How do we know what's right or wrong in English? Languages such as French and Spanish each has an official(官方的) organization that tells you what's correct. But there is nothing like that in English. So what can we do?

    There is, of course, Standard English. This is the kind of English you read in newspapers or in formal letters. It is also the English you learn at school or in textbooks.

    However, Standard English is not official English. And unbelievably, linguists（语言学家） think Standard English is on the same level as all other types of English such as Cockney English, Yorkshire English, South African English, Australian English, Singaporean English… And according to linguists, there is no such thing as Standard Spoken English.

    English is changing all the time. Every year, new words appear and others disappear. Words change too. For example, for many years, the Latin word “agendum” was the accepted singular form and “agenda” was the plural form. However, these days, very few people use the Latin-sounding“agendum”, with “agenda” being the accepted singular form, and “agendas” the plural.

Newspapers each has their own style when they write certain things. For example，The Guardian puts dates like “21 July 2011”(with the day first, followed by the month and no commas). However, the news agency Reuters writes them like this “July 21, 2011”(with the month first, and a comma(逗号) between the day and the year). Other newspapers have different ways of doing it too. So, as you can see, there's no one “correct” way —there's a variety of ways and each one is acceptable.

    Next time someone tells you that something is wrong, tell them that it isn't wrong, It is just English.

(Each answer should be no more than four words)

Reading is a good habit, but the problem is that there's too much to read, and too little time to read every word of it. So ①we need to find good ways to read faster. There are hundreds of skills (技巧) to help you read more in less time. Here are two skills that I think are especially good.

Preview (预看) —if it's long and hard. This skill is especially useful for ideas of heavy reading like long magazine articles (文章) and business reports (报告).

    Here's how the preview goes.

●Read the first two paragraphs (段落) and the last two paragraphs carefully.

●Then read only the first sentence of the other paragraphs.

    This skill doesn't give you all the details (细节, 详情). It stops you spending time on things you don't really want or need to read.

    Skim (略读)—if it's short and simple (简单的). Skimming is a good way to get ideas of light reading like popular magazines or sports and entertainment (娱乐) papers.

    Here's how to skim.

    ●Get your eyes to move fast. Sweep across each line.

    ●Pick up only a few ②key words in each line.

    Everybody skims differently. You and I may not pick up the same words when we skim the same piece, but we'll get a similar (相似的) idea of what it's mainly about.

    Table manners are different from country to country. If you visit a friend's home for a meal, it's good to know about certain customs.

    Morocco

    In many homes, people often sit on the floor to eat a meal. Often, everyone eats from the same plate. It is in the center of the table. Only eat the food in front of you. Don't reach across someone for food. It is common to use your fingers and small pieces of bread to eat food. Use only your right hand to eat. Don't say "no" to food. If the host offers you food or drink, take some and try a little.

    Also remember: In many homes, it is common to take off your shoes.

The United States

    In most homes, people usually sit on chairs when they eat a meal. People eat from their own plate or bowl, but sometimes people share desserts. If you want something (for example, the water), ask for it. Reaching across someone is rude. It's OK to eat things like sandwiches, fruit, French fries, pizza, and some kinds of meat with your fingers. It's OK to say "no" to food if you don't like it.

    Also remember: People often talk when they eat a meal together.

    Young children don't have the skills or knowledge to stay safe in heavy traffic. The following tips (忠告) will be helpful for you to keep your children safe in heavy traffic. Children learn about road safety by watching others. As parents, make sure that you always set good examples. Your children will follow you and think it's OK to do like you. Teach your children to pay attention to traffic lights when you cross the road together with them. This helps them understand when it's safe to cross. Make sure that you walk between your children and traffic, and hold their hands all the time.

    When your children are a little older, you can start to tell them the importance of traffic knowledge. Let them start to understand the reasons why they need to be so careful. Talk with them about road signs and traffic rules.

    Ask your children to play in a safe place. Never let them ride bikes on the road without an adult present at rush hours.

    The most important thing you can do is to keep your children from getting hurt, so parents encourage them to follow traffic rules. After knowing about traffic rules, they'll volunteer to obey them. In this way, they'll be careful enough to keep themselves away from danger.

    Hi! I am Mike. I have a sister and two brothers. We live in a happy family. Nancy is my sister. She is the oldest. She is a kind girl. She is beautiful. She likes learning. She studies very hard. She gets up early and finishes her breakfast quickly. Then she goes to school by bike. David is my brother. He is older than me. But he is a little lazy. He gets up late and then washes his face, brushes his teeth in a hurry. Then he goes to the bus stop without breakfast. He usually plays basketball after school. In the evening, he seldom does homework. He goes to bed late. Jack is our little brother. He is a lovely boy. He gets up very slowly and then he usually takes a shower before breakfast. He goes to school in his father's car. He likes watching TV in the evening.