There are so many Confucian Temples (孔庙) around the world, especially in China. If Confucius were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles.【小题1】

While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.

【小题2】In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.

In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries.【小题3】The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy (哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the disadvantages of Westerners philosophy.【小题4】So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.

【小题5】Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.

As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.

Writing it down

Unlike some other European languages, English is a little tricky when it comes to writing. How a word is pronounced and how it is actually spelt can be very different things.

Imagine, then, a situation where two words are spelt and pronounced exactly the same way, but have completely different meanings. Welcome to the world of homonyms（同形同音异义词）. Take, for example, the word “fair”—it can be a kind of festival, an adjective to describe the colour of your hair or how you should play a game. Or “leg”, which can be attached to a person, or a table and can also be a distance you travel, or a part of a competition.

So how do you know which meaning someone is referring to? You don’t, except by the context. Obviously, if someone asks you to “give them a hand”, they don’t want you to remove what is at the end of your arm.

Sometimes even the context doesn’t help much—the result can be amusing. These sentences play with the double meaning of a noun:

Sentence 1: I used to be a banker, but I lost interest.

Sentence 2: A small boy swallowed some coins and had to go to hospital. When his grandmother phoned to ask how he was, the nurse said: “No change yet”.

Sentence 3 plays with the different meanings of a verb:

Sentence 3: I wondered why the ball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.

And sometimes a word can be a noun and a verb, but have different meanings. Can you work this one out?

Sentence 4: Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

If you like these homonyms, you will be pleased to know that English has plenty more!

When we answer questions with silence, it is often very powerful indeed. 【小题1】 For some people, silence comes naturally. But there are quite a few of us who need to learn the art of practicing silence. Read on for more reasons to try silence in your daily communications.

Silence gets people’s attention

If you have ever been in a classroom, you have most likely experienced how silence often gets everyone’s attention. When the teacher stops talking, a signal goes to the brain that something has happened. 【小题2】 The same is true in our daily conversations. If we fall silent, people will notice it and we gain their attention.

Silence uses body language

Often our body language is a more powerful way of communicating than what comes out of our mouth. 【小题3】The ability to understand and use body language is a powerful tool that can help you connect with others, express what you really mean, and build better relationships.

Silence offers sympathy for others

There are times in life when silence offers sympathy and understanding to others. Sometimes we simply don’t have the right words to communicate to someone who is struggling with a hurtful or painful situation. But we can still show them that we care and we are there for them. 【小题4】

Silence is polite

【小题5】 They may be radio broadcasts, news channels, stores and the constant chatter of people around us. So when we do get the chance to talk, we usually feel like we have to fill every thought into a short period of time. However, when we are silent we give others a chance to speak. We show them that they matter.