2016 is the Year of the Monkey. Monkeys are so smart and cute, and so many people like them. They have become a part of culture. Here are some stories to help you learn more about
them.
New stamps for the year
The China Post Group made special stamps for the year. They made two styles. On the first one, a monkey hangs on a branch（树枝）, holding a big red peach. This means to give luck to people. On the other stamp, a mother monkey holds two monkey b abies in her arms. It shows the happy reunion（团聚） of families. The monkey stamps were for sale on Jan.5th.
Monkey show
In China, there is an ancient drama called Monkey Show. It tells the story of Monkey King. When actors perform, they will paint "monkey faces" with colors. Red is the main color. Interestingly, they don't draw eyebrows（眉毛）.
Influence on personality
In Chinese culture, the monkey is a symbol of wisdom. Those who were born in the Year of the Monkey are said to be smart and outgoing. They are also said to have strong leadership and social skills. They can solve all kinds of problems in life and be kind to others.
Fun Fact
Did you know? The world's smallest monkey is the finger monkey. It is only 10cm tall. They live in the Amazon rainforest （亚马孙雨林） of South America. Amazingly, they can turn their heads 180 degrees.

    If someone says to you: “give me five”, do not search your pocket to get five yuan! It will make others laugh! The person's not asking for your money, but your fingers. In the US, "give me five" or "give me the high five" is a popular gesture (动作). You can see it often in films or on TV. It means the clapping (拍) of each other's raised (举起的) right hands together.

    People do it when they meet for the first time or something happy happens. For example, a student has good marks in exams or wins a lottery ticket (彩票).If a football team wins a game, the players will give high fives to everyone around to celebrate.

    This gesture may come from the old Roman（罗马） gesture of raising the right arm for the emperor(皇帝). This showed that the person raising his arm did not have a sword (刀) in his hand.

Why not try to give the high five to your friends?

    Many people in China like animals and usually keep some of them as pets. These pets can bring people a lot of fun. People in the UK are pet lovers, too.

    Lots of families in the UK have one or two pets. Dogs are their favorite pets. Cats are the second. And birds are the third. But some families don't like to keep dogs, cats or birds. They keep other special animals as their pets in their homes, like tigers, elephants and snakes.

    English people always look after their pets very well. They usually give them lovely names, let them wear beautiful clothes and feed them with delicious food. They usually buy the food in some pet shops. Sometimes the food is really expensive. Many pets even have their own houses, beds, meals and bowls. When they talk about their pets, they usually say "he" or" my son", and "she" or" my daughter. They never say" it.

    How to build good relationships with people from other cultures? Actually, it is important to learn some communication skill. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    Learn about the culture in advance. A little knowledge can go a long way. So if you have time before going abroad or meeting with someone from another culture, try to take time to learn the basic "do's and don'ts" of that culture. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} It's very convenient.

    Be respectful and tolerant. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Signs of these may appear when you communicate with people from other cultures. However, it is not the time to judge people based on these differences during basic communication. Instead, respect them for what they are, and tolerate them.

    Speak clearly and slowly. But do not shout at others even if they don't understand you. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Instead, it can be seen as a rude behavior. What's more, even if there are difficulties in communicating with people from other cultures, do not treat other people as though they are stupid.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} In some cultures, looking another person in the eye when you speak is seen as a sign of honesty and interest. However, in other cultures, it may be disrespectful.