When the Normans built their first simple wooden castles in England，they built them on the top of small hills.The first permanent castles were made of stone and built with thick walls.The main building was usually surrounded by walls which overlooked the moat (护城河)．

     The entrance to the castle was usually over a drawbridge (吊桥) leading to the main gatehouse.The drawbridge could be raised or lowered and an iron grille (栅栏) could be lowered to shut off the entrance to the gatehouse.

     As time went on，the castle builders became more advanced in their techniques.Instead of building a strong central building and surrounding it with walls of lesser strength，they thought out the idea of surrounding a central area with huge walls which could contain all the main rooms of the castle.These walls usually had many towers and these towers were really a series of main buildings along the castle walls.In building these castles they used hill sites whenever possible in order to give the castle a better position.Because the outside world was shut off by a barrier or curtain of defences，they are called “curtain wall” castles.

     With the passing of time there was less need to build strong castles and nobles built manor (庄园) houses.These manor houses often had battlements and iron grilles，but they were built more for comfort and included many of the conveniences and luxuries of the large houses which were being built in the towns.

     Unfortunately，many English castles were damaged or destroyed completely during the Civil Wars of the 1600s.

If Confucius(孔子) were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.

While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal. Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.

But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.

    In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks(缺点) of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.

So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.

    Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.

    As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.

    What is the hottest topic at your school recently? In Taiyuan No.55 Middle School,it's money.

    The school held an activity called “making money” last weekend.About 200 Junior 1 and Junior 2 students were divided into 30 teams.They went out to make money by selling things.

    What did they choose to sell? Some sold newspapers;some chose bottled water;some sold environmentally friendly shopping bags and bamboo bamboo baskets.

    Hu Qing's team decided to sell some useful books in front of the Children Activity Center.They thought parents would like to buy the books for their children.But unfortunately,they met urban management officers（城管）.The officers asked them to leave.“ We played hide-and-seek（捉迷藏）with the officers for the whole morning”said Hu. “Finally we had to give up.”

    Wang Bing and her team sold ice cream in a square.They didn't meet any officers.But few people were interested in what they were selling.The team then put up a board saying “For Country Kids”.It worked.More people came to their stall（小摊）.A foreigner even gave them 100 yuan. “He didn't want any change.He said he wanted to help the children,” said Wang.“ We were touched.” Later that day they gave the 100 yuan and more to the “Project Hope” office.

    Meng Zhaoxiang and his team were luckier.They sold all their cakes in four hours,spending 39.5 yuan and getting back 80 yuan.They made 40.5 yuan.“It was not easy to make the money,” said Meng.“ Some people just looked.Others just tasted but didn't buy.Now I know how hard it is for our parents to make the money we need to lead happy lives.”

    Meeting people from another culture can be difficult. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal. Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.

    Different cultures emphasize (强调) the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in "small talk", usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job. In many European countries -- like the UK or France -- people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office.

    Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand. I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion; instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled. After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.

    Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.

    People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.

    In an attempt to make the group texting experience more bearable, we've put together a list of strategies and things to consider when messaging multiple people at the same time.

    Think about who you're texting

    Whether you're in a group text with your parents, schoolmates, or work friends, consider what you're sharing - and who you're sharing it with. Parents may not be interested in the latest memes and explaining their slight differences can be a pain.

    Be mindful of people's schedules

    While not everyone's schedules are the same, most people are busy during typical work week hours, so sending a million mid-day texts isn't always ideal. Some people rise early or get to bed early. Avoid including them on a text that you know will ask for a bunch of responses super late at night or early in the morning.

    Name the group

    If you have the ability to name the texting or messaging group you're on - this is possible on an iPhone or when using Facebook Messenger - I strongly recommend you do so. Though not everyone will love the name you choose, naming your group will help you keep track of all your ongoing conversations.

    Don't write lots of one-word texts

    Please, if you must text in the group thread, don't deliver multiple short answers in a row. Everyone will despise you. If you have something pressing to share or say, try to sum it up in one brief text. If you have a lot to say, maybe try writing an email.

    Damn I seriously don't have time to be on my phone when I'm at work, and my friends keep texting on the group chat and I'm at a loss.

    - Melzz (@_Melzzxx) November 17, 2018

Both humans and animals have enemies. It is easy for us to know the difference between our friends and our enemies. But can other animals do the same? Elephants can! They can use their sense of vision and smell to tell the difference between people who mean a threat and those who do not. In Kenya, researchers find that elephants react differently to clothing worn by men of the Maasai and Kamba ethnic groups. Young Maasai men hunt animals and thus mean a threat to elephants; Kamba men are mainly farmers and are not a danger to elephants.

In an experiment conducted by animal scientists, elephants were first presented with clean clothing or clothing that had been worn for five days by either a Maasai or a Kamba man. When the elephants noticed the smell of clothing worn by a Maasai man, they moved away from the smell faster and took longer to relax than when they noticed the smells of either clean clothing or clothing worn by a Kamba man.

Clothing color also plays a role. In the same study, when the elephants saw red clothing not worn before, they reacted angrily, as red is typically worn by Maasai men. Rather than running away as they did with the smell, the elephants acted angrily toward the red clothing.

The researchers believe that the elephants' emotional reactions are due to their different senses of smell and sight. Smelling a possible danger means that a threat is nearby and the best thing to do is run away and hide. Seeing a potential threat without its smell means that risk is low. Therefore, instead of showing fear and running away, the elephants express their anger and become aggressive.