【推荐1】There are 24 solar terms（节气）in China, and the Grain Rain（谷雨）is one of them. It is in spring.     1    .

This solar term is called the Grain Rain because it is known for "rain" that helps the grain grow. From its name, we can guess it means a time of more rain.     2    . Or you may get wet.

    3    . When the spring rain falls, farmers begin to grow crops. Farmers often say, "Spring rain is as precious （珍贵的） as oil." It brings farmers hope for a good year ahead.

People also have special activities at this time. In the northern part of China, people like to eat Chinese toon （椿牙） mixed with eggs.     4    . And it is a kind of healthy food. In South China the tea leaves are picked.     5    . Drinking tea at this time of year has also become a tradition in these places.

【推荐2】People enjoy eating together with family and friends all over the world. However, customs around the dinner table are quite different.     1     They use chopsticks.

    2     In some parts of the world, people think it is impolite to eat your food noisily or to make any noise when you drink.     3     In China, for example, it is considered polite to eat and drink noisily. Chinese people also show respect (尊敬) to their hosts by leaving a little food in their bowls.     4     However, in India, people show respect to their hosts by finishing all their food.

And what about when the meal is over and the restaurant bill arrives? In France, the custom is for one person to pay the whole bill.     5     Then, finally, there is the problem of whether or not to leave a tip (小费), people only give one if the service has been especially good. In Japan, people almost never tip, while in the USA, you are expected to leave at least 15-20%.

So, before you travel anywhere, make sure you know the local customs!

【推荐3】China covers large areas and has a great population (人口). Different living habits have always been an interesting topic in the country. Recently, another difference between southern Chinese and northern Chinese became a hot one: the way people shop at markets.

People from southern China say that they always buy what they need for just one or two meals. It is normal for them to buy half of a Chinese cabbage, two potatoes and 0.25 kilograms of beef at a time.

However, one may be laughed at if he does this in the north. Instead, buying vegetables and meat enough for a week is usual. Also, you can buy a small amount (数量) of fruit, such as a single (单个的) apple or pear, each time in the south. Shop owners even help you peel and cut them. But shop owners in the north hardly offer such service, And many fruits are sold in baskets and boxes.

The difference could be due to the different weather.

Food can be kept for a long time in the north, as it is usually cold and dry there. Many northern Chinese have the habit of storing food, especially for the long winter. But the hot and wet weather in the south makes southern Chinese buy just enough food for one meal or one day, or else the food may go bad.

【推荐1】The mobile phone has become a problem for middle schools. Some middle schools in Australia have banned（禁止）students from carrying mobile phones during school hours.

Teachers said mobile phone use is a distraction（分心的事）to students during school hours and it also gives teachers so much trouble in their classrooms. They also said that sometimes students might use phone messages to cheat during exams.

Some schools had tried to ban mobile phones. Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t get in touch（取得联系） with their children.

Many teachers said students should not have mobile phones at school, but if there was a good reason, they could leave their phones at the school office. They also said the main reason why the students should not have mobile phones at school: they were easy to lose from studies.

Many people say that they understand why parents would want their children to have phones, but they think schools should let the students know when they can use their mobile phones.

【推荐2】People can’t see you when you’re speaking on the phone, but they can hear you. So, the way you speak is especially important. In fact, researchers have calculated that 80% of communication over the phone is through your tone of voice, and only 20% is from the words you use. Here are out top tips on how to speak over the phone.

Facial Expressions

Your facial expression can influence your voice. For example, if you smile, your voice will sound warm and friendly, just the opposite, if you have an angry look on your face, it can make you sound unpleasant.

Volume

If you speak too loudly, you could sound angry. And if you speak too softly, it’ll be difficult to hear you. So, speak loudly enough to be heard clearly, but not so loud that you’re shouting.

Pace

The pace of your voice is how quickly you speak. And this can show how you feel. For example, an angry person might speak faster than normal. Or a downhearted person might speak very slowly. Try speaking a little more slowly than normal. This will make you sound confident, and it’ll make it easier for the other person to understand you.

Gestures

Gesturing can influence the tone of your voice. When you gesture, you bring more air into the lungs, which can make your voice sound warmer. Gestures are also useful to help you stress the right words or even find the words you need. The best thing about gesturing during a phone call is that no one can see what you’re doing, so you can gesture as wildly as you like!

Movement

If you’re feeling nervous, stand up and move around. It will reduce the nervousness in your body and help your voice to sound more confident.

Pauses(停顿)

Using pauses every now and then can help you to slow down. This will make you sound more confident and in control. Also, if you pause after giving some new information, it’ll give the other person time to understand it. At the same time, listen to how the other person uses pauses. They could tell you something about the speaker’s feeling. For example, when a speaker is really angry, he might uses pauses and says, “I...am...so...angry.”

【推荐3】On a map of the world you can easily find two big cities, London and New York. London is the oldest city in Britain. It’s also the biggest city in Europe（欧洲）. New York is as big as London, and it’s the biggest city in the US. The streets in London are crowded and there is one of the world’s biggest underground railway systems（地铁系统）. The streets in New York are just as crowded as those in London. And the New York subway carries more people each day than the London Underground. There are a lot of big stores in these two cities. But New York has more supermarkets than London.

In London there are many palaces（宫殿）and churches, for example, St. Paul’s. New York isn’t as old as London, and it hasn’t got many old buildings. But its skyscrapers（摩天大楼）are much bigger than the buildings in London.

London has more parks than New York. But New York’s Central Park is much bigger than the biggest park in London.

【推荐2】A good hobby is an important part of a teenager’s life. With hobbies, teenagers can become more familiar with history, social science and culture. Here are some hobbies for teenagers.

Collecting

Coins(硬币) may be too expensive for teenagers, but postcards, bookmarks even T-shirts can be great things to collect. Teenagers can collect things that do not cost much. Many teenagers enjoy collecting things when they visit a place. No matter what they collect, the most important thing is the information they get from the collection.

Writing

Writing can improve teenagers’ language skills. It can be a great hobby for teenagers. Writing a diary can help teenagers enter a private (个人的) world. It is important for their development. They can also write stories and poems.

Building

Models, birdhouses and anything else that teenagers make with their own hands can make them happy. Building is a great hobby because it is easy to start. Most teenagers can find interesting things to build. Building can help them improve their creativity.

Music

Do you dream to be a music star? Music can give teenagers self-confidence (自信). They can sing songs and play an instrument. Sometimes teenagers can learn music in a music club and make friends with the people who have the same hobby.

【推荐1】John Steinbeck(1902-1968) is remembered as one of the greatest and best-loved American writers of the twentieth century. In 1962, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. His novel The Pearl tells a story of an Indian fisherman.

Kino is a poor Indian fisherman, who makes a living by getting pearls out of water. His son is bitten by Scorpion (蝎子) but he has no money for treatment. One day he finds "the Pearl of the world" and he believes that his life will be magically changed. But people in the town want to cheat the pearl out of Kino and they also try stealing it. Kino's wife think it brings not good but bad luck, so she throws it into sea. But Kino got it back out of the sea again. On the way back home, they are attacked (攻击) again, and their house is burning in the flames (火焰). Before they flee (逃走) successfully, they are under another gun attack and their son is killed in gunshot. At that time, Kino realizes that pearl brings nothing good but the death of his son. Finally, he threw the pearl away into the sea again.

Everything has both the bright and the dark sides. If you are one-sided and blind to see the other side, you will lose what you have.

【推荐2】It’s early in the morning and the alarm clock has already rung several times. You have to drag yourself out of bed and rush to school. As a school student, this is probably a common experience for you.

But thanks to new rules, many students in Zhejiang and Heilongjiang provinces can now stay in bed longer than before. On Feb 23rd, the Zhejiang   Department of Education published (公布) a new guideline (指导方针) that asks primary schools to start school later, reported Xinhua News Agency. According to the guideline, start times could vary among different grades and seasons. Grade 1 and 2 should not start school before 8 a.m., while schools should start later in winter. Some schools in Zhejiang province have been chosen to test this new guideline, which is expected to be used in other areas in 2019.

A similar guideline was announced by the education department in Heilongjiang province on February 24th. Since the new semester began in March, students from all primary and junior high schools in the province have been required to arrive at school no earlier than 8 am.. And senior high school students are now required to arrive at school no earlier than 7:30 a. m..

These changes are aimed at making sure students get enough sleep and enough time for breakfast. Before the guideline was published, many primary school students in Zhejiang were required to arrive at school as early as 7 or 7:30 a.m., which left many of them arriving feeling tired and hungry.

These changes have received much praise, “I welcome the move, since this will make sure my son has enough time for breakfast, which is important for his health and growth,” a mother surnamed Xu from Hangzhou, whose son is a first-grade student, told China Daily.

Just as Mary Carskadon, a sleep expert from Brown University, US, told The Atlantic, “Everybody learns better when they’re awake.”

Premier Li Keqiang delivered this year’s Government Work Report. Education is one of the highlights. There will be more good news for school students. They will be much happier than before.

【推荐3】Eating out may be a simple thing, but for British people who have just come to America, it could be an experience full of surprises. Here are four main differences a British people should pay attention to when eating out in a restaurant in America.

Waiters in American restaurants always like talking and often come to your table during the meal to fill drinks again and check if everything is okay. In England, waiters don't often check on customers. If you need something, you can raise your hand and wave at the waiter.

In an American restaurant, you can order salad according to your own needs. However, people in England prefer to order a meal with all the choice coming with the menu. It is less common for them to complain about the food or have the waiter send dishes back to the kitchen.

In America, a waiter will bring you the bill even though you have not asked for it. This would be seen as very rude by British customers, as it shows that they are being hurried out of the restaurant.

You will tip if you are happy about the meal and service. If you are not happy, you do not need to tip and this is quite common. In America, a tip of 15-20% is a must. Even if the service is bad, you should still tip.