"Lions" dance to chase away bad luck

    Cute lion heads, deafening (震耳欲聋的) gongs (锣) and drums, an excited crowd – these are all part of the lion dances you often see during Chinese holidays.

    Chinese people believe that lions can drive away bad things and bring good luck.

    Wang Rentao, 41, has been performing the lion dance for 28 years. He was born in Zhongkeng village in Dongguan, Guangdong. "It's a tradition with a long history here and the love for lion dance is in everyone's blood," Wang said.

    He is now head of the village's lion dance team. Last year, the team took part in the celebration of the 70th birthday of New China at Tian'anmen Square.

The team is famous for dancing on quincuncial piles (梅花桩), one of the most difficult lion dance skills. The piles are about 1.8 meters away from each other.

    "The training is really hard. Performers need to have a great base of kung fu skills first. Even with that, they can fall from the piles and get hurt," Wang said. "It can take many years to learn this skill."

    The lion dance is popular not just in China, but in overseas Chinese communities. The lion dance reminds them of the culture of their homeland.

— Only some tomatoes.

— _____________________.Pets are not allowed to enter the hall.

We some colours these pictures.

Hundreds of people joined the premiere（首映） of the movie My People, My Country at a Los Angeles Cinema on Sept 30. Waving（挥舞） Chinese flags in their hands, people sang My People, My Country together at the start of the film.

The song was reworked （重新录制） for the movie by pop singer Faye Wong. Choosing（选择） seven short stories from seven directors, led by Chen Kaige, the film has drawn on the nation's greatest technological and cultural achievements （国家重大科技文化事件）since（自从） 1949.

Yet the film does not focus on the historical moments themselves, but shows the important events through the eyes of common people.

The short story Going Home, for example, follows a clock repairer（修理工） who saw the return（回归） of Hong Kong from British rule to China in 1997. Simon Yam plays the actor himself has experienced the historical moment himself. "On the day of Hong Kong's return, I felt it wasn't just a return to the motherland, but the return of hearts," he told China.org.cn. "When the flag was raised, I was filled with excitement and hope at that moment. I felt like, 'We are home. We feel safe and comfortable（舒服的）'. "

"If a person meets a historical moment, the inspiring power is unbelievable," Chen told China.org.cn.

Many people said they felt the deep love for our country while watching the movie. In a survey ranking audience satisfaction（观众满意度调查）, My People, My Country came in first among 267 films made by Chinese directors since 2015.

    If you visit the animal shelter (收容所) in Salinas, California, you'll see huge signs that have a picture of a dog and a cat on them. These signs  (put) in front of the shelter to catch people's attention. The signs make people interested in the shelter and encourage them  (visit) it—and maybe even take a cat or a dog into their homes.

    Each year, the Salinas shelter  (accept) thousands of dogs and cats. The animals are either lost ones  are left by people who can't take care of them. Of all the animals, some of  (they) are taken into new homes. Some animals are moved to other shelters to live a better life. Unluckily, some cannot be saved because they are too sick or are thought to be dangerous.

    Animal shelters provide food, medicine, and safe places for animals to sleep in. But they are not the  (good) homes. The animals have to stay in small cages. The people who work at shelters do their best to care for the animals,  the animals do not always get the attention or exercise they need.

    To prevent animals from  (become) homeless, pet doctors advise the owners to take good care  their pets. Most pet doctors also suggest people make sure their pets have  special surgery (外科手术). In this way animals won't have more babies. And it reduces (减少) the number of homeless animals.

Do you know the pretty girl? Her name is Tian Wei. She was born on April 5, 1986. She was from Beijing. She had two big eyes and short hair. She was good at Chinese. And she loved writing.

She was unlucky. When she was in Grade 8, she was seriously ill. Her doctor said she would lose her life anytime. But she wasn't afraid of death. She kept on studying and writing. She died on August 13, 2007. She smiled till the end of her life.

Tian Wei had a great dream. She hoped that people could read her book in the bookshops. In March, 2009, her only book Hua Tian Ban Mu came out. It had more than 5000 thousand words. In her book she said, " I'm always aching (疼痛). if possible, I'll let my right eye weep (哭泣) but the other one smile."

—A little boy called Tom.

The pictures are flowers, animals ,and things about Chinese history.

    It was one of the last days before Christmas. The assistants in the large store were busy 1 customers (顾客).

    A (n)2 lady was choosing gloves (手套), red ones for her daughter, blue ones for her son, pink ones for her granddaughter and green ones for her sister. When she found all what she wanted, the counter (柜台) was 3 pairs of gloves. The assistant finally wrote out the bill (账单), and was about to turn to the next customer with a 4 voice (嗓音).

    But the old lady suddenly cried out, "Oh, I 5 forgot..."

    "Anything else, madam?" said the 6.

    "Yes," said the old lady. "I'd like to buy another 7, but I'm not quite 8 about what I should choose. I wonder 9 you could help me."

    "Certainly, madam" was the girl's 10.

    The old lady then said she wanted to buy a pair of gloves for a girl of her age. She was not sure what color to 11. The tired girl did her best to help the old lady, 12 her all kinds of gloves.

    At last the old lady chose a pair and 13 for it. When the girl was about to turn to the next customer, the old lady 14 the pair of gloves to her. She said, "Dear, these are for 15, and thank you for being so patient (耐心的). I do hope you have a happy Christmas!"