One day, an American man Simon went to London to visit his friend, Rick. Rick told him that his flat(公寓) was on the first floor. When he arrived, Simon went straight to the first floor of the building. But a man told him that there was no Rick on that floor. Do you know why?

    In fact, the British (英国人) call the first floor of a building the ground floor. The floor above the ground floor is the first floor, but Americans would call it the second floor.

    The story shows that there are a few culture differences between Britain and America, though the British and Americans both speak English.

    The British don't like showing their feelings. They hardly start a small talk with strangers. For example, on the train the British often spend their time reading newspapers or books. But Americans are quite different. They're more active and easier to talk with.

    The British and Americans may use different terms for the same things. The British usually use "football" "holiday" and "lift", but Americans like to use "soccer" "vacation" and "elevator".

    Australia as a nation is less than 250 years old if the year 1770 when James Cook discovered the land is regarded as a starting point for its modern history. The short history has not produced a big wealth of cultural heritages. For this reason, Australia spare no efforts to protect its culture. The cottage of James Cook is a perfect example of the government and people's effort.

    Built in 1755, Cooks' Cottage is the oldest building in Australia, with a fascinating past. It's a must when exploring Melbourne. Originally located in Yorkshire, England, the cottage was brought to the Fitzroy Gardens by Sir Russell Grimwade in 1934. In 1901 Australia came into being with its capital in Melbourne. To celebrate the birth of the nation, a statue of Captain Cook was built in Sydney where Cook had sailed in and set his steps onto the land. Stamps were printed in honor of the English explorer. However, Australian people would have to travel all the way to Britain to admire the life of the discoverer, so Sir Russell Grimwade, an Australian businessman, offered to buy the old house of James Cook in Yorkshire and relocate it to Melbourne when Melbourne celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1934. Amazingly, each piece was carefully numbered, packed into boxes and then shipped to Australia, along with cuttings of the original coverings. It took nearly a month to reach Melbourne.

    In fact, explorer Captain James Cook never lived in the cottage-he'd been away from home for almost ten years when his father built it-but this connection to the Cook family was enough to prompt Grimwade to transport the cottage to the other side of the world.

    Our new foreign students are going to arrive very soon, and here are some ways to communicate with them politely.

    How close do you stand when you talk to a friend? You can stand close to people in the Middle East but don't stand too close to North Americans! Give them more personal space.

    Do you know how to touch people correctly? Chinese girls often walk arm in arm with their friends. South Americans sometimes hold your arm when they talk to you, so you can't move away! But in Britain many people don't like other people to touch them at all.

    Do you look at people when you talk? In some places，it isn't polite to look at people when you talk，but in other countries it isn't polite to look somewhere else. In Britain and the U. S., people usually look at each other when they talk.

    And how do you say goodbye? That's easy, wave to say goodbye. But be careful! In Greece, it's not at all polite. In fact, it's very rude.