The game of telephone is a classic ice breaker and party game. It's easy to set up and a lot of fun to play. You and your friends will try to pick a word or phrase, “pass it on” by whispering(耳语) it to someone next to you, and have fun seeing how much it changed during the game. All you will need to play is a couple of friends, a word or phrase, and a whisper.

Get everyone in place.

    Although the game of telephone is simple to play, you will need to arrange(安排) the players in a way that supports the game. Have everyone stand in either a line or a circle. Players should be spaced far enough apart that they won't overhear the word when it isn't their turn. Proper position is important when playing telephone.

Start the game.

    Choose a person to start the game. Make the person think of a word or give a certain word to him or her. And he or she should whisper it to the person next to them. The pronunciation of the word should sound like many others' as the idea is to see how much it changes by the game's end. Once the word has been told to the next person, they will whisper it to the person next to them.

Continue whispering the word.

    Players continue listening to the word and repeating what they think they heard to the person next to them. This is done until the last person in the line or circle is told the word. Every person should have heard the word or phrase by the end of the game.

See how much the word changed.

    Once the last person hears the word or phrase, they will say what they think they heard out-loud. This is compared to the original word that the game started with. This is the moment when all the players get to learn just how much the word or phrase changed through their “telephone line”.

    Hi, my name is Murray Wenzel. But my friends call me Muz, Muzza, Wenz or even Moon. Yes, I have lots of nicknames. But in Australia, where I am from, that's quite common.

    In fact most men in Australia call their friends something other than their real name. It is part of our culture to shorten or make up names for those we know and love. For example, one of my friend's names is Alex, but we call him Al. Another is named Jayson, but everyone knows him as Jase. In Australia most men called William are known as Bill, while Jeremy is Jez, James is Jim and Joseph is Joey.

    Sometimes we use the person's surname in their nickname, like my friend Karl Schussig who we call Schuzza. Sometimes we combine them, like my friend Troy Cassels being called TC. And we sometimes make up a new name for our friends. My friend Nathan's nickname is “Prez”, because when we first met he joked that I should call him “El President”.

    Even more confusing is when we are given ironic(讽刺的) nicknames. For example, a man with red hair will be known as Bluey, a tall man will be called Shorty or a large man will be known as Slim.

    Most of my friends call me Muz, but those who I play hockey(曲棍球) with call me Moon. However, my parents still call me Murray.

    So, I have different names depending on who I am talking to. Nicknames are so popular that sometimes people forget what the person's real name is.

    I think it is our way of showing affection to those we are close to.

    Sumo wrestling (相扑) is a national sport in Japan. Every year there are six tournaments, and millions of Japanese watch them on television. A tournament is a series of matches.

    Sumo wrestling is almost as old as the nation of Japan itself. Stories say that there was sumo wrestling over 2,000 years ago. There are written records of national sumo tournaments in the 8th century.

    In many sports, athletes are thin and can move very quickly. However, sumo wrestlers weigh from 100 to 160 kilograms. One famous wrestler weighed 195 kilograms. Sumo wrestlers do not move quickly, and sumo wrestling is a very slow sport.

    Sumo wrestlers start hard training when they are boys. They exercise to make their bodies strong. They also eat a lot.

    They wrestle in a round ring with a sand floor. A wrestler loses the match if he leaves the ring. He is also the loser if any part of his body except his feet touches the floor. Each wrestler tries to push the other down on the floor or out of the ring. Sometimes one wrestler just steps aside when the other wrestler rushes towards him. Then, the wrestler who is rushing falls down or moves out of the ring.

    Sumo wrestling is not very popular in other countries, but the Japanese think that it is a very exciting sport.

    Different countries have different customs(风俗) in the world. It's very important for us to know about them.

    When you go to the US, someone often says to you "give me five". What should you do? Do not get five dollars from your pocket! It will make others laugh! The person is not asking for your money, but your fingers.

    In the US, "give me five" or "give me the high five" is a popular gesture. You can see it often in films or on TV. It means hitting(敲打) each other's right hands together.

    People do it when they meet for the first time or something happy happens. For example, a student good grades in exams. If a football teams wins a game, the players will give high fives to everyone around to celebrate.

    This gesture may come from the old Roman gesture of raising the right arm for the empor. This showed the person raising his arm did not have a knife in his hand.

    Why not try to give the high five to your friends?

    If you're invited to your British or American friend's home for a meal at home, you should learn some table manners about their countries.

    Their dinner parties usually start between 7 and 8 p. m. and end at about 11 p.m. Ask your hosts what time you should arrive. It's polite to bring flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine as a gift.

    Usually the evening starts with drinks and snacks（小吃）. If you want to be more polite, say how much you like the room, or the pictures on the wall. But remember-it's not polite to ask how much things cost.

    In many families, the husband sits at one side of the table and the wife sits at the other end. They eat with their guests. You'll probably start the meal with soup or something small, then you'll have meat or fish with vegetables, and then dessert（甜点心）, followed by coffee. It's polite to finish everything on your plate and to take more if you want it.

    Did you enjoy the evening? Call your hosts the next day, or write them a short "thank you" letter. British and American people like to say "thank you, thank you" all the time!