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.

We can make mistakes at any age. And most mistakes are about people. "Did Jerry really care when I broke my leg?" "When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it, as a friend? Or did he envy(嫉妒) my luck?" When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it's too late.

 ①  Why do we go wrong about our friends or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. ②   Suppose(假设) someone tells you, "You're a lucky dog." That's being friendly.   ③   But "lucky dog"? There's a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn't see it himself. But bringing in the "dog" puts you down a little. What he may be saying is that he doesn't think you deserve your luck.   ④  

"Just think of all the things you should be thankful for" is another noise that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? The thought in this phrase is that your problem isn't important. It's telling you to think of all the starving(挨饿的) people in the world when you haven't got the new bike you want.

How can you tell the real meaning behind someone's words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture? The look in his eyes? Stop and think, The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.

What did people do to communicate in ancient times? Here are some very interesting answers to this question.

Alphorns（阿尔卑斯长号角） were once used to communicate in the mountains in Switzerland. They are very long and they are very heavy, too. So, alphorns are hard work to blow. Then why use them? Well, they make a loud sound which travels much further than the human voice. Herdsmen（牧民） used them to call cows in the distance for milking. At sunset, alphorns were also used to send a message down to villagers that all was well. These days, they're mostly used as musical instruments.

The people of La Gomera, an island in Europe, have their own special way of sending messages from mountain to mountain. They use a whistled（口哨） language called el silbo, which comes from their language Spanish. Whistling can be heard within five kilorneters, which means it can be used across much greater distances than shouting. El silbo can be used for all kinds of messages, including greetings and announcements. El silbo is used a lot less than it used to be, but primary school students in La Gomera have to leave it.

Did you know it 's also possible to send messages without making a noise? This is called visual communication, and it includes the use of flags and even smoke. Long ago, soldiers along the Great Wall of China used smoke as a warning. If they noticed the enemy from their signal（信号） tower, they lit a smoky fire. When soldiers in other towers saw the smoke signal, they lit fires, too. In this way, messages about the enemy's arrival could travel as far as 800 km in just a few hours.

Dear Yoko,

Let me tell you about my family. I live with my mom, my dad and my older sister. We live in New York. 

My mom's name is Carmen. She's Mexiean and she speaks(讲）English and Spanish. She's a Spanish teacher. She's short and slim（苗条的）。She has long brown hair and brown eyes. My dad's name is David. He's American. He's tall and a little fat! He has short brown hair and blue eyes, He works in a bank which is far from our house. My sister Shania is 14 years old and she loves listening to music. She listens to music all the time! She has long brown hair and green eyes, like me. I have long hair, too. We have a pet dog, Brandy. He's black and white and very friendly.

Write back to me soon please and tell me about your family. 

 Yours

 Kelly