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    There is a big demand (需求) for English teachers in China. The country develops at a high speed, so it needs lots of volunteers who can teach primary school students conversational (对话的) English skills in China. Global Crossroad is mainly connected with several Chinese public schools. And most of them are in the countryside. Non-native English speakers are also invited to join this project.

    With the growth of the country's economy, the demand for English education in China is growing. As China continues to be a global business country, the importance of English education is increasing as well. Many public schools in China have an "English Comer", which is a place of the classroom designed (设计) and set aside for teaching and learning English. These schools are in need of international teachers to teach English.

    Most schools in the countryside in China are searching for good English teachers. Your time and efforts are so important in improving these students' English skills and helping them get more equal (平等的) chances to work in the future.

    We spoke to three students from around the world about different national holidays．There are different customs (习俗) for each festival．

Tan Xiaodong.15．Hong Kong, China

    “It'll be Chinese New Year soon．Before it we'll clean the house and decorate(装饰) it for good luck．Every shop is going to close for a few days and we'll go out a lot to celebrate in the streets．We might go and see the lion and dragon dances in the city center．I love this festival．”

    Wendy, 16, Sydney, Australia

    “Australia Day is on 26th January and it's an important holiday here．We always have a Monday off, so we celebrate for three days．My parents and I go to the countryside for a picnic and friends always come over．Many people go to beach parties or street parties and there's lots of music and dancing．What fun!”

    Amy, 14, New York, the USA

    “The first Thanksgiving Day was hundreds years ago when Europeans who came to America thanked God for his help．It's still a very important day for families to be together．This year we're going to visit my parents and we'll eat a delicious meal of turkey．Thanksgiving Day is on the fourth Thursday in November every year．”

    Outside, it's a cold winter's day. Inside a large shopping center, people are hanging around. But then, without warning, a pop song starts to play loudly. A teenager boy walks lazily to the center of the open space, and dances crazily to the music. He's joined by two of his friends, then some of the old people. In a few seconds，more than sixty people are dancing to the music—all in time and all in step. At first, onlookers(旁观者)are puzzeled, and then they start smiling and clapping. They now know what they're seeing: a flash mob(快闪).

    According to Wikipedia, the term "flash mob" was created by Bill Wasik, an editor at Harper's Magazine, in 2003. In a year, the phrase had entered the Concise Oxford English Dictionary. Since then, hundreds—possibly thousands—of flash mobs have been performed around the world, in almost every kind of public space imaginable!

    Each flash mob has its own style，but most flash mobs follow a similar formula(方案). Often, the organizers search for willing participants(参与者)using social media. Instructions and dance moves are given through the Internet. There are usually several rehearsals(排练)before the big day.

    While it's happening, a few lucky passers-by watch it live. Most people who watch it, however, will see it later online. Some of the most popular flash mobs on YouTube have been watched more than 10 million times. A famous example is MP3 Experiment Eight, a flash mob that took place in New York City in July 2011 with over 3,500 participants. This event was different from normal flash mobs in that much of it was completely silent—and there were no rehearsals.

    Flash mobs provide the participants, onlookers and online viewers with a lot of enjoyment and pleasure. For this reason alone, they're a modern, popular art form that should be celebrated.

Hongbao, usually a red envelope (信封) with some moneyinside, is a kind of traditional1in China. People always give it onSpring Festival or for some special events such 2 birthdays, weddings and so on. It is a way to3. love and good wishes.

The red colour means good luck and can also 4people stay away from bad things:illness or death. In China, during the Qin Dynasty, the old people would thread(穿线) coins5ared string (绳;线). This traditionstarted from more than 2, 000 years 6whenold people began to give money to their grandchildren for good luck and safetyin the new year.

Different from the traditional red envelope with7 inside, the virtual (虚拟的) hongbao became very popular these years.People give and get it from8on the Internet. This new form of hongbao is becoming more and morepopular 9 the WeChat users.

During the 10SpringFestival holiday, I gave out more than 300 yuan by WeChat, and got half of themoney I gave. Although the smallest hongbaohad

only 0.01 yuan in it, my friends and I still had great11givingand getting the red envelopes. At most your hongbaocan have 200 yuan at a time. 12,some people—the young, spend too much time13withtheir mobile phones to get the virtual hongbao.This not only makes them 14 the time they spend with their family but alsois bad for their 15. So what do you think of the virtual hongbao? Do you like it or not?

 Is there a connection between music and language? According to recent studies, the answer is yes: music boosts certain language abilities in the brain. Here, we look at two examples.

Music and Hearing

A recent study by researcher Nina Kraus shows that playing a musical instrument(乐器) can   improve a person's hearing ability. As a part of the study, two groups of people listened to a person talking in a noisy room. The people in the first group were musicians, while those in the second group had no musical training. The musicians were able to hear the talking person more clearly.

 Musicians hear better, says Kraus, because they learn to pay attention to certain sounds. Think about violinists in an orchestra(管弦乐队). When the violinists play in a group, they hear their own instruments and many others, too. But the violinists must listen closely to what they are playing, and ignore(忽视) the other sounds. In this way, musicians are able to pay attention to certain sounds, even in a room with lots of noise.

           ▲              

 Gottfried Schlaug, a doctor at Harvard Medical. School, works with stroke patients(中风患者). Because of their illness, these people cannot say their names, addresses, or other information normally. However, they can still sing. Dr. Schlaug was surprised to find that singing words helped his patients to speak. Why dóes this work? Music seems to activate(使运作) different parts of the brain, including the damaged(被损坏的) parts. This somehow helps patients to use that part of the brain again.

Understanding the Results

 Music improves concentration(专注), memory, listening skills, speaking skills and our overall language abilities. It can even help sick people get better. Playing an instrument or singing, says Nina Kraus, can help us do better in school and keep our brain sharp(敏锐的) as we get older. Music, she adds, is not only enjoyable, it is also good for us in many other ways.

  I am visiting Australia these days. I took a plane tour1 Ayers Rock, and I was surprised2 it was huge! Ayers Rock is a centre of local Aboriginal culture. The Aborigines are the people 3 have lived in Australia from the earliest times. 

The Australians have a4 relationship with the British. Many have British relatives, and they are like us in many ways. The foods that Australians like most 5 ham and beef with lots of salad. They love all sports.6 most Australians live near the coast, they love going to the beach for swimming and surfing or just7 in the sun. 

There are lots of sheep in the fields and on the hills, but the middle of the country has no trees or grass, just rocks and sand. Australians speak English, but8 their own way. 

During the trip, we went horse riding. The horse that I rode was lazy, so I 9 far behind the others. But I enjoyed the slow and10 ride. It has been a wonderful trip.