Chocolate is one of the most popular foods in the world. It is popular among people, especially among children. Many people choose it as a birthday gift. When a child gets a box of chocolate as a gift, he may feel very happy.

      Chocolate tastes nice. People eat chocolate candy, chocolate cake, and chocolate cookies. They also drink hot chocolate.

      Chocolate is made from cocoa beans(可可豆). Here are some interesting things about cocoa beans.

      In the past，the Mayas and the Aztecs used cocoa beans as money because they were small，easy to carry，and not easy to find. A turkey cost ninety cocoa beans and a small rabbit cost thirty cocoa beans. They also cooked the beans and  mixed(混合)them with water. Sometimes they added corn or hot pepper. They did not add sugar. The drink was very expensive. Only rich people could afford it.

    All around the world, people drink tea. But tea does not mean the same thing to everyone. In different countries, people have very different ideas about drinking tea.

    In China, for example, people always drink tea when they are getting together. They drink it at any time of the day at homes or in teahouses. They prefer plain tea, with nothing else in it.

    Tea is also important in Japan. The Japanese have a special way of serving tea called tea ceremony（茶道）. It is very old and full of meaning. Everything must be done in a special way in the ceremony. There is even a special room for it in Japanese homes.

    Another tea-drinking country is England. In England, the late afternoon is "tea time". Almost everyone has a cup of tea then. The English usually make tea in a teapot and drink it with milk and sugar. They also eat cakes, cookies and a few sandwiches at teatime. This is the so-called "Afternoon Tea" in Britain.

    In the United States, people drink tea mostly for breakfast or after meals. Americans usually use tea bags to make their tea. Tea bags are faster and easier than making tea in teapots. In summer, many Americans drink cold tea—"iced tea". Sometimes they drink canned iced tea, just as soda.

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    These days, we see a lot of shopping festivals(节日). Singles' Day is a big one for Chinese shoppers. It's on November 11^th(11月11日). In the US, Black Friday is the most well-known one.

    Black Friday is always on the day after the Thanksgiving holiday(感恩节). On this day, stores(商店) give special deals(特价). Shoppers get up very early. They wait in line in front of the stores at 2 or 3 am before the stores open. Sometimes there are too many people. They can't get inside the store. Black Friday is not the only shopping festival in the US. Another one is CyberMonday(网络星期一). This day is always on the Monday after Thanksgiving.

    Personally, I don't like these holidays, because they put too much importance（重要性）on buying things. And that's a trend of over-consumption(过度消费). What do you think of these holidays?

    Coffee and tea are two of the most popular hot drinks. Coffee is very popular in Western Europe and in the Middle East. Different people drink coffee differently. Some people in Northern Europe put cream and sugar in their coffee. But in the United States many people like to drink their coffee "black ", that is, without cream or sugar. Some oriental(东方的)countries such as China, Japan, traditionally drink tea as a national drink. In the Orient, people drink tea without sugar, but in England, where it is also a national drink, it is different. Many people in England put both sugar and hot or cold milk in their tea, while others use lemon. Coffee may also be done differently when it is ordered by the customers, the waiter may ask "regular", which means" Do you want lots of cream in it?" If coffee with lots of cream is not wanted, ask for "black" (no cream)or "dark"(meaning with a small amount of cream in). However, in most cases you may have your own choice by being provided with coffee and cream separately.

    Coffee is the most popular American drink and it is ordered almost at all hours of the day. In the light of statistics(数据), Americans drink 500 million cups of coffee each day.

    As we know, the 2012Olympic Games will be held in London, the UK. The torch relay (火炬接力) is starting. It begins on May 19, 2012and it ends on July 27. During the 70-day torch relay, it will pass through towns and cities including Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford, and Dover. London's Olympic Games will be held from July 27 to August 12.

    The Olympic Flame(火焰) will travel 8, 000miles across the UK. 8, 000torchbearers (火炬手) will carry the Olympic Flame for about 300meters each. Half of the torchbearers should be aged between 12and 24and the rest include people with a story of achievement.

    The torch was designed by Edward Barber and Jay Osger by. It looks like a large triangle (三角形), which stands for the three words faster, higher, stronger. It also means that London is hosting(举办) the Olympic Games for the third time. This is great in Olympic history. The torch has 8, 000circles, standing for the 8, 000torchbearers. The torch relay is one of the most important parts of the Olympic Games.

Emily's Blog

Shut Up Zoos, Not Animals!

You may think that visiting zoos is harmless fun, but you're wrong because zoos are just prisons(监狱) for animals. The difference is that prisoners get out after a few years! Animals in cages look bored and are boring to look at. After all, we all know what an elephant looks like, we've seen them on TV. So why make animals suffer by shutting them up for our fun? Shut up the zoos instead!

Posted by:Emily on April 19, at 18：12 Comments(3)

Comments

I partly agree. But some zoos aren't there for our fun. I've just got back from Jersey Zoo. It saves rare animals and breeds them. Then it returns the babies to the wild. Not all zoos are the same, you know.

Posted by:Angela on April 21, at 18：17

Quite agree! Every time I go to the zoo, I never look into the poor animals' eyes! Kept in the small and smelly cages, they look so lonely and sad. Hope one day they will return to nature, where they can live happily and freely with their families.

Posted by :John on April 22, at 12：21

Personally, I think zoos are fantastic places for children. They can play with animals and enjoy themselves so much there. Also, they learn a lot about animals. Why shut up?

Posted by:David on April 22, at 21：05)