Dear Wang Fang,

    Thank you for your letter. You wrote to ask me about American social customs(风俗) in their dinner party. You are asking the right person. I once lived in America for five years. Now I'll tell you something about it.

    It's a good idea to bring a small present when you go to a dinner party. Flowers are always nice, or you may bring a bottle of wine if you know that your friends drink it.

    You should arrive(到达) on time or five minutes late. Don't get there early. If you're going to be more than fifteen minutes late, you should call before.

    Try to be free at the dinner table. If you don't know about choosing(选择) the right fork or knife, just watch the other people, and follow them. If you still have no idea of what to do, ask the person beside you .

    If you like the food, say so. Of course, you'll thank them for the meal and for their kindness. It's also a good idea to send a card to thank them the day after.

Rose

Answer the following questions with No More Than 5 Words

    A city without cars would be very strange, right? But Venice is such a city.

    Venice is in the northeast of Italy. It wasn't built on land, like Beijing or Shanghai, but on more than 110 islands. Seawater is everywhere around the city.

    Even so, traveling isn't that difficult. The waterway has always been the best way to get around. There are 117 waterways and more than 400 bridges that connect one river with another and can also guide you where you want to go. People in Venice move from place to place by boat. They like to enjoy the scenery and cool summer nights while taking boat trips. They can talk to other people as they go along the river.

    Water makes the city special, but it is also a big problem. Sometimes tourists will have such strange experiences. One moment they walk across the Rialto Bridge, and there's nothing special. But when they come back to the bridge an hour later, it's underwater and everyone is wearing rain shoes.

    Once, people used too much underground water. This made the city get lower little by little. Now the city has gone down by 23 centimeters. Another problem is that the temperature has risen over the years. This has made ice of the Arctic Ocean（北冰洋）melt（融化）.

    Scientists are trying different ways to stop the city from getting even lower. The Italian government has asked some of Italy's biggest companies to build the MOST project, which was planned to be built under the seawater to stop the rising water. Anyway, this project is helping solve the problem.

    Venice lies in the northeast of Italy. You can't{#blank#}1{#/blank#} cars in this strange city. Although it was built on {#blank#}2{#/blank#} 110 islands and seawater is almost everywhere around the city, traveling is{#blank#}3{#/blank#} There are 117 waterways and more than 400 bridges that connect one river with another one. People can take a {#blank#}4{#/blank#}from place to place there{#blank#}5{#/blank#} water makes the city special, it is also a big problem. Scientists are trying different ways to stop the city from being covered by water in the future.

(D)

    According to the traditional Chinese custom, 2018 is just the year of Dog. Ranking as the eleventh animal in the Chinese zodiac -- the Shengxiao, Dog is a symbol of loyalty (忠诚) and honesty.

    ●Self-mocker (自嘲)

    Words and phrases including dogs (Gou in Chinese) are commonly used by young people when telling jokes about themselves. For example, you can say “Valentine's Day has nothing to do with me since I am a single dog.” It is believed that dog-related words and phrases usually have good humour.

    ●Close relationship

    Among some young people, adding “dog” to a friend's name has the meaning of a close relationship. One of the most famous examples in China is that the actor Lin Gengxin is called Lin Gou by his close friends and beloved fans.

    ●Easy to raise

    Kids with pleasant names are easy to bring up, according to an ancient Chinese saying. Parents in the countryside prefer to give nicknames including Gou Sheng and Gou Dan to their kids in the hope that they are as easy to be raised as dogs.

    ●Metaphor (隐喻)

    Since dogs are considered to have many good qualities ( 品 质 ), the word is included in more than 10 Chinese metaphors. For example, “serve like a dog or a horse,” is used to describe someone who is ready to work hard for the people who have powers.

⑴{#blank#}1{#/blank#} ⑵{#blank#}2{#/blank#} ⑶{#blank#}3{#/blank#} ⑷{#blank#}4{#/blank#} ⑸{#blank#}5{#/blank#} 

    The Silk Road is known all over the world.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}It went along the north of China, India, and Persia and ended up in Eastern Europe near today's Turkey and the Mediterranean Sea.

    It was called the Silk Road because one of the major products traded was silk cloth from China. Chinese silk was soft and of high quality. So people throughout Asia and Europe loved it very much.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Even the Romans called China the "land of silk".

    Besides silk, the Chinese also sold tea, salt, sugar, porcelain(瓷器)and spices(香料). Most of the goods were expensive. This was because it was a long trip and trades didn't have a lot of room for goods. They bought goods like cotton, ivory, wool, gold and silver.

    Traders traveled in large caravans (商队). They would have many guards with them.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Most of the road was through dry land, so camels were popular animals for transport.

    Although there was some trade between China and the rest of the world for some time, the silk trade developed quickly during the Han Dynasty which ruled from 206 B. C. to 220 A.D.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}During this time, Chinese traders traveled safely. Also, traders had a higher social position.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}It not only helped develop trade between different countries, but also helped make ideas, cultures and inventions spread across the world.

Dear Bill,

    How are you?

    Here's a photo of my father and my uncle Andrew. This is my father, Carol Smith. He's in a green jacket. He likes sports and his favorite sport is basketball. It's interesting for him. Andrew is next to my father. He is nay father's brother. He likes sports, too. He can play baseball and basketball very well. He likes watching sports games on TV. He always plays sports with my father and me. It's relaxing for us to play sports. But he has only one basketball.

Yours,

Han