This week we asked students at New Star High School about the best ways to learn more English. Some said they learnt by using English. Some students had more specific suggestions.

      Lillian Li said the best way to learn new words was reading English magazines. She said that she never studied grammar. She thought it was too boring.

      Wei Ming felt differently. He has been learning English for six years and really loves it. He thought studying grammar was a great way to learn a language. He also thought that watching English movies was a good way to watch the actors say the words.

      Liu Chang said that joining the English Club at school was the best way to improve her English. Students got lots of practice and they also had fun.

   Do you think there is a ghost(鬼) in the world? More than 20 years ago, a student jumped from the top of the clock tower in the University of Birmingham. He did this only because he failed his final exam.

   After his death, a superstition(迷信)began: Anyone who walks under the clock tower will have bad luck in his exam. Years later, students there still remembered the story of the tower. Although Birmingham is the second largest city in Britain, the university is green and quiet. The grass around the tower has been worn away by the feet of students who refuse to pass underneath the tower.

   The university had to pave(铺)extra paths, so students could walk to their classrooms without passing under the most terrible area. But, one day just before an important exam, a top student in the university walked under the clock tower because he was lost in thought.

However, he got high marks in the exam the next day. Quickly students all knew about it. Then they realized that the most important thing is working hard. 

   Whenever I go under the clock tower, I will tell myself, “Working hard is the key to success.”

    Square dancing has been popular for quite a few years.  Its lovers believe it is good for elderly people's health But in recent years, it has many haters as well. They think too loud music or dancing too late into night influences people's life. Should square dancing be supported or limited? Here are opinions from two groups of people.

    Square dancing has been a hot topic in daily life. People have been discussing {#blank#}1{#/blank#} it should be supported or limited. Lovers believe it can help elderly people stay healthy. Those parents who live {#blank#}2{#/blank#} can communicate with others while dancing. If people are {#blank#}3{#/blank#} with large places by governments and they can dance a bit far away from living blocks, few neighbours will complain. Haters say the noise caused by square dancing is the main {#blank#}4{#/blank#} why they are against it. They think square dancers just do what they like to do without {#blank#}5{#/blank#} others' feelings. And square dancing.is not the only good way for all people to exercise.

    Tom comes from Australia. He studies in a middle school in Tianjin. He usually gets up at 7: 00 a. m. and then reads Chinese. He has breakfast at 7: 30 a. m. And then he goes to school by bike. He is never late for school. Classes begin at 8: 00 a. m. He has four classes in the morning and two in the afternoon. He has lunch at 12: 30 p. m. at home with his parents. They both work as reporters at a TV station. After school, sometimes he plays volleyball with his classmates, and sometimes he reads books in the school library. He goes back home at 4: 40 p. m. After supper, he always studies Chinese. He goes to bed at about 9: 10 p. m. He likes China and he thinks Chinese people are friendly and he believes he can make many friends here.

    We usually use chopsticks and spoons: Americans usually use forks and knives. However, the people in some countries don't use any of these tools. They prefer to eat with their fingers. It sounds messy, but they have ways to keep clean.

    In the southern part of India, people use banana leaves to eat. Everyone gets a small square of banana leaf. Each person washes his or her square of leaf, and then uses it to eat.

    In Ethiopia, food is wrapped in a special kind of bread. This bread is very flat and feels like a wet sponge(海绵). There are lots of holes in the bread to hold food and sauce. A small piece is torn of(被撕下) to pick up food.

    In the Middle East, people eat with only their fingers on the right, hand. They always try to keep the right hand clean. The left hand is used for touching dirty things.