Avril(艾薇儿) Lavigne is an excellent teenage(十几岁的)singer. She made a great success because of her musical talent(天才，天赋).

      She wrote her songs by herself, played the guitar and had a wide range of voice(音域). When she was only 17 years old, she began to sing her own rock-and-roll(摇滚乐) music. She is a talent in the musical world. People in many different countries like her songs very much.

Avril Lavigne isn't a quiet girl. She is a true wild, active and crazy girl. She started showing her voice and character at around age 2. “I'm just coming out and I'm going to be myself. I write what I feel. I never worry about what others think,” Avril said.

      Her music can reach girls' and boys' hearts and even some adults, too. “I can't wait to be out there; I want to rock the world! I want people to know what music is real and honest(坦率的)—it comes from my heart. I am just being true to myself.”

    In 1883, an engineer named John Roebling got an idea to build a bridge between New York and Long Island. However, bridge-building experts around the world thought that it was impossible. It had never been done before.

    After much discussion, he made his son Washington, a great engineer, believe that the bridge could be built.

    The project started well, but a few months later, an accident took the life of John Roebling. Washington was badly hurt and he was not able to walk or talk. However, Washington never lost his heart. He still wanted to complete the bridge. But all he could do was to move one finger. So he decided to make the best use of it. By moving his finger, he slowly developed a way of communicating with his wife.

    He touched his wife's arm with his finger, “telling” her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same way to tell the engineers what to do. The project carried on again.

    For 13 years, Washington tapped out (敲出) his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the Brooklyn Bridge stands as a monument(纪念碑) to one man's unbeatable spirit.

    It is also a monument to engineers and their teamwork, and to their faith in a man who was considered crazy by half the world.

    Once there was an apple tree which a little boy always played around. When the little boy grew up, he no longer played around the tree.

    One day the tree said, “Come and play with me.” The boy answered, “I need money.” “Sorry, you can sell the apples for some money.” The boy did that and left happily.

    After a few years, the boy came back. The tree said, “Come and play with me.” The boy said, “I don't have time. I need a house.” “You can cut off my branches (树枝) and trunk (树干) for a house,” answered the tree. The boy did so.

    Twenty years later, the boy came back again. “My boy, the only thing left is my dying roots (根),” said the tree. “I don't need much now, just a place to rest. I am too tired,” answered the boy. The tree then smiled with tears.

    This is a story of everyone. The tree is our parent. No matter what we need, parents will always be there and give everything they have to make us happy.

    Alice needs some money for a Mother's Day present. She tells her father about her problem.

    "I'll pay you to do some housework. You can clean up the yard(院子)," her father says.

    "You can also wash my car and Mum's. Both of them need to be washed because they're really dirty."

    Alice works on the yard and washes her father's car.

    "Too bad! You didn't have time to wash Mum's car," Dad says when he pays her.

    The next morning Alice wakes up early. First she washes her mother's car. Then she goes to the flower shop. She also buys her mother's favourite bread on her way home. After breakfast Alice asks her mother to go to the garage(车库). She opens the gate.

    "Wow!" Alice's mother says. "My car is gleaming."

    "Open the door," Alice says.

    Alice's mother opens the door. There on the seat she sees a bunch of flowers.

    "Happy Mother's Day!" Alice says.

    Jane Austen(1775--1817), an English' novelist, started writing young and completed six novels in her life. Today Austen's books are more popular than ever. In the last 10 years, five of her six novels have been made into Hollywood films, while her books continue to be best-sellers.

    Richard Jenkyns, a professor of English at Oxford University, says that her novels are about marriage, friendships and the family, which are still with us today. "The stories are timeless," Jenkyns said.

    Pride and Prejudice(《傲慢与偏见》) (1813) is Austen's most famous work. It is a love story about Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. At first, these two dislike each other. Elizabeth is pretty, smart and lively. She is proud because Darcy doesn't know about her family. Mr. Darcy is handsome, rich and has a better family background. So, he is proud as well. At the same time, Darcy holds a prejudice against the Bennet family. He has no understanding of why the family, especially its mother and daughters should try so hard to find wealthy and powerful husbands. He thinks they are vulgar. Anyway, Elizabeth and Darcy finally fall in love and become a romantic couple(夫妻) but their families' "don t want them to.

    In Pride and Prejudice, some of the main things that Jane Austen wants to teach people are as follows. Opposites can attract (吸引 ) each other. Lovers should not only make each other feel relaxed or comfortable, but also educate and improve each other.

    Austen is often called the greatest romantic writer, so it is surprising she remained unmarried. "Maybe she was too romantic, waiting for the perfect man," Jenkyns says.