This is my first time in Japan. One day some new colleagues invited me to eat out. At first, I felt quite pleased and learnt to use chopsticks with them, but later the problems started.

My cold was not quite finished and my nose was still running a little so I took out a tissue (纸巾)，turned away from the table and blew my nose(抠鼻涕). My colleagues, who were talking

about how to arrange (安排) the final exams of pupils, were looking at me strangely. They explained to me that in Japan, people don't blow their noses in public especially at the table.

When I was trying to stick my chopsticks in my bowl of rice, one of my colleagues said, “Don't do that. Just leave them on the table.” Later, I found that leaving your chopsticks in your rice means death in Japanese culture!

The next time I needed to blow my nose, I left the table and went to the toilet. When I returned, it was nearly time to leave. I noticed there were some little bowls of tea with lemon next to everybody's place on the table. It was hot, and I started drinking it before it got cold. Then I noticed some of my friends were covering their mouths and looking at each other. They were trying not to laugh. “What's wrong?” I asked the friend next to me. “That's not for drinking,” he explained. “It's for washing your fingers.” For a moment, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

    Ted, my little brother, is in Grade One. Last Friday he came back from school with a letter. The letter was from his teacher. “I got a red flower today. Could you please sign this note?” he said to mum. The note showed that he had been talking in class.

    Ted hardly gets top scores in his school work. The best he gets is “OK”, but he often gets “You can do better than this.” Mum knows what it means. She tells me “You can do better than this” means “Extremely bad” in China.

    In the USA, teachers never say anything too bad about their students, even if the students are making trouble in class or not working hard enough. The worst they might say is “Please be nicer tomorrow”. Many parents are satisfied with a B-grade for each subject.

    But things in Chinese schools are quite different. Parents have high expectations for their children. I sometimes felt that my second-grade cousin spend more time on homework than I did when I was 6^th grade in the US! Yet his parents and teachers didn't think he worked hard enough.

    Is it too strict in China? Or is it not strict enough in the USA? Maybe both are true.

Dear Malia and Sasha,

    I know that you've both had a lot of fun these two years. You have been to many picnics and had all kinds of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn't have let you eat. But I also know that it hasn't always been easy for you and Mom. So now I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey.

    When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me—about how I'd make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world with those smiles and suddenly, all my big plans didn't seem so important any more. I soon found that the greatest happiness in my life was that you were so happy. And I realized that my own life wouldn't mean much if I couldn't make you two happy. In the end, girls, I ran for(竞选)President: Because of what I want for you and for every child in the US.

    I want all our children to go to school so that they can learn and grow. I want them to have the chance to go to college—even though their parents don't have enough money. And I want them to get good jobs.

    I want us to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make our earth cleaner and safer. And I want us to see no difference of different colors and areas because we are all equal.

    I hope both of you will start to give others the chances you've had. You know, this country has given our family so much, so you have to, and really should, give something back. When you are doing something larger than yourself, you will realize how helpful you are.

    These are the things I want for you—to grow up in a world in which you can make your dreams come true. And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and get what you girls have. That's why I've taken our family on this great adventure.

    I am so proud of you. I love you more than you can ever know. And I am thankful every day because you behave so well when we get ready to start our new life together in the White House.

Love，

Dad

    British roads are the safest in the world in 2010, only 3.8 people out of 100, 000 died in road accidents. This number is less than in any other country. If you go there, you should try to driving the same way British people do. This is some advice for visitors who plan to go driving in the UK.

    Drive on the left side of the road. In most countries, people drive on the right side. Many visitors have problems because they forget about this difference.

    If there is a line of cars, don't try to go past other people to get to the called jumping the line. If you do this, other people will get angry with you.

    Stop at traffic lights(交通灯). In the UK, drivers always red, even if there aren't any cars or people around.

    Don't use your horn(喇叭) too much. If you do, people will think you are not polite, If another driver flashes(闪光)their lights at you, then they are probably trying to tell you that they will wait for you to go first.

    If you have an accident. then don't try to bribe(贿赂) the police! If you do, you might finish your visit in prison(监狱).

    Green is an important color in nature. It is also the color of most growing plants. Sometimes the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes it describes something that is not yet ripe(成熟的) or finished. For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today—a person who is new in a job.

    Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early 1900s. A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.

    The Green Revolution is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.

    Green is also the color used to describe the powerful emotion, jealousy(嫉妒). The green-eyed monster is not a frightening creature from outer space. It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay raise and she does not.