If I ask you, “Have you ever used instant messaging apps?”, you would probably respond, “It’s a must.” Yes, people take it for granted because these apps have already become part of their daily life. They would rather use instant messaging than email to conduct their daily activities. The apps offer everything from free video calls and instant group chats to news updates and easy access to large multimedia files. In addition to the chat service, people are accustomed to using the apps to shop online, pay for goods at stores, settle utility bills, and attend online meetings, just with a few taps. It’s no exaggeration to say that life in China today would be unthinkable without instant messaging apps. But what makes these apps tick with the masses? You may shrug your shoulders. Here is the secret sauce: The young generation in China created the perfect, user-friendly apps that meet people’s needs. They are working tirelessly with their strong passion, amazing talents, unique work style, and high aspirations. It sounds incredible that these young people, most born in the 1990s, have transformed people’s lives in every sector. No kidding! When tech companies recruit new employees for their fantastic platforms, they usually prefer fresh graduates – those newly graduated from college. Why? Young people usually have a stronger passion for entrepreneurship. They are more persevering and more willing to endure hardship. Likewise, they don’t fear failure and don’t want to just observe. They want to participate and be part of the action. Their internal driving force has little to do with money. What makes them happy and passionate is when they see their products have changed the lives of many people. Listen to their passionate cry, “NEW era, NEW revolution. I am a MAKER, for the DREAM in my heart.” These young people admire creativity but dislike the traditional top-down management. “I am the boss and you’ll do as I say” is becoming much less effective. Instead, they prefer teamwork and love to share. One typical example is “Shake”, an innovation not from a top-down assigned task but from young peers’ instinctive sense at a dining table. While having a meal together, some young people wanted to add each other to their friend circle, but they thought it was too troublesome to search for the usernames. Someone suggested, “Why don’t we all shake our phones together?” Then came the innovative feature of “Shake”. In these talented work teams, this kind of invaluable suggestion is quite common. Furthermore, their work style is not conventional either. They don’t care about the traditional nine-to-five work hours. With the sufficient support from their companies, the young innovators are now enjoying a relatively free work-time system: no punch-in or punch-out; no fixed-time shifts. The time schedules are very flexible. That’s why their office buildings can be very quiet and almost empty in the morning, but in the afternoon the atmosphere becomes more active, and in the evening the buildings are brightly lit – the most vigorous time of the day for these teams. This is actually a win-win situation. These young people, with a strong work ethic, really enjoy the new system; likewise, the companies are more than happy to see the high work efficiency delivered by these young people. That’s why their office buildings can be very quiet and almost empty in the morning, but in the afternoon the atmosphere becomes more active, and in the evening the buildings are brightly lit – the most vigorous time of the day for these teams. This is actually a win-win situation. These young people, with a strong worke thic, really enjoy the new system; likewise, the companies are more than happy to see the high work efficiency delivered by these young people. Moreover, these young people don’t want to innovate just for the sake of innovation. What they do and strive for is based on the needs of their users and something valuable to their customers. It is this goal that stirs the heart of these young people and has brought them huge success – the various functionalities of the apps are now seamlessly woven into the fabric of people’s daily life. Undoubtedly, today’s young generation is at the dawn of China’s tomorrow. If the incredible story of these young app developers, in a way, just unpacks China’ s technical innovation and success, a new wave of young Chinese has already taken flight with the wing of China’s economic growth. These young people are part of the inventive firms emerging from China. The contributions they have made are remarkable. Companies that are ready to tap into their potential will attract, motivate, and retain very capable young employees who are resourceful and globally minded. It can be perceived that this young generation will become leaders of businesses and lead China to a brighter future. Industries and consumers around the world will soon feel their impact.

01 Do you know the fairy tale of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”?Goldilocks entered the house of the three bears. There, she tried Papa Bear’s porridge, and it was too hot. Mama Bear’s was too cold. But Baby Bear’s was just right, so she ate it all up. Thus, essentially, she committed the crime of burglary and grabbed a full serving of food belonging to an innocent child. Shame on her! 02 Interestingly, the plot in this fairy tale is very similar to my experience in choosing my college major. It took me three tries as well to find a major and a career that I loved and that fit me. For many of us, it can be a very lengthy process of self-discovery before we realize what we want to do and what we are really passionate about. 03 Believe it or not, engineering was my high school version of a future career. Sounds weird, doesn’t it? I, currently a writer who does nothing with numbers, wanted to be an engineer during my high school years! At that time, it truly made sense, though. I was extremely obsessed with the magnificence of massive engineering structures. I would wander the streets of Boston gazing up at the skyscrapers in awe, and I was so fascinated by roller coasters in the theme parks. I was good at math and was doing well with the advanced math classes, but when it was time to decide whether or not to take the AP (Advanced Placement) math course in high school, I hesitated. Why? I lacked confidence and knew there was a chance I wouldn’t succeed. 04 I started questioning my decision to become an engineer, so the first semester at college, I took the introductory engineering math class to confirm or disprove my doubt – whether I have a talent for engineering. Well, I struggled. Not just “I’m having trouble with this chapter” kind of struggle. The concepts were simply beyond me. My math level was fairly advanced in high school, but at college I found I wasn’t up to par. I struggled so much that I dropped the course and gave up my high school dream– to become an engineer. The porridge was too hot! My math level was fairly advanced in high school, but at college I found I wasn’t up to par. I struggled so much that I dropped the course and gave up my high school dream – to become an engineer. The porridge was too hot! 05 My classmates were surprised to know I had switched from science to the humanities. I also had a new-found hatred of math there after– so much that to this day I don’t even want to calculate the tip on a restaurant bill. I felt the subject let me down, so my next career consideration was, naturally, to do something on the opposite side of the spectrum, something free and artistic. 06 I browsed the options on my college website. The graphic design program reminded me of my childhood days of excessive drawing. This part of the porridge turned out quite brief, since the requirements to enter the program were not demanding. Nevertheless, I still didn’t feel quite right because I was not excited about it. I walked away. The porridge was too cold! 07 It was at this point that I felt completely frustrated, a sentiment shared by many college students browsing majors. I picked the brains of my advisor, carefully read the information on the career services website, and continued to hesitate about my major choice. Things didn’t change till I got a phone call from my dad. Talking to him, I threw out the idea of applying for a position at a student-run newspaper on campus, more like a last resort than an actual consideration. “You know, you’ve always been good at writing,” he said. You know what? My prolonged hesitation over my major ended dramatically, not with more excessive overthinking, but rather, as a sudden realization. All I needed was an outside source to confirm the fact: Journalism was my calling. 08 “Whydidn’t it hit me before?” I asked myself. As a child, I won writing contests and got second place in two Spelling Bees. I earned straight A’s in English and writing classes. Even at college, friends let me proofread their papers. The signs were right there in front of me, but I just ignored them because I didn’t think my abilities were unique. 09 Journalism, to me, is the perfect balance between what I loved about engineering and graphic design. It’s structured, like engineering, in the fact that you need to know grammar rules, journalistic styles, press releases, and the like. But it’s also artistic in the fact that you get to explore a range of thought-provoking topics, express them in a creative light, and put them all in front of readers.

1 If I am the only parent who still corrects his child’s English, then perhaps my son is right. To him, I am a tedious oddity: a father he is obliged to listen to and a man absorbed in the rules of grammar, which my son seems allergic to. 2 I think I got serious about this only recently when I ran into one of my former students, fresh from an excursion to Europe. “How was it? ”I asked, full of earnest anticipation. 3 She nodded three or four times, searched the heavens for the right words, and then exclaimed, “It was, like, whoa!”. 4 And that was it. The civilization of Greece and the glory of Roman architecture were captured in a condensed non-statement. My student’s “whoa!” was exceeded only by my distress. 5 In the United States, there are many different stories about the downturn in the proper use of English. Surely, students should be able to distinguish between their, there and they’re or the distinctive difference between complimentary and complementary. However, they unfairly bear the bulk of the criticism for these knowledge deficits just because there is a public opinion that they should know better. 6 Students are not dumb, but they are being misled. For example, signs in grocery stores point them to the stationary, even though the actual stationery items – pads, albums, and notebooks – are not nailed down. Friends and loved ones often proclaim they’ve just ate when, in fact, they’ve just eaten. Therefore, it doesn’t make any sense to criticize our students. 7 In a sense, schools should be blamed for the scandal of this language deficit because they should have set high standards of English language proficiency. Instead, they only teach a little grammar and even less advanced vocabulary. Moreover, some teachers don’t pay much attention to these vital structures of language because they also went without exposure to them. Schools fail to adequately teach the essential framework of language, accurate grammar and proper vocabulary, while they should take the responsibility of pushing the young onto the path of competent communication. 8 Since grammar is kind of boring to most of the young students, I think that it must be handled delicately, step by step. The chance came when one day I was driving with my son. As we set out on our trip, he noticed a bird in jerky flight and said, “It’s flying so unsteady.” Since grammar is kind of boring to most of the young students, I think that it must be handled delicately, step by step. The chance came when one day I was driving with my son. As we set out on our trip, he noticed a bird in jerky flight and said, “It’s flying so unsteady.” 9 Curious about my correction, he asked me what an adverb was. Slowly, I said, “It’s a word that tells you something about a verb.” It led to his asking me what a verb was. I explained, “Verbs are action words; for example, Dad drives the truck. Drive is the verb because it’s the thing Dad is doing.” 10 He became attracted to the idea of action words, so we listed a few more: fly, swim, dive, run. Then, out of his own curiosity, he asked me if other words had names for their use and functions. This led to a discussion of nouns, adjectives, and articles. Within the span of a 10-minute drive, he had learned to recognize the major parts of speech from scratch: verbs, adverbs, nouns, and adjectives. It was painless learning and great fun! 11 Perhaps, language should be looked upon as a road map and a valuable possession. Learners should often study the road map (check grammar) and tune up the car engine (adjust vocabulary). Learning grammar and a good vocabulary is just like driving with a road map in a well-conditioned car. 12 The road map provides guidance on your trip, but it won’t tell you exactly what trees or flowers you will see, what kind of people you will encounter, or what types of feelings you will experience on your journey. Here, the vocabulary makes the journey’s true colors come alive! A good vocabulary enables you to enjoy whatever you see as you drive along. Equipped with grammar and a good vocabulary, you have flexibility and excellent control. While the road map guides your journey to your destination, an excellent vehicle helps you to fully enjoy all of the sights, sounds, and experiences along the way. 13 Effective, precise, and beneficial communication depends upon grammar and a good vocabulary, the two essential assets in learning a language, but unfortunately, they are not fully taught in schools. 14 Just this morning, my son and I were eating breakfast when I attempted to add milk to my tea. “Dad,” he said, “if I were you, I wouldn’t do that. It’s sour.” 15 “Oh my!” I said, swelling with pride toward my son. “That’s a grammatically perfect sentence. You used were instead of was.” 16 “I know, I know,” he said with a long agreeable sigh. “It’s the subjunctive mood.” 17 I was, like, whoa!

Listen to a talk about an English learner’s learning experience. Then fill in the blanks based on what you hear. 1 Li Ming didn’t do well in his English class because ___________. 2 His English teacher encouraged him to learn English well and use English to _____________________________. 3 English can enable him to stay informed of the world’s latest achievements and also help him _________________________. 4 He changed his opinion and now he is happy because _________.

Word Bank * reasonable （价格）合理的 * sleeve 袖子 * bargain 便宜的东西 * medium 中号的 * inexpensive 便宜的 * factory outlet 厂家直销店 Expressions * That’s a bit steep/pricey. * It costs a fortune./It costs an arm and a leg. * That’s a rip off. * That’s a little out of my budget./I can’t afford it. * That’s quite reasonable. * It’s 40% off. * I got two for the price of one./It was buy one, get one free. * It was a real bargain. * That’s a good deal. * It’s dirt cheap. Script Shop assistant: Can I help you? Customer: Yeah, I'm looking for a gift for my girlfriend. Shop assistant: I see. How much are you thinking of spending? Customer: Mmm, $100-200. Shop assistant: How about a long dress? They're the latest style. Customer: Oh, I don't think a long dress would suit my girlfriend. Do you have any shorter dresses? Shop assistant: Well, of course. And the short dresses are actually a little bit cheaper. Customer: How much are they? Shop assistant: The original price is $89.99, but now it's reduced to $49.99. Customer: Um, that's reasonable. Let me see. Yeah, I like the white one with orange flowers. Shop assistant: Oh, that is a lovely print, isn't it? Customer: Yeah, but I think it would be a little cold in the evening. Do you have any dresses with sleeves? Shop assistant: How about getting her a jacket to go with the dress? Customer: That's a good idea! What do you have? Shop assistant: Actually we have a sale on right now. And this grey cotton jacket is only $19.99! Customer: Ah, that's a good deal. I like it Shop assistant: What size do you need? Customer: I think she takes a medium. Shop assistant: OK, here you go. Take a look at this. Customer: OK, I like it. This is a great store. Everything is so inexpensive. Shop assistant: Actually, it's a factory outlet. Customer: Oh, that explains it.

Word Bank * welly/wellington boot 威灵顿长筒靴 * fashion-forward 非常时尚的 * fashionista 赶时髦的人 * spot 发现，注意到 * fad 时尚，狂热 * copycat 防效的，模仿的 Script Many years ago, wellies came in black or dull green. Farmers wore them. But now shops are selling wellingtons of every colour, decorated with patterns, flowers, animals and even fake diamonds. This love of wellingtons probably has more to do with fashion sense than common sense. But the welly has been fashion-forward before. It began in 1817 when the Duke of Wellington started wearing a narrower, simpler boot. Being a famous war hero, men were quick to copy his style and the Wellington boot was soon all the rage. It went out of fashion at the end of the 19th century, but farmers, workers, dog walkers carried on wearing them. Then they have become fashionable again since around 2004, when fashionistas in New York were spotted wearing them. But retailers should enjoy the welly craze while they can. Wellington boots are probably at their peak now, and will soon start to lose favor. The last big boot fad was Ugg boots. Worn by the stars, they were soon so desirable that everyone had a pair - or a cheaper copycat version. Now everyone has them, they're not special anymore and sales have fallen by a third.

Vocabulary * skinny 极瘦的 * adopt 采取，采用 * weight 体重 * pioneer 先锋，先驱 * crime 罪行 Script When they talk about fashion in Paris, the world listens. Let's see if that remains the case when the conversation is about skinny models. France has unexpectedly adopted a law making it a crime to employ very thin women on the catwalk. The law requires models to show they have a Body Mass Index (BMI) above a particular level. The World Health Organization says people whose BMI is below 18.5 are underweight and at risk of poor health. Modelling agents face fines and six months in jail if they break the rules. The law is believed to help protect teenagers and young women, because they are under social pressure from the image of these models to be thinner and thinner. Thus they may copy the looks and shape of size-zero models and put their health at risk. The new law may make people stop and think about the unhealthy side of the fashion industry, but the country is not a pioneer when it comes to putting limits on models' weight. Israel adopted a similar ban in 2013 and Spain and Italy have set some standards on the issue.

Conversation 1 A: It's been a real pleasure meeting you, Mr. Smith. B: Same here. A: May I come to your office to discuss these ideas further next week? B: By all means. A: Thank you very much, Mr. Smith. Goodbye. B: Goodbye, Linda. Conversation 2 A: Gosh! It's almost eleven. I really must go. B: Are you sure you don't want to join me for lunch? A: I'd love to, but I have a yoga class at twelve. B: OK. Enjoy your class. A: Thanks. How about getting together for a coffee next week? I'll give you a call. B: Sounds great. See you later. A: See you. Conversation 3 A: Well, it was a pleasure meeting you. B: Likewise! I had a great time talking to you. A: If you ever visit Australia, please let me know. B: Absolutely. Give me your e-mail address. Let's keep in touch. A: OK. Enjoy the rest of your trip. B: You too. Bye! A: Bye. Take care!

Interviewer: Good morning, Jennifer. Thank you for being here for this interview. Jennifer: Good morning. It is my pleasure. Interviewer: You look fantastic in the live show. Jennifer: Thank you. Interviewer: You must be very tired. You were running, jumping and shaking for two hours! Jennifer: Yes, I am tired. It was like a good workout. Interviewer: As far as I know, you are much disciplined in your life. Jennifer: I do. Interviewer: What have you given up for your career? Jennifer: Ever since the beginning of my career, l've given up a lot of time with my family. It's sad when I look back at it, but if I want to do something great, I have to make sacrifice. Interviewer: Do you miss being able to walk out your door and grab a slice of pizza without everybody's notice? Jennifer: Yes, I do. Sometimes I feel like I just want to go out by myself, but I can't. Interviewer: Are there any favorite things for you to do while you are at home? Jennifer: I like to walk around. I tried to make a deal with the paparazzi so that they won't come to my block. I can walk around my neighborhood with my children. Don't photograph the address of my house to everybody.

Michael Jackson, a great dancer, had no formal dance training throughout his career. Lacking a formal education, Michael went around performing. He learnt to dance by watching. Michael Jackson's dance style was influenced by many people and styles, R&B artists, ballerinas, jazz, street dances and African-American styles. He was creative in the way he brought different techniques of many dance forms together, taking whatever he saw and liked and making them his own. Eventually, the dance style became unique from fluid, smooth dance movements to sharp and accented ones. His smooth dance style was attractive in that his movements were so connected and they just seemed to flow from one to another, such as, the moonwalk. In the opposite end was his strong accented style of dancing, like that of the robot dance. The movements were a lot less connected. Michael's dance complemented his songs so well that they came together as a package for Michael Jackson as an artist.