While tea may have originated in Asia, now there are many countries all around the world that have tea woven into their food culture and traditions. This is one of the very special parts of tea as it has a way of connecting people all over the world in different ways and ceremonies that finally all results in a group of people sitting together and enjoying a cup of tea.

Chinese tea culture

Since China is viewed as the birthplace of tea, it is no wonder that Chinese tea culture is rich with history and tradition. Today, Chinese tea continues to be used in Chinese medicine and is commonly consumed on both casual and formal occasions both for personal enjoyment and to represent Chinese cultural traditions.

Japanese tea culture

Japan also has a long history with tea, especially Japanese Matcha, which is a kind of ground green tea that is commonly used in Japanese tea ceremonies and only in recent years became popular in Western culture.

British tea culture

When many people think about tea, British tea culture is what comes to mind. A hot cup of English Breakfast or Earl Grey tea serves with a little milk and a biscuit in the afternoon as a pick-me-up for the day. Even though tea may not be native to England, this British tea tradition is still going strong today.

Moroccan tea culture

When you visit Morocco, it is hard to miss the outstanding tea culture that is such a large part of Moroccan hospitality. Before any gathering, negotiation, or sale of a product, a pot of mint tea is always prepared and served among the host and guests. This is an expression of Moroccan tradition and hospitality, which should always be accepted by guests as a sign of appreciation and respect to the host.

Five years ago, Chinese skater Wu Dajing introduced himself to the skating world by winning a silver medal at the Sochi Olympic Winter Games. At Pyeong Chang Olympics, Wu not only returned, but also made history.

On Feb 22th, 2018, Wu won the gold medal in the men’s short-track 500-metre race. He set a new world record with a time of 39.584 seconds. He also became the first Chinese man to take home an Olympic short-track gold medal. BBC said Wu’s win was “flawless”, because he was much faster than all of the other skaters.

“I didn’t give them a chance and I kept my speed from the start,” he told the media after the match.

But China’s short-track teams didn’t do well in general at the Games. Chinese skaters in the women’s 500 metres, 3000-metre relay and men’s 1500 metres all failed to take home the gold. Wu was China’s biggest hope, which put a lot of pressure on him. But he proved himself with his great performance.

Wu is now known as a highly talented skater. But things were not always that way. When Wu joined the national team in 2010, he was seen as almost “nothing” compared to gifted skaters like Zhou Yang and Fan Kexin, as his coaches said at the time. Their comments made him quite upset. But as the saying goes. “Winners never quit (放弃) and quitters never win”. Wu didn’t want to give up and worked as hard as he could. He practiced skating all year round. He even didn’t return to his hometown for the holidays for 10 years. “I believe in myself.” he told the media after his match at the Olympics.

How to prepare for an exam is a big question that you always ask yourself. Here are some tips that may help you.

Some students study well but still may be much afraid of exams and due to this reason they get upset and won’t be able to get marks.    36    You have to be confident and it is of great help for you to gain success.

Prepare a timetable before starting the study.    37    Difficult subjects can be given more time and easier ones less, but most importantly you should spare some time for rest.

Studying atmosphere plays a very important role.    38    So pick a place where you feel comfortable. That is where you feel relaxed and can pay attention to what you are doing. Make sure that while you are studying a subject you are focusing on it only. So keep the books of other subjects away from your eyesight so that you won’t be upset about all the things you have to learn.

This is a very important point. While studying, make small notes. The note should be short and clear to make the review easier.    39    Yet don’t try to cover everything in it.

On the night before exam you have to sleep well, at least 6 hours and not more than 8 hours. Remember this will have a great effect on your exam. And have your food as in your daily diet.

Standing on the top of Mount Tai, I watched the sun rising through the cloud and taking its place in the sky. I haven’t seen many ______, but I can feel that seeing one from the top of Mount Tai must be one of the best ways to ______ the beauty of nature.

When I left for China, the ______ of climbing Mount Tai had not even ______ me. I was going to China to ______ its language, history and culture and gain a better understanding of international agricultural trade between my country and China.

Now I have stayed in China for a few weeks. In Beijing, my group have, ______ friendship with many Chinese students. Through our broken Chinese and their ______ English, we are still able to teach each other about our cultures. We ______ that we are all just students working towards the same ______ of having careers, families and lives and trying to make the world better. Cultural differences seem ______—even the language almost completely differs from our own. But their daily lives are similar to our own routines (常规). ______, people worry about the same things we do here. They are ______ food safety, pay close attention to the government and feel the effects of the economic markets.

This ______ makes me realize how many cultures my country has in common with other countries around the world. More importantly, it makes me ______ for travel, and I am i looking forward to having more ______ to engage in cross-cultural communication and learning.

After a long summer holiday, my new life at senior high school     56     (begin) at last. I was     57     little anxious in the morning,     58     (worry) that I would not make new friends. I was not outgoing after all. However, things turned     59     just fine. Both my teachers and classmates made a good     60     (impress) on me. They were friendly and     61     (help). In fact, one of my classmates was so talkative     62     he kept talking to me over the experiment! Maybe he was just trying to impress    63     ( I ), but I felt quite angry because I couldn’t concentrate. I was too frightened     64     (tell) him to leave me alone. It would be awkward if I did. The classes are much     65     (difficult) than those at junior high school. There is a lot for me to explore. I hope I can fit in soon.