If you decide to go to England for further study, you should get to know it in advance. England is the biggest of the four countries in the United Kingdom. Together with Scotland and Wales, these three countries are the island of Great Britain. When you include Northern Ireland, we call it the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Over 50 million people live in England and that’s around 80 percent of the total UK population（人口）. It is a multicultural（多种文化的）） country where people speak more than 250 languages in the capital city, London. Laws and political decisions in England are made by the Parliament（议会）of the United Kingdom.

Language

The official language of England is English. Many students go to England from other countries to study the language and learn about the culture. Although（虽然）everyone speaks English, there are many different accents（口音）all over the country.

Music

English people love music. In summer there are music festivals all over the country like those at Glastonbury, or Leeds. Glastonbury is a five-day festival of music, dance, comedy, theatre and circus（马戏团） and around 175,000 people go. People listen to all types of music and they have a special interest in pop and rock. England has produced many international groups and singers like the Beatles, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and Adele.

Sport

The most popular sports in England are football, rugby and cricket and most towns have a sports ground where teams can play. English football teams like Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool are famous all over the world. Women’s football is also popular and teams play in leagues and competitions all over the country.

Food

England is a very multicultural country and this causes a big change to the food people eat. Indian, Chinese and Italian cuisines（菜肴）are popular alternatives to traditional English food like fish and chips and roast beef. Many English people drink several cups of tea every day, usually with milk.

Trees are useful to man in three very important ways. The first important way is that they provide (提供) man with food, wood and other products. Trees provide not only man with food, but also many animals with food. Without trees, many animals could not live on the earth. It’s not easy for man to live on the earth, either.

The second important way is that trees give us shade. On a hot summer day, people long to have a rest in the shade of a tree after they have walked a long way. You can imagine (想象) how important the shade of a tree is to man and animals.

The third important way is that trees help to stop drought (干旱) and floods (洪水). However, in many parts of the world, man has not known the third important way. He has cut trees down in large numbers. In the end, he finds that he has lost his best friends.

World Book Day falls on April 23 every year. It was set up by the UNESCN (联合国教科文组织) in 1955 to encourage people to discover the pleasure of reading. It means you read a book out of interest not because your teachers or parents tell you to do so. “Reading for pleasure” plays a more important role in one’s growth than one’s family background.

Books, magazines, newspapers and other kinds of materials can help us know more about the outside world and perfect (使完美) us. However, computer games, online videos and the Internet are pushing books off the shelf. Some experts believe it’s a worrying trend (趋势). And now, many bookstores close their doors because many books lovers start to buy fewer books than before.

However, many people still love reading because it has been part of their life. The more we read, the more we know. The more we know, the smarter we become. It’s never too late to start reading. So jump into the wonderful world of books now!