To develop one's taste in English, the most effective way is to read English books extensively. However, one may be at a loss to choose the suitable books, especially as a beginner. I would like to share some of my experience.

    My first English novel was Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, recommended (推荐) by many English teachers and professors as an ideal book for English learners. But I had great difficulty in understanding the novel, let alone enjoying it. It's not the vocabulary that troubled me, but rather the way Austen constructs sentences, and her way of thinking, which seemed too remote to me at that time. My fading enthusiasm was much recovered after reading Hemingway's novel Farewell to Arms. I particularly liked his brief and lively style. So my first suggestion is, as a beginner, you'd better choose contemporary (现代的) novels instead of classical ones.

    However, reading novels is not the only way to improve your English. English essays (散文) can at once inform you, entertain you, and improve your taste in English. The best example is Bertrand Russell's work. Its language is plain, yet you cannot help feeling the elegance and the unique sense of humor. His simple language enables his philosophy (哲理) within the reach of ordinary people. Here comes my second suggestion—essays are indispensable.

    Never follow other's opinions blindly, however famous or influential the person might be. As a saying goes, one man's meat is another man's poison. With that in mind, we are sure to find out our favorite writers through reading and develop our fine taste in English.

    Michael Faraday was the son of a blacksmith. There were four children in his family and, with his father often ill and unable to work, Michael Faraday had to earn his living from an early age. This meant little or no schooling. However, the family belonged to a religious group, and Faraday learnt to read and write at Sunday School.

    When he was only fourteen, Faraday found a job as a bookbinder（装订工）.He used to read the books he was given to bind and he became very interested in the scientific books, particularly the ones about electricity. His interest soon took a practical path and he began conducting his own experiments. These were very basic because Faraday had to make all of his equipment himself. However, he was very careful and kept a clear written record of all his findings.

    One day he was given an entrance ticket to the Royal Institute chemistry lecture, given by Humphry Davy. Determined to work for this great scientist, he sent Davy a job application and included his laboratory reports on the experiments he had carried out. In 1813 Davy offered Faraday a job as one of his laboratory assistants. Faraday learnt quickly and soon was recognized as a very able analytical chemist. Later he went to work at the Royal Institute.

    Michael Faraday was, perhaps, the greatest practical scientist of the 19th century. As a chemist, he discovered the benzene（苯）,which is now the focal point of chemical study. He also proved the relationship between electricity and chemical bonding（化学键合）.As a physicist, he invented the dynamo, which led to the later invention of the electric motor. He also discovered the effect of magnetism（磁）on light rays.

    Earlier this month a study showed that bees can teach themselves to play football. They can learn by watching and, rather than copy what they have seen, change it to make it better. Bees also have a clever trick for helping their friends find lunch. New research shows that bees leave smelly little footprints on flowers that help them know what flowers they and their family members have recently visited.

    The discovery was made by scientists from University of Bristol who report these smelly footprints help bees distinguish  between their own scent(气味), the scent of a relative and the scent of a stranger. And by using this ability, bees can improve their success at finding good sources of a food and avoid flowers that have already been visited and mined of nutrients.

    The Bristol team performed three separate experiments with bumblebees(大黄蜂)in which they were repeatedly exposed to rewarding and unrewarding flowers at the same time that had footprints from different bees attached to them. Each flower type either carried scent -marks from bumblebees of differing relatedness or were unmarked. The marks were either the bee's own marks, sisters from their nest, or strangers from another nest.

    The study shows that not only can bumblebees tell the marks of their own nest mates from strangers, but they can also discriminate between the smell of their own footprints and those of their nest mate sisters, which could help them to remember which flowers they have visited recently. But it doesn't explain how they use that in the wild. They may detect the footprints of their friends and keep moving on, since that flower may be tapped out. Or they may smell a bit of familiar foot smell and dive in, seeing it as a marker that nectar(花蜜)is present.

    Chinese high school students who want to enter the University of Cambridge may find that their scores on the national college entrance examination, or gaokao, will help their applications in the future.

    The University of Cambridge said in March that it has been using scores on gaokao as part of its admission criteria (标准) for Chinese students for several years, according to its official Weibo account. In addition to top scores on gaokao, Chinese applicants also need to meet English language requirements, participate in an interview and take a subject-specific wrillcn admission assessment (评估).

    The gaokao has been crillcized by some as a one shot exam that focuses on rote learning (死记硬背) rather than creativity. However, more and more people believe that there's no perfect predictor (侦测指标) of academic performance, and gaokao has the advantage of being what educational experts call a criterion-referenced (标准参照) exam—tests when her students are able to master a given body of knowledge , as well as their ability to work hard and consistently. Recent years have seen more and more foreign universities begin to accept gaokao scores as part of the application process.

    Despite the gaokao's growing acceptance among US universities, "There is a long way to go before the US education circle fully recognizes the gaokao, as there are still many US universities that don't accept it as part of their application process," Chu Zhaohui, a researcher from the National Institute of Education Sciences, told the Global Times.

    Hawaii, 2nd Edition

    Original price: $ 22.95

    Sale price: $ 20. 95

    Summary: Hawaii is one of the world's premier(最著名的) vacation destinations, and this practical and fact- packed book shows why. Like other Traveler guides, it's a treasure of special features - walking and driving tours, in-depth Hawaiian history, a sample of the best of each island's activities, plus a selection of hotels and restaurants in every price range.

    Be the Pack Leader

    Original price: $ 25.95

    Sale price: $ 18. 95

    Summary: Bestselling author Cesar Millan takes principles of dog psychology a step further, showing you how to develop the calm energy of a successful leader and use it to improve your dog's life and your own life. With practical tips and techniques, Cesar helps you understand and read your dog's energy as well as your own energy so that you can take your connection with your dog to the next level.

    Celebrate Hanukkah

    Original price: $ 15.85

    Sale price: $7.85

    Summary: The US astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman brought a menorah(烛台) and a dreidel(陀螺)on his Space Shuttle mission in 1993. Hoffman observed the traditional spinning of the dreidel, but wisely left the menorah unlit in several thousand liters of rocket fuel. Also included is the author's sure-to-please potato pancakes' recipe.

    A New Perspective(观点) of Earth

    Original price: $26.85

    Sale price: $ 20.85

    Summary: The author Benjamin Grant describes a unique collection of satellite images of the earth that offer an unexpected look at humanity. More than 200 images of industry, agriculture, architecture and nature highlight incredible patterns while also revealing a deeper story about human influence. This extraordinary photographic journey around our planet captures the sense of wonder gained from a new, aerial point and creates a perspective of the earth as it has never been seen before.

    Many people like traveling, but they cannot take their dogs wherever they go. Some people let their dogs stay alone at home while others ask someone else to take care of their pets. If you're leaving your beloved pet at home for a holiday, it can turn into a bad experience. Luckily, you don't have to worry about your dogs anymore because Rover can cover for you while you are on leave. Rover is the latest service to offer at home dog boarding. It's a good alternative (替代物) to boarding your dog at a dog boarding kennel (狗舍) or your neighbor's house.

    The way Rover works is sort of like Airbnb. Dog owners surf the Rover website or app for pet sitters (照看者), which can be organized by zip code (邮政编码) and available dates. Information of pet sitters is provided, complete with many reviews, specific services and rates. Now Rover has over 25,000 pet sitters in more than 5,000 US cities. And they're all experienced pet sitters.

    After finding someone that meets your needs, just send messages to the pet sitter to arrange a meeting. Then, like Rover says, all that is left to do is relax! Rover's pet sitters are encouraged to send text and picture information throughout the day, and if there's a medical emergency, the site will send a vet (兽医). Besides, don't worry about a pet sitter who fails to help you, because someone else will soon take his or her place.

    Happy doggie, happy travels—that sounds good to us. To learn more about Rover, click here.