There is one language that is used in every country in the world. The people who use it are young and old, short and tall, thin and fat. It is everybody's second language. It is easy to understand although you can't hear it. It is sign language.

When you wave to a friend who is across the street, you are using sign language. When you smile at someone, you are saying, "I want to be friendly", but you are not using speech. You are using sign language. When you raise your hand in class, you are saying, “Please ask me. I think I know the correct answer”.

Babies who can't talk can point at things. They are using sign language. A policeman who wants to stop traffic holds up his hands. He is using sign language.

Many years ago, a French priest（牧师）, Charles Michel de Epee, became interested in education for deaf people. He invented a finger alphabet（字母表）. It is still in use. People can make the sign for letters and spell words with their hands, and deaf people can read and understand them. Soon there were schools for the deaf in many countries.

Today, in the United States, there are special TV news programmes for deaf people. The newsreader tells the news in sign language. At the same time, the words appear on the TV screen.

The actors in the Theatre of Deaf don't spell every word. Sometimes they use hand signs. When they put two hands together, it means sandwich. They can make a roof with their hands when they want to show a house. One finger in front of an actor's mouth can mean quiet. You can talk to people who are behind windows that are closed. And when you go swimming with your friends, you can have talks under water.

As we all know, Chinese, as our first language, is becoming more and more popular in the world. About 30 million people from other countries studied Chinese in 2004. 18 years later, there are more than 150 million. A big Chinese learning online platform(平台) has about 647,000 users, China Daily reported.

Kensington Wade Primary School starts the first English-Chinese classroom in London, UK. In the classroom, you don’t hear a word of English. Half of its courses(课程) are in Chinese. The books are in Chinese. Chinese fans are wearing clothes with dragon pattern on them. Red lanternsare hanging in the classroom. The model pandas are running, sitting or lying on the shelf. They look cute.

At Kensington Wade, however, students aren’t just learning Chinese language. They’re also learning Chinese culture, like martial arts(武术) and calligraphy(书法). Many parents think Chinese is “the most useful language” to learn. The teacher says this will help students understand China better and help them learn to think in two ways, not just one.

The summer vacation is coming. During the vacation, you can do what you like and prepare yourself well for the future. You’ll enjoy your summer vacation with the help of the following suggestions.

Take exercise. After studying hard for months, you must be bored and tired. Taking exercise is the best way to get energy again. Swimming and walking are perfect choices for you. All kinds of exercise are good for your health.

Master some basic life skills. You will live an independent life one day. Therefore, you should learn some necessary and useful basic life skills such as washing clothes and cooking. At the same time you should help your parents with housework to express thanks to them.

Go travelling. The world is a book. Those who don’t travel only read one page. Travelling is so interesting. Have you made your own plan? If not, do it at once. During the trip, you will have a chance to get more knowledge. While learning about different cultures and customs, you will also make a lot of friends.

Enjoy the time with family members. Family members play an important role in your life. They give you love, care and support all the time. Don’t forget to spare some time together with them. You will find it great to stay with them, talking about dreams, hobbies or anything you like.

As long as you follow the suggestions mentioned above, you will have a wonderful vacation.