It is widely known that any English conversation begins with The Weather. Such a fixation with the weather finds expression in Dr. Johnson's famous comment that “When two English meet, their first talk is of weather.” Though Johnson's observation is as accurate now as it was over two hundred years ago, most commentators fail to come up with a convincing explanation for this English weather-speak.

    Bill Bryson, for example, concludes that, as the English weather is not at all exciting, the obsession with it can hardly be understood. He argues that “To an outsider, the most striking thing about the English weather is that there is not very much of it.” Simply, the reason is that the unusual and unpredictable weather is almost unknown in the British Isles.

    Jeremy Paxman, however, disagrees with Bryson, arguing that the English weather is by nature attractive. Bryson is wrong, he says, because the English preference for the weather has nothing to do with the natural phenomena. “The interest is less in the phenomena themselves, but in uncertainty.” According to him, the weather in England is very changeable and uncertain and it attracts the English as well as the outsider.

    Bryson and Paxman stand for common misconceptions about the weather-speak among the English. Both commentators, somehow, are missing the point. The English weather conversation is not really about the weather at all. English weather-speak is a system of signs, which is developed to help the speakers overcome the natural reserve and actually talk to each other. Everyone knows conversations starting with weather-speak are not requests for weather data. Rather, they are routine greetings, conversation starters or the blank “fillers”. In other words, English weather-speak is a means of social bonding.

    Games have already become a good companion for people. Whether kids or adults, they prefer to spend their spare time in playing games. Why are games so popular? Firstly, they can attract people easily and secondly, they are east to upgrade(升级). Each day, thousands of games come out. And no matter which kind of game you like, there is always a game that suits you. Now when people meet, they would like to talk about the newest games.

    Here are the hottest new games for girls. They are Didi games. 80 percent of girls like dressing-up games. There are varieties of dressing-up games in Didi. The leading roles of them also vary from common girls to princesses. If you are lucky enough, you can be dressed up as the famous stars you admire. At the same time, wedding dressing-up games can also be found. Whether you admit it or not, all girls like things related to wedding, so most girls like to be dressed up as brides.

    In order to attract kids' attention, many games choose fairies(精灵) as the leading roles, for fairies are really alluring to girls. Maybe the magic wands(魔杖) of the fairies really have supernatural powers(超自然力量). There are various kinds of Didi fairy games, such as Fairy of Water, Catching Flowers Contest, Winter Garden Fairy, etc.

    Cooking games are also girls' favorite games. Making a cake, soup or other delicious food is a category of simple games. There are also complicated ones, for example, preparing a dinner. It is more challenging but most girls like challenges. Another category of games which attracts people must be the games related to farms. Why are they so popular? Because the games can let people enjoy the fun as farmers. There are also farm animals that kids like very much. Here you can build your own farms. Also you can experience the life of farmers.

    On Tuesday, scientists announced that they have discovered the bones of four settlers in Jamestown, Virginia. Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in what become the United States. The bones were unearthed under the floor of a Jamestown church which was discovered in 2010 and is considered as America‘s first Protestant church.

    The Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation at Historic Jamestowne and the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History announced that the settlers held high leadership positions. The men, Rev.Robert Hunt,Capt. Gabriel Archer,Sir Ferdinando Wainman,and Capt. William West, all played a role in the Jamestown settlement. After being lost to history for more than 400 years, the discovery of their remains provides new clues about their life and the importance of religion in the 1600s.

    “This is a very important discovery,” Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation President James Horn said in a statement. “These men were among the first founders of English America."

    About 100 people settled along the James River in what would become the first English settlement m 1607. During that time, settlers in Jamestown were faced with famine and disease The colony was nearly wiped out due to conflict with Native Americans in the area and with other English settlers.

    "They lived and died at a hard time in the history of the settlement , when Jamestown almost ended in  failure," Horn said. “The bones of these men help fill in the stories of their lives ”

    The Smithsonian and the Rediscovery Foundation found the remains in November of 2013. Scientists used 3-D technology to locate the exact gravesites of the men. The team wanted to identify its findings before announcing the discovery. They identified the men using historical records and studied the chemicals of the bones to learn what the men ate and where they came from.

    Findings from the burials will go on display within weeks at Historic Jamestowne. The site also plans to honor the men and will keep their bones in a safe place for future study.

    "Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy – they're given after all. Choices can be hard." –– Jeff Bezos.

    I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago. I came across the fact that the Internet usage was growing at 2,300 percent per year. I'd never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast, and the idea of building an online bookstore with millions of titles was very exciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old, and I'd been married for a year. I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to quit my job and go to do this crazy thing that probably wouldn't work since most start-ups don't, and I wasn't sure what to expect. MacKenzie told me I should go for it. As a young boy, I'd been a garage inventor. I'd always wanted to be an inventor, and she wanted me to follow my passion.

    I was working at a financial firm in New York City with a bunch of very smart people, and I had a brilliant boss that I much admired. I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a company selling books on the Internet. He took me on a long walk in Central Park, listened carefully to me, and finally said, "That sounds like a really good idea, but it would be an even better idea for someone who didn't already have a good job." That logic made some sense to me, and he persuaded me to think about it for 48 hours before making a final decision. Seen in that light, it really was a difficult choice, but finally, I decided I had to give it a shot. I didn't think I'd regret trying and failing. And I believed I would always be haunted(萦绕)by a decision to not try at all.

    After much consideration, I took the less safe path to follow my passion, and I'm proud of that choice. For all of us, in the end, we are our choices.

    Summer is the most popular season to visit Texas since there is so much to see and to do. While visiting the Lone Star State this summer, don't miss visiting some of these attractions and taking part in some of Texas' best summer vacation activities.

    Visit SeaWorld

    There are sea life shows, adventure camps, thrilling rides and a water park. A great many activities are waiting for you at SeaWorld.

    Windsurf at South Padre

    With miles of shallow（浅的), calm water in the Lower Laguna Madre and strong winds coming off the Gulf of Mexico. South Padre Island is a windsurfer's dream.

    Swim at Barton Springs

    Barton Springs is in the famous Zilker Park. It was formed when Barton Creek was built. Since its opening. Barton Springs has become one of the most popular swimming pools in the state.

    Take part in an outdoor adventure

    In the scenic Texas Hill Country. Lake Buchanan Adventures offers different kinds of activities, including boating, hiking, camping and more.

    Camp and hike in Big Bend Park

    Big Bend offers a great number of outdoor activities in an old way. Backpacking. mountain biking fishing boating hiking nature watching and camping-you name it. If it can be done outdoors.it can be done in Big Bend.

    Enjoy saltwater fishing

    Saltwater fishing in Texas is as good as anywhere else in the USA. More and more fishermen have been discovering this in recent years and packing their bags and rods （鱼竿） to make good use of Texas' world-class saltwater fishery.

    Deisha walked up and down as she waited backstage. This would be her most important piano performance yet. At ten years old, she was the youngest performer in the recital (音乐演奏会). She had practiced playing her song more than 30 times that week. When she closed her eyes at night the music played over and over again in her head.

    Now that the day had arrived. Deisha was not sure she was ready. She smoothed her hair and picked a piece of lint (绒毛) from the new dress that her mother had bought for her. She noticed that her hands were shaking. How could she play the notes of the song if her hands were shaking? She tried to concentrate on steadying (稳住) them, but they play only shook more.

    Deisha's piano teacher, Ms Neal, walked up to speak to her. "I have something for you." she said, putting a smooth black stone into Deisha's hand. "It's a special stone. There's no other one like it in the world. You've practiced so much: you don't need anything else."

    The stage lights reflected off the rock. "Thank you," Deisha said.

    When Deisha's name was called, she rubbed the stone, stepped onto the stage, and played better than ever.

    After her performance, she noticed that Ms Neal had a whole bag of black stones. "Why did you say this one was so special?" she asked. The teacher responded, "Because, like your talent, it belongs only to you."