Today we can use the Internet for many things: shopping, business, writing letters, talking to people, getting information and so on. In recent years, a new kind of English has grown on the Internet. There's no real word for it yet, so we call it e-talk.
    People don't like typing too much. To save time, they turn phrases into a few letters， acronyms(首字母缩略词). Acronyms are often used in chat rooms. Some are as follows:
    BRB (be right back), BTW (by the way), LOL (laughing out loud), IMO (in my opinion)
    People also use many abbreviations. They are shortened forms of words. Some common abbreviations include info (information), pic (picture), puter (computer), sec (second), etc.
    We usually don't see people when we communicate on the Net, so people have new ways to show feelings. Most people use their keyboards to draw "feelings", such as:
:-)  (happy)     ;-)  (joking)       :-(  (sad)        :-O  (surprised)
These days, many public discussions have picture feelings, for example:
    
(happy)           (sad)            (angry)           ( (cool)
    There are even whole new words, like "newbies"(someone who is new on a chat board or forum). When you write something bad about someone else, it's called "burning" the person.
    It takes time for people to get used to e-talk. Also, different groups on the Net have their own special ways of communicating. Newbies sometimes have to ask other people what they mean. As the Internet grows, e-talk will continue to grow and change.

A Bite of China

    Are you aneating-lover? Do you want to eat every delicious food in the world? Then do you watch the popular program A Bite of China? It's a TV program on Chinese delicious food which has been produced by CCTV. Is there any holiday that isn't celebrated with special festival food? Here are several traditional Chinese foods:

    Noodles are asymbol of long life in Chinese culture. They are as much a part of Chinese birthday celebration as a birthday cake with its candles lit in many western countries. Since noodles mean long life, it is considered very unlucky to cut it off.

    Although westerners sometimes may be very sorry to see fish lying on the plate, in Chinaa whole fish is a symbol of richness. In fact, at a party it is a tradition to serve the whole fish last, pointed towards the most valued guest. Fish also has a special meaning because the Chinese word for fish, yu, sounds like the word for richness or plenty, and it is believed that eating fish will help your wishes come true in the year to come.

    A very popular dish during the Dragon Boat Festival is Zongzi. This tasty dish is made of rice dumplings with meat, peanuts or other delicious food in bamboo leaves. The tradition of Zongzi is meant to remind us of a great man, Qu Yuan in Chinese history.

Flying kites —a popular hobby

People have been making and flying kites for about 2,000 years. No one knows for sure who invented the kite. Some historians (历史学家) believe the ancient Chinese might start the kite flying 2,000 years ago. And now it is still a popular hobby in China, Japan, Korea and other countries of the Far East where beautifully decorated kites appear in different colors. In China, there is even a special Kites Day on which children and adults fly kites. In Japan, families fly fish kites on Children's Day, May 5th.

    Simple kites are made by crossing two sticks and covering them with paper or cloth. And then people put a string at the end.

    Kites are made in many different sizes, colors and shapes. A flat kite is the oldest and simplest type of kite. It flies because air flows over and under the kite's wings. The pressure under the wings helps the kite lift into the air.

    Today most people fly kites as a hobby. Kite festivals are organized in many parts of the world.

    Our country used to be very poor in technology, but great changes have taken place these years. Lots of our technology is much better than those of foreign countries. High-speed railway technology is one example.

    We learned about high-speed railway technology from foreign countries, but now we have mastered(掌握）and developed the key technology. Our high-speed railway technology is advanced. It can not only have a high speed but also be used in different environment and the cost is lower.

    China Railway Corp (CRC) is fully prepared to sell a full supply of high -speed railway technology. The company said selling of railway technology and building railways for other countries are going very well, and progress is being made in a number of countries. We have a major advantage. We are able to sell whole railway technology. It isn't very good to buy some technology from one country and other technology from another.

    The selling plan for our high-speed railway technology will follow the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (一带一路).

    Like the US-made Boeing 737 and France's Airbus, our high-speed railway technology could be an important project to help sell our technology in the future.

    People in Britain and the USA are taking more interest in modern dance. Dance classes of all kinds are popular; the number of people going to watch modern dance companies is also larger. And perhaps the most popular modern dance company in Britain is the Ballet Rambert.

    The Ballet Rambert is Britain's oldest dance company which began in 1926. In the 1960s, the company didn't have enough money to put on big performances. The directors wanted to encourage new dancers and to keep up their high standards.

    A change of direction was necessary. They decided to give the ballet a "new look" in 1966. The aim was to provide a chance for new talent—for musicians and designers as well as dancers—and to show dance as a modern art form. And although some of the company's fans disliked the change, new audiences came to see the performances. The modern dance pieces and modern music found unexpected popularity. In 1968, the Ballet Rambert was a great success in London's West End. The company became a good choice for new, progressive talent in the arts.

    Later, the Ballet Rambert started to introduce young people to modern dance by giving performances at schools, which again, was a success. The Ballet Rambert has managed to make modern dance popular while creating performances different from the old ones. It is considered the oldest dance company in Britain and at the same time one of the most modern!