TWO sister cities drew closer yesterday when Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng signed an updated Sister City agreement with visiting Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.

"We signed the agreement to expand our cooperation on business, cultural and educational ties with Shanghai," Daley told Shanghai Daily.

The Illinois mayor gave Shanghai two gifts. One is an artwork with pictures of the 1933 Chicago World's Fair and the Shanghai World Expo. The other is a basketball jersey with Mayor Han's name and the number 25, a symbol of 25 years' friendship between the cities.

Daley also met CEOs from Chinese companies and gave a speech at a luncheon at the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai yesterday.

"The number of Chinese tourists traveling to America is expected to jump 15 percent to 556,000 this year and exceed 800,000 by 2013. That's one of the reasons we are sponsoring Chicago Days in Shanghai during the 2010 World Expo," he said.

During the past three days Daley has brought samples of Chicago culture for "Chicago Days" events at the Shanghai Expo to attract Chinese to visit and to do business in Chicago.

The events include performances by famed chef Art Smith, Hip Hop Chicago, singer Otis Clay and sculptor Virginio Ferrari.

The updated agreement calls for more exchange programs between the two sister cities. The chef of Shanghai's Grand Hyatt will travel to Chicago next week for a gourmet program. Chicago will continue to expand the Chinese Language Program in public schools. Daley initiated the program in 1999, believing that English and Chinese are destined to be the world's two leading languages.

Today the program is the largest of its kind in the United States with more than 12,000 students learning Mandarin every day in 43 schools. Students can begin the program in kindergarten and continue to study the language through high school.

Daley has served as the mayor of Chicago since 1989, the second longest serving mayor after his father, Richard J. Daley, who held the post for 21 years.

Daley visited the China Pavilion on Sunday and said it is "fascinating and very educational about the history here as well as the importance of urbanization and dealing with the problems of urbanization."

• yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)
• agreement [ə´gri:mənt] n.同意；一致；协议 (初中英语单词)
• cooperation [kəu,ɔpə´reiʃən] n.合作；协作 (初中英语单词)
• cultural [´kʌltʃərəl] a.文化(上)的；教养的 (初中英语单词)
• illinois [,ili´nɔi] n.伊利诺斯 (初中英语单词)
• jersey [´dʒə:zi] n.毛织运动衫；毛线衫 (初中英语单词)
• luncheon [´lʌntʃ(ə)n] n.午餐，午宴 (初中英语单词)
• commerce [´kɔmə:s] n.商业；社交；交流 (初中英语单词)
• exceed [ik´si:d] v.超(胜)过；凌驾 (初中英语单词)
• culture [´kʌltʃə] n.修养；文化；饲养 (初中英语单词)
• singer [´siŋə] n.歌手，演唱者 (初中英语单词)
• program [´prəugræm] n.说明v.为...安排节目 (初中英语单词)
• learning [´lə:niŋ] n.学习；学问；知识 (初中英语单词)
• expand [ik´spænd] vt.张开；膨胀；扩大 (高中英语单词)
• educational [,edju´keiʃənəl] a.教育(上)的 (高中英语单词)
• symbol [´simbəl] n.符号；象征 (高中英语单词)
• chamber [´tʃeimbə] n.房间；议院；会议室 (高中英语单词)
• pavilion [pə´viljən] n.大帐篷；亭子 (高中英语单词)
• dealing [´di:liŋ] n.交易；来往 (高中英语单词)
• chicago [ʃi´kɑ:gəu] n.芝加哥 (英语四级单词)
• sculptor [´skʌlptə] n.雕刻家，雕刻家 (英语四级单词)