U2 is the name of a band from Ireland. It's one of the most famous rock bands in the world.

    In l978, a l7-year-old high school student, Larry Mullen, looked for some musicians to make a band. Finally, he found another three boys and they set up a band. The four boys named their band U2.

    They travelled a lot and gave concerts in many countries. More and more people got to know them and love their music. Many of their songs, such as Beautiful Day and Walk On, were popular. In the l980s, the band became famous.

    Now the four members of U2 are still good friends and their music is still popular. People in the world still enjoy their music.

    The Man of Many Secrets — Harry Houdini — was one of the greatest American entertainers(表演者) in the theater. He was a man famous for his escapes（逃走；逃生） — from prison cells（囚室）, from wooden boxes floating（漂浮） in rivers, from locked tanks full of water. He appeared in theaters all over Europe and America. Crowds came to see the great Houdini and his “magic” tricks.

    Of course, his secret was not magic, or supernatural powers. It was simply strength. He had the ability to move his toes as well as his fingers. He could move his body into almost any position he wanted.

    Houdini started working in the entertainment world when he was 17, in 1891. He and his brother Theo performed card tricks in club in New York. They called themselves the Houdini Brothers. When Harry married in 1894, he and his wife Bess worked together as magician and assistant. But for a long time they were not very successful. Then Harry performed his first prison （监狱）escape in Chicago in 1898. Harry persuaded（说服） a detective（侦探） which to let him try to escape from the prison, and he invited the local newspapermen to watch.

    It was the publicity(宣传) that came from this that started Harry Houdini's success. Harry had fingers trained to escape from handcuffs(手铐) and toes trained to escape ankle chains. But his biggest secret was how he unlocked the prison doors. Every time he went into the prison cell, Bess gave him a kiss for good luck — and a small skeleton key, which is a key that fits many locks, pass quickly from her mouth to his.

    Harry used these prison escapes to build his fame. He arranged to escape from the local prison of every town he visited. In the afternoon, the people of the town would read about it in their local newspapers, and in the evening every seat in the local theater would be full. What was the result? Worldwide fame, and a name remembered today.

    April 13^th, 1539

    Outside Mexico City

Dear Mariana,

    Today we arrived safe. It was a long and dangerous trip over the ocean. The winter storms were strong. We were always a little sick from high waves.

    The journey from the shore to Mexico City is also long and dangerous. There are robbers in the countryside. We will travel together with the other ship passengers, thinking we will be safer as a group. Tomorrow we will travel into the city to find our uncle.

    Father says it will take a year for this letter to reach you. The trip from New Spain to Spain is very long.

Your loving brother,

Tomas

    April 20^th, 1539

    Mexico City

Dear Mariana,

    Father and I finally arrived at Mexico City. Here, old buildings are being pulled down; new ones are being built. Just around the corner from Uncle's city house, Aztec workers are pulling down a small, beautiful pyramid. Father says it is one of the last Aztec temples.

    In the center of the city, I met an Aztec boy named Carlos. He speaks a little Spanish. Carlos learns Spanish at his new school. He told me that the Spanish set up new schools for the Aztecs. There he got his new name, Carlos. He says he likes his new school but misses his old city. I wonder what this city used to be like before Cortes came.

    Tomorrow we will go to Uncle's farmland. He and father are talking about the Aztec workers that father will oversee.

Your brother,

Tomas

found v. 建立        battle n. 战役        conquer v. 征服

B

    One morning a boy went home with his father. They noticed a pair of old shoes by the roadside. They thought the shoes might be a poor man's. In fact, the owner of the shoes was working in the field nearby, and he had nearly finished his work.

    The boy said to his father, "Let's play a trick on the man—we hide his shoes, and wait to see what he will do when he can't find them."

    "My boy, we should never have fun by tricking other people like that," answered his father. "Instead, let's put a coin in each of the shoes, and watch he will do."

    The boy did so, and then they hid nearby.

    The man soon back to get h is shoes, but when he put his foot into one of his shoes, he felt something in it. He bent（弯曲）down and found the coin.

    Surprise appeared on his face. He looked at the coin for a minute, and then looked around, but nobody could be seen. He then went on to put on the other shoe, but he was even more surprised to find the second coin.

    He then went down on his knees, looked up to the sky and said thanks aloud. He said his wife was ill and his children were hungry. He wanted to buy some bread for them.

    The boy was deeply moved.

    "Now," said his father, "you must be much more pleased than if you had played your trick."

    The boy replied, "You have taught me a lesson which I'll never forget. Now I understand these words, which I didn't understand before: It is more blessed（神圣的）to give than to receive."