Different countries have different customs. When you travel to other countries, please follow their customs. Just as the saying goes,“     1    ”

Very often people who travel to the United States forget to tip (付小费).     2     Waiters expect to get a 15% tip on the cost of your meal. Taxi drivers expect about the same amount.

In Britain, make sure to stand in a line even if there are only two of you. It’s important to admire (赞赏) lines there.    3     It’s a favourite subject of a conversation with the British.

In Spain, it’s a good idea to have a light meal in the afternoon if someone invites you for dinner. People have dinner very late, and restaurants do not generally open until after 9 pm.

In Arab countries, men kiss one another on the cheek.    4     It is polite for you to do the same.

In Japan, people usually give personal or business cards to each other when they meet for the first time. When a person gives you a card, don’t put it into your pocket right away.     5     Don’t forget to be careful of your body language to express something in conversation. A kind of body language that is acceptable in one culture may be impolite in another.

【推荐2】Many Americans go to work five days a week. American school students go to school five days a week, too, so they usually have a two days’ weekend. The weekend is Saturday and Sunday. On weekends, people spend their time in many different ways. Sometimes they go shopping. Sometimes they go for a drive. Sometimes they visit friends. Many families enjoy weekends together.

Many American families do some sports on weekends. For example, in summer they enjoy swimming. In autumn they play volleyball and tennis. In winter they go skating (滑冰) and skiing (滑雪). In spring they like sightseeing (观光) and hiking (徒步旅行).

Some of them may invite (请) their friends to come over to have a party together. Some families may grow flowers and vegetables in their garden’s or near their houses. For most Americans, weekends are very busy.

Most Chinese go to work five days a week, too. And they also spend their weekends in many different ways. Some go shopping, some stay at home and do some cleaning, and some ask some friends to come home to play cards.

How do you spend your weekends?

When was the last time you gave or received a hug? Do your parents hug you before you go to school? In Western countries, it is quite common to greet close friends or relatives with a hug.

You might hug your teammates after winning a basketball game. If one of your friends is having a bad day, you can hug him to cheer him up. Friends who haven’t seen each other for a long time will usually hug each other when meeting.

Of course, people in different countries have different opinions when it comes to hugging. After coming to China, I’ve noticed that Chinese people are generally more reluctant (不情愿的) to hug than those who are in my home country, the USA.   

My Chinese friends told me that hugging is considered to be very intimate (亲密的) in their culture.   It usually only happens between really close people, like couples. Chinese people don’t usually hug in public, either.

But people’s attitudes towards hugging can change. I remember watching a video story about a “hugging party” in Shanghai. A local artist held the party. He invited strangers and asked them to hug each other. The Chinese participants (参与者) clearly looked uncomfortable. However, after the party, several of them changed their minds.   They decided that hugging doesn’t have to be awkward (尴尬的) and can actually be quite nice. So next time you see your mum or dad, give her/him a hug—see how it makes you feel.

Everybody knows that healthy eating habits are important. Here are five good eating habits for you.

◆    1    

Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. You may need even more water when you are exercising.

◆    2    

Breakfast is the most important meal of a day. You can have more energy (能量) after eating breakfast.

◆    3    

If you don’t have enough time to have a big meal, take some bread with you for a quick lunch. Don’t eat lunch which has too much oil. If you don’t have lunch, that will be bad for your health.

◆    4    

We should eat fruit and vegetables every day. Add a banana to your breakfast, have salad for lunch, and eat some vegetables at dinner. If someone doesn’t like to eat vegetables, he or she can eat some fruit instead.

◆    5    

Try to have dinner at least 3 hours before you go to bed. Your body needs time to digest most of the food before you rest for 8 hours.

【推荐2】What are the basic ingredients (要素) of good manners? A strong sense of fairness is one of them.

A friend once told me an experience that he had. When he was driving along a one-lane (单行小路), unpaved (未铺路的) mountain road, the car ahead of his produced clouds of choking dust (呛人的尘土), and it was a long way to the nearest paved main road Suddenly, the car ahead stopped at a wider place on the road.

My friend thought there must be something wrong with the car ahead. He stopped and asked if anything was wrong. “No,” said the other driver. “But you’ve endured my dust so far. I’ll endure yours the rest of the way.”

Another ingredient is empathy (同情心). It makes a person see into the mind or heart of someone else. Recently I happened to read such a story in a book.

A man was having dinner alone, and he was trying to open a bottle. But he failed. Then he asked a waiter for help. The waiter took the bottle, turned his back and opened it without difficulty. Then the waiter closed it again and turned back. He pretended (假装) to make a great effort to open the bottle without success. Finally he took it into the kitchen and returned very soon. He told the man that he managed to open it, but only with a tool.

Yet another ingredient is the ability to treat people alike (一视同仁). No matter who he is and what he does. everyone is worth respecting.

【推荐3】In Britain you may often hear “Drop in any time” or “Come to see me soon”, but you can’t really do that. People just say those things to make you feel welcome. It is better to telephone before visiting someone at home. If you receive a written invitation to an event that says “RSVP”, you should reply to let the person who sent the invitation know whether or not you plan to go.

You should never accept an invitation unless you really plan to go. You may refuse by saying, “Thank you for inviting me, but I will not be able to come.” If, after accepting, you are unable to go, be sure to tell those who are expecting you as soon as possible that you will not be there.

Though it is not necessarily expected that you give a gift to your host, it is considered polite to do so, especially if you have been invited for a meal. Flowers, chocolate, or a small gift are all appropriate. A thank-you note or telephone call after the visit is also considered polite and is an appropriate way to express your appreciation for the invitation.