英语百科（Encyclopedia）
1. The origin of hotline  浅谈热线的由来
A hotline is mostly a direct and private link between two heads of government, used for emergencies to reduce the risk of war. The first hotline was made in 1963 between the US President John F Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev of the USSR. But in common use, a hotline refers to a direct phone link for an emergency or to receive a special service .The term is now applied to any customer service telephone number.
热线原先是指两国政府首领之间直接,保密的通讯线路,尤其在紧急情况时为了减少发生战争的风险而使用.第一条热线建立于1963年, 双方首脑是美国总统约翰 F 肯尼迪和苏联的赫鲁晓夫.如今口语上热线一词指任何用以应急或接受特别服务的直接电话,甚至越来越多的指任何客户.
2. The English sense of humor  英国人的幽默感
British people have an island culture. It is quirky and self-contained .Much of the humor is c
omplex and subtle .The British hardly say what they mean and lean more toward understatement .The British often poke fun at themselves. If you complain about some awful aspects of British life, they will tell you stories of trains that never arrive on time, of bureaucratic bumbling that drives citizens to suicide, or of food so disgusting a dog wouldn't eat it.
英国人有一种岛国文化,古怪而持重.他们的幽默大都深奥微妙,并隐晦得令人难以捉摸.英国人很少想什么说什么,而倾向于轻描淡写,留有余地.英国人常常乐于自嘲.你只要抱怨英国生活的某些方面相当糟糕,他们就会高兴的讲述火车永不准时,讲由于官僚主义的失误而导致诚实的公民自杀的事,讲食物如此令人作呕以致狗都不吃的事.
3. Los Angeles  天使之城洛杉矶
Los Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the 2nd largest in the US. Often called LA or the "the city of Angels ,"Los Angeles has about 3.8m people and covers 1290 sq kms in Southern California. L. A. has a mild climate and enjoys plenty of sun throughout the year. The city is famous for Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Attractions in
clude Disneyland, Sunset Boulevard, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Bowl, Universal Studios and Rodeo Drive.   
4. Basic moral value in US  诚实:美国基本道德观
securing
One of the most basic moral values for Americans is honesty. The well-known legend about George Washington and the cherry tree teaches this value clearly. Little George cut down his father's favorite cherry tree while trying out his new hatchet. When his father asked him about it, George said, "I cannot tell a lie, I did it with my hatchet." Instead of punishment, George received praise for telling the truth. Sometimes that American honesty can offend people. But Americans still believe that "honesty is the best policy."
美国人最基本的道德价值之一是诚实 .乔治华盛顿砍樱桃树的故事,很好的诠释了这个价值观.小乔治在试他的新斧头时砍倒了他父亲最喜爱的樱桃树,当爸爸问他的时候,乔治说,"我不能说谎,我用斧头砍倒了它."乔治非但未被惩罚,反而因为诚实而赞赏.有时美国式的直截了当可能会冒犯他人,但是美国人仍然相信"诚实是上上策".
5. Myth of Apollo  太阳神的传说
Among the crowd of Olympian gods the one most widely admired was the sun god Apollo. Apollo stood for youthful and manly beauty. His golden hair and stately manner combined to make him the admiration of the world. A beautiful girl, by the name of Clytle, was so fond of his beauty and glory that she knelt on the ground from dawn to dusk, with her hands outstretch towards the sun. The gods were moved at the sad sight, and changed her into a sunflower.
在众多的奥林波斯山神中,太阳神最受推崇.象征着青春和男子汉的美.金的头发,庄重的举止,这些足以使他受到世人的青睐.一位名叫克里提的美丽少女迷恋于他的英俊潇洒,每日都跪在地上,双手伸向太阳.这悲哀的场面令众神感动,于是将她变成了一株向日葵.
6.Chinese tea culture  中国的茶文化
The Chinese people when drinking tea place much significance on the act of "savoring." "savoring tea" is not only a way to discern good tea from mediocre tea, but also allows people to take delight in the drinking-tea itself. Snatching a bit of leisure time from a busy
schedule, making a kettle of strong tea , securing a serene space, and serving and drinking tea by yourself can help banish fatigue and frustrations, and may be inspire you too.
中国人饮茶,注重一个"品"字."品茶"不但是鉴别茶的优劣,也带有神思遐想和领略饮茶情趣之意.在百忙之中泡上一壶浓茶,择雅静之处,自斟自饮,可以消除疲劳,涤烦益思,振奋精神.
7. The origin of the $ sign  美元符号$的来历
The origin of the $ sign has several stories attached. One says that originally it was a U superimposed over an S for US, although the base of the U eroded due to poor printing technology, leaving an S with two lines through it. This theory does not consider the fact that the symbol was already in use before the formation of the US. Another story is that it is a variant of figure"8"that appeared on the Spanish Peso, standing for pieces of eight. This second is close to the truth, but not quite there.
关于美元符号$的起源,有很多说法.一种说法是:字母U加在S上,代表US.后来由于印刷技术
差,U的底部未印出来,就剩下两条竖杠加在字母S上.但是这种说法并不可信,因为早在美国建国之前,这个符号就已经开始使用了.还有一种说法,它是数字"8"的变体."8"曾出现在西班牙比索上,代表"八片币".第二种说法可能与事实最为接近,但也不能完全令人信服。
8. Birds as national emblem  告诉你几个国家的国鸟
Many birds are national symbols and shown in national flags. Australia's black swan is one of 3 swan species in the Southern Hemisphere. It's black with white feathers and a red beak .The bald eagle became the symbol of the US in 1787.It was chosen because it looked powerful and noble. The flag for Egypt shows a bird of prey that stands for strength.
许多鸟是国旗或国徽的组成部分.澳大利亚国徽上的黑天鹅身黑,翅白,且有红喙,是南半球仅有的3种天鹅之一. 美国的秃头鹰因其体魄强健,长相高贵,在1787年成为美国的象征.埃及国旗上有一只食肉猛禽.它象征着力量.
9. Pisa no longer most leaning  比萨斜塔不是最斜
Which tower leans the most? The famous leaning tower of Pisa is in Italy. It's being challenged by a lesser-known church tower in the Dutch town of Bedum. The leaning tower of Pisa is 55.8m tall. And it leans about 4m.The Bedum tower only stands 35.7m tall. And it leans 2.6m.Bedum argues that if both towers were the same size , then the Bedum tower would eland about 6cm more.