Why do we read poetry? First obvious one: because we enjoy it. The only other reason is for academic purposes, and that's not why this is here.

    Many of us read poetry simply because we often feel depressed and hopelessly lost, and in poetry we see how beautiful and strange everything is. So in that way poetry calms our anxiety.

    There are many different kinds of poems. They are not all calming. Some poems make me anxious, angry, scared, and sad, which is why I value them. As a reader, I want a full meal, not just dessert. I want the sweet and the bitter. Often, I read poetry when I'm already relaxed. In fact, I read more when I'm not stressed out.

    Here are the main reasons I respond to poetry, as far as I can tell. Metrical(格律的) poems are about setting up rules and then bending them. Usually, this is done by setting up a rhythm and then violating it or almost violating it. And then returning to it again. This satisfies my desire for order and also my desire for testing boundaries.

    Poetry plays with language and often slams words together in surprising ways, which is thrilling the way food can be when the chef has paired ingredients you never thought would taste good together but somehow do.

    Many poems are dense. Words mean two or three things at once and lots of suggestions are packed between the lines. This is intellectually inspiring and it allows me to read the same poem over and over always finding new things in it.

    And, of course, there's the subject matter. It interests me just as it would if the same subject was explored in a story or essay. Not all poems interest me in this way, but then not all stories and essays do, either.

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    While the U.S. is still debating about getting rid of the penny, Sweden is rapidly moving towards abolishing currency altogether. Though this may sound radical(过激的), it is a natural evolution in this digital society.

    Sweden, which was the first European country to introduce banknotes in 1661, has just been working harder to convince its residents that digital payments are a safer alternative to carrying cash.

    Over the years, the idea has gained popularity with residents, especially the younger generation that is much more comfortable with technology. Today many banks don't even have ATMs and some have stopped handling cash altogether!

    Tickets to ride public buses in most Swedish cities can only be purchased via cell phones. Numerous businesses are also moving towards accepting only digital payments. Even the homeless that sell street paper to make ends meet have to start accepting this mode of payment!

    But despite its growing popularity, some people don't like this radical idea. They include the homeless, elderly people as well as those living in rural areas who are still uncomfortable with mobile phones and computers. But the officials are confident that in the very near future, they will be able to convince everyone to move this safe and more cost-effective payment system.

    Sweden is not the only country trying to abolish paper currency and coins. The movement is rapidly gaining ground in Denmark and Finland as well. In 2014, Israel announced a three-step plan to go cashless and just last week the vendors(小贩)of a popular street in Sydney declared they would stop accepting currency from customers. Whether this phenomenon spreads remains to be seen. But one thing is for sure—With increasingly advanced payment systems being introduced every day, pulling out cash is rapidly becoming “uncool”.

    Thanks to expensive data fees, you might be tempted to log onto that free public Wi-Fi service while you're out and about.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    “Think about the cost of being connected all the time. Nothing is free,” David Lee, a product manager for Norton, told CNBC. “{#blank#}2{#/blank#}” The Harvard Business Review agrees: “You're taking a risk every time you log on to a free network in a coffee shop, hotel lobby, or airport lounge.”

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} According to a survey by the company Symantic, 87 percent of U.S. consumers have used a public internet connection. And it was found that over 70 percent of them checked their personal email through public Wi-Fi, while 11 percent logged onto their online banking account.

    No matter how safe the Wi-Fi connection seems to be, using it leaves your computer or smart phone easy to be attacked by hackers and data thieves. You don't really know who owns and monitors that router, nor who has access to the data that posses through it. Not to mention, hackers have dozens of ways to compromise public Wi-Fi accounts, from creating a network that appears legal to creating pop-ups that trick the user into downloading malware (恶意软件) onto their computers.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    To protect yourself against hackers, experts say your best defense is a virtual private network (VPN), which encrypts (加密) your online activity. You can download your very own VPN through an app for Apple or Android devices, or by using the free encryption service CyberGhost{#blank#}5{#/blank#} But before you even start browsing, use this website to make a password that keeps you safe from hackers.

A. These are all of the tricks hackers use to hack your Internet security.

B. That can save you a lot of trouble.

C. The biggest threat is that your data and identity could be completely exposed.

D. Don't let convenience outweigh the consequences, though.

E. Setting up firewalls and antivirus software will also defend your computer against hackers.

F. Unfortunately, most people are unaware of the dangers.

G Hackers usually steal data in this way.

A

    In 1812, the year Charles Dickens was born, there were 66 novels published in Britain. People had been writing novels for a century—most experts date the first novel to Robinson Crusoe in 1719—but nobody wanted to do it professionally. The steam-powered printing press was still in its early stages; the literacy（识字） rate in England was under 50%. Many works of fiction appeared without the names of the authors, often with something like "By a lady." Novels, for the most part, were looked upon as silly, immoral, or just plain bad.

    In 1870, when Dickens died, the world mourned him as its first professional writer and publisher, famous and beloved, who had led an explosion in both the publication of novels and their readership and whose characters — from Oliver Twist to Tiny Tim— were held up as moral touchstones. Today Dickens' greatness is unchallenged. Removing him from the pantheon（名人堂） of English literature would make about as much sense as the Louvre selling off the Mona Lisa.

    How did Dickens get to the top? For all the feelings readers attach to stories, literature is a numbers game, and the test of time is extremely difficult to pass. Some 60,000 novels were published during the Victorian age, from 1837 to 1901; today a casual reader might be able to name a half-dozen of them. It's partly true that Dickens' style of writing attracted audiences from all walks of life. It's partly that his writings rode a wave of social, political and scientific progress. But it's also that he rewrote the culture of literature and put himself at the center. No one will ever know what mix of talent, ambition, energy and luck made Dickens such a singular writer. But as the 200th anniversary of his birth approaches, it is possible — and important for our own culture—to understand how he made himself a lasting one.

    Friends play an important role in our lives, and although we can't be more familiar with the fact of friendship, we often don't clearly understand how we make friends, especially with Americans. Here are some pieces of advice on making friends with Americans:

    ⒈Visiting places Americans enjoy: parties, churches, restaurants, parks and sports clubs.

    ⒉Be willing to take the first step. Don't wait for them to get close to you. Americans in China may not know you speak English. They may be uncomfortable if they can't speak your language.

    ⒊Use small talks to open the conversation. Ask them where they're from, why they come to China, etc.. Remember: Be careful not to ask personal questions about age, salary and so on.

    ⒋Show an interest in their culture, their country or their job. Americans like to talk about themselves!

    ⒌Invite them to join you for dinner or just for coffee or tea. Try to set a specific(明确的)time. Americans sometimes make general invitations like “Let's go out for dinner sometime. ” Often this is just a way to be friendly. It is not always a real invitation.

    ⒍Don't expect too much at first. Maybe they're being friendly. But maybe they want to be your good friends. It will take time to tell.

When it comes to having fun in the sun, it's easy to lose track of time. If you're not careful, this can be quite dangerous.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But it can easily be prevented—all you need is a little sunscreen.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}People have been using chemical pastes to protect themselves from the sun for centuries. But the first modern sunscreen sold on the market was offered by French company: L'oreal in 1935.

Several other companies were quick to release their own sunscreens. Perhaps the biggest advancement in the world of sunscreen came in the 1970s, when scientists started looking at the sun protection factor, or SPF.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

The advantages of using sunscreen are obvious. It limits the painful effects of sunburn.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Millions of people have died from skin cancer caused by ultraviolet rays from the SUITL. Remember to apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside.

Unfortunately, there are many mistaken ideas about sunscreen.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Some also think you only need to put it on once for a whole day's protection or that you don't need it on cloudy days. None of these things are true. Experts say you should apply sunscreen every two hours when outside in the daytime, no matter how dark your skin is or what the weather is like.

A. And it can even save your life.

B. Sunscreen is not exactly a recent invention.

C. Choosing a sunscreen isn't as simple as it used to be.

D. In direct sunlight, sunburn can occur in less than 15 minutes.

E. This rating is a number that shows how effective a sunscreen is.

F. It's believed that you don't need much sunscreen if you have dark skin.

G. Some think a good method is to cover as much as possible with protective clothing.