Peking Opera (Beijing Opera), is one of the oldest forms of dramas(戏剧) in the world. The roles(角色) in it were Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, Chou, Wuhang, and Longtao during its early age. But with the change of Peking Opera, there are four main roles in it today: Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou.

    Sheng——Men Roles

    Sheng are the men roles in Peking Opera, which can be divided into Laosheng, Wusheng, Xiaosheng and Wawasheng.

    Laosheng are middle-aged or older men who are honest. Hongsheng,a type of Laosheng, have a red face. There are only two roles famous as Hongsheng. One is Guan Gong and the other is Zhao Kuangyin. Wusheng are young generals(将军) who are good at martial arts(武术). Xiaosheng are clean-shaven(没有胡须的) and handsome. Wawasheng are children's parts.

    Dan——women Roles

    Dan are women roles that can be divided into different types——Laodan, Qingyi, Huadan, Wudan and Caidan.

    Laodan play old and clever women. Qingyi are the main women roles. Huashan, a type of Qingyi, was created by Mei Lanfang, who played an important role in shaping Peking Opera. Huadan are lively and unmarried women roles. Wudan characters are women, good at martial arts. Caidan are clowns(小丑) in funny plays.

    Jing——Painted Face Men Roles

    A Jing role is an important man character with striking(吸引人的) looks and high social position. The main types of Jing are Tongchui, good at singing and usually a general; Jiazi, good at acting with less singing; and Wujing, a martial arts and acrobatics(杂技) role.

    Chou——Comedy Roles

    Chou are comedy(喜剧) roles in Peking Opera. There are Wenchou who speak, act and sing, and Wuchou who both speak and fight. What makes this type of role special is a small patch(块) of white chalk around the nose. One of the famous roles is the Monkey King, who has a special position in the hearts of all who are interested in Chinese opera.

    English ─ speaking people say many “thank you” every day. Early in the morning when a teacher  asks a student，“Good morning. How are you?”,  his answer should be.“ I'm fine, thank you. And you?" This is the first "thank you" of a day.

    When you hear “Your skirt is nice.” you say, “Thank you. I'm happy you like it.” At your birthday party, when people give you something and say “This is for you. Happy birthday!”，you also answer, “Thank you."

    When your friend helps you clean the classroom after school, you say “thank you" to him.

    When you hear people say to you "Your English is very good. how do you answer it?

    What is Chinatown? Is it a town in China? Of course not! It is in foreign countries. It is a 1 where many overseas (海外的)  Chinese  live together.

    There are lots of Chinatowns in America2the biggest one is in New York. There are about 150,000 people in it. It is also a 3place to visit. It is attractive in the following ways. 4 in Chinatown is fun.  You can find5 things there. Most of them are made in6  Mott Street is the best place to shop because the things there are very cheap.

    Chinatown has more than 200 7. You can enjoy traditional Chinese food there. New Silver Palace Restaurant is one of the best restaurants. You can also eat some Shanghai food in Evergreen Restaurant.

    Living in Chinatown is 8. You can find hospitals, schools, banks, libraries and supermarkets in it. In some schools, students must learn Chinese. Many overseas Chinese 9 their children to these schools. They want their 10to learn more about China and its culture.

    Green is an important color in nature. It is also the color of most growing plants. Sometimes the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes it describes something that is not yet ripe(成熟的) or finished. For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today—a person who is new in a job.

    Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early 1900s. A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.

    The Green Revolution is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.

    Green is also the color used to describe the powerful emotion, jealousy(嫉妒). The green-eyed monster is not a frightening creature from outer space. It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay raise and she does not.

A: Hi, Mary. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

B: I enjoy watching soap operas. Do you like them?

A: {#blank#}2{#/blank#} I don't think they are interesting. 

B: Then what do you like watching?

A: I like watching sports shows. They are very exciting.

B: {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

A: I watch them five times a week. 

B: {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

A: Yes, you are right. 

B: What's your favorite sport?

A: {#blank#}5{#/blank#} I often play basketball after school.

It was a cold winter morning. My 12-year-old granddaughter, Jayne, sent me messages on the phone every hour during her six-hour drive to our house.

"Grandma, can you put some snow in the fridge (冰箱)? That way, I can feel snow when I get there," she wrote. Jayne lives in the south of Georgia, the US with her parents, so she never saw snow before.

"Yes, I will," I wrote. "There is still some snow on the ground in the yard." And I sent her a few photos of it. However, the weather report brought me bad news. It said the weather would be sunny at noon. This made me feel concerned.

In the afternoon, they finally arrived. Jayne got out of the car first. She ran into the yard and put her hands in the snow. She looked so excited. It was great that the sun didn't come out that day.

"Grandma, the weather is so cold, but I enjoy playing with snow," Jayne said. Then she started to build a snowman. She made two large snowballs first. They were the head and the body. It looked nice. Jayne kept playing outside until her hands got wet and cold. Watching Jayne playing in the snow made me feel warm and thankful.

I still remember the lovely cold day. Small things in our lives can also make us happy.