The Art of Paper

    Chen Zijiang is a paper-cutting expert whom I interviewed for my article on Chinese Art. Paper-cutting is something that he learned to do from an early age.

    "It is a Chinese folk art with a long history," Mr Chen told me, "Paper cuts of animals have been found in tombs{#blank#}1{#/blank#}" He added that by the Southern Song Dynasty, paper-cutting had become an important part of everyday life.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}They are paper cuts for decoration, for religious purposes(宗教目的) and for design patterns.

    Paper cuts for decoration are often seen on windows and gates.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} They are also used on presents. A present for parents whose child has recently been born might show a paper cut of children, for example. Paper cuts which show the Chinese character for double happiness are often used to celebrate weddings.

    Paper cuts for religious purposes are often found in temples.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    The third kind of paper cuts are those used to make patterns on clothing. They are also sometimes used to decorate jewellery boxes {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. They are usually put up during holidays to bring good luck.

B. They are also used as offerings to the dead.

C. Dragons are very popular patterns for these designs.

D. They can date back to the time of the Northern and Southern Dynasty.

E. Mr Chen went on to explain that there are three types of paper cuts which people still make today.

Teacher: So, how was your vacation, Karen?

Karen: It was great. I had a vacation with my friends in Hainan last winter. There were beautiful beaches and blue sea water. It was sunny and warm. We stayed there for a week. We went swimming every day. We played beach volleyball together. We ate seafood, too. We felt very relaxed.

Teacher: How about you, Brad?

Brad: I went to Beijing with my parents on vacation. The weather was fine and the trip was happy. We spent five days in Beijing. We visited Tian'anmen Square and the Palace Museum. We also went shopping. The shops were crowded. We ate in some Chinese restaurants, too. The food was cheap and delicious. The Chinese people were very friendly. We had great fun in Beijing.

    I am a teacher in a middle school. I have a good friend called Mr White. He is the head of an office. He's often busy and has no time to do the housework. His wife knows him well and does all at home.

    Unluckily, their daughter Rose got hurt in a traffic accident two weeks ago, and had to be in hospital. Mrs White had to look after her there and she couldn't look after Mr White well. Mr White often ate in restaurants. As he never did any cleaning, the rooms were all in a mess(混乱) .

    Yesterday morning, before Mr White got up, the telephone rang. He sat up to answer it. His friend Tony told him to write down an important telephone number. But he could not find a pen or a piece of paper. He found there was much dust(灰尘) on the table and wrote the number on it with his finger. But soon he forgot about it and went to work.

    This morning, Mrs White and their daughter came back home.

    At noon, Mr White came in while Mrs White was cleaning the rooms. He sadly found the table was clean and the number was gone(不见了) .

English weather

    Everybody talks about the weather in England and this is not surprising. It changes from minute to minute, so it's always interesting. Someone once wisely remarked(评论) that other countries have a climate, but England just has weather! Gretel was amazed by this talk at first, but she has got used to it now.

    Last month Gretel really understood why everyone is so concerned about the weather:  you can never be certain what's going to happen. Though it was spring, there were heavy snowfalls. As usual, no one expected it. The pipes in many houses were frozen; trains failed to run; cars on the roads shrank; there were many accidents on the roads; lots of people slipped on the icy pavements and got hurt. The weather was very bad. Everyone complained gloomily(沮丧地), "What awful weather we're having! Haven't seen anything like it!". And then, suddenly, the sun came out, the snow melted and it was spring again.

    "Typical(典型的)! Just typical! " Gretel remarked. "From the way you talk about the weather, Gretel," Mr Clark said, "anyone would think you were English."

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}⑴Cindy likes drawing(画画) very much. She can draw nice pictures. She always reads books about artists(艺术家).

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}⑵Peter likes watching NBA games. He also knows a lot about tennis stars and basketball stars.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}⑶Mary studies in a junior school. She can't always get good grades(成绩)，but she can cook(烹任) well. She wants to be a cook(厨师).

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}⑷John is a 12-year-old boy. He likes singing and dancing very much and he also does well in playing the piano.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}⑸Jeff thinks playing games is very interesting. Sometimes games can help him study well.

    Halloween is a strange holiday. It started several centuries ago in Europe. It began as "Hallow Evening" which means "holy night". At that time November 1st was called "All Saints' Day" (万圣日) and people honored all the saints who did not have their own special day. People believed that all the spirits of dead people were active on the night of October 31st. So people would play all sorts of tricks on each other.

    Black is one of the traditional Halloween colors, probably because Halloween festivals and traditions took place at night. Pumpkins area symbol of Halloween, so orange has become the other traditional Halloween color. Making lanterns out of pumpkins is a Halloween custom.

    Halloween is great fun for children. They dress up as ghosts(鬼) or witches(女巫). Small children go "Trick-or-Treat". They wear costumes, knock on doors, and shout, "Trick or Treat!" People almost always choose to give them candy as a treat, instead of choosing to receive a trick from the children. Adults sometimes "trick or treat" their friends, too. Usually the "treat" is a glass of wine or some small gifts.