You might think that native English speakers are the best at speaking the English language. But some experts believe that when it comes to successfully communicating in English, non-native English speakers are actually better at it.

    "Often you have a room full of people from different countries communicating in English and all understanding each other. And then suddenly the American or British person walks into the room and nobody can understand them," Chia Suan Chong, a UK-based communications culture expert, told the BBC.

    Chong said that happens because non-native speakers communicate more carefully. "English speakers, on the other hand, often talk too fast, use jokes, slang (俚语) and make references (引用材料) to their country that others might not understand," Chong said.

    It is something that I keep in mind when talking to my Chinese friends. I am careful to speak slowly and use words I know they will understand. Sometimes we confuse each other though. Once I told my friend "no dramas", which means "no problem". She thought I was calling her a drama queen, though, and got upset!

    But don't worry. Experts say that it is the native speaker's fault if they can't understand you, not yours! "English speakers with no other language often don't know how to speak English internationally," said English language teacher Dale.

    The best way to avoid any trouble might be to ask for some patience. If you find it difficult to understand an English speaker, don't be afraid to ask them to slow down and speak clearly.

    People use their mouths for many things. In the English language, there are many expressions using the word "mouth". But some of them are not so nice.

    Sometimes, people say something to a friend or a family member. Later they regret because it hurts that person's feelings. Or they tell the person something they didn't mean to tell. The speaker might say: "I really put my foot in my mouth this time."

    Sometimes when one person is speaking, he says the same thing that his friend is going to say. When this happens, the friend might say: "You took the words right out of my mouth!" Sometimes a person has a bad or sad experience with another person. He might say that experience "left a bad taste in my mouth." Or the person possibly has a very frightening(可怕的）experience, like having an angry dog running after him. He might say: "I had my heart in my mouth."

    Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very rich family. You might say the person "was born with a silver spoon (银勺) in his mouth". He is the opposite of a person living from "hand to mouth". This person is very poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life, like food. 

    Ancient China produced many types of beautiful works of art. Among them，calligraphy(书法)，poetry(诗歌)and painting were the most famous. Often they would be put together in art. These became important starting with the Song dynasty.

Calligraphy is the art of handwriting. In the old times the Chinese considered writing as an important form of art. Calligraphers(书法家)would practice for years to learn to write perfectly，but with style. Each of over 40,000 characters needed to be written correctly. And each stroke(笔画)in a character had to be written in a certain order.

Poetry was also an important form of art. Great poets were famous all over the country，but all educated people were expected to write poetry. During the Tang dynasty poetry was so important that writing poetry was part of the examinations to become a civil servant (文官)and work for the government.

    Chinese painting was often connected with calligraphy. It is one of the oldest artistic traditions in the world. The most traditional way of Chinese painting is known as "national "or" native painting(国画)", which is quite different from Western painting. People can draw mountains, homes, birds, trees and water on it.

    Birthdays are celebrated all over the world. Some traditions are rather similar from one country to another: candles, cakes and birthday wishes. But there are also different ways to celebrate birthdays.

    Here are a few:

    Argentina (阿根廷): In Argentina, as in many Latin American countries, one of the most important birthday parties is a girl's fifteenth. When girls turn 15, they have a huge party and dance first with their fathers, and then the boys at the part.

    China: The birthday child receives presents from the parents. Friends and family members are invited to dinner, and noodles are served to wish the birthday child a long life.

    Denmark (丹麦): A flag is flown outside a window to show that someone who lives in that house is celebrating the birthday. Presents are placed around the child's bed while he is sleeping so he can see them immediately when he wakes up.

    Holland (荷兰): The birthday child receives an especially large present. The family also put flowers or balloons on the birthday child's chair to make it beautiful.

    India: Usually Indian children wear white to school. However, the birthday child wears colored clothes to school and gives out chocolates to everyone in the class. His /Her best friend helps do this.

    Japan: The birthday child wears new clothes to mark the special time. Certain birthdays are more important than others and these are celebrated with a visit to the shrine (神殿). These are the third and seventh birthdays for girls and the fifth for boys.