When you visit a Chinese family, the host usually makes tea for you. Then he will serve you snacks(小吃) like biscuits or candy. Someone in the family will also chat with you, never letting you feel lonely.

At the same time, other family members will prepare a meal for you. Chinese people treat (款待) their guests with a big meal. They always present more food than the guest can eat. On the table, the guests must be the first to eat. Perhaps one of the things that surprises a western guest most is that the Chinese host likes to pick food for visitors, which won't happen at western tables. The Chinese family go out of their way to make you feel at home. As you are done eating, the host usually says, "It seems that you didn't eat much. Please have more.”Although you tell them you are full, they still put more food in your bowl.

Being warm and hospitable has long been an important part of Chinese culture and tradition. As Confucius (孔子) said thousands of years ago:

 To meet friends from after

 How happy we are!

Many cultures have different ideas about why people catch colds. For example in the United States, some people think that you can catch a cold if your feet get cold. So, mothers tell small children to wear warm boots in the winter. In other places, including parts of the Middle East, some people believe that strong winds cause colds. So, on trains and buses, people usually don't like to sit next to open windows. In parts of Europe, some people think that wearing wet clothes will give you a cold. They say that after you go swimming, you should quickly put on dry clothes. Today, scientists know that colds are caused by a virus（病毒）. But the old ideas are still very strong, and many people still follow them to avoid（避免）getting ill.

Traditional Chinese festivals are now getting their own logos(标识).Here're logos for China's seven important traditional festivals.

	Chunjie, Spring Festival, China's lunar new year, is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. People usually get together, watch fireworks and the lion dance, eat dumplings and put on new clothes. They pay New Year calls to their relatives and friends. Children usually get red packets.

    Deep in the forest of southeastern Mexico, scientists found a surprise. They found an ancient pyramid. There were colorful murals (壁画)in it. A mural is a painting on a wall. Those murals are helping scientists unlock a mystery about people who lived in ancient times.

    The murals are about 1,350 years old. That's more than five times older than the United States. Scientists say the paintings belonged to the Mayas. That was a group of Native American people. They lived many years ago in what is now Mexico and Central America.

    Scientists are excited about the discovery because they don't know much about the Mayas' daily life, explains Michael Coe, an expert on the Mayas. The paintings show how the Mayas worked, shopped and dined. One mural shows a man drinking from a bowl. Another shows a woman selling food to a crowd of people.

    "Mostly we get the murals that show gods and kings, never anything about the daily life," Coe said. "This is like walking into a Maya supermarket." So far, scientists have found more than 30 murals in the pyramid. They are not sure why the Mayas created them. The experts hope to learn more as they continue their search.

    "We never had anything like this before," said Coe. "These are really special murals."

    Scientists learned a lot about the Mayas from the murals. The Mayas were known for more than paintings. Now the murals tell us some fun facts about the Mayan way of life.

    Sweet Home

    The Mayas lived in what is now Central and North America. Today the area includes parts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras.

    Smart Starts

    The Mayas invented a type of Maths. They also created a type of writing that used symbols or pictures. Mayas used bark (树皮)to make books.

    _____

    The Mayas often ate com and used it to make other foods. They grew many crops (庄稼), including beans and sweet potatoes.

    Cool Clothes

    Mayan men dressed themselves up with some cloth while women wore long dresses. Rich Mayas wore jewelry (珠宝).

    All around the world, people drink tea. But tea does not mean the same thing to everyone. In different countries people have very different ideas about drinking tea.

    In China, for example, tea is always served when people get together. The Chinese drink it at any time of the day at homes or in teahouses. They prefer(更喜欢) their tea plain, with nothing else in it.

    Tea is also important in Japan. The Japanese have a special way of serving(招待) tea called a tea ceremony(仪式) .It is very old and full of meaning. Everything must be done in a special way in the ceremony. There is even a special room for it in Japanese homes.

    Another tea-drinking country is England. In England, the late afternoon is "teatime".

    Almost everyone has a cup of tea then. The English usually make tea in a teapot and drink it with cream and sugar. They also eat cakes, cookies and little sandwiches at teatime.

    In the United States people drink tea mostly for breakfast or after meals. 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 "iced tea". Sometimes they drink iced tea from cans, like soda.