An organization has taken measures     1     (add) chopsticks to the Shanghai Intangible Cultural Heritage List recently. Xu Hualong, chairman of the organization, says chopsticks are     2     (increasing) ignored in modern China despite the fact that they are unique Chinese items. August 4th     3     (set) aside as Chopstick Day by China’s neighbor Japan already.

Chopstick culture in Shanghai     4     (date) back to the Tang Dynasty, when these items     5     (make) in the City God Temple area, enjoyed widespread popularity.

After opening as a commercial port, Shanghai is proud of     6     (have) the first mechanized(机械化的) production line for chopsticks,     7     are not only supplied to Zhongnanhai and Diaoyutai State Guesthouse but also presented to foreign friends     8     gifts.

At present, at least 1.8 billion people use chopsticks worldwide. Chopsticks, though small, serve as     9     means to pass down Chinese civilization. It’s believed that recognizing the cultural value of the custom matters in the     10     (promote) of Chinese traditions.

3 . The baguette, a long, thin French bread, is being added to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH,非物质文化遗产) list. UNESCO experts gathering in Morocco this week decided that the simple French bread — made only of flour, water, salt, and yeast — was worth U.N. recognition, after France’s culture ministry warned of a “continuous drop” in the number of traditional bakeries (烘焙坊), with some 400 closing every year over the past half century.

The UN cultural agency’s chief, Audrey Azoulay said, “The decision honors more than just bread; it recognizes the ‘graceful skills of bakers’ and ‘a daily ritual (仪式)’.” Azoulay added, “It is important that such baking knowledge and social practices can continue to exist in the future.”

With the bread’s new status (地位), the French government said it planned to create a baguette day, called the “Open Bake house Day”, to connect the French better with their heritage. Bakers in France seemed proud, if unsurprised. “Of course, it should be on the list because the baguette symbolizes the world. It’s universal,” said Asma Farhat, a baker at Julien’s Bakery. “If there’s no baguette, you can’t have a proper meal. In the morning you can toast it, for lunch it’s a sandwich, and then it accompanies dinner.”

Despite the decline in traditional bakery numbers, France’s 67 million people still buy baguettes at a variety of sales points, including in supermarkets. According to France’s “Bread Observatory”, the French eat 320 baguettes of one form or another every second. The problem is, observers say, that they can often be poor in quality. “It’s very easy to get bad baguette in France. It’s the traditional baguette from the traditional bakery that is in danger. It’s about quality not quantity,” said one local resident, Marine Fourchier.

4 . “Colour” and “color”, “favourite” and “favorite”, “honour” and “honor”… Have you ever wondered why Americans spell those words without a “u”? Is it because they are lazy? Of course not. In fact, the difference in spelling was started by Noah Webster (1758-1843). He was a teacher who reformed (改革) English to make American identity (特征) stronger. Linguists (语言学家) celebrate his birthday on October 16 every year.

After the Revolutionary War (1775-1783), Webster believed that Americans should have their own dictionary, rather than rely on British dictionaries. He dropped the British “u” in some words. And he changed “centre” into “center” for children to learn English by spelling words more like what they sounded. He used “subway” instead of British word “underground”. Some other examples are “soccer” and “football”, “fall” and “autumn”.

Webster wasn’t shy about expressing his opinions. In defining (定义) preposterous (unreasonable), he wrote: “A republican government in the hands of female is preposterous.”

Webster spent 28 years on the project before completing the 70,000-word dictionary with his American-style spelling in 1828. He also added local words.

His dictionary was widely used in schools. Linguists believed it helped a new country achieve unity (统一) and cultural independence at a time when most people cared about political freedom.

“He was the creator of our language and the creator of American identity,” said Joshua Kendall, who is working on a book about Webster. “He at last brought us together through our language.”

The most important thing to keep in mind when going into high school is to be yourself. Besides, I don’t know what your middle school was like, but high school teachers will not care about things such as how much homework you already have for one night. It’s best to just learn to deal with things and manage your time wisely so you can achieve everything you need to do.

I think almost every kid feels both anxious and excited before their first day. You will probably love it. I know I did. You should join in some sports or activities that will make your high school experience more enjoyable. Good luck!

I’m not going to lie. The first day is kind of frightening. But you’ll get used to it. Don’t be afraid of anyone; upperclassmen will pick on you more if you let them know you’re afraid. Just take it easy. Making some friends and staying with them will greatly help you get used to high school quickly. After the first week it’s really not bad at all. Don’t worry.

When I started high school, I was really nervous too, especially since I had been homeschooled all through middle school and didn’t really know anyone. I suppose the best advice would be to just relax. The first couple of days can be a little bit hard, but things will become easier before you know it.

6 . New England is the six northeastern states of the United States: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The six states were among the first colonies (殖民地) in America. The colonies were conquered by England, and this is why the area became known as New England. After the American Revolutionary War the colonies gradually became states.

Many things are similar in the six New England states. For example, there are many stone walls, fishing villages and forests in these states. The houses and buildings are similar, too. People cut down trees from the forests to make space for their farms and villages.

They then used wood from the trees and stones from the fields to build houses, schools, and churches. Even today, most of the houses in New England are made of wood.

There are big cities in New England, but there are also small cities and farms, especially in the northern part. There is much industry and business and New England is one of the most populous (人口稠密的) parts of the United States. It has many busy sea ports on its long coast. There are always many tourists who enjoy the beautiful lakes, beaches, and mountains and who visit the historical places.

Yours,

Li Hua