In some foreign countries, some people don't like the number 13. They don't think 13 is a lucky number, for example, they don't like to live on the thirteenth floor.

    One day, my friend Jack asked some friends to dinner. When all of his friends arrived, he asked them to sit at the table. He began to count the people in his mind while they were having the delicious food. Soon, he cried out, "Oh, there are thirteen people here!"

    Everyone's face turned white except Mr. Brown. He said slowly with a smile on his face, "Don't worry, my friends. We have fourteen people here. My wife Mrs Brown will have a baby in a few weeks. She is in the family now. "

    All of them became happy again, "Congratulations!" they said. They all had a good time that evening.

    For Miller, an 80-year-old man, it's a chance of a lifetime. Miller is a part of a group of around 60 Germans who are on a bus journey along the ancient Silk Road.

    About this journey, he says:“I have been deeply interested in the Silk Road since I was a child. But now I finally have a chance to experience it.”

    The two-month bus journey will take the group through Germany, Russia and other 4 European countries. They will then enter China from the country's western part. It will be an unforgettable memory for them.

    Nearly half of the 13,000-kilometer trip will be inside China. From Xinjiang in the west to Shanghai in the east, the German visitors will see more than 20 Chinese cities. "We have managed the trip of the Silk Road for around 10 years. An increasing number of people, not only from German-speaking countries, have been joining us." Says Liu Guoqiang from China Tours.

    Almost 26 million foreigners traveled to China in 2015, and about 5 million of them were from Europe. Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai and the Yangtze River are traditional Chinese travel destinations for European tourists. Speaking of where he wants to go, Miller says: "Compared with modern cities, the culture in western China attracts me more."

As Shi Xiang, head of China Tours says "Being a new brand to attract foreign visitors, the Silk Road is good for people to know more about China, especially the northwestern part of the country.”

Kunqu Opera (昆曲),also known as Kun Opera, is a kind of Chinese musical drama (戏剧).But it is more than just drama. It is actually a kind of art{#blank#}1{#/blank#}history, music, dancing and others.

It is {#blank#}2{#/blank#}believed that Kunqu Opera is the beginning of all the other forms of Chinese opera. With a long history of over 600 years, Kunqu Opera started in the city of Kunshan at the end of the Yuan Rynasty. It became quite {#blank#}3{#/blank#}in the Ming and Qing dynasties. In 2001,Kunqu Opera was {#blank#}4{#/blank#}as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity (人类口述和非物质遗产代表作).

Here are the New Year's resolutions of my four friends.

My name is Dave and I am from the United Kingdom. I'm going to drink more water and less cola. I'm also going to brush my teeth before breakfast and after dinner, and wash my hands before eating.

My name is Tina and I am from the United States. I want to make more friends this year. I'm going to be nicer to the other children in my class. I'm going to be friendly to children who need friends－like someone who is shy or new to my school.

I'm Selina and I am from the United States. I'm going to work harder this year. I'm going to do all the homework that our teachers ask us to do. If I have any problems with my subjects, I'm going to ask my teachers for help.

My name is Toby and I am from Singapore. I'm never going to play computer games. When I feel angry or stressed, I'm going to find better ways to relax, like exercising, reading or discussing my problems with my friends.

If you live in a place where most people speak the language you are learning, you may use the language for several hours each day. So, it may become a part of your "inner speech". In other words, you start thinking in that language. Your mind stops trying to translate （ 翻译） things from your native language into the second language. But most learners live in places where English is not the main language. This may be true for you. You may not have many chances to practice English. You may even be self-taught. 

When you speak, your speech might be slower than you would like. This is because your mind is still translating from your first language, which can also sound unnatural. English, like every other language, has its own sentence patterns. 

The good news is that thinking in English can bring you a huge step closer to proficient speakers! It is not very difficult, but it does work hard and practice. On today's Education Tips, we will share some exercises that can help. 

Think in individual(单独的)words

Most experts note that it's best to start small. So, a good first step is to think in individual words. Look around you. What do you see? In your head, try to name each object in your mind. 

Describe unknown words

If you're looking at your house and you see your garage, but you can't think of the name in English, you can say, "It's the place where I put my car. " Or you can say, "It's next to my house. I keep things there. "

      ▲        

For example, if you are sitting in a park, you can tell yourself things like, "It's such a beautiful day" and "People are playing sports with their friends". Once this becomes easy, you can move on to more difficult sentences. 

This is a photo of Cindy's family. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} are in Yuyao now. 

There are four people (人) in the family. The girl {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Cindy. Her last name is Green. She is 12 years old. Who is this {#blank#}3{#/blank#}? Oh, he is Cindy's brother, Mike. They are in NO. 1 Middle School. Can you see that man (男人)? He is Cindy and Mike's father. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} name is Jim Green. He is a Chinese teacher. And Cindy's mother is in a red jacket. 

Mike and Cindy are my {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. I like their family very much.