In Britain you're allowed to drive a car when you're seventeen. You have to get a special two-year driving license before you can start. When you're learning, someone with a full license always has to be in the car with you because you aren't allowed to drive the car on the road alone. You don't have to go to a driving school — a friend can teach you. The person with you isn't allowed to take money for the lesson unless he's got a teacher's license.
Before you're allowed to have a full license, you have to take a driving test. You can take a test in your own car, but it has to be fit for the road. In the test you have to drive round for about half an hour and then answer a few questions. If you don't pass the test, you're allowed to take it again a few weeks later if you want to. In 1970 a woman passed her fortieth test after 212 driving lessons! When you've passed your test, you don't have to take it again, and you're allowed to go on driving as long as you like. Britain's oldest driver was a man who drove in 1974 at the age of 100.
Before 1904 everyone was allowed to drive, even children. Then from 1904 car drivers had to have a license. But they didn't have to take a test until 1935. On the early days of car driving, before 1878, cars weren't allowed to go faster than four miles an hour, and someone had to lead the car with a red flag.

    One day an American called Simon went to London to visit his friend, Rick. Rick told him that his flat was on the first floor. When he arrived, Simon went straight to the first floor of the building. But he was told that there was no Rick on that floor. Do you know why?

    In fact, the British call the first floor of a building the ground floor. The floor above the ground floor is the first floor, while Americans would call it the second floor.

    The story shows that there are a few culture differences between Britain and America, though the British and Americans both speak English.

    The British usually hide their feelings. They seldom start a conversation with strangers. For example, on the train the British often spend their time reading newspapers or books. But Americans are quite different. They're more active and easier to talk with.

    The British and Americans may use different terms for many things. The British usually use “football”, “eraser” and “mail” while Americans prefer to use “soccer”, “rubber” and “post”.

    The Oxford English Dictionary（OED）is thinking of adding the Chinese word tuhao to its 2014 edition（版本）. The word has become popular in China since 2013. It is used to describe rich people who spend money in extravagant（奢侈的）ways. The word has also become popular in Western countries, too.

    The word being used by people in foreign countries is an example of China's spreading influence in the world in not just economy（经济）, but also society and culture. People are paying attention to what is happening in China and are gradually picking up some Chinese words. These words express special Chinese ideas, but they cannot be easily translated into English.

    The OED is also thinking of adding hukou and dama to the 120 Chinese words that have been collected in its dictionary. Hukou means China's system（制度）that makes sure Chinese people can live in a certain place, and dama means middle-aged Chinese women who influence the global gold markets because of their gold-buying habits.

    The news that the OED will include these Chinese words has been criticized. Some people say the words can be embarrassing to some people in China, but others think that it's natural for words to spread and be used in other places. In fact, the word tuhao expresses the humor of China. It is easy to pronounce and it makes fun of rich people who have more money than taste.

    So, welcome to the English language, tuhao-let's be friends！

    Hundreds of years ago, no dandelions grew in North America. Then people came from Europe with dandelion seeds on their clothes. The seeds fell from their clothes onto the ground. Since then, dandelions have spread all over.

    Most people believe that dandelions are weeds. They do not want them in their gardens. But some people think that dandelion flowers are pretty. And others think that dandelions taste good. They cook dandelion leaves or put them into a fresh salad. The leaves must be picked before the flowers come out or they will not taste good. Some people make dandelion flowers into wine.

    Dandelions don't die easily. If the winter is not very cold, their leaves may stay green. When the spring arrives, their flowers come out. Each night their bright yellow flowers close up. When the sun shines the next day, they open up again. Dandelion flowers are very unusual. They don' t have to get pollen (花粉) from another dandelion flower in order to form seeds. So after several days, the yellow flower turns white and soft. A tiny brown seed forms at the bottom of each white petal (花瓣). When the wind blows, the petals float away. Each white petal carries a seed away. This lets the dandelions spread their seeds all over. New dandelions grow where the seeds land.