Comparative Analysis of the Determinants of Residential Land Values

City development is a result of many factors, of which land value is one of the major determinants. The past urban economics studies have shown that land value is largely determined by location factors such as distance from Central Business District （CBD） ignoring the non-location factors like time of purchase and neighbourhood infrastructures. Therefore, this paper attempts to establish the relative importance of location and non-location factors in the determination of residential land value by positing Onitsha, Nigeria as a case study. Eight hundred and fifty residential housing units were selected and questionnaire administered to the landlords through multi-stage sampling technique. The stepwise regression analysis results showed that non-location factors, especially, time of land purchase, contribute more to the variation in residential land values. The paper suggests the revision of the classical economic theories to represent the conditions of urban areas in developing countries .

An Empirical Study on Interaction in EFL Classrooms in Middle Schools in Western Areas of China

Interaction in EFL （English as a foreign language） classrooms has received much attention in recent years However, little research exists that has investigated interaction in Chinese EFL classrooms. To bridge this gap, the current research investigates interaction in EFL classrooms in middle schools in China in terms of： （1） the amount of teacher talk and interaction; （2） the type of teacher questions and teacher feedbacks; and （3） the amount and forms of meaning negotiation. The data set include observation records and observation reports of 140 naturally occurring lessons in middle schools in China. The findings reveal that there is not much interaction in EFL lessons in middle schools in western areas of China, which is shown by class time dominated by TTT （teacher talking time）, teacher questions and feedbacks that do not encourage students＇ responses and very little negotiation of meaning Possible causes are analyzed, and implications of this research for EFL teaching in China, teacher development and further research are also discussed

A Research of the Silent Class in Senior English Instruction in China

There have been great improvements in English teaching in China since the adoption of the New National English Curriculum, however, there are still some problems in western Sichuan province in China. Silent class is found through the author＇s observation of some English lessons in some senior schools. This paper analyzes the situation of classroom interaction in English teaching in southwestern China and explores the reasons of silent class based on the analysis of the statistics drawn from questionnaires. The reasons are illustrated from three perspectives： teacher-centered class, exercises-based teaching, and learners＇ instrument learning motivation. The author suggests some proposals to solve the problems, such as changes of teachers＇ roles, creation of stress-free learning environment, and use of task-based teaching, which aims to make teachers consider using interactive language teaching to cultivate learners＇ whole abilities and to improve the efficiency of teaching and learning.

Environmental Changes on the Tibetan Plateau:Evaluation and Prediction

A research report on the environmental changes of the Tibetan Plateau from the past 2,000 years to a century ahead has been released by the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research,Chinese Academy of Sciences.After a three-year investigation into the plateau areas in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region with an average altitude of over 4,500 meters,

Diversity of Mesozoic tin-bearing granites in the Nanling and adjacent regions,South China:Distinctive mineralogical patterns

The Nanling and adjacent regions of South China host a series of tin deposits related to Mesozoic granites with diverse petrological characteristics. The rocks are amphibole-bearing biotite granites, or （topaz-） albite-lepidolite （zinnwaldite） granites, and geochemically correspond to mealuminous and peraluminous types, respectively. Mineralogical studies demonstrate highly distinctive and critical patterns for each type of granites. In mealuminous tin granites amphibole, biotite and perthite are the typical rock-forming mineral association; titanite and magnetite are typical accessory minerals, indicating highjO2 magmatic conditions; cassiterite, biotite and titanite are the principal Sn-bearing minerals; and pure cassiterite has low trace-element contents. However, in peraluminous tin granites zirmwaldite-lepidolite, K-feldspar and albite are typical rock-forming minerals; topaz is a common accessory phase, indicative of high peraluminity of this type of granites; cassiterite is present as a uniquely important tin mineral, typically rich in Nb and Ta. Mineralogical distinction between the two types of tin granites is largely controlled by redox state, volatile content and differentiation of magmatic melts. In oxidized metaluminous granitic melts, Sn4＋ is readily concentrated in Ti-bearing rock-forming and accessory minerals. Such Sn-bearing minerals are typical of oxidized tin granites, and are enriched in granites at the late fractionation stage. In relatively reduced peraluminous granitic melts, Sn2＋ is not readily incorporated into rock-forming and accessory minerals, except for cassiterite at fractionation stage of granite magma, which serves as an indicator of tin mineralization associated with this type of granites. The nature of magma and the geochemical behavior of tin in the two types of granites thus result in the formation of different types of tin deposits. Metaluminous granites host disseminated tin mineralization, and are locally related to deposits of the chlorite quartz-vein, greisen, and skarn types. Greisen, skarn, and quartz-vein tin deposits can occur related to peraluminous granites, but disseminated mineralization of cassiterite is more typical.