Do you like to drink water? ________ with people in most other countries, Chinese people especially like to drink warm water. Do you know why?

In the old days, people drank water from the ________. The bacteria(细菌) in it could make them ________. Ancient people around the world used different ________ to kill the bacteria in the water. For the Chinese, they thought drinking boiled water was the easiest way to protect ________ from the harmful bacteria.

What’s more, in traditional Chinese ________, “yin” and “yang” mean cold and hot energy. It was believed that the power of your body ________ “yang”. And drinking hot water could nourish(滋养) the “yang” energy. That’s ________ traditional Chinese doctors always suggest people should not drink cold water.

Besides this, before people in northern China had central heating(中央供暖), it was hard for them to ________ the cold in winter. Drinking hot water helped them keep warm. Another reason is that since the early 20th century, the Chinese government has ________ people to drink more warm water. It has also helped the Chinese to form this special habit.

Be careful when giving flowers to your friend or a business partner in Russia. Yellow flowers mean a trick or a relationship break-up. No red carnations (康乃馨), too. Traditionally, red carnations have something to do with death.

In Venezuela, if you are invited over to someone’s home for a meal, it’s suggested that you arrive 10 to 15 minutes later than the planned time. Being early or on time is viewed as being rude there.

In Norway, table manners are extremely important. Most meals, including sandwiches, are eaten using knives and forks.

When doing business in Turkey, it’s the custom for your host to pay for your meal. Request to split (平摊) the bill will be viewed as a polite way but won’t be accepted. If you would like to pay your share, Turks suggest inviting your host to a follow-up meal.

It’s been a while since we got in touch last time. How has your semester (学期) been?

I want to send you an e-mail to let you know how things have been going during my semester abroad here in Malaga, Spain. I’ve already been here for several weeks, and I feel like I am finally adapting to (适应) the culture. I’m also speaking the language better.

I arrived here on September 1st. The weather has been very nice. Even though it’s October, it’s still rather sunny and warm. In fact, I went to the beach and swam in the Mediterranean Sea (地中海) earlier today.

I am living with a very welcoming host family. I have my own private bedroom. We eat breakfast, lunch and dinner together. On Sundays, we have a big home-cooked paella for lunch. In Spain, lunch is usually the biggest meal of the day. It’s also very common for people to take a midday nap right after a big meal. I actually just woke up from my nap!

On weekdays, I take classes at the local university. There, I met several native (本国的) Spanish speakers. They have been very kind and patient with me. At first, it was difficult for me to understand their Spanish, but now I understand most of their conversations. They say that my Spanish has improved a lot since we first met. Now, I am more confident (自信的) to use the language in other places like stores and restaurants.

I am so glad that I decide to spend the semester here in Spain. Tomorrow, October 12th, is Spain’s National Day. We will have a five-day holiday. A group of my friends and I are going to travel to France for four days. It’s so easy and inexpensive to travel internationally in Europe.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Best wishes,

Alfred

What are the cultural differences between China and the West? You might be able to find the answer in Cao’s comics(漫画).

Cao was born in Beijing, but left home at 20 and has studied and lived in the US, the UK and France for over ten years. Having seen so many cultures, Cao wanted to use her drawing skills to show the differences she has experienced. So she created the cartoon series Tiny Eyes Comics.

“My experience shows that although travel is much easier and faster today, the distance(距离) between cultures hasn’t shortened,” Cao said. She hopes to build bridges and break down misunderstandings between different cultures. One of her cartoons shows water preferences in different countries. Three glasses of water are shown: the glass of water from the US has ice; the one from France is full of sparkling water(气泡水); the one from China is steaming(热气腾腾的).

Cao also uses her cartoons to show different ways of thinking and social customs. “Her simple pictures have played a big part in reflecting Chinese culture,” an Italian magazine Grazia reported.

Many foreign readers say that Cao’s comics help them understand China, while Chinese living abroad have felt that they are seen and understood.

She said that this voice has been the biggest motivation(动力) for her to keep creating.

The travel budget (预算) is the first thing that you need to think about when you have a travel plan.     51     If you know about some skills, you can save much money.

Choose the low season.

    52     If you choose a right time, you can save much money. In the low season, both flights and hotels will offer big discounts. It may save 40%-50% of fares for you.

    53    

The more people you travel together with, the less money you will pay. It will save much money because others can share the expense of transportation and guide service with you.     54    

Choose a professional travel agency.

    55     What’s more, it has skilled and experienced workers to make a reasonable plan.

56. 假如你是李华，你的英国笔友Chris对中国文化很感兴趣，他给你发来邮件，询问中国人日常生活中的基本社交礼仪，如待人接物、餐桌礼仪等。请你根据以下要点提示，用英语给他回复一封邮件，介绍你所知道的相关礼仪。

要点：1. What do we do when we meet people for the first time? 2. How do we behave properly at table?

要求：1. 包含以上所有要点提示，可以适当发挥，以使行文流畅；2. 文中不得出现真实人名和校名；3. 词数90左右（开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数）。

I’m glad to know that you’re interested in Chinese social manners. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I hope the above is helpful. Please feel free to ask for more information.

Yours,

Li Hua