P039

Passage 39   Culture

Living in a new country means experiencing a different way of life. This is very exciting and interesting! But it can also be a little challenging at times, because the cultures of all countries are unique.

Culture is like an iceberg. You can see some parts of an iceberg—just like you can see some parts of a country's culture when you visit it. For example, you can see different ways of greeting people, hear different languages and observe different festivals and customs. However, a much bigger part of every iceberg is hidden under water. Even though this part of the iceberg is hard to see, it is very important— without it, the iceberg would not exist. The same is true of culture. There are many aspects of it which you cannot see when you visit a different country, for example, the nature of friendship and the importance of time. It will take a long time to understand those values and beliefs. (162 words)