My name is Li Ming. My home is in Changshou. Do you know it? It is in Chongqing.     1     is a beautiful city. Changshou is not a big city,     2     it is very nice and clean. There is a     3     in Changshou. It is called（叫做）Changshou Lake（长寿湖）.

Our house is near Changshou Lake. Behind our house there     4     a big old tree. My grandfather tells me that the     5     is very, very old. There are many birds in the tree. We call it a “bird tree”. Our house is near the lake. The lake is big and blue. There are a lot of fish in the lake. After school, I go there and catch（捉）fish     6     my friends. It is very     7    . I like fish and I     8     like catching fish.

Americans are good to strangers and new people. They w_______and would like to help new comers. But this does not mean friendship. In the US, people enjoy doing things t_______and exchanging ideas.

Americans enjoy talking about their family, but usually do not want to talk about family problems. They don't talk about m_______, either. They   don't want to ask the question about the price of his or her thing. They are interested in how people in other parts of the world live and would like to talk about their o_______ way of life. You don't have to discuss anything difficult for you, but if friends exchange ideas sincerely, you will both learn m_______about each other.

An American often shows his or her interest by asking questions. The questions show that they want to learn about your country and culture.

Do you know “National Smile Month”? It     1     (start) on the 14th of May in 1977. During this month, people would think about the importance of brushing their teeth     2     eating less sweet foods.

The British people     3     (be) known for their bad teeth because they have too many sweet foods and drinks. Even a dictionary has the expression(解释) “British Smile”, meaning “Any smile with bad teeth”. But       4     America, the “Hollywood Smile” gets its name because American movie stars are so proud(自豪的)     5     (show) off(炫耀) their beautiful teeth.

But what about     6     (smile) in the UK? Do the British smile a lot, or do they look sad all the time? The British don’t often show     7     (they) feelings. It is not true. For example, the British don’t smile in passport(护照)     8     (photo). But if you are at a party, you’ll find everyone smiling     9     (happy). So the British like to smile as much as anyone else. They just don’t want to show their bad teeth.

Smiling is good for you and those around you even if(即使) you have a few bad teeth. This makes National Smile Month     10     excellent idea! Do you often smile in your life?

Every country has its own customs and traditions. A custom is a special way of     1     (do) something. A tradition is a custom     2     is passed down over time.     3     (final), these customs and traditions make different cultures in different countries. We should know     4     other people’s customs and cultures. And we should always respect them.

For example, in America, people wear their shoes in their homes. But in some Asian countries like Japan and Korea, people take off their shoes before going inside their homes. In many Asian countries, people use chopsticks     5     Americans and Europeans eat with forks and     6     (knife). But in India and some other countries, people often eat with their hands. There are many other     7     (different). But all of these cultures are special. We should try to know and learn     8     (much) about them.

Of course we Chinese eat with chopsticks as well. But we never use chopsticks to hit     9     empty bowl, or you may be thought to be     10     (polite).