“Cool” is a word with many meanings. Its old meaning is used to express a temperature that is a little bit cold. As the world has changed, the word has had many different meanings. “Cool” can be used to express feelings of interest in almost everything.

    When you see a famous car in the street, maybe you will say. “It's cool.” You May think, “He's so cool,” when you see your favorite football player.

    We all maximize(扩大)the meaning of “cool”. You can use it instead of many words, such as “new” or “surprising”. Here's an interesting story we can use to show the way the word is used. A teacher asked her student to write about the waterfall(瀑布) they had visited. On the student's paper was just the one sentence, “It's so cool.” Maybe he thought it was the best way to show what he saw and felt.

    But the story also shows a scarcity(缺乏)of words. Without “cool”, some people have no words to show the same meaning. So it is quite important to keep some credibility(可信度).Can you think of many other words that make your life as colorful as the word “cool”? I can. And I think they are also very cool.

    Different countries have different customs. When you are in different countries, you should follow their customs.

    In China, it's impolite to talk when eating dinner. And you're not supposed to start eating first if there are older people at the table.

    Very often people who travel to the United States forget to tip(付小费). It is usual to tip waiters, taxi drivers and porters who help carry your bags. Waiters expect to get a 15% tip on the cost of your meal. Taxi drivers expect about the same amount.

    In England, make sure to stand in line even if there are only two of you. It's important to respect lines there. It's a good idea to talk about the weather. It's a favorite subject of conversation with the British.

    In Spain, it's a good idea to have a light meal in the afternoon if someone invites you for dinner. People have dinner very late, and restaurants are not generally open until after 9:00 pm.

    In Saudi Arabia (沙特阿拉伯), men kiss one another on the cheek (脸颊). Your host may welcome you with a kiss on both cheeks. It is polite for you to do the same.

    In Japan, people usually give personal or business cards to each other when they meet for the first time. When a person gives you a card, don't put it into your pocket as soon as you get it. The person expects you to read it.

    Don't forget to be careful of your body language to express something in conversations. A kind of body language that is acceptable in one culture may be impolite in another.

A: Welcome to the English club. Can I ask you some questions?

B: Of course. 

A:  {#blank#}1{#/blank#}  

B: No. It's too hard to understand spoken English.

A:   {#blank#}2{#/blank#}  Do you learn English that way?

B: Yes, I do. It helps to write English every day.

A: Have you ever studied with a group?

B: Yes, I have.  {#blank#}3{#/blank#} 

A: Do you have conversations with friends in English?

B: Oh, yes.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#} 

A: What about reading aloud to practise pronunciation?

B: I do that sometimes. I think it helps. I often look up new words in a dictionary.

A:   {#blank#}5{#/blank#} 

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