Many of us feel uneasy when someone stands too close to us, talks to us too loudly or makes eye contact(接触) with us for too long. But have you ever wondered why those things make you uncomfortable?
      It's all about personal peace, which means not only an imaginary space around the body, but also the space around all the senses. People feel that their space is being violated(侵犯) when they meet with an unwelcome sound, smell or look. This is probably why a man on a crowded bus shouting into his mobile phone or a woman next to you putting on strong perfume(香水) makes you feel angry.

    Whether people have had a stronger wish to protect their personal space in recent times is hard to say. Yet studies of airlines show that people have a strong desire to have space to themselves. In a survey by Trip Advisor, a travel website, people said that if they had to pay more for some extra service, they would rather have larger seats than extra food.

    Although people may need their personal space, some hardly realize it. For example, people on a bus who hold newspapers in front of their faces to read in fact keep a distance from strangers.

    Go and watch a library table. You will notice that one of the corner seats will usually be taken first, because they are the farthest way. What if someone sits opposite to you? Maybe you will pile up books as if to make a wall.

    Preference for personal space is different from culture to culture. Scientists have found that Americans generally prefer more personal space than people from other cultures. In Latin cultures, however, people are more comfortable standing close to each other.

    People all need friends because nobody wants to be lonely and a friend can help you in good and bad times. You've made friends since childhood, but you still don't know who your true friends are. Here are some signs to tell you if your friend is a true friend：

Always honest

    Honesty is important to keep a relationship alive. A true friend always tells you the truth. It may be hard sometimes but lying can destroy a friendship. It is important that your friend speaks honestly and never makes up stories.

    _________________

    There are always periods in your life when you have problems or difficulties. A true friend will always have time to listen to your problems and give advice. He or she may not be able to offer a solution to your problems but the fact that your friend made time to listen is a sign he/she cares for you. Your friend is not a true friend if he/she can never make time for you when you are in trouble. You also need to be reasonable and accept that your friend also has other things to do so he/she can't always listen immediately to your problems.

    Always respectful (尊敬的)

    A true friend will always respect your opinion no matter whether he/she agrees or not. Your true friend may disagree but never insists that he/she is correct.

    Always understanding

    It is possible that some problems will arise between you and your friend. A true friend will always be forgiving (体谅的) and understanding，even if it isn't his/her fault. We are all different people and we all make mistakes. A true friend is always forgiving and understanding because he/she doesn't want to take the risk of losing his/her best friend.

    In China, Double Eleven Shopping Day is approaching. And there is a similar case in the United States—Black Friday. It has been regarded as the beginning of the holiday shopping season. Although it's not an official holiday, millions of employers give their employees the day off, and many people use that day to get a jump-start on their holiday shopping. A similar day in Canada and Great Britain is called "Boxing Day".

    Black Friday has become somewhat of a marketing sensation in recent years. Since 2005, it has been the busiest shopping day of the year. To lure shoppers, retailers (零售商) routinely open their doors as early as 4 a.m. and offer special sales and promotions to the shoppers that arrive early. Some of the special deals offered by stores are only available in limited quantities. That is why some shoppers intent on getting the best deals often camp out in front of stores overnight so that they'll be the first in line when the doors open.

    But why is it called Black Friday? Historians believe the name started in Philadelphia in the mid-1960s. Bus drivers and police used "Black Friday" to describe the heavy traffic that would block city streets the day after Thanksgiving as shoppers headed to the stores.

    Businesses, however, didn't like the negative tone associated with the "Black Friday" name. In the early 1980s, a more positive explanation of the name began to circulate. According to this alternative explanation, Black Friday is the day when retailers finally begin to turn a profit for the year. In accounting terms (会计行业), operating at a loss is called being "in the red" because accountants traditionally used red ink to show negative amounts. Positive amounts were usually shown in black ink. Thus, being "in the black" is a good thing because it means stores are operating at a profit.

    Recently, for those who are too busy to shop on Black Friday or who just don't want to fight the crowds, the Monday following Black Friday has become known as Cyber Monday (网络星期一) for the many online deals.

Introduction of Holi

    Holi is an ancient festival of colours and love. It is celebrated in India and many parts of South Asia. There are lots of Holi celebrations. It is becoming more and more popular.

The festival of colour

Holi means the beginning of spring. It is a time to give thanks for the good harvest. The dates change each year according to the full moon, but it is usually in March and sometimes in late February. People go outside and throw coloured paint powder(粉) at each other. It does not matter whether you are rich or poor, old or young—everyone can throw colours. It is a time to forgive people and repair broken relationships, as well as meet other people, play and have fun.

    Traditional Holi

    Traditional Holi celebrations start the night before the throwing of colours. People meet around a bonfire(篝火) and hope that the bad will be destroyed. The next day is the festival of colours. There is music playing, and people run and laugh in the streets and parks. Holi is celebrated outside.

    Other Holi events in the UK

    Holi celebrations began as early as the fourth century. It is thousands of years old! But recently, Holi-themed events have become popular with a new generation in Europe and North America. Every year, many people go to Holi events in London and all over the UK. They dress in white T-shirts and return covered in bright colours. There are paint-throwing parties at music festivals and races like the five-kilometre 'Colour Run'. In the UK, restaurants and cultural organizations also offer their own Holi celebrations, with special dishes, Indian music and dance.

    The human-caused rise in CO₂ hasn't yet reached its full warming effect, owing to the considerable delay in its impact on ocean temperature. There is still another 0.5^oC of so of warming to occur over the coming decades based on the current concentrations（浓度）of CO₂ in the atmosphere, and far more warming beyond that if CO₂ concentrations continue to rise greatly with the business-as-usual burning of fossil oil. To improve the situation, the world needs to shift firmly from coal, oil and gas to renewable energy by around 2050 and from cutting down trees to planting trees and restoring degraded lands.

    So why do human begins keep dashing in a stupid way ahead, toward certain tragedy?

    The main reason is that our political institutions and giant corporations intentionally ignore the rising dangers and damage.   ①    Managing a major company is about maximizing shareholder value, not about telling the truth or avoiding great harm to the planet. Profit -seeking investors own the major media, or at least influence them through their advertising purchases. Thus, a small yet very powerful group keeps the fossil-fuel-based energy system at growing dangers to the rest of humanity today and in the future.

    We need a new kind of politics that starts with a clear goal: environmental safety for the planet's people, by fulfilling the Paris agreement, protecting biodiversity, and cutting pollution, which kills millions each years.   ②    The new politics will listen to scientific and technological experts, not self-interested business leaders and politicians.

       ③    Such a politics is possible. In fact, the public longs for it. A large majority of the American people,for example, want to fight global warming, stay in the Paris climate agreement, and support renewable（可更新的）energy. Yet, as long as a narrow and ignorant elite（精英）judges Americans and the rest of human beings to wander aimlessly in the political desert, the more likely it is that we will end up in a wasteland from which there will be no escape.  ④   

    In order to learn a foreign language well, four things are necessary. First, we must understand the language when we hear it spoken. Secondly, we must be able to speak it ourselves, with confidence and without hesitation(犹豫). Thirdly, we must do much reading. Finally, we must be able to write it. We must be able to make sentences that are correct in grammar.

    There are no shortcuts to success in language learning. A good memory is a great help, but it is not enough only to memorize the rules from a grammar book. It is not much learning by heart long lists of words and their meanings, studying the dictionary and so on. We must learn by using the language.

    If we are pleased with a few rules we have memorized, we are not really learning the language. We must "learn through use." Practice is important. We must practise speaking and writing the language whenever we can.