Most American families are smaller than the families in other countries. Most American families have one or two parents and one or two children each.

    Children in the US will leave their parents' home when they grow up. They usually live far from their parents because they want to find good jobs. They often write to their parents or telephone them. And they often go to visit their parents on holiday. Parents usually let their children choose their own jobs. Americans think it important for young people to decide on their lives by themselves.

    Children are asked to do some work around their house. And in many families, children are paid（支付） for doing some housework so that they learn how to make money for their own use.

    From March 12 to 17 of each year, hundreds of clowns(小丑)get together in the Bonior Regis Town, UK. They all wear tall blue hats and big red noses with colorful faces.

    The first International Clown Festival was in 1987, UK. All the clowns from all over the world came together to celebrate the great festival in England.

    During the festival, people can see clowns from the world. They are together for the world of clown shows. They try their best to please all the people for the festival. In the shows, they have big feet, funny noses and look really funny. They sing and dance in a strange way to make people laugh. All people for the festival can have great fun. Of course, children like this interesting festival best.

    Now women can take part in the clown shows, and they are very popular. But in the old days, only men could be clowns.

    There are different kinds of clowns like white faces, red faces, street clowns and clowns for children. All these clowns are popular with people.

    Some British and American people like to invite friends and colleagues(同事）for a meal at home. You should not be upset if your English friends don't invite you home. It doesn't mean they don't like you.

    Dinner parties usually start between 7 and 8 pm, and end at about 11.Ask your hosts what time you should arrive. It's polite to bring flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine as a present.

    Do you want to be extra(特别的）polite? Say how much you like the room, or the pictures on the wall. But remember--not to ask how much things cost.

    You'll probably start the meal with soup, or something small as a “starter”(开胃菜),then you'll have meat or fish with vegetables, and then a dessert, followed by coffee. It's polite to finish everything on your plate and to take more if you want it. Some people eat bread with their meal, but not everyone does.

    Before they take out their cigarettes after the meal, most people usually ask, “Do you mind if I smoke here?” Did you enjoy the evening? Call your hosts the next day, or write them a short “thank you” letter. Perhaps it seems funny to you, but British and American people say” thank you ,thank you, and thank you” all the time.

    Who wants to eat food that is thrown away as waste? Believe it or not, that's exactly what world leaders did at a lunch held by the United Nations in 2015.

    During the meal, the world leaders enjoyed dishes like salads and burgers made with thrown-away vegetables and fruits. Chef Dan Barber, who helped create the meal, hoped that the experience would make the leaders pay more attention to the issue of food waste.

    It is a huge problem. One out of nine people on Earth does not get enough food. Yet every year over one third of the food produced worldwide goes to waste!

    Why is so much food wasted? Firstly, food is often thrown away before it reaches customers because too much of it is produced, or because it is not kept properly in farms. Secondly, shops and supermarkets usually throw away unsold food. Finally, customers often buy more food than they need, so a lot of uneaten food is wasted.

    How can you waste less food? When eating out, you may ask for less food and take home what is left. Visit fast food restaurant less often, since they usually more wasteful. Encourage your favorite restaurants to give unsold food to food banks.

    You can also waste less food at home. Use smaller rice bowls so that you serve less rice.

    Encourage family members to use unfinished rice to make rice puddings. Tell family members to make a shopping list and buy only what is on the list when shopping for food.

    Food waste is a growing problem and we, either farmers or food sellers or customers, must take this problem more seriously and do what we can to help.

    Do you have a nickname (昵称) ? Most of us do by our looks, clothing, or personality. But for cities, the meaning of their nicknames has much more than that.

    Many big cities have nicknames, such as New York--The Big Apple, London--The Great Smog, and Rome--The Eternal( 永恒的) City. Why do cities have such nicknames?

    In the 1920s, there were many races in New York. People called the prizes of these races apples. Writer John J. Fitz Gerald first called New York the Big Apple, because New York is the place that many people dreamed of going to for the biggest prize of all.

    For Rome, as the name suggests, the answer is simple. Romans believed that no matter what happened to the world, Rome would go on forever. Rome has been an important center of power for more than 2,000 years.

    As for London, in the Victorian period, it had problems with its air. Later in 1952, serious air pollution made 10,000 people fall ill. But now the air of London has become better.

    Does that sound interesting? Does your city have a nickname?