Here is some must-know information from a handbook on how people behave in doing business in some countries.

In Brazil

    Brazilians are warm and friendly. They often stand close when talking and it is common for them to touch the person on the shoulder. People often greet each other (particularly women) with light cheek kisses. Schedules tend to be flexible, with business meetings sometimes starting later than planned. But to be safe, be on time. Meals can stretch for hours—there's no such thing as rushing a meal in Brazil. Lunches also can start in the mid to late afternoon. Brazilians are social, preferring face-to-face communication over mails or phone calls.

    In Singapore

    Singaporeans shake hands when they meet and often also greet each other with a small, polite bow. Business cards should be offered and received with two hands. Arriving late is considered disrespectful. So be on time. Efficiency(效率) is the goal, so meetings and dealings often are fast-paced. Singaporeans are direct in their discussions, even when the subject is about money. Rank is important and authority is respected. This determines both people interact in meetings. For example, people avoid disagreeing outright with someone with a higher rank.

    In the United Arab Emirates

    In the UAE, status is important, so the most senior or oldest should be greeted first with their titles. The handshake seems to be longer than elsewhere. So, do not pull away the handshake. Women should cover themselves when it comes to dress. Men also tend to be covered from neck to elbows(肘部) and down to the knees. People do not avoid entertaining in their homes, but they also hold business meals at restaurants. Touching or passing food or eating with your left hand is to be avoided. When meetings are one-to-one, if your host offers you coffee, you should refuse. It might seem odd, but it is a cultural tradition. Coffee should only be accepted if it is always set out or presented.

    In Switzerland

    The Swiss tend to be formal and address each other by last name. They also are respectful of private lives. You should be careful not to ask about personal topics. Punctuality (守时) is vital, something that comes from a deep respect for others' time. Arrive at any meeting or event a few minutes early to be safe. They also have clear structure in their companies. Higher-ups make the final decisions, even if others might disagree. Neat, clean dress is expected. The Swiss follow formal table manners. They also keep their hands visible at the table and their elbows off the table. It is polite to finish the food on your plate.

    February 14th is Valentine's Day! In China, it is only a day for boyfriends and girlfriends. But my teacher and my friends in America told me that Valentine's Day is a public day.

    This was my first Valentine's Day in America. I didn't understand the customs clearly. Maybe I didn't need to send any gifts. I watched others to see what they did, so next time I can understand.

    On that day, when we began the reading class, Mr. Peters gave every student some chocolates and said, “Happy Valentine's Day!” I was very happy. The teacher gave his students gifts and blessings! I never saw that in China. Maybe American teachers are very different. I didn't buy a gift for the teacher, so I owed a gift to the teacher. Anyway, I want to say, “Thank you teacher, and I'm sorry.”

When we had a break, one of my classmates gave me a Pokemon card. It was very funny. I felt we were children. I thought I owed a gift again, but I felt thankful. It was another gift, but it was from my new classmate.

    When we were moving to our grammar class, suddenly I heard someone calling me, “Shelly!” I stopped. Another classmate who had only been in our class one day gave me some chocolates. She said, “These for you and your friends. Have a good day!” I was looking at her leaving and thinking she spoke Arabic. We were in the same class only one day, but now we are friends. That's very good, but I owed a gift again.

    When I came home, my Chinese friend sent some roses and chocolates. I was surprised and happy because I had never received roses in my past life, but I hoped it was the last gift. I didn't want to owe more gifts.

    Devon Gallagher, a college graduate from Philadelphia, wants the world to know exactly here she's been during her worldwide vacation in a special way.

    The traveler, who was born with a bone disease, had her right leg amputated(k)at the age of four. Although the amputation caused setbacks for Gallagher early on, she now sees it as nothing short of inspiration for living her best life.

    To spread that message, Gallagher has taken to social media, where she shares photos of her travels across the globe, but instead of simply using a geo-tag, she writes her location across her artificial leg before taking a picture.

    Now she has been taking pictures across the Continent, which show her cycling over the canal in Amsterdam relaxing on a wall overlooking the city of Barcelona, posing with a waffle in Brussels, taking in the spectacular Parthenon temple in Athens and enjoying a river cruise in Budapest, all with the well-known locations written on her artificial leg “I get a new leg every two years and I can choose the design on it. One day I had a sudden thought to get a chalk-board, "Gallagher said. "My mum and grand-mother weren't too keen on the idea, but my friends thought it was great and told me to go for it, so I did.”

    Gallagher said people often stare when she's writing on her leg, but once she shares the photos she receives only positive feedback. "My leg hasn't stopped me from doing anything I've wanted to do," she said. "I don't know if it's my determination to prove to myself that I can do it, but regardless, I've been able to keep up with my peers and lead a pretty great life, Gallagher shows us that you should never let anything stand in the way of your dreams. And if life gives you an artificial leg, make art

    I travel a lot, and I find out different "styles"(风格）of directions every time I ask "How can I get to the post office?"

    Foreign tourists(游客) are often confused(困惑)in Japan because most streets there don't have names; in Japan, people use landmarks(地标)in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, "Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop."

    In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, "Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile."

    People in Los Angeles , California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure(度量) distance in time, not miles. "How far away is the post office?" you ask. "Oh," they answer, "it' is about five minutes from here." You say, "Yes, but how many miles away is it ?"They don't know.

    It's true that a person doesn't know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, "Sorry, I have no idea." But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers "I don't know." People in Yucatan believe that "I don't know" is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!

    A new device (设备) called Orion is helping those who are blind to see. It does this in a new way by helping them experience the world around them.

    Jason Esterhuizen lost his eyesight after a car accident. He never thought he would be able to see light or movement again. But now with the movement of a switch (开关), his world suddenly grew brighter.

    He says, "I still can't put it into words. I mean from being able to see absolutely nothing, it's completely black, to all of a sudden seeing little flickers (闪烁) of light move around." It is not full or normal sight, but Esterhuizen can move about in the world around him.

    The new technology uses several parts. One is a small device placed in the brain. The other parts are a video camera on sunglasses and a processing device that can be carried in a person's clothes. When the user points the camera, a signal goes to the processor (处理器) and then back to the glasses. The glasses then are in wireless communication with the device in the brain. The information causes a pattern to develop in the part of the brain. The pattern helps users sense or see movement and shapes of light. And it all happens in seconds.

    Esterhuizen is one of just two people in the U.S. testing this technology. He says that "I can tell someone moving across the room, walking past me or walking away from me, or it's a light against the wall. It is just amazing to have some form of functional vision again." He adds that now he can do everyday activities around his home that he once could not. It is easier to walk outside.

    The researchers believe that one day this technology could help people who have lost their vision because of illnesses like diabetes. It may also help those with poor vision or who were born blind.

During my last stay in France, I got used to biking down a quiet road. Round a corner, I 1 a little house. In its yard, there was an elderly woman. I waved at her as I went by, and she must have thought I was some 2 tourist, because she didn't wave back.

The 3 thing happened the second day. But on the third day, the old woman 4 a wave, and by the fourth day, she nearly got out of her chair as I5 to her.

"Good morning, Madam!" It became a small ritual(礼节) between us.

On my last ride there, however, I didn't' t6 the lady there. Back at my house, I told Roger, the gardener, of my missed7

"She has a bad leg and has gone to the hospital for8 , " he said.

"Who is she? "I asked.

"The 9 road used to be a railway, and the lady's husband was once the stationmaster," Roger explained, "Several times a day, 10 a train passed, the couple would see passengers waving to them excitedly. 11 , the station was moved away. Everything is 12 except for this couple. She has 13 the trains and the waves. And you just brought them back to her14 ,"

By reaching out, in a way that cost me nothing, I had given more than I had15 .