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. "

This report is about how to be polite. It tells about how we can make 【小题1】（we）language more polite and how we can make sure we do not upset someone from another culture.

It has been found that words such as "would" and "could" can be used 【小题2】（help）us to be polite. For example，it is much 【小题3】（good）to say "Would you do this？" rather than "Do this！" It is also suggested 【小题4】 it should be useful to say "Please" and "Thank you". People from the West like to use these words in 【小题5】（situation）where some people in Asia may not think it necessary. 【小题6】（say）"Sorry" if we interrupt or disagree 【小题7】 someone also helps us to be polite. For example，when we disagree，we should say "I'm sorry，but I think you are mistaken（弄错的）." rather than "You're wrong！"

In 【小题8】（conclude）, we need to know 【小题9】 custom of a country so that we do not make others embarrassed（尴尬的）. It seems that if people learn something about other 【小题10】（culture）backgrounds before they visit new countries，they will be less likely to upset others.

I heard that you've just moved here. As one of our traditional festival and the one that receives great popularity，today was the Dragon Boat Festival. Fall on the 5th day of the lunar month of May every year，it is set in praise on an ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan. Her poems are supposed inspire people's love of their country. Zongzi，boiling rice wrapped by bamboo leaves，is the famously food that you can't miss during the festival. Since you are busy with your work all the day long，I have specially cooked some for you. Unless it is convenient，I'll give it to you tonight. I'll be very happy if you like it.

Yours，

Li Hua

   When HarmonyOS, the Chinese self-developed operating system for Huawei mobile devices, was released on Aug 9, it quickly became a hot topic on social media. Many believe it not only represents the rise of the country as a tech power, but also pays tribute (致敬) to classical Chinese culture by naming the system “Hongmeng” in Chinese. “Hongmong” is a classical word from the Taoist (道家) text Zhuangzi. In the ancient times of Chinese myths and legends, “Hongmeng” was used to describe the original state of the universe before matter existed.

For HarmonyOS, “Hongmeng” indicates the developers’ aim to make an innovative operating system, unlike any other. Besides “Hongmeng”, Huawei has also registered many of its products under the names of legendary creatures from Chinese mythology, such as “Qilin”for the Kin mobile chip, and “Kunpeng” for the server chip. Many Chinese internet users and media have praised Huawei’s use of these names, “as they stand for Chinese wisdom and ancient people’s imagination and spirit of exploration”, Global Times noted.

In fact, Huawei is not alone in using traditional culture for modern ventures. Ne Zha, the new film, also portrays traditional culture in a modern context. Earlier this month it became the biggest animated movie in China and was called “the glorious light of domestic anime”. The movie is loosely based on the well-known work of classical Chinese mythology The Investiture of the Gods. Unlike his attractive heroic character in previous cinematic works, Ne Zha is shown as a rebellious underdog, who has to overcome hardship and his dark fate to become a hero. Many young Chinese people can relate to Ne Zha, who encourages them to become dream-chasers and fate-changers. As Global Times put it, today by revisiting and incorporating a modern context, “ancient mythology has the power to stir up contemporary imagination in young people”. After all, imagination is the beginning of creation.

Chinese culture certainly has no shortage of【小题1】（symbol）of good fortune，many of them arising from wordplay or riddles. For example，fish in China are considered to be a symbol of luck in several ways. Since the Chinese pronunciation of fish is the same as【小题2】 of another word meaning surplus，fish are often used as【小题3】sign of wealth or abundance. During the Spring Festival，a fish【小题4】（prepare）to represent the desire to always have something 【小题5】（leave）over for the coming year. One can also often see carp（鲤鱼）in Asian artwork.

This fish is able to grow very old，therefore 【小题6】（serve）as a symbol of longevity. It also represents unity since they often swim together in pairs. This explains 【小题7】 fish decorations are often given 【小题8】 a wedding gift to represent a perfect union. 【小题9】（final），fish are also a symbol of fertility（生育能力）because of their 【小题10】（able）to reproduce rapidly and in large volumes.