It was a dark and cold night.The taxi driver didn't have even one passenger all day.When he went by the railway station,he saw a young man coming out with two bags in his hands.So he quickly opened the door of the car and asked,“Where do you want to go,sir?” “To Star Hotel,”the young man answered.When the taxi driver heard this,he didn't feel happy any more.He knew the young man could give him only three dollars because the hotel was not far from the railway station.But suddenly,he had an idea.He took the passenger through many streets of the big city.

    After a long time,the car arrived at the hotel at last.“You should pay me fifteen dollars,”the driver said to the young man.“What? Fifteen dollars! Do you think I'm a fool? Only last week,I took a taxi from the railway station to this same hotel and I only gave the driver thirteen dollars.I know how much I have to pay for the trip.I won't pay you one dollar more than I paid to the other taxi driver last week.”

    There is something different in this week's blog. Let's look at some birthday customs around the world.

Harry Baker, Perth, Australia

    It's my birthday next Wednesday. I'm going to be 10 years old. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} in my country. My mom's going to make me a huge plate of fairy bread. It's a snack. We make it with bread, butter, and colorful sugar called "Hundreds and thousands".

Jim Dixon, Montego Bay, Jamaica

    I love birthdays! They are a lot of fun. Here in Jamaica, we have an old custom. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Guess what we do? We throw flour (面粉) at our friends! It's my best friend's birthday tomorrow. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} I'm going to buy a lot of flour to throw at him.

Victoria Smith, London, UK

    My grandmother is going to be 100 years old in June. She's very excited because she's going to get a special letter from the Queen. The Queen sends a letter to every person who reaches 100. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Jiang Li, Beijing, China

    In my country, we celebrate birthdays with a special type of the food. Noodles are a sign of long life for us. This year, I'm going to make some "long life noodles" for all my friends. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} and have a great evening!

    Xitang is an ancient water town in Jiashan Country, Zhejiang Province. It is close to Shanghai. Since some scenes of the movie Mission: Impossible Ⅲ were filmed there, it has become very popular, both at home and abroad. More and more tourists from Western countries add this town to their "must — see" lists(列表)when they are traveling in Shanghai and Hangzhou.

    Xitang is a quiet town. You will feel very relaxed in this water town, and be surprised by its beauty. Along the river, over 10,000 people live in the old buildings built during the Ming and Qing dynasties, Most of them run gift shops and provide service for tourists here.

    Somethings special inⅪtang

    Ancient Lanes(小巷)

    There are 122 lanes ill Xitang. long and short, wide and narrow(狭窄的). No matter from which point you start, you can find and other place in the town. It's amazing, isn't it？

    Button(纽扣)Museum

    Xitang mikes all kinds of buttons. Button Museum is on the west street in xitang and it has a collection of over 1,000 buttons through the ages.

    Xiyuan Garden

    Xitang Garden is similar to other classic gardens in the south of China. It has trees, flowers, towers, bridges, lakes and waterfalls.

    Tokyo may be one of those places that you love and hate at the same time. In Tokyo, there are always too many people in the places where you want to go. There are also too many cars. Tokyo drivers often spend a long time in the busy street, just like drivers in London, Paris and New York.

    Tokyo also has a lot of people on foot, and sometimes it is really difficult to walk in the street. The worst time in the street is at 11：30 at night. That is because the nightclubs are closing at that time and everybody wants to go home then. There are more than 30,000 nightclubs in Tokyo, and usually none of them is empty at night.

    During the day, most people go to work by train. Six million train tickets are sold, every year in Tokyo. At most stations, trains arrive every two or three minutes, but at certain hours they are not enough at all. Although trains are always crowded, they are very good in many ways. They always leave and arrive on time. In London trains, you may see everybody reading a newspaper. But in Tokyo trains, everybody seems to be sleepy, no matter whether his journey is long or short. If you stand outside the station for five minutes, there will be three fire engineer going past you. They are on the way to one of the fires that Tokyo has every day. Tokyo has so many surprises that none of them can really surprise me now.

    You are invited to a large party. Loud music is playing, and lots of people are dancing. Do you dance or talk to as many people as you can all night? Later, you cannot fall asleep-you want more conversation! Or do you prefer a quieter corner? Or perhaps you cannot wait to go home early and relax by yourself.

    Which of these people sound most like you? Person A, who tries to talk to everyone and stays late? Or Person B, who prefers to keep quiet and leaves early?

    If you said Person A, you are probably more extroverted(性格外向的) . If you said Person B. you are probably more introverted(内向的), Or perhaps you are Person C and fall somewhere in the middle. Introverted and extroverted are two commonly used words to describe a person's personality. And they are also commonly misused and misunderstood.

    Introverts may be thought as quiet, shy and timid. Extroverts may be thought as bold, confident, loud and full of energy. Introverted and extroverted people may fit those descriptions, But these same descriptions do not define(下定义) introversion and extroversion properly.

    Introverts and extroverts use their brains differently, and they get their energy differently. Introversion is the state of being mostly concerned with one's own mental life. Extroversion is the opposite. Extroversion is the state of being mostly concerned with what is outside oneself.

    People who consider themselves introverts may say they "need to be alone to charge their batteries". However, introverts may still love being social and going to parties. But such activities require time to prepare.

    Extroverts may say, "I don't need 'alone time'. 1 feel more relaxed being around other people. "Even so, extroverts can still feel unsure or not confident among other people.

    So where do you fall on the introversion/extroversion chart?

    Wang Jie is a young talented writer. Her new book The Fifth Day of the Sixth Month in the Chinese Lunar Calendar (《六月初五》) has just come out.

    "I'm happy to write something every day. I have been writing all the years and will never stop," says Wang.

    Wang has lived a meaningful and rich life. Besides being a writer, Wang also has a heart of gold. She has a great love for charity work.

    "We should do our best to end poverty," says Wang.

    She has helped more than 100 children living in the poor mountain villages. She donates much money and books to them. She hopes to help them with their studies and their lives.

    "Doing good deeds, like passing on love and justice(正义) and doing charity work, can make me keep a peaceful mind. I have always been trying my best to have complete peace of mind," says Wang. With a peaceful mind, Wang can write all the way, and her peaceful mind comes from her good deeds. She is a beautiful writer with a beautiful heart.

    We will soon read another book of hers Flowers fall in Chang'an(《花落长安》). It is a thick book with about 600,000 words.