Online, English has become a common language for users from around the world. In the process, the language itself is changing. There are now thought to be some 4.5 billion web pages worldwide. Some language experts predict that within 10 years English will occupy the Internet — but in forms will be very different to what we accept and recognize as English today.

That’s because people who speak English as a second language already outnumber native speakers. And increasingly, they use it to communicate with other non-native speakers, particularly on the Internet where less attention is paid to grammar and spelling and users don’t have to worry about their accent (口音).

Users of Facebook already socialize in a number of different “Englishes” including Indian English, Spanish English and Korean English. While these different styles have long existed within their cultures, they’re now expanding and coming online. Technology companies are introducing newly-developed English words with products aimed at enabling users to add words that are not in the English dictionary. And most large companies have English websites, while smaller businesses are learning that they need a common language — English — to reach global customers.

The increasing popularity of the Internet allows more languages to develop quickly.

“Most people actually speak several languages — it’s less common to only speak one,” says Mr. Munro. “English has taken its place as the world's common language, but it’s not pushing out other languages.” Instead, other languages are pushing their way into English, and in the process creating something new.

Main people believe that the only way to make our communities safer is to build more prisons. But there's a way to better protect cities and towns by doing just the opposite.

In many countries throughout the world, prison populations have risen dramatically over the past decade. One of the main reasons for this is the large number of repeat offenders, that is people who break the law again are once freed from jail. Statistics show that about one in four prisoners freed every year return to jail within three years.

This is partly because ex-prisoners face huge difficulty finding employment. More than a third of them cannot find any job at all. Data show that having a job greatly reduces the chances that a person will commit a crime again or commit one in the first place. Released prisoners who do manage to find steady employment are 50 percent less likely to return to prison. Rather than harming a community, having a job helps ex-prisoners to change their ways and make a positive and productive contribution to their communities.

What's more, helping these men and women find jobs would also save taxpayers a lot of money. Few prisoners would save governments millions or possibly even billions of dollars annually: the costs of building and operating jails.

There are many things that the government can do to help ex-prisoners find work. More job training programs should be introduced to provide prisoners with work skills before they are freed. Companies and factories should also be given tax benefits if they employ ex-prisoners. Such programs have been shown to work in several countries.

Such policies of course assure that freed criminals actually want to work. But shouldn't they be given the chance? Our goal, after all, shouldn’t be to incarcerate as many prisoners as possible, but to build a society that doesn't need to put such a large percentage of its population in jail. We should take a step in that direction and help prisoners find self-respect and purpose through work.

The Lipstick Effect

In 2020, the world was plunged into an economic down turn as the COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread closures to businesses. 【小题1】 During such times of economic hardship, one may naturally expect that consumer markets will see a decline in expenditure, as people everywhere feel restricted to making only “essential” purchases. However, a curious phenomenon known as the “lipstick effect” can often be observed.

The lipstick effect refers to the phenomenon of consumers spending on small luxury goods even when an economic depression occurs. 【小题2】 However, many still find the cash for purchases of small luxury items, such as lipstick. This phenomenon was termed the “lipstick effect” in 2001 by Leonard Lauder, chairman of luxury cosmetic company Estée Lauder. He had not only witnessed the phenomenon at work but also realized that it was especially evident in the case of lipstick and other cosmetic products.

【小题3】 First and perhaps most obviously, consumers may simply wish to give themselves treats now and again to provide distractions from their financial insecurity. Another theory has to do with labour markets. Specifically, during the economic depression, job seeking tends to become more competitive. Thus, people seeking employment may perceive a need to spend money on certain products to improve their physical appearance. 【小题4】

Whatever the causes of the lipstick effect. this phenomenon is no short-lived trend. During the global depression of 2007-2009, sales of cosmetic in the United States increased by around 5%. Based on such data, it seems that even in the current insecure economic climate, the luxury cosmetics industry is one that will be sticking around.

While lipstick as an economic indicator makes sense, it can be difficult for the public to access sales data on lipstick and similar products at regular intervals, such as weekly or monthly. 【小题5】 However, it’s of no practical use to a regular mom-and-pop investor, unless they also can easily track lipstick sales.