Body language is one of the most powerful means of communication.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} people around the world show all kinds of feelings, wishes and attitudes that they might never speak aloud.

The most universal facial expression is the smile. People usually smile to show happiness and make people feel comfortable.But sometimes it doesn't always mean that we are truly happy, however, smile around the world can be false, hiding other feelings like anger, fear or worry.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} However, the general purpose of smiling is to show good feelings.

     From the time we are babies, we show unhappiness or anger by frowning.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Making a fist and shaking it almost means that someone is angry and threatening another person.

     There are many ways around the world to show agreement ,but nodding the head up and down is used for agreement almost worldwide.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} 

How about showing that I am bored? Looking away from people will make me appear to be uninterested. However, if I turn toward and look at someone or something, people from almost every culture will think that I am interested. If I roll my eyes and turn my head away, I most likely do not believe what I'm hearing or don't like it.

Be respectful to people is subjective, based on each culture. but in general it is probably not a good idea to give a hug to a boss or teacher.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}with so many cultural differences between people .it is great to have some similarities in body language. We can often be wrong about each other. So it is an amazing thing that we understand each other as well as we do.

1. A.Most people also understand that shaking the head from side to side means disagreement or refusal.
2. B.There are unhappy smiles, such as when someone “loses face” and smiles to hide it.
3. C.It is often even more powerful than spoken language.
4. D.People around the world show how their feelings in quite different ways.
5. E.Standing at a little distance with open hands will show that I am willing to listen.
6. F.In most places around the world, frowning and turning one's back to someone shows anger.

Last Friday, for our weekly event, we watched Peking Opera at the Qingdao Grand Theatre. As a young man from the United States, it was my first time to watch live Peking Opera, and it was special.

    Peking Opera, also known as Beijing Opera, is called “京剧 (Jingju)” in Chinese. It is a traditional Chinese opera and has a history of over 200 years. It is an art form that combines music, vocal performance, dance and acrobatics(杂技). The works of Peking Opera are mainly based on Chinese history and traditional stories and customs.

The performance we watched that night was called Meeting the Queen and Hitting the Dragon Robe (长袍) The story is from a Chinese classic literature. Bao Zheng was one of the most well-known ancient Chinese government officials in Chinese history. One day, he met an old lady on his way back home. The old lady claimed herself as the mother of the emperor and had been set up by others. After checking that the old lady was the emperor's mother, Bao Zheng helped her to get back to the capital and she blamed the emperor for all the misery she had suffered. She ordered Bao Zheng to punish the emperor and Bao Zheng hit the dragon robe instead of hitting the emperor in order to save himself from being punished.

When the opera started, we were amazed by the unique sound made by the musical instruments. They were in perfect cooperation with the singing of the performers. Also, the costumes the performers wore were extremely beautiful and attractive as they have several colours and patterns on each one of them. The performers also "told" the story by their movement. For example, a walk around the stage would mean they took a long trip somewhere. Even though it was kind of hard for us to get used to the music and to follow the story, we were glad that we decided to join the event! We look forward to such an event again. It really helps us know more about Chinese culture.

    Have you ever wanted to have a doll that could talk to you? In the book The Ventriloquist's Daughter, a girl named Liur gets a doll like this. But it doesn't turn out to be as fun as she thought

    Lin Man-Chiu, an author from Taiwan, wrote the book. British translator Helen Wang translated it into English. The book tells a touching story about Liur and her father.

    Liur loses her mother at a young age. Her grandfather sends her father to a medical school in the US. Five years later, he comes back with a doll named Carola, as he once promised he would. This doll is quite unusual—it can talk! However, Carola makes a lot of problems for the family.

    After reading this book, I thought Liur and her father were just unlucky. In fact, this story is based on the author's own unhappy childhood. She had six sisters. Still, her grandfather wanted a grandson. Her father was under heavy pressure and didn't live with her and her sisters for a very long time. The author didn't like her father when she was young. But now she has forgiven him. The talking doll Carola stands for her father's burden （负担）.

    After I learned this, I understood the author's main message. Everyone has demons （心魔）in their lives, but we should do our best to beat them.

    As we know, the 2012Olympic Games will be held in London, the UK. The torch relay (火炬接力) is starting. It begins on May 19, 2012and it ends on July 27. During the 70-day torch relay, it will pass through towns and cities including Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford, and Dover. London's Olympic Games will be held from July 27 to August 12.

    The Olympic Flame(火焰) will travel 8, 000miles across the UK. 8, 000torchbearers (火炬手) will carry the Olympic Flame for about 300meters each. Half of the torchbearers should be aged between 12and 24and the rest include people with a story of achievement.

    The torch was designed by Edward Barber and Jay Osger by. It looks like a large triangle (三角形), which stands for the three words faster, higher, stronger. It also means that London is hosting(举办) the Olympic Games for the third time. This is great in Olympic history. The torch has 8, 000circles, standing for the 8, 000torchbearers. The torch relay is one of the most important parts of the Olympic Games.

Celebrate :庆祝  Lunar:农历  Lantern:灯  Riddles:谜