The term “formal learning” refers to all learning which takes place in the classroom regardless of whether such learning is informed by conservative or progressive ideologies(思想意识). “Informal learning”, on the other hand, is used to refer to learning which takes place outside the classroom.

    These definitions(定义) provide the basic difference between the two models of learning. Formal learning is separated from daily life and may actually promote ways of learning and thinking which often run counter to those obtained form practical daily life. A characteristic feature of formal learning is the centrality of activities which can prepare for the changes of adult life outside the classroom, but it cannot, by its nature, consist of these challenges.

    In doing this, language plays an important role as a major channel for information exchange.  The language of the classroom is more similar to the language used by middle-class families than that used by working-class families. Middle class children thus find it easier to gain the language of the classroom than their working-class classmates.

Informal learning, in contrast, occurs in the setting to which it relates, making learning immediately relevant (相关的). In this context, language does not occupy such an important role: the child's experience of learning is more direct, involving sight, touch, taste, and smell senses that are not used in the classroom. Whereas formal learning is transmitted by teachers selected to perform this role, informal learning is gained as a natural part of child's socialization. Adults or older children who are proficient (熟练的) in skill or activity provide—sometimes unintentionally (无意义地)—target models of behavior in the course of everyday activity.

    Informal learning, therefore, can take place at any time and place. The motivation of learner provides another important difference between the two models of learning. The formal learner is generally motivated by some kind of external goal such as parental approval, social status, and possible financial reward. The informal learner, however, tends to be motivated by successful completion of the task itself and the partial knowledge of adult status.

    Given that learning systems develop as a response to the social and economic contexts in which they are firmly, it is understandable that modern, high urbanized (城市化) societies have concentrated almost specially on the establishment of formal education systems. What these societies have failed to recognize are the ways in which formal learning inhibits the child's multi-sensory acquisition of practical skills. The failure to provide a child with a direct education may in part account for many of the social problems which trouble our societies.

    When I was a boy there were no smart phones, and our television only got one channel clearly. Still, I never felt bored. The fields, hills and woodlands around my home were the perfect playground whose adventures were only limited by my imagination. I can remember once hiking to nearby lake and walking slowly around it. At the back of it I was amazed to find an old dirt road that I had never seen before. It was full of muddy type tracks and deep woods bordered it on both sides, but exploring it still seemed like a fine adventure.

    I walked on and on for what seemed like hours. I was sure my guardian angel was whispering in my ears "turn around and head back home", but I was stubborn and walked on. There was still neither a car nor a house in sight I noticed that the sun was starting to go down and I grew scared I didn't want to end up trapped on this road, and I was worried that it would be dark before I could make my way back to the lake again.

    I continued to walk on with something growing inside of me. My heart was pounding and my legs were aching. I was almost in tears when I saw something in the distance. It was a house that I recognized. I jumped up and down and laughed out loud. It was still over a mile away, but my legs felt like feathers and I hurried back to my house in no time. I walked in with a big smile on my face just in time for dinner. Then I ended my adventure with a good night's sleep.

    I often thought of that experience recently. Actually, in our life, all roads, no matter how they twist and turn, can lead us home again. They can lead us to our homes in our hearts. May you always walk your path with love! May you always help your fellow travelers along the way! And may your roads always lead you home again!

    Saving money is a golden rule in everyday life. And in the western countries it is especially obvious. As prices and building costs keep rising, the "do-it-yourself" (DIY) trend in the US continues to grow.

    "We need furniture for our living room", says John Rose, "and we just didn't have enough money to buy it. So we decided to try to making a few tables and chairs."

    John got married six months ago, and like many young people these days, they are struggling to make a home at a time when the cost of living is very high. The Roses took a 2-week course for $ 280 at a night school. Now they make all their furniture and repairs around the house.

    Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife died. He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe-making factory. Last month, he received a car repair bill for $420. "I was deeply upset about it. Now I've finished a car repair course, I should be able to fix the car by myself."

    John and Jim are not unusual people. Most families in the country are doing everything they can do to save money so they can fight the high cost of living. If you want to become a DIY, you can go to DIY classes. And for those who didn't have time to take a course, there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself.

    According to new research from the University of Cambridge in England, sheep are able to recognize human faces from photographs.

    The farm animals, who are social and have large brains, were previously known to be able to recognize one another, as well as familiar humans. However, their ability to recognize human faces from photos alone is novel.

    The recent study, the results of which were published in the journal Royal Society: Open Science. Show the woolly creatures could be trained to recognize still images of human faces, including those of former President Barack Obama and actress Emma Watson.

    Initially, the sheep were trained to approach certain images by being given food rewards. Later, they were able to recognize the image for which they had been rewarded. The sheep could even recognize images of faces shown at an angle, though their ability to do so declined by about 15 percent – the same rate at which a human's ability to perform the same task declines.

    "Anyone who has spent time working with sheep will know that they are intelligent, individual animals who are able to recognize their handlers," said Professor Jenny Morton, who led the Cambridge study. "We've shown with our study that sheep have advanced face-recognition abilities, comparable with those of humans and monkeys."

    Recognizing faces is one of the most important social skills for human being, and some disorders of the brain, including Huntington's disease, affect this ability.

    "Sheep are long-lived and have brains that are similar in size and complexity to those of some monkeys. That means they can be useful models to help us understand disorders of the brain, such as Huntington's disease, that develop over a long time and affect cognitive abilities. Our study gives us another way to monitor how these abilities change," Morton said.

    More and more people in America are celebrating the Indian holiday Diwali. Diwali is Hindi for "row of lights". It is the most important holiday in India.

    Many people around the world are beginning to celebrate it as well. The United States is one of the places where the festival is becoming more common. Diwali celebrations can now be found at American landmarks like Disneyland in California and New York City's Times Square. They are also held in many parks and museums.

    Neeta Bhasin created the Times Square event. She said Indian immigrants have found great success in America. But, she said, many Americans still do not know much about India. So, she decided to act." I felt it's about time that we should take India to mainstream America and show India's rich culture, heritage, arts and variety to the world," she said, "and I couldn't find a better place than Times Square."

    Bhasin came to the United States from India 40 years ago. She is president of ASB Communications, the marketing firm behind Diwali at Times Square. Tens of thousands of people attend the event, now in its fourth year.

    In India, Diwali is a five-day harvest festival held just before the Hindu New Year. The exact dates change from year to year but Diwali is always in the fall. Celebrations include lighting oil lamps or candles called "diyas".

    A Diwali celebration will light up Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim this year. Visitors can watch performances of traditional Indian dances and take part in a Bollywood dance party. The event is part of a Festival of Holidays program at the theme park to show cultural traditions from around the world. The program takes place on November 10th through January 7th.

    San Antonio, Texas, also holds a Diwali celebration. And it is one of the nation's largest celebrations, with more than 15,000 people in attendance each year. Visitors can enjoy Indian dance，food and fireworks. Organizers also plan to float hundreds of lighted candles in the San Antonio River, along the city's famous River Walk.

    The U. S. Thanksgiving holiday is symbolized (象征) by its traditional food-roast turkey. But turkey is certainly not from Turkey. In fact, its English name is based on one big mistake. We could say it is a case of mistaken identity. The word "Turkey" has meant "the land of the Turks" since ancient times. In the mid-1500s, the word "turkey" was first used to refer to the bird in the English language.

    The misunderstanding over the word happened because of two similar-looking kinds of birds.

    There is an African bird called the guinea fowl(珍珠鸡). It has dark feathers with white spots and a patch of brown on the back of its neck. Traders brought the guinea fowl to Europe through North Africa. This foreign bird came to Europe through Turkish lands. So, the English thought the bird as a "Turkish chicken".

    When Europeans came to North America, they saw a bird that looked like the guinea fowl. This bird was native to the North American continent. But they thought that it was the guinea fowl, which at that time, was called the "turkey cock", so they gave it the same name.

    Hundreds of years later, we continue to call this North American bird "turkey", even though it has no connection at all with the country Turkey, or even with Europe.

    But English is not the only language with interesting names for this North American bird.

    The Turkish call turkey "hindi", the Turkish name for India. The reference(涉及)to India probably conies from the old wrong idea that the New World was in Eastern Asia.

    The French call it "dinde", a name that also connects the bird to India. "Dinde" means "from India" in the French language. "Turkey" has similar names in several other languages.