New baby brother

I was sitting in school

when I heard the news.

“Your baby brother is born,

and wants to see you!”

Dad got me from school

and to the hospital with no delay.

Hurrying on our journey,

he almost forgot the way!

My brother's hands were tiny,

and wrinkly soft, like a prune.

After he smiled at me,

Mom said, “He'll come home soon!”

Everyone “oohing” and “aahing”,

they say “He is so sweet.

And one day he'll walk around

on those little baby feet!”

B

    Outside, it's a cold winter's day. Inside a large shopping center, people are hanging around. But then, without warning, a pop song starts to play loudly. A teenager boy walks lazily to the center of the open space, and dances crazily to the music. He's joined by two of his friends, then some of the old people. In a few seconds，more than sixty people are dancing to the music—all in time and all in step. At first, onlookers(旁观者)are puzzeled, and then they start smiling and clapping. They now know what they're seeing: a flash mob(快闪).

    According to Wikipedia, the term "flash mob" was created by Bill Wasik, an editor at Harper's Magazine, in 2003. In a year, the phrase had entered the Concise Oxford English Dictionary. Since then, hundreds—possibly thousands—of flash mobs have been performed around the world, in almost every kind of public space imaginable!

    Each flash mob has its own style，but most flash mobs follow a similar formula(方案). Often, the organizers search for willing participants(参与者)using social media. Instructions and dance moves are given through the Internet. There are usually several rehearsals(排练)before the big day.

    While it's happening, a few lucky passers-by watch it live. Most people who watch it, however, will see it later online. Some of the most popular flash mobs on YouTube have been watched more than 10 million times. A famous example is MP3 Experiment Eight, a flash mob that took place in New York City in July 2011 with over 3,500 participants. This event was different from normal flash mobs in that much of it was completely silent—and there were no rehearsals.

    Flash mobs provide the participants, onlookers and online viewers with a lot of enjoyment and pleasure. For this reason alone, they're a modern, popular art form that should be celebrated.

    Studying different languages increases our understanding of how humans communicate and their different cultures. However, almost 80% of the people in the world speak only 1% of its languages.  Every 14 days a language dies. By 2100, half of the more than 7, 000 languages spoken on Earth today may disappear.

    Throughout history, the languages of dominant(统治的)groups have spread while the languages of native cultures have become extinct. This happens because of government language policies, or because the dominant language becomes more useful in everyday life. Furthermore, many endangered languages aren't written down. When the last speakers of a language die and their language becomes extinct, their stories, songs, and other important information are lost, too.

    Central South America has some of the world's most endangered languages. The Kallawaya people speak a secret language that has details of thousands of medical plants. Today, fewer than 100 people speak it. In Central and Eastern Siberia, many Siberian languages now have only a few elderly speakers. Yuchi, which may be unrelated to any other language in the world, is one of the many native languages used in Oklahoma, the U.S.A. It is disappearing rapidly. In 2010, only five elderly people could speak this language.

    Luckily, native cultures around the world are using modern technology to help keep their endangered languages and cultures alive. Communities are creating dictionaries and libraries by using pictures, video, and audio to record the traditions of the last speakers of their language. If the young people don't speak and understand the words and stories of their ancestors(祖先), the language will die.

    And when the language dies, part of the culture dies, too.