Global English Center

    General English in all four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing.

    3-month (700 yuan), 6-month (1,200 yuan) and one-year (2,000 yuan) courses.

    Choice of morning or evening classes, 3 hours per day, Mon.--Fri.

    Experienced college English teachers.

    Close to the city center and bus stops

    Add: 105 Zhongshan Road Tel: 6760000

    Modern Language School

    Special courses in English for business, travel, banking, hotel management and office skills.

    Small classes (2~16 students) on Saturday and Sunday from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m..

    English teachers from Canada and the USA.

    3-month (1,000 yuan), 6-month (1,800 yuan).

    Add: 675 Park Road Tel: 6777777

    The 21st Century English Training Center

    We offer morning or afternoon classes. Both of which last three months and a half at a cost of 800 yuan. Entrance exams: June 1 and December 1.

    We also have a six-week TOEFL preparation class during winter and summer holidays

    Only 15-minute walk from city center.

    Call 6016666 for more information.

    The International House of English

    3-or 6-month English course for students of all levels at very low cost: 60 yuan for 12 hours per week; convenient class hours: 9:00~12:00 a.m. and 2:00~5:00 p.m.

    4~month evening classes for developing speaking skills (same cost as day classes)

    Well- trained foreign teachers

    Free sightseeing tours and social activities

    Very close to the Central Park.

    Call 6886666 for further information.

    Every person has their own way of saying things, their own special expressions. Many everyday American expression are based on colors.

    Red is a hot colour. Americans often use it to express heat. They may say they are red hot about something unfair. When they are red hot they are very angry about something. The small hot tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hots for their colour and their fiery taste. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say the music is popular with many people. They may say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixicland jazz.

    Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say they're in the pink when they're in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the 20th century. It probably came from many babies who were born with a nice pink colour showing good health.

Blue is a cool colour. The traditional blues music in t he United States is the opposite of red hot music. Blues is slow, sad and soulful. Duke Ellington and his orchestra recorded a famous song—Mood Indigo—about the deep blue colour, indigo. In the words of the song: “You aren't blue till you've had that Mood Indigo.” Someone who is blue is very sad.

    The colour green is natural for trees and grass. But it is an unnatural colour for humans. A person who has a sick feeling in his stomach may say he feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green.

    Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as his friend's, like a fast new car. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars of greenbacks. Dollars are called greenbacks because that is the colour of the back side of the paper money.

    The colour black is often used in expressions. People describe a day in which everything goes wrong as a black day. The date of a major tragedy is remembered as a black day. a blacklist is illegal now. But at one time, some businesses refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations.

    When I was ten years old I went to the USA to visit some family friends. I noticed something funny about the way everyone spoke English.

    One moment! I remember very clearly was at the beginning of the holiday, when my friend asked me if I wanted to order “French fries”. I couldn't imagine what they were. She was amazed that I had never tried them and she ordered a portion for us to share. When the waiter brought us some chips, I asked her where the French fries were. She pointed at the plate of chips! Later that week she said she was going to buy some “chips” from the supermarket. She came out with a packet of crisps（薯片）! How come?

    During that holiday we were also offered “biscuits” with our lunch. This was a very strange idea to me, because in England biscuits are sweet. I later realized that “biscuits” in America are salty snacks. What we call “biscuits', they call “cookies”.

    I was also embarrassed when a stranger told me she liked my “pants”. I wondered how she could see them! My mum then told me that they call “pants” what we call “trousers”, the outer clothing that you wear on your legs instead of inside clothing!

    I was disgusted when I saw an “eggplant” pizza on the menu in a restaurant. But I was puzzled how eggs can grow on plants. My dad ordered this pizza and it was covered in aubergines（茄子）. “They call aubergines 'eggplant' in America!” he told me.

    I think part of the excitement of learning a language is learning about the differences that exist in how it is spoken in different places.

    Having good etiquette(礼节，礼仪) at the workplace is very important to be a favorite in an office. However, many people aren't aware of the workplace etiquette and this creates a very bad impression in the office. So it's important to know some workplace etiquette tips.

    Among all the workplace etiquette guidelines, the most important is to be punctual(准时的) to your office. Though going late due to an emergency is okay, habitual late comers are never appreciated in any organization. By arriving at your office on time, you show that you're aware of your responsibilities and have respect for the organization. In case you feel that you would be late, call the concerned authority and report the matter to him or her.

    Also, a proper knowledge of the workplace email etiquette is a must. In the official emails, you need to mention the subject concisely (简洁地), while at the same time include all the important details which are to be shared. You should use good and grammatically correct language while writing emails.

    A knowledge of telephone etiquette in the workplace is very important as well. While talking on the telephone, be polite and listen to what they're saying carefully. Only then should you say what you feel. Speak in a voice which would be heard clearly at the other end.

    The workplace guidelines are important even while you're dining or celebrating with your co-workers. If you get a call in between, receive it after you're permitted by the others by saying "excuse me". Don't talk loudly while eating. Greet people well and try to make them feel comfortable, while being in your company.

    These guidelines will help you become the best employee of a company. All the best!

    David Cameron is urging today's youngsters to abandon French to concentrate on the tongue of the future—Mandarin(普通话)。

    Cameron said: "I want Britain linked up to the world's fast-growing economies. And that includes our young people learning the languages to seal tomorrow's business deals.”

    "By the time the children born today leave school, China is to be the world's largest economy. So it's time to look beyond the traditional focus on French and German and get many more children learning Mandarin.” To strengthen his message , he quoted Nelson Mandela—the former president of South Africa who said "If you talk to a man in a language he understands that goes to his head; if you talk to him in his own language that goes to his heart.”

    Cameron said that a partnership between the British Council (英国文化协会) and Hanban will double the number of Chinese language assistants in the UK by 2016 and provide increased funding to schools of offering Mandarin as a language choice. In a development of the UK—China School Partnership programme , funding will also be provided for 60 headteachers to make study visits to China in 2014.

    In recent research the British Council found only 1% of the adult population speaks Mandarin to a level that allows them to conduct a basic conversation. Just 3,000 pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland entered for Chinese languages GCSEs in 2013, putting it far behind the traditional choices of French with 177,000, Spanish with 91,000 and German with 62,000 entrants(加入者), as well as Urdu, Polish and Arabic.

    Professor Dame Helen Wallace, the British Academy's foreign secretary, said, " a lack of qualified teachers could be a barrier to improve its popularity.”

    Laura Chan, one of the co—founders of a bilingual Mandarin—English primary school, said the prime minister's announcement was good news for the status of Mandarin. She said, "It's a great help. It will increase people's awareness of Mandarin as a language they can learn.”

In early February 2019, 51-year-old Rainer Schimpf and his team set out to film South Africa's famous Sardine Run off the coast of Port Elizabeth. The migration of billions of South African sardines, is a big draw for hunters, especially seabirds and dolphins. The two species work together to herd the large group of fish into smaller shoals (浅滩), which are then eaten by not just the birds and the dolphins, but also sharks and Bryde's whales.

In an attempt to find the best scene of the amazing natural phenomenon, which has been the subject of many films, Rainer got into the middle of a swirling ball of fish. Suddenly the sea churned (翻腾), and the experienced diver and his photographer Heinz Toperczer, who was filming from the boat, instantly realized something strange was going on.

Toperczer later said, "As Rainer moved towards the shoals, suddenly the water churned widely up, dolphins shot out of the water and then a whale appeared and caught him!"

Rainer, who was swallowed in darkness inside the whale's mouth, was trying to survive. "I held my breath because I thought he was going to dive down and release me much deeper in the ocean," the diver said.

Fortunately for Rainer, the whale quickly realized he was no sardine! "I felt huge pressure around my waist (腰部) which is when I guess the whale realized his mistake," he said. "As the whale turned sideways, he opened his mouth slightly to release me, and I was washed out, together with tons of water, of his mouth." Though the entire event lasted just 1. 8 seconds, it felt like a century to Rainer.

Still holding his underwater camera, the diver swam to his boat, where he was quickly rescued by the members of the team. The terrifying adventure did not worry Rainer for too long. After checking to ensure he had no injuries, the diver returned to the water. Fortunately, the rest of the adventure went peacefully.