Dear Mike，

      I'm so glad you're coming to China! Your mother，our foreign English teacher，told me you're worried about what you should and shouldn't do as a guest in China．Here's some advice．You will probably be invited to a big meal. You may find it earlier than you expect because Chinese people eat dinner much earlier than people in the West．There will be a lot of different dishes，not just three courses．You may find it difficult to use chopsticks if you haven't tried before．It's a good idea to get some practice．When the food is served，you should take time to look at it. The preparation takes a long time and everything will look beautiful．The plates will be placed in the middle of the table，for everyone to share．Take a little of everything and then have some more of the things you like．Chinese people like to talk about food，so it's a good topic of conversation．At the end of the meal，you will usually be served with fruit．Eat your fruit，thank your friends， and go．

      I hope this is helpful．E-mail me if you have any other questions． 

                                                                                                                              Yours，

                                                                                                                                   David Zhang

    “No man is an island” is a well-known line from John Donne's Devotion， written more than three hundred years ago. Even now people still agree with him. No one can live a completely isolated life. Without other people， life became empty and sad. We all need friends.

    For some of us， though making friends is not difficult， feeling shy， we may not want to make the first move. It is also difficult at times to keep the friends we already have.

    There are many books about friendship， but Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence (影响) People， written in 1936， is the most famous. This “how to” book about getting along with other people became a best-seller. It was later put into 28 languages.

    Dale Carnegie's advice (劝告) seems to be simple， but can his advice help you? Do you need to change the way you act? Here is the list of advice from his book.

1)Be friendly and polite.

    Always greet with a smile. Begin with “excuse me” or “would you please”， when you want to ask somebody. Remember to say “thank you” and try to be as helpful as you can.

2)Go out of your way to be nice.

Find some time to do special things for other people. Making some soup for a sick neighbour may seem like a little thing to you， but it will make your neighbour feel a lot better.

3)Remember names.

    They say that the sweetest music to a person's ears is the sound of his or her own name.

4)Be open-minded.

    Try to understand other people's ways and ideas and learn something from them.

5)Listen patiently.

    When someone is talking to you， look at him or her， listen carefully and say something when necessary.

    Do you have any foreign friends? Do you know their characteristics（特征）?

    The Germans are very quiet and they always keep calm. They don't like to speak more words. They look very serious. They like different kinds of amusements（娱乐）. The Germans are very hard－working. They like tidiness, especially the women, who always keep their home clean.

    In some ways, the Englishmen look the same as the Germans. They are very quiet and never talk too much with the strangers. They are really polite, so we often hear they say “Thank you.” Or “Sorry.” The gentlemen are also the Englishmen.

    The French's holidays are very long. They like traveling and usually spend their long time staying in other countries. The Frenchmen are more outgoing than the Germans. It is very easy to make friends with them.

    Compared to the Frenchmen, the Americans are more outgoing. And they are even opener than all of the Europeans（欧洲人）. They don't like to depend on others. So it is very common that the students do part-time jobs in their free time. And in Americans' eyes, success is an important part in their life.

参考单词：1. decent 合宜的, 得体的; 2. reputation 名声; 3. incidental 伴随发生的

    Hollywood movies are regularly filled with sex and violence. They can be exciting films but sometimes all you want is a little light-hearted entertainment.

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    Have you heard of Bollywood? All singing, all dancing and unrealistic, it is the perfect alternative to normal Hollywood movies. Bollywood is the Indian film industry, based in Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. Most Chinese school kids have probably never seen an Indian Filmgare Awards, Bollywood's Oscars, turn 50 years old.

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    The typical Bollywood movie usually has the following ingredients: a cup of romance, a teaspoon of comedy, a dash of international sight- seeing, served with a huge slice of singing and dancing. There will also be one brave hero, one beautiful heroine and one baddie. The result is a fun-filled musical.

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     There is never any mention of politics, poverty or war. The actors change clothes and locations within a single song. But the audiences don't mind. To Indian movie lovers, especially the poor, such films are a gateway to heaven and the stars are their gods. The films take them to a magical world away from their everyday troubles. The films tell them the impossible is possible and that true love conquers all.

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    But, behind the beautiful scenes, Bollywood still emphasizes traditional family values. In moat films, if two lovers want to break an arranged marriage, they can't just run away. They must win over their parents.

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    So if you are tired of all that Hollywood actions, check out the following Bollywood films. They will take you to a brighter, cheerier and more colorful world, where it's still cool to dance around a tree and sing a love song.

    Every year there is a Spring Festival in China. Usually it is in January or February. It is the most important festival in China. So before it comes， everyone has to prepare things. They buy pork， beef， chicken， fruits and many other things. And they often make a special kind of food—“dumplings”. It means “come together”. On the day before the festival， parents buy new clothes for their children. Children also buy presents for their parents. On the Spring Festival Eve（除夕），all the family members come back to their hometown. This is a happy moment. Some sing and dance，some play cards and others get the dinner ready. When they enjoy the meal， they give each other the best wishes for the coming year. They all have a good time.