TWO English phrases show what people think about mice and rats: "As quiet as a mouse", and "a dirty rat".

    People think rats are dirty because they live in sewers(下水道) and other unclean places. They also carry diseases(疾病). Having a rat in your house is bad news. They smell terrible and make a lot of noise.

    Calling someone a "rat" in English means they are not to be trusted(信任). Saying "Rats!" is also a way to show that you are angry.

    Mice, on the other hand, are seen as quiet and cute. They live in fields and as unwelcome guests in people's houses. They are small and often kept as pets. Walt Disney's famous character Mickey Mouse helped make them lovable to children. Jerry, from the Tom and Jerry cartoons, is smart and naughty. It makes everyone happy.

    Rats and mice are both classed as rodents(啮齿类). But people think about them in different ways!

    Anne Zhang is a 21-year-old girl from Hangzhou, China. Now she studies in Britain. One day, when she was taking a train from London to Oxford, she heard loud noises on the train.

    Before, the train had been very quiet. Some people were resting while others were reading books or listening to music. Suddenly, a group of Chinese people laughed loudly as they played a game of cards.

    As it becomes easier for Chinese people to get visas(签证) to foreign countries, more and more of them are traveling abroad. However, their bad manners have given them a bad reputation (名声).

    Chinese always talk loudly in places like cafes and museums. They also spit (吐痰) and litter whenever they want and jump queues. Some Chinese tourists also like to write or draw pictures on famous buildings. In Singapore, Chinese tourists are fined(罚款) because they were smoking in Non-smoking areas.

    Some people may say that they can do everything that they want because they spend money in the country. In fact, this is not true. Besides enjoying ourselves, we should respect local customs and take care of the environment.

Information Card

    Hollywood is a shiny, bright place. It is the movie capital of the world. And it is also one of the tourist destinations (目的地) in America. In 1911 the small, peaceful village of Hollywood in California was voted to become part of Los Angeles (洛杉矶). Today, over 100 years later, this village has grown into the home of one of the most well-known industries in the world — the American film industry.

    With this growth came many well-known symbols. There is the famous Hollywood sign which stands above the hills of the town. The first sign was built in 1923. Then there is the Hollywood Hall of Fame (名人堂), where great actresses, actors and directors leave their footprints or handprints. Norma Talmadge was the first actress to do this in 1927. But the most famous of all is the Oscar Academy Awards. Every spring, a large number of actresses, actors and directors wait excitedly and nervously to find out if they have won an "Oscar". This year was the 85th Oscar Academy Awards. It was held on February 25 in Los Angeles. Ang Lee, a Chinese director, won the Award for Best Director again. It was the second time he had won the Award.

    Nowadays it is the home of films, and thousands of hopeful young actresses, actors, writers and directors still come to "the Dream Factory" every year. But not all Hollywood dreams have been happy ones — as one actress, who later died tragically (悲惨地), said, "Hollywood is a place where they will pay you 500 dollars for a kiss, and 50 cents for your soul (灵魂)."

Hollywood

    Here is our pet dog，Mr. Hawkeye. Mr. Hawkeye is seven years old，and we got him from our vet (兽医). He takes in a lot of cats. He receives his name because he is such a hawk (掠夺者) around food. If you are not looking，he will take a sandwich off your plate. He can smell the delicious food in the fridge from another floor in the house，and potato chips are his favourite thing to steal! This comes the name，Hawkeye. Hawkeye was a great animal at the vet. They thought he could bring good luck and he took care of all the new cats，giving them baths，etc. He does that at our house as well. Like I said，he is quite a character and very friendly. He always greets(问候) us when we come home. He has to check out all the bags to make sure if there's food there for him, especially chips!