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

      Jack is in bed. Mr. Smith sits beside him.

    “What kind of day do you have today?” Mr. Smith asks.

    “It is a bad day for me,” Jack answers. “I have a fight with Tom. Then the teacher calls you and tells you about it, right?”

    “Yes , part(部分) of the day is bad,” Mr. Smith says. But there are good parts, too. Now it is time to go to sleep. So tell me the best thing to you today.

    Jack is happy and he says, “After school, I go swimming. I make a new friend in the swimming pool.”

“I am happy you have a good time,” Mr. Smith says. “Think about it before you go to sleep. Now I'm going to turn off the light(关灯). Have a nice dream!”

    “Good night, Dad,” Jack says.

    Every night Mr. Smith and Jack have a talk like this.

    Every night Jack answers the same question, “What is the best thing to you today?

    Every night Jack goes to sleep thinking about the best thing. It's really a good way to end(结束) a day.”

    Every year on my birthday since I was 11，a white gardenia （栀子花） was sent to my house．No card ever came with it．Calls to the flower shop were not helpful at all．After some time I stopped trying to find out the sender's name and was just pleased with the beautiful flower，in soft pink paper．

    I couldn't stop imagining who the giver might be．Some of my happiest moments were spent daydreaming（幻想 ）about the sender．My mother encouraged these daydreams．She'd ask me if I had been especially kind to someone．Perhaps it was one of my classmates Perhaps it was the old man who I once helped．As a girl，I had more fun imagining that it might be a boy that I had met．

    A month before my high school graduation（毕业），my father died．I was so sad that I became completely uninterested in my coming graduation dance，and I didn't care whether I had a new dress or not．My mother，in her own sadness，would not let me miss （过） any of those things．She wanted her children to feel loved．In fact，my mother wanted her children to see themselves much like the gardenia：lovely，strong and perfect．

    My mother died ten years after I was married．That was the year the gardenia stopped coming．

    Once upon a time, there were three little pigs. They left their parents to see the world. All summer long, they played games and made friends. No one was happier than the three little pigs. Soon autumn came and it began to rain. The three pigs started to think they needed a house. They talked about what to do, but they had different ideas. The laziest little pig said he would built a straw hut(茅草屋). "It will only take a day, "he said. The second little pig built a wooden(木头的)house. It took him two days. But the third little pig built a house with stones. It took him over a week.

    One day, a wolf came. He broke the straw hut easily, and the laziest pig ran to his brother's wooden house. The wolf followed him and broke the door of the wooden house. They had to run to their brother's stone house .The wolf was so angry that he couldn't break the stone house. He left at last. Then the three happy little pigs, dancing in front of the house, began to sing. After that, they all worked hard and built strong houses.

    Jack Harris, an English teacher

    I always have eggs, milk and three pieces of bread for breakfast. For lunch, I usually eat rice, chicken and vegetables. I don't eat hamburgers because they are not healthy. I like to cat out on Saturday or Sunday. I like Chinese food.

    Oliver McShane, a computer game designer (设计师)

    I usually get up at 9 a.m. I don't have breakfast. I have an apple or a banana at ten in the morning. For lunch, I often have rice, fruit and vegetables. I work at home and usually stay up late (熬夜) working at night, so I always sleep (睡觉) for forty minutes after lunch. I'm busy with my work. I don't like playing sports.

    Anita Ramos, a tour guide (导游)

    I get up at 7 a.m.. I work in the morning and evening. It's too hot in the afternoon, so I'm often at home. For lunch, I usually have hamburgers, but my dinner is healthy. I usually have chicken, rice and vegetables. I always eat a lot of chocolate (巧克力) and it gives me energy (精力) for the day.

 During lunchtime in Shenzhen, workers often line up to buy food from street vendors(小贩). But in the past, they weren't allowed to set up their stalls(摊位) anywhere on the streets in China. The stalls were believed to be bad for the image of a city." We have to keep the streets clean and tidy," the city government of Beijing once said.

 Things, though, began to change in recent months. In March, Shanghai and Hangzhou worked out detailed plans for stall businesses. And now Shenzhen is also preparing to welcome back street vendors. On April 28, it announced new guidelines on the management of street vending. Under the rules, street vendors will be allowed to operate in certain areas within the city. The new rules worked out on September 1,2023.

 Most people are glad to see vendors getting back on the streets."I think it's good and convenient," said one user on Weibo." Vendors can make money, while customers will have more choice."

 Street vending has long been considered as a lowly job in China. But in 2020, former Premier Li Keqiang pointed out that street vendors were the" lifeblood" of the country. Since then, many Chinese young people have seen the business as a way to get away from the stress of traditional work culture. Some of them can now be seen setting up stalls on weekends in Shanghai.