It is awkward（令人尴尬的）when everyone around you bursts out laughing at a joke that you do not find funny, especially if it's a joke told in a foreign language.

While Chinese students find it easy to adapt to a foreign lifestyle, socializing with locals is much harder, according to a recent study. Researchers looked at how well Chinese students made themselves a part of communities across the world. Of all the activities they struggled with, understanding jokes was considered the toughest.

Most of the time, jokes are funny only for people who share a common cultural background or are aware of humor in the same way.

Being able to understand local jokes can help students feel a sense of belonging. But even without the ability to understand jokes, students should not feel any less confident about themselves.

"It's OK if you don't get the jokes. Don't doubt yourself because in most time, it is not a problem of language ability but a matter of the known and unknown, "said Christine Han, who was once an overseas student and is now an Australian permanent resident.

Australia is ready-made for jokes, thanks to its history as a colony for prisoners, its unusual accent, the inner bush country and its strange food. However, to most Chinese overseas students, understanding jokes about sports is the biggest headache. Sport is an important part of Australian national identity.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 16percent（3. 3 million）of the population aged 15 years and over watched Australian football in 2010. About 9 percent（1. 9 million）attended a rugby league game.

British actor and comedian Simon Pegg discussed the differences between British and American sense of humor in a column of The Guardian. He believes that while Brits use irony（反语）on a daily basis, the Americans do not see the point of using it so frequently . He wrote, "British jokes, on the other hand, tend to be more subtle with a dark or sarcastic（讽刺的）undertone while the American jokes are more obvious and forward, a bit like Americans themselves. "

A hutong is an ancient city alley or lane typically in Beijing.【小题1】（ surround） the Forbidden City, many were built during the Yuan , Ming and Qing dynasties【小题2】the government planned the city and arranged the【小题3】（resident） areas according to the etiquette（礼仪） systems.【小题4】center of the city of Beijing was the royal palace——the Forbidden City.

At the end of the Qing dynasty, China【小题5】（come） under the influence from abroad , and many old hutongs lost【小题6】（they） former neat arrangement.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, hutongs' conditions were improved. But in recent years, the houses in many hutongs【小题7】（pull）down and replaced by modern【小题8】  （building）. The hutong today is fading into the shade for both tourists and inhabitants.

However, in the urban district, hutongs still occupy one【小题9】（three） of the total area , providing housing for half the population , so many hutongs have survived. In this respect, we see Beijing【小题10】an ancient yet modern city.

There are many 【小题1】（think）on the origins（起因）of civilization. One of the major factors involved 【小题2】（be）the increase in population. The development of techniques，mainly irrigation and flood control resulted in agriculture in special areas，【小题3】（make） it possible to feed the growing population. Once populations reached 【小题4】 certain number，the old pattern of social organizations broke down and new ones developed.

【小题5】（early）civilization developed in the Middle East. This was the Bronze Age of the Old World，during 【小题6】 people first developed the art of metallurgy（冶金术）.Civilization also developed 【小题7】（independent）in the New World，such as Mexico，Peru and their 【小题8】（surround）areas.

The Bronze Age 【小题9】（follow）by the Iron Age，which saw the rise and fall of great empires and the shift of power from the Middle East to Greece and Rome and then to Western Europe. 【小题10】 the 1770s the Industrial Age developed，which led directly to modern civilization.

China had its first important UFO sighting on the night of July 24, 1981. 【小题1】 large number of people in about 14 provinces reported 【小题2】 (they) sightings. Modern research suggests, 【小题3】, that UFOs are not a new phenomenon (现象) in China. According to historical records, strange objects in space 【小题4】 (find) during the Tang, Yuan, and Ming 【小题5】 (dynasty). A few reports were published (发表) in 1982, one of 【小题6】 titles was “UFOs have already been seen in ancient China”.

The Chinese study of UFOs 【小题7】 (restart) in the late 1970s. In November 1978, the People’s Daily gave UFO reporting the official green light. Other reporters began 【小题8】 (report) UFO news, and in 1980, a group of students from Wuhan University formed the China UFO Research Organization and got support 【小题9】 the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The Chinese people became more interested in topics about aliens, UFOs and other 【小题10】 (explain) things.

The Dujiangyan is the oldest man-made water system in the world, and a wonder in the development of Chinese agriculture. 【小题1】（build）over 2,200 years ago in what is now Sichuan Province in Southwest China, this amazing engineering 【小题2】（achieve）is still used today.

In ancient times, the region where Dujiangyan now stands 【小题3】（suffer）from regular floods from the Minjiang River. 【小题4】（help）the victims of the flooding, Li Bing, 【小题5】 region governor, together with his son, decided to find a solution. Li designed a series of channels built at different levels along Mount Yulei that would take away the floodwaters while leaving the river flowing naturally. 【小题6】（good）still, the extra water could be directed to the dry Chengdu Plain, making 【小题7】 suitable for farming.

Once the system 【小题8】（finish）, no more floods happened and the people were able to live 【小题9】（peaceful）. Today, Dujiangyan is admired by scientists from around the world because of one feature. Unlike modern dams, 【小题10】 the water is blocked with a huge wall, Dujiangyan still lets waterflow through the Minjiang River naturally, making the ecosystem（生态系统）and fish populations exist in peace.