【推荐1】Small talk is a good way to make friends. If you travel to other countries or have friends from abroad, do you know how to use small talk to make conversation?

In Britain, the best topic is the weather. British weather is changing all the time.     1    

Besides weather, it’s good to talk about gardens with British. You could say “Those roses look really beautiful, don’t they?”     2     .So it’s also nice to start with “What a lovely dog! What is his name?”

In America, people like to talk about sports news ,such as American football and basketball.    3     So you might say “It’s a nice shirt! Where did you get it?” Weather is a safe topic there, too.

    4     Don’t ask people “How old are you?” Never ask: “How much money do you make?”It makes people uncomfortable. Don’t ask strangers weather they are married.     5     There are others in our daily life.

【推荐3】“Funny”, a made-in-China emoji, seems to have recently moved beyond China. Now, it is more than an emoji, but a cultural expansion.

A series of “funny” emoji-based bolsters (抱枕) have attracted the attention of Japanese customers. Even if one bolster is more than three times as expensive as in China, it doesn’t kill their desires to buy it. One Japanese customer Miki said, “They are just so cute and I bought three bolsters at one time for my family. And every time I see them, my mood just brightens suddenly.”

A Japanese netizen Kiro Kara said, “I think the emoji implies very complicated meanings. My dad will send it when he doesn’t agree with someone but he has to say something and behave politely.”

Compared with Japanese impressions of the “funny” emoji, Chinese netizens prefer to use emoji to tease one another on social media.

One commonly seen online comment is, “We strongly suggest stopping the usage of the emoji. Because every time other people send me the emoji, I feel very uncomfortable and consider myself as a fool.”

Regarded as the most popular emoji, the “funny” emoji has received much attention since its release in 2013. In fact, the “funny” emoji is the updated version of its original one; “funny” has a smiley mouth, two eyebrows and a naughty look. All these characteristics present users a sense of satire (讽刺).

It's not the first time the Chinese emoji takes the world stage. Earlier this year, one emoji from the Chinese basketball celebrity Yao Ming has been spread through the Middle East region. In a city in southern Egypt, Yao’s smiling emoji has appeared frequently in local traffic signs to remind people the road ahead is one-way. Many locals do not know Yao Ming but are familiar with his emoji and nickname “Chinese Funny Face”.

As a new online language, emojis have become a necessary part of people’s daily life, helping people express their views in a more vivid and precise way. Also, it can help foreigners learn about Chinese culture. But how to properly use “the fifth innovation in China” without hurting others and turn them into commercial advantages still need answers.

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【推荐2】Los Angeles is always a popular holiday destination. To fully enjoy your travel there, you should know its food, weather, and also traffic. While driving in L. A. is similar to that in other areas, there are a few specific rules to note.

On many L. A. freeways, one or more lanes at the far left are used as high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. They usually have limited access and you can only enter or exit where there is a break in the double yellow line. Most HOV lanes require a minimum of two people in the car; some require three. Vehicles towing trailers (拖车) are NOT allowed in the HOV lane, regardless of how many people are in them.

On certain freeways, the HOV lanes are double-purposed as toll lanes for people driving alone who have a FasTrak, an electronic toll collection system. Therefore, you also have to have one in that lane as a HOV, which is inconvenient if you’re just visiting. FasTrak is in effect on parts of the 110 freeway between the 405 and 10 freeways, and on parts of the 10 freeway east of Downtown L. A.

It is against the law to talk on a cell phone while driving without using a hands-free device. Holding a cell phone to your ear while driving will land you with a ticket.

Driving under the influence is taken seriously in L.A. The legal blood alcohol limit is 0.08%, but you can be charged with lower levels if they show you can’t function normally. Placing an opened bottle of alcohol in the passenger area while driving (or sitting) is illegal. Any opened container of alcohol has to be transported in the trunk.