{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Whatwe consider polite at home isn't always accepted outside our borders. Don't beregarded rude or disrespectful on your travels.

Giftgiving should be a happy, positive experience. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Giving sharp, pointyobjects as gifts is considered unlucky. Be careful when presenting flowers inRussia. Yellow flowers suggest cheat or a relationship breakup. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Writing cards or notes while visiting South Korea, be mindful of   
           of your pen's inkcolor. Writing a person's name in red ink traditionally suggests that theperson has passed away.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}If you are invited over to someone's home for a meal, it's recommended that youarrive 10 to 15 minutes later than the requested time.When having a meal inEgypt, don't use the saltshaker (调味瓶)．Spreading salt on your food means youfind the meal terrible.Japan is a very polite nation, and their politenessextends to the mealtime use of chopsticks.It's considered ill－mannered to point or play with foodwith chopsticks.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Using the end that touches your mouth isextremely offensive (冒犯的),not to mention unhygienic (不卫生的)．

    Things You Didn't Know About Stephen Hawking

    Even if you don't keep a close eye on new developments in physics, you've probably heard of the famous physicist Stephen Hawking.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    These days, we know Hawking as a brilliant mind whose theories are difficult for a nonscientific mind to grasp. This is why it may come as a shock to learn that Hawking was a slacker when it came to his school studies.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}With a little more effort, he brought those grades up to about average, but not much better. However, from an early age he was interested in how things worked. He has talked about how he was known to take apart clocks and radios. However, he admits he wasn't very good at putting them back together so they could work again.

    Stephen Hawking took a liking to mathematics from an early age, and he would have liked to have majored in it.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}He hoped Stephen would instead study medicine.

    But, for all his interest in science, Stephen didn't care for biology. He has said that he found it to be “too inexact, too descriptive (叙述的)”{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

One problem, however, was that Oxford didn't have mathematics as a major. The result was that Stephen would attend Oxford and major in physics. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}That's why he chose to study universe.

A. His father wanted to send him to Oxford.

B. His father, Frank, however, had different ideas.

C. Actually, he focused on the bigger questions.

D. He would have rather devoted his mind to more precise concepts.

E. In fact, when he was 9, his grades ranked among the worst in his class.

F. However, there're many interesting facts you might not know about him.

G. Both his teachers and peers seemed to understand that they had a future genius.

    Idioms are one of the hardest parts of learning a language. For those of you who don't know, an idiom is a phrase which has a meaning, but if you translate it word for word, it sometimes makes no sense at all. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Get your act together

    This might be something your teacher says to you if you score badly in an exam or if you misbehave in class. It means you need to improve your behavior or work.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Yes, it's longer and more difficult to say than “I'm sick.” But if your English teacher asks you why you haven't done your homework, he or she is more likely to forgive you if you say that you were feeling under the weather.

    It's a piece of cake

    I don't know why this means what it does, but sometimes you just have to accept that English people use the phrase. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Break a leg

    This is perhaps one of the most confusing yet well-known English idioms. If someone says this to you, do not take offence or think they are threatening you. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It is most often used for people wishing success to actors and actresses before they perform on the stage, but it can be said in other situations, too.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} It's definitely not a piece of cake, especially when there are so many confusing idioms. However, with enough hard work and interest, you will succeed in no time. Break a leg!

A. It shows it's so easy.

B. Pull yourself together.

C. I'm feeling under the weather.

D. They are just wishing you luck.

E. Try your best to use them in various situations.

F. All in all, learning a new language can be challenging.

G. Here are four common English idioms that you can use in a variety of situations.

    Artificial intelligence（AI，人工智能）can help us make phone calls, guide us to where we want to go, or play games. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Researchers from Microsoft recently created the first machine translation system that can translate news articles from Chinese to English, Business Standard reported.

    According to Microsoft's official website, researchers tested the system by asking it to translate hundreds of sentences taken from news stories.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}They concluded that the system's translations were as good as the human translations. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}This is partly because different words can be used to express the same meaning. It can be hard to say which word is more “correct”.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}“Much of our research is really inspired by how we humans do things,” lead researcher Liu Tieyan said.

    One method is called dual learning（对偶学习）. In this method, the system translates every sentence from Chinese to English, as well as translating the sentences back from English into Chinese.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}This is similar to what humans do to make sure their translations are accurate.

        Another method makes use of deliberation networks. This is when the system is made to translate the same sentence over and over. Gradually, the system improves the quality of its translation, like humans who would improve their own writing by going over it again and again.

A. Machine translation is always challenging.

B. However, experts used several methods to improve the system's translation abilities.

C. Then, language experts compared the results to two translations that were done by humans.

D. Researchers collected a lot of data to help the system learn and improve.

E. And now, AI can do even more things.

F. Researchers have worked on machine translation for decades.

G. This way, the system can improve itself and learn from its own mistakes.

Guide for Teenagers

    The teenage years can be tough, and it's normal to feel sad every now and then. But if these feelings don't go away or become so intense that you can't handle them, you may be suffering from depression. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Try not to isolate yourself

    When you're depressed, you may not feel like seeing anybody or doing anything. Just getting out of bed in the morning can be difficult, but isolating yourself only makes depression worse. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Spend time with friends, especially those who are active.

    Keep your body healthy

    Making healthy lifestyle choices can do wonders for your mood. Ever heard of a "runners high"? Physical activity can be as effective as medications for depression, so get involved in sports, ride your bike, or take a dance class. Any activity helps! {#blank#}3{#/blank#}As for food, make sure you're feeding your mind with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

    Avoid alcohol and drugs.

    You maybe try drinking or use drugs in an effort to escape from your feelings and get a "mood boost," even if just for a short time. However, substance use can not only make depression worse, but can cause you to become more depressed.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} You will need special treatment for your substance problem.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Stress and worry can lead to depression. Talk to a teacher if exams or classes seem overwhelming. In addition, if you have a health concern you feel you can't talk to your parents about, see a doctor. A health professional can help you approach your parents and guide you toward appropriate treatment. If you're dealing with relationship, friendship, or family problems, talk to an adult you trust.

A. Even a short walk can be beneficial.

B. Turn to your parents for help.

C. As you get out into the world, you may find yourself feeling better.

D. In short, drinking and taking drugs will make you feel worse--not better--in the long run.

E. The more exercise you do, the healthier you will be.

F. Help is available and you have more power than you think.

G. Ask for help if you are stressed.

    Teenagers do not always agree with adults. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But in a program in New York, adults and teenagers live together in a friendly way.

    Each summer 200 teenagers and 50 adults are invited to join the program. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Everyone in the group works for seven hours a day. They not only keep busy, but also find meaning and happiness in work. Some teenagers work in the forest or on the farm. Some learn to make things like tables and chairs. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    There are a few free hours each day, and weekends are free, too. During the free hours, some of the teenagers learn to take photos or paint pictures. Some sit around and talk, sing or dance. All in all, each teenager has his own way to spend his free time. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} In this program the teenagers and the adults make the rules together. If someone breaks a rule, they will talk about it and ask: "What should we do about it?"

    One teenager talks about his experience. "You stop thinking only about yourself. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}"

A. You learn to think about the group.

B. They, at times, have their own opinions.

C. Teenagers and adults talk with each other.

D. The adults will teach them to make other things too.

E. Proper rules are necessary while people live together.

F. Some teenagers don't know how to spend their free time.

G. They live together for two months as members of a work group.