My childhood in Haiti was comfortable. People on our island are friendly toward each other. The towns were small, and everyone knows each other. It was nice to ride a bicycle. My friends and I often spent time playing cards, having dances or taking part in sports. As for me, my favorite thing was facing the ocean. And I loved to be in the mountain s where you can see the ocean in the distance (远处).

Unluckily, sometimes jobs were not enough. Many people like our family who lived in small towns were far from the city where most jobs were. So they lived off the land (靠土地过日子) by growing food and raising animals. It was a hard life.

I first left Haiti when I was 23 to go to college in New York. I had never been on a plane, didn’t speak English, had never experienced cold weather or seen snow! It was a big adjustment (适应). I had a lot to learn. I returned to Haiti, but moved to the US for work in 1963 when I was 36. Since then, I’ve been back to visit it many times. I am always excited to enjoy the fresh fruit, the fresh fish and the ocean, and to hear my spoken language all around me.

—Papa

Each different part of China has its own special forms of traditional art. These usually try to represent the things that are important in life such as love, beauty and family. The most common things, from paper to clay to bamboo, are turned into objects of beauty.

According to Chinese history, sky lanterns were first used by Zhuge Kongming. He sent them out to ask for help when in trouble. Today, sky lanterns are used at festivals and other celebrations. They are made of bamboo and covered with paper. When the lanterns are lit, they slowly rise into the air like small hot-air balloons for all to see. They are seen as bright symbols of happiness and good wishes.

Beauty in 　　1　　 Things

Passage outline	Supporting details
2	Some traditional Chinese art forms which are made of common objects 　　3　　 for things that are important in life
Sky lanterns	They are made of bamboo and paper. They were used for asking for help when people first invented them. Now, they are used to celebrate festivals as symbols of happiness and good wishes.
Paper cutting	It is made of paper. It has a long history of over 1,500 years. It appears in different 　　4　　 , such as flowers, fish, animals and so on. It represents good wishes for the Spring Festival.
Chinese clay art	It is made of clay. It looks very real though it is small. It takes 　　5　　 four steps to finish after being shaped carefully by hand. It shows love for life and beauty.

Building blocks (积木) are still one of the most popular traditional toys today. They were first made of wood. Today, wooden building blocks are still used, but now there are more different types of building blocks for children to choose from, like plastic building blocks. The easy use and interesting design attract (吸引) children of all ages. Maybe that is why they are still welcomed today. Children build all kinds of things that they see in everyday life with building blocks. Building blocks are helpful for children to learn new things and many skills.

Building blocks can help children practice their languages. Most children talk to each other as they build things with these traditional toys. When some kids don’t know how to build things, they will also ask others for help.

In addition, this type of toy also helps develop the 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.

However, these are not the only advantages of playing building blocks. Building blocks help develop children’s skills in math and science as well. They allow children to work according to the steps of scientific discovery. They are first to watch and to think, and then to test. Both traditional and modern toy building blocks come in different shapes, colors and sizes. These types of building blocks encourage children to develop skills in dividing things.