How to Make a Chinese Hot Pot

Eating a Chinese hot pot is a very common experience. People gather around the pot, dipping their food, waiting for it to cook, mixing their own seasonings (调味品) and enjoying each other's company.  (1)  

Firstly, prepare a large pot of soup. There is no right or wrong way to prepare a soup, so feel free to make your own. A simple soup can be made by boiling water with the addition of meat bones or fish heads and a mixture of herbs, seasonings and vegetables.

Then, cut a variety of meats and fish into thin slices.   (2)   Choose any food that you enjoy. Some common choices for Chinese hot pot include thin pieces of beef, pork, lamb and so on. You can make your hot pot using the more traditional method of using the meats and seafood that are local to you. Meanwhile, select, wash and prepare some vegetables.   (3)   Mushrooms of all kinds are also common to Chinese hot pot preparations.

  (4)   At home, a single hot pot would work well up t0 4-8 people depending on the size of the pot. Make sure everyone is sitting in a circle and has easy access to everything on the table. Prepare a separate small dish for each guest to mix their seasonings.   (5)  !

Selfie

Social media and the mobile web have given rise to a strange phenomenon called the selfie. It refers to a picture of yourself, usually shared on any social networking website.

  (1)   Some selfies are extreme close-ups, and others show part of an arm held straight outward. A few of them even feature the subject standing in front of a bathroom mirror.

Everyone takes selfies, but the younger crowd seems to be especially involved in the trend. Young people are relatively heavier digital users. They are interested in staying connected to their friends.   (2)  

There are also kinds of psychological factors driving people to take a selfie and upload it to a social networking site.   (3)   A quick and easy way to attract otherˈs attention is to get “likes” and comments from friends. Secondly, itˈs human nature to show off your own great achievements. When you feel good about yourself or look good, itˈs far too easy to take out your phone and document it all through one or several selfies.   (4)   Thatˈs right. Sometimes people are bored at work, bored at school, bored at home and even bored on the toilet. Last but not least, social media is about being social! If that means uploading as many selfies as possible, then so be it. Itˈs fun, and itˈs a cool way to sort of document your own life.

Finally, there are things to be mindful of when youˈre posting. Itˈs easy to think youˈre sharing a photo with a few people.   (5)   So donˈt post anything online, selfie especially.

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What problems do you have with your study？Do you want to improve the way you study？Do you feel nervous before a test？Many students say that a lack of concentration is their biggest problem. It seriously affects their ability to study，so do their test results.　36　

Study Techniques

You should always study in the same place. You shouldnˈt sit in a position that you use for another purpose.　37　Donˈt watch TV while you are studying. Experts warn that your concentration may be reduced by 50 percent if you attempt to study in this way. Always try to have a white wall in front of you，so there is nothing to distract you. Before sitting down to study，gather together all the equipment you need. Apart from your textbooks，pens，pencils and knives，make sure you have a dictionary.

　38　Finish one thing before beginning another. If you need a break，get up and walk around for a few minutes，but try not to telephone a friend or have something to eat.

Test taking Skills

All your hard work will be for nothing if you are too nervous to take your test. Getting plenty of rest is very important. This means：do not study all night before your test！It is a better idea to have a long term study plan. Try to make a timetable for your study which lasts for a few months.

　39　Doing some form of exercise every day will also improve your concentration. Eat healthy food too.

When you arrive in the examination room，find your seat and sit down. Breathe slowly and deeply. Check the time on the clock during the test，but not too often. 40　

   61   Teenagers have opinions about everything and they aren’t shy about sharing them. So allow them to make more decisions. For example, let them decide when and where to study, what to wear, what sports team to join. However, keep in mind that some decisions can’t be discussed or changed. Parents need to set limits that protect their children’ health and safety.

   62   There’s something happy about the family sitting together around the dinner table. The evening meal is often the time of the day when the family can sit together in one place and talk with each other. So make dinner a family affair. You can use the chance to share the news of the day and make weekend plans.

  63   You can tell your children that you, too, sometimes feel angry or unhappy, which shows your children that you’re not just a parent—you’re a human. Not only will your children feel closer to you, but he or she may feel safe enough to disclose uncomfortable things or feelings.

   64   They maybe make some wrong choices sometimes. But if they’re over 18, give them the chance to deal with problems on their own. After all, didn’t you want the same from your parents when you were their age?

  65   Don’t read her diary, eavesdrop (偷听) on his phone conversations, or upset her with questions. Remember that they are humans and have their own privacy (隐私) just like you. If you think they have some problems, point it out directly, using five little words: “Can we talk about it?” For example, you can use the words such as “I’ve smelled smoke when you walk into the room several times now. Have you been smoking? Can we talk about it?”

C 

On Jan. 3, a netizen（网民）nicknamed “Programmer Humor” published a short story on his micro-blog. It said that there was an old lady who swept nearly every inch of his Internet company. When she passed by a programmer, she took a look at the codes on the programmer’s computer and kindly reminded him, “Be careful, the stack is overfilled!”

Certainly, it is a casual and fictitious（虚构的）story made up by the micro-blogger. However, no one would have guessed that the short blog would eventually cause the first great Internet meme（网络快速爆红现象）of 2011 in China. Suddenly, the mysterious “Sweeping Old Lady” is showing up nearly everywhere and reminding professionals of their mistakes. From 8 a. m. on Jan. 5, some netizens collected stories of the “Sweeping Old Lady” and found she had appeared to give advice in 150 kinds of careers. A netizen even said he had met with a similar situation in real life.

Actually, the “Sweeping Old Lady” is not new figure, but is based on the “sweeping monk （和尚）”in Louis Cha’s famous Kung fu novel of “Tian Long Ba Bu”. The “sweeping monk” is an old monk and does the lowest class of work in Shaolin Temple, but he is actually the No. 1 master in the novel both in Kung fu and in the study of Buddhism.

The “Sweeping Old Lady” is also a great modest master. Lots of netizens wish that they could have such a lady beside them to give them precious suggestions at a key time.

Although there may be 1,000 “Sweeping Old Ladies” in 1,000 people’s minds, it cannot prevent the “Sweeping Old Lady” from becoming the most popular figure on the Internet.

“Programmer Humor” said he is just a programmer in the real world and once he saw the story about the “Sweeping Old Lady,” he wrote it down in his micro-blog because it was funny. He never knew who the original writer of the story was and never thought the story could be so popular.