How do we know what's right or wrong in English? Languages such as French and Spanish each has an official(官方的) organization that tells you what's correct. But there is nothing like that in English. So what can we do?

    There is, of course, Standard English. This is the kind of English you read in newspapers or in formal letters. It is also the English you learn at school or in textbooks.

    However, Standard English is not official English. And unbelievably, linguists（语言学家） think Standard English is on the same level as all other types of English such as Cockney English, Yorkshire English, South African English, Australian English, Singaporean English… And according to linguists, there is no such thing as Standard Spoken English.

    English is changing all the time. Every year, new words appear and others disappear. Words change too. For example, for many years, the Latin word “agendum” was the accepted singular form and “agenda” was the plural form. However, these days, very few people use the Latin-sounding“agendum”, with “agenda” being the accepted singular form, and “agendas” the plural.

Newspapers each has their own style when they write certain things. For example，The Guardian puts dates like “21 July 2011”(with the day first, followed by the month and no commas). However, the news agency Reuters writes them like this “July 21, 2011”(with the month first, and a comma(逗号) between the day and the year). Other newspapers have different ways of doing it too. So, as you can see, there's no one “correct” way —there's a variety of ways and each one is acceptable.

    Next time someone tells you that something is wrong, tell them that it isn't wrong, It is just English.

(Each answer should be no more than four words)

    On a Wednesday night, a young man was playing the guitar at the station. Some people stopped and put some money into his hat.

    The next day, the young man came to the station again. There was a large piece of paper next to his hat. It said, "Last night, a kind man named Henry put something important into my hat. Please come to get it back soon."

    About half an hour later, an old man came and the young man said, "Yes, I knew you would come back."

    "What did you lose?" asked the young man. "$800, 000," answered the old man. Then the young man took out a check（支票）and gave it back to the old man. The old man was so happy that he danced with the young guitar player.

    A little stream(小溪) ran down from a high mountain through many villages and forests. Then it reached a desert." I went through so many difficulties. I should have no problem crossing the desert," she thought. As she started, she found herself slowly vanishing(消失)into the sand. After many tries, she still failed." Maybe I can't reach the ocean," she said sadly to herself. At this time, a deep voice said," If wind can cross the desert, so can a river." It was the voice of the desert. But the little stream answered," That's because the wind can fly, but I can not."

   "That's because you can't give up what you are.  Let yourself evaporate(蒸发)into the wind and it can take you across me," said the desert." Give up what I am now? No! No!" The little stream could not accept this idea." The wind can carry the vapor(蒸汽)across the desert and let it leave as rain. The rain will form a river again," said the desert. "And whether you're a river or vapor, your nature never changes." After hearing this, the little stream went into the open arms of the wind. It carried her to the next stage of her life.

    The course of our lives is like the experience of the little stream. If you want to go through difficulties in your life to head for success, you should also change the way you are.

    Can dolphins talk? Maybe they can't talk with words, but they can talk with sounds. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} They are mammals (哺乳动物), but they swim together in a group.

    Dolphins talk to the other dolphins in a group. They give information. They say "Welcome" when a dolphin comes back to the group. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} They talk when they play.

    They make a few sounds above water. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} People cannot hear these sounds because their pitch (音调) is very high. Scientists make tapes of the sounds and study them.

    Sometimes people catch a dolphin for a large aquarium. (An aquarium is a zoo for fish.) People can watch the dolphins in a show. Dolphins don't like to be away from their group in an aquarium. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    There are many stories about dolphins. They help people {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Dolphin meat is good, but people don't like to kill them. They say that dolphins can bring good luck to them. Many people believe this.

    Have you ever heard the saying "There is no place like home!" This is just another way of saying that home is a very special place. Our bedroom, our family, our pets, and all of the things we love are at home.

    Is home a place where you can relax and have fun? Is home a place where you get all of your best thinking done? Being at home means different things to different people. As people grow older, home usually represents more responsibility (责任) because it needs care inside and out. Who takes care of all of these things in your home? How do you help out?

    There are many different kinds of homes. Some people live in apartments, condos, or single﹣family homes. Homes have different rooms that are used for different purpose. The kitchen, the bedrooms, the living room and the bathroom each have their own use. Suppose your house does not have a roof and you are a bird flying over it, what does your house look like? Think about it.

    Some people might say that family and food are two of the best parts of being home. At home, you can tell your parents about your day, play with your pets, and grab a snack from the cupboard of fridge. You can relax in your room and read a book or play a game. You can ask friends over to play. Home is a place to take care of and be grateful for. Even though you are young, you can help to make a nice place to be. After all, home is where the heart is!

    Do you get angry when your friends sing loudly while you are trying to work or when your best friend does not wait for you after school?

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Getting angry with others can cause you to lose friends.

    Gary Egeberg, an American high school teacher, has written My Feelings Are Like Wild Animals to help you control your feelings. It tells how to stay cool when bad things happen.

    The book says that getting angry only makes problems worse. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} "Getting angry is not a natural way to act," the book says, "It's just a bad habit, like smoking."

    The book says you can control your anger easily—all you have to do is to tell yourself not to be angry.

    The book gives many tips to help you if you get angry easily. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Keep a record. When you get angry, write down why you are angry. Look at it later and you will see you get angry too easily.

    Ask your friends to stop talking to you when you get angry. This will teach you not to be angry.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} When you get angry, walk away from the problem and go somewhere else. Try to laugh.