A Bite of China

    Are you aneating-lover? Do you want to eat every delicious food in the world? Then do you watch the popular program A Bite of China? It's a TV program on Chinese delicious food which has been produced by CCTV. Is there any holiday that isn't celebrated with special festival food? Here are several traditional Chinese foods:

    Noodles are asymbol of long life in Chinese culture. They are as much a part of Chinese birthday celebration as a birthday cake with its candles lit in many western countries. Since noodles mean long life, it is considered very unlucky to cut it off.

    Although westerners sometimes may be very sorry to see fish lying on the plate, in Chinaa whole fish is a symbol of richness. In fact, at a party it is a tradition to serve the whole fish last, pointed towards the most valued guest. Fish also has a special meaning because the Chinese word for fish, yu, sounds like the word for richness or plenty, and it is believed that eating fish will help your wishes come true in the year to come.

    A very popular dish during the Dragon Boat Festival is Zongzi. This tasty dish is made of rice dumplings with meat, peanuts or other delicious food in bamboo leaves. The tradition of Zongzi is meant to remind us of a great man, Qu Yuan in Chinese history.

短文理解  阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C三个选项中，选出最佳选项回答问题或完成句子。

    The Lantern Festival falls on the 15^th of the first month of the lunar calendar（阴历）. This day is always the first full moon in the new year. Ancient people also called it Shangyuan Festival. Celebrations and traditions on this day began from the Han Dynasty（朝代）and became popular in the Tang Dynasty.

    Watching the red lanterns is one of the main traditions. Lanterns of different shapes and sizes are usually put on trees, or along river banks on show. It is said that sky lantern's were first used by Zhuge Kongming to ask for help when he was in trouble. Today, when the lanterns slowly rise into the air, people make wishes.

    Another tradition is guessing lantern riddles. The riddles are usually short, wise, and sometimes humorous. The answer to a riddle can be a Chinese character（汉字），a famous person's name, or a place name.

    The most important thing is to eat sweet dumplings with different tastes. In northern China, they are called yuanxiao while in southern part they're named tangyuan. Because making sweet dumplings is like a game or an activity, they are usually done happily by a group of friends or family members.

    In old times, the Lantern Festival was also romantic（浪漫的）. Watching lanterns gave young people a chance to meet each other. A line from Xin Qiji, a poet during the Song Dynasty, shows this:   

    Hundreds and thousands of times I searched for her in the crowd. Suddenly I turned, and there she stood, in the dim（昏暗的）light.

    Spain is famous for its tomato festival, called La Tomatina. It happens in a small town Hanoi on the last Wednesday of August every year. During the festival there are all kinds of activities, but the most exciting part is the tomato fight. It takes place at the end of long celebration (庆祝). You are encouraged to throw tomatoes in the fight. There're many stories about how the festival began. One of the stories goes that during the 1940's, some friends started a tomato fight, while another story is about a local band. Anyway, everyone in Bunol seems to have a different story.

    Before the tomato fight, there are parades (游行)，musical bands, street parties and so on. On the day of the fight, shopkeepers cover their windows and doors in order to keep away from the tomato fight. At the same time, thousands of tourists and local people come to the town square together. Then large trucks (卡车) full of tomatoes arrive. From the back of the large trucks, a great town band start to throw tomatoes at others. Then the crowds fight back, throwing the tomatoes at anything and anyone. Soon the streets are in the sea of red tomato juice.

    Everyone is supposed to obey a small number of rules: You must squash (压烂) the tomato before throwing it and you are allowed to throw nothing but tomatoes.

    It is usually over in less than half an hour. Everyone then sets off to the river to clear up. Sounds like fun!

    You have probably heard the popular Australian greeting, "G'day mate!"

    G'day is a short form of "good day". And "mate" is the same as "friend". Some think that "mate" came from the word "shipmate", used by people working on ships.

    But Australian English is much more complex(复杂的) than just saying "G'day mate!". There are many special words and expressions in Australian English when you see someone you know. For example, if you're being lazy you're a "bludger". If you crash your car you've just had a "pulling a sickie".

    Australian English is a funny mixture(混合体), because English and Irish(爱尔兰的) criminals(罪犯) were sent by the British to Australia. They brought their slang(俚语) with them.

    Also, it's because there are so many special plants and animals in Australia. Many of their names come from Aboriginal(土著的) English, like "Kangaroo" and "Dingo".

    Nowadays, Australians watch a lot of American television and listen to American music. That has a large effect(影响) on the way they speak.

    There are actually three types of Australian accent(口音), but the most well-known is Broad Australian English. It is common in country areas. It's the most difficult to understand.

    So next time you meet an Australian, remember that there's a reason they sound so special!

    Do you know about any manners(礼仪) in England? How can you act politely when you are in England? This guide will help you to do things as the English people do.