Beijing Opera is the most representative of all Chinese traditional dramatic art forms and the largest Chinese opera form. Having a history of about 200 years, it is developed from absorbing(吸收)many other dramatic forms, mostly from the local drama 'Huiban', which was popular in South China during the 18th century. It is a scenic（戏剧的）art integrating music, performance, literature, aria, and face painting.

    Theatrical art forms in many other countries do not present singing, dancing and spoken parts in one single drama. An opera singer, for example, neither dances nor speaks on stage; there are no singing or dancing parts in a modern play; in a dance drama, the dancer has no speaking role and does not sing either. Traditional Chinese drama, including Beijing Opera, is a kind of entertainment which includes spoken parts, singing, dancing and acrobatics.

    In addition to its presence in China, Beijing Opera has spread to many other places. Mer Lanfang, one of the most famous performers(表演者)of all time, was the first to introduce Beijing Opera to foreigners and made highly successful tours to foreign countries.

    “You will be puzzled(困惑)all the way through and a little bored from time to time; but you will be charmed and interested. You will be strongly attracted to Beijing Opera even if you know nothing of the dramatic background. "This is how one American traveller described his firs experience in watching Beijing Opera.

    Beijing Opera is China's national opera and it is full of Chinese cultural traditions. Welcome to China and enjoy Beijing Opera!

    Many of you have watched a Superman cartoon or movie. But did you know he first appeared in comics（连环漫画）? Do you want to learn more about popular comic books around the world? Take a look!

    Do you find reading boring? Have a read of some comic books. You will learn to love their colorful pictures and simple language.

    Comic books usually tell stories through cartoons. The US and Japan have some great comic books. But they are not the same.

    Their names are different. People say "comic books" in the US but "manga" in Japan.

    American comics are often about superheroes—characters like Superman and Spider Man. So action is a major part of American comics. But Japanese manga like to tell stories of ordinary people. Luffy in One Piece（《海贼王》）is such an example.

    American comics make people excited with super powers, while Japanese manga comfort（安慰）people with moving stories. Natsume's Book of Friends is about a teenage boy. He can see spirits（精灵）. He is confused （困惑的）at first but later he makes friends with spirits.

    you are not interested in these two kinds, why not try some from China? Xia Da, 32, is a great comic book artist from China. Some of her comics are about school life. Others show the beauty of Chinese culture.

    Different countries have different customs. When you are in different countries, you should follow their customs.

    In China, it's impolite to talk when eating dinner. And you're not supposed to start eating first if there are older people at the table.

    Very often people who travel to the United States forget to tip(付小费). It is usual to tip waiters, taxi drivers and porters who help carry your bags. Waiters expect to get a 15% tip on the cost of your meal. Taxi drivers expect about the same amount.

    In England, make sure to stand in line even if there are only two of you. It's important to respect lines there. It's a good idea to talk about the weather. It's a favorite subject of conversation with the British.

    In Spain, it's a good idea to have a light meal in the afternoon if someone invites you for dinner. People have dinner very late, and restaurants are not generally open until after 9:00 pm.

    In Saudi Arabia (沙特阿拉伯), men kiss one another on the cheek (脸颊). Your host may welcome you with a kiss on both cheeks. It is polite for you to do the same.

    In Japan, people usually give personal or business cards to each other when they meet for the first time. When a person gives you a card, don't put it into your pocket as soon as you get it. The person expects you to read it.

    Don't forget to be careful of your body language to express something in conversations. A kind of body language that is acceptable in one culture may be impolite in another.

Different weather makes people feel different. It influences health, intelligence and feelings.

In August, it is very hot and wet in the northern part of the United States. People there have heart trouble and other kinds of health problems during this month. In the Northeast and the Middle West, it is very hot at some times and very cold at other times. People in these states have more heart trouble after the weather changes in February or March.

The weather can also influence intelligence. For example, in a scientific report, IQ of a group of students was very high when a very strong wind came, but after the wind, their IQ was 10% below. The wind can help people have more intelligence. Very hot weather, on the other hand, can make it lower. Students in many schools of the United States often get worse on exams in the hot months of the year（July and August）.

Weather also has a strong influence on people's feelings. Winter may be a bad time for thin people. They usually feel cold during these months. They might feel unhappy during cold weather. But fat people may have a hard time in hot summer.

Low air pressure may make people forgetful. Research shows that people leave more bags on buses and in shops on low-pressure days. However, at about 18℃, people become healthier and stronger. People feel best at this temperature.

Are you feeling tired, forgetful or unhappy today? It may be the weather's problem.

    Beauty sleep is a real thing, researches have shown that people who have enough sleep look more attractive (有魅力的) to others.

    A few bad nights are enough to make a person look especially "more ugly", their sleep experiments show.

    The researchers asked 25 university students to join in their sleep experiment. They were asked to get a good night's sleep for two nights.

    A week later, they were asked to sleep for only four hour every night for two nights in a row. The researchers took make—up free (素颜) photos of the volunteers after both the good and the bad sleep.

    Next, they asked 122 strangers to have a look at the photos and judge (评价) them on attractiveness, health, and sleepiness, as well as asking them: "How much would you like to make friends with this person in the picture?"

    The strangers were good at judging whether the person they were looking at was tired, and if he was sleepy, his attractiveness score would be low.

    The strangers also said they wouldn't want to socialize with the tired students. The researchers say this is natural for people. An unhealthy-looking face makes people run away. In other words, people don't want to hang around with people who might be ill.

    Dr Brewer, an expert at the University of Liverpool said: "Judgment of attractiveness is often unconscious (无意识的), but we all do it, and we are able to judge on even something small like whether someone looks tired or unhealthy. This study is a good reminder of how important sleep is to us."