After four silent years, British singer Adele Adkins finally introduced herself to the world again with Hello, the opening song from her third album 25, which came out on Nov. 20, 2015.

    Although Adele is a very successful singer now, music wasn't always what she saw herself doing. At age 10, when she saw her grandmother's pain over the death of Adele's grandfather, she pictured herself as a heart surgeon.

     “I wanted to fix people's hearts,” she told the UK music website i-D, remembering the childhood interest she'd had in biology classes until she found out that her real talent was for singing.

    “Adele didn't go to medical school, but many would agree that she still has healing (治愈)powers. Her songs find the kind of memory every listener holds somewhere in their heart. This kind of feeling is what people have always liked in Adele,” said The Telegraph. “She writes a pop diary, sharing the simple secrets of her heart.”

    Most successful pop stars make albums at a fast pace, but not Adele. After her second album 21 won the 2012 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, she made it clear with her label that she would spend “four or five years” making her next album. She told magazine. “I won't come out with new music until it's better than 21.”

    Instead of seeking fame, Adele remained silent and moved to the countryside. In her free time, she loved to watch TV series Teen Mom, American Horror Story, and The Walking Dead.

    Living life as normally as possible is important to the singer's art. “Nobody wants to listen to a record from someone who's not living in the real world,” Adele told i-D.“So I live a low-key life for my fans.”

    How to Read a Book

    Books can be your best friends.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} They can introduce you to things you may never see… But do you know how to read them in order to get the fullest enjoyment possible? The following tips should help.

    ① Find a book. Look in the library or in one of the large bookstores. You could also ask friends if you could have a look at their book shelves. Search the shelves until you find a book that looks good Read the first page to see how it reads, and the cover text on the back of the book, if it has any{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    ② Buy or borrow it and take it home. Do not start to read it until you have the time.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}And set aside time to do nothing else but read, as it can be, at times' suspenseful (悬疑的), exciting and relaxing.

    ③ Get comfortable on the couch. Have a lamp (灯) behind you, lighting the area where you are reading. Make sure the television is off and that anything else that, could distract you has been attended to {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    ④ Start the book by turning the pages and really enjoy it. Do not think about anything else but what you are reading. Put yourself into the action or location in the story. Once you concentrate completely, it will be difficult to put the book down. And remember that reading is not running your eyes over a book.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} However, if you need t0 read the book quickly, then you do not need to pay attention to every word.

A. If you are busy doing other things, you should wait until you have finished them.

B. Get warm if you are going to be sitting still for a few hours.

C. If you are already concentrating, then buy it or borrow it.

D. Try to imagine the story in your head.

E. They can take you to places that you may never go.

F. You should read it actively and enjoy it completely.

G. Otherwise, you will miss it.

    Many people wrongly think that cities don't have farms and fruits and vegetables are only grown in the country. Believe it or not, there are more urban farms popping up in cities all over the world.

    Alexandra Sullivan, a food systems researcher in New York, studies urban agriculture. Urban agriculture is another name for farming and gardening in a city environment. Ms. Sullivan studies everything from tiny gardens in empty lots between buildings to bigger fields that have been planted and grown. According to Ms. Sullivan, “Urban agriculture has existed since cities have, across the world.”

    The number of humans living in urban areas, or cities, is increasing. The amount of people who wanted to garden in urban areas is also rising. Ms. Sullivan says, “In small gardens, on rooftops and indoors, city residents grow fruits, vegetables, grains, and herbs, and raise animals to produce milk, eggs, honey, and meat. City residents use these foods as supplements to food produced by rural agriculture.” Even though some people who live in urban areas grow crops, urban residents still need to rely on food grown in rural areas. This is because a city doesn't have enough space to grow enough food for everyone living in it.

    In New York City, urban farmers have come up with many different ways to grow their own produce, even though there isn't a lot of room. For example, Brooklyn Grange is a farming operation that has two rooftop vegetable farms in New York City. All together, the farms are made up of 2.5 acres of rooftop space. This makes Brooklyn Grange one of the largest rooftop farming operations in the world.

    Brooklyn Grange grows all kinds of things. The farming company sells its vegetables to local residents and restaurants. And because the farms are on rooftops, they are specially adapted to their urban location. They use available space that is not needed for anything else. As more urban farmers find ways to grow food in cities, urban residents will be better able to get fresher materials for their meals.

    UK is becoming a popular destination for people who wish to study abroad. However, Britain is quite an expensive place to study and live in. Tuition fees have now reached £ 9,250 a year and students also face some of the highest living costs in the world.

    Fortunately, there are a number of countries where universities offer degree programs entirely in English, along with the chance to learn the local language while you live there. Here are three of the options.

    Tianjin University

    Moving to China is not for the faint hearted. Undergraduate degree courses at Tianjin last four years. Living costs are only around £ 400 a month and tuition fees are £ 2,300 a year. Flights will cost £ 3,600 over the four years. The total cost, at £ 28,800, is still around half that of a three-year degree in Britain. Tianjin is one of the world's latest cities and is only a half-hour train ride from Beijing. Three undergraduate programs are offered in English: Chemical Engineering, Environment & Energy and Pharmaceutical Science.

    University of Amsterdam

    The Dutch capital is not a cheap city to live in, but standard tuition fees of £ 1,800 a year make it significantly cheaper than a British degree. There are 14 bachelor's degrees on offer that are taught in English, including Political Science, Economics & Business Economics and Actuarial Science. Nearly all Dutch people speak English, making it an easy country to get by in.

    University of Milan

The University of Milan's fees range from £ 140 to £3,650 a year. The one bachelor's degree offered entirely in English—Political Science is a three-year course. While living costs in Milan are high, the significantly lower fees make it a cheaper option than a British university.

    “Sorry seems to be the hardest word”—that is one of Elton Johns most popular songs. But not every public figure seems to find it so tough to say that powerful five-letter word.

    In recent days public figures, from politicians to stars, have all publicly expressed remorse. But with so much remorse, how can we tell a forced apology from a heartfelt expression of remorse?

    Specifically, saying sorry should be a realization that something you have said or done has hurt someone and you want to make amends. “People wants the response to be personal to them. They want to feel that they're being listened to and taken seriously,” says Martin Stone.

    Firstly, it is important to show that you understand. It is vital that any group or a person making an apology understands the focus—is it sorry for the way it's acted or is it sorry that the complainant feels the way they do? Watch out for the speed of response. The quicker the apology comes, the better it indicates that the person making it has felt an immediate sense of guilt.

    If sincere, the person making the apology will be looking for clues (线索) to see if he or she is being understood, such as eye contact and facial expressions. Performed apologies always have a sense of being “acted out”, and are often accompanied by too many unnatural gestures.

    For a sincere apology, it is also important to avoid promises that can't be kept. Don't say that you'll make sure that this will not happen again if you're not confident that it won't. It could come back to bite you. And do remember that the use of “but” can hugely change the tone (语气) of an apology. As Stone points out, “I'm sorry but…” sounds like you are making excuses and aren't actually taking any form of responsibility.

    Wolves are important animals in the traditions and stories of most Native American tribes. To Native Americans, wolves often represent bravery. The animals also are signs of strength, loyalty, and success at hunting. Other cultures--such as the ancient Celtic and Nordic peoples-also placed high value on wolves.

    However, from the wolves in horror films to the wolves in children's stories, wolves get a bum rap(不公正的惩罚) in both literature and English expressions.

    To begin with, there is the term lone wolf. The lone wolf isn't a bad person. But they like to do things on their own. However, the term can mean something less than desirable. Lone wolf makes you think the person doesn't want to be around people because he or she dislikes them.

    Now, let's move on to the home.

    Parents might criticize their children for wolfing down their food. In other words, the child eats very quickly and without care. And if someone says a child was raised by wolves, that child has bad manners and is behaving like a wild animal. A wolf at the door means someone to whom you owe money is waiting just outside your door.

By the way, there are two popular wolf-related expressions that come from Aesop, the ancient Greek storyteller.

    The first is a wolf in sheep's clothing. A wolf in sheep's clothing describes someone who acts and looks nice on the outside but is bad on the inside.

    Aesop's other wolf fable also involves a shepherd, but not a hardworking one. He is known as the boy who cried wolf. People who cry wolf are not trusted. People are so familiar with this story, you simply have to say cry wolf for them to know what you mean.