【推荐1】As we know, there are differences between Western culture and Chinese culture.     1    

Let’s look at some words about animals and plants. Most expressions in Chinese about the dog, for example, “a homeless dog”, “a mad dog”. “a running dog” and “a dog catching a mouse”, have bad meanings.     2     In English, people use the dog to describe good actions. For example, “You are a lucky dog” means you are a lucky person: and “every dog has its day” means each person has good luck sometimes. To describe a person’s serious illness, they say “sick as a dog”. The word “dog-tired” means very tired.     3    

But in Western culture, “cat” is often used to describe a woman who is unkind, There are many other examples of how “cat” is used differently as well.

The Rose is regarded as a symbol of love in both China and some Western countries. People think the rose stands for love, peace, courage and friendship. And the rose is the national flower of England, America and many other countries.

    4    We can learn about many differences in cultures by comparing how some words are used.

【推荐2】If an American friend invites you to his or her home for dinner, keep in mind these important rules.

First of all, arrive on time (but not early). Americans expect promptness (准时). It’s OK to be ten or fifteen minutes late but not forty-five minutes late.

Second, it is polite (有礼貌的) to bring a small gift. Flowers or candies are always good. If you take a special gift that is made in your own country, your friend will certainly enjoy accepting that.

Wearing beautiful clothes and a smile is good but not enough. Table manners (礼仪) are also very important. Do not open your mouth to talk when you are eating food. Also, eat with your mouth closed. When you want to get food that is a little far from you, do not stretch your hands to reach for it. Ask others to pass (传递) the food to you.

After dinner, don’t leave at once, but don’t stay at your friend’s house for too long, either. When your friend seems to be getting tired, tell him or her that you need to leave. The next day, call or write to say how much you enjoyed the evening.

【推荐3】Ben Jones was walking home from school one day when he saw a black cat. It was walking across the street in front of him. Ben stopped, turned around, and walked down a different street to go home. Why did he do that?

“It’s unlucky when a black cat crosses the street in front of you,” says Ben. “I did not want to walk down that street!”

Many people think that some things bring bad luck. For example, some people think that 13 is an unlucky number. They never invite 13 people to a party.

“I never walk under a ladder（梯子）, ” says Ben. “And I never open an umbrella inside the house. They both bring bad luck.”

And what brings good luck?

“We have a horseshoe over the front door of our house for good luck,” says Ben.

“And when I find a penny on the ground, I always pick it up. That brings me good luck all day!”

【推荐2】There are many different kinds of festivals around the world. Here are four of them.

Saint Patrick’s Day in Ireland

Ireland is an island country. It’s in the west of Europe. There are wide green fields.

Saint Patrick’s Day is on March 17. It’s an important holiday in Ireland. This holiday is to remember Saint Patrick. He did good things for the people of Ireland.

During the holiday, there are parades(游行) and lots of green. You can see people in green clothes, and you can even see green buildings.

Red Wednesday in Iran

Red Wednesday is a fire jumping festival in Iran. It is on the eve of the last Wednesday of the year. People jump over the fire. They hope that it will take all the bad things away.

The Winter Carnival in Canada

When winter comes, it’s party time in Quebec City, Canada. The Quebec Winter Carnival is all about outdoor fun. It starts from the first Sunday in February and lasts for 10 days.

One of the most popular events is the dog sled(雪橇) race. It has more than 30 teams and the race goes on for 6 kilometers. You can see joy and happiness on every face.

The Desert Festival in Tunisia

Tunisia is a very important country in North Africa. Every year on the last Sunday in December, the Desert Festival is held in Tunisia. As ＂ships of the desert＂, camels have the leading role in the festival. There are camel racing and camel wrestling(摔跤).

【推荐3】Life comes in a package(包、捆). This package includes happiness and sadness, failure and success, hope and despair (绝望). Life is a learning process. Experiences in life teach us new lessons and make us a better person. With each passing day we learn to deal with all kinds of situations.

Love plays a main role in our life. Love makes you feel wanted. Without love a person could become cruel (残忍的). In the early stage(阶段) of our life, our parents are the ones who show us with love and care. They teach us about what is right and wrong, good and bad. But we don’t always care about it. It is only after marriage and having kids that a person understands others’ feelings.

Happiness can bring people a peaceful mind. No mind is happy without peace. Sadness is the cause of the death of a loved one or the failure. But all of these things will pass away. Failure is the way to success. It helps us to touch the sky, teaches us to survive（幸存）and shows us a specific (具体的) way. Success brings in money, pride and self-respect (自尊).

Hope is what keeps life going. Parents always hope their children will do well. Hope makes us dream. Hope builds in patience. Life teaches us not to despair even in the darkest hour, because after every night there is a day.

Life teaches us not to regret (后悔) over yesterday, for it has passed and is out of our control. Tomorrow is unknown, for it could either be bright or dark. So the only choice (选择) is to work hard today, so that we will enjoy a better tomorrow.

【推荐2】Do you like cartoons? If so, read the introduction to the 5 Best Animation(动画)Studios.