From March 12 to 17 of each year, hundreds of clowns(小丑)get together in the Bonior Regis Town, UK. They all wear tall blue hats and big red noses with colorful faces.

    The first International Clown Festival was in 1987, UK. All the clowns from all over the world came together to celebrate the great festival in England.

    During the festival, people can see clowns from the world. They are together for the world of clown shows. They try their best to please all the people for the festival. In the shows, they have big feet, funny noses and look really funny. They sing and dance in a strange way to make people laugh. All people for the festival can have great fun. Of course, children like this interesting festival best.

    Now women can take part in the clown shows, and they are very popular. But in the old days, only men could be clowns.

    There are different kinds of clowns like white faces, red faces, street clowns and clowns for children. All these clowns are popular with people.

The Fashionable Tang-style Costume

    Located^① in Changle Road on the side of Shanghai Jinjiang Hotel, the “Tang-style Costume Street” has been enjoying high popularity for its traditional Chinese attire^② following the costume pattern of Tang Dynasty (618-907) . Its fame^③ soared^④ higher after the APEC^⑤ meeting in Shanghai at which Tang-style costumes were offered for APEC leaders.

    On the street are custume shops of various grades and features. Some sell modern costumes with traditional touch, such as cloth-knotted^⑥ buttons and round flower patterns. Others offer 100 percent traditional attire.

    Most shops sell costumes, so you can enjoy the Chinese costumes. Why are the Chinese costumes so popular now? It's in touch with the high development of our country. The getting-in-fashion was also owned to APEC leaders. They all wore Tang-style costumes at Shanghai meeting. This has proved an old saying that only things of a national touch can prevail^⑦ in the world.

    Meiyu, born in 1991, is from Turkey(土耳其). She is the youngest child of her family. After high school, many people learned English or Japanese, but Meiyu decided to learn Chinese in university. She learned Chinese for four years in Ankara University in Turkey, and got her name Meiyu there.

    Meiyu fell in love with Chinese after going to university. She became more interested after she knew more about Chinese history. In the beginning many people did not understand her decision. But they all said Meiyu had made a right choice when she graduated from university in 2013. Since then, more Chinese have been visiting Turkey. The trade between the two countries also requires Chinese-speaking people. "Speaking Chinese means more job opportunities." said Meiyu.

    Now Meiyu has been in Wuhan, China for about two years. Besides going on studying Chinese, she shows great interest in Chinese kung fu as well, so she spends her free time on kung fu training with her coaches. Not only can kung fu help improve her health, but she is also fascinated by the history and culture behind it. Meiyu said, "The more I know about China, the luckier I feel to have been here. But the truth is that fun and pain go together in the process of learning."

    Meiyu will graduate in June this year. Her friends want her to stay in China, but her parents hope she can come back home. Meiyu thinks it is difficult to decide. "Even if I go back to Turkey, I will choose Chinese language education as my job," said Meiyu.

    Mother's Day is a holiday for mothers. It is celebrated in the United States, England, India and some other countries. In a short time, it becomes widely celebrated Mother's Day falls on the second Sunday in May. On that day many people send gifts of love to their mothers. Those whose mothers are still living often wear a pink or red rose or carnation(康乃馨), while those whose mothers are dead wear a white one.

    The idea of a day for mothers was first given by Miss Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia As a result of her hard work, the celebration of the first American Mother's Day was held in Philadelphia on May 10, 1908. Soon the holiday became popular all over the country and around the world.

    In China, people do the same on the day for mothers, And, in some cities, people sometimes ask a song to be broadcasted for his or her mother only. This might cost a little money for some of them, but, as it is said, "Love is invaluable."

    On May 8, 1999, just the day before the Mother's Day that year, a Chinese mother, a heroic(英雄的) mother was killed in criminal bombing(罪悉轰炸)in Yugoslavia(南斯拉夫). Her name is Shao Yunhuan, a reporter who wrote lots of articles(文章)for Chinese newspapers. All the Chinese will remember her forever.