Auckland is New Zealand's largest urban area with a population of just over a million people. It is not, however, the capital, although it was at one time, until the capital moved to Wellington. Auckland is the center of commerce and industry, and is perhaps the most energetic, prosperous and multicultural city in New Zealand.

    The city's landscape is decided by volcanic hills, the twin harbors, bays, beaches and islands. Its nickname “the city of sails” is very suitable. Auckland has more boats for each person than anywhere else in the world.

    Auckland has many volcanic hills, many of which currently afford great views of the city. And Auckland's geography is such that shiny waters seem to attract people from every point. It is a water lovers' best place, with some of the best beaches, swimming, diving, fishing, sailing, windsurfing and water sports in the country.

    Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is also the cultural, administrative and political center of the country. Two aspects of the city that will immediately strike any visitor are the harbor and hilly landscape. Everywhere you go, the sounds and the smell of the ocean hang in the air, and green hills and valleys wrap you in a bear-hug embrace. At night, Wellington offers a spectacular, shimmering(闪闪发光的) cityscape that is unlike almost anywhere else in the world. Even after seeing it for a hundred times, it takes your breath away.

    Wellington is a scenic, windy and diverse place. It has some of the best museums, art galleries, restaurants, and coffee houses in the country. It is the storehouse for the nation's historic, cultural and artistic treasures. Being the first place where European settlers arrived, it also boasts lots of historic streets and buildings.

    Wellington is host to an excellent Festival of the Arts every two years.

    It is a tall tale（夸张的故事）that terrifies most young children. Swallow a piece of chewing gum and it will remain in your body for seven years before it is digested. An even worse tale is that swallowed（吞） gum can wrap itself around your heart.

    But what does happen if you should accidentally eat a stick of gum? Chewing gum is made out of gum base, sweeteners, coloring and flavoring. The gum base is pretty indigestible(难消化的)—it is a mixture of different ingredients (成分) that our body can't absorb.

    Most of the time, your stomach really cannot break down the gum the way it would break down other foods. However, your digestive system has another way to deal with things you swallow. After all, we eat lots of things that we are unable to fully digest. They keep moving along until they make it all the way through the gut (肠子) and come out at the other end one or two days later.

    The saliva (唾液) in our mouths will make an attempt at digesting chewing gum as soon as we put it in our mouths. It might get through the shell（壳） but many of gum's base ingredients are indigestible. It's then down to our stomach muscles—which contract(收缩) and relax, much like the way an earthworm moves—to slowly force the things that we swallow through our systems.

    Swallowing a huge piece of gum or swallowing many small pieces of gum in a short time can cause a blockage within the digestive system, most often in children, who have a thinner digestive tube than adults—but this is extremely rare.

    When mentioning China, what comes to mind? As a country with a history of more than 5000 years, China is rich in civilization and culture. What best represents China?

Confucius (551BC - 479 BC)

    Confucius was a teacher and philosopher from the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. The philosophy of Confucius stresses individual morality including kindness, fairness, politeness, and sincerity. Confucius' principles have a broad basis in common Chinese tradition and belief.

Dragon

    A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with winding or crawling characters. The dragon symbol is frequently used on ancient Chinese emperor's items including chairs or costumes. It is considered a representation of power.

Peking Opera

    Peking Opera is considered the essence of China. As the larger form of Chinese opera, it has many “firsts” in Chinese dramas: the abundance of talents, the number of artists, opera groups and audience.

The Great Wall

    There is an old saying that goes, “He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man.” The Great Wall, one of the greatest wonders of the world, is a destination one must see when visiting China.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

    Developed in China, TCM has a tradition dating back to more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, cupping, massage, exercise (Qigong), and dietary therapy.

    If you frequently travel for business, Staybridge Suites offer you a range of home comforts. Four recent visitors to Staybridge Suites explain why they booked, what they enjoyed and what made them want to return.

Claire Metcalf

    "The concept is great, but the staff are the ones who really make it." she says. "It takes a lot of discipline to always be friendly, but the staff at Staybridge Suites do that. They genuinely care about you. "

Andrew Roberts

    "One of the best things is having my own kitchen. I often end up working late and I don't fancy eating in a restaurant on my own, so cooking for myself is a big drawcard. "

    "The main thing for me is being able to cook and have my own little flat. The staff are amazing. It is great to be recognized by them, "he says.

Pauline Robinson

    "What I love about it is the way that you are treated by the staff," she says. "Some of the staff have been there all that time and they do look after you well. As a woman staying on my own, it is reassuring that they look out for you, and recently when I was poorly depressed they even brought things I needed to my room. "

Ryan Ruckledge

    "The fully-equipped kitchen is great. I always have a one-bed apartment so I have a separate kitchen and dining room and I'm able to relax and cook some meals. Eating out can feel a bit much when you do it day in and day out—it makes you hate what you do—and I don't want that. "

    You can't see your sleeping pets brain waves, but its behavior can tell you when your cat might be dreaming. If you watch closely, you'll see that as she falls asleep, her breathing becomes slow and regular with her body still. She has entered the first stage of sleep, called slow-wave sleep. After about 15 minutes you'll notice a change in her breathing. Her eyes move under her closed lids, her paws twitch (抽动) and she flicks (尤指用手指或手快速地轻抚) an ear. She has entered dreaming. Although she twitches and makes little grunting (嘟嘟) noises, messages from her brain to the large muscles in her legs are blocked, so she can't run about. She is in a state of "sleep paralysis (麻痹)".

    Michel Jouvet, a French scientist, interrupted their sleep paralysis. Even though they were completely asleep, the dreaming cats began to run for balls that Jouvet couldn't see and arched (弓起) their backs at unseen enemies. He figures he was watching them act out their dreams! Obviously, the dreaming cats seemed to be practising important cat skills: following, pouncing (猛扑), and fighting.

    In another study, Matt Wilson recorded rats brain waves while they learned mazes (迷宫). One day, he left the brain-wave-recording machine on while the rats fell asleep. The pattern of brain waves in the sleeping rats matched the pattern from the maze so closely that Wilson could figure out exactly which part of the maze each rat was dreaming about!

    Many researchers now think that in both people and animals, one purpose of dreams is to practise important skills and figure out recent caning. This may explain why so many people dream about fighting and escaping, skills that were probably important to our ancestors, and why dreaming affects our ability to learn.

    Do all animals dream? From looking at the brain waves of sleeping animals. How often animals dream seems to be tied to body size. Cats dream about every 15 minutes, mice every 9 minutes, and elephants every 2 hours. And though cows and horses usually sleep standing up, they only dream when lying down.

Elephants might be the most well－known and well－loved animal in African wildlife. But conservation (保护) of the African elephant faces special difficulties. While the elephant population is half of what it was 40 years ago, some areas of Africa have more elephants than populated areas can support. That's why AWF scientists are studying elephant behavior, protecting habitats and finding ways for humans to live peacefully with elephants in Africa.

Years ago, overhunting and the ivory trade were the biggest threats to elephants' survival. Luckily, ivory bans (禁令), hunting rules and protected areas protect elephants from these dangers today.

The 21st century brings a different challenge to elephant conservation—land－use. Elephants walk across borders and outside parks and other protected areas. So they often destroy crops, causing conflicts (冲突) between local farmers and these big animals.

Successful conservation strategies (策略) must allow elephants to walk freely in their natural habitats while reducing conflicts between elephants and local people.

AWF researchers are searching for a way to give both elephants and people the space they need. The AWF is collecting information on elephant habitats and behavior. The information they gather will help to develop the widest possible space for elephants.

The AWF is helping elephants by protecting their habitats. And they also work with local farmers to improve their life in order to encourage them to protect rather than destroy elephants.