I am walking through the winter park where the trees stand cold and bare (光秃秃的). The yellow leaves have fallen to the ground. Now, a group of women gather at the sides of a path. In the cold winter, they're moving their arms and legs to a rhythm (节奏). They are, of course, the dancing aunties.

    It seems that if you go to any public space around China, you're likely to see these dancing aunties. When I first came to China, it was one of the first things that annoyed me. That's because in Britain dancing in public is not a cultural habit. You won't see any age group swinging their arms and tapping their feet in a park. Usually, they just take a walk for exercise.

    Now and again the dancing aunties have hit the headlines (头条新闻). Some people find them annoying. But others respect their right to dance in public. Most of them are middle-aged. They finally have some free time to do whatever they like. There is no more work, and their kids have left.

    All in all, I like seeing these women enjoying themselves. They remind us of the importance of exercise as we get older. Besides, most of them have raised the whole families. Now it is their time to have fun and enjoy some peace.

    In the Charles E. Johnson Elementary School in New York, there is a special radio. It gives people warnings (警报) about bad weather.

    One day, there came a sound from the radio. This sound brought the piece of news: a heavy storm was coming. William Tomic, principal (校长) of the school, he asked teachers to bring children indoors and put them in a safe place at once.

    Minutes later, the storm came. However, because of the warning of the radio and the quick work of the principal, no one was hurt. “The radio really did work very well. 我们对它的工作感到很高兴,” William Tomic said. “The parents were as well.” The US government hopes there will be more such success stories. It plans to give this kind of radios to all 97, 000 public schools in the country.

    Every year, more than 10,000 big thunderstorms, 2,500 floods, 1,000 tomatoes (龙卷风) and some hurricanes (飓风) take place in the US, so the warning radios are very useful.

    They not only give people warnings about bad weather, but also give warnings about other dangerous things.

    A different culture keeps my eyes and mind open. When I stayed in Russia (A)an exchange student, I learned about it.

    One day, a Russian trend invited me to a (B)well-known restaurant in Moscow(莫斯科)I looked forward to trying local (当地的)food. After arriving there, I found nothing on the table but several small plates, on which there were nuts, a few slices(片)of tomatoes, and several pieces of onions. Although the dishes were simple, we drank a lot and I felt the passion(热情)from the bottom of his heart. In China, when we invite friends or relatives, we always treat them to a big dinner. We prepare as much food as we can(C)      show our friendliness.

    What a different culture it is l Even though we try our best, it's very (D) difficult to get used to their customs. Another Russian custom also impresses me deeply. As we know, it is very cold in winter there. When winter comes, (E)俄罗斯人喜欢游泳.They even take their kids outside together. Like their parents, (F)Russian kids rub (擦)their bodies with snow before jumping into the water. Although the water is freezing cold, they all play happily in it.

    What fun it is to know about a different culture.

    What do you do when you begin to read an English newspaper?

You'd better know what sections there are. Usually, there is international news, business, science and technology, entertainment or lifestyle, sports and cartoons. You can choose your favourite section to read carefully.

    That you come to the article itself. If you don't have time to read the

whole article, the headline(标题) and photo give you a general idea of the story.

    Different kinds of articles

    A news article includes body text and a photo with a short piece of text under it. It usually puts the most important information at the very beginning. If you don't have much time to read the story, just have a look at the first paragraph.

    A feature article is an in-depth(深人的) report on an event or a person. It usually has an interesting opening. You get to know the idea of the article as you read.

    Another kind of article is an opinion article. Usually, some famous people give their own opinions about an important issue in a fun way. Opinion article is different from news stories that are all facts.

Be a critical(批判性的) reader

    There are advertisements in newspapers. They can provide useful information about products, places, food or jobs. Remember that people make advertisements to sell you things. You don't have to do everything advertisements tell you to do. You should be critical enough to judge which advertisements are useful and which are not.

    In 1995, the UNESCO's General Conference held in Paris designated the World Book Day on April 23 to say thanks to books and writers worldwide and to invite everyone to be a lifelong reader.

    The following reading list consists of 5 books, 3 in English and the others in Chinese, about China and Chinese culture.

    ⒈Insights into Chinese Culture (中国文化读本)

    As an overview of Chinese culture, this book shows many ways of Chinese culture, they include Chinese customs, scenic spots, science and technology, folk art, literature and international cultural exchanges. Many people think it a perfect start for anyone who wants to learn about China.

    ⒉Quotations from Confucius (孔子语录)

    This book keeps most of the words and thoughts from Confucius, who is the greatest educator and thinker in history. People around the world think Confucius' teaching ideas and philosophy are still working in today's education.

    ⒊Chinese Folk Art series (中国民间艺术系列读本)

    Published by Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House, each book focuses on one folk art, such as paper-cutting, clothing and Chinese New Year picture. Readers can enjoy the beautiful photos and learn the history and development of each art.

    ⒋Chinese Characters (中国汉字)

    This book offers us a main introduction about the wonderful culture of Chinese characters. With enough examples, it proves that learning the most difficult language in the world can be rather interesting.

    ⒌Symbols of China (中国符号)

    Taking a special way to explain Chinese culture, this book chooses over a hundred cultural symbols and tell the story behind every one of them. Like a hundred small mirrors, these symbols show the value of traditional Chinese culture.