Autumn is a beautiful season. For many Chinese, the season is also a time for rebuilding(恢复).

    Chinese herbal medicine(中药)science says that people get tired and weak(虚弱的)during the hot summer. So when it comes to autumn, we need to rebuild. There is a tradition called tieqiubiao(贴秋膘). It means to eat some meat in autumn. This can help people get ready for the coming winter.

    Autumn is also a great season for outdoor activities; Chinese people think that fresh air in autumn is good for our health. The Double Ninth Festival is an important Chinese festival in autumn. On that day, families get together and climb hills for luck in the hope that old people will live much longer. Other good outdoor activities are hiking, biking and having picnics.

    It has been forty years since China's Reform and Opening-up(改革开放). Let's see how China has changed through the years.

    1978—1988: New Look

    In a 1978 Japanese documentary(记录片) China's New Look, there was a scene showing Chinese people' life back then. In front of an old-fashioned TV set, some Shanghainese gathered around to watch a TV show. In 1981, only one out of every 170 city families in China had a color TV.

    1988—1998:         

    In October 1990, the first McDonald's on the Chinese mainland opened for business in Shenzhen. It quickly became the hottest tourist spot(旅游景点). "Many Chinese customers waited in line and shouted to the shop assistant, "I want 10 Big Macs," recalled a waiter at McDonald' s at that time.

    1998—2008: Here Comes WTO

    For many Chinese, the year 2001 was very unforgettable. It marked the start of a new millennium(一千年) and led to a whole new era(时代) as China joined the World Trade Organization(WTO). From 2001 to 2017, China's average(平均) growth of the import(进口) of goods and services was more than twice the world's average.

    2008—2018：New Beginning

    Shanghai, a city of long-time business culture, is always a step ahead in China's foreign trade. With the successful hosting of China's first import expo(展览会) in November 2018, the city went on to develop China's import business. The expo will be remembered as a new beginning for China's import history.

    As a well﹣known Chinese TV hostess, Dong Qing is now hosting two cultural shows, Chinese Poetry Conference and Readers. The two shows are encouraging people to love traditional culture and find the beauty of life.

    Dong was born in a highly educated family in 1973. She had a great love for traditional literature（文学） from an early age. In 2015 when she was about to study in the U.S, Dong received an invitation from the director of Chinese Poetry Conference asking her to be the hostess. Because of her passion for traditional literature, Dong accepted the job.

    "The contest interests me very much. Hosting it is a process of learning about poetry and performing," said Dong. To her great joy, the show has become more and more popular.

    Under the slogan (口号) "Reading touches people's hearts", the new TV show Readers has become a success. It invites famous guests from all walks of life to read something. Dong works as both hostess and producer.

    Readers became a turning point in Dong's 21 years of hosting. She said it brought her "quite a huge challenge".

    "There is no shortcut（捷径） in this world. If you want to be a good host, you need to make thorough preparations," said the beautiful hostess. "The charm of life lies in its unknown, so we just have to try and keep going."

    Mark Twain tells a boy's story in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Huck is a poor child without a mother and a home. His father drinks too much alcohol and always beats him.

    Huck's situation frees him from the restriction of society. He explores in the woods and goes fishing. He stays out all night and does not go to school. He also smokes. Huck runs away from home. He meets Jim, a black man who has escaped(逃脱)slavery(奴隶制).They travel together on a raft(木筏)made of wood down the Mississippi River. Mark Twain started writing" Huckleberry Finn" as a children's story. But it soon became serious. The story tells about the social evil of slavery, which is seen through the eyes of an innocent child. Huck's ideas about people are formed by the white society in which he lives. So, at first, he does not question slavery. Huck knows that important people believe slavery is natural and this is the law of God. So he thinks it is his duty to tell Jim's owner where to find him.

    Later, Huck comes to understand that Jim is a good man. He finds he cannot carry out his plan to inform Jim's owner of his whereabouts(下落). Instead, he decides to help Jim escape. He decides to do this, even if God punishes him.

    Table manners are how to behave when you eat a meal. They include how to handle knives, forks and spoons and how to eat in polite manners. To behave well abroad, you are to know some table manners.

    Eating manners

    Japan: It is "perfectly" okay to slurp when you eat noodles. Unlike making big noises, slurping slightly is not rude. Japanese also say it tastes better if you slurp.

    Russia: Your wrists should be placed on the edge of the table while eating, a fork in the left hand, and a knife in the right hand. It is not good manners to rest them on your lap. Keep your elbows of the table. Leave some food on your plate to show that the host has given you enough to eat.

    France: Never discuss money or religion over dinner. What is different from the manners in Russia is that finishing everything on your plate is considered good manners.

    Mexico: Whenever you catch the eye of someone who's eating, even a stranger, its good manners to say "provecho" which means enjoy. In Mexico, dining is more than a meal. It's a social occasion-lunches are seldom quick and suppers can last for hours. Where you sit matters in the country. Before you get seated, look for place cards, or wait until the host seats you. And you must say"enjoy your meal"before you leave the table.

    Drinking manners

    America: If you empty a bottle into someone's glass, it obliges that person to buy the next bottle. It's polite to put the last drops into your own glass.

    Australia: In a pub it's usual to buy a round of drinks for everyone in your group. When it's your turn, say "It's my round. "When it's their round, they will buy it for you. Don't leave before you' ve bought a round.

    Japan: Don't fill your own glass of alcohol. Instead, you should pour for others and wait for them to do it for you.