Hi Sam! Sorry I haven't emailed recently— I've been revising for my exams. I have finished them now and I have got some time to relax and some money to spend on going out. Last weekend, I went to see a great film called Yes Man. If you haven't seen it, you must go! Jim Carrey plays the main character and it's very funny--and also quite encouraging. It's based on a book by Danny Wallace which is also called Yes Man. I read the book a few months ago and that's hilarious, too – I really laughed out loud!

      The book is a ture story about what happens to the writer, Danny. Basically, he found that he was doing nothing all the time, just worrying about things and complaining about his life. He wasn't seeing his friends much, so he was lonely and bored. Then one day, he was on a bus in London when he sat down next to a man. The man was a stranger, but they started talking. Danny told him about his boring life and the man just gave him three words: 'Say "yes" more.' And for Danny this was a turning point in his life. Those three words influenced everything he did. At that moment, he made a decision: 'I will say "yes" to everything!'  And he wrote a book about what happened to him in the next year or so. Three years later, the book was made into a hit film.

      The film is based on the book although there are some differences. First, it's set in the US instead of England. Secondly, the main character is based on Danny, but he called Carl in the film. And what's more, he doesn't meet a man on a bus. His turning point comes when he goes to a self-help class and they advise him to say "yes" more.

      In the film Carl succeeds in changing his life and doing lots of crazy things: he has flying lessons, he learns to speak Korean and he rides a motorbike with no clothes on! The storyline isn't very strong. It's quite weak, I suppose, but all Carl's stories are very interesting— especially because Jim Carrey is a very funny actor.

      I'm really interested in the film because there's a serious message, too. I believe in making the most of life and I've decided I'm going to be more positive. I've decided I'm not going to stay at home so much. I'm going to do more things, see my friends more and everything. Actually, that's why I'm emailing you! It would be great if we could meet up soon. Let me know when you are free.

      All the best, Adam

A

    How do you win a Nobel Prize for writing? Here's the secret from a previous winner: make it short, keep it real, and work hard.

Canadian author Alice Munro, 82, was awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in literature. She is known for her short stories about personal relationships of ordinary people, usually women.

    Munro was born into a farming family in Ontario. The family was very poor. Munro did a lot of physical work as a young girl. She decided to be a writer at the age of 12. Now Munro turns her hard childhood into great writing ideas. The story Dear Life, for example, opens with a description of the neighborhood in which Munro grew up. Also, she talks about her poor relationship with her mother in many of her stories, such as Lives of Girls and Women and Friend of My Youth.

    Since she published her first book in 1968, Munro has won many awards, with the Nobel Prize as her biggest honor. But Munro doesn't see herself as a talented(有天赋的) writer.

    “I'm the opposite of a writer with a quick gift. I don't grasp it very easily at all, the‘it' being whatever I'm trying to do,” she said.

    Do you dream of becoming an author while sadly admitting you are not that talented? Munro has a tip for you: use notebooks and write a lot.

    “I have lots of notebooks that contain(包含) this writing,” she said. But it helps her sort out (整理) her mind. “Stories would just be working in my head for so long that when I started to write I was deep into them.”

    Hello, I am a box. I am big and I am green. I have many things. Look! This is a pencil box. It's white. It's Jack's. He likes white very much. What are in the pencil box? Three pens are in it. What is that? It's an orange. It's Linda's. Oranges are her favorite fruit. Some baseballs are in me, too. They are John's and Mary's. They lost them on the playground. Whose keys are these? They are Anna's. She lost them in the library. A boy found them. You can see an English book in me, too. Whose book is it? I don't know. Who am I? I am the Lost and Found box.

    Chris Rock was born in the state of South Carolina in the United States. When he was a child, his family moved, and he grew up in a poor area in Brooklyn, New York.

    As a teenager, Rock left high school and started telling jokes in comedy clubs in New York City, Even at age 18, Chris Rock was very funny. He told jokes about his family (his parents were very strict) , and about growing up in Brooklyn in the 1980s. Many of his jokes were also about high school, which Rock says was terrible.

    Famous comedians (喜剧演员）went to see Rock's performances. One comedian (Eddie Murphy) helped him get work on television and in the movies. Chris Rock still acts in movies, but he does not want to be a serious actor. For him, comedy is more important. It makes people laugh, but it can also make people think.

    Today, Chris Rock still does live comedy shows around the world. He also created a TV show called "Everybody Hates Chris." It is about his teenage years growing up and going to school in Brooklyn. In 2006, it was considered as one of the best comedy shows on American television.

    Somebody says that it is raining cats and dogs. We know it means it is raining heavily. Here you can know why people say like this.

    There are many large rats (老鼠) in a country. People need cats. But there are many mountains in the country. It's hard for a plane to land. So the cats come down by parachute (降落伞). In another country, the people need dogs to help people to find the people in the snow. Where can they get them? You can guess. The dogs come down by parachute. Both cats and dogs are coming down by parachute, just like the raindrops coming from the sky. So there is the saying "It is raining cats and dogs".

    These cats and dogs help the people. And the people often say it rains cats and dogs. This kind of old saying is very interesting.

    Mum and dad took my brother, Brad and me to a restaurant last night. Mum told us to wear our best clothes. Brad wanted to wear jeans but mum said no.

    When we arrived at the restaurant, a waiter took us to our table. Our table was next to the window and we could see the river. Then the waiter asked us if we wanted to drink before the dinner. Brad and I both had an orange juice. I spent a long time looking at the menu. It was difficult to choose because there were many things on the menu. After five minutes, I decided to have chicken and a small salad. Brad had beef and mum and dad had fish. We all agreed that the food was delicious, we would like to go there again next time.