World Book Day falls on April 23 every year. It was set up in 1955 to encourage people to discover the pleasure of reading.

Many countries celebrate World Book Day. In the UK, the government has introduced a rule that a book token(购书券)is a passport. Every year 15 million tokens are given out to students in Britain and Ireland. With a token, students can go to any bookshop to choose a free book according to their taste and hobby. It is believed that 15% of the UK children don’t have a book of theirs. This mainly results from the high book prices. A book token will help them realize their dream to have their first book.

Reading helps us become more knowledgeable and more intelligent(智慧的). Reading helps us to follow the latest developments of science and technology. Reading provides us with information about other culture and places of the world. When we read, we may learn many things that are off our beat to us. We would have to use our brain to think about them or do more reading to find out the answers. The more we read, the more we know. The more we know, the smarter we become.

Reading is also one of the most important ways to learn a foreign language like English. we all know that we can’t learn everything at school, for example, the ways English people are speaking and writing today.“Reading makes a full man.”Books, magazines, newspapers and other kinds of reading materials can help to know more about the outside world and perfect us. Therefore, it is necessary to form the habit of reading every day.

Amazing Festivals

Yi Peng Lantern Festival, Thailand

This wonderful unique Festival is celebrated in Chiang Mai, in November, every year. It is held on the full moon of the twelfth lunar month every year. Locals believe that this is the time when the moon is at its brightest and the rivers are filled to their fullest, so this is the best time to light a lantern or set a floating “kratong” off on the Ping River and make a wish.

Holi Festival, India

Holi is a Hindu festival, which marks the beginning of spring. The holiday symbolizes the victory of good over evil, end of winter and it is celebrated as a thanksgiving for a good harvest.

Day of the Dead, Mexico

The origins of the Day of the Dead go back in time some 3000 years. Upon dying, a person was believed to travel to the Land of the Dead. The belief is that spirits return to the world of the living, for one day. The spirits are greeted with offerings of their favorite food and drinks.

Carnival of Venice, Italy

The origins of the Venice Carnival are found in two different ancient traditions: the Latin Saturnalia and the Greek Dionysian cults-major religious festivals involving the use of masks and symbolic representations. They are made of leather, porcelain or using the original glass technique. The Carnival ends with an important Christian event, the start of Lent, 40days before Easter.

To an outsider, any culture can seem quirky(离奇古怪的), and confusing. And the UK’s got a thing or two that raises a few eyebrows. Brits are quite capable of confusing visitors with their characteristics. However, understand why and things might be less perplexing. Here are the reasons for three of Britain’s more puzzling practices.

In a world where 61% of nations drive on the right, Brits drive on the left. Most people think it goes back to Medieval, maybe even Roman times. This unusual behaviour makes sense when you remember that right-handed people wear a sword on their left hip. Travelling on the left allowed you to keep your weapon arm toward your opponent, who would be on your right. This practice persisted until the 18th Century when a law was passed requiring all traffic crossing London Bridge to keep to the left.

Visitors to the UK that have just washed their hands in an old-fashioned sink might be wondering why one tap is only for hot water, the other entirely cold. Either can make washing very uncomfortable. It relates to a time when hot and cold water were kept separate to prevent pollution. Drinkable cold water came from a mains supply, but hot water came from attic(顶楼) tanks and was not considered suitable for consumption. So they were kept apart.

Millions of people drink tea worldwide, but Brits put milk in theirs. Why? This practice relates to the quality of china cup used in the 18th Century when tea was first imported. For the majority of Brits, the cups available couldn’t withstand the heat of the boiling water and would break, so milk was added first. This cooled the cup enough to withstand the water. And this practical tweak soon became a national habit.

There’s a method to the madness, they say. As you can see, these quirky Brits have perfectly coherent reasons for left-hand driving, two-tap sinks and tea with milk. Even if they still seem strange, at least now you’re in the know.