1 . Many are fortunate enough to travel and see different cultures. For those who have not yet seen other cultures, here are five things you can learn from other cultures.

New language

Although learning a new language has become simpler through apps or programs, nothing compares to learning a language in the place where it is spoken.     1     Communications with others in another country is also important.

Knowledge

You can read books and even eat food from other countries. But those experience will never compare to the knowledge gained by being in another country.    2     If you are unable to travel, pay attention to cultural events that allow you to increase your knowledge.

Unique (独特的) traditions

    3     A tradition in Mexico is Day of the Dead. The people of Mexico believe that each year, the souls of the dead return to visit their loved ones and celebrate just as they did when they were alive.

    4    

It can be hard to imagine what life would be like if we didn’t have the things we take for granted (认为理所当然) every day, such as reliable transportation, clean water, education and a home to live. Therefore, we should value what we have and that we are able to work to provide for ourselves.

We’re not so different after all.

If you have traveled to another country, the experience is probably completely new. But no matter how much our lifestyles may differ, we are all working toward similar goals in   life.     5     Next time you travel to a new country, discover not only the differences, but also the similarities.

When it comes to the Chinese culture, we can’t ignore the importance of tea. Tea culture not only includes tea production, tea brewing, tea art and ceremony, but also     1     (contain) artistic value and traditional Chinese philosophy. It is linked     2     literature, art and religion. In the Tang Dynasty,     3     Buddhists were thinking, they found tea could reduce sleepiness and clear the mind. Therefore tea drinking was promoted and became     4     artistic enjoyment among the public.

Before the Song Dynasty, people used to put tea into a pot     5     (fill)with water and cook it. And then the traditional tea cooking was gradually replaced by the tea competition. In tea tasting, people brought their own tea and water and judged the quality of teas by     6     (check)the color and foam of the water. During the North Song Dynasty, tea     7     (compete)were widespread and brought to Japan. It gradually became the popular “chado” or tea ceremony In Japan.

Drinking tea is not only a     8     (health)habit for people, but also a cultural activity in Chinese daily life. The Chinese believe drinking tea can be helpful     9     (clean) the mind. People who love tea can     10     (easy)find inner peace and happiness.

6 . Each year, the women of Olney, England, and Liberal, Kansas, have an unusual “pancake racing”. This tradition is said to have started on Shrove Tuesday,1445, in Olney. Shrove Tuesday is the day before the Christian season of Lent begins.

It is said that in 1445, an Olney woman was making pancakes. She suddenly heard the church(教堂) bells ring, signaling the beginning of the Shrove Tuesday service. Realizing that she was going to be late for church, she raced out the door still wearing her apron(围裙) and headscarf and holding her frying pan(锅) with a pancake in it. Olney women continue this tradition more than 500 years later.

In 1950, a person of Liberal wanted his town to join in Olney Pancake Race. He made some phone calls to Olney to set up a friendly competition, and the people of Olney accepted the challenge.

The rules are simple. Racers must wear the traditional headscarf and apron. They have to flip(抛) the pancake in the air so that it flips and lands back in the pan on the other side. After the race, there are Shrove Tuesday church services. Then Liberal and Olney connect through a video call to compare race times and announce a winner.

In both towns, the races have grown into larger festivals. Olney’s festival is an all­day event starting with a big pancake breakfast. Liberal’s festival lasts four days and includes a parade, a great show, and eating competitions.

Although the women’s race is still the main event, both towns now hold races for boys and girls of all ages. Emma Evans,14, was the winner of her age group’s race in Liberal last year. She wore an apron that her grandma made for her and used a pan passed down to her from her older brother. Her family cheered her on from the sidelines.

“It’s a family tradition, ”Emma says. “And there are only two places in the world that compete against each other in a race like this, so it feels special.”

8 . The story of Santa Claus began hundreds of years earlier. During the fourth century, a Roman Catholic church official called Nicholas of Myra became famous for his many good actions. Nicholas was made a saint after his death and it became common in northern Europe to hold a celebration on December 6th, the day Nicholas died. All kinds of stories were told about saint Nicholas and the Dutch brought one of these stories with them to America. They believed that each year the saint rode a white horse from home to home. He gave presents to children who had been good, and coal or straw to children who had been bad. Other Americans who lived nearby greatly enjoyed the Dutch celebrations. They decided to make saint Nicholas part of their own celebration of Christmas. But he got a new name Santa Claus. It was taken from the Dutch words for Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus. The Dutch imagined Saint Nicholas to be a serious, even frightening person, who could punish as well as give gifts. But in 1822, an American named Clement C. Moore wrote a Christmas poem for his children, the poem called A Visit from St. Nicholas, created a completely new Santa Claus. Dr. Moore described a short, happy, little man who rode in an open sleigh. The sleigh was pulled from house to house by eight white reindeer. At each house Santa delivered gifts by dropping them down the chimney into the fireplace. Dr. Moore’s poem was published in a newspaper in New York, in 1823. It soon became popular all over America and it became the source for the Santa Claus American children still believe in today.

An American artist named Thomas Nast also played a part in creating Santa Claus. Beginning in 1860’s, Mr. Nast drew pictures of Santa Claus for an American publication called Harper’s Weekly. These pictures showed a fat, smiling old man with a red nose and white beard. He was dressed in a red suit with white fur and a black belt. Today more than one hundred years later, that same Santa Claus can be seen everywhere at Christmas time.