Table manners are very different in every country. For example, when you are in England you must not lift your soup plate to your mouth. This is very impolite. But when you are in Japan this is completely normal. Lifting your plate to your mouth in Japan is a traditional way of drinking your soup. And also in Japan you don't have to worry about making a noise when you drink it. It just shows that you really like the food! But it is not the same in Britain, so you shouldn't make a noise when eating there.   

    In Britain, people don't put their hands or arms on the table during the meal. But in Mexico, guests keep their hands on the table all the time. In fact, you should watch what your hands do very carefully. In Arab countries, it is impolite when you eat with your left hand, so don't do it!

    In all the cultures it is impolite to speak when you are eating.

    In Ukraine you should not start eating first; you should wait for all the others to start eating with you. You also have to say "please" and "thank you" every time you ask for and get something. If you don't like some food, don't make faces and don't say: "Yuk! I hate that!"

    The best way to avoid making mistakes in other countries is to watch the host and try to do as he does.

C

    Life is full of difficulties, from birth to death. When we face with problems, we often feel, "I am the only one having such problems." Or, we exaggerate (放大) our problems and regard them as most painful. But if we look around us, we will find other people may be in much worse conditions.

    Life is not always full of smiles and flowers. Every person has his own difficulties no matter who and where he is. So it's very important to have a correct attitude in your life. Only with the correct attitude can you face up all of your difficulties and finally overcome (战胜) them. First, you have to believe in yourself. That's the secret of success. Second don't blame others when you have difficulties, because it can neither help you avoid difficulties nor help you solve them. And the most important thing is that don't run away or give up. Use your ability to clear the difficulties that appear in your life. Third, remember how you overcome the difficulty because it may help you avoid similar trouble next time. Just take it easy, and enjoy the life even it's full of difficulties.

Information Card

    Life in the future will be very different from life today. What will the change(变化)be? There will be changes in our food. Maybe(或许)no one will eat meat every day. They will eat fruit and vegetables. Computers will be very small, and there will be at least(至少)one in every home. People will take the computers in their pockets. Work in the future will be different, too. Robots will do dangerous and hard work. People will have more free time to travel.

    It may be difficult to start high school. Thinking about making new friends might make you feel nervous.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}You are going to school with a group of students of your age. Here are several suggestions for you to follow.

    Forget your fear and just talk to someone. It's easier said than done. But try to take a deep breath and find your voice. Don't be afraid to approach (接近) people.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Sit in the middle of the classroom with as many new friends around you as possible.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Take part in after-class activities that interest you. Try to make friends in the clubs. If you don't join anything, you will be just going to class and then going home. Being in a club makes you more social.

    Stay clean. No one likes a bad smell that could knock someone over. Shower every day, brush your teeth and wash your hair.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Be respectful (尊重的) of people's differences.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}And everyone believes in different things. It is a good thing to have different friends with different opinions because you can each share your own.