Do Americans have any morals? That's a good question. Many people insist that ideas about right and wrong are merely personal opinions. Some voices, though, are calling Americans back to traditional moral values. William J. Bennett. former U. S. Secretary of Education, edited The Book of Virtues in 1993 to do just that.【小题1】The success of Bennett's book shows that many Americans still believe in moral values. But what are they?

One of the most basic moral values for Americans is honesty. The well-known legend about George Washington and the cherry tree teaches this value clearly. In the story, instead of punishment, George received praise for not lying but telling the truth that he cut down his father's favorite cherry tree. Sometimes American honesty—being open and direct—can offend people.【小题2】

Another virtue Americans respect is perseverance. Remember Aesop's Fables (伊索寓言) about the turtle and the rabbit that had a race?【小题3】But the turtle finally won because he did not give up.

【小题4】The story of “The Good Samaritan(撒马利亚人)" from the Bible describes a man who showed compassion. On his way to a certain city, a Samaritan man. instead of just passing by. stopped to help a poor traveler lying on the road who was beaten and robbed.

In no way can this brief description cover all the moral values honored by Americans. Courage, responsibility, loyalty, gratitude and many others could be discussed. In fact, Bennett's bestseller—over 800 pages—highlights just 10 virtues. Even Bennett admits that he has only scratched the surface. But no matter how long or short the list, moral values are invaluable.【小题5】

8 March 2016 is the 106th International Women’s Day (IWD). Besides sharing your greetings to all women that you love and expressing thankfulness to those who love you, there are 10 things you should know about this special day.

While IWD is now largely aimed at inspiring women across the world and celebrating their achievements, its roots are in movements struggling for better pay and voting rights.

The first National Women’s Day was marked on 28 February 1909 in the United States after a declaration by the Socialist Party of America.

During an International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen the following year, Clara Zetkin, leader of the “Women’s Office” for the Social Democratic Party in Germany, suggested the idea of an International Women’s Day. She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day. The idea was met with no disagreement.

1911 saw IWD honoured for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on March 19. Over a million people attended gatherings campaigning for women’s rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public offices and end discrimination (歧视).

On the eve of World War I campaigning for peace, Russian women celebrated their first IWD on the last Sunday in February 1913. In 1965, it was declared as a non—working day in the USSR.

IWD was changed to 8 March that same year and has remained the global date for the event ever since.

In 1975, the United Nations gave official permission to IWD and began sponsoring it.

The United States now names the whole month of March as “Women’s History Month”.

IWD is also an official holiday in 15 countries including China, Ukraine and Vietnam.

Over the past few years Google have marked the occasion with a “Google Doodle”, changing their logo on the search engine’s homepage to reflect the occasion.

【小题1】 Spanish people drink Coca Cola, wear blue jeans, watch Hollywood movies, listen to American music, and eat fast food, and they do all these things daily.

I think that American movies are a good way to spread American culture because often people are influenced by what they see in the movies. Most of the entertainment programs and documentaries we watch on TV are from America, and most of the movies we go to are made in Hollywood.

【小题2】 Now, in our cinemas, at least twenty percent of the movies which are shown must be from Spain or from other countries in Europe.

American culture is very much a part of Spanish life. It’s certain that many things from America are as much a part of their lives as Spanish things. For example, Coca Cola is as familiar to everybody as any typical Spanish product. 【小题3】

However, it’s different with western fast food. For example, I don’t think McDonald’s is as successful in Spain as it is in other countries. In my opinion, one of the reasons may be the life style of the Spanish people.【小题4】

On the other hand, it may be that McDonald’s hamburgers will eventually replace the famous Spanish tapas. It’s true that in every city in Spain you can find a McDonald’s, and they are more popular among the Spanish children than among the adults.【小题5】