“The grass looks greener on the other side of the fence.” That’s an old saying in English. It means that other places often look better, more interesting than the place where you live. “Let’s go to KFC for dinner and then watch some Japanese cartoons!” We all know it: more and more Chinese kids love American and Japanese food and movies. Some people worry that young Chinese are beginning to feel that way. They see young Chinese ignoring（忽视）Chinese culture and, instead, buying Japanese cartoon books, watching Korean soap operas and even celebrating western holidays.

Foreign books and soap operas are good, but Chinese writers and actors are just as good. As for holidays, Christmas is nice, but it can never have the meaning for Chinese that the Spring Festival has, and the West has nothing to compare with the Mid-Autumn Festival. China has lots of cool things in its culture: calligraphy, Beijing Opera, quick meals on the streets. And let’s not forget the part of Chinese culture I like best: its friendliness. Not all countries are as warm as China.

It’s good to enjoy other cultures and learn from them, but they can never replace your own culture. It’s good to look on the other side of the fence, but make sure you take a good long look. You will find that the grass isn’t always greener.

Although some people become worried about that, I don’t think they should. Will we get more powerful without learning from other countries? Will Chinese people live more happily without American fast food? Besides, it’s fun to learn about different cultures. Chinese kids can learn about other cultures and have fun, but they also need to learn more about their own culture. Be proud of Chinese culture and of being Chinese!

Several days ago when I went shopping in New York I saw an old woman crossed the street with a heavy bag in her hand. At that moment，the American boy was standing nearby. I thought the boy will help the old lady，and to my surprise，he did nothing. This seemed very strangely to me.

Later my roommate explained the boy's behaviors to me. Americans place emphasis to independence. If the boy had offered to help her，the old woman would have felt that she had considered old and weak. What the boy did it allowed her to keep her independence, that was more important to her than the discomfort of carrying a heavy load.

Different countries have different customs. First，let's talk about the time 【小题1】（open）the present. If you are in China，it is rude to open it as soon as you receive it. But in Britain and America，people will open it at once，because the givers like to see 【小题2】 the person reacts.

Now let's talk about different wedding 【小题3】（ceremony）. In Korea，people will have a live hen and a live rooster — a hen is for good luck，and a rooster is for driving away bad things.

In Brunei，at wedding receptions，men and women sit in separate areas. The men are with the bridegroom while the women with the bride. Furthermore，alcohol 【小题4】（prohibit）in Brunei's weddings，which is 【小题5】（complete）different in China. Similar 【小题6】 parts of China, Brunei's people will play drums for hours or even a whole night for a wedding.  Another common custom to parts of China is that people will take off shoes before entering others' room.

Different languages can explain the cultural differences, but it's not always right. The British and the Americans share the same language, 【小题7】 they do not always have the same customs.

Take Bonfire Night as an example, the British 【小题8】(be) fond of it, while the Americans are not familiar with it.

All in all, there are many cultural differences around the world. Only by having 【小题9】 good knowledge of them can we behave properly when 【小题10】 (communicate).

There are many 【小题1】（festival）in China all the year round. First the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is celebrated by the Chinese people all over the world. On this day，the moon is said to be its biggest and 【小题2】（bright）.It is a special occasion for a family reunion. People usually eat moon cakes 【小题3】 enjoy the moonlight at night. Second，the Dragon Boat Festival. The tradition of it started more than 2，000 years ago. In the old days，dragon boat races 【小题4】（organize）only by Chinese people. 【小题5】，in recent years，people from other cultures have also taken part in the races and enjoyed the fun. People on that day usually eat zongzi，which is 【小题6】（stick）rice in fresh bamboo leaves. Third，the Lantern Festival. It 【小题7】（fall）on the 15th day of the first lunar month，【小题8】（mark）the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations. In the past，lanterns were usually lit by candles and decorated with pictures of various animals. Nowadays，lanterns come 【小题9】many shapes and sizes. The special food for this festival is sweet dumplings，【小题10】 are boiled and served in hot water.

   How different can other cultures be？Very different！People probably speak different languages and have beliefs and customs very different from yours. They can eat different foods and live in different types of houses. However，they can also be similar in ways of connecting with each other. We sometimes call these means of communication universal（共同的）languages.

Some legends hold that，thousands of years ago，there was a single language spoken by everyone on Earth. Of course，historical evidence does not support this，but it is fun to think about a time when everyone may have been able to communicate in the same language.

Today，there are thousands of languages spoken around the world. Yet，there are some means of communication that go beyond words and allow people of different backgrounds to communicate and share emotions and feelings. For example，some people believe music is a universal language. There may be some scientific support for this idea. Experts have learned that，across cultures，people can recognize three common emotions in music:happiness，sadness and fear.

So what other types of universal languages might there be？Some people believe dance is a universal language. Along with music，dancing seems to be a common interest shared by people all over the world. Do you think you could see a dance from another culture and make some reasonable（合理的）guesses about the ideas and emotions behind it？We bet you could！

Another universal language that you might not have thought of is mathematics! If you think about it now, it just makes sense.  The value of pi is roughly 3. 14159 no matter where you are on Earth. Similarly, figuring out the value of something involves the same mathematical calculations, regardless of whether you' re counting in dollars, pesos or coconuts.