At 18, many American young people go off on their own. They go away to college or find full-time jobs, and they often pay for their own apartments. Some get married and start families. This independence（独立) is learned from childhood.
     From an early age, American children learn to do things by themselves. Children as young as 2 begin to put away their toys and dress themselves. At 3, many children do simple chores like setting the table.
     Using money in the right way is also taught early. As soon as a child understands the value of money, he or she receives a weekly allowance. This is used for things the child wants, like toys or treats. The child can spend or save it, usually with little help or advice from parents. If the child wants more money, it must be earned by doing extra chores.
     Children are taught early in life to think for themselves. They are allowed to make some decisions and make mistakes. Failure often teaches more than success.

    February 14th, Valentine's Day, is a complicated but interesting occasion. First of all, Valentine's Day is not a holiday from work. No one gets a day off. In many countries it is observed by sending cards to your friends and candies or flowers to your husband or wife if you're married, or to your boyfriend or girlfriend if you're not married. In Japan, some girls even give their fathers chocolates.

    Why is this holiday for people in love called Valentine's Day?

    One explanation comes from a Christian man whose name was something like "Valentine". He lived at a time when the Roman Emperor refused to allow any Roman soldiers to get married for any reason. Many couples came to Valentine to be married. So he would secretly marry them in a Christian ceremony. He was discovered and put in prison by the Emperor. One tradition says that he wrote notes to his friends by marking on leaves and then throwing them out of the window of his prison. The leaves were shaped like a heart. Valentine was killed on February 14th and Valentine's Day recalls his tragic death.

    On Valentine's Day, American elementary school children make or buy Valentine cards, write the name of a classmate on them, and take them to school and put them in a special Valentine's Day box. And then on that day the box is opened, the cards are taken out and given out.

Paper cutting is one of the most popular traditions in China. It is popular among Chinese people because it is cheap and easy to make. Paper cutting is cutting paper with scissors {#blank#}1{#/blank#} knives. Chinese people like red, so paper cuttings are often red. We believe they can bring us happiness and make us {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. People use paper cutting to express their wishes for important days. 

It {#blank#}3{#/blank#} a long time to practice paper cutting so young people feel bored about it. This is one of the {#blank#}4{#/blank#}why paper cutting is not popular among them. Perhaps there will be no more paper cutting {#blank#}5{#/blank#} sixty years, and we will lose it in the end.