Tulips(郁金香) are the national flower of Iran and Turkey. The European name for the flower is a misuse of the Persian word for turban(头巾), a mistake probably arising in the common Turkish custom of wearing flowers in the folds of the turban. Alternatively, the misuse may have arisen because this eastern flower, when not yet in full bloom, looks like a turban. In Persia, to give a red tulip was to declare your love for someone. The black center of the red tulip was said to represent the lover's heart, burned to a coal by love's passion.

    Originally growing in the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey), tulips were imported into Holland in the sixteenth century. When Carolus Clusius wrote the first major book on tulips in 1592, they became so popular that the tulips in his garden were stolen from time to time. As the Dutch Golden Age grew, so did this colorful flower. They were commonly seen in paintings and at festivals. In the mid-seventeenth century, tulips even created the first economics bubble（泡沫经济）, known as “Tulip Mania”. At that time, tulips were so expensive that they were used as money until the market for them crashed.

    Today, Holland is still known for its tulips and other flowers, often sincerely called “the flower shop of the world.” Tulips are planted in great fields of beautiful color, and transform the landscape into a sea of different colors. Tulip festivals are held throughout the country in spring. However, the most well-known tulip festival is organized in the Noordoostpolder, a province in the central Netherlands, each year. Held in the middle of the tulip fields, this flower festival runs from late April to early May. The Dutch people took their love of tulips abroad when they settled, and tulips and tulip festivals are now found in New York and Michigan, where the connection to their Dutch roots is still very strong.

    IPhone owners are vainer（虚荣）and spend more on clothes and grooming（仪容）than those who have BlackBerrys and Android phones, new research claims.BlackBerry owners earn the most and are more likely to have long-term relationships, while people with Android handsets are most creative and the best cooks.

    The study, carried out by TalkTalk Mobile, surveyed 2,000 owners of the three major smartphone brands to determine whether the choice of handset was an extension(延伸) of their personality. The study rated users in various walks of life using a point scoring system including personalities, daily habits and the type of industries they work in.

    Other results from the study found that people with an iPhone are more image conscious and generally consider themselves more attractive than those with other handsets. They are most likely to describe themselves as adventurous, bright and are most likely to work in media, publishing and education. They also believe their boss rates them highly. Apple owners also tend to have done more travelling and are the most active on social media sites.

    BlackBerry owners were found to be the least punctual(准时的), but despite putting in the least hours at work they are the most active phone user—sending more texts and making more calls in the average day than any other phone user. They are more social and have more friends overall. They also earn nearly two and a half thousand pounds a year more than other smartphone owners, with an average salary of $27,406. BlackBerry users classed themselves so loud and mainly work in the health, finance or property sectors. They were also found to drink more tea and coffee each day than any other phone user.

    Android owners were found to watch more TV than others and drink the most alcohol—consuming more in an average week than iPhone and BlackBerry drinkers. They have the most jobs in engineering, the government and public services and environmental services. They have the best manners and are more shy and relaxed than their counterparts.

    Dan Meader, Director of Mobile at TalkTalk, said,“Many of us have our mobile phones on us almost constantly so they do become an extension of us in many ways. It's interesting to see then how the choice in handset may reflect different aspects of personality and the results do show some unusual difference

    Wondering where to watch the fireworks on the fourth Friday of July? Here are some restaurants where you can sit, grab a bite to eat and watch the show.

    The Roof on Wilshire offers a view of the city, so chances are that you'll be able to catch a fireworks show while you're up there. The restaurant will also offer an all-you-can-eat menu for $20 that includes all beef hot dogs and sweet potato chips. The festivities will take place from 2 to 11 pm. Reservations are recommended. 6317 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, (323) 852-6002.

    Whiskey Red's is located in Marina Del Rey. Beginning at 5:30 pm, it will include live music from Jack of Hearts. The event is free and open to the public. Guests can make reservations from 5:30 to 10 pm. It costs $59 to reserve a seat on the patio(露台) and $49 for indoor seating. Kids aged 5 to 12 need $25 for a seat outside and $20 for an indoor seat. Kids aged four and below are free. 13813 Fiji Way, Marina Del Rey, (310) 823-4522.

    High Rooftop lounge in Venice at the top of the Hotel Erwin offers views of the Venice coastline. The fireworks show starts at 9 pm. The rooftop lounge (休息室) offers a full menu of cocktails and a selection of snacks. 1697 Pacific Avenue, Venice Beach, (800) 786-7789.

    The last one is Carbon Beach Club at the Malibu Inn. Here you can see fireworks from a seat on the restaurant's oceanfront balcony from 6 to 9:30 pm. Reservations are recommended. 22878 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, (310) 456-6444.

    Having a smart phone may not be as smart as you think. They may let you surf the Internet, listen to music and take photos wherever you are…but they also turn you into a workaholic（工作狂）,it seems.

    A study suggests that, by giving you access to emails at all times, the smart phone adds as much as two hours to your working day. Experts found that British people work an additional 460 hours a year on average as they are able to respond to emails on their mobiles. The study shows the average UK working day is between 9 and 10 hours, but 2 more hours is spent responding to or sending work emails, or making work calls.

    Almost one in ten admits spending up to three hours outside their normal working day checking work emails. Some workers say they are on call almost 24 hours a day. Nearly two-thirds say they often check work emails just before they go to bed and as soon as they wake up, while over a third have replied to one in the middle of the night. The average time for first checking emails is between 6 a.m and 7 a.m, with more than a third checking their first email in the period, and a quarter checking them between 11 p.m.and midnight.

    Ghadi Hobeika, marketing director of Pixmania, said: “The ability to access millions of Apps has made smart phone invaluable for many people. However, there are disadvantages. Many companies expect their employees to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and smart phones mean that people cannot get away from work. The more frequently in contact we become, the more is expected of us in a work capacity.”

    Poet William Stafford once said that we are defined more by the detours in life than by the narrow road toward goals. I like this image. But it was quite by accident that I discovered the deep meaning of his words.

    For years we made the long drive from our home in Seattle to my parents' home in Boise in nine hours. We traveled the way most people do: the fastest, shortest, easiest road, especially when I was alone with four noisy, restless kids who hate confinement and have strong opinions about everything.

    Road trips felt risky, so I would drive fast, stopping only when I had to. We would stick to the freeways and arrive tired.

    But then Banner, our lamb was born. He was rejected by his mama days before our planned trip to Boise. I had two choices: leave Banner with my husband, or take him with me. My husband made the decision for me.

    That is how I found myself on the road with four kids, a baby lamb and nothing but my everlasting optimism to see me through. We took the country roads out of necessity. We had to stop every hour, let Banner shake out his legs and feed him. The kids chased him and one another. They'dget back in the car breathless and energized, smelling fresh from the cold air.

    We explored side roads, catching grasshoppers in waist-high grass. Even if we simply looked out of the car windows at baby pigs following their mother, or fish leaping out of the water, it was better than the best ride down the freeway. Here was life and new horizons.

    We eventually arrived at my parents' doorstep astonishingly fresh and full of stories.

    I grew brave with the trip back home and creative with my disciplining technique. On an empty section of road, everyone started quarreling. I stopped the car, ordered all kids out and told them to meet me up ahead. I parked my car half a mile away and read my book in sweet silence.

    Some road trips are by necessity fast and straight. But that trip with Banner opened our eyes to a world available to anyone adventurous enough to wander around and made me realize that a detour may uncover the best part of journey—and the best part of yourself.

    Living in a foreign culture can be exciting, but it can also be confusing(令人迷惑的). A group of Americans who taught English in other countries recently discussed their experiences. They found that miscommunication was always possible, even over something as simple as "yes" and "no".

    On her first day in Micronesia, an island in the Pacific, Lisa thought people weren't paying any attention to her. The day was hot. She went into a store and asked, "Do you have cold drinks？" The woman there didn't say anything. Lisa repeated the question. Still the woman said nothing. She later learned that the woman had answered her: She had raised her eyebrows(眉毛), which in Micronesia means "yes".

    Jan remembered an experience she had in Bulgaria, a country in Europe. She went to a restaurant that was famous for its cabbage. She asked the waiter, "Do you have cabbage today？" He nodded his head. Jan waited, but the cabbage never came. In that country, a nod means "no".

    Tom had a similar problem when he arrived in India. After explaining something in class, he asked his students if they understood. They answered with many different nods and shakes of the head. He thought some people had not understood, so he explained again. When he asked again, they did the same thing. He soon found out that his students did understand. In India, people nod and shake their heads in different ways depending on where they come from. You have to know where a person is from to understand whether they mean "yes" or "no"．