The hot pot(火锅) is one of the most popular meals in China. It has a long history of about 2,000 years. It used to be eaten in winter, but now it appears on tables all year round.

Apart from(除……之外) its delicious taste, there are two other important reasons for the Chinese to like the hot pot. The first one is that the hot pot is a great way to make new friends. People sit around the pot, talking, eating, drinking and having fun. The other is that the hot pot is a “healthy meal”. 吃火锅能暖身。And it can improve the blood movement in winter.

There are several kinds of hot pots in China with different soup. Two of the most popular hot pots are Sichuan hot pot and Beijing mutton hot pot.

Sichuan hot pot is famous for its numbing and spicy(又麻又辣的) taste because of Sichuan pepper. As for Beijing mutton hot pot, mutton is its main part.

When you eat a hot pot in a restaurant, there are usually two kinds of soup base(锅底): clear and spicy. A clear soup base has a quite mild(温和的) taste, which is made from seafood or meat bones. A spicy soup base usually has Sichuan pepper, which is spicy and salty.

If you have a mixed group, a double-flavor hot pot(鸳鸯锅) is a must. It has a clear soup base on one side, a spicy soup base on the other and a divider in the middle.

Every April, there is a special day when people remember and honor their ancestors. It is called Tomb-Sweeping Day, also known as Qingming Festival. This year, the day falls on April 4th.

Tomb-Sweeping Day is a traditional Chinese festival. It began over 2000 years ago. A well-known poem by the Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu describes the day, “(1) Rains fall heavily as Qingming comes, and passersby with lowered spirits go.”

Tomb-Sweeping Day (2)_______ a public holiday on the Chinese mainland since 2008. On this day, families bring flowers, food and wine to their ancestors’ tombs. They put food like cakes and fruits in front of the tombs. After that, they sweep the dirt off the tombs and remember their dead family members.

Why do Chinese people do this? That’s because people think that visiting tombs during Qingming Festival is to show respect to their dead family members.

However, Tomb-Sweeping Day is not only about this. During that time, the weather is getting warmer. So Tomb-Sweeping Day also means finally being able to garden and enjoying outdoor activities in China. Families often get together for outings or to fly kites at this time.

【推荐1】We all have days when we are down, tired and unhappy. That’s all right. You need days like this, or how would you know you are happy? You’ll enjoy your good days even more when you have a few bad days. If sadness is a part of life, let’s try to make it small. Here are a few simple ways to help you feel better when you are feeling sad.

Stand up straight and this helps your energy flow (流动). When your energy is flowing freely, you can flow too.

Smile! It’s easy to do and have good results. This way can not only leave you in a good mood (心情) but also bring others a good mood.

Listen to music. It can be your favorite music. Some kinds of music work better than others, so try and find out what kind of music works the best for you.

Take some “me” time. You can find fun in reading a book, watching a sunrise or having a hot bath, or something like that.

Exercise. Even something as simple as taking a walk will get your blood(血液) flowing. It is a great way to clear your mind of anything that makes you sad.

These ways will make you happy when you are down, but don’t just use them when you are sad. Try and practice them every day to make them a habit. You will be surprised to learn that these simple ways will keep your sadness away. But if you are in a deep depression (沮丧), go to see a doctor.

    1     to keep the sadness away

You may not realize it, but you are doing much more than just studying when you are at school. School is also the place where you learn to get on well with people. But this is not always easy. What can you do if you just don’t like one of your classmates?

If you discover（发现）that you have problems getting on with your classmates or friends, the most important thing to learn is tolerance（宽容）. Tolerance is the ability（能力）to realize and respect（尊敬）the differences in others. We can not change the way that other people do, so it is important to learn to live happily with them.

Tolerance will make everyone get on better with each other. Getting to know someone may help you understand why he does things differently. Something different does not exactly mean that it is bad. Tolerance teaches us to keep a temperate and open mind.

You need to remember an old saying, “Treat others how you want to be treated”. If you tolerate something, it does not mean that you have to like it. No one is asking you to change who you are or what you believe in. Tolerance just means that you should respect the differences in others and not try to make them change.

It is important to practice tolerance, because it will make everyone’s life easier. Learn to accept people for their different abilities and interests. The world is very different, and practicing tolerance in your own school and city can help make a difference.