Problem: Few of us haven't read Cinderella , the story of a young woman living in poverty who meets the prince of her dreams. Some might not want to admit it, but there is a hidden Cinderella in everyone's heart--we all wish we could achieve recognition or success after a period of obscurity . Mary Santiago has that secret dream, too. Her story is featured in Another Cinderella Story, a film set in a US high school.

Mary is shy but loves to dance. Compared with other girls, she is invisible. However, her world changes completely when a famous teenager pop singer, Joey Parker, appears. Joey is everything the rest of the boys in her class are not--kind, handsome and desirable. Mary and Joey's paths cross at a ball. They meet and fall in love with each other. But when Mary has to rush back home, she leaves behind her MP3 player, which becomes the only clue Joey has to find the girl of his dreams. Of course, there is a wicked stepmother, who turns out to be Dominique Blatt and she takes in Mary after her dancer mother dies. Dominique treats Mary like a maid and does everything she can to make sure Mary doesn't get into the top dance school. Her two daughters are equally determined to stop Joey falling for Mary, even if that means embarrassing her.

The story, though it mostly follows Cinderella, does add a few modern day twists to the classic fairy tale. Refreshingly, the film, unlike many high school films, does not focus on looks, although the actors are all beautiful. There is also a lot less materialism in Another Cinderella Story than in many similar movies.

"The movie takes the Cinderella fairytale as its jumping off point," writes movie critic Amber Wilkinson, "The focus is firmly on following your dream."
1. What famous fairy tale is this movie about?
2. what is this story's setting?
3. in what country?
Answer: 1. Few of us haven't read Cinderella Cinderella
2. high school.
3. a film set in a US high school, US

Problem: While Americans feel worried about how to look after their children and help them grow, French parents are raising happy, well-behaved children without all the anxiety.

Pamela Druckerman, an American mother living in Paris, watched carefully as to why French children seem to behave so much better than American children. Let's listen to what she said.

While eating at the restaurants in Paris, I noticed the French kids were either sitting in their chairs waiting for their food or eating fish and even vegetables, happy and satisfied. There was no shouting or crying, and there were no pieces of food around their tables. However, my 2-year-old daughter, Beth, took a brief interest in the food. She even threw food everywhere. She couldn't keep herself in her chair and ran around the table. Though by that time I'd live in France for a few months, I couldn't explain it.

After surveying French parents, I realized that they aren't perfect, but they have some parenting secrets that do work. French parents seem to have different ideas about raising kids. One of the keys to this education is the simple act of learning how to wait. It is why the French babies I have encountered mostly sleep throughout the night from two or three months old. Their parents don't pick them up the moment they start crying, allowing the babies to learn how to fall back asleep. It is also why French kids will sit happily at a restaurant. Rather than snacking all day like American children, they mostly have to wait until mealtime to eat. French kids always have three meals a day and one snack at about 4:00 pm.
1. Do French parents have secrets?
2. Can you give an example?
3. How do they teach this?
4. Do they allow their offspring to consume candy all day?
5. What schedule do they have for this?
6. What do they eat for a snack?
7. How many people are mentioned by name in the story?
8. What was her name?
9. Did she have any observations?
10. What were they?
11. Does she have any offspring?
12. How old?
Answer: 1. Yes.
2. Learning how to wait.
3. Their parents don't pick them up the moment they start crying,
4. No.
5. Three meals a day and one snack at about 4:00 pm.
6. One snack at about 4:00 pm, don't know what.
7. One.
8. Pamela Druckerman.
9. Yes.
10. French parents aren't perfect.
11. Yes.
12. Two.

Problem: One day an American called Simon went to London to visit his friend, Rick. Rick told him that his flat was on the first floor. When he arrived, Simon went straight to the first floor of the building. But he was told that there was no Rick on that floor. Do you know why? In fact, the British call the first floor of a building the ground floor. The floor above the ground floor is the first floor, while Americans would call it the second floor. The story shows that there are a few culture differences between Britain and America, though the British and Americans both speak English. The British usually hide their feelings. They seldom start a conversation with strangers. For example, on the train the British often spend their time reading newspapers or books. But Americans are quite different. They're more active and easier to talk with. The British and Americans may use different _ for many things. The British usually use "football", "eraser" and "mail" while Americans prefer to use "soccer", "rubber" and "post".
1. Who went to London?
2. Who was his friend?
3. Where was he visiting from?
4. Are people from the USA different than those in the UK?
5. How many examples of this are given?
6. What did they name the first level in the UK?
7. What sort of difference between the US and UK does this show?
8. Do they communicate in Spanish in the UK?
9. What do they communicate in?
Answer: 1. Simon
2. Rick.
3. America
4. yes
5. Three
6. the ground floor.
7. culture
8. no
9. English.

Problem: (CNN)The suspect behind the knife attack on the American ambassador to South Korea had a long, troubled history and often blamed the U.S. for tensions in the Korean Peninsula.

Kim Ki-Jong, 55, was quickly overpowered and taken into custody after he attacked U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert with a fruit knife Thursday morning.

Police say Kim's motive for the attack was to improve North-South Korean relations and to stop the annual military exercises held jointly by the U.S. and South Korea.

It wasn't the first time Kim has taken drastic steps to make his point.

-- In 2010, Kim was given a suspended jail sentence for hurling a concrete block at a Japanese envoy to South Korea, according to the Yonhap news agency. That incident is believed to be the first attack on a foreign ambassador in South Korea.

-- Kim allegedly harbored sympathies for North Korea, according to Korean media reports. Yonhap reported that Kim had visited North Korea six times between 2006 and 2007, had attempted to erect a memorial for former North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il in Seoul, and once set himself on fire in front of the presidential office.

-- He was frequently seen at protests, wearing a beret and blaming U.S. policies for straining relations between North and South Korea.

Kim was a member of the Korea Council For Reconciliation and Cooperation, which hosted Lippert at the Thursday event where the attack occurred. The group advocates reunification of the Koreas as well as humanitarian aid to North Korea. Kim was one of its 181 members, but wasn't on the list of those invited for the event, according to police. But he was allowed in because an event staff recognized him from the organization.
1. who is the article about?
2. was he a member of any organization?
3. which one?
4. how old is he?
5. who did he sympathise with?
6. had he attacked anyone else before this?
7. who was his first victim?
8. when?
9. what did he do?
10. how many times had he visited North Korea?
11. was he invited to the event?
12. who let him in?
13. why?
14. what weapon did he use to attack the US ambassador?
15. what does he blame the US for?
16. did he like protesting?
17. how did he harm himself one time?
18. where?
19. how many members does the organization have?
20. what does it promote?
Answer:
1. Kim Ki-Jong
2. yes
3. the Korea Council For Reconciliation and Cooperation
4. 55
5. North Korea
6. yes
7. a Japanese envoy
8. In 2010
9. threw a concrete block
10. 6 times
11. no
12. event staff
13. they recognized him from the organization.
14. a knife
15. tensions in the Korean Peninsula.
16. yes
17. set himself on fire
18. in front of the presidential office.
19. 181 members
20. reunification of the Koreas