As the hour hand reaches 10 at night, Paul Lee, a 12th grade student in Beijing, is getting ready to leave school and start his homework. He is not  1：many high school students throughout the country 2 exactly the same routine.

        Most American students are  3 when they hear about this busy 4. This is not surprising when you consider the different attitudes towards5 in the two countries.6Chinese universities accept students7mainly on one examination score, American universities take applicants who are not just academically 8 ， but also good at social activities.

         American students are9 to become all­rounders, and it can be stressful, but they don't lose their fun, while some Chinese students have no10 in going out and having fun.

       In fact, the efforts required to improve academic11 make some Chinese students very unhappy.12competition between students also causes problems. “I feel pressured to do well in exams 13 the class ranking，” said James Zhang, an 11th grade Chinese student. “It would be embarrassing if I came 14of my class.”

        Some teachers agree that the ranking system can 15more harm than good. “It means schools put pressure on their students rather than16 their skills，” said Chang Xueying, a teacher in Beijing.  

17the pressure, there are ways in which students can 18their lives. “I always run when I don't feel like doing homework. It 19to reduce the stress，” said Tracy Yuan, a Chinese student. But in America, community service, art and music are also  20among American students besides sports. They think they learn more out of school than they do in school.

Britain's highstreets are dying slowly

Twentyyears ago, the prosperous high street(繁华商业区)was the heart of most cities. It was crowded with customers.. Nowadays, high streets aredeclining, with very few shops and shoppers. With about 14 shops down everyday, Britain's high streets are dying little by little.

？It's fairly easy to understand. To start with, people are spending less becauseof the economic recession(衰退).On top of that, more and more people are using the Internet to do theirshopping. And it is not easy for shopkeepers in the high streets, either.. Finally, there are the out­of­townretail parks with free car parking that sell just about everything at very lowprices.

Whatcan be done? Prime Minister David Cameron has hired Mary Portas, a Britishbusiness woman and star of TV show Mary Queen of Shops, to bring some life backinto Britain's high streets. She's talked about creating “magnets(磁石)” to attract people back to the centre.. In one town, a bicycle rickshaw(人力车) service is delivering people's shopping to their homes.，where children can be cared for while parents are shopping.

Membersof the public have also voiced their opinions. “My ideal shopping center is onewhere there's a wide selection of attractive looking shops, with cheap parkingand good public transport links，”said a 28­year­old man. “I'd like to see Night Shopping evenings where shopsare open through to 10 pm or later，”said a 22­year­old girl.

A．They have to pay increasing high rents

B．But he is not the only one to solve the problem

C．But that's all changed

D．In another town, they set up night shopping centers

E．In another town, they set up a nursery

F．They can make a fortune overnight

G．Why are high streets in such a desperate situation

Food festivals around the world

        Stilton Cheese Rolling

        May Day is a traditional day for celebrations，but the 2,000 English villagers of Stilton must be the only people in the world who include cheese rolling in their annual plans.Teams of four，dressed in a variety of strange and funny clothes，roll a complete cheese along a 50­metre course.On the way，they must not kick or throw their cheese，or go into their competitors' lane(赛道)．Competition is fierce and the chief prize is a complete Stilton cheese weighing about four kilos (disappointingly，but understandably the cheeses used in the race are wooden ones)．All the competitors are served with beer or port wine，the traditional accompaniment for Stilton cheese.

        Fiery Foods Festival—The Hottest Festival on Earth

        Every year more than 10,000 people head for the city of Albuquerque，New Mexico.They come from as far away as Australia，the Caribbean and China，but they all share a common addiction—food that is not just spicy(辛辣)，but hot enough to make your mouth burn，your head spin and your eyes water.Their destination is the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival which is held over a period of three days every March.You might like to try a chocolate­covered habanero pepper—officially the hottest pepper in the world—or any one of the thousands of products that are on show.But one thing's for sure—if you don't like the feeling of a burning tongue，this festival isn't for you!

        La Tomatina—The World's Biggest Food Fight

       On the last Wednesday of every August，the Spanish town of Bunol hosts La Tomatina—the world's largest food fight.A week­long celebration leads up to an exciting tomato battle as the highlight of the week's events.The early morning sees the arrival of large trucks with tomatoes—official fight­starters get things going by casting tomatoes at the crowd.

       The battle lasts little more than half an hour，in which time around 50,000 kilograms of tomatoes have been thrown at anyone or anything that moves，runs，or fights back.Then everyone heads down to the river to make friends again—and for a much­needed wash!

Most people who move to a foreign country or culture may go through some form of culture shock，and its degree is determined by the differences between cultures，the anxiety to adapt to a new culture and the familiarity with a new culture，etc.If you go，for example，to a culture that is far different from your own，you're likely to experience culture shock more sharply than those who move to a new culture knowing the language and the custom of it.

It is important to understand and learn how to deal with culture shock if you are to adapt successfully to your new home's cultures.There are four general stages of cultural adjustment，and being aware of them helps you understand that culture shock won't last long.It's just a process you are going through rather than a constant situation.

The first stage is usually referred to as “the honeymoon stage”．Upon arriving in a new environment，you'll be interested in the new culture.Everything will seem thrilling and everyone will seem friendly and helpful.During this stage you are merely taking in these impressions passively.

But it isn't long before the honeymoon stage gives way to the second stage—“the withdrawal stage”．The excitement you felt before is gone and problems arise.The language is hard to learn，people are unusual and unpredictable，friends，are hard to make，and simple things like shopping and going to the bank are challenges.It is at this stage that you are likely to feel anxious and homesick，and you will probably find yourself complaining about the new cu lture or country.This is the stage called “culture shock”．

At some point，if you can manage it well，you'll begin the transition into the next stage，“the recovery stage”，in which you'll feel more confident functioning in the new culture.Customs and traditions are clearer and easier to understand.At this stage，you'll deal with new challenges with humor rather than anxiety.

       Bali is an Indonesian island that is rich in indigenous (本土的) culture.A lot of people say that the Balinese culture is unique and that the people of Bali have always been contented with the “now”．If you ask a Balinese person what heaven is like，the probable answer will be “just like Bali”．This only goes to show that most Balinese people are happy to be where they are and never worry.

       One factor that contributes to this laid­back lifestyle is the culture of close family ties in Bali.In the Balinese culture，support is always available.Balinese extended families are so tightly knit that all members usually reside in the same complex.

       Hinduism is one of the  main religions in Bali.The Balinese culture is based on a form of this religion，which is called “Hindu Dharma”．This religion reached the island during the eleventh century.Most of the family customs and traditions as well as community lifestyles of the Balinese people are influenced by this.The religious influence even expands widely into the arts，which makes Bali distinct from the rest of Indonesia.

        In spite of the fact that tourists flood to the island every year，the Balinese people have managed to conserve their culture.Almost every native of Bali is an artist in some form or another.Parents and villagers have passed on their skills to their children，who all seem to have inclinations (意向) either to music，dance，painting，or decor.

        Another remarkable mark of the Balinese culture is the  series of ceremonies and rituals known as the Manusa Yadnya.This marks the different stages of Balinese life.Cremation (火葬) is very popular on this island，and unlike in the West，death is a joyous and colorful event for the Balinese.

      Ji Xianlin, a famous paleographer(古文书学家), historian, and writer, was born in 1911. In 1930, Ji was admitted to Tsinghua University as a major in Western literature. In 1935, he went to Germany as an exchange student to study ancient languages, receiving his PhD degree in 1941. 

      Ji returned to China in 1946, and in the autumn of the same year, became a professor in Peking University. 

Ji Xianlin believes, “Cultural exchange is the main drive for humankind's progress. Only by learning from each other's strong points to make up for shortcomings can people constantly progress, the ultimate（最终的）target of which is to achieve a kind of Great Harmony. ” Over the past ten years, Ji has actively participated in discussions on the cultural problems between the East and the West, based on the same ideology. According to him, human culture is divided into four parts: Chinese culture, Indian culture, Arabic-Islamic culture and European-American culture, with the former three making up the Eastern cultural system and the last the Western one.

      With his achievements in the history of Sino-Indian cultural relations, Buddhism history,  Indian literature, and comparative literature, Ji Xianlin is known as a master of Eastern stu dies both at home and abroad. 

      In the past，people usually believed what newly-born babies wanted was food and to be kept warm and dry．They thought babies were not able to 1things until they were five or six months old．2 the researchers in the United States now believe babies begin learning on their first 3 of life．They say babies are strongly 4 by their environment and one baby will 5 if his or her mother does something that the baby likes．

      A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to 6 her mother．This is how babies start to learn to 7 and communicate with other people．The researchers say this ability to learn 8 in a baby even before birth．They also 9 the idea that newly-born babies can 10 and understand sounds they heard while they were still 11 inside their mothers．

      Recently，an American study 12 112 babies found babies learned better when they were 13 ． The babies appeared to learn well whether they were sitting up on their own，sitting in seats or 14 to sit up．The researchers say keeping that kind 15 had what they called a 16 effect on the babies' ability to learn about objects．They say the body position may be linked to development in the 17 ． One 18 says babies can pay more attention to 19 an object if they do not have to be 20about their balance．

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