[00:-1.00]Xiaojin is studying in London for six months,
[00:-2.00]She is writing to her aunt who is coming to visit her soon.
[00:-3.00]Dear Aunt Mei,
[00:-4.00]I'm so happy you are coming to visit me in London
[00:-5.00]and I think you will have a nice time when you go travelling
[00:-6.00]to other parts of the country.
[00:-7.00]I have been here for six months now
[00:-8.00]and I think I am still experencing "culture shock."
[00:-9.00]There are many things here that are different from back home
[00:10.00]and I didn't expect to see.
[00:11.00]I'll tell you about some of those things which might be useful for you
[00:12.00]to know before you come.
[00:13.00]When I first came here
[00:14.00]I was surprised to find that London is such an international city.
[00:15.00]It seems that there are people from all over the world living here.
[00:16.00]There are many international restaurants
[00:17.00]and people told me that almost every town in Britain
[00:18.00]has at least one Chinese restaurant.This is really unbelievable.
[00:19.00]I don't expect to have so many choices here.
[00:20.00]Something that always confuses me is tipping.
[00:21.00]One book I read said that you need to tip at restaurants
[00:22.00]but later I realised that if "service included "is on the rstaurant bill.
[00:23.00]you don't need to tip and if it says:service not included a 10% tip is expected.
[00:24.00]SO if you want to avoid getting confused,you should always check your bill.
[00:25.00]Why don't they do it the same way everywhere?
[00:26.00]Hotels in Britain are expensive and I can't afford to stay at any.
[00:27.00]But when you come here you should consider staying at a "Bed and Breakfast".
[00:28.00]Many of them are private houses which offer accommodation and some food.
[00:29.00]I know you enjoy talking to people so I think you will like them
[00:30.00]because the owners are often very friendly.
[00:31.00]Some things here are inconvenient.
[00:32.00]Many of the shops close early and some shop keepers refuse to change &50 notes.
[00:33.00]the largest notes.Also,you shouldn't risk carrying lots of cash around with you,
[00:34.00]so I suggest bringing travellers cheques.
[00:35.00]Another thing is that the British plugs for electric appliances
[00:36.00]are different to Chinese plugs,
[00:37.00]so I advise you to make sure you have the right plug adapter for your hairdryer.
[00:38.00]There are two other things you might be suprised by when you come here.
[00:39.00]There aren't many red phone boxes and London isn't foggy all the time either.
[00:40.00]Anyway Aunt Mei,I can't to see you here,Love.Xiaojin |