【推荐1】A Special Form of Traditional Art—Chinese Knots（中国结）

Chinese knots are a form of Chinese traditional art. The history of Chinese knots dates back to ancient times. It is said that they were developed into an art form in the Tang and Song Dynasties and later became popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Colorful thread is used for tying the knots. However, the most commonly used color is red because it symbolizes good luck and prosperity. The knots can be used as car or mobile phone decorations. Also,people hang the knots in rooms.

Chinese knots can be seen in different parts of China, which are popular among the young and the old.

Chinese has a history of thousands of years. But Pinyin doesn’t. It tells people how to pronounce（读）Chinese characters. This year, Pinyin turns 65 years old.

In 1958, Chinese linguist（语言学家）Zhou Youguang and his team made Pinyin. Before that, Chinese people used many other ways to show how to pronounce Chinese characters. But these ways are not as easy to use as Pinyin. Because of Pinyin, more people learn how to read.

Pinyin is a big part of our daily life. We learn to speak putonghua with the help of Pinyin. We type Chinese characters into computers by using Pinyin.

Pinyin is young. But it is now very popular outside China. It is becoming a bridge between China and the world. Many people around the world start to learn Chinese by learning Pinyin. You might say “nihao” to mean “hello” to a foreign friend.

People are using Pinyin more often than before. For example, fewer foreigners use “dumplings”. They like to use “jiaozi”. And “mantou” is for “steamed bun”. The Oxford English Dictionary（《牛津英语词典》）has more than 100 Chinese characters in Pinyin, such as “zhongguomeng” for “Chinese dream”, and “wanggou” for “online shopping”.

Every year in early April, people in China visit the tombs (墓地) of their parents, grandparents and ancestors. It is Tomb-Sweeping Day, a traditional Chinese holiday to remember the dead. On this day, Chinese families will sweep their relatives’ tombs and clean the ground around them. Then, they will burn paper money and put flowers and fruit in front of the tombs. They hope the dead can enjoy these items and bring the family good luck.

However, it is not only the Chinese who remember the dead. People in other countries also have holidays to honor their ancestors.

In Japan, Obon is one of the country’s most important holidays. It is held from August 13 to 16. It also serves as a time for family reunions. During Obon, Japanese people return to their hometowns and visit their ancestors’ tombs. In Russia, people remember their ancestors on the Day of Rejoicing. It usually falls in late April or early May. The name of this holiday refers to birth and happiness. Russians believe that people don’t have to feel sad for the dead because death means rebirth in another world.

I’m Lisa. Andy and Dora are my friends. All of us like drawing pictures on stones (石头). There is an art festival at our school this Friday. Here are our works (作品) for the art festival.

I draw a cat. I live with my parents and my cat Barbara in a big house. Barbara is a brown cat and she’s three years old. She likes watching TV with me on the sofa.

Andy draws a baby (婴儿). Who is the baby? Andy has a sister and a brother. The baby is Andy’s brother Jimmy. Jimmy is only two months old. Andy thinks Jimmy is really lovely.

Dora likes minions (小黄人) very much, so she draws a picture of Stuart. Stuart has only one eye and he loves music. Stuart likes eating bananas and they are Dora’s favorite fruit, too.

Do you know crosstalk? It’s also known for its Chinese name Xiangsheng. It is a famous Chinese show in the form of a dialog usually between two people. It came into being in Beijing in the late Qing Dynasty. It began as a form of the street show, and it also borrowed from other arts. No matter what the form is, crosstalk just wants to make people laugh.

Crosstalk is one of China’s most popular performing arts. Modern crosstalk usually has four skills: speaking, imitating (模仿), teasing (逗笑) and singing. Some stories come from everyday life, popular ideas and hot news. Some come from history stories. Crosstalk is full of fun. So if something makes you unhappy, you can enjoy a crosstalk show.

Nowadays, you can watch crosstalk in tea houses and theaters. Of course, you can also listen to it on the radio while taking a walk or driving a car. And you can watch it on TV with your family.

【推荐3】Can you find your way if you are in a new city? No? Don’t worry. Here are some tips (提示) to help you find the way.

First, you can buy a map of the city. The map will be very helpful to you. You can find the place where you are on the map. Then look for the place you’re going to on the map. You will find it’s easy to get there.

Another way is to ask a traffic policeman. At the traffic lights, there are usually some traffic policemen. They will be happy to help you find your way. So when you are having some difficulties finding your way, feel free to get some help from them.

You can also look at the sun. The sun may help you find your direction. For example (例如), in the morning, the sun is in the east. At noon, the sun is in the south. In the late afternoon, the sun is in the west.

It can help you know where you are and which direction you are going to. It’s a good idea to take the taxi to a new place. The taxi driver usually knows the way well. He can take you to a right place quickly, but it is a little expensive.