One day an American called Simon went to London to visit his friend. 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.

    When you speak to foreigners, what will you do if you can't understand their languages? Will you use your body language to help you, or just say sorry to them and then go away? Learning spoken language is very important, but learning local gestures（手势） is also very necessary.

    I often use gestures to communicate with someone whose language I don't know. We use our hands to talk with each other. Although we don't understand the others' words, our hand movements make our conversation more necessary.

However, gestures aren't always clear. Different gestures may have different meanings in different countries and cultures.

    In many countries, people move their hands at someone to call him to come near. In the United States, people usually move hands at somebody with their palms（手掌） up and sometimes move just one finger. But in many countries in Asia, hand movements like that would be impolite. In Asia, many people move hands at someone with their palms down using all fingers.

    Do you use your thumb, your thick short finger to make gestures? In western countries, "thumbs-up" means agreement. But it is very rude in parts of Africa.

    If you want to say "OK" in America, you can make a circle with the thumb and the second finger. But in France, it means "zero", and it is very rude in many other countries.

    You can use your second finger to point at something but not at somebody in the United States. However, in some parts of Europe, Asia and Africa, pointing at anything with one's second finger is not polite.

    "V" form is often used when people take photos. But using two fingers to make up the "V" shape means "peace" in the West.

    The last example is that people in parts of Asia point to their noses to mean themselves, but people in western countries usually point to their chests.

    Gestures are important, but also have different meanings.

    Different countries have different （礼仪）. What is good in one country may not be welcome in （另一个）.

    Chinese people are （惊奇） to know that an Englishman doesn't stop to talk and （握） hands with his friends in the street. They just （打招呼） each other by saying hello and then pass on.

    English people think that we Chinese end our visits to friends all of a （突然）. They usually begin to show that they want to go 15 or 20 minutes before they leave their （朋友） house. And they do this two or three times within 20 minutes. Then they （吻） their friend and leave.

    Chinese people often put food on their guests' plates. But it's （不礼貌） for Canadian people to do so. In Canada, people give tips（小费） to waiters in restaurants, but Chinese people （很少） pay extra money.

    It is necessary for people to understand each other. Here is a saying, "When in Rome, do as Romans do."

A.  B.  C.

D.       E.

    Once an Arab was traveling in the desert. When the sun went down in the west, he stopped and1his tent, made a fire and had a simple meal. When night fell, he2down to sleep.

    He had already fallen asleep when he felt a soft3on his elbow. He woke up to find that his camel had put his head inside the tent. The camel said," Would you please let me4my head in the tent to get warm. It's so cold outside. I won't take up too much5."

    The Arab was a kind-hearted man. "All right, do as you6,"he said. Then he turned on his side and back to sleep.

    It wasn't long7he felt a push on his shoulder. It was the camel again. "Dear master," the camel said," my head is quite warm now, but my neck is still cold. Do you mind8I keep it inside the tent, too?"

    "No, not at all," the man said. But this time he felt a bit9, as the camel had such a long neck. No sooner had he closed his eyes10he got a harder push in his side. This time the camel said, "Will you please allow me to bring my front legs inside and warm them up a little?"

    The Arab11over to one side of the tent. He made himself as small as he could. It wasn't12comfortable, and sleep was now out of the question.

    Soon after that the camel gave him a rough push and said, "The tent is too small for the two of us.13, my two back legs are still left in the cold. It is only14that you should leave the whole tent to me."

    And with that，the camel15the poor man out.

    If you're invited to your British or American friend's home for a meal at home, you should learn some table manners about their countries.

    Their dinner parties usually start between 7 and 8 p. m. and end at about 11 p.m. Ask your hosts what time you should arrive. It's polite to bring flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine as a gift.

    Usually the evening starts with drinks and snacks（小吃）. If you want to be more polite, say how much you like the room, or the pictures on the wall. But remember-it's not polite to ask how much things cost.

    In many families, the husband sits at one side of the table and the wife sits at the other end. They eat with their guests. You'll probably start the meal with soup or something small, then you'll have meat or fish with vegetables, and then dessert（甜点心）, followed by coffee. It's polite to finish everything on your plate and to take more if you want it.

    Did you enjoy the evening? Call your hosts the next day, or write them a short "thank you" letter. British and American people like to say "thank you, thank you" all the time!

    The hot dog is now part of US culture. When you walk on the street an empty stomach, what do you want to eat? How about （have） a hot dog on a cold day? It's not a bad （choose）. A hot dog is a cooked sausage in a bun（小面包）. The sausage is usually grilled（烤过的）.

    A hot dog is a super popular street food in the United States. It only （cost） a little money to buy one. But do you know it's actually from Germany, a country （wide） known for sausages? It (take）from Germany to the US long long ago. It then became popular among working-class people it was cheap and delicious. is convenient to take away and eat with fingers. What's , it gives warmth to people.

    Many people will enjoy a hot dog when they go to a baseball game. It's just like buying popcorn and soda at the cinema. Now the hot dog is playing an important role American food culture.