Primary school students in Changsha, Hunan province have started to learn the Changsha dialect(方言) in an elective course     1     (new) offered by the school this semester.

More than 20 third-grade students from the Affiliated Primary School of Hunan Normal University have signed up     2     the course. A dozen language     3     (professor) at universities are teaching the course.

Apart from listening, speaking, reading and     4     (write), students will also gain knowledge about the culture behind the dialect, according to Luo Xinru, a Chinese language professor at Hunan Normal University and one of the teachers of the course.

The Ministry of Education     5     (start) the National Language Resource Protection Project in 2015 to protect its language resources. The country has established     6     largest language resource database in the world, according to the ministry.

“Dialect protection is the future trend and different dialects     7     carry diverse culture and value should not and will not disappear,” she said,

Dialect is a valuable language resource and should     8     (protect). “We do not expect all children     9     (take) the course to learn perfect Changsha dialect,     10     they should understand the importance of different dialects and perhaps be willing to div e into the research and protection of them as they grow older.”

6 . In February 2022, I began learning Chinese. Almost a year later, I found myself in Beijing, the capital of China. Before coming here, I had attended Chinese classes, and I could sense my progress in the language, albeit modest. As you might expect, studying for just one year wasn’t sufficient to claim fluency, and to be honest, I’m not there yet. But full proficiency in the language is not necessary to immerse yourself in and enjoy many attractions of life in China.

The one thing that truly makes me feel comfortable and alleviates loneliness is making friends and engaging in conversation. At Tsinghua University, where I pursued my studies in China, I made friends with many Chinese young people and relished spending time with them, be it for meals or leisure activities. I’ve been delighted to sing Chinese songs, for example, those by the famous Chinese singer Jay Chou, with my friends. I would also sing well-known Japanese songs, such as Lemon, which, as it turns out, is very popular in China. I felt that connecting with my Chinese peers through a shared passion, such as singing, was incredibly enjoyable and beautiful. It transcended language barriers and fostered a sense of unity and joy that was truly special.

During breaks from study, I frequently embarked on solo journeys across China. Although I have experienced traveling on overnight trains for over 12 hours several times and explored unfamiliar cities, I never felt fearful or unwelcome as a foreigner. Chinese people are consistently warm and welcome to foreigners, and eager to engage in conversation.

I once participated in community activities in Northwest China’s Gansu province to gain a deeper understanding of China’s rural areas and contribute to the development of local communities and education. As a volunteer teacher at a local school, I shared contemporary and traditional Japanese culture such as anime, architecture, pop music and languages with the students. Since Japanese kanji originated in China, there are many similarities between the Japanese and Chinese languages.

10 . How I Study English

I often hear some students say English is difficult, and it gives them a headache. So they can’t learn it well. But English is very easy for me. I’m good at it. I’m very glad to tell you something about how I study English.

First, I think an interest(爱好) in English is very important. When I was in Grade One, we had a new subject—English. It was fresh for me. I was interested in it, so I worked hard at it. Soon we had an English exam and I got a very good mark. How happy I was! After that, I learned English harder and harder. Our English teacher often teaches us English songs, the songs sound nice. I often think how interesting English is!

Second, I think English is a foreign language. I should learn it well in the following ways: Listen to the teacher carefully, speak bravely, read aloud and have a good vocabulary(词汇). Then practice again and again, never be tired. And I also have a good habit: Asking whenever(不论何时) I have a question, I must make it clear by asking our English teacher. How happy I am when I understand!

Besides this, I often read English stories, jokes and easy novels. From these I know English is not only interesting, but also useful. They help me understand a lot of things. So to do more reading is an important way to learn English well.

And I also do some exercises from our class magazines, and I often write English diaries. English has become a close friend of mine.

Now I have learned English for more than two years. I always keep the first position in our school. From these words, I hope every student can learn English well.