Dear Wang Fang,

    Thank you for your letter. You wrote to ask me about American social customs(风俗) in their dinner party. You are asking the right person. I once lived in America for five years. Now I'll tell you something about it.

    It's a good idea to bring a small present when you go to a dinner party. Flowers are always nice, or you may bring a bottle of wine if you know that your friends drink it.

    You should arrive(到达) on time or five minutes late. Don't get there early. If you're going to be more than fifteen minutes late, you should call before.

    Try to be free at the dinner table. If you don't know about choosing(选择) the right fork or knife, just watch the other people, and follow them. If you still have no idea of what to do, ask the person beside you .

    If you like the food, say so. Of course, you'll thank them for the meal and for their kindness. It's also a good idea to send a card to thank them the day after.

Rose

Answer the following questions with No More Than 5 Words

    Sometimes it may seem difficult to improve our health. If so, the following health habits may help you.

    Eat breakfast every morning

    Research(研究) shows that if you eat a meal in the morning, you may not become too fat or eat too much during lunch. Eating breakfast can help people feel better through the day.

    Get enough sleep

    Poor sleep can influence(影响) our memory and learning. It can also cause traffic accidents! Studies show that people who don't get enough sleep seem to get into more accidents. So stay safe and get enough sleep!

    Take a walk every day

    Walking is an easy way of exercising. You'd better meet friends for a walk, not for a meal. As you walk, you will see the beautiful world around you. Once you try, you'll find that adding a walk into your daily life is very easy.

    Join social groups

    Social groups can provide support. They might include sport teams, art or music groups. The people in the group can offer advice and can help each other in difficult times. Also, being in a group keeps your mind busy. And active mind is a healthy mind.

    Have a hobby

    A hobby could be running, reading or making something with your hands. Hobbies help people to relax and rest. Hobbies bring us joy, too.

Time Management

    Do you ever wish you had more time? Everyone gets the same amount of time each day. But here are some ways to use those hours better. As a popular saying says, "Work smarter, not harder."

    The most important way to manage your time is to set priorities（优先权）.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Also, consider whether or not they are urgent—if they need to be done right away. It can be easy to forget important tasks that aren't urgent, so make time for them.

    Decide ahead of time what you're going to do at certain times each day. Schedule times not only to meet people but also to do things alone. Then you can make sure everything gets done.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Are you smarter in the morning, afternoon or evening? Schedule difficult tasks for times you feel good, saving easy ones for when you're tired.

    Write down what you need to do and when. I keep two to-do lists: one for the present tasks and one for larger projects I'm working on.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} And I don't get discouraged by looking at a long list of items I can't finish. I focus on the shorter list of each day's tasks.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}When someone wants to give you a task, think carefully. Is it really important enough to spend your precious（宝贵的）time on? Could someone else do it instead?

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}If you're in charge of running a meeting, keep it short. Reading articles or talking to friends online can also use up much of your time. Don't allow it.

    In the end, using time well is about making a good plan and sticking to it.

    Last year, Tom left school. He went to Beijing to look for(寻找) a job. He went from one company(公司) to another. But he didn't get one. He had only a little money. So he had to go back to his home. Then he came to the train station.

    When he got to the train station at night, there were many people buying tickets at the station He bought the last ticket. He felt happy.

    At that time, a young woman with a baby walked to him. She asked him to sell her the ticket. Tom gave her the ticket, because he thought they needed it more. After the train left, he didn't know where to go. Just then, an old man came to him and said, "Young man, I saw what you did to the woman. I have a big company. I need a good young man like you. Would you like to work for me?" Tom was so excited that he couldn't say a word.

Have you ever been to Ireland? If not, you should think of spending a vacation there. The Republic of Ireland stands in the south of the island. There are about 3, 470, 000 people in the country and the weather is quite wet but warm. Falls of snow in Ireland are most unusual. 

Ireland is full of interesting things to do. You'll find restaurants and café everywhere. Most of them have a long list（清单） of Irish food and drinks. After your meal, you can take a walk along the shore（岸）. The countryside is good for horse riding. Other sports you may want to do are sailing, boating, swimming, fishing and golfing. Ireland is famous for its theaters and festivals. So, why don't you stay longer for a party or a concert? 

The Irish people are kind and friendly. From mountains to beaches you will find people ready to stop and talk about the weather, the local geography or history and maybe about what you should see next. The Irish people have kept their own culture of music and literature（文学） well. Different areas have different kinds of music. In towns and villages people get together in the evening to sing and play music. They also get together to read their own poems to each other. Meeting such people is really fun, isn't it?