【推荐1】Three students are talking about the New Year tradition of their own country.

A. Christina from Spain

On the last day of the year, the 31st of December, people wait till 12 pm. Everybody must have 12 grapes to eat at midnight. At each sound of the clock, we must eat a grape. But we can’t ever finish eating the grapes on time! Usually when people still have some grapes in their mouths, they look at each other and start to laugh. This tradition started in Spain long ago. One year, when there were a lot of grapes, the king of Spain decided to give grapes to everybody to eat on New Year’s Eve.

B. Cordon from Britain

On New Year’s Day in Britain, people have parties. At 12 o’clock, the music stops, and we listen to the radio. On the radio we hear Big Ben, the famous clock in London. Then everybody sings a song about friendship and kisses their friends. We say “Happy New Year” to each other. It’s lucky if a tall man with dark hair is the first person to come to the house in the New Year. So I go and visit as many friends as I can. They all give me a drink.

C. Angela from Brazil

In all cities in Brazil, we have a big party on New Year’s Eve, especially in Rio de Janeiro. People in this city go to the beaches to watch fireworks (焰火) .We put flowers in the sea and think about things we want for ourselves or others. We usually wear white clothes for good luck during the new year.

【推荐3】China’s colorful picture menus

Different countries have different customs and cultures, such as they greet each other in different ways, celebrate festivals in their own special ways and so on. There are many habits and customs that are special to China and Chinese people. Because of the powerful influence that China around neighboring cultures, some of these customs are repeated in other Asian peoples—including Japanese and Korean. The following example is from a menu.

When I first arrived in China, some of the first Chinese vocabulary I learned had to do with food. I learned the names of a few dishes, but still didn’t know most of the items I saw on Chinese restaurant menus. Luckily, there were pictures to help me decide.

Nearly every restaurant menu in China has pictures of food in it. But many restaurants I’ve been to in the US don’t. It’s the biggest difference between them. What is the reason of the difference?

One thing I’ve definitely noticed about China is that food is a bigger part of their culture than it is in the US. A common way to greet someone in China is to ask them, if they’ve eaten yet. My Chinese friends post pictures of their meals online way more often than my US friends.

Food is just a bigger deal here—and having pictures of food in menus is part of that. Some menus are almost like works of art, with lively and well-framed photos.

Another factor（因素）is the names of the dishes. Chinese dishes sometimes have fanciful names like “Palace guard chicken” or “three fresh things from the soil”. These are interesting names, but they don’t really tell you what the dishes are like. Therefore, it’s helpful to have pictures so you can actually see what’re going to be eating.

There’s probably even more to it than that. All I know is that I was very grateful to have those picture menus when I first came here all those years ago.

【推荐3】One of the most important meals of the day is breakfast. People should always eat a good breakfast to keep well. Eating the right food is necessary for good health. You should eat different kinds of food in order to keep healthy.

A good breakfast should include eggs, bread, milk and so on. By eating breakfast every morning, you may feel lively in the morning’s work. Stepping out into the morning air after a good breakfast makes you feel wonderful.

Without breakfast, children may not grow as fast as they should and may not study and play as well in school in the morning as they can. They may have more sickness and when they are sick, it may take them longer time to get well than children with good health habits. Food provides energy for the body.

Without food, the body operation will slow down. So you must eat breakfast to keep well and do your best each morning.

【推荐2】It's late at night. David is sitting on his bed and he's looking at his clock. His neighbors are making a lot of noises and David is very angry.

The people in Apartment 2 are dancing. The man in Apartment 3 is singing. The woman in Apartment 4 is practicing the violin. The teenagers in Apartment 5 are listening to loud rock music (摇滚乐). The dog in Apartment 6 is barking (叫). And the people in Apartment 7 are having a big argument (争吵).

It's very late and David is tired and angry. What a terrible night!