【推荐3】Some English and American people like to invite friends to a meal at home. You should not be upset if your English friends don’t invite you home. It doesn’t mean they don’t like you.

Dinner parties usually start between 7 and 8 pm and end at about 11 pm. Ask your hosts what time you should arrive. It’s polite to bring flowers, chocolates, a book or a bottle of wine as a present.

Do you want to be pretty polite? Say how much you like the room, or the pictures on the wall. But remember — not to ask how much things cost.

You’ll probably start the meal with soup, or something small as a “starter”, then you’ll have meat or fish with vegetables, and then a dessert, followed by coffee. It’s polite to finish everything on your plate and to take more if you want it. Some people eat bread with their meal, but not everyone does.

Most people ask “Do you mind if I smoke?” before they take out their cigarettes after the meal.

Did you enjoy the evening? Call your hosts the next day, or write them a short “thank you” letter. Perhaps it seems funny to you, but English and American people say “thank you, thank you, thank you.” all the time.

In Western countries, such as the United States, England and Canada, people often invite their friends over for a meal, a party or just coffee.

When people want to ask their friends to their homes,     1     Here are some examples: “Would you like to come over for dinner tonight?” “Hey, we’re having a party on Friday. Can you come?” To answer this kind of invitation, say “Thank you” if you can go.     2    

Sometimes, however, what people say is like an invitation,     3     Here are some examples: “Please come over for a drink sometime.” “Let’s get together for lunch soon.”     4    

【推荐2】When you think of American culture, what first comes to your mind? McDonald’s? Coca Cola? Levi’s? Disneyland? Michael Jordan? Julia Roberts? Many people imagine American culture is a collection of popular symbols like these. Actually, these symbols are only one small part of American culture — pop culture.

What is pop culture? Well, pop is short for popular. The origins of pop culture can often be traced(追溯) to popular movies, television shows, music stars and sports figures. Pop culture is also promoted by business and advertising. The most common examples of American pop culture appear among high school and college students. Trends(潮流) set by famous people quickly become part of young people’s lifestyles.

American pop culture has spread around the world. One major reason for its popularity is that English is a world language. English is the language of diplomacy, international business and transportation. Since language and culture go together, learning English means becoming aware of English-speaking countries’ cultures. Also, America is a world leader in movies, music and magazines. The kind of American culture communicated in those media is pop culture. Finally, pop culture is easy to package and to export. For that reason, it is easy to “sell” to the world.

Many people suppose that American pop culture is what America is all about. Does pop culture reflect(反映) the true culture of America? Yes and no. Pop culture does represent(代表) a part of American society — especially urban young people that are turned into the media. But American pop culture is faddish and ever-changing. It is man-made and surface picture of America. If you want to learn about real American culture, you’ll have to go a little further than McDonald’s.

【推荐1】You may know about “junk food”. like French fries. But do you know about “junk sleep”.

Recently, a British survey found that electronic products (电子产品) in teenagers’ bedrooms are affecting (影响) their sleep. The survey was conducted among 1,000 British kids from twelve to sixteen. It found that thirty percent of them got just four to seven hours of sleep every day. But doctors say they need eight to nine hours. Almost a quarter of the kids say they fall asleep more than once a week while watching TV, listening to music or using other electronic products.

“This is very worrying,” says Dr. Chris, a British expert (专家). “We call it ‘junk sleep’. It means you don’t get enough sleep and the quality of the sleep is bad, too. If you don’t get good rest, you don’t perform well in school the next day.”

The survey finds that forty percent of the kids feel tired each day, with girls between thirteen and sixteen feeling the worst. Nearly all the teenagers have a phone, iPad or TV in their bedrooms. And many of them have all three.

【推荐2】Lots of kids want to keep healthy. Here’s something kids can do to eat healthily: learning the differences between Go, Slow and Whoa foods.

Go foods

These foods are good to eat almost anytime. They are very healthy. Examples: tofu, fresh fruits (apples, oranges, bananas, etc.) and fresh vegetables (cabbages, tomatoes, etc.).

Slow foods

We should eat these foods sometimes. We shouldn’t eat them every day. We can eat them a few times a week. Examples: juice and sports drinks.

Whoa foods

These foods can make you say “Whoa”! They are popular with children, but should we eat them? We can eat them occasionally (偶尔). Whoa foods are not healthy. Examples: ice cream, cakes and candy.

Now you know the differences between Go, Slow and Whoa foods. You are able to choose what to eat. Be sure to tell your mom and dad, too. Then everyone in the family can learn when to say GO when to say Whoa!