C

    When we have a conversation with someone, we may be using more body language than words. However, the same body language may mean different things in different countries. (A)sometimes, that's, understand, correctly, why, don't, each other, people. Pointing to one part of the body can mean differently in different cultures. For example, in the USA people point to their heads when they think someone is clever. However, in Europe it means “He or she is stupid or something is wrong with his or her head”. In our Chinese culture, nodding our head up and down means “yes” and shaking our head from side to side means “no”. However, in parts of India, Greece and Turkey, it means just the opposite. In England or the USA, when you raise your hand and make a circle with the thumb and the second finger, it means “You're all right or everything is OK”. However, if we do this in France or Belgium, it means “You're worth zero”. In Greece or Turkey, we should not make this gesture. Or we are thought to be very rude.

    The meaning of gestures can also change over time. In the 1960s, the “V” sign meant “peace”. However, during World War Ⅱ, it meant “victory”.

    (B)Though the meaning of body language is different, there are some expressions having the same meaning throughout the world, such as smiling and crying.

    The Internet is generally(通常) considered to be the world that belongs to young people. But some old people in Shanghai don't think so. Recently, more than 8,000 people over 50 took part in a web page designing contest in Shanghai.

    The contest lasted for two months and attracted a lot of old people. Among them, the oldest is a 79-year-old retired (退休的) lady. She had learned web page designing for 4 months before attending the contest. She finally got an honorary ( 荣誉的) title of “The Most Senior Participant(参与者)”. About 30 other old people got different prizes such as “The Best Creative Work” and “The Best Fine Arts Work”. Their works' themes included science, technology, Olympics, personal life and so on.

    The organizers of the contest hoped to encourage more and more elderly people to learn more about the Internet world. And many of the participants felt they really got a lot from the contest. “Designing web page enriches my life and makes me feel much closer to the young people,” one participant said.

    The designing of web page is not an easy job. But that doesn't mean it is the patent(专利) of young people. In fact, as the saying goes: “It's never too old to learn.” As for the teenagers, perhaps they should know“It's never late to learn”, whether it is English, piano or others.

    Gift giving is different from culture to culture and person to person.

    When giving gifts, sometimes color is important. For example, for many Chinese people around the world, red is a lucky color, and people often like to wrap gifts in this color. However, did you know that in Korea, red is a color of death? That is why you should not wrap（包装） your gifts in this color if you are giving a gift to a Korean person. What about western countries? In western countries, the color of wrapping paper is not really important. But color does matter when giving flowers, especially roses. You should not give red roses to a western person you don't know very well because they are a symbol of love. You could give yellow roses instead as these are a symbol of friendship. You could also send pink roses as gifts to say thank you.

    What other things should you remember when giving gifts to someone from a different culture? Well, one thing you should keep in mind is the person's religion(宗教). When choosing a gift for a Muslim (穆斯林) or Jewish friend, you should never get food including pork, or things made from pigskin. Another thing that you should not get for a Muslim person is alcohol (酒).

    Schools in the UK are quite different from those in China. In the UK, at the beginning of the term, students must select their courses and teachers first.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So in the first term, don't select too many courses, or you'll feel nervous and it may influence your study. Then you have to ask for some teaching plans. There is some information about subjects, time arranging, marks and textbooks. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Different teachers have different teaching methods.

    If the teacher is called "killer" by the last grade, many students will give up choosing him, because this kind of teacher will leave too much homework, give too many exams and too low grades.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} How to buy textbooks makes each student feel hard. The textbooks in the UK are very expensive. Each copy is about $30 -50. In order to save money, many students buy some used textbooks. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    In class, discussing is very important. The teachers always encourage you to ask questions or show your own opinions freely. They don't usually ask you to sit well. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} They usually don't give you much homework to do. So in the schools in the UK you can learn knowledge and do exercises by yourself. You must do almost all things independently.

A. And some students usually borrow textbooks from the school library.

B. At the same time, you must select the teachers.

C. Selecting is very important for your grades in the UK.

D. Instead, they allow you to sit or stand everywhere you like.

E. There is another thing after you select the courses and the teachers.