It was in the Victorian Era(维多利亚时期) that the novel became the leading form of literature in English. Most writers were more concerned to meet the tastes of the middle class. The best known works of the period included the works of Charles Dickens and the Bronté sisters and others.

    Charles Dickens came on the literary scene in the 1830s. Dickens wrote vividly about London life and the struggles of the poor. Most of his works were written in a very humorous style, which was popular with readers of all classes.

    The Bronté sisters were English writers of the 1840s and 1850s. They began to write from early childhood. In 1846 they published the first book at their own expense as poets; however, their book attracted little attention, selling only two copies. Then the sisters turned to writing novels, each producing a novel in the following year.

    An interest in rural matters and the changing social and economic situation of the countryside may be seen in the novels of Thomas Hardy and a number of others.

    Literature for children developed as a single style. Some works became well-known, such as those of Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear. Adventure novels were written for adults but are now generally grouped in the list for children. Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author at the end of the Victorian Era, best known for her children's books, which featured animal characters. In her thirties, Potter published the highly successful children's book The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1902.

    Suppose you work in a big firm and find English very important for your job because you often deal with foreign businessmen. Now you are looking for a place where you can improve your English, especially your spoken English. Here are some advertisements(广告) about English language training from newspapers. You may find the information you need.

    Global English Centre

    General English in all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

    3-month (700 yuan), 6-month (1, 200 yuan) and one-year (2, 000 yuan) courses.

    Choice of morning or evening classes, 3 hours per day. Mon.~Fri.

    Experienced college English teachers.

    Close to city centre and bus stops.

    Tel: 67605272

    Add: 105 Zhongshan Road, 100082

    Modern Language School

    Special courses in English for business, travel, banking, hotel management and office skills.

    Small classes (12~16 students) on Sat. & Sun. from 2:00~5:00 p.m.

    Native English teachers from Canada and USA.

    Language lab and computers supplied.

    3-month course: 1,050 yuan; 6-month course: 1,850 yuan.

    Write or phone: Modern Language School, 675 Park Road, 100056

    Tel: 67353019

    The 21^st Century English Training Centre

    We specialize in effective teaching at all levels.

    We offer morning or afternoon classes, both of which last three months and a half at a cost of 800 yuan.

    We also have a six-week TOEFL preparation class during winter and summer holidays.

    Entrance exams: June 1 and Dec. 1.

    Only 15-minute walk from city centre.

    Call 67801642 for more information.

    The International House of English

    Three/Six-month English courses for students of all levels at a very low cost: 60 yuan for 12 hours per week, convenient (方便的) class hours:

    9:00~12:00 a.m. and 2:00~5:00 p.m.

    A four-month evening programme for developing speaking skills (same cost as day classes).

    Well-trained Chinese and foreign teachers with experience in teaching English as a second foreign language.

    Free sightseeing and social activities.

    Very close to the Central Park.

    For further information call 674322308.

    My elephant adventures began in 1984 when, with our one-year-old daughter, my husband and I crossed the jungle in a jeep, slicking behind a lorry for comfort and company. The elephants standing like watchers on either side of the forest highway had us praying for our safety. One elephant made loud noise and angrily pawed (抓) the ground, warning us off. We raced away before they could attack.

    It was wise to keep elephants at a distance. We heard stories of tourists whose jeeps were overturned, and a couple of photographers were killed because they moved too close. Elephants are misleading animals. They give people an impression of being quiet and kind, so tourists think it's safe to picnic in the jungle (丛林). Yet angry elephants have knocked them down in seconds before they could take off.

    Elephants might make life unpredictable and dangerous. It's difficult for inexperienced environmentalists to even, begin to grasp this reality. I've heard city people say " We humans are encroaching (侵害) on their forests." But what's the solution?

    When a poor farmer borrows heavily to plant a crop, he'll do anything to protect it His life depends on it Elephants ruining an about-to-be-harvested corn field cannot expect to be welcomed like special guests. The battle between beast and farmer is violent.

    Experts are working on solutions to human-elephant conflicts (冲突). Some are sure to fail to like the plans to build electric fences around human settlements. Elephants rapidly figure them out and come in, around and over them.

    There are more questions than answers, for sure. But as my husband said, "More people die in car accidents every single day, in every city on the earth. But they won't take cars off the roads, will they?" So we need to seek practical ways of preventing elephant accidents.

    We've all had cases where we've waited just a bit too long to pay an electric bill or speeding ticket. But one man, from California by reasonable assumption, who goes by "Dave", recently took procrastination (拖延) one step further, by paying a parking ticket almost a half-century after it was given.

    In December 2018, the Minersville Police Department in Pennsylvania received a letter in the mail. Whoever wrote the letter decided it was best to keep his name somewhat unknown, so he put the return address as "Wayward Road, Anytown California" under the name "Feeling guilty".

    When the officers opened the envelope, they found a brief letter, along with a $5 bill, and a parking ticket dating all the way back to 1974. The note read, "Dear PD, I've been carrying this ticket around for 40 plus years always intending to pay. Forgive me if I don't give you my info. With respect, Dave."

    Even though the initial parking ticket was only for $2, "Dave" must have felt awfully guilty because he left 150 percent, or $3, in interest.

    Michael Combs, the Police Chief of the Minersville Police Department, stated in an interview that the same ticket would cost about $20 if it were given today. Combs went on to share that the original ticket from 1974 was given to a vehicle that had an Ohio license plate.

    Because there was no system for tracking tickets given to out-of-state cars back then, "Dave" could have gotten away with never paying the $2 fine. But apparently, guilt got the best of him, and he decided to finally cough up the money more than 40 years past its due date.

    Facebook says it is working on technology to allow us to control computers directly with our brains. It is developing "silent speech "software to allow people to type at a rate of 100 words per minute, it says. The project, in its early stages, will require new technology to detect brainwaves without needing invasive operation. "We are not talking about monitoring your random thoughts," assured Facebook's Regina Dugan. "You have many thoughts, and you choose to share some of them. We're talking about monitoring those words. A silent speech interface（界面）-one with all the speed and flexibility（灵活）of voice. "

    Ms Dugan is the company's head of Building 8, the firm's hardware research lab. The company said it intends to build both the hardware and software to achieve its goal, and has employed a team of more than 60 scientists and academics to work on the project.

    On his Facebook page, Mark Zuckerberg added, "Our brains produce enough data to stream four HD（高清）movies every second. The problem is that the best way we have to get information out into the world-speech-can only send about the same amount of data as a 1980s modem. We're working on a system that will let you type straight from your brain about five times faster than you can type on your phone today. Finally, we want to turn it into a wearable technology that can be produced in quantity. "

    Technology is going to have to get a lot more advanced before we can share a pure thought or feeling. but this is a first step. Other ideas detailed at the company's developers conference in San Jose included work to allow people to "hear" through skin. The system, comparable to Braille, uses pressure points on the skin to pass information. "One day, not so far away, it may be possible for me to think in Chinese, and you to feel it instantly in Spanish,"Ms Dugan said.