Wang Xuan, a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University, was planning to get Internet and TV service in the U. S. She went to Verizon, the U. S’ largest wireless communication service provider, only to be told that she couldn’t enjoy the service because her credit score wasn’t high enough.

In most Western countries, a credit score is a number that determines whether you are are a reliable person to lend credit to. A higher score means you have better personal credit. Your score is affected by your monthly debts, whether you pay bills on time and other types of information.

Wang is hardly alone in dealing with credit score trouble. Many Chinese overseas students lack the necessary knowledge about credit scores, even though it’s widely used in their everyday lives. Banks will check your score if you want to get a credit card. To get a loan, a good credit score is vital. It also matter, when you rent an apartment or buy a house. Its influence doesn’t end there. An increasing number of employ now check the credit scores of applicants. You can’t ignore that a credit report can be a judge of character.

So how can you get a good credit score? Make your repayments on time and pay off your accounts early if you can. If you’re using to pay off debts, make sure you keep enough cash in an easy access savings account for emergencies. If you want to improve your credit rating immediately, you should fix any problems on your credit file before you start applying for a loan. Also, cancel any credit cards that you’re not currently using.

Given Australia’s size and the fact that early settlements were far apart, Australian society is remarkably homogeneous (同种的). Its citizens are fundamentally prosperous and the way of life in the major cities and towns is much the same however many miles divide them. It takes a sharp ear to identify regional accents. However, there is some difference in lifestyle between city dwellers and the country people. Almost 90 per cent of the population lives in the fast-paced cities along the coast and has little more than a passing familiarity with the desert. The major cities preserve pockets of colonial heritage, but the overall impression is modern, with new buildings reflecting the country’s youth. In contrast, the rural communities tend to be slow-moving and conservative. For many years, Australia was said to have “ridden on the sheep’s back”, a reference to wool being the country’s main money earner. However, the wool industry is no longer dominant. Much of Australia’s relatively sound economy is now achieved from natural coal and wheat, and by being the largest diamond producer in the world. Newer industries such as tourism and wine making are also increasingly important. Australians are generally friendly and relaxed, with a self-deprecating sense of humor. On the whole, Australia is a society without hierarchies (等级制度), an attitude generally held to stem from its prisoner beginnings.

Yet, contrary to widespread belief, very few Australians have true prisoner origins. Within only one generation of the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, Australia had become a nation of immigrants. Originally coming almost entirely from the British Isles, today one in three Australians comes from elsewhere. Australia’s liberal postwar immigration policies led to an influx of survivors from war-torn Europe, most notably Greeks, Italians, Poles and Germans.

The emphasis has shifted in recent years and today the majority of new immigrants are from Southeast Asia. Today Australia is a ‘blend of nations’ and although some racism exists, it has generally been a successful experiment and the country is justifiably proud to have one of the most harmonious multicultural communities in the world.

Travelling to China is like travelling to another world. Its many famous beautiful places will make you lose yourself in them. However, it is usually not enough for a traveller only to visit these nice places. If you have time to see the local people, talk with them and even have dinner with a local family, it would be a wonderful experience, to know more about the local people’s life style at home in China.

New Hope Travel Agency will arrange a family visit to Xi’an, an ancient historic city inChina. We especially have chosen typical local families to host this activity in which you can see the true living style of Chinese people. Most of the hosts retired at home, so they are happy to see visitors from different countries to come to their homes.

Not only can we arrange to visit the local family but we can arrange to taste the true home cooked dishes. Our tour guide will ask you for advice about the food you want to eat. Just enjoy the locally cooked dishes. It’ll be quite a different and exciting experience.

Our agency also provides a good opportunity for you to learn to cook Chinese food. We have a general cooking class in the local family. If you’d like to learn to cook one or two Chinese dishes, please go to our Chinese Food Cooking Class to choose your favorite dishes.

Don’t wait. Welcome to China.