The latest Chinese “god song”(an Internet term to describe pop songs that spread virally through the Internet(像病毒一样传播开来) is still making debates(争论) between those who view it as a milestone for Chinese pop music going global and those who regard it as a bad image of China.

    Last week, Little Apple, written and performed by the Chopsticks Brothers, won the AMA International Song Award and the duo performed the song at the 2014 American Music Awards in Los Angeles. Another Chinese pop singer, Zhang Jie, won the International Artist Award.

    But while fans of these singers are thinking highly of the awards(奖) and the performance by the Chopsticks Brothers at the AMA celebration, there are others who are less excited. They have questioned the value of the awards and what effect it will have on Chinese culture's “going abroad”, saying it may leave foreign audiences with a poor impression(印象) of Chinese pop music, and even Chinese culture.

    The Little Apple phenomenon, both home and abroad, can be more easily understood and judged if we look at it from a business view rather than a cultural view. The professional promoters behind the duo have developed a clear strategy(策略) to promote the duo and their works, not just this particular song. Little Apple was originally released(发行) to promote the duo's film Old Boys: The Way of the Dragon.

    From the very beginning a marketing strategy was used to promote(提升) the song, which immediately went viral on the Internet due to its repetitive rhythm(重复的韵律)，easy-to-remember lyrics(歌词), simple and funny dance and, most importantly, grass roots (草根) nature. The video accumulated(积攒) more than 1 billion bits on China's major video websites.

    Although the song was generally disliked by music professionals who criticized(批评) it as “musical junk food”, Little Apple's popularity nationally paved the way(为…铺平道路) for promoting the duo internationally.

    Plenty of people dream of traveling to other planets. But “Star Wars” fans can actually visit locations where many of the films' most famous scenes were shot. Here are some of the places where “Star Wars” comes to life.

Hotel Sidi Driss, Matmata, Tunisia

    Perhaps the most famous "Star Wars" landmark in the world, this is where the interiors of Luke Skywalker's childhood home on planet Tatooine were filmed. Centuries ago, Berbers built the underground structure as a real home. Eventually it became a hotel, which George Lucas used to film the first "Star Wars" film. The set decorations came down when the crew left, but were rebuilt in 2000 for "Attack of the Clones." Since then, they've remained, so guests can eat at the table where young master Luke did.

La Grande Dune, outside Nefta, Tunisia

    The igloo(冰屋) outside of Luke's house was filmed about 300 kilometers away on the dried-up salt lake of Chott El Jerid. The igloo is still there, reachable with a decent car at the GPS coordinates 33"50'34. 42"N, 7"46'44.48"E.

    The surrounding hotels are man-made, to create the illusion (幻觉)that the underground house is next to it. The igloo from the 1977 movie was taken apart, but again rebuilt for "Attack of the Clones," and later restored by a fan. Nearby is La Grande Dune, site of the Dune Sea. About 30 minutes from the igloo is the set of Mos Espa, the spaceport town where Anakin was discovered as a young slave.

Redwood National and State parks, California

    Endor, the forest moon home of the furry Ewoks, was filmed among California's giant redwoods. Most of the well-known scenes were shot on private land owned by a lumber company. Since the cast and crew worked on "Return of the Jedi" in 1982, heavy logging has left most of the landscape unrecognizable. But driving through the parks still gives a feel for the set, especially along the Avenue of the Giants highway.

    In Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park and the Humboldt Redwoods State Park, plates were filmed for some chase scenes.

    You may know the Eiffel Tower as one of the most famous man-made monuments in the world, and you'd be absolutely right! Read on to learn about the history of the great Eiffel Tower.

    Travelers from around the world flock(蜂拥)to Paris, France, to visit the Eiffel Tower, making it the most visited paid monument in the entire world! In fact, in 2010, the Eiffel Tower welcomed its 250 millionth visitor!

The history of the Eiffel Tower

    The Eiffel Tower was named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the famous monument. Construction began in January of 1887 and was completed in only two years. Their plan was to finish the tower in time to be the entrance arch for the World's Fair in 1889. This fair celebrated the 100^th anniversary of the French Revolution, which took place from 1789 to 1799.

The height competition

    Located on the Champs de Mars, the tower is the tallest structure in Paris. It was the tallest man-made structure in the world for 41 years until the Chrysler Building in New York surpassed(超过) it. Then the spire(塔尖) on the top of the tower was added, raising its height to 17 feet taller than the Chrysler Building. It is now 1,063 feet tall! There are two replicas(复制品) of the Eiffel Tower in the world: a half scale model at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas and a full-sized monument of a similar (but not exact) design in Tokyo, Japan.

Three shades of wonder

    Some pictures make the Eiffel Tower look like a dark iron color. But it is, in fact, bronze. Not only that, but the tower is actually painted three different shades to make it appear even taller: darkest on the bottom and lightest on the top.

    26-year-old Anna Cherdantseva, from the city of Ufa in Russia, is a full-time employee of a furniture company, spending up t0 10 hours every day trying out new sofas for comfort and safety.

    Last month, Russian furniture giant M25 Group announced that it was taking application for a new position. Although all new products are tested in a specialized laboratory, management decided that in order to better meet the needs of consumers it needed some feedback(反馈) on real-life use of its sofas.  In just a few days, M25 received over 5,000 job applications.

    "We selected candidates in several stages," M25 Group spokesperson Anastasia Russkih said.  "Initially we checked their CVs, and then we let them tell us why they wanted the job. " Eventually, the furniture company shortlisted just 7 candidates, out of which Anna Cherdantseva, a 26-year-old marketing expert, proved to be the most suitable for the job.  "It was a real fight for my dream job," Anna said after getting selected.

    Despite describing herself as an active person, Cherdantseva says that spending about l0 hours a day sitting on sofas doesn't sound bad at all.  "Of course I will spend a lot of time on new sofas.  The more time I spend on them, the better it will be for my work," she told reporters.

    Anna Cherdantseva is at present on a three-month probation(试用期) at M25, but the company claims that as long as she proves to be up to the task, they plan on offering her a permanent position The young woman will receive a monthly salary of 56,000 rubles( $l,000) for the first three months.  It's not so bad for sitting on the job.

    John, a very thin boy, loved football with all his heart when he was very young. Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But being half the size of the other boys, he could only sit on the bench and hardly ever played in games. Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always standing with cheers and encouraging him.

    When John went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a “walk-on”. Everyone was sure he could never make the cut, but he did. The coach thought he could provide the other members with the spirit they needed.

    The news that he had survived the cut excited him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father. His father shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games.

    It was the end of this last football season. One day John received a telegram and asked one week off. Nobody knew what happened except the coach. The coach said, “Don't plan to come back to the game on Saturday.”

    Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well：When the team was ten points behind, John came back. “Coach, please let me play. I've just got to play today,” said John. The coach pretended not to hear him. But John persisted, and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in.

    Before long everyone could not believe their eyes. John was doing everything to fight. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he passed and blocked like a star. And at last his team won the game.

    After the game, John looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, “Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?'' John swallowed hard and forced a smile, “Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him that I could do it.”

    If you're a cycling lover, you will have to pay a lot of attention to your bicycle and maintain it well, for bicycle parts are exposed to wear and tear (磨损) over time and you have to examine the bicycle to see if there are any signs of wearing such as scratches, dents (凹陷) etc. Sometimes, a part may not work because it has exceeded its life expectancy. Sometimes, you will need to find replacement parts for it to keep up the performance of the bicycle.

    Different parts of a bicycle will wear at different rates so it is very important that you have a basic understanding about the role played by each part. One of the most important parts of the bicycle is the frame. You will need to choose a frame that lasts for a very long time. Of course, you will see some paint scratches after some time. When you're selecting a frame, you have to think about the material. Aluminium (铝) frames will not rust easily, but they have a higher chance to dent. Steel frames will be hard to dent, but you will need to make sure they get a good paint job so that they won't rust.

    Wheels also experience a lot of wear and tear and you should go for a professional seller when you want to buy wheels. There are different types of wheels that you can buy, like Zipp wheels that provide more aerodynamic efficiency (空气动力学效能). Investing in new tyres instead of going for used is a good idea because you will be able to get more use out of it. The same goes for chain as there's a higher chance of a used chain breaking. You may also experience shifting problems. However, some parts of bicycles such as pedals can be used for a long time and you can find different styles.

    Other parts that you can buy used are seats, handlebars and the stem. When you are buying handlebars, you have to see if there are any dents or if they have been bent out of shape. There shouldn't be any cracks in the seat post or the handlebars. There are many shops where you can buy parts, so you will have to check the references to see how customers respond to them before you buy anything.