“YES! They are still here, the bed, the room,” cried Scrooge. He jumped out of bed, holding one of his bed curtains in his arms. “It was just a terrible dream. Now, I can change the future. I know I can.” This mean old man decided to put things right!

Scrooge hurried to get dressed. And in his excitement he put on his vest inside out. He put on his trousers upside down. He tore his shirt. And he couldn’t find his socks.

“A Merry Christmas to everybody!” shouted Scrooge. “A Happy New Year to all the world.”

He stopped when he heard the church bells ringing. He ran and opened the window. No fog. It was a clear, cold day. Golden sunlight! Sweet fresh air! Happy bells! What a wonderful, wonderful day!

Once outside, Scrooge smiled at everybody and two or three people said, “Good morning, sir! A Merry Christmas to you!” He was walking along the street when he saw one of the kind old gentlemen from the day before. He felt very embarrassed. But he greeted him. “Please forgive me for my bad behavior yesterday. And will you...” Scrooge whispered something in his ear.

“Good heavens!” cried the gentleman. “My dear Mr. Scrooge, are you serious?”

“Of course,” said Scrooge. “Not a coin less. It includes a lot of back-payments (拖欠工资).”

“My dear sir,” said the gentleman. “That’s very kind of you.”

That afternoon, Scrooge walked to his nephew’s house. Thinking of his wrong deed to his nephew, he was very nervous. He walked past the door several times before he finally knocked on it.

The door opened. “Merry Christmas, Fred!” said Scrooge. “I have come for dinner. Can I come in?” Fred was very happy to see Scrooge.

Everything was the same. It was a wonderful party.

Many Chinese students are trying their best to pass English tests like the TOEFL and IELTS. At the same time, many non-native Chinese speakers are struggling to learn Chinese and pass the HSK.

The HSK is the official test for non-native Chinese speakers. Passing it can give non-native speakers new work or education opportunities. It has been offered since 1992. Each of the exam’s six levels includes three parts: listening, grammar practice and reading. In 2018, the HSK was taken 6.8 million times, up 4.6 percent from 2017, according to the Ministry of Education.

Schools in countries around the world are starting to offer more Chinese language programs. That’s because trade and cultural exchanges between China and other countries are continuing to increase, China Daily reported.

For example, the Zambian government announced in May that it will roll out (推出) Mandarin classes in over 1,000 secondary schools in future. It will be the largest Chinese language program in Africa, the Financial Mail reported. Zambia will become the fourth country on the continent—after Kenya, Uganda and South Africa—to offer Chinese language programs in its schools.

Starting this year, Russian middle school students can take Chinese as an elective (选修的) foreign language on Russia’s national college entrance exam, Sputnik News reported.

“I am fascinated with China’s history, culture and language, as well as its economic development. I think studying in China could provide me with some great job opportunities,” Patcharamai Sawanaporn, 26, a Thai graduate student in Beijing, told China Daily.

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