The first part of a new science-fiction series （系列剧）was shown on NBC last night. Star Trek is about a spacecraft（宇宙飞船）which travels faster than the speed of light. The show is developed from three ideas about the 22nd century. First, we'll find other life forms great tools which will make amazing things possible.

  Let's think about these predictions. If we find life forms on other planets, will they be intelligent? I hope so. But we human beings might not be friendly – I don't think we'll believe in the idea of peace one hundred years from now. But this is science fiction, so we can be optimistic! And Star Trek's idea of life in the future is "communicators". And we will be ablt to have conversatins with people who are on because you'll have an electronic notebook. And if you get ill, the doctor won't have to examine you – a machine will "read" your body.  The strangest manchine includes a "teleport" which will take people to a different placein a second!

 The ideas are interesting, and in my opinion there's only one problem with star trek: the acting. The TV company （公司）will have to get better actors. If they do that, the show might be a success. If the acting doesn't improve, Star Trek won't last for more than one series. Of course, my prediction may be wrong. I can't see into the future!

Dear Mike，

      I'm so glad you're coming to China! Your mother，our foreign English teacher，told me you're worried about what you should and shouldn't do as a guest in China．Here's some advice．You will probably be invited to a big meal. You may find it earlier than you expect because Chinese people eat dinner much earlier than people in the West．There will be a lot of different dishes，not just three courses．You may find it difficult to use chopsticks if you haven't tried before．It's a good idea to get some practice．When the food is served，you should take time to look at it. The preparation takes a long time and everything will look beautiful．The plates will be placed in the middle of the table，for everyone to share．Take a little of everything and then have some more of the things you like．Chinese people like to talk about food，so it's a good topic of conversation．At the end of the meal，you will usually be served with fruit．Eat your fruit，thank your friends， and go．

      I hope this is helpful．E-mail me if you have any other questions． 

                                                                                                                              Yours，

                                                                                                                                   David Zhang

    When 4-year-old Prince George started his first day of school in September. Chinese language was on his curriculum(课程).

    And he wasn't alone. It is reported that about 51 percent of the parents in the UK want their children to learn Chinese, as it's believed to be one of the most useful languages to know.

    In the popularity of Chinese drove the UK government to start the Mandarin Excellence Programme in September last year. It aims to make at least 5.000 British state secondary school students be good at speaking Chinese by 2020.

    Yet, the UK isn't the only country showing a growing interest in Chinese.

    The language has become the second most spoken foreign language in the United States this year, after only Spanish, with over 2.1 million speakers.

    Many US famous people such as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Malia Obama, former US president Barack Obama's daughter, study Chinese as a second language.

    So far, 67 countries and regions have included Chinese in their national curriculum. So why are so many countries enthusiastic about learning Chinese?

    One reason could be that as China continues to develop rapidly. Chinese is increasingly becoming a useful tool for people's personal and professional growth.

    "I think everyone believes that Chinese will be the next great superpower…even if it's not a superpower like America. It's still very important." Aisling from Germany, who studied at the Renmin University of China, told Xinhua News Agency.