1 . Spring festival is coming soon, which means gift-giving season is also coming. According to Chinese culture, there are some taboos on gift- giving that you should know. Chinese people usually don’t give a clock to each other. A clock sounds as “Zhong” in Chinese. It means the end. It is unlucky, especially for old people. Remember not to give pears as gifts, either. A pear sounds as “Li” in Chinese that means separation (分离).

So what is a right gift? A “red envelope” with money in it is the most popular gift in China. During the Spring Festival, the elder people will give children red envelopes to show their love and wishes. The number of the money should be lucky. Some numbers have special meanings. For example, “520” means “I love you”; “666” means “everything goes well”; “888” means “wish you to be rich” and “1314” means “forever love”.

2 . Many people like animals and keep one or more as pets—dogs, cats or some kinds of birds. If you keep a dog or a cat as a pet, you must know how to look after them.

A grown-up dog needs two meals a day—not more. And it can eat meat, fish, rice and some other things. Dogs like large bones, but don’t give them chicken bones. Remember to give them much clean water.

A dog should have a clean, dry box for sleeping. Washing it once a week is good for its health. If it is ill, take it to a doctor. A healthy dog will bring you more pleasure.

Be careful if you have a cat. It has two meals a day with some meat of fish. Cats drink a little milk every day. Sometimes you should give them vegetables to eat. Don’t forget that they need clean water to drink.

Take good care of your pets. They will be your good friends. Maybe they can give you some help when you need.

Sometimes parents wonder if they should give their kids some housework or not. In some parents’ eyes, kids needn’t do housework. After all, it’ll be a long time for kids to do it after they grow up.

Most kids seem to be busy all the time. They have little time to do the cleaning or make the bed. However, it’s important to teach your kids to do some easy housework. It will be useful in the future life.

When kids start going to school, you can ask them to do some simple things at home. For example, teach your kids to put away their shoes and schoolbags. Then you can give more jobs to them. As the jobs become more difficult, you can teach your kids slowly how to finish each of them. For example, when kids do the dishes, tell them how to make the plates clean. It’s common that kids can’t do everything very well at their first try. Just let them practice more, and they will do the jobs better and better.

4 . Culture Flying High

Known as the birthplace of kites, Weifang in Shandong Province has a long history of making kites.

Weifang kite-making dates back to 2,000 years ago. At first, they were often used by the army for measuring distance and communication purposes. During the Ming Dynasty(1368—1644), kites started to be popular among ordinary people as entertainment. Weifang kite-making was included in the national-level intangible cultural heritage lists(国家级非物质文化遗产名录) in 2006. Since 1984, the International Kite Festival has been held in Weifang every year.

Yang Hongwei, 56, is an inheritor(继承人) of the Weifang kite-making art, born into a kite-making family. “Every time I see the beautiful kites, my boredom and negative feelings go away,” said Yang.

Having a special connection with kites, Yang learned the art from her grandfather at the age of 16. After practicing the skills for 10 years, she started her own shop in 1992. On Yang’s kites, people can see not only common patterns like butterflies and birds, but also some paintings telling Chinese legends and history.

Though the idea was cool, the process was not easy. “It’s really hard work,” Yang added, “but when I explain the stories on the kites to foreign customers, I feel a sense of great achievement.”

In her space time, she also travels to different countries including Germany, Australia, the US and New Zealand to tell people about Chinese stories seen on kites and the traditional ways of making kites. “I’m an inheritor of the culture. It is also an important job of mine to spread the heritage around the world and onto the next generation,” she said.

5 . Famous Places around the World

The best time to visit...

8 . Good communication skills are key to success in life, work and relationships. Without effective (有效的) communication, a message can turn into a mistake or misunderstanding.

Communication is the process (过程) by which we exchange (交换) information between people. To communicate well is to understand and to be understood. Communication can be successful only when both the sender and the receiver understand the same information.

In today’s highly informational and technological environment, it has become more important to have good communication skills. Here are some important steps to communicate effectively.

Know what you want to say and why. Understand clearly the purpose of your message. Know with whom you are communicating and why.

How will you say it? We all know that it’s not always what you say, but how you say it, that matters. Begin by making eye contact. You show trust and confidence when you look at others in the eyes when you speak. Second, pay attention to your body language, since it can say so much more than your words. By standing with your arms easily at your side, you tell others that you are open to hearing what they have to say.

Communication is a two-way street. After you have said what you have to say, stop and listen. Practise your listening skills. Be considerate of others are talking, listen carefully and never cut them off.

9 . Good study habits are important for all students. When you have good study habits, you learn faster and you find you have a good memory.

Do you usually study in the living room? This is not a good place for study because it is usually too noisy. You need to study in a quiet place, such as your bedroom. A quiet place will help you put your attention(注意力) on study and you will learn better.

Before you begin to study, do not forget to clean your desk. It helps you to focus(集中) on your study, too. A good desk light is important, too. You’ll feel tired easily if there is not enough light.

Of all the good study habits you can develop, asking questions is the key. Just ask. No one knows everything, but we can always learn from each other by asking questions.

One simple but important habit is to remind yourself what you’re studying for. Putting your dream grade on the wall next to your bed or computer means you’ll see and think about it every day.

When do you work best? Are you an early bird, night owl(猫头鹰), or something in between? Find your most productive work time, and then plan to study at this time.