You may think there are no differences between British and American people. After all, they speak the same language, don’t they? If you ask a British or an American person, he will probably tell you that there are differences. And the differences are quite great.

What do British people think American people are like? The British think American people are very strange. They make a lot of noise and they laugh too loudly. They are rich, and they only think about money. But the British do say that American people are kind, and friendly people. They’re happy to help you if you are in trouble.

What do Americans think of the British? Well, they think the British are cold and very unfriendly. They are not interested in success or in making lots of money. They think British is the best country in the world. They look down on other countries. But Americans say that the British are quite hard workers. They are brave and honest. And in time of trouble they face difficulties happily.

You can see that these ideas can cause misunderstanding between the British and Americans. But when American and British people become friends, they usually find things are not as bad as they expected.

In 1917, when the country declared its independence from Russia, there was a strong desire to explore and clear what it was to be Finnish. Architects and designers became nation-builders, tasked with giving shape to the new homes and public spaces that the country needed, as the economy grew and the once agricultural society began to industrialize. Their ambitious plan was social, optimistic and forward-looking, and democratic design emerged as a significant characteristic of the new country.

Many people found great opportunity and creative stimulus in Finland’s transition into an independent modern nation, perhaps none more than the internationally famous architect Alvar Aalto. Over the course of his long career, he championed a revolutionary style of design that combined functionality with natural materials and organic forms. Aalto was a great ambassador (大使)for Finnish design at a time when Finns were thinking of how to present themselves to the rest of the world. When Aalto designed the Paimio Sanatorium in 1932, he applied his practical approach to the building and every piece of furniture within it to international approval. Soon after, he founded Artek, a design company that combines art and technology to bring about improvements in everyday urban life. Artek is a booming design brand today and the work of Aalto continues to be respected.

But while Aalto’s useful elegance represents a certain Finnish sensibility, Finland is a country of conflicts, and one of its greatest is the disconnect between a characteristically shy national character and the brave innovators it has produced.

One such innovator is Armi Ratia, the energetic founder of Marimekko. Ratia founded the textile (纺织品)and fashion brand in 1951. Her ambition was to bring color and energy into the homes of the depressed postwar nation. Today it is hard to imagine the Finnish lifestyle without the energy of Marimekko. The brand was also symbolic of the equal role women played in Finnish society. Here they were leaders and innovators, creatives and commercial successes. Fashion designs were purposefully free and practical. Such was the interaction between the values of the brand and the values of the nation that spotting a Marimekko print on the street could be compared to seeing the Finnish flag flying.

Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English rulers tried to conquer(征服) Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally, in 1921, the British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result is that today there are two “Irelands”. Northern Ireland, in the north, is part of the United Kingdom. The Republic of Ireland, in the south, is an independent country.

In the 1840s the main crop, potatoes, was affected by disease and about 750，000 people died of hunger. This, and a shortage(短缺) of work, forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.

For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people still work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.

The Irish are famous for being warm-hearted and friendly. Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were “the greatest talkers since the Greeks”. Since independence, Ireland has revived(复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different areas have different styles of old Irish songs which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc.