some of the world's most famous movies, like The Sound of Music（《音乐之声》）and Singin' in the Rain(《雨中曲》), are musicals. These are both very old movies, though. It seemed as if musicals had gone out of fashion.

    But La La Land, a new musical by US director Damien Chazelle, 32, had made the genre(类型) popular again. “Brilliantly written and directed, La La Land gives movie musicals life in the 21^st century,” Peter Travers wrote for Rolling Stone.

    Starring US actor Ryan Gosling, 36, and actress Emma Stone, 28, the movie was released in Chinese mainland on Feb14. Set in the colorful world of Hollywood's film and music scene, the two characters-a jazz musician and an actress-sing and dance their way to love.

    It has made history as the first film to win seven Golden Globe(金球奖) awards. It has also been nominated(提名) for a record-equaling 14 Oscars.

    Other popular movies of today are often about violence(暴力),war, drugs(毒品) or politics. Thanks to Chazelle's creative style, original music and wonderful location(地点), La La Land has a light feel that will put you in a good mood.

    The opening scene, when hundreds of people in a traffic jam start singing , “will be studied and swooned(着迷) over for years to come,” according to Travers. “The very fact that it doesn't have a strong political message, but is still good enough to win awards, is what makes La La Land so unusual,” Nicholas Barber, wrote for the BBC. “It is intimate(亲切的) and personal and magical.”

    The government in China plans to end its one-child policy(政策) and let families have two children instead.

    The plan was given on Thursday after political meetings in Beijing. There are a number of reasons for the change in policy. The change is meant to balance population development, stop a falling birth rate and strengthen the country's labor(劳动力) force.

    China, with the largest population in the world, started the one-child policy in 1980. But the government allowed only a small number of couples to have two children. For example, some families in the countryside could have two children, if the first-born child is a girl.

    In 2013, the Chinese government gave other couples a chance to have two children if one of them was an only child.

Jiang Quanbao, a teacher and population expert, explained how Chinese families react（反应） to the newest policy. "Too many young people in the cities are no longer interested in having a second child," he said. "People in the countryside are more interested. But some of them are already allowed to have two children."

    At the end of 2014, China had 1. 37 billion people. A total of 800 million of them have jobs. But the labor market population will drop in 35 years. That is to say, the country will be in great need of labor by the year 2050. With the two-child policy, an increase in births can solve this problem.

    Boys and girls, what do you think of the two-child policy? Do you want to have a new-born brother or a sister?

    One day, an American man Simon went to London to visit his friend, Rick. Rick told him that his flat(公寓) was on the first floor. When he arrived, Simon went straight to the first floor of the building. But a man told him that there was no Rick on that floor. Do you know why?

    In fact, the British (英国人) call the first floor of a building the ground floor. The floor above the ground floor is the first floor, but Americans would call it the second floor.

    The story shows that there are a few culture differences between Britain and America, though the British and Americans both speak English.

    The British don't like showing their feelings. They hardly start a small talk with strangers. For example, on the train the British often spend their time reading newspapers or books. But Americans are quite different. They're more active and easier to talk with.

    The British and Americans may use different terms for the same things. The British usually use "football" "holiday" and "lift", but Americans like to use "soccer" "vacation" and "elevator".

    “Thank you” is one of the first few phrases(短语） that our English teacher taught us when we began to learn English. Each time we receive help from others, we say “Thank you”. We may say it many times a day. It seems that “Thank you” is very popular among us Chinese students. But is it as popular in the UK?

    The answer is “no”. According to a recent survey （最近的报告）in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, “Thank you” is only the 20^th most popular way of expressing gratitude（感激） in the UK.

    The survey shows that British people like “Cheers” most to express their thanks. For example, when friends invite each other for a drink after a game, a smile and a “Cheers” may be the best way to say “thanks”.

    You may often hear the word spoken between two good friends. “Great”, “nice one” and “all right” are also popular informal（不正式的） ways of showing gratitude among friends in the UK.

    Of course, there are some formal ways to say “thanks” among British people. For example, when a stranger is especially helpful, they may say “brilliant” or “much appreciated” to express their gratitude.

    By the way, how do British people usually answer “thank you”? They like to say： “ You're welcome.”, “No problem” or “Sure”.

    Since you have many more ways to show your thanks, next time you want to say “thank you”, why not try one of these new British phrases?

    Do you know anything about the way of shopping in western countries? People there usually make shopping list first and then they go shopping. Most people like to go to the supermarkets because they can get almost everything in one supermarket. For example, many styles of clothes, food, spots things…And the things in supermarkets are cheaper. When they get into the supermarket, they carry a basket. Then they buy' things and put them in the basket. After getting everything they want, they pay the money. Most people go to the supermarket once a week.