Building blocks (积木) are still very popular traditional toys today. Their design (设计) and easy use interest children of all ages. Most traditional toys, like building blocks, were first made of wood. Today, wooden building blocks are still used, but now there are several other types of building blocks to choose from, like plastic ones.

Children build all kinds of things that they see in everyday life with building blocks. This gives them the chance to learn new things and life skills.

Building blocks can develop children's language ability. Most children talk to each other as they build things with the toys. This type of toy also helps develop other skills that children need in life. As they begin to join groups playing with building blocks, they learn to take turns, share and solve problems with others. Building blocks can also help develop children's skills in math and science.

Parents encourage kids to play building blocks because the toys allow children to work according to the steps of scientific discovery. Children watch first. Then they think. Finally they test.

Playing with building blocks is not only fun but also helpful. Maybe that is the reason why building blocks are still popular today.

Role-playing games have recently become one of China’s most popular games, especially among young people.

Role-playing is a game in which about five to eight players play roles in a fictional setting. ①一场游戏通常会持续4到7个小时。The players take responsibility for acting out these roles and win the game by finding clues.

A shop owner named Shen, who has had his shop in Beijing for more than ten years, said that besides well-qualified (高素质的) staff, a competitive role-playing game shop should also have a good location, a good script and rich experience. ②He pointed out that most of the players in his shop are from 18 to 35 years old.

Besides offline stores, online role-playing stores are also very popular. One owner said the number of their app’s users has increased by eight million, according to a CCTV report.

Lu Mengyue, a senior role-player who has been playing for six years, said that she likes reasoning, as she enjoys the process of collecting the clues. “I like watching Who’s The Murderer. And I like the feeling of success after using my knowledge to find out the answers,” said Lu. Li Yuyu, another role-player, said that she could get to know her friends’ personalities (性格) or even people she just met within a short period of time when playing role-playing games.

“It is a good game for making friends and getting familiar with them, especially when you just met some new friends,” said Li.

Chess is called the game of kings. People have been playing it for many, many years. The chess we play today is from abroad. Chess is a two-player game. One player uses white pieces(棋子) and the other uses black pieces. Each piece moves in a special way. Each player has one piece called the king. The players take turns moving their pieces. If a player lands on a piece, he takes it. The game ends when a player loses his or her king.

Some people think that chess is more than a game because it makes the mind stronger. Good chess players use their brains. They take their time to think about what will happen next. These skills are useful both in chess and in life.

You don’t always have lots of time to think when playing chess. There is a type of chess with short time limits (限制) called blitz chess(快棋). In blitz chess, each player gets ten minutes to use for the whole game. Your clock runs during your turn. You hit the time clock after your move. This hit stops your clock. It also starts the other player’s clock. If you run out of time, the other player wins.

In 1997, a computer called Deep Blue beat the best player in the world for the first time. By 2006 a cell phone (手机) could beat the best players in the world.