I fell in love with England because it was quaint（古雅）-all those little houses, looking terribly
old-fashioned but nice, like dolls" houses. I loved the countryside and the pubs, and I loved London.
I’ve slightly changed my mind after seventeen years because I think it"s an ugly town now.
    Things have changed. For everybody, England meant gentlemen, fair play, and good manners.
The fair play is going, unfortunately, and so are the gentlemanly attitudes and good manners-people
shut doors heavily to your face and politeness is disappearing.
     I regret that there are so few comfortable meeting places. You"re forced to live indoors. In Paris
I go out much more, to restaurants and nightclubs. To meet friends here it usually has to be in a pub,
and it can be difficult to go there alone as a woman. The cafes are not terribly nice.
     As a woman, I feel unsafe here. I spend a bomb（大量的钱）on taxis because I will not take
public transport after 10 p. m. I used to use _it ，but now I’m afraid.
     The idea of family seems to be more or less non-existent in England. My family is well united and
that"s typically French. In Middlesex I had a neighbor who is 82 now. His family only lived two miles
away, but I took him to France for Christmas once because he was always alone.

     Do you know why I am always in support of learning a foreign language? The reasons are as follows:
1. Improve your English
    I know this might not make sense at first but hear me out. As a person who speaks only one
language, you have no basis for comparison（比较）；all you know is English. In different languages
the same idea is often expressed in different ways. You will find yourself speaking and writing more
creative sentences. There is a reason why most great writers and poets are students of many
languages.2.______________
     Travelling is one of the great joys of life and also one of the most wonderful experience. Why not
get the most out of your experience? If you don"t know the native language of the country that you are
visiting, you are completely excluded from the culture. The locals（当地人）don"t speak to you.
Knowing even a few phrases will make a huge difference. You will meet more people and find it much
easier to get around.
3. Join the global community
     The majority of the world does not speak English. The truth is that new thoughts and ideas are
happening everywhere and they are not being immediately translated. The world is getting smaller and
we are coming into contact(接触) with more non-English speakers all the time. Gain an advantage
for yourself in business and personal relationships by being able to communicate with people in their
language.
     Now that you know three great reasons for learning a foreign language, do it right now.