How are American families different from Chinese families?

     In some ways American families are very different from Chinese ones, and in other ways, they are 1. American families, for example, enjoy family dinners, support and love each other Just as Chinese families   2. The differences come from culture, however. Many Chinese students are3to learn that American teenagers are allowed to make many decisions on their own, and that parents want their children to 4home at eighteen.

      In most American families, children are encouraged to make their own choices 5 a young age. They start with small choices and gradually 6  ones until they graduate from high school. That is when they  face the biggest decision of their lives:  7to do next. Parents and family will help with the choice, but the children themselve make the final decision.

     Americans 8 move back into family homes when they get older. Instead, they prefer to have their own9 for as long as possible. It is important to remember that these are cultural differences, and that Americans see this as10of the culture.

    Every April, there is a special day when people remember and honor their ancestors (祖先). It is called Tomb (坟墓)-Sweeping Day, also known as Qingming Festival. This year, the day 1 on April 4th.

    Tomb-Sweeping Day is a(n)2 Chinese festival. It began over 2,000 years ago. A well-known poem by the Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu 3 the day: “Rains fall heavily as Qingming comes, and passersby with lowered spirits go. A drizzling rain falls on the mourning Day, the mourner's heart is breaking on his way.”

    Tomb-Sweeping Day has been a public 4 on the Chinese mainland since 2008. On this day,5 bring flowers, food and wine to their ancestors' tombs (坟墓). They put food like cakes and fruits in front of the tombs. After that, they 6 the dirt (尘土) off the tombs and remember their dead family members.

    7 do Chinese people do this? That's because people think that visiting tombs during Qingming Festival is to 8 respect (尊重) to their dead family members.

    However, Tomb-Sweeping Day is not only about this. During that time, the weather is getting 9. So Tomb-Sweeping Day also means finally being able to garden and enjoy outdoor activities in China. Families often 10 for outings or fly kites at this time.

    Improve your English through watching television programmes! If you have studied English for some time, you 1 know which study method works best. You may work hard and be sure to get it. You have taken 2 to learn English as a second language and you most likely 3 English at home with books and maybe even tapes. That's good! But the 4 is a great way for English language learners, too. If you do it correctly, I think programmes can help you improve your English.

    The 5 thing about TV programmes is that there are different kinds of shows and they are 6. This means you can get close to live English in many 7 subjects. One day you can watch a TV programme about natural science, and the next day you may 8 a show about the life of a teenager in New York. To be good at English, you need to be able to 9 the language used in many situations. Set aside(保留)an hour a day to watch TV programmes in English. Choose a different type of 10 each day. One day you watch and enjoy a comedy and the next day watch a show about doctors to study the expressions used in hospital. If you plan on using English in a certain field in the future, watch shows that use that special language.