Martial arts are called Wushu in Chinese. It’s not only a traditional (传统的) Chinese sport, ①____ also a kind of Chinese culture. It gets more and more popular in both China and some other countries. Turkey is one of them.

Why does Wushu become popular around the world? That’s because people need some quick, powerful (有力量的) and relaxing sports because of COVID-19. Wushu is such a good sport for people to keep healthy.

There are many kinds of Chinese martial arts that both little kids and old people can do. Tai Chi, for example, can help people stay in health. “We need it in our life, especially (尤其) when we have to fight with COVID-19,” a Wushu teacher and player says. “In fact, we are very interested in Wushu.”

Beyzanur Karakaya, a 22-year-old young girl, is studying sports in a college in Turkey. She started learning Wushu ten years ago. She said she wanted to go to China to learn Wushu.

Wushu is also good for people’s minds. 13-year-old Fatma Ikra Ulukok was very shy before and she was afraid to talk with others. However, she becomes more ②____ after practicing Wushu. Ulukok also says that she likes the Chinese culture and would like to see it for herself in the future.

【推荐2】Why do many Chinese people refuse to cut their hair during the first month of the lunar year?

This is because people believe that getting a haircut during the first lunar month is not a good idea. Traditionally, it is said that doing so will cause her or his mother’s brothers to die. Although it’s not true, some people still believe it. So, after a month’s wait, people usually flock to cut their hair on.

Dragon Head-Raising Day — the second day of the second lunar month. It was a tradition to line up outside of barbers’ this day. Dragon Head-Raising Day falls on Mar. 11 in 2024. It is an important traditional Chinese holiday. Ancient people believed that after this day, rainfall would increase. So that day is the start of spring and farming.

A well-known phrase (俗语) goes, “On the second day of the second month, the dragon lifts his head.” Besides cutting hair, there are also other ways to celebrate this day. For example, people eat food about dragons. People call noodles dragon’s beard. Dumplings are dragon’s ears and spring rolls (春卷) are dragon’s scales (龙鳞).

【推荐3】Hello, my name is Susan. Now let me tell you something about Chinese food. In China, there are many different kinds（种类）of food. Some of them are very popular. But dumplings（饺子）are the real（真正的）Chinese food.

Everyone in China likes dumplings very much, and there are many different kinds of dumplings. Some have meat with vegetables in them, and some have eggs in them. But I like eating dumplings with vegetables and pork（猪肉）.

Usually people make dumplings at home. If you have no time to make them, you can buy them in any supermarket. Then you take them home and eat them with vinegar.

The Spring Festival is very important in China. When it comes, we make dumplings, usually we put a coin（硬币）in a dumpling. If one eats the dumpling with the coin in it, he will be lucky（幸运的）in the year.

Welcome to China, I’ll ask you to eat the real Chinese food: dumplings.

【推荐1】Few nations in the world have calligraphy as a form of art. In China, calligraphy has a long history and has kept a close relationship with Chinese cultural development.

Calligraphy looks simple. It seems as if anyone can write Chinese characters on paper with a writing brush and become a calligrapher. In fact, that is not true. Calligraphy is a form of art that requires many skills, so there are not many calligraphers that have long-lasting works.

Calligraphy is a creative art. The calligraphers create their works with the usage of the ink and the writing brush. The black strokes and white space on the paper create a sense of beauty. For calligraphers, the writing brush is the extension (延伸) of their fingers: the rhythm and strength of their writings are all controlled by their moods.

Calligraphy is an expressive art. In a work of calligraphy, we can see the character, education level and experience of the calligrapher.

When calligraphy and painting are mentioned together, calligraphy always comes before painting. Ancient Chines sculpture and architecture (建筑) were also influenced by calligraphy. The development of Chinese handicrafts and folk arts has been influenced by calligraphy as well. Thus we can see that calligraphy is the soul of Chinese fine arts.

Title: Chinese Calligraphy

【推荐2】Deep in the forest of southeastern Mexico, scientists found a surprise. They found an ancient pyramid (金字塔). There were colorful murals in it. A mural is a painting on a wall. Those murals are helping scientists unlock a mystery (奥秘) about people who lived in ancient times.

The murals are about 1,350 years old. That's more than five times older than the United States. Scientists say the paintings belonged to the Mayas. That was a group of Native American people.

Scientists are excited about the discover because they don't know much about the Mayas daily life, explains Michael Coe, an expert on the Mayas. The paintings show how the Mayas worked, shopped and had meals.

"Mostly we get the murals that show gods and kings, never anything about the daily life, " Coe said. So far, scientists have found more than 30 murals in the pyramid. They are not sure why the Mayas created them. The experts hope to learn more as they continue their search. "We never had anything like this before," said Coe. "These are really special murals."

Scientists learned a lot about the Mayas from the murals. The Mayas were known for more than paintings. Now the murals tell us some fun facts about the Mayan way of life.

Sweet Home

The Mayas lived in what is now Central and North America. Today the area includes parts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras.

Smart Starts

The Mayas invented a type of Math. They also created a type of writing that used symbols or pictures. Mayas used bark (树皮) to make books.

Different Plants

The Mayas often ate corn and used it to make other foods. They grew many crops (庄稼)， including beans and sweet potatoes.

________________

Mayan men dressed themselves up with some cloth while women wore long dresses. Rich Mayas wore jewelry (珠宝).

【推荐3】Claude Monet’s paintings were quite different from the art styles that were popular in the 1870s France. Traditional artists always did their artwork in a studio and their paintings looked exactly like the real world. Claude Monet was part of a group of painters who were called Impressionists (印象派画家). Their paintings gave an impression of what the real world looked like.

Knowing that trains were interesting subjects and stood for modern progress (进步), Claude Monet painted a series of Impressionist paintings of trains from January to March of 1877.

Monet’s friend, Pierre Auguste Renoir, told the following story to his sons about Claude Monet and painting the trains. Monet needed permission (允许) to stay on the train platform and paint what he saw in his impressionistic style. One day Monet dressed himself in his very best clothes. It seemed that he was a rich gentleman but in fact he really was a poor painter.

He showed the clerk (职员) at the train office his calling card which introduced him as Claude Monet, Painter. He asked to see the station master. The clerk quickly allowed this fine gentleman to enter the station master’s office. The station master gave Monet permission to paint on the train platform. He even stopped trains from leaving on time so Monet could complete a scene even though passengers complained.

Was it all worthwhile (值得)? Monet’s train scenes turned his career into a success and for the station master, made his train station famous until even now.   

Claude Monet

Never go into a supermarket hungry! This is a good piece of advice. If you go shopping for food before lunchtime, you’ll probably buy more than you plan to. Unluckily, however, just this advice isn’t enough for consumers (消费者) these days. Modern shoppers need an education in how and how not to buy things at the store. First, you check the weekly newspaper advertisements. Find out the items that are on sale and decide if you really need these things. In other words, don’t buy anything just because it’s cheaper than usual! “New and improved!” or “All Natural” on the front of a package (包装) influence you. Instead, read the list of ingredients (原料) on the back. Third, compare prices: that is, you should examine the prices of both different brands(商标、牌子) and different size of the same brand.

Another suggestions for consumers is to buy ordinary items(商品) instead of famous brands. Ordinary items in supermarkets come in ordinary packages. These products are cheaper because producers don’t spend much money on packing or advertising.

The quality, however, is usually as good as the quality of well-known name brands. In the same way, in buying clothes, you can often find high quality and low prices in brands that are not famous. Shopping in discount clothing stores can help you save a lot of money. Although these stores aren’t very attractive, and they usually do not have individual dressing room, not only are the prices low, but you can often find the same famous brands that you find in high-priced department stores(百货商店).

Wise consumers read magazine ads and watch TV commercial (广告), but they do this with one advantage: knowledge of the psychology (心理) behind the ads. In other words, well-informed(消息灵通的) consumers watch for information and check for misinformation. They ask themselves questions. Is the advertiser hiding something in small print at the bottom of the page? Is there any real information in the commercial, or is the advertiser simply showing an attractive image? With the answer to these questions, consumers can make a wise choice.

【推荐2】Chess is called the game of kings. People have been playing it for many, many years. The chess we play today is from abroad. Chess is a two-player game. One player uses white pieces(棋子) and the other uses black pieces. Each piece moves in a special way. Each player has one piece called the king. The players take turns moving their pieces. If a player lands on a piece, he takes it. The game ends when a player loses his or her king.

Some people think that chess is more than a game because it makes the mind stronger. Good chess players use their brains. They take their time to think about what will happen next. These skills are useful both in chess and in life.

You don’t always have lots of time to think when playing chess. There is a type of chess with short time limits (限制) called blitz chess(快棋). In blitz chess, each player gets ten minutes to use for the whole game. Your clock runs during your turn. You hit the time clock after your move. This hit stops your clock. It also starts the other player’s clock. If you run out of time, the other player wins.

In 1997, a computer called Deep Blue beat the best player in the world for the first time. By 2006 a cell phone (手机) could beat the best players in the world.

【推荐3】Do you want to be healthy? Would you like to follow a healthy lifestyle? Then you must eat well and get a lot of exercise. If you’re healthy, your body works well and you also feel good. Here are some suggestions(建议) about how to be healthy.

Eat different kinds of food, fruit and vegetables.

If you only eat your favorite food, your body can’t get enough nutrients(营养) . You should eat more fruit and vegetables.

Drink more water and milk.

When you are thirsty(口渴的), drinking water is very good. Milk is also very good for your body. Try to drink a cup of milk every day if you can.

Take more exercise.

Don’t spend too much time watching TV, playing video games or using the computer. You should do some exercise, such as playing basketball, riding a bike and swimming. There are many activities. Find out what you like. They will help you keep healthy.