Life as Chopsticks

    Right now, more and more people are digging into their food with  (二) sticks which are called chopsticks. Even people eating with knives and (餐叉) begin to love them.  What's so special about them? Because they have deep influence in many people's ways of life.

    Simplicity. There's  (几乎不) anything simpler than chopsticks. With new technology developing every day, there is  (仍然) something that has just one use--simply to eat.  Also the chopsticks don't (花费) much. In real life, we don't need to keep improving things all the time.

    Aim. When using chopsticks, you can not pick up everything in one go. Know what you want and just do it. Sometimes, a little bit of focus makes the difference (在……之间) failure and success.

    Practice. Using chopsticks doesn't come naturally. You have to learn to use them and practice it, Most would (同意) that there's no better way than to practice. In real life, you may have many things you want to do, but it will just be a (梦想) if you don't try doing it.

    Slowing down. A healthy way to eat is to eat with chopsticks. It slows you down and it  (允许) your stomach to tell your brain you are full before you overeat. In our life, we sometimes need slow down to have time to think, to realize that we're actually full and don't have to rush full (速度) through life.

A: Welcome to Pizza Hut.

B: Yes. I'd like a pizza.

A: What size would you like?

B:

A:

B: I'd like onion and cheese, please.

A: Anything else?

B: Oh, yes.  What do you have?

A: We have coke, juice, coffee and tea.

B: One small orange juice, please.

A: OK. One large onion and cheese pizza and one small orange juice.

B:

A: Twelve dollars.

B: Twelve dollars? OK.

    Tea is a popular drink around the world. But tea does not mean the same  to everyone. In different countries people have different  about drinking tea.

    In China, for example, tea is always served  people get together. The Chinese drink it at any  of the day at home or in teahouse. They prefer their tea with nothing else in it.

    Tea is also important in Japan. The Japanese have a special way of serving  . It is very old and full of meaning. Everything must be done in a special  . There is even a special room for it in Japan.

    Another tea-drinking  is England. In England，the late afternoon is "teatime". Almost everyone has a cup of tea at that time. The English people  make tea in a teapot and drink it with milk and sugar. They  eat cakes, cookies and little sandwiches at teatime.

    In the United States people drink tea mostly for breakfast or after  . Americans usually use tea-bags to make their tea. Tea-bags are faster and easier than making tea in teapots. In summer，many Americans drink cold tea-iced tea.

    When you are invited to a meal in Thailand(泰国), the words of the invitation mean "come and eat rice". In fact, nearly all Thai dishes are1 with rice, which grows there very easily2the climate is warm and there is much rain.

    The food that is served is3cut into pieces, so there is no need to use knives or forks, but instead, special spoons and forks are used. The Thais4to eat with their hands and now there are still some people who eat this way. There is a special 5of doing it. First they wash their6hands in a bowl of water they only eat with their right hands. They are careful not to let the food 7the palms of their hands. After the meal, the 8are again carefully washed.

     The meal usually has several different dishes. They are all hot. They are served in bowls which everyone shares,9each person has their own bowl of 10. As Thailand has a long coastline, it is not surprising that fish and shellfish play an important part in Thai cooking.

    A Bite of China Ⅱ (《舌尖上的中国》第二季)is coming! The program is shown at 9: 00 on CCTV-1 every Friday night from April 18 to June 6, 2014. There are altogether eight episodes(集), all about history and culture of food, eating and cooking in China. The directors spent one year visiting more than 150 different parts of China. More than 300 types of food are covered in the documentary.

    As an old Chinese saying goes, food is what matters most to people. It plays an important role in our daily life, and the rich food culture is also one of the most important parts of Chinese culture. A Bite of China Ⅱ wants to show the joys and sadnesses of ordinary(普通的)Chinese in changing times through food.

    A Bite of China Ⅰ was shown on CCTV in 2012. It attracted more than 100 million viewers. It is all about food, while the second season cares more about the relationship between the people and the food. For example, the first episode shows a young man spent four hours climbing a 40-metre-high tree to get something nice for his brother.

    The show reminds viewers of their homes and the tastes of childhood. One Weibo user wrote, "A Bite of China Ⅱ makes me have so many words to say. It makes me think of my parents and my grandmother. I haven't been home for a long time, so I have decided to go back in a few days."

    The show uses food as a window to introduce China to the world. Viewers can see how Chinese people love life by loving food. Anyone who wants to know more about Chinese culture and Chinese society(社会)should have a bite of the program.