In today's society, everyone seems very busy every day. We fee l our time is valuable and needs to be used well. We need cheap meal ideas that can help us save time and money and still offer a healthy dinner to us and our family.

    The fast food makers know we have little time and don't pay attention to what we eat after a long day at work. So they often offer us cheap food that requires(需要) no cooking or cleaning, and only a short time to pick up.

    But eating so much fast food will cause body fatness and fast food is not nutritious(有营养的), so it's not the best choice. There are some very cheap meal ideas that take almost no time to prepare and will make coming home for a good meal more enjoyable.

    The first cheap meal idea is one dish including meat, rice, and also some cabbages, carrots or tomatoes. This is not only a cheap meal idea, but also it is fast because it can be made in only 20 minutes.

    You can quickly make some pancakes and scrambled eggs for the family in about half an hour. If you think it is strange to eat breakfast food for dinner, consider how the same foods give you what you need to go through a whole day.

    Another cheap meal idea to try is a “macaroni(通心粉) and cheese with meat” dish, which is the fastest, only takes around 15 minutes to cook.

    If you are interested in these cheap meal ideas, you're welcome to visit our website for details. When you fix one of these or other cheap meal ideas at home, you are taking time out of your busy day to treat yourself and your family in a special way.

Giving directions in different places

    If you ask people of different countries "Could you tell me the way to the post office?", you will get different answers.

    In Japan, people use landmarks instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, "Go straight down to the corner. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The post office is across from the bus stop."

    In Kansas, America, there are no towns or buildings within miles. So instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distance. For example, people will say, "Go north two miles {#blank#}2{#/blank#}".

    People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions. They will often say, "Follow me." {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Sometimes if a person doesn't know the answer to your question, he or she, like a New Yorker, might say, "Sorry, I have no idea." But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers "I don't know". {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They usually give an answer, but often a wrong one. A visitor can often get lost in Yucatan!

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} You might not understand a person's words, but maybe you can understand his or her body language. He or she will usually point to the correct direction. Go on in that direction and you may find the post office!

Stories and Art of Chinese Fans

    You may think you cannot live through summer without air conditioners. But in ancient China, hand fans were almost the only ones to help people keep cool.

    Chinese people started to use hand fans over 2,000 years ago. The fans came in different shapes, such as round and square. They were also made from a11 kinds of materials. Palm leaf fans were cheap and easy to make. Feather fans(羽毛扇) showed the owner's high status. Sandalwood(檀香)fans could send out a sweet smell.

    Later, hand fans became far more than just something that could cool you down. They developed into art works, in which tuanshan (round fans)and zheshan(folded fans)were the most common.

    In the shape of a full moon, tuanshan was usually made of silk. They had beautiful birds and flowers on them. Women especially those in the imperial palace(皇宫),liked to use them. Meanwhile, men, especially the literati(文人), used zheshan. The literati liked them because zheshan were usually made of paper and they could paint and write poems on them. It was a way for them to show off their ability in literature, painting and handwriting. Almost anything can be painted on zheshan.

    Today, Chinese people still use these fans, only not many people write or paint on them any more. Next time when you are waving a fan, you may think of the stories behind it.

Information Card

    Mr. Black lives by the sea. He has a big family and has to work hard, or his wife and children will be hungry. After breakfast he leaves for the sea by a small boat every day. He always hopes to catch more fish.

    One morning, the man got to a good place for fishing. He threw a long rope (绳子)with many hooks(钩子) into the water. He found it heavy and pulled the hooks out of the sea. He saw there was a gold chain(金链) on the hooks. He was of course very glad. "I′ll sell the gold chain for much money, "he thought to himself. "I'll build a new house and buy lots of expensive things. 我将成为世上最富有的人".

    His boat began to sink. But Mr. Black went on thinking and didn't notice what was happening. As he was pulling the gold chain, the boat sank( 下沉) into the sea.

    He lost not only the gold chain, but also his boat and life!