A gift is necessary when one is invited to visit friends in China. After greetings, the gift should be passed immediately to the host. Remember that usually Chinese people will not open the gift in front of the person who gives 1. To show the respect, it may be 2 to explain what the gift is. Bringing some nutrients and tonics (营养品、补品)to the elders in the family is a good idea. You can 3 prepare some small gifts for the spouse (配偶)or kids of the host. The host usually makes full 4 by carefully tidying up the house and 5 a lot of delicious dishes. 6 the meal is well prepared, the host may say to the guest politely, "My preparation is not enough, please excuse me for my poor treat." As a guest, you should make the host believe that there is plenty to eat by praising the food. 

    While eating, the elders will use chopsticks to 7 food for guests as a tradition and ask them to eat 8. As a guest, you should accept their goodwill readily. But nowadays, the younger people do the traditional way less. 

    After dinner, tea and fruit are usually served. When the guests are to leave, the host may still politely ask them to stay. They don't have to take it 9 and they can try to find a good time to leave. This doesn't mean that leaving early is always a good idea as the host may feel that the guests are not satisfied with the treat. Finding the right time to leave 10 the situation.

    Do you like reading stories? Maybe you will answer, "No, I am not a child any more!" Yes, children all over the world always love stories.

Chinese children are1in Monkey King's story. It2a popular bedroom story in China for many years. In fact，adults also love the story a lot. For them, Monkey King has become a very3part in the memory of their childhood. The clever and humorous monkey4the hearts of many Chinese people. British boys and girls all know Alice's Adventures in Wonderland well(爱丽丝梦游仙境). As the name5, it's a story full of dangerous but exciting trips. Children laugh, cry and even get frightened with Alice together while reading the story. Most American kids have read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer(汤姆·索亚历险记), by the famous writer6Everyone likes the brave boy who also has lots of7. Some scenes of the story may make your heart go faster, for Tom and his friends meet some very bad men and are usually8. Of course in the end, they beat the bad ones.

    You may also ask me9I like stories. Yes, I have liked them since I was very young. At that time, I often10all my pocket money on story books. For me, stories are much more delicious than chocolate! They help me learn a lot. So either young or old, let's enjoy stories.

    In China, very few children make pocket money(零花钱).1, in America, most kids make pocket money by themselves. They make money in many different2. When kids are very young, their parents help them sell the fruits of their own trees to neighbors. Kids may also help3do housework to4money at home. When they reach sixteen, they can make money by sending newspapers or by working in fast food restaurants, especially(尤其)during the5holidays.

    There are many6of making pocket money by kids themselves. First of all, they learn the7of money by working hard so that they will not waste any. Secondly, they learn to8money to buy things they need or want, such as books, pencils, movies and even clothes they like. Thirdly, they learn to9the daily (日常的)life problems by helping their parents or others. Making pocket money is10for children when they grow up. That is why parents encourage their kids to make pocket money.

    Do you know that the "Happy Birthday to You" song is the first song sung in outer space？ Apollo IX1 sang it on March 8, 1969. It is one of the most popular English songs of all time. Here's the story behind it.

    The song was written by two sisters from Kentucky, Mildred and Patty Smith Hill. It was first published under the2 of "Good Morning to All" in 1893. It was used as a classroom greeting. Teachers sang it each day to3 their students to the classroom.

    The composer, Mildred Hill, was a concert pianist. Her sister Patty Smith Hill wrote the original(最初的)lyrics(歌词)for the song4 she was a teacher in a kindergarten in Louisville, Kentucky, where Mildred also taught.

    The Hill sisters copyrighted(取得版权) their song on October 16, 1893. However, it appeared without their5 in Robert H. Coleman's songbook on March 4, 1924. Coleman changed part of the lyrics to say, "Happy Birthday to You",6 the song still had its original title. The song was then published several times over the next ten years, often7 small changes in the lyrics. In 1934, when the song was sung every night in a Broadway Musical,8 Hill sister, Jessica, went to court (法院) over the copyright problem of the song. She was angry about the theft of the song and the failure to pay to her sisters. She9 her case. The Hill family owned the rights to the melody and had to be10 every time the song was part of a commercial(商业的)production.

    The Hill sisters, who devoted their lives to educating children, could never imagine that the simple little song would continue to earn about $2 million every year.

April Fool's Day

    April Fool's Day is a western festival. No one 1 exactly when and how April Fool's Day began. However, there are some stories about2 it came into being. One story3 like this: in the sixteenth­century France, the start of the new year was on April first. It was celebrated 4much the same way 5 it is today with parties and dancing into the late hours of the night.

    Then in 1562, Pope (教皇) Gregory introduced a new calendar for the Christian world, and the new year fell on January first. There were some people,6 who hadn't heard or didn't believe the 7 in the date, so they8 to celebrate New Year's Day on April first.9played tricks on them and called them "April fools". They tried to make them believe that something false was10. In France today, April first is called "April Fish". Frenchchildren fool their friends by taping a paper fish to their friends' 11. When the "young fool"12this trick, the prankster (恶作剧者) shouts "April Fish！" 

    Today Americans play small tricks on friends and strangers alike on the first of April. One13trick on April Fool's Day is 14 down to a friend's shoe and saying, "Your shoelaceis untied." School children might tell a classmate that school has been canceled (取消).15the trick is, if you fail for the joke the prankster shouts "April Fool！"

    In Britain today, on the first of April, even 16newspapers, radio and TV programs tell big lies. You17 read a science18 showing that doctors have found a way to cure (治愈) AIDS, 19you would probably listen to a piece of news about a UFO20on an island.

    China Post issued(发行) a set of special zodiac(生肖) stamps in honor of 2019 Chinese Lunar New Year, or the Year of the Pig. Famous Chinese 1 Han Meilin designed(设计) the set of stamps2 is most known for his Fuwa dolls made for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

    If you, like me, were born in the Year of the Pig. then you are 3, thoughtful and loyal(忠诚的). The Year of the Pig is filled with good wealth.

    Now, let's 4 a closer look at this interesting animal. Pigs were first kept by man about 9, 000 years ago, and are still a very common5 animal in many parts of the world. We don't just use pigs for their meat—almost every part of the animal is used. The hair is used for artists' brushes. The fat is used 6 floor wax(蜡), rubber(橡胶) and plastics.

    Pigs have also been important in the world of entertainment. In 1995 the film Babe starred(使主演)a loveable talking pig as its main character. The film 7 an Oscar Award. In England you can even go to watch pig racing. A farmer, Rob Shepherd, has been raising money 8 charity by holding pig races an his farm, 9 seems that people don't just want to eat pigs!

    Pigs also play an important role in the English language. For example, if someone say that he 10 to the sun one day, you can say "Pies might fly!" to him. Hungry? Well then, you can say "pig out" and eat lots of food.

On July, 27th, 2018, the comedy Hello, Mr. Billionaire (《西虹市首富》) came out. Many people went to the cinema to watch Shen Teng, who played the1 of the main character, Wang Duoyu. He acted so well that people just couldn't stop laughing 2 the movie.

The movie 3 the story of a man named Wang Duoyu, who is poor and nameless. Then he will become very 4 overnight (一夜之间) because his grandfather 5 to give him 30 billion yuan. 6, he has to use up one billion yuan within a month first, or he will get 7. It is not easy for him to do that. Wang Duoyu tries many times but 8 almost every time. When he is about to succeed, he finds his girlfriend kidnapped (绑架). To save her, he decides to 9 the money. Later, he finds out that it is only a test, for his grandfather wants to make sure he is a dependable person. Finally, he gets both the money and his girlfriend's love.

Some people think Wang Duoyu's story is too 10 to be true. They say there is no such thing as a free lunch. In my opinion, if you don't take the movie too 11, it is fun to watch. Besides, I learn from it that money is not everything. In other words, there is always something more important than money, such as 12. Wang Duoyu makes the right decision when he is asked to 13 between love and money. I also have a better understanding of human nature (人性). It doesn't matter if you want to be rich, but how to become rich makes a 14. Wang Duoyu doesn't get rich at the cost of (以……为代价) losing his girlfriend. 15 these reasons, Hello, Mr. Billionaire is a great comedy that is worth watching again and again.

    The Great Wall of China is one of the greatest wonders of the world. With a 1of more than 2, 000 years，some parts of the Great Wall have disappeared. 2, it is still a very popular place of interest.

    It is the 3 wall ever built. It is about 8 meters high. The top is 8 meters wide and it 4 even wider at the bottom. It is made 5 stone and brick. People built it by 6 and it took a long time to finish.

    No one knows 7 when the building of the Great Wall was started. It is believed that the wall was built to 8 parts of the country in the old days. It also made people live a（n） 9 life.

    Today, many of the visitors go to see the Great Wall. 10 they stand on top of a tower and look down on this wall, they can't help saying, "Wow, that's fantastic!"

    Different countries have different manners. For example, if you are a1in a Chinese house, when you have a meal, you usually do not2the food. You often leave a little to3that you have had enough. But in England, a visitor always finishes the food to show that he has4it. We must know the customs of other5, so that they will not think6bad-mannered. People all over the world7that a well-mannered person should be kind and8to others. If you9this, at least you will not go very far wrong.10likes a person with good manners, but no one likes a person with bad manners.

    The 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar (农历) in China is the Lantern Festival.

    It's an important 1 in China. Chinese people celebrate it in many ways. In the evening there are different 2 shows in parks and streets. Lanterns are often red 3 the Chinese think red stands for (代表) happiness and good luck. People 4 different lanterns out of paper and other things. Some are in the 5 of rabbits, birds and boats. Some are in the shapes of dragons and cartoon stars. There are 6 lanterns here and there. In some cities, such as Suzhou, there is 7 a big lantern show at night, and many people come to enjoy it every year.

    8 are special food for the festival. Families always get together and 9 a big meal. After that, people go out to 10. They often sing and dance happily late until midnight.