2 . While tea may have originated in Asia, now there are many countries all around the world that have tea woven into their food culture and traditions. This is one of the very special parts of tea as it has a way of connecting people all over the world in different ways and ceremonies that finally all results in a group of people sitting together and enjoying a cup of tea.

Chinese tea culture

Since China is viewed as the birthplace of tea, it is no wonder that Chinese tea culture is rich with history and tradition. Today, Chinese tea continues to be used in Chinese medicine and is commonly consumed on both casual and formal occasions both for personal enjoyment and to represent Chinese cultural traditions.

Japanese tea culture

Japan also has a long history with tea, especially Japanese Matcha, which is a kind of ground green tea that is commonly used in Japanese tea ceremonies and only in recent years became popular in Western culture.

British tea culture

When many people think about tea, British tea culture is what comes to mind. A hot cup of English Breakfast or Earl Grey tea serves with a little milk and a biscuit in the afternoon as a pick-me-up for the day. Even though tea may not be native to England, this British tea tradition is still going strong today.

Moroccan tea culture

When you visit Morocco, it is hard to miss the outstanding tea culture that is such a large part of Moroccan hospitality. Before any gathering, negotiation, or sale of a product, a pot of mint tea is always prepared and served among the host and guests. This is an expression of Moroccan tradition and hospitality, which should always be accepted by guests as a sign of appreciation and respect to the host.

5 . People often ask which is the most difficult language to learn, and it is not easy to answer because there are many factors to take into consideration. Firstly, in a first language the differences are unimportant as people learn their native language naturally, so the question of how hard a language is to learn is only related to learning a second language.

A native speaker of Spanish, for example, will find Portuguese (葡萄牙语) much easier to learn than a native speaker of Chinese, because Portuguese is very similar to Spanish, while Chinese is very different. The greater the differences between a second language and one’s first language, the harder it will be for most people to learn a second language. Many people answer that Chinese is the hardest language to learn, possibly influenced by the thought of learning the Chinese writing system, and the pronunciation of Chinese does appear to be very difficult for many foreign learners. However, for Japanese speakers, who already use Chinese characters in their own language, learning writing will be less difficult than for speakers of languages using the Roman alphabet (字母表).

Some people seem to learn languages readily, while others find it very difficult. Teachers and the environment in which the language is learned also play an important role, as well as each learner’s purpose of learning. If people learn a language because they need to use it in their work, they often learn it faster than people studying a language that has no direct use in their day-to-day life.

No language is easy to learn well, though languages which are related to our first language are easier. Learning a completely different writing system is a huge challenge, but that does not necessarily make a language more difficult than another. In the end, it is impossible to say that there is one language that is the most difficult language in the world.

6 . When someone is homeless or trying to recover from a natural disaster, they are in great need of everyday goods. While people are often encouraged to donate (捐赠) canned goods, not everyone is thinking about things like shoes.

Of course, you can’t go looking for a new job or a home, if you have no shoes to walk in. One woman in Hays, Kansas took this into consideration, and found a great way to help hundreds of people.

Payless stores were going out of business, and shoes were selling for as little as $1 per pair, so a woman named Addy Tritt bought out all the remaining shoes at the Hays Payless store — more than 200 pairs — and donated them to flood victims (灾民) in Nebraska.

Those shoes were then sent to farmers in Nebraska by Fort Hays State University. Tritt, who recently graduated from FHSU, wanted to “pay it forward”.

“I have been so lucky,” she said. “There have been so many great people in my life who have inspired me. I see so many terrible things in the news. So many people have helped me when I was down. They influenced me so much that I want to help if I can.”

Tritt has a history of kind acts. She has donated more than 60 bags of school supplies to Hays students, and organised a baby clothes drive and two supply drives for the animal shelter.

“I really feel I have been directed and guided to help people,” she said. “If you can do something for someone else, you need to find a way even if it is a pair of shoes.”

7 . Where can you find a nice place to relax on holiday for both you and your children? Well, I suggest you try the beautiful and green Isle of Wight (IOW). The Isle of Wight is one of the main tourist attractions. Here is some information on a few of the attractions on the IOW.

It is located in Sandown, a seaside town on the southeast coast. It’s a large, lovely museum, both fun and educational. Here you can see a large fossil collection of all kinds of dinosaurs, as well as a gift shop. You can walk into the past and then the future, learning about the history and the development of the civilization of dinosaurs (恐龙) that lived 120 million years ago.

The park is in the beautiful countryside, and is suitable for children’s parties and games. It has five new gardens, and offers great opportunities to see and take pictures of the rare red squirrels.

Here we have the Marine Aquarium, the Archaeology Exhibition and the Model Railway. They offer another opportunity to combine entertainment (娱乐) with learning. This is a great place to see ancient boats crossing the narrow strait between the island and the mainland.

This museum is run completely by unpaid volunteers. It has a bus collection stored in what was once a warehouse (仓库). Most of the buses in the museum date back to around the 1910’s.

With all of these choices, what are you waiting for? IOW Tourism welcomes you!

8 . You probably know who Marie Curie was, but you may not have heard of Rachel Carson.Of the outstanding ladies listed below, who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?

Jane Addams (1860－1935)

Anyone who has ever been helped by a social worker has Jane Addams to thank. Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She encouraged a sense of community (社区) by creating shelters and promoting education and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Rachel Carson (1907－1964)

If it weren’t for Rachel Carson, the environmental movement might not exist today. Her popular 1962 book Silent Spring raised awareness of the danger of pollution and the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and on the world’s lakes and oceans.

Sandra Day O’Connor (1930－present)

When Sandra Day O’Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School in 1952, she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman. She became an Arizona state senator (参议员) and in 1981, the first woman to join the US Supreme Court. O’Connor gave the deciding vote in many important cases during her 24 years on the top court.

Rosa Parks (1913－2005)

On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks did not give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Her simple act landed Parks in prison. But it also set off the Montgomery bus boycott. It lasted for more than a year, and kicked off the civil­ rights movement. “The only tired I was, was tired of giving in.” said Parks.

9 . In the summer of 2015, Brian Peterson often heard a ________ man yelling on the street corner near his apartment. Peterson, a car designer, would pass the guy on his way to work, but they never ________.

One day, Peterson was reading the book Love Does in his living room, when his ________was disturbed by the homeless man.________ by the book’s sympathetic message, Peterson decided to go outside and introduce himself.

In that first conversation, Peterson learned that the man was Matt Faris, who had moved to California to________ a career in music, but he soon fell on hard times and________living on the street.

Peterson recalled later, “I saw beauty on the face of a man who ________hadn’t shaved (刮脸) in a year. But his story, the life inside of him, inspired me.”________ Peterson, a graduate of art, hadn't painted in eight years, he asked if he could paint Faris’s portrait. Faris said yes.

Peterson’s________with Faris led him to form Faces of Santa Ana, a nonprofit organization________ on befriending and painting portraits of members of the community who are unhoused.

Peterson________ the painting - signed by both ________and artist - for a few thousand dollars, dividing the profit and putting half into what he calls a “love account” for his model. He then helps people use the money to get back on their_________

Faris used the funds from his portrait to ________an album (专辑), fulfilling his musical dreams. Another subject, Kimberly, asked, “Can I use the money to pay my daughter's rent?” When the check was delivered, “they both________in my arms,” Peterson recalls.