Six Chinese Characters
Dear students,  our country has a long history.  Chinese characters usually have more than one meaning and some of them are particularly loved by Chinese people.  Here are the top six lucky ones.  Please note we use "pinyin" here because "pinyin" is the Chinese spelling system for the characters. For example, "fu" is the "pinyin" for good luck in Chinese.  "pinyin" "fu" is only the phonic   (語音的 )  part of the character and if you want to know the meaning of good luck "fu",  you must read the Chinese character福 because "fu" also represents  (代表)  other Chinese characters that sound the same.
1.福  "fu" means blessing,  good fortune,  good luck. Chinese character福 "fu" is one of the most popular ones used during Chinese New Year. It is often displayed upside down on the front door of a house or an apartment.  The upside down福"fu" means good luck comes since the character for upside down in Chinese sounds the same as the character for "come".
2.祿 "Iu" means prosperity.
It is used to mean official's salary(薪水 ) in feudal (封建的 ) China.
3. 壽 "shou" means longevity.
Chinese character壽  "shou" also means life,  age or birthday.
4.喜 "xi" is happiness.
The doubled character喜 "xi" means double happiness. It is usually displayed everywhere at Chinese weddings.
5.財  "cai" is wealth or money.
Chinese often say "money can make a ghost turn a millstone". It is to say money really can do a lot of things. But, still-money can’t buy everything.
6.和  "he" means harmomous.
People's harmony is an important part of Chinese culture. When you have harmomous
relations with others,   things will be a lot easier for you.
【小題1】 What does the word "character" mean in this passage?

Do you have a dictionary? I think almost everyone has one.But ,how often do you use a dictionary? I don't believe that everyone makes good use of it.You may come across lots of new words in your study and you will ask someone for the answers. But if you have a dictionary ,

please don't let it sleep.You should make better use of it .It can tell you not only the meaning of the words but also the use of them.What's more, it can tell you how to use them.

It is true that dictionaries are very useful and important to us.They are like silent teachers. When you have a question, you can turn to them.They will give you the right answer.They are also like a trusted friend and stay with you forever. You can learn a lot from them .

Don't be lazy. Don't let your dictionary sleep any more. You will find it is a new world if you walk to it.

1.Does everyone make good use of the dictionary?

A．No,they aren't.     B．No,they don't.      C．Yes,they do.        D．I don't know.

2.What does a student often do if he comes across lots of new words in the study?

A．He will look them up in the dictionary.

B．He will ask his parents.

C．He will ask someone for the answers.

D．I don't know.

3.What can a dictionary tell you?

A. The meaning of the words.               B. The use of the words.

C. How to use the words.                   D. A,B and C.

4.What are dictionaries like according to the passage?

A．They are like silent teachers and trusted friends.    B．They are of medium height.

C．They are very cute.                      D．They are very beautiful.

5.Which is TRUE according to the passage?

A．We should let the dictionary sleep.          B．Dictionaries are like our mothers.

C．Dictionaries are very useful to us.           D．We can see the film in the dictionary.