Are you ready to celebrate World Letter Writing Day on September1? Writing something down may seem like     1     out-of-date idea in this day and age, but it can be one of the most interesting things for you to do. The letter can be a love letter, or even one     2     (simple) written to create memories.

The day     3     (found) by Australian author and photographer Richard Simpkin,     4     loves writing letters. It all started when he began writing to individuals     5     (consider) to be Australian legends, and he also received their    6     (reply). Later, his experience of exchanging ideas with these celebrities (名人) by letter made     7     possible for him to print the book Australian Legends.     8     (honor) handwritten letters, he created World Letter Writing Day in 2014.

Letter-writing itself     9     (be) present for centuries. In ancient times, letters were written on special objects, such as wood and even metal. In the 17^th and 18^th   centuries, letters were a     10     (power) tool for people to communicate. This is why a few letters gathered from the past can serve as documents of personal or diplomatic (外交的) communication for historians.

Nowruz, also known as the Iranian New Year or the Persian New Year, is a holiday     1     (wide) celebrated in Asian countries like Iran. The holiday is believed to have been celebrated since 555 BC. But it was not until 2010 that the United Nations General Assembly officially     2     (recognize) it as a holiday.

Being     3     holiday marking the first day of spring and the renewal of nature, Nowruz usually falls around March 20th on the Gregorian calendar. As with most     4     (holiday), it comes with its own set of traditions. They include the “Haft Sin” table,     5     is made up of seven symbolic items starting with the Farsi letter “S”, all representing a     6     (vary) of hopes for the new year, including health, wealth and prosperity. People also welcome the new year     7     sparkling (闪亮的) homes and new clothes. They visit friends and neighbors and share meals and host parties. Communities come together     8     (celebrate) the beginning of spring and do so in hopes they will be surrounded by healthy and clean surroundings in the new year.

Nowruz plays a significant role in     9     (strengthen) the ties among peoples. Its traditions reflect the ancient and     10     (culture) customs of the civilizations of the East and West, and they’ve influenced those civilizations through the interchange of human values for thousands of years.

4 . Cultural Differences of Teenagers

Knowing the cultural differences between yourself and others of your age can help you understand friends who are of a different race or culture.     1     You’ll also know if you arc misunderstanding your friend’s behaviour when it seems like he/she is being rude. The major differences between Asian and American teenagers lie in the following aspects:

Family

Family comes first in the Asian culture.     2     While Asian families have a greater dependence on each other, American families encourage their children and teenagers to be independent.

Friendship

Some Asian teens generally prefer having a small group of life-long friends. They are committed and loyal to their friends. Americans often prefer a larger group of friends. There might be less commitment to keeping friends for life because of their bigger pool of possible friendships.

Working Relationships

If you are working on a group project with teens from China or other Asian countries, they might focus on developing a good relationship with you.     3     Developing relationships with their group members might come second.

    4    

In China and many other Asian countries, making direct eye contact is considered rude and disrespectful. However, in America and some European countries, it is not only seen as appropriate but also necessary because it means the person is paying attention. In Asian culture people are usually more comfortable with less personal space than Americans arc. A touch on the shoulder or an arm is common for Asians even if you don’t know one another.