People like to keep different animals such as dogs as pets. But cats are the most popular pets among Americans. So it is not surprising there are many expressions about cats. Do you know any of them? Now let me introduce some to you.

    Some cats like to catch small birds, like canaries. If someone looks very proud or pleased with himself, we say "he looks like the cat that ate the canary".

    Sometimes, a cat likes to play with a small animal it catches. So if you "play cat and mouse with someone", you keep him in a state (状态) of uncertain expectation. For example, a child might repeatedly give something sweet to her little brother, and then take it back when her brother is confused or relaxed.

    A cat will often catch a small animal and show it to its owner. The saying that "looks like something the cat dragged in(把……拖进来)" means something in bad condition.

    "A fat cat" is a person with a lot of money.

    There are many other expressions about cats in America. How interesting! Which kind of cat are you, or which kind would you like to be?

    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.

    If you were in Xi'an in Shanxi Province on April 18, you might feel like you were back in ancient China. There were catwalk shows and traditional music concerts held by people wearing traditional Chinese clothing, or huafu. Huafu fans from across the country got together there to take pictures and post them online for a huafu photo competition, which will last for a month. People were doing these to celebrate a new national holiday — the first China Huafu Day. It wants to encourage young Chinese to be proud of traditional clothing, as well as classic Chinese culture.

    The government chose the third day of the third month of the Chinese lunar calendar(农历) as China Huafu Day. This day is said to be the birthday of the. Yellow Emperor. This year, the China Huafu Day fell on April 18.

    Huafu includes the traditional clothing of all ethnic (民族的) groups in China. Among them, hanfu, the traditional clothing of the Han ethnic group, has the most fans in recent years. Hanfu is the traditional clothing of the Han people who lived in China before the Qing Dynasty. It has been around for about 3,000 years and changed greatly across different dynasties. It is hard to count the number of people who wear hanfu today. But hanfu clubs may be found almost in every university and city. Many young people wear hanfu to look like characters from comics and games. This really brings us back to the ancient fashion.

    "China is becoming a leading power in the world, and the Chinese feel more confident about its traditional culture," Chen Chuyu, leader of a Beijing-based hanfu institution (学院), told People's Daily Online. "Wearing traditional clothing might be an interesting way of showing how they feel about this."

    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.

    Most English people have three names: a first name, a middle name and a family name. Their family names come last. For example, my full name is Jim Allan Green. Green is my family name. My parents gave me both of my other names.

    le don't use their middle name very much. So "John Henry Brown" is usually called "John Brown". People never use Mr., Mrs. or Miss before their first names. So, you can say John Brown; but you should never say Mr. John. They use Mr., Mrs. or Miss with the family name but never with the first name.

    Some people ask me about my name. "Why do your parents call you Jim? Why do they choose(择)hat name for you?" The answer is they don't call me Jim. They call me James. James is the name of my grandfather.

    In England, people usually call me Jim for short. That's because it is shorter and easier than James.