What about my plans for the summer vacation? First, I will go to Shanghai with my sister Kate. There are many interesting places in Shanghai, and we can also taste the delicious food there. After that, I will spend some time reading books. I will play tennis with my friends, too.—— Peter

    I made some plans for my summer vacation. First, I will help more at home. My parents are always busy, so I'll help them with the housework and let them have more time to relax. Second, I will practice the violin every day. Third, I think the vacation is a good time for me to do some sports, such as running and swimming. I am sure my summer vacation will be wonderful.——Tom

    After about four months' study, the summer vacation is coming. Here are my plans. First, I will leave enough time for my new lessons. I will also read some great books. Second, I will go to Xi'an and stay there for two weeks. I think the trip will be wonderful. Then, I will come back and enjoy myself with my friends. We will go swimming, shopping, etc.——Amy

    Mark Twain left school when he was twelve. He had little school education. In spite of this, he became the most famous writer of his time. He made millions of dollars by writing. His real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but he is better known all over the world as Mark Twain, his penname.

    Mark Twain was born in 1835 and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother's care, he managed to survive. As a boy, he caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play jokes on all his friends and neighbors. He didn't like to go to school, and he often ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi. He was nearly drowned nine times.

    After his father's death, Mark Twain began to work for a printer, who only provided him with food and clothing. Then, he worked as a printer, a river-boat pilot and later joined the army. But shortly after that he became a miner. During this period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a full time writer.

    In 1870, Mark Twain got married. In the years that followed he wrote many books including Tom Sawyer in 1876, and Huckleberry Finn in 1884, which made him famous, and brought him great fortune.

    Unfortunately, Mark Twain got into debts in bad investments(投资) and he had to write large numbers of stories to pay these debts. In 1904, his wife died, and then three of his children passed away.

    At the age of 70, his hair was completely white. He bought many white suits and neckties. He wore nothing but white from head to foot until his death on April 21, 1910.

    Robert De Niro is an American actor. He has acted in a lot of famous films. He is one of the greatest actors in film history.

    Robert De Niro was born in 1943 in New York City. He left high school at the age of sixteen. He wanted to have a career in acting. He dreamt of appearing in Hollywood films.

    His first major film role came in 1973. It was in the film Bang the Drum Slowly. Later, he got a role in the film The Godfather Part Ⅱ. The film is one of the greatest films in history. He won his first Oscar (奥斯卡金像奖) for this role. It was the start of a great career. After this, he got many other important film roles.

    On his way to career success, he became good friends with Martin Scorsese. Scorsese is a famous director (导演). They began to work together often. Their first film together was Mean Streets in 1973. It was a big Success. In 1980, he acted in the film Raging Bull. Scorsese was the director again. And for this role. Robert De Niro won his second Oscar.

    His acting career continued. In 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, he kept acting in a lot of films. Robert De Niro is a really great actor. If you are interested, you can see his films on the Internet!

    After giving a talk at a high school, I was asked to pay a visit to a special student. An illness had kept the boy home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me, and it would mean a great deal to him. I agreed.

    During the nine-mile drive to his home, I found out something about Matthew. He had muscular dystrophy(肌肉营养不良). When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to five, and then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal power lifter, and I knew about overcoming obstacles and going for my dreams.

    I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain or ask, "Why me? "He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. Obviously, he knew what he was talking about. He didn't mention that his classmates had made fun of him because he was different. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weights with me. When we finished talking, I went to my briefcase and pulled out the first gold medal I had won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, "You are a champion. You earned that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you. "

    Last summer I received a letter from Matthew's parents telling me that Matthew had passed away. They wanted me to have a letter he had written to me a few days before: Dear Dick,

    My mum said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me. I also want to let you know that the doctors tell me that I don't have tong to live any more, but I still smile as much as I can. I told you someday I was going to the Olympics and win a gold medal, but I know now I will newer get to do that. But I know I'm a champion, and God knows that too. When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal and when you get there, I will show, it to you. Thank you for loving me.

Your friend,

Matthew