The tallest building in the United States, the One World Trade Center, opened on November 3, 2014 in New York. The building is 1,776 feet tall, making it the 3rd tallest building in the world. It has 104 floors. The building stands in the area where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once stood. On September 11, 2001, a group of terrorists destroyed these twin towers and killed nearly 3,000 people. It took 8 years to build the new One World Trade Center. Does the height of the building in feet reminds you of something in history? The number is the year when the United States declared(宣布) its independence (独立)from Great Britain.

 One problem with such a tall building is how to clean the windows. Well, a platform(平台) hangs from ropes, and workers on the platform clean windows. On November 12, while two men were busy cleaning windows, a rope of the platform broke near the 68th floor. The two men were saved by cutting a hole in the glass window.

 The two tallest buildings in the world are the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE and the Makkah Royal Clock Tower in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

 Birthday Traditions in Different Countrles

 England

Certain symbolic objects are mixed into the birthday cake as it's being prepared. If your piece of cake has a coin in it，then you will be rich. Also, when it's your birthday，your friends give you the“bumps".They lift you in the air by your hands and feet and raise you up and down to the floor；one for each year you lived，then another one or two for luck.

 Denmark

A flag is flown outside a window to show that someone who lives in that house is having a birthday. Presents are placed around the child's bed while he/she is sleeping，so he/she will see them at once upon awakening.

 Holland

 Special year birthdays such as 5，10，15，20，21 are called“crown”years.The birthday child receives an especially large gift on a crown year birthday.The family also decorates the birthday child's chair at the dining room table with flowers，paper streamers and balloons.

 Canada

 The birthday child's nose is greased（涂抹）with butter for good luck.The greased nose makes the child too slippery for bad luck to catch him/her.In some parts of Canada，the birthday person even receives a punch（一拳）for each year he/she is alive and then one for good luck.

 Brazil

 The birthday child receives a pull on the ear for each year he/she has been alive.The birthday person also gives the first plece of cake to his/her most special friend or relative，usually mom or dad.

 Korea

 There is a big family party on the first birthday.The table is set with food，and four items：a pencil，a ruler，thread，and money. The item that the baby chooses is said to forecast his/her future：excellent student，good with hands，long life or riches.

 South Africa

 On the twenty-first birthday，a key made of anything from paper to silver to gold is presented by the parents as a sign that the child is ready to unlock the door to their future.

    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, as I have very 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're great." This means the person wants to pay for both of you. If you feel friendly towards this person, you can go with him and you needn't pay for the meal. You may just say, "Thank you. That would be very nice."

    American customs about who pays for dates 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 her bill during the date. 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.

    Almost every child likes sweet things, such as candies, chocolate, ice cream and desserts. But do you know there is a holiday called Sweetest Day in the USA? Does it mean people can eat lots of sweet on that day?

    Sweetest Day is a popular holiday for Americans. People celebrate it on the third Saturday in October. On that day, people show their love to the elderly, children, their good friends or anyone else they want to help. Orphans(孤儿) and patients can also enjoy people's greetings. In fact, anyone may get a gift on that day. It's just a day that offers people a chance to show their love and care to others.

    How did the holiday originate? Here is a story. In 1922, a very kind man in Cleverland, a city in Ohio of America, thought that many poor people in the city needed care from others. He wanted them to be happy and he hoped they would find people always remembered them and cared about them. So he gave them boxes of sweets or small gifts to show his love. He also asked his friends and neighbors to help him do these things. Many people thought it was a great idea. After that, more and more people in Cleverland began to do things like him every year. Gradually(逐渐地) it became a popular holiday for lots of Americans.

    Green is an important color in nature. It is also the color of most growing plants. Sometimes the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes it describes something that is not yet ripe(成熟的) or finished. For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today—a person who is new in a job.

    Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early 1900s. A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.

    The Green Revolution is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.

    Green is also the color used to describe the powerful emotion, jealousy(嫉妒). The green-eyed monster is not a frightening creature from outer space. It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay raise and she does not.