As we know, there are differences between Western culture and Chinese culture. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. Let's look at some words about animals and plants. Most expressions in Chinese about the dog, for example, "a homeless dog", "a mad dog", "a running dog" and "a dog catching a mouse", have bad meanings. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. In English, people use the dog to describe good actions. For example, "you are a lucky dog" means you are a lucky person. And "every dog has its day" means each person has good luck sometimes. To describe a person's serious illness, they say "sick as a dog". The word "dog­tired" means very tired.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. But in Western culture, "cat" is often used to describe a woman who is unkind. There are many other examples of how "cat" is used differently as well.

   {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. People think the rose stands for love, peace, courage and friendship. And the rose is the national flower of England, America and many other countries.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. We can learn about many differences in cultures by comparing how some words are used.

A. However, Chinese love cats very much

B. The words about plants and animals are used in good or bad ways in different cultures

C. We can see differences when we pay attention to the way words are used

D. However, westerners love cats very much

E. We can see similarities when we pay attention to the way words are used

F. The rose is regarded as a symbol of love in both China and some Western countries

G. But in Western countries, dogs are considered to be honest and good friends of humans

    Three kinds of bears live in the United States. They are the black bear, the brown bear, and the polar bear.

    Black Bears

    Black bears are the most common of the three. They live in forests in many different parts of the country. Even though they are known as black bears, they are not always black. Sometimes they are brown or tan (黄褐色的) , and a few are even white. Black bears are usually about five or six feet long, and they are the smallest of the three kinds of bears.

    Brown Bears

    Brown bears are found in a few western states and in Alaska. They live in forests as well as in open areas called the tundra (冻土地带). Brown bears are usually light or dark brown and can grow to be very large. In fact, some are eight feet long!

    Polar Bears

    Polar bears can be found in Alaska. It is in a cold area near the North Pole called the Arctic and there are no trees there. Polar bears are white, and they are the largest of the three kinds of ears. They are a little longer and usually heavier than the brown bear.

    Other Interesting Things

    Bears eat different things. Black and brown bears eat fish and other kinds of meat, roots, and berries. Polar bears eat fish, other meat, seaweed, and grass. All three types of bears eat as much food as they can find just before winter. Then during the cold months, they sleep in caves or hollowed-out trees called "dens". They keep them warm. Winter is when the female bears have their babies. All three types of bears have between one and four cubs (幼兽). The cubs are born while the mother bear sleeps!

    All people are afraid of bears. However, bears are actually shy. Most bears try to stay away from people, but still, bears can be dangerous at times.

There are many wetlands (湿地) in China ‒ and some of them have become the world's important wetlands. The Chinese Yellow Sea Wetlands are {#blank#}1{#/blank#} them. They are in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province. They are {#blank#}2{#/blank#} to many different kinds of animals. The world's {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Milu deer nature reserve (自然保护区) is on these wetlands. More than 700 Milu deer live there. There are not many red-crowned cranes (丹顶鹤) {#blank#}4{#/blank#} in the world, but every winter, you can see some in the red-crowned crane nature reserve in the Yellow Sea Wetlands.

    The {#blank#}5{#/blank#} in the wetlands is neither too high nor too low. There is  {#blank#}6{#/blank#} rain and sunshine, too. They are a good place for wildlife. But offering food and shelter for special kinds of animals is not the  {#blank#}7{#/blank#} reason we need to protect wetlands. Wetlands are important {#blank#}8{#/blank#} they also prevent floods. But some people want to {#blank#}9{#/blank#} the wetlands to make more space for farms and less space for wildlife.

    More people are beginning to realize the {#blank#}10{#/blank#} of wetlands and wildlife. Every year, on Feb 2, many activities are held to teach people about the wetlands.

Chongyang Festival {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (celebrate) on the ninth day of the ninth month on the traditional Chinese calendar, and it is also known as Double Ninth Festival.

In Chinese culture, the number nine is thought to be yang. The ninth day of the ninth month is a double yang day and "double"{#blank#}2{#/blank#} (mean) Chong in Chinese, so it got the name Chongyang Festival. The ninth month also heralds（预示）the coming of winter, so it is a time when the living need warm clothes, and some people make the festival a time for {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (provide) special clothes for their ancestors（祖先）.

During the festival, people usually {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (climb) mountains, wear the zhuyu plant, drink chrysanthemum (菊花) wine, and eat Chongyang cake. Cake in Chinese is pronounced "gao" meaning high, so people consider climbing a high mountain to be the same as eating cake. Also, people think they {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (do) better than before after eating the cake.

Double Ninth Festival is also Seniors' Day— a day to care for the elder people and to let them {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (enjoy) themselves. On the day, many communities organize retired people to go out {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (climb) mountains.

    Do you know Singles Day (November 11) in China? Many people, even your parents, go to bed late that night. They were shopping online to get big savings (省钱). Well, the US has something like it called Black Friday.

Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving. It is on November 27 this year. It is one of the biggest shopping days in the US. People want to start shopping for Christmas gifts, so they go shopping on this day to save money.

It's called Black Friday because shops used to record (记录) sales with black ink (墨水). So when there was a lot of black ink on a page, the shop sold a lot.

On Black Friday, people go shopping at actual stores (实体店). It is different from Singles Day. People stand in line (排队) for hours. Sometimes they fight over things because there are only a few left. TVs, computers and video game systems are some of people's favourite things to buy.

December 22. a special day, is the shortest day of the year. Chinese people call it Dongzhi. The name means "the coming of winter"-the{#blank#}1{#/blank#} (cold) days in a year. On this day, people in northern China eat dumplings. They usually fill the dumplings {#blank#}2{#/blank#}different vegetables and meat. Sometimes, people put a coin inside.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} you happen to get the coin, you will have good luck. People consider eating dumplings {#blank#}4{#/blank#}a way to stay healthy. As the old saying goes, "Eating dumplings on Dongzhi can help {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(keep) the ears from frostbite (冻疮)."

In {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(south) China, people eat tangyuan on the day of Dongzhi. The little tangyuan balls {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(make) from rice. They have different {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(kind) of sweet fillings (馅料). People hope eating tangyuan can bring them {#blank#}9{#/blank#}happy and sweet life. In some places, people also make a special kind of rice wine. The drink brings the body {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(warm) on cold days.