One of the greatest mysteries on Earth is the statues which stand on Easter Island. Easter Island, which was almost uninhabited when it was discovered on Easter Day in 1722 by a Dutch captain, is the most distant island in the world covered with hundreds of giant statues, each weighing several tons and some standing more than 30 feet tall.
    Who built these statues and why and how did they get there? Nobody knows the answer for sure.
    One theory suggests that Easter Island was first inhabited by Polynesians, who traveled thousands of miles in their canoes（独木舟）in 400 A.D. However, the ocean currents（洋流）which carried them there would not take them back, so that they could not leave.
    The statues appear to have been made out of the top edge of the walls of a volcano on the island. Then, it may have been rolled or dragged down to the foot of the volcano(火山). Then, it was stood upright（直立）and ropes were tied around it, which was made to act as a pulley（滑轮）. Over a period of months, a statue could be walked for miles down to the ocean. Finally, it was placed in line with other statues, all of them looking towards the center of the island.
    This process was difficult. If a statue fell over, it was too heavy to be pulled upright again, so the islanders went back and carved another statue.
    The population of Easter Island must have reached 11,000. Later, the resources of the island were used up and people began fighting and eating each other. Work on the statues stopped and the statues were knocked over. When the first Europeans finally arrived on the island, most of these people had died out.

    We know music is very important in our daily life. Do you notice music playing at any of those places when you go somewhere? Today most stores, stations, restaurants and other places play music. You might even hear music in an office or on a farm.

Scientists believe that music influences the way people behave. They think that the sound of western classical music makes people feel richer. When a restaurant plays classical music, people spend more money on food and drinks. When the restaurant plays modern music, people spend less money. Without music, people spend even less. Scientists also believe that loud, fast music makes people eat faster. Some restaurants play fast music during their busy hours. This makes people eat faster and leave quickly. Restaurants can make more money in this way.

Some scientists think that music makes you think and learn better. They say that music helps students to be more active. It is true that people learn better when they are relaxed. And listening to music can help you relax.

The next time you hear music somewhere, be careful. It might influence the way you do things.

    The government in China ended his one-child policy and let families have two children instead in 2015.

    A Chinese Communist Party statement gave a number of reasons for the change in policy. The statement said the change is meant to balance population development, stop a falling birth rate(出生率)and strengthen the country's labor force(劳动力). 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 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 a population of 1.37 billion people. A total of 800 million of them have jobs. But the labor market 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 sister?

    The street food stands（摊）are very popular in Korea . They take their name from the two kinds of hot foods they sell : Dukbokgi and Odeng .

    Dukbokgi is a spicy hot food made of rice cakes and some vegetables . These rice cakes are finger-shaped . They are white , and they are about ten centimeters in length（长度）. They are mixed with sliced vegetables in a pan with a spicy red dressing（调料）. Fifteen minutes later , they are ready to eat . Odeng is made of ground fish . It comes in many shapes : some are square（正方形）, others are round , and still others are stick style . You can buy big or small ones . At these food stands , you can also eat Odeng , which has been boiled in a pot . It is served on a long stick so can eat it easily .

    The food sold at these stands is not expensive , compared to what other foods in Korea cost . Each Dukbokgi and Odeng costs about twenty to fifty cents , depending on the owner .

    Each food stand has its own recipes（菜谱）for its food ; for example , some like to add sugar or other special ingredients（材料）in the food . Usually , there is just one owner , but if the food stand is big , there may be two or three owners .

    When I was an elementary school student , I used to stop at street food stands every day after school to eat street food because I like it so much .

    Christmas and the Spring Festival are two important festivals in the world.

    Christmas is the most important festival in western countries. It comes on 25th December. When Christmas comes，people have a long holiday. And there is Father Christmas! He comes on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and gives presents to children so they love him very much.

    The Spring Festival is very important in China. It usually happens in January or February. On the New Year's Eve，people have a big family dinner and they watch TV together. Parents usually give their children a hongbao, which means lucky money.