In some countries, lunch time often means soup time! However, soup is just one thing that can be eaten for lunch. What you eat for lunch may be different from the lunch of someone who lives in another country. Let’s see together!

Mexico: Tasting Tortillas (薄玉米饼)

Many children in Mexico eat tortillas for lunch. Most tortillas are made from ground corn. But sometimes wheat flour (面粉) is used. Do you know the shapes of tortillas? Tortillas are usually flat and round, but they can also be made into other shapes. Delicious sauces, called salsas, are often added totacos (玉米卷). These sauces are made from tomatoes, onions and hot peppers.

Russia: Sipping Soup

Winters in Russia are very cold. Maybe that’s why many Russian children eat soup for lunch.   Two of their favorites are cabbage soup and beet (甜菜) soup. Many Russian soups also include potatoes. They are an important crop in Russia. They make soups thick and rich. Eating thick soups can help keep people warm and can fill them up, so hunger is not a problem.

South Korea: Passing the Pickles (泡菜)

Meals in Korea are made up of many dishes. No matter what else is served, there is always rice.   Kimchi (泡菜) is also always on the table. Kimchi is a kind of meat or vegetable. Korean children mix together many dishes at meals. It’s common for their food to be hot and spicy (辣的).

These are what kids are eating for lunch around the world.

2 . Over 30 percent of all food goes to waste, according to The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization（联合国粮农组织）. Supermarkets throw away food that is not sold before its sell-by date, while families throw away food that they can’t finish eating.

The world’s first food bank was founded in the US in 1967. Some people and stores donated （捐赠）extra food to the bank. People could take the food home there if they didn’t have money to buy any for themselves. In Shanghai, there is a “shared fridge” in some communities. It is free for everyone to take food from it.

A UK company called The Real Junk Food Project says that food that has passed its sell-by date is still safe to eat. They collect this food from supermarkets and sell it in cafes. You only have to pay as much as you feel is necessary. If you don’t want to spend money, you can volunteer at the cafes instead.

What else can we do to stop food waste? The answer is simply buying less food.

3 . Nowadays, WeChat is becoming more and more popular in the world. No matter where we are, on the light train, in a coffee shop, even in the street, we always find people using WeChat around us.

According to some people, there are lots of reasons for the popularity of WeChat. First of all, it is easy to use. You can log in to it with your phone number and start a conversation by tapping the Speak button. In addition, WeChat is a wonderful platform for people to share a great deal of information. Meanwhile, using WeChat, you can also have group chats, pay, play online games, send lucky money or find new friends nearby to talk to.

On the other hand, some people argue that although WeChat benefits us a lot, it has some drawbacks. When using WeChat, people may forget time and some may even get addicted(上瘾) to it, which will affect their study or work. At the same time, spending too much time on the screen does affect eye health, which may cause trouble. Worse still, people may give away their personal information while using it, which may lead                    to crime.

As far as I know, everyone should use, WeChat within limits. I insist that we shouldn’t spend too much time on it. And it’s very important for us to protect ourselves when we use it.   

4 . Friends are an important part of our lives. We spend time with them, have fun together, and share our opinions, feelings and even secrets. Life would be boring without friends. Friends influence who we are, help us learn, support us in good and bad times, and care for us even when we are not happy.

Often, we have many happy moments with our friends. We need someone to share things with to make them more enjoyable. Being lonely for long periods of time is not a great feeling. That is why it is important to spend time making friends and nurturing (维持) a close group of friends.

It is important to have a friend to talk to, whether it is about a sad or happy subject. In good times, it is wonderful to be able to celebrate with someone. It is also important to have someone support you if you have just had an unpleasant experience. Friends are important pillars (中心人物) of support.

Friends teach us important lessons. No one person is the same. As time goes by, we learn to respect one another’s differences. This acceptance of others’ differences is important as we meet more and more people in our lives such as new family members, neighbors and new friends.

5 . You might think the largest library in the world would be in Europe. But it isn't. It's in Washington, D. C. It's called the Library of Congress.

President John Adams started the library in 1800 for members of Congress. He wanted them to be able to read books about law. The first 740 books were bought in England. They were simply set up in the room where Congress met. Then Thomas Jefferson sold Congress may of his own books. He felt Congress should have books on all subjects, not just on law. This idea changed the library fundamentally.

The library grew and grew. Now it covers acres of land. It has 20 million books as well as scores of pictures, movies, globes and machines. Experts in every field work there. Hundreds of people call every day with all kinds of questions. Many of them get answers right over the phone.

The library is a huge storehouse. Thomas Edison's first movie and Harry Houdini's magic books reside there. And it is the proud owner of the world's best collection of comic books.