B

    In choosing a friend, one should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair-weather friends. They will be with you only if you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities of characteristic, especially understanding, honesty and reliability (可靠).

    Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to give his opinion. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person's place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.

    At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults (过错) in others. He notices their good points. In short, a friend will try to understand me and accept me.

    Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on (信赖) a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need help, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.

    There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience (经验) and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humour, too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.

    When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I've found a friend!

    Vienna (维也纳) is a beautiful old city on the river Danube. It's the centre of European (欧洲的) classical music. From 1750 a lot of composers and musicians came to study and work in Vienna. The most famous family of musicians was the Strauss family.

    There were two composers called Johann Strauss: a father and a son. The father, Johann Strauss the elder, wrote and played music for a classical dance—a waltz(华尔兹). His waltzes made him famous all over Europe.

    The son, Johann Strauss the younger, was even more successful and popular than his father. His most famous waltz was The Blue Danube. He wrote it in 1867. Strauss and Mozart were two of the most important composers.

    Mozart was born in Austria in 1756. Before he was six he played not only the piano, but also the violin. He wrote his first opera (歌剧) at the age of 12 and hundreds of beautiful pieces of classical music. But he died in 1791 when he was only 35. Some people say he was the greatest European composer.

    The Monkey Buffet Festival is on the last Sunday of November. It is a great day for monkeys in Thailand（泰国）. The festival has a history of 25 years. People there think monkeys can bring good luck to them. So, to thank monkeys, they have this special festival.

    On that day every year, people put lots of fruit, vegetables, cakes and even drinks on the tables outside. They are all for monkeys. Many people come to see the monkeys on that day.

    During the festival, there are a lot of interesting activities about monkeys. Young people always dress like monkeys and they sing and dance and play some music on the street.

    Monkeys always live in groups. Most of them live in the trees. They are good at running and jumping. They eat fruit, vegetables, flowers and birds' eggs. Monkeys are smart. Do you think so?

    As we know, there are differences between western culture and Chinese culture. We can see differences when we pay attention to the way words are used. Let's look at the words about animals and plants. Most expressions in Chinese about dogs, for example, a homeless dog, a mad dog and a dog catching a mouse, have negative meanings. But in western countries, dogs are thought to be honest and good friends of humans. In English, people use the dog to describe positive actions. For example, you are a lucky dog means you are a lucky person. And every dog has its day means each person has good luck sometimes. To describe a person's serious illness, they say sick as a dog. The word dog-tired means very tired. However, Chinese love cats very much. But in western culture, cat is often used to describe a woman who is cruel.

    The rose is regarded as a symbol of love in both China and some western countries. People think the rose means love, peace, courage and friendship. And the rose is the national flower of England, America and many other countries.

    The words about plants and animals are used in positive or negative ways in different cultures. We can learn about many differences in cultures by comparing how some words are used.