While tea may have originated in Asia, now there are many countries all around the world that have tea woven into their food culture and traditions. This is one of the very special parts of tea as it has a way of connecting people all over the world in different ways and ceremonies that finally all results in a group of people sitting together and enjoying a cup of tea.
Chinese tea culture
Since China is viewed as the birthplace of tea, it is no wonder that Chinese tea culture is rich with history and tradition. Today, Chinese tea continues to be used in Chinese medicine and is commonly consumed on both casual and formal occasions both for personal enjoyment and to represent Chinese cultural traditions.
Japanese tea culture
Japan also has a long history with tea, especially Japanese Matcha, which is a kind of ground green tea that is commonly used in Japanese tea ceremonies and only in recent years became popular in Western culture.
British tea culture
When many people think about tea, British tea culture is what comes to mind. A hot cup of English Breakfast or Earl Grey tea serves with a little milk and a biscuit in the afternoon as a pick-me-up for the day. Even though tea may not be native to England, this British tea tradition is still going strong today.
Moroccan tea culture
When you visit Morocco, it is hard to miss the outstanding tea culture that is such a large part of Moroccan hospitality. Before any gathering, negotiation, or sale of a product, a pot of mint tea is always prepared and served among the host and guests. This is an expression of Moroccan tradition and hospitality, which should always be accepted by guests as a sign of appreciation and respect to the host.
In the 1970s, a new supermarket selling LPs arrived in my hometown and I began devoting my pocket money to acquiring records. I swiftly developed an affection for Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, harboring dreams of performing that music myself. Despite the absence of a piano at home, there was one at my grandmother's care home, where I learned to play Beethoven by ear, with pigeons cooing and farmers working in the fields. It was truly magical.
Entering the Royal Academy of Arts at 16 marked the beginning of my artistic journey. In my 30s, I took another significant step in life-marriage. My wife worked at Elephants World, a reserve dedicated to the care of rescued domestic elephants. These elephants have worked for humans all their life and many are blind or disabled from being treated badly, so I wanted to make the effort to carry something heavy myself. For my 50th birthday, my wife successfully persuaded the manager to allow us to bring a piano into the reserve, bringing music to the elephants' lives.
Initially, when I started playing, it was hard to hear the piano above the sounds of nature and the elephants chewing grass. However, everything changed when a blind elephant ceased eating and tuned into my playing. It struck me that this elephant, trapped in a world of darkness, had a profound love for music. From that moment on, there was no longer any concern about disturbing their peace. We occasionally film these performances, and now, we proudly have nearly 700,000 YouTube subscribers.
I continue to play for these elephants that run freely in the reserve, despite the constant potential danger. Surprisingly, it's the moody male elephants who show the most fascination with the music. I firmly believe it has a calming effect. These elephants' breathing actually slows down when I play, which tells me they are relaxed and happy. I've even witnessed elephants seemingly dancing to Beethoven's tunes. With their exceptional hearing and the ability to sense vibrations(震动) through their feet, I am convinced that elephants grasp the language of human expression. This serves as a powerful illustration that music serves as a universal language, connecting us all.
The world has changed greatly since Herman Fisher met Irving Price and Helen Schelle in 1930. The trio(三人组) founded Fisher-Price, maker of popular toy series such as Thomas &Friends, Power Wheels, and Little People. Companies like Fisher-Price are exploring how the world of toys and parenting will change with the development of technology. Fisher-Price recently cooperated with Continuum, a global innovation designer. Together, they created a short video called The Future of Parenting, along with a short essay explaining the thoughts behind the video.
One thought of the video explores how parenting will change when the teens of today raised with data-providing devices such as Fitbit and iPad begin raising kids of their own. Is this a generation that will desire data in all of their kids'toys? The answer may be "yes" and perhaps the product appearing in the video will appeal to them.
If you interpret the video as a clear vision of the future of parenting, you won't be blamed for fearing holograms(全息图) will take over your house as a mom or dad. The benefit of holograms in the video is their potential for giving traditional toys the ability to personalize responses, depending on the age and development of the child playing with the traditional toy.
Of course, you might ask yourself, "Do data-providing toys have an advantage over traditional toys in terms of their effects?" The answer may be negative. Lego, a traditional brick toy-maker, on all counts remains a successful company. And studies point out its toys'benefits to children's creativity. In addition, recent research demonstrates that toys containing data can potentially prevent language development, compared with traditional puzzles and bricks.
On the one hand, parents know that they should limit their kids'screen time to keep them healthy, and the American Academy of Pediatrics offers guidance on daily screen time. On the other hand, technology can be wonderfully engaging and can provide excellent educational opportunities for children. Nothing is perfect and we should embrace every aspect of a new thing.
Scenes of a comic character swelling up after eating peanuts in Western TV shows have long been puzzling for many Chinese viewers, as few people in China meet those who have a severe peanut allergy(过敏反应).
Their confusion can be explained by Chinese researchers in a new study that Chinese adults and children are more likely to be allergic to seafood, and less likely to be allergic to peanuts compared to people in the United States and Europe. "Animal-derived (动物源的) foods were the primary offending foods, especially shrimp, and skin symptoms were the most commonly reported unpleasant reactions," said the study. The difference means that cultural, dietary, industrialization and biological factors can play an important role in food allergy patterns, it added.
Chen Hongbing, a professor from the State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology at Nanchang University, who was involved in the study, said, "For instance, in a previous study on self-reported food allergies among children, seafood topped the list, followed by fish, eggs, fruits and milk." However, some research also puts wheat as one of the most common allergy triggers among the general population, eggs and milk are considered the most common allergens among infants and young babies. Chen said more research is needed to address these discrepancies(差异性) and to determine if various dietary habits across China result in varied food sensitivity.
Luo Xiaoqun, a doctor who was not involved in the studies at Fudan University's Huashan Hospital, said that the increasing rate of food allergies is a phenomenon observed worldwide, driven by changes in lifestyles, eating habits, as well as growing health awareness and diagnostic ability.
Reading allergen labeling on food packages is an easy way to protect consumers from potential allergy triggers. However, food allergen labeling in China is not obligated currently and labeling largely follows an international food regulations. "China has made improvements in devising food labeling standards in recent years, hopefully our findings can accelerate the process of making such labeling compulsory in the near future," Chen said.
Engaging with the past
Imagine you're at home, you start a role-playing game where you can enjoy views of the Nanjing Qinhuai Lantern Festival, completing set tasks along the Qinhua i River. This is one way for video games to enjoy the traditional Chinese culture without having to travel there.
Perfect World Games, an online gaming company, recently invited a group of heritage experts including Chen Haitao, a designer from the Dunhuang Academy; and Zhou Xianguang, an inheritor of Longquan sword intangible(非物质的) cultural heritage—to Beijing to discuss new ways to promote traditional Chinese culture.
This year, Zhou was invited to submit designs for swords in its online mobile game Jade Dynasty. They kept the features of swords that were used during the Tang Dynasty but absorbed fairy and knight-themed elements from the game. That enabled players to know another aspect of Chinese heritage. Zhou says, "Since games are welcomed by young people, we can make them familiar with traditional culture as they play. . "
The trend toward combining games with cultural heritage started decades ago. Traditional culture once served merely as a background to the gameplay, and failed to offer a de tailed experience. Now the company digs out details and divides them into small sections, and focuses on their unique cultural points, so players can gain a deeper experience.
Some overseas players also have a strong interest in Chinese culture, but may find it too difficult to understand. So the company tries to convey the culture in ways they are familiar with to help them better understand.
A. And that's not all.
B. These games are also available to players overseas.
C. However, these early attempts were described as "vague"(含糊的) .
D. Games featuring traditional culture attract more young players.
E. Several decades ago, the practice of sword-making nearly died out.
F. Besides, some figures seen in Dunhuang's wall paintings were also added to the mobile game.
G. It increases the number of channels available to spread knowledge about our cultural heritage.
Never had a lovely sunflower been absent to my house on my birthday, since I turned 13, no cards or notes in it. Calls to the flower shop were always 1 —it was a cash purchase.
I never stopped 2 who the mysterious giver might be. Some of my happiest moments were spent daydreaming about someone wonderful but too shy to disclose his or her 3 .
My mother even 4 my imaginations. She'd ask me if there was someone who I had done a special favor and then might be showing 5 . As a teenager, 6 , I had more fun assuming that it might be a boy I had a crush on.
When I was 17, I failed 7 in a significant test. That night when the result came, I just 8 my self to sleep. When I awoke in the morning, my mother comforted, "Don't indulge(沉湎)! It's not a big deal!". Yet, I remember 9 out of the house at that time, yelling..."You just don't understand".
One month before my graduation from high school, my father died of a heart attack. My feelings ranged from pain to 10 so that I became completely uninterested in the upcoming ceremony. But my mother, in the midst of her own grief, would deny my 11 any of those things. Before my father died, we had shopped a party dress which made me feel like a(an) 12 Cinderella. But it was the wrong size. Later I totally forgot about the dress. My mother didn't. The day before the dance, I found that dress, in the right size, 13 still in the box to me-gracefully, and lovingly. She just wanted her child to feel loved and showed that there still existed magic and beauty even 14 hardships.
Actually, my mother passed away one week after I got married. That year the adorable sunflower stopped 15 .
Born into an ethnic Miao family in rural Guizhou Province, Zhang was exposed from a young age to the rich tradition of Miao embroidery(刺绣)— cultural craft that has been passed down through generations. She spent countless hours as a child (observe) her mother and grandmother stitching fancy patterns onto fabric s by hand. In 2003, hoping to modernize and share this heritage, she opened her first clothing shop in the provincial capital.
A decade later, Zhang (establish) her own clothing brand focusing on combining traditional Chinese-style qipao dresses with colorful customized embroidery patterns. "We have trained hundreds of local Miao women in the ancient needlework techniques," Zhang ( proud) remarked. "The clothing line celebrates their breathtaking handiwork, I hope advances my home village's revitalization."
Her (commit) to cultural preservation and rural development was recognized in 2019, when the China Women's Handicraft Innovation Competition (hold) and Zhang's innovative design collection won top honors. In an interview afterwards, she reflected on both preserving traditional skills through new media, expanding economic opportunities for artisans. "We attach equal importance cultural inheritance and market expansion," Zhang stated. "In the future, we'll continue innovating designs (display) Miao embroidery's beauty and diversity."
One morning, Father was helping Danny pack his bag for a holiday camp. "Do I really have to go, Father?" Danny asked hesitantly. "Son, sometimes the best lessons in life are learnt at camps," Father encouraged. "But I never have the right words to say when talking to someone new," Danny complained. "Alright, let's make a deal. If you learn something good at this camp, this shall be the last holiday camp I sign you up for," Father responded with a proposal. "Deal," Danny replied.
Right after dinner on the first day at camp, everyone was busy packing their bags in preparation for the night walk, Danny headed to the canteen to get a bottle of iced tea. Just as Danny was about to secure the bottle cap, he was caught off-guard as someone suddenly brushed past him and hit his arm. The bottle slipped out of his hands and fell to the floor. Light brown liquid flowed out, creating ugly mess on the floor. Danny caught a flash of a boy in a green T-shirt running off into the distance. "How rudely," Danny shouted, gritting his teeth "Not even an apology!"
Just then, Mr Halim, the camp guide, approached Danny. "What are you doing here inste-"he asked but stopped midway when he saw the mess on the floor. "It wasn't me!" Danny raised his voice in his defence. "You'll fix this mess you created before we head out for the night walk,"Mr Halim remarked, walking off in a hurry before Danny could explain himself.
"How unfortunate," Danny thought to himself, "It wasn't even my fault to begin with. Getting down on his knees, he started wiping up the mess. Twenty minutes passed and the floor was dry. Danny managed to calm himself down and think clearly. He recalled how Father had given him a second chance when he broke his vase by mistake a week ago. Realizing that what had happened just now might have been an accident, Danny resolved to let the past rest.
注意:
1. 续写词数应为150个左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
As Danny got up to leave, he saw the boy in the green T-shirt approaching him.
The next day when Father came to fetch Danny, he saw a cheerful Danny.