Kites have a long history. They may date back to long time ago. They were made of bamboo and silk in `China. Nobody knows exactly how or when a kite was first flown, but it is said that when a Chinese farmer tied a string(绳子) to his hat to keep it from blowing away in a strong wind, the first kite was born.

Children like playing with kites. Kites for work or play are made of wood, bamboo, paper or silk. In 478 B.C., a Chinese philosopher(哲学家，思想家), Mo Zi, spent three years making a kite out of light wood and bamboo. The earliest record of kite flying was in about 200 B.C. when the Chinese General Han Xin of Han Dynasty flew a kite over the walls of a city. He wanted to know how far his army wouldhave to travel.

In the 13^th century, Marco Polo wrote about how the shipping businessmen flew the huge kite in the wind before sailing(航海). They predicted the sailing in this way. If the kite went high and straight, it meant a quick and successful sailing, but if it did not fly well, it was a bad omen(预兆). In the late 1500s, the kite was introduced to European by Italians. Kite flying was first mentioned in England in a popular book in 1589.

One of the most famous vegetables in the world is the potato. It grows in many places and does not need much rich soil. Four hundred years ago, the potato was not known to Europeans. But today it is one of the main foods in Europe. About half of the world’s potatoes are grown in Europe.

    In France the potato was not planted as food a long time ago. Here is a story about Houis. In 1778, he saw some potato flowers. He liked them so much that he picked one and put it in his buttonhole (纽扣孔) He was interested in the flowers but not the potatoes. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the potato was eaten in almost all the countries of the world.

  根据短文内容判断正误。

Many foreign travelers are confused (困惑的) about Chinese customs. This handy reference tool makes it easy for newcomers to Beijing to fit right in. 

Unlike the Japanese, Chinese do not commonly bow as a form of greeting. Instead, a short handshake is usual. While you’re meeting elders or senior officials, your handshake should be even gentler and accompanied by a slight nod.

Sometimes, as an expression of warmth, a Chinese will cover the normal handshake with his left hand. As a sign of respect (尊敬), Chinese usually lower their eyes slightly when they meet others. 

Moreover, embracing or kissing when greeting or saying good-bye is highly unusual. Generally, Chinese do not show their emotions and feelings in public. So it is better not to behave in too carefree a manner in public.

Chinese do not usually accept a gift, invitation or favor when it is first presented. Politely refusing two or three times is thought to be modest. Accepting something in a hurry makes a person look greedy (贪婪的), as does opening it in front of the giver.

Give your gifts with both hands. And when wrapping, know that the Chinese consider the color very important. Red is lucky; pink and yellow stand for happiness and successfulness. 

Next to tea, coffee is perhaps the most popular drink in the world. But where does it come from?

Coffee is grown in about 70 different countries in the world. However, most coffee comes from Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia and Columbia. The coffee plant needs cool, wet weather to grow, but it does not like cold weather. For this reason, it mostly grows on hills and mountains in tropical (热带的) areas.

The coffee plant is a small, green bush. It grows white flowers and red berries (浆果). Inside each berry, there are two green seeds. These are called coffee beans. Workers pick the berries by hand, and take the beans out of the berries. Then they dry the beans in the sun or in the open air. The beans are still green and do not taste very good, so the next step is to roast (烤) them. Workers heat the beans until they turn dark brown. Now we can use them to make coffee to drink.

Many people prefer to drink hot coffee with milk and sugar. However, iced coffee is now becoming very popular in the world. Coffee is good when you feel tired or need energy, but you should not drink it at night, or you may not get to sleep!

         Long ago，people lived on wild animals，fruits and other plants and they didn’ t need to use money.

        As time passed，families had more products（产生）than they needed，such as animals and crops. So they needed to trade（交易）with others. They began to use money to make it easier. However , it was not like the money we use today. They used shells，rice， salt or large stones.

     During the 600s BC，people began using coins as money. Because they were easier to carry than goods（货物），countries began to make coins as their money.

         The Chinese were the first to use paper money, probably in the 11th century. An Italian traveler， Marco Polo, saw the Chinese use paper money when he visited China in the 1200s. After his travel, he told the western people what he saw. But European countries didn’t start using paper money till the 1600s.

       Today we have many ways to pay for things, such as coins，paper money and cards. Some prefer to pay by card. That’s because paying with a card is easier and safer than carrying around a lot of “real” money.