1 . The latest additions to its World Heritage list. The following are some of the recent additions.

Churches of the Pskov School of Architecture (Russia)

The structures, many of which are churches, were all designed by the Pskov School of Architecture. It was a leading school of building design in the country, especially in the 15th and 16th centuries. Some elements common to Pskov architecture date back to the 11th century.

Babylon (Iraq）

The ancient city of Babylon is gaining World Heritage Site status. The city was once a main tourist site before Iraq suffered several wars. The 4, 300-year-old city is where dynasties have risen and fallen since the earliest days of settled human civilization. UNESCO Says the site "offers a look into one of the most influential empires of the ancient world".

Writing-on-stone（Canada）

Canada’s   Writing-on-stone monument has a large number of protected rock paintings and rock carvings. Some of them are 2, 000 years old. The markings were left by Blackfoot Native Americans, who lived in parts of Western Canada and the far northern United States. The land that makes up Writing-on-Stone is filled with rock posts that have been formed into "spectacular shapes" by erosion （侵蚀）.

Party and Ilha Grande（Brazil）

The historic coastal town of Party and the island Ilha Grande are already popular places for visitors to Brazils Rio de Janeiro state. Party was the final stop along the Gold Route, along which gold was shipped to Europe in the 1600s. The area is also home to a huge number of animals, some of which are in danger now.

3 . Durga and Amiko became best friends shortly after Durga's family moved to Texas from India. Amiko, who was Japanese American, enjoyed hearing Durga describe her life in India. Amiko also loved being invited for dinner at Durga's house. The spicy Indian dishes that Durga's mother cooked were delicious. Durga wanted to know about life in Japan. Amiko explained that her grandparents had come to the United States from Japan but that she had never been there herself. One Saturday at the public library, Durga and Amiko saw a flyer(广告传单) about the Festival of Cultures. After reading the flyer, the two girls decided that the festival would be a great way to learn about each other's cultures as well as various cultures in other countries.       

The Festival of Cultures is an annual event to celebrate the wide range of cultures found in our great state. People representing 40 cultural groups will share their traditions and customs. Here are just a few of the festival's many activities.

Crafts: See the fine art of basket weaving from Vietnam and Zimbabwe. Watch the delicate art of making paper umbrellas from Thailand and the decorative craft of papel picado, or paper cutting, from Mexico. All craft demonstrations provide a firsthand view of how things are made. You will appreciate the process involved in making these products.

Music and Dance: Experience musical instruments that you have never heard before. Listen to the music of a shô from Japan, a bull-roarer from Australia, a sitar from India, and a chakay from Thailand. You will also be entertained by folk dances from around the world, such as the troika from Russia and the mayim mayim from Israel. From 1:00 p.m. to3:00p.m. On14August, specialfolk-dancingclassesforchildrenwillbeoffered. Children ages 6–8 can learn the kinderpolka from Germany. Children ages 9–12 can learn the raspa from Mexico.

Storytelling:Listen for hours as professional storytellers charm you with captivating tales. Fables, folktales, and ballads from various countries will be told. Back by popular demand is Gwendolyn Washington, a famous African American storyteller.

Food: Enjoy irresistible foods from other countries, such as gyros from Greece, seafood paella from Spain, crêpes from France, and tandoori chicken from India. These tasty dishes will be difficult to pass up.

The Festival of Cultures is sponsored by the World Marketplace. For more information about the festival, call (800) 555-0199.

6 . Growing up in England with a British father and a Chinese mother, I've enjoyed food from both countries ever since I was able to hold a knife and fork --- and chopsticks!

Mum has sweet memories of the food from her hometown in Sichuan, and often cooks spicy dishes. On account of this, Dad has come to love hot pot! But there are still some dishes that Dad dare not try ever after many years of marriage to my mother. He once told me he was surprised by what he saw on the table when he first visited my mother's parents in China. He was even shocked at their wedding when he saw how the Chinese ate almost every part of an animal. Even today, he still does not easily take to eating things like chicken feet.

But I enjoy sort of food myself. Last week, I went to the butcher's and asked, "Do you have pigs' ears?" "No," the butcher（屠夫） said, pulling at his own ears, "just these ordinary ones." He must have thought I was joking.

Dad can cook a super "full English breakfast" of bacon, eggs, beans, sausages and toast with butter --- Mum and I just have to find a way to get him into the kitchen! He also does a typical Sunday roast. We all love roast beef and vegetables, but Mum says we'd better not eat too much roast food as it may make us suffer from heat inside our bodies, according to traditional Chinese medicine.

I'll never forget my visit to China. Mum encouraged me to try different kinds of food, and I did! I loved everything. But just when I thought I could deal with all Chinese food, I came across stinky tofu, a terrible grey thing that looked and smelt like a burnt sports shoe. "You needn't try it if you don't want to," Mum said, but I gathered all my courage to take a bite and was amazed to find it wasn't that bad. It reminded me of blue cheese, a similarly strong smelling type of food you either love or hate. Maybe I'll fall in love with stinky tofu --- someday.

People say that one man's meat is another man's poison, but I feel at home with food from both my cultures. To me, there's nothing better than a cross-cultural afternoon tea of English biscuits and a cup of Chinese oolong tea in a fine china cup!

7 . Getting married can be one of the happiest moments in a person's life. Across the globe, weddings are very important events. Let's look at some interesting wedding customs from different countries.

For African Americans, it is a tradition for the married couple to jump over a broom covered with flowers. This represents the beginning of family life. It is interesting to note that African slaves who were brought to the USA started this tradition. African-American couples were not allowed to have a legal marriage, so instead they had a ceremony (仪式) where the bride (新娘) and groom (新郎) jumped over a broom 'into marriage'. Today, some African-American weddings still include the old tradition of 'jumping the broom'.

Making jokes about the bride and groom is a wedding tradition in both France and Germany. In France, this includes making loud noises with pots; in Germany, wedding guests break dishes. Weddings in Germany often last three days. On Thursday, there is a simple ceremony at a government office noting the official marriage of the couple. Then the couple will have a dinner with family and close friends. On Friday there is a party. This is when guests break dishes to represent the start of a new life. Then on Saturday, there is a ceremony in a church, followed by another party when the bride and groom celebrate the wedding with friends and relatives again.

In Greece, couples tie a doll to their wedding car if they want to have a daughter, or a toy bear if they want to have a son.

The USA also has some interesting wedding customs. The bride usually carries flowers during the wedding ceremony. After the ceremony, the single women get together and the bride throws the flowers. The woman who catches the flowers is supposed to be the next person to get married.

In England, it is a tradition for little girls to throw flowers on the ground on the way to the wedding ceremony. The bride and groom walk on the flowers. This represents the hope that the couple will follow the path that leads to a happy life.

9 . It is always said that China is the homeland of tea, which has a very long history of tea.     1     However, unlike the western custom of using a convenient teabag, Chinese go to a lot of effort and time to prepare good tea for their guests, using tea leaves, natural spring water and a special kettle etc. to create worldwide famous tea culture. Tea is not just a drinkable beverage(饮料), but also a taste of Chinese traditional culture and inheritance(继承) of spirit. Unsurprisingly, there are various tea leaves in China.     2    

➢Color

    3     Good green tea leaves have jade green with fresh vitality. Twisted pan green tea shows glossy gray green. If some of the tea leaves have dry, dark and brown colors, it means it is old tea. If the leaves have mixed, large contrast colors, it is believed that the tea is mixed with yellow leaves, old leaves and even old tea, which does not live up to the standard of good tea.

➢Flavor(味道)

New tea is extremely clear and transparent with strong aroma(芳香), while old tea is characterized by brown color and weak fragrance. Take green tea and black tea for example, new green tea tastes a little bitter first, and then the fresh sweet taste begins to surface gradually, leaving a long and memorable after taste in mouth.     4    

➢Place of origin

There is great gap of quality among various places of origin.     5     For example, it is well-known that Yunnan produces the best quality Pu'er tea and premium Oolong tea can be found within Fujian Province.

10 . Cinco de Mayo is probably the holiday most often celebrated that no one understands.

Literally (根据字面意思) “Fifth of May”, Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican Holiday celebrating the Battle of Puebla, which took place on May 5, 1862. In 1861, France sent a big army to invade Mexico, as they wanted to collect some war debts. The French army was much larger, better trained and equipped than the Mexicans struggling to defend (保卫) the road to Mexico City. The French army reached Puebla, where the Mexicans won a huge victory. The victory was short-lived, as the French army regrouped and continued, and eventually took Mexico City, but the joy of an unlikely victory against France is remembered every May fifth.

Mexico celebrates its independence on September 16, because it was on that day in 1810 that Father Miguel Hidalgo invited his people to take up arms and join him in fighting against Spanish rulers. Independence Day is a much more important holiday in Mexico. For some reason, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the United States of America, by Mexicans and Americans alike, than it is in Mexico. One theory for why it is more popular in the USA is that at one time, it was celebrated in all of Mexico and by Mexicans living in former Mexican areas such as Texas and California. It was ignored in Mexico after a while but still celebrated in the north of the border, which never got out of the habit of remembering the famous battle.

In Puebla and in many American cities with large Mexican populations, there are parades, dancing and festivals. Traditional Mexican food is often served or sold. Mariachi (街头音乐) bands fill town squares, and a lot of beers are served. It’s a fun holiday, really more about celebrating the Mexican way of life than about remembering the battle which happened 156 years ago. In the USA, schoolchildren decorate their classrooms and try their hand at cooking some basic Mexican food. All over the world, Mexican restaurants bring in mariachi bands and offer specials for what’s almost certain to be a packed house.