Doris has written a restaurant review on the Internet．

Excellent English food at the Country House

    Last Saturday night，my family and I ate at the Country House．

    The Country House serves traditional English food，we paid about 15 to 20 pounds a person to eat there．

    The food was wonderful．The fish pie reminded me of my grandma．She used to cook it for me．I also had some fish and chips，and it was fantastic．

    The waiters were polite，but a little slow．We were seated at 7 p．m．，but we did not receive our food until 7：40 p．m．

    I would certainly recommend the Country House for good，traditional English food．However，you should get there early and be prepared to spend a lot of time waiting for your food．

    Drones are like airplanes, only without a pilot. No one without a pilot's license should be allowed to have one.

    Something bad or unexpected can happen when people send up a self-controlled flying machine like a drone without knowing how to really control it. Drones can become flyaways, and can be caught up on a jet stream (喷气流) and blown away.  A falling drone can do much damage (损害) to buildings and people.

    Though drones can be harmful, they can be very helpful.

    At a sports event, drones can be used to give the spectators (观众) a view from above or help coaches see how their players are doing.

    They are also becoming a useful tool for firefighters, helping them find and fight wildfires. Drones can watch secretly on populations of animals in the wild, especially endangered ones.

    In some faraway places in the world, drones are the fastest way to send medicine to people who are in great need of it.

    Some people think drones can only be used by governments to help when needed. Others think that if rules are obeyed, there should be little risk to people and property (财产).

    Drone makers say drones are exciting new technology and that the future will be controlled by them.

    In the eyes of many foreigners, Chinese are the best hosts and the worst guests in the world. They're not really bad guests, but because the guest-host relationship in China is much different than in some western counties, it appears they are not nice guests. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Whenever I enter a Chinese person's home, there is always fruit on the table for me, and someone is quick to bring me a cup of tea or water. In the west, generally the guest is not a god. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    My wife's mother, a very kind elderly Chinese lady, doesn't smoke. When I see some of her guests smoking in her house, as a non-smoker, I feel unhappy. Usually I want to stop them directly, but I must realize that in China, to be a good host, she must not do that. In most North America homes, if you are a guest, and the hosts are not smokers, you should not smoke in their house.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#} But, don't be surprised if they say," No, you can't smoke. "

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Some western people may not adapt to these habits very soon. Thankfully my wife is Chinese, so whenever we visit a Chinese family she tells me to buy them a gift. However, giving a gift to a host is not always necessary in my country. So, if you invite international guests to your home, don't be too surprised if they don't bring you a gift.

    In China, you probably won't need to change the guest-host relationship very much because you will probably only be the host, and Chinese are naturally very good hosts. If western hosts invite you to their house, try not to be too surprised if their style of treating you is not what you have expected.

A. In China, guests are almost like gods.

B. Guests in China also have special habits.

C. At the very least, you could ask, "Is it OK if I smoke?"

D. Acting according to the host's way of doing things is usual behavior for a guest.

E. And western guests sometimes look impolite or even rude in the eyes of Chinese guests.

Small talk

    Americans often have short conversations, called small talk, about unimportant things with strangers or people they know but not very well. They may have small talk at parties, while waiting in line at the store, at family events or work. It's a way to say hi and express friendliness.

    Small talk is very useful. It can avoid uncomfortable silences and build stronger relationships. For example, when you first meet someone or talk to someone you don't know well, you can break the ice by making small talk. Small talk with a colleague(同事) about his child may help you to understand more of his life outside the office.

    In 2013, researchers from the University of Essex asked some people to make small talk in a study. They found small talk can make people happier. People who talked briefly(短暂地) with a waiter in a coffee shop felt happier than those who simply went in, ordered and left.

    However some people are not good at small talk. Here are some tips to improve your small-talking ability.

    Firstly, find common ground. When you have something similar with your speaking partner, that means you have something to talk about.

    Secondly, ask open-ended questions. They are suitable(合适的) for small talk. For example, if you ask visitors whether they like your city, they may simply say "Yes." But if you ask "What do you think of our city," they will have more freedom in how they answer.

    Thirdly, become a student. Nobody knows everything. So, as someone is answering one of your open-ended questions, they bring up something about which you know nothing. So, tell them! This lets the other person become the teacher. They feel good about sharing their knowledge and you get to learn something. It's a win-win situation.

    Finally, practice makes perfect. Like anything, getting good at making small talk takes practice.

    If you make small talk in your native language, you might become happier. If you are making small talk using English, you will most surely improve your speaking and listening skills.