In England, people often talk about the weather because they can have four seasons in one day. In the morning the weather is warm just like in spring. An hour later black clouds come and then it rains hard. The weather gets a little cold. In the late afternoon the sky will be sunny, the sun will begin to shine, and it will be summer at this time of a day.

    In England, people can also have summer in winter, or have winter in summer. So in winter they can swim sometimes, and in summer sometimes they should take warm clothes.

    When you go to England, you will see that some English people usually take an umbrella or a raincoat with them in the sunny morning, but you should not laugh at them.

    If you don't take an umbrella or a raincoat, you will regret (后悔) later in the day.

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.

    China is a nation of etiquette(礼仪). Chinese people are among the most hospitable people in the world. If foreigners visit a Chinese family, they would be surprised at the warmth that they would receive as guests.

    When you visit a Chinese family, the host usually makes tea for you. Then he will serve you snacks(小吃) like biscuits or candy. Someone in the family will also chat with you, never letting you feel lonely.

    At the same time, other family members will prepare a meal for you. Chinese people treat(款待) their guests with a big meal. They always present more food than the guests can eat. On the table, the guests must be the first to eat. Perhaps one of the things that surprises a Western guest most is that the Chinese host likes to pick food for visitors, which won't happen at Western tables. The Chinese family go out of their way to make you feel at home. As you are done eating, the host usually says, "It seems that you didn't eat much. Please have more." Although you tell them you are full, they still put more food in your bowl.

Being warm and hospitable has long been an important part of Chinese culture and tradition. As Confucius(孔子) said thousands of years ago:

    To meet friends from afar,

    How happy we are!

    We all have ideas about what kinds of foods are good or bad to eat. As a result, people from one culture often think the foods that people from another culture eat are not accepted. Many people would find it terrible to eat mice, but there are forty-two different cultures whose people regard mice as proper food.

     Food likes and dislikes do not always seem related to nutrition. For example, broccoli is first on a list of the most nutritious common vegetables, but it is twenty-first on a list of vegetables that Americans like most to eat. Tomatoes are sixteenth on the list of most nutritious vegetables, but they are first on the list of vegetables that Americans like most to eat.

    But dislikes is not the only reason why some cultures will not eat a certain food. In some cultures, certain foods are taboo Taboo is a word from the language of the Fiji Islands that is used to describe something that is not allowed. We do not usually think about why certain things are taboo in our culture.

    One example is that Americans do not eat dogs, although people from some other cultures regard them as good food. In the United States, dogs are very important to people as pets. They are usually regarded as part of the family, almost like a child in some cases. What's more, dogs have value as protection against criminals. In fact, the dog's place in society as a company makes the dog taboo as food.Scientists believe that most food likes and dislikes are a result of the ways of life of different people. People will not eat pets such as dogs. Americans drink milk or eat a lot of beef because there is thousands of land for raising cows and their milk or meat can be shipped cheaply far away by train.

    Many people believe that tea was first drunk nearly 5,000 years ago. It is said that a Chinese ruler called Shen Nong was the first to discover tea as a drink. More than 4,000 years later, Lu Yu, "the saint of tea", mentioned Shen Nong in his book Cha Jing. The book describes how tea plants were grown and used to make tea. It also discusses where the finest tea leaves were produced and what kinds of water were used.

    It is believed that tea was brought to Korea and Japan during the 6th and 7th centuries. In England, tea didn't appear until around 1660, but less than 100 years later, it had become the national drink. The tea trade from China to Western countries took place in the 19th century. This helped to spread the popularity of tea and the tea plant to more places around the world. Even though many people now know about tea culture, the Chinese are without doubt the ones who best understand the nature of tea.

 Joking around with someone can be a pleasíng thing. However, people may see it differently. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} The jokes will become vorse when you show you can't accept them. You need to catch the fine line between laughing with someone and laughing at them.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} To make a tease(取笑) feel proper, we need to consider the relationship between each other. A healthy tease should make both sides feel relaxed . When both sides know it's simply a joke, a feeling of understanding can be created. The environment is important for close relationships. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} But it doesn't matter if your sister calls you by your nickname(绰号) when you' re at home.

 Meanwhile, different people have different views on jokes. When making a joke, we naturally see the funny side of it. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} We don't know what experiences they have had, so we don't know how they might understand the joke. Imagine a swimming party where one person doesn't get in the pool. Others might tease him or her for not joining in or being unable to swim. But what if that person is afraid of water? Those doing the teasing might say they didn't know. People might have their own personal reasons for not seeing the funny side.

 Good relationships can be formed without putting others down. In our lives, we should pay attention to our words and action s and care about others' feelings.

What should we consider (考虑) when we are joking? (no more than 20 words) {#blank#}5{#/blank#}