Argentina in the late nineteenth century was an exciting place. Around 1870, it was experiencing an economic boom（繁荣）, and the capital, Buenos Aires, attracted many people. Farmers, as well as a flood of foreigners from Spain and Italy, came to Buenos Aires seeking jobs. These jobs didn't pay well, and the people felt lonely and disappointed with their new life in the city. As the unhappy newcomers mixed together in the poor parts of the city, the dance known as the tango(探戈舞) came into being.

    At the beginning the tango was a dance of the lower classes. It was danced in the bars and streets. At that time there were many fewer women than men, so if a man didn't want to be left out, his only choice was to dance with another man so that he could attract the attention of the few available women. Gradually, the dance spread into the upper classes of Argentinean society and became more respectable.

    In Europe at this time, strong interest in dance from around the world was beginning. This interest in international dance was especially evident in Paris. Every kind of dance from ballet(芭蕾舞) to belly dancing could be found on the stages of the Paris theaters. After tango dancers from Argentina arrived in Europe, they began to draw the interest of the public as they performed their exciting dance in cafes. Though not everyone approved of the new dance, saying it was a little too shocking, the dance did find enough supporters to make it popular.

    The popularity of the tango continued to grow in many other parts of the world. Soldiers who returned to the United States from World War I brought the tango to North America. It reached Japan in 1926, and in 2003 the Argentinean embassy(大使馆) in Seoul hired a local tango dancer to act as a kind of dance ambassador, and promote tango dancing throughout South Korea.

    In the latest romance-drama, Descendants of the Sun (《太阳的后裔》), a handsome soldier Yoo Shi-jin(柳时镇) (Song Joong-ki)(宋仲基) meets the pretty doctor Kang Mo-yeon(姜暮烟) (Song Hye-kyo)(宋慧乔) in a hospital, and he doesn't hesitate to hit on her.

    The dialogue, which takes place early in the first episode(集), immediately indicates that this is no ordinary South Korean drama. There's no family feud (不睦), or love tangles, or guesses and misunderstandings. The 16-episode show is set in the fictional war-torn country of Uruk(乌鲁克). Song Joong-ki is the leader of a special warfare command unit, while Song Hye-kyo plays a doctor who works for a humanitarian medical organization. Both are sent in the midst of disaster and disease as part of their work with UN peacekeeping troops. Both know and show clearly what they want and what they hate.

    But what stands out the most are Song's skills as a pick-up artist(撩妹技能).

    Boldness and creativity are the key weapons in his arsenal. When Kang invites Yoo to drink wine with her, Yoo, who is not allowed to drink alcohol as a soldier, says, ＂There is a way.＂ before kissing her. Forget about the ＂eighth-episode rule＂ . This kiss happens in the fourth.

    Humor also does the trick. On their first date in a cinema, Yoo says, ＂This is the most exciting moment of my life. The moment I am with a beautiful woman before the theater lights go out.＂ When Kang tries to give Yoo a hard time, Yoo jokes, ＂I mistook you for a beautiful woman because it's dark.＂

    And actor Song Joong-ki, who just came back from two years of military service last May, makes sure he delivers his pick-up lines just right.

    ＂In Deep Rooted Tree (《树大根深》) and The Innocent Man (《善良的男人》), he [Song Joong-ki] showed he had the steel to play fearless and heartless men — that he could be taken seriously as an actor, despite his pretty face. In Descendants, he hits the emotional core of every scene, whether he has to be bold and amorous, guarded and mysterious, or sad,＂said critic Foong Woei Wan in The Straits Times.

    It may surprise bookworms, but apparently masterpieces such as Jane Eyre are lacking in something — sound effects. An electronic-book firm is adding background noises and music to the works of Charlotte Bronte, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and William Shakespeare in the hope of attracting younger readers. In one example, a description of rain lashing against a window in a Sherlock Holmes story will be“enhanced”with matching noises.

    The first multimedia e-books — with sounds to accompany novels — will be available this Friday in the UK. The Booktrack releases are available to iPad users, with other tablet computer versions to follow. The concept is already in use in the U.S., where the classics come with added sound effects. Readers for example can hear the china cups chinking in Mr. Darcy's garden as they read Pride And Prejudice.

    A story by Booker Prize winner Salman Rushdie will be released later in the year with a specially crafted orchestral score. Rushdie's story In The South will be released with a soundtrack provided by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

    The Power Of Six by Pittacus Lore, a novel for young adults, is one of the first to be tested with a soundtrack which builds in suspense in keeping with the plot. It works by timing the speed of each reader and the software measures the “turning” of a page and moves the music or sounds along accordingly. It has been created by Booktrack which synchronizes (使同步) music to each novel. It is funded by Peter Thiel, a co-founder of PayPal.

    Mr. Thiel said, “It's always exciting to witness the creation of a new form of media. The technology promises to captivate readers in a different way.”

    However, they have been greeted with horror by traditionalists, who say the technology takes away the pleasure of having one's imagination stimulated by a story. They also raise the prospect (预期) of having to ask an overly eager reader to turn their book down. David Nicholls, whose bestseller One Day was recently turned into a film starring Anne Hathaway, said, “This sounds like the opposite of reading. It would be a distraction.”

    Thomas Cheatham had planned to study Latin during his time at Hebron High School in Texas. But when he learned that the school district was going to offer a Mandarin(普通话) class, he quickly changed his mind.

    "I thought Mandarin would be more beneficial than Latin," said Cheatham, who is now in his second year of studying the language.

    He speaks Mandarin to order food at Chinese restaurants and can read social media posts from his Chinese-speaking friends. While it's a difficult language to master, the high school junior, who plans to study computer engineering, thinks it will be important for his career. "Chinese is a good language to know, especially with China becoming a growing power," he said.

    Many experts agree that proficiency(熟练) in a language spoken by a billion people worldwide will give American students an edge in the global economy.

    "People are looking at China as our next economic competitor, and interest in Mandarin is growing fast," said Marty Abbott, director of the American Council(议会) on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. "We're seeing it in all parts of the country."

    Abbott predicts that as many as 100,000 students are now studying Mandarin in public and private schools throughout the US. She said the US government has designated (指定) Mandarin as an "important needs" language and provides professional development programs for teachers. "Our government wants to increase our language ability for national security and economic competitiveness," Abbott added.

    At the same time, the Chinese government is spreading knowledge of the Chinese language and culture through Confucius Institutes set up in many US states. For example, the Confucius Institute at the University of Texas in Dallas has been the home of a Confucius Institute for 10 years. It sponsors Confucius Classrooms at 21 local public and private schools, where tens of thousands of students are learning Mandarin.

Dear Aunt Tara,

    I have a problem with my homework. We have to do it in a group. It has to be finished this Friday, but Gary, the boy in our group, has done nothing helpful. He just keeps rocking the boat.

    Every time we talk about the work with him, he always "Don't worry. I'll do it later" But he seldom does his job. And when he does it be the wrong way. Someone has to do it for him again what's is when Mas Lin asks about our group, Gary always tell her that we others don't work hard enough I'm really mad at Gary about this. We're in the same group. Shouldn't we help each other to do a better job?

Kate

Dear Kate

    It is important or students to learn how to work together in a group. Maybe you should talk to Gary about the problem and tell him you all need his help. If he still doesn't changes, go to talk to your teacher. I believe she can make Gary do his job.

Aunt Tara

    Reuel Tolkien (1892－1973), the British linguist, writer. He created a fantasy novel "The Lord of the Rings" the well­known trilogy (三部曲).

    Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa. When he was 4 years old, his father died and his family moved back to England. Tolkien graduated from Oxford University when he was 23 years old, and participated in the First World War. During the war, Tolkien suffered from "trench fever" and stayed in the hospital until the end of World War Ⅰ. It was the days in the hospital that he began his writing career first.

    After the war, Tolkien became a linguist. He was an editor of the "New English Dictionary" of 1918－1920. However, he was more researching into Anglo­Saxon language which makes his extensive contacts in Britain and the Nordic spread all over the folklore and mythology.

    In 1937, Tolkien completed his first work "The Hobbit". Although this was a fairy tale, it was also suitable for adults to read. Because of good sales, the publisher Allen & Unwin convinced Tolkien to write its sequel. This encouraged Tolkien to complete his most famous works the epic (史诗) trilogy "The Lord of the Rings". The works of writing went on for almost a year with the support from his good friend Lewis.

    At the beginning "The Lord of the Rings" was similar works for children, but after that writing style quickly became serious and dark. "The Lord of the Rings" was one of the most popular literary works in the 20th century in terms of sales and readers' evaluation. Tolkien's influence is important, for the success of "The Lord of the Rings" makes the fantasy novels of this literature genre (体裁) develop rapidly.