Lydia is 14 years old. She lives in a small house with her parents and two brothers, Daniel and Henry. Daniel is 12 years old, and Henry is 9 years old. Daniel and Henry often complain about the small house. They want to live in a big house. Their dream house is very big. In the house, they each have a bedroom, a desk and a computer. In front of the house, there is a big beautiful garden. In the garden, there are some fruit trees. They like eating fruit very much. Behind the garden, there is a swimming pool. They like swimming, too. They can ask their friends to come to their house on weekends. They can play computer games, swim and do their homework together. They say they will have a lot of fun that time.

    Hello! My name is Cindy Brown. I am thirteen years old. Cindy is my {#blank#}1{#/blank#}name and Brown is my family name. Can you {#blank#}2{#/blank#}"Brown"? Yes, B﹣R﹣O﹣W﹣N, Brown. I am an English girl.I am in China now. I am a student in a middle school in ZhouSan. Do you know {#blank#}3{#/blank#}（I）?

    Zhao Qi is a Chinese girl. She is thirteen years old, too. She is my good {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Her father is a teacher in our school. Her mother is a teacher too. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}she isn't in our school. Zhao Qi always {#blank#}6{#/blank#}（ask）her parents for help. Zhao Qi has{#blank#}7{#/blank#}（a） iPad. Many {#blank#}8{#/blank#}（photo）are in it. Look at this photo! {#blank#}9{#/blank#} the little baby in the photo? Aha, it's Zhao Qi. What are those on the chair?{#blank#}10{#/blank#} are her hats.

At present, many foreigners show great interest in learning Chinese idioms (成语). Terry and Kate are among them. Most Chinese idioms have four characters. For example, qingchuyulan (bluer than indigo), and houjibofa (success comes with time and effort). Terry and Kate are now reading stories behind the Chinese idioms they have learnt recently.

Welcome to the Chinese Traditional Artwork Website

Have you heard the saying "Fall down seven times, stand up eight"? It means that however difficult things get and however many mistakes you make, have the passion and energy to keep going. This is called perseverance and it can help you achieve lots of things.

Perseverance means keeping doing something over a long time, even when the going gets difficult. It's believed that you can achieve a goal if you prepare to work for it. Practicing a trick (技巧) on your bike over and over again or finishing a picture without throwing it away and starting afresh shows perseverance. Florence, 11, says, "It means never giving up, being determined and trying hard to push yourself. I go running with my mom three times a week, even when I don't feel like it, because I want to be the fastest in my class."

Studies show that feeling hopeful and working towards a goal that you really want to reach can reduce stress and make you feel happier. Achieving something you've worked hard for, and overcoming challenges along the way, can also develop your confidence and make you feel braver to try new things. Angela Duckworth is an expert in thoughts and feelings. She studies perseverance, which she calls "grit (勇气)". Duckworth believes that it doesn't matter how talented, clever or rich you are, having grit is what really helps you succeed. She explains, no matter how gifted you are, and no matter how easily you do well in your lessons, you should have perseverance.

Duckworth believes perseverance is something anyone can learn, and the best way to do this is to have a growth mind. This means believing that your brain can grow, and that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it. So instead of thinking, "I can't do this", try thinking, "I can't do this... yet". As the book The Big Life Journal says, "People with a growth idea know they can get better by working hard. They keep trying even when things are difficult."