An important question about eating out is who pays for the meal. If a friend of yours asks you to have lunch with him, you may say something like this,“I'm afraid it'll have to be someplace cheap, because I have little money.” The other person may say, “OK, I'll meet you at McDonald's.”

    This means that the two agree to go Dutch, that is, each person pays for himself. He may also say, “Oh，no，I want to take you to lunch at Smith's,”or“I want you to try the Chinese dumplings there. They are great.”This means the person wants to pay for both of you. If you feel friendly towards the person, you can go with him and you needn't pay for the meal. You may just say, “Thank you. That would he very nice.”

    American custom(习惯) about who pays for dates (约会) are much the same as in other parts of the world. In the old days, American women wanted men to pay for all the meals. But, today, a university girl or a woman in business world will usually pay their way during the day. If a man asks her for a dance outside the working hours, it means “Come, as my guest.”So as you can see, it is a polite thing to make the question clear at the very beginning.

    There is a zoo in my town. I often go there with my parents by 1 on the weekend. It usually takes my father about 2 minutes to drive there. We often leave home at about eight and 3 there at about twenty past eight.

    I like many kinds of animals, but I like  4 best. First, they are very cute. Second, they are friendly, and they are one of China's 5. but now pandas are in great danger, so we must  6 them.

    Now, I'm watching the two pandas in the zoo. I  7 want to go near and play with them. 8 I also want to give them some food. But 9 the rules in the zoo: 1. Don't go near tothe animals. 2. Don't give10 to the animals.

    To make animals live a happy life, everyone needs to follow the rules.

    Cinyee Chiu, an artist from Taiwan, is always happy to try something new. Her amazing works won lots of prizes. Among them, "24 Solar Terms(节气)" is the most popular.

    Ancient Chinese divided a year into 24 parts according to the changes of the weather. It's the 24 solar terms. But not everyone knows them well. Cinyee Chiu put the 24 solar terns in pictures to help people understand them better.

    Cinyee turned each solar term into an animal. But these animals are not just animals. You can also find seasonal fruits, vegetables or beautiful flowers on them.

    When spring comes, water gets warm and fish start to swim around. So Cinyee chose fish as a symbol of Start of Spring. Also, she drew spring vegetables, Chinese chives on the back of the fish.

    White Dew falls on about Sept. 8. It shows the beginning of the cool autumn. There are colorful leaves and cooler nights at this time of year. As the temperature falls, white dew(露珠) is often seen on the grass and trees at night. For White Dew, Cinyee chose a raccoon—a small animal with thick hair. She drew white spots(小圆点) on the raccoon to show dew. And she used the dragon fruit to show the rich colors in autumn.

    The young artist really gave the ancient Chinese culture a new look.

    Different countries have different customs. When you are in different countries, you should follow their customs.

    In China, it's impolite to talk when eating dinner. And you're not supposed to start eating first if there are older people at the table.

Very often people who travel to the United States forget to tip(付小费）. It is usual to tip waiters, taxi drivers and porters who help carry your bags. Waiters expect to get a 15% tip on the cost of your meal. Taxi drivers expect about the same amount.

    In England, make sure to stand in line even if there are only two of you. It's important to respect lines there. It's a good idea to talk about the weather. It's a favorite subject of conversation with the British.

    In Spain, it's a good idea to have a light meal in the afternoon if someone invites you for dinner. People have dinner very late, and restaurants are not generally open until after 9:00 pm.

    In Saudi Arabia（沙特阿拉伯）， men kiss one another on the cheek(脸颊）. Your host may welcome you with a kiss on both cheeks. It is polite for you to do the same.

    In Japan, people usually give personal or business cards to each other when they meet for the first time. When a person gives you a card, don't put it into your pocket as soon as you get it. The person expects you to read it.

    Don't forget to be careful of your body language to express something in conversations. A kind of body language that is acceptable in one culture may be impolite in another.

    Different gestures (手势)mean different things in different countries. Sometimes a gesture that is polite in one country is not polite in another and should not be used. Different meanings of gestures can also cause problems in understanding what another person is trying to say. A gesture that many people do not understand is one that uses the thumb. Most westerners will sometimes show that they like something by holding out a closed hand with the thumb lifting in the air. This is called give someone or something "the thumbs up". Often, only one thumb is used, so it should be "the thumb up".

    The usual explanation (解释)for the origin of this gesture is not really correct. It says that in ancient Roman times, when people were pleased with the way a gladiator (角斗士) had fought, they showed their thumbs up. When they were not pleased, they gave the thumbs down. When a gladiator was given the thumbs up, the emperor allowed him to live. When a gladiator was given the thumbs down, the emperor ordered him to be killed.

    The truth is, however, it was translated into a wrong meaning by mistake. If people wanted to save the gladiator, they put out their hands and hid their thumbs in their hands. If they wanted the gladiator to die, they pointed their thumbs straight at him.