During the last winter holiday, I went to China with my parents. The five-day trip left me with a deep impression.

As the capital of China, Beijing is a very beautiful city with fresh air and clean streets which make the travelers feel very pleased. To my surprise, many people there were learning English. Later I was told that they did so because Beijing would hold the 29th Olympic Games and they wanted most foreigners to understand them. They strictly kept the traffic rules. When there was a red light, no one was seen crossing the street.

Of all the places I visited, I liked the Summer Palace best. To our surprise, although it was winter when we were there, we still saw green trees and many fresh flowers. The whole park was very beautiful.We visited a very modern football field. We were told the buildings where the Olympic Games would be held were even better than that. I also enjoyed skiing in Xiangshan. Skiing is an interesting and exciting sport liked by many people.

In my eyes, China is a nice place and Chinese people are very kind. In Beijing Station, there were so many people, and most of them were going home to spend the Spring Festival—the most important Chinese festival, with their families. Passengers helped each other carry luggage（行李）, and they were very kind to foreigners. We were given a card by the hotel we stayed at, on which was the address of the hotel. With the card we never got lost in the city.

The five days passed quickly, but the trip left me a lot of sweet memories.

 People with different cultures and languages lived together in India thousands of years ago. It's a very old country with a large population.

   Today there are over one billion people hi India. By 2050, it might surpass China and become a country with the largest population in the world.

   Different from China's one-child policy, family planning in India isn't made. In the 1970s and 1980s the government tried to stop their growing population, but it still kept increasing.

   Many Indian women have at least three children. In India, boys are more valuable than girls. About one third of India's population is under 14． It makes India become one of the world's youngest countries. However, India has the largest proportion (比例) of people who cannot read or write.

   More than 70% of Indian people live in the countryside. These years more and more people in the countryside are mox4ng to cities. But there they live in crowded slums (贫民窟) with no electricity or clean water. As a result, cities like Mumbai, Calcutta and New Delhi arc having more and more problems with people who have no jobs.

In the 1920s , the airlines were just beginning. It was unusual for people to travel by air because it was expensive and dangerous. In those days, there were no flight attendants(服务) to look after the passengers. Young men ,or “stewards” helped the passengers onto the airplane and carried the passengers’ luggage(行李)but they did not provide food and drinks. But then in 1930,a woman called Ellen Church invented the “stewardess”.

Ellen Church was born in 1904 on a farm in Iowa. She was a different child. She didn’t want to work on a farm or marry a farmer —she wanted a more adventurous(冒险的)life. Ellen studied to be a nurse at the UniversityofMinnesota and then got a job in a hospital. For the next few years she stayed at the hospital and at the same time took flying lessons and got her pilot’s license.

Ellen was twenty-five years old when she first got in touch with Boeing Air Transport. She loved flying but she understood that airlines were a man’s world. Although women like Emelia Earheart were becoming famous, she realized it was impossible for a woman to have a career as a pilot .But she had another idea. Most people were frightened of flying because flying was still an unreliable(不可靠的) way to travel. There were often delays(延误),many crashes and the bad weather made many passengers sick. Ellen thought nurses could take care of passengers during flights and B.A.T. agreed.

The young woman from Iowa and seven other nurses became the first air stewardesses.

At first pilots were unhappy because they did not want stewardesses on airplanes, but passengers loved the stewardesses. In 1940 there were around 1000 of them working for different airlines. The early “stewardesses” had to be under twenty-five-year-old, single and slim. When a woman joined an airline, she had to promise not to get married or have children. It was hard job and not well paid. They worked long hours and earned＄1 an hour.

In the 1970s, stewardesses were unhappy in their job and airlines had to make some changes. Since the 1970s, “stewardesses” have been called flight attendants. They are well paid and work fewer hours than in the past.

Are you an eating-lover? Do you want to eat every delicious food in the world? Then do you watch the popular program A Bite of China? It's a TV program on Chinese delicious food which has been produced by CCTV. Is there any holiday that isn't celebrated with special festival food? Here are several traditional Chinese foods:

 Noodles are a symbol of long life in Chinese culture. They are as much a part of Chinese birthday celebration as a birthday cake with its candles lit in many Western countries. Since noodles mean long life, it is considered very unlucky to cut it off.

 Although westerners sometimes may be very sorry to see fish lying on the plate, in China a whole fish is a symbol of richness. In fact, at a party it is a tradition to serve the whole fish last, pointed towards the most valued guest. Fish is also has a special meaning because the Chinese word for fish, yu , sounds like the word for richness or plenty, and it is believed that eating fish will help your wishes come true in the year to come.

 A very popular dish during the Dragon Boat Festival is zongzi. This tasty dish is made of rice dumplings with meat, peanuts or other delicious food in bamboo leaves. The tradition of zongzi is meant to remind us of a great man, Qu Yuan in Chinese history.

These days most people in Britain and the US do not wear very formal (正式的) clothes. But sometimes it is important to wear the right clothes.

Many British people don’t think about clothes very much. They just like to be comfortable. When they want to enjoy themselves, they can wear almost anything. At theaters, cinemas and concerts you can wear whatever you like. From beautiful suits and dresses to jeans and sweaters. Anything goes as long as you look clean and tidy.

But in Britain and the US, men in office usually wear suits and ties, and women wear dresses or skirts (not trousers). Doctors and business people always wear quite formal clothes. And in some hotels and restaurants men have to wear ties and women have to wear tidy dresses.

In many ways, Americans are less formal than British people, but they are more careful with their clothes. At home or on holidays, most Americans wear comfortable clothes like sports clothes. But when they go out in the evening, they like to look nice. Men usually wear jackets and ties, and women wear pretty clothes in good restaurants and hotels in the evening.

It is hard to say exactly what people wear in Britain and the US, because everyone is different. If you are not sure what to wear, watch first and then do the same. You will feel more comfortable if you don’t look too different from everyone else.

Dear mum and dad,

I’m writing this letter to you from the center of Australia. At the moment we’re staying near Uluru—that’s the aboriginal (土著) name for Ayers Rock. On the first day, we took a balloon tour over the rock, and I was surprised at how big it was: 3.6 kilometers long and 384 meters high. The colors of the rock are fantastic, and at different times of the day, they change from purple to red. The Aborigines are the first people of Australia, and the ancient aboriginal stories describe the spirits that created the world. Uluru is a center of Aboriginal culture.

The Australians have many British relatives. That’s why they’re like us in many ways. Their family life is similar to ours, and they enjoy the same food and hobbies. The food and drink that most Australians like are grapes, lamb, ham and especially wine that they make in the south of the country. They love all sports, but football is the most popular. Most Australians live near the coast, so they also love going to the beach, swimming and surfing.

Although it’s December, it’s summer over here. The sunshine is very bright, and near the coast the countryside is very green. There are lots of sheep in the fields and on the hills, but the outback (澳洲内陆) is more like a desert, full of rocks and sand.

The next day after we arrived at Uluru, we went on a camel (骆驼) ride. The camel that I rode had a badtemper. When I sat on its back, it became very angry and refused me. So everyone else thought it was very funny that my camel kept lying down...

Finally, later this evening, we’re taking the plane back to Sydney and coming home, it’s been a fantastic trip!

                                                                      Tony

When you travel to foreign countries, you need to be very careful with the cultural differences. From greeting to eating, there can be many chances to make mistakes. They not only embarrass (使...尴尬) yourself, but offend (触怒，冒犯) the locals. Look out for the following and try to avoid them.

◆ What is it: Remove your shoes ...or not

Where is it offensive(使人恼怒的，冒犯人的): Hawaii, the South Pacific, Asia

What is offensive: Take off your shoes when you arrive at the door of a London dinner party,and the hostess will find you impolite. But if you forget to remove your shoes before entering a home in Asia, Hawaii, or the Pacific Islands, you’ll be considered disrespectful (无礼的，失礼的).

What to do: If you see many pairs of shoes at the door, take your shoes off. If not, keep them on.

◆ What is it: No touching

Where is it offensive: Korea, Thailand, China

What is offensive: Personal space varies (与...不同) from place to place. In Mediterranean(地中海的) countries, if you don’t greet people with kisses or big hugs, you’ll be considered cold. But in countries like Korea and China, you’ll make people uncomfortable if you touch them randomly (随意地，随便地). In Thailand, the head is seen as sacred (神圣的), so never ever pat (轻拍) a child on the head.

What to do: Observe (观察) how locals do and follow their behavior.

◆ What is it: No talking

Where is it offensive: Japan, Finland, Europe, Africa.

What is offensive: When you’re in Japan, don’t start talking about your day’s adventures while everyone else is eating, or you’re likely to meet with silence. That’s not because Japanese are unfriendly. But in their eyes, mealtimes are for eating, not for talking. You should also avoid conversations in places like churches (教堂) in Europe, temples（寺庙）in Thailand or saunas (桑拿浴室) in Finland.

What to do: Just keep quiet!

Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is a fantastic city for tourists. During the month of August, the number of tourists always increases quickly. They come to enjoy the Edinburgh Festival.

The Edinburgh Festival is an amazing time to visit the city. For around four weeks, the city has lots of arts and cultural festivals. Artists and performers come to show their talents (才能). There are shows for children, young people, and adults. There are shows for people of all tastes: dance shows, music concerts, photography and art exhibitions (展览), plays and more.

Whatever you like, you can find something to see. And at whatever time of day, you can watch what you want: the first shows start at 9 am, and the last finish at around 2 am. Some shows at the festival can be a little expensive but many are very cheap, and lots are completely free.

For those who cannot decide what to see, there are lots of shows on the Royal Mile. It's Edinburgh's main street for tourists. There are always singers, actors and musicians offering free shows to the crowds.

Thousands of tourists from all over the world go to the Edinburgh Festival. The festival also attracts many performers. So you can meet many interesting people. For many performers, the Edinburgh Festival can be the start of their career ( 职业生涯). For example, actor Rowan Atkinson (most well-known for playing Mr Bean) began his career at the Edinburgh Festival.

Edinburgh is a fantastic and fun city to visit all year round. However, if you plan to visit it, the city is at its best in August.

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