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(尊重) lines there. It's a good idea to talk about the weather. It's favorite subject of conversation with the British.

In Spain(西班牙)，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 do 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(口袋) 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.

    One day an American called Simon went to London to visit his friend, Rick. Rick told him that his flat was on the first floor. When he arrived, Simon went straight to the first floor of the building. But he was told that there was no Rick on that floor. Do you know why?

    In fact, the British call the first floor of a building the ground floor. The floor above the ground floor is the first floor, which Americans would call the second floor.

The story shows that there are a few culture differences between Britain and America, though the British and Americans both speak English. The British usually hide their feelings. They seldom start a conversation with strangers. For example, on the train the British often spend their time reading newspapers or books. But Americans are quite different. They're more active and easier to talk with.

    The British and Americans may use different terms for many things. The British usually use football, eraser and mail while Americans prefer to use soccer, rubber and post.

    Tea to the Chinese is like coffee to the Americans. It's something that they can't live without.

    Chinese tea has a history of more than 5,000 years. It was most popular during the Tang Dynasty. China has many kinds of tea. White, yellow, green, oolong (乌龙茶), black and dark tea are the six main kinds.

    People in different places drink tea in their own way. People in Guangdong and Fujian love to drink “Kung Fu Tea” in small tea cups. They clean the teapot (茶壶) first with boiling water to warm it up. Then they fill the teapot with tea leaves before putting in the boiling water.

    In Beijing, people love jasmine flower（茉莉花）green tea. In Tibet, butter tea (酥油茶) is a popular drink to build up energy.

    There are rules to follow when we serve tea to others. Most importantly, remember to make the cup only seven-tenths full. If the cup is too full, it makes the cup too hot for them to hold.

    Japanese girls love stickers(贴纸). After school, the sticker stores are usually full of young girls.

    Every kind of stickers can be bought in stores. The cartoon sticker with Hello Kitty or Doraemon on it is always the hot topic. Of course, stickers with pop stars are becoming more and more popular. New stickers come out every day, so young girls always go to those stores. Choosing stickers in those stores may be the best time for girls after school.

    Every Japanese girl has a special book to put her favorite stickers. They classify(分类)their stickers according to different subjects. They like to get together in their classrooms or at their friends' houses to exchange stickers. Their talks can go on and on just by talking about their sticker books.

    Young Japanese girls often stick their favorite stickers to cards and then send the cards to friends. For them, the sticker is not only something to collect, but also a tool to know about friends. They can see what their friends like by looking at the stickers they collect.

①Students at a primary school in California, with the help of their art teacher Jessica Martin created a telephone hotline that people can call to get cheerful advice from kids during difficult times. In just days, the hotline began getting thousands of calls an hour.

②Most people agree that the last couple of years have been stressful. Ms. Martin thought her students just might have the magic words needed to bring calm to people. Along with artist Asherah Weiss and students from kindergarten(幼儿园) to sixth grade, she worked on a project they called"PepToc". The project had two parts— one was the hotline and the other was creating encouraging posters. They had the same basic question for all the students:" What could you say to help or encourage someone else?"

③Students working on the hotline thought of what they would like to say. When they were ready, Ms. Martin recorded each one. Later, she put them into different parts of the telephone hotline. It is available in English and Spanish. For example, pressing I brings up ideas for people who are" feeling mad or nervous." Helpful suggestions include" hit your pillow(枕头)," or"     ▲     ". Pressing 2 results in" words of encouragement." This includes messages like" The world is a better place with you in it." Besides, it offers the happy voices of kids sharing positive(积极的) messages and the sounds of children laughing—a sound certain to bring a smile to anyone's face.

④Other students took part in making encouraging posters, which were put up around the town. Many posters had pieces of paper that people passing by could tear off(撕掉) and take with them. For example, one poster said" If you are mad, think of positive thoughts," and had tear- off paper reminding people to" Be happy."

⑤Ms. Martin thought the project would only draw interest from people near the school. But the hotline was soon getting hundreds of calls a day and then, thousands of calls an hour. Word of the hotline spread quickly on Internet. The hotline has become popular with stressed adults, patients in hospitals, older people in homes, and others who just want to hear the happy voices of children.

On January 1, 2024, a library opened in Guizhou Province. Children have a new place to spend their winter vacation—a library in a karst cave (溶洞). 

This is the eighth library that the charity (慈善机构), Dashan Xiaoai built to help rural (乡村的) children. It helps rural children get educational resources (资源) and open children's eyes through all kinds of activities. 

32-year-old Zhou Beilei works on rural education for more than 10 years. On weekends and holidays, these rural children spend much time at home alone and have no chance to get educational resources like bookstores. That's why we decided to build libraries for them. They can do meaningful activities, and develop their love for reading there, " Zhou says. 

She adds that the library is not just a place for books lovers. Lu Xiaoman, a fifth-grader and reader, wrote in the library's guest book that "it is my second home, only more fun and better". 

Built with the support of the local government, companies and kind people, the charity's libraries have around1 120, 000 books, and receive about 18, 000 visitors every month.