Many American families live busy ________ . Every week, the children have sports, club meetings, and many other ________ , including hours of homework. The parents are ________ , too. They work, take care of their homes, ________ meals, and drive their children to activities. Some families do not have time to eat meals together more than once a week. One American community decided that it was time to ________ .

After seven months of ________ , the community of Ridgewood, New Jersey, took one night ________ . They called it “Family Night”, a ________ for families to spend time together. Sports teams ________ their practices, and teachers do not give ________ .

On “Family Night”, families agreed to ________ their televisions. They also decided not to ________ the telephone. Answering machines said, “Please call ________ tomorrow.” Many families ordered take-out food so that they wouldn’t spend time cooking.

Popular activities such as board games and card games. These games gave families a chance to spend time together. Children and parents were not so busy, and children didn’t spend so much time playing video games or watching television. On Family Night, families get ________ and spent the evening together. The town ________ to have more “Family Night”.

English is becoming more and more popular in China. It can be used in every field, such as on some signs and restaurant menus. But there are some problems when people use it. Perhaps you’ve seen the English letters “WC” in your city. They show public toilets. But do you know it is far from native(地道的)English? In fact, foreigners from English-speaking countries seldom use the letters.

Workers in our city are changing, “WC” signs all over the city. The government is spending much money changing all the bad English on signs and restaurant menus. Many other places in China are following our steps.

“WC, or water closet, is old-fashioned English. It sounds dirty to me.” says Nancy, a young woman from the US. The old sign will become “Gents/Men” and “Ladies/Women”. “I see much poor English in daily life, and not only on signs,” she says, “I know what they mean, but they are Chinglish, not real English. For example, when someone says to me ‘My hometown is Guizhou Province’, I know he or she should say ‘My hometown is in Guizhou Province’. Hometown is a smaller place in a province.” The common mistakes that Nancy picked up include “Not Entry”, which should be “No Entry”, “Direction of Airport” should be changed to “To the Airport”. And it is “Room Rate”, not “Room Price”. And remember to “Keep off the Grass” rather than “Care of the Green”. The next time you walk on the street or eat in the restaurant, you can go and see if the expressions(表达) are right.

How many of us have reached into our drawer(抽屉) and pulled out socks that didn’t match (匹配)? Will you throw them away like most girls or try to reuse them? The story of Carly and Charley may help you.

Carly and Charley are the girls who often lose their socks. At first, they just matched different colors or styles like some other girls. But most of the time, these socks couldn’t match their clothes. So they came up with an idea and started Odd Sox: they collected these socks and gave them away to people who have no place to live. But the problem wasn’t solved. They still had missing socks until they realized that they could make a business out of it. So they set up Single Sox: the girls sell socks in packs (包) of three so you can mix and match as you wish. Each pack is super colorful and super inspiring(激励人心的)—Carly and Charley have written words on every sock to encourage(鼓励) girls to welcome their differences.

And they carry on the tradition of giving back―for every pair of socks sold, they give away a pair to those in need. Nothing is a waste if you have a creative mind.

Be good when abroad

What does it mean to be a good tourist?

According to a recent survey, when asked which tourists are most welcomed in their country, one nation stood out above all others: Japan. YouGov, a UK market research firm, did the research, polling(对……进行民意调查)nearly 28, 000 people from 26 countries and regions.

The Japanese have a reputation(名声)for being among the world’s most well-dressed tidy, punctual(守时的)and polite travelers, the Telegraph reported. They line up politely and they never turn up late, raise their voices or try to take photographs in art galleries when they know they’re not allowed to do so.

Japanese tourists greatly impressed the world during last summer’s World Cup. The country’s soccer fans made headlines for their habit of helping to clean stadiums(体育场)after matches, South China Morning Post noted.

Who are the worst tourists?

The survey also showed that another nation stood out at the same time, but in the opposite way.

British tourists ranked as the worst-behaved tourists in the world. Even local people in the UK don’t like British tourists.

Many respondents said that British travelers are loud, poorly dressed and behave badly. They are also stingy(吝啬的)when tipping at restaurants and hotels, Reuters noted.

It’s not hard to be a good traveler. The Chinese government issued guidelines for outgoing tourists in 2006. Tourists were reminded not to throw trash on the ground or talk loudly. They were also told to line up properly and be more polite in general.

Tips for being a good tourist

Learn a few of the most common words or phrases in the local language. These include “excuse me”, “thank you” and “good bye”.

Watch your body language. Customs are different from place to place. Do your homework ahead of time(提前)so you know if certain gestures might be considered rude in the country or region you are traveling to.

Be good when abroad