Dear Mike，

      I'm so glad you're coming to China! Your mother，our foreign English teacher，told me you're worried about what you should and shouldn't do as a guest in China．Here's some advice．You will probably be invited to a big meal. You may find it earlier than you expect because Chinese people eat dinner much earlier than people in the West．There will be a lot of different dishes，not just three courses．You may find it difficult to use chopsticks if you haven't tried before．It's a good idea to get some practice．When the food is served，you should take time to look at it. The preparation takes a long time and everything will look beautiful．The plates will be placed in the middle of the table，for everyone to share．Take a little of everything and then have some more of the things you like．Chinese people like to talk about food，so it's a good topic of conversation．At the end of the meal，you will usually be served with fruit．Eat your fruit，thank your friends， and go．

      I hope this is helpful．E-mail me if you have any other questions． 

                                                                                                                              Yours，

                                                                                                                                   David Zhang

    A Bite of China, the seven-part documentary (纪录片) introduces Chinese food through the geography, history and culture.

A Bite of China is fill of &eat pictures of food, from expensive food to local food. The documentary shows Chinese food culture and how to make the delicious food.

    How to make dishes is only one part of food culture. The program tries to bring something new by showing more cultural elements (元素) about dishes, such as eating habits, and people's life. For example, one part tells China's history of rice growing. It explains why rice is the main food of the southern Chinese, while the northern ones mainly eat wheat flour (面粉).

    And a part about pickles(腌制食品) tells about a woman in Beijing. She returns to her hometown in Jilin and makes pickles for the first time for her lonely mother.

Another part shows happy moments of sons and daughters making New Year cakes after they return home from different cities to celebrate with their lonely parents in Zhejiang.

A Bite of China also shows social changes when showing food culture. For example, some members of a family work outside but leave the old in their hometowns - in this case, food can make people remember the happy time.

    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.

    There are many different kinds of museums in the world. But have you ever visited a museum of tap water? Beijing Museum of Tap Water may be the only one in the world.

    The museum has a large number of photos, models, maps and equipment which tell the water treatment history of China. Few of them are in English, so it's a bit difficult for foreign visitors to understand them.

    Beijing's tap water history began in 1908.  At that time Empress Dowager Cixi(慈禧太后) ordered to build water plants and city pipelines to help fight fires that happened in Beijing.

    At first, people did not believe in tap water. They continued using well water(井水) which was not safe. Later, the government did everything to explain to people how safe tap water really was. Finally, more and more people started using tap water.

    The museum is one of the most wonderful places in Beijing. For those who want to try something different, this place near the Dongzhimen Subway Station is a very unusual one.

The weather is getting hotter and hotter. You are thirsty playing basketball or riding home from school. A cold drink may be just the thing. But be careful what you are drinking. Something that looks cool may not be good for your health.

There are plenty of "energy drinks" advertisement on TV. Most of them have beautiful colors and cool names. They tell you they are helpful to your health. Sounds great and lots of people believe them!

But after a careful check you may find that most energy drinks have lots of caffeine (咖啡因) in them. These drinks are especially aimed at young people, students, busy people and sports players. Makers sometimes say their drinks make you better at sports and can keep you awake. But he careful not to drink too much.

Caffeine makes your heart beat fast. Because of this, the International Olympic Committee has limited (限制) its use. Caffeine in most energy drinks is as strong as that in a cup of coffee or tea. Possible health dangers have something to do with energy drinks. Just one box of energy drink can make you nervous, have difficulty sleeping and can even cause heart problems. Scientists say that teenagers should be discouraged from taking drinks with a lot of caffeine in them.