A good joke can be the hardest thing to understand when people are studying a foreign language. As a recent article in The Guardian noted，“There's more to understanding a joke in a foreign language than understanding vocabulary and grammar.”

Being able to understand local jokes is often seen as an unbelievable icebreaker for a language learner eager to form friendships with native speakers.“I always felt that humor was a ceiling that I could never break through，”Hannah Ashley，a public relations account manager in London，who once studied Spanish in Madrid，told The Guardian.“I could never speak to people on the same level as I would speak to a native English speaker. I almost came across as quite a boring person because all I could talk about was facts.”

In fact，most of the time，jokes are only funny for people who share a cultural background or understand humor in the same way. Chinese-American comedian Joe Wong found this out first-hand. He had achieved huge success in the US，but when he returned to China in 2008 for his first live show in Beijing，he discovered that people didn't think his Chinese jokes were as funny as his English ones.

In Australia，meanwhile many foreigners find understanding jokes about sports to be the biggest headache. “The hardest jokes are related to rugby because I know nothing about rugby，”said Melody Cao，who was once a student in Australia.“When I heard jokes I didn't get，I just laughed along.”

In the other two major English-speaking countries，the sense of humor is also different. British comedian Simon Pegg believes that while British people use irony（反话）一basically，saying something they don't mean to make a joke—every day，people in the US don't see the point of using it so often.“British jokes tend to be more subtle and dark，while American jokes are more obvious with their meanings，a bit like Americans themselves，”he wrote in The Guardian.

   In the United States a voluntary organization called Musician Corps is making a difference in people's lives. Five years ago，Kiff Gallagher，the founder of the organization，realized that music and public services could be used together to help Americans in need. Recognizing that music has a positive effect on Alzheimer's disease and autism（自闭症），he had the idea of creating Musician Corps.

Musician Corps looks for musicians and trains them as teachers. Then the musicians provide these services in city schools，children's hospitals，and assisted-living homes for older adults. They also help organize community concerts. Anyone can play music at these community activities.

Kiff Gallagher says what makes Musician Corps different from other charity organizations is that everybody can take part. It provides a place for people to get involved. He remembers a Musician Corps event at a hospital. Afterwards，he says，the patients are less depressed.

David Meletiche, one of 200 musicians in Musician Corps, teaches an after-school guitar class in a high-crime neighborhood. He is excited that the group gives him not only a job in a difficult economy but also the chance to use the team-building skills he gained in college.

There are 12 high school students in his class. Selena Makwan, one of them who are learning to play the guitar, says the program keeps her busy.“It definitely keeps me off the streets, because without this program I probably would be wandering around right now and I would not know what to do. And it also gives me an opportunity to learn something I've never done before.”

Musician Corps has established programs in California and North Carolina. Kiff Gallagher hopes Musician Corps will continue to expand across America.

Several countries in Asia celebrate the Lunar New Year in their own way. But dragon and lion dances in Chinatowns all over the world have helped to make China's New Year the most famous. These days growing 【小题1】（number）of people who are not of Chinese origin are joining in. In Tokyo window cleaners dress up like the animals of the Chinese shengxiao. America，Canada and New Zealand published memorial stamps for the year of the Rooster. In 2016，New York City made the Lunar New Year 【小题2】 school holiday for the first time.

The spread of the Spring Festival is 【小题3】（part）due to recent immigration from China:about 10million Chinese people 【小题4】（move）abroad since 1978，many of 【小题5】 are far richer than earlier waves of immigrants.

Aware 【小题6】 China's growing economic and political influence，foreign leaders have noticed the occasion. Britain's prime minister，Theresa May，gave a video address，a tradition 【小题7】（start）in 2014 by her predecessor（前任）. The World Economic Forum in Davos in 2017 was held a week earlier than usual 【小题8】（avoid）conflicting with China's New Year.

China hopes the festival will promote 【小题9】（it）cultural soft power abroad. It may give the Chinese people 【小题10】（satisfy）to see foreigners enjoy such festivities.

   When the weather turns warm，everyone wants to be in or around the water. 【小题1】 Learning how to swim is important if you plan to be near water. Many organizations provide swimming instruction for people of all ages. Check to see what classes are available（可得到的）in your area.

【小题2】 Always swim with a partner，every time—whether you're swimming in a backyard pool or in a lake. Even experienced swimmers can become tired or get muscle cramps，which might make it difficult to get out of the water. When people swim together，they can help each other or go for help in case of an emergency.

Get skilled. Speaking of emergencies，it's good to be prepared. Learning some life-saving skills，such as CPR and rescue techniques，can help you save a life. 【小题3】 Check with your YMCA or YWCA，the local hospital，or the chapter of the Red Cross.

Know your limits. Swimming can be a lot of fun—and you might want to stay in the water as long as possible. If you're not a good swimmer or you're just learning to swim，don't go in water that's so deep that you can't touch the bottom and don't try to keep up with skilled swimmers. 【小题4】 But it's a pretty sure bet they'd rather have you safe and alive.

Swim in safe areas only. 【小题5】 No one can predict changing ocean currents（流），rip currents，sudden storms，or other hidden dangers. In the event that something does go wrong，lifeguards are trained in rescue techniques.

Yours，

Li Hua