In many countries, unusual names for children are becoming more popular, especially when more and more stars give their children special names. In Britain, you can call a child almost anything you like except dirty words.
Some parents choose names which come from popular culture. Because of the film the Lord of the Rings(指环王), six boys were named Gandalf. Names about sport are very common, too. Since 1984, 36 children have been called Arsenal after the football team.
Other parents like to make up names, or combine(合并) two names to make a special one. A mother in Britain invented the name Tiaamii for her daughter. She combined the names Thea and Amy (the two grandmothers).
In China, there are some rules about names ―- you can't use foreign letters or symbols(符号) in a Chinese name. For example, parents are not allowed to name their baby @. In New Zealand, a name beginning with a number is not allowed. Other countries have stricter rules about calling children. For example, Japan, Denmark, Spain, Germany and Argentina have a list of names. Parents must choose the names in the lists for their children.
In Britain, some old-fashioned(过时的) names have become popular again, such as Maisie or Ella for a girl, and Alfie or Noah for a boy. But the most popular names are not the strange ones. The top names are very traditional--Jack and Thomas for boys, or Grace and Jessica f6r girls.

“Chicken” idioms（习语）

    The word “chicken” is used in so many English idioms. Do you know the following?

    Don't count your chickens before they hatch.

    The expression“Don't count your chickens before they hatch”means “Don't expect that all your eggs, which have been laid, will hatch. “Hatch” is a verb, meaning the baby chicken breaks open the shell of the egg and comes out successfully. So the expression mainly means “Don't depend on things working out just as you want them to.” this saying appears in the story The Milkmaid and Her Pail in Aesop's Fables.

    A chicken-and-egg situation

    In history, philosophers（哲学家）and scientists have met this dilemma（困境）: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Aristotle thought that both the bird and the egg must have always been there. However, more recently, scientists such as Stephen Hawking have argued that the egg came before the chicken. In common speech, the term “a chicken-and-egg situation” means a situation where it is impossible to say which of two things appeared first and which caused the other one.

    Don't be such a chicken

    There seems to be an idea in English, somehow, that a chicken is a scared bird. Maybe that's not fair as most birds will probably fly away from you if you go towards them. But “Don't be such a chicken” means “Don't be so scared and get a bit more courage.” So if your friend fear to do something, you can say to him or her, “Don't be such a chicken. Just have a try!”

    The history of Chinese cartoon making began in the 20th century. Below are some great cartoon works in Chinese history.

    Princess Iron Fan, is the first Chinese cartoon. It was directed in Shanghai by the Wan Brothers in 1942. It is the second longest cartoon film in the world following the cartoon the White Princess. The story was taken from a popular ancient Chinese story.

    Crow Black-Coated is the first Chinese cartoon in colour. Shanghai Film Studio made it in 1955. The story is about a very proud bird. He sang and danced in the forest，showing off his beautiful tail to everyone. Autumn came and the other animals were busy preparing food for the winter. The bird continued to enjoy life freely. The winter came with a heavy snow storm. The bird was homeless in the cold. To warm up，he found a wild fire in the forest. The bird burned his tail and lost his singing voice by accident. From then on，the bird becomes a black crow.

    Where's Mama is a short Chinese cartoon. Shanghai Film Studio made it in 1960. It tells about the adventures of a group of tadpoles in search of their mother. It is the first Chinese-style cartoon different from Western cartoons.