Shetland Islands, also called Zetland or Shetland, lie 130 miles (about 209 km) north of the Scottish mainland. Before my trip to Shetland, the only thing I knew about the place was that it is the birthplace of Fair Isle knitting(费尔岛编织). But now I find it is not simply the knitting and it is well worth a visit.

There are about 100 islands in Shetland, but only 15 are inhabited(可居住的). To get to mainland Shetland, one can take an overnight ferry(轮渡) or a small plane. I took the ferry, a memorable and exciting experience on the heaving sea. I'm not sure whether I want to experience it again but I will remember it forever.

The wind is a large part of the islands. As winter comes near, anything that might be blown away won't be put outside. Our guide told us the lighthouse keeper would tie (系) his car to the rock to make sure it won't be blown away when he was living at the lighthouse on the northwest of the main island. At certain times the wind blows more strongly, but it is constant (不断的) no matter what time it is. Besides, in winter, there's less than 6 hours of daylight, and in summer, less than 6 hours of darkness.

The people of Shetland could not be much friendlier. At Virdafjell where my friends and I stayed, the owner Dorothy Stove prepared a big breakfast for 10 hungry men — bread, eggs, yogurt, fruit, salad and so on every morning.

My friends and I look forward to our next trip to Shetland, a place that keeps us away from noisy cities.

This spring, I visited an amusement park with a couple of friends in Singapore. We saw thousands of foreign tourists, such as  (德国人), Indians and Japanese. We took some photos with my camera. Singapore itself is a peaceful and safe place to have fun.

It's close to the equator. This is a good  (位置) for traveling. You can go there  (无论何时) you like. On the one hand, the temperature there is (几乎) the same all year round. On the other hand, don't worry about  (是否) you can speak English or not, because Chinese is also widely spoken there.

So far, I have been to many  (主题) museums. It's (难以置信的) that technology has made such rapid progress. It  (鼓励) me to study harder. In the China National Tea Museum in Hangzhou, I watched a(n)  (不寻常的) tea art performance and learnt how to make perfect tea with beautiful tea sets. I (收集) many social customs (习俗) from the performance. And I've finally realized why many Chinese love drinking tea!

People love walking through a giant puzzle. In a corn maze(玉米迷宫), they can follow miles of paths and run into lots of dead ends before they finally find their way out. The corn maze has been growing for almost 30 years. 

Simple corn mazes began appearing in the 1980s. In 1993, the first big corn maze created for the public to enjoy was made in Annville Pennsylvania, by Don Frantz and Adrian Fischer. Then, in a corntield as big as two and a half football fields, Mr. Frantz created "The Amazing Maize Maze"with the help of his family and friends. When it was done, almost two miles of pathways snaked through the cornfield. Since then, thousands of corn mazes have been created around the world.

For many farmers, a corn maze means a boost(激增) of extra income. During the opening weekend, about 6, 000 visitors came to get lost in Mr. Frantz's maze. Charging only $5 per person, he earned almost $32, 000in two weeks.

Brett Herbst is also a maze designer. In 1999 he set a world record for the world's largest corn maze, an image of the solar system with nine planets in it. He now has a business called The Maize, which has designed more than 4, 000 mazes around the world. "Corn mazes help people connectwith their roots, "he says. "People are so far removed from farm life that they are drawn to something real, something organic. "

Today, a great number of people enjoy seeking fun in a corn maze. Mr. Herbst says, "When we see families on the farm having fun, we know that they are making memories that will last a lifetime. "

Dear Ben, 

Thanks for your e mail. I am glad to know you will visit China. 


 

Yours, 

Li Li