Vanuatu is an island nation in the South Pacific. It is one of the smallest countries in the world. But tor those who are interested in adventure and sport, there is a lot to do. Vanuatu's islands offer visitors two of the most exciting and dangerous activities in the world: volcano (火山) surfing and land diving.

    Volcano Surfing

    On Tanna Island, Mount Yasur rises 300 meters into the sky. Yasur is an active volcano, and it erupts (爆发) almost every day, sometimes several times a day. For centuries, people have climbed this mountain to visit the top. Recently, people have also started climbing Yasur to surf the volcano. In some ways, volcano surfing is like surfing in the sea, but in other ways it's very different. Volcano surfers try to escape the erupting volcano-without getting hit by flying rocks! It's last, fun and dangerous-the perfect extreme sport (极限运动).

    Land Diving

    Most people are familiar with bungee jumping, but do you know bungee jumping started on Pentecost Island in Vanuatu and is almost fifteen centuries old? The activity, first called land diving, is part of a religious ceremony (宗教仪式). A man ties tree vines(树藤) to his legs. He then jumps head-first from a high tower to touch the earth with the top of his head-without breaking the vine. Every spring, island natives (men only) still take Dart in this amazing activity.

    For thousands of years, poetry has been the favorite type of literature for many in China. As China Highlights website noted, “Chinese literature is one of the major (主要的) parts of China's ancient traditions, and Chinese poetry is just like the best prize (瑰宝) in this famous culture's literary treasure house.”

    There were many famous poets from different periods of time in Chinese history, and thousands of their poems are still read and appreciated today.

    To remind people of those classic Chinese poems and to promote cultural heritage (遗产), China Central Television (CCTV) has produced a TV show – Chinese Poetry Competition. The finale of the hit show's second season was shown on Feb 7.

    Wu Yishu, 16, who studies at the High School Afliated to Fudan University in Shanghai, came out on top. In an earlier episode, Wu wowed the audience when performing in a section entitled “Feihualing”. The game's theme (主题) was “yue”, meaning “moon” or “month” in Chinese. She recited lines from the Classic of Poetry (《诗经》 ), the earliest collection of poems in China: “In July, the crickets are in the field; In August, they are in the yard; In September they are at the door; In October, the crickets enter and crawl under our beds.

    “I really admire her knowledge of poems,” said Huang Zijin, 16, a senior 2 student from Ningbo High School in Zhejiang province. “The first time I saw her wearing traditional Han clothing on TV, I was very impressed by her classical looks. She fulfills all my fantasies for classic Chinese women's talents. What's more, she always appears so calm throughout the show, which is very unusual for her age.”

    As the old saying goes: “One who is filled with knowledge always behaves with elegance (优雅).”

    “Learning poems isn't about winning or losing. The power of poetry lies in shaping one's view of life and developing one's inner world,” said Li Bo, an expert guest at the Chinese Poetry Competition's second season.

    When it comes to teaching people about poetry, Li Dingguang, the show's academic advisor, suggested that teachers should explain more about the beauty of the poetry from both the aesthetic (审美的) and emotional sides, and guide the student to lose themselves in the poems' rhythmic (有节奏的) and rhyming (押韵的) lines.

    “Although the proportion (比例) of ancient Chinese poems in the textbooks of primary and secondary schools has increased, many students still learn them for exams,” Li Dingguang told China.org.cn. “Therefore, it's important to help students truly appreciate the artistry and fun of poetry.”

    In the eyes of many foreigners, Chinese are the best hosts (主人) and the worst guests in the world. They're not really bad guests, but because the guest-host relationship in China is much different than in some western counties, it appears they are not nice guests. And western guests sometimes look rude (粗鲁的) in the eyes of Chinese guests.

    In China, guests are almost like gods. Whenever I enter a Chinese person's home, there is always fruit on the table for me, and someone is quick to bring me a cup of tea or water. In the west, generally the guest is not a god. Acting according to the host's way of doing things is usual behavior for a guest.

    My wife's mother, a very kind elderly Chinese lady, doesn't smoke. When I see some of her guests smoking in her house, as a non-smoker, I feel unhappy. Usually I want to stop them directly, but I must realize that in China, to be a good host, she must not do that. In most North America homes, if you are a guest, and the hosts are not smokers, you should not smoke in their house. At the very least, you could ask, “Is it OK if I smoke?” “But, don't be surprised if they say, “No, you can't smoke.” In our culture, if you smoke in their home, you are a bad guest, but if they don't allow you to smoke in their house, they are not a rude guest.

    Guests in China also have special habits. Some western people may not adapt to these habits very soon. Thankfully my wife is Chinese, so whenever we visit a Chinese family she tells me to buy them a gift. However, giving a gift to a host is not always necessary in my country. So, if you invite international guests to your home, don't be too surprised if they don't bring you a gift.

    In China, you probably won't need to change the guest-host relationship very much because you will probably only be the host, and Chinese are naturally very good hosts. If western hosts invite you to their house, try not to be too surprised if their style of treating you is not what you have expected.

①Eating good food and getting proper exercise are important to stay healthy. Getting enough sleep is important, too. Experts say that teenagers between the ages of 15 and 20 need 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. 

②Your body needs to take a rest from all the activities it has done during the day. Your brain needs a rest, too. You are likely to get sick easier without enough sleep. 

③You have a "24-hour clock" inside your body that tells you when to be awake and when to go to sleep.  ▲  Blue light that comes from the Sun tells your brain to keep you awake during the day. When there is no blue light at night, the brain tells the body that it's time for sleep. 

④There are many things that stop the brain from telling your body when it's time to sleep. One of these is blue light at night. Today, people spend a lot of time watching television or looking at screens on computers or smart phones. These devices (装置) give off blue light. If you look at them at night, the blue light can trick your body into thinking it's daytime. Then it is more difficult to go to sleep.

⑤What should you do to get good sleep? Experts say that you shouldn't look at screens that give off blue light for at least one hour before going to sleep. 

⑥ Do not watch TV or use anything with a computer screen in bed. If you need to do something to fall asleep, it is better to read a book. Also, keep your bedroom as dark as you can. This will help you sleep well.