Jane Eyre

    Jane Eyre, a novel written by Charlotte Bronte, was published in 1847 in England. It is Charlotte Bronte's most famous book. Jane Eyre is a love story. It tells about a young and independent woman called Jane Eyre, who is brave enough to pursue her own love.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

    Uncle Tom's Cabin is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel “helped lay the base for the Civil War”, according to Will Kaufman. When Abraham Lincoln met Stowe at the start of the Civil War, Lincoln declared, “So it is the little lady who started this great war.” The character of Uncle Tom in the novel is a longsuffering black slave. The sad novel exposes the reality of slavery.

Gone with the Wind

    Gone with the Wind is a novel by Margaret Mitchell in 1936. It tells the story of Scarlett O'Hara, and her adventures in the American South during the Civil War. She falls in love with Rhett Butler, a city gentleman. It is one of the most famous books of its time, and was made into a movie with the same name. The title took its name from the lines an Ernest Dowson poem: “I have forgotten much, Cynara! Gone with the wind.” (This line also appears in the book.) The book won the Pulitzer Prize on May 3,1937.

Rich Dad Poor Dad

    Rich Dad Poor Dad is a book by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter. In the story, Robert's own father was the superintendent (厅长) of education in Hawaii and end up dying penniless. His best friend's father dropped out of school at age 13 and went on to become one of the wealthiest men in Hawaii. It advocates financial independence through investing, real estate (地产), owning businesses, and the use of finance protection tactics.

    Our warming planet is expected to face serious water crisis（危机）in the coming decades — which means each nation's natural resource will be more important than ever.

    When someone says, “Well, I guess I'll have to go to face the music,” it does not mean he is planning to go to a concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this or that, and why you did not do this or that. Sour music, indeed, but it has to be faced.

    The phrase “to face the music” is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old.

    The first information comes from the American writer James Fennimore Cooper. He said—in 1851—that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on stage. After they got their cue to go on, they often said, “It's time to go to face the music.” And that is exactly what they did-face the orchestra which was just below the stage.

    An actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of the audience that might be friendly or perhaps unfriendly, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. So, “to face the music” came to mean having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice.

    The other explanation comes from the army. Men had to face inspection by their leader. The soldiers worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean—shiny enough to pass inspection? Still, the men had to go out, and face the music of the band, as well as the inspection. What else could they do?

    Here are five tips for being a good friend.

    Listen more than you speak. Next time you ask a question, wait for the answer. Let the person tell the full story, and explain his complete answer.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Keep your promises. There's nothing worse than the type of friend who leaves you hanging. Whether it's a friend get-together or meeting at the mall, they always manage to break their promises and leave you feeling upset and disappointed. This is the reason why an important part of strong friendships is the ability to trust each other.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Therefore, next time you make a promise, keep it.

    Give advice, but only when it is asked for. By offering advice when it's not asked for, you're ignoring the needs of your friend.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Otherwise, don't give it. Be with them, hug（拥抱）them and make them breakfast in bed, but keep your wisdom to yourself and save it for another time.

    Let your friend have other friends, too. If your best friend picks another friend over you, try to be friends with their friends too. Maybe you guys can be a group of friends!

    Everyone is always looking for new friends.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Your loyalty（忠诚）to friendship is what the other person expects and counts on every day.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}  Everyone has their own faults, and they need to work through them. Don't be bad to your friend about his or her faults, but help him or her work through them while asking for help on your own as well.

A. Remember that no one is perfect.
B. But never, ever leave the old one.

C. If they want your advice, they will ask for it.

D. You are who you are, and your best friend will accept that. E. Never leave the problem alone and pretend it doesn't exist.

F. And then, when you feel that your words can add value, speak.

G. And part of this trust can only be developed if you can keep your word.

    Can creativity be taught? That's a question without a simple yes or no answer. Creativity may not be able to be taught directly, but what you can get better at is frequently targeting at the circumstances of life which bring up the greatest chances for true creative expression. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, but more like something which manifests （显现） itself inside those who learn to develop it and create the right conditions for it.

Limit your selection of tools to only the most vital. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. You'll be sharper than someone who merely fights with a larger set of tools.

    Learn how to be resourceful. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Creativity is not just about creating something new but making old things work better as well. Think of crazy possibilities as well as practical ones. You might find inspiration for a workable solution in one of your ideas.

    Don't listen to feedback （反馈） and keep following your own path. The problem of asking for feedback is that the feedback will be given according to the person's past experience. Others will unconsciously push you in a direction that they see as best. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Just don't let criticism （even the constructing type） destroy your creativity during the creative process.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Routines are positive if they strengthen a healthy creative consciousness and negative if they destroy that. The key is to discover a creative routine that puts you in a more creative mindset.

A. Creativity is not like a lightning strike

B. Having a routine is actually not a bad idea

C. You can literally do anything you like with them

D. Resourcefulness is about making the most of what you have to work with

E. The more limited your set of tools is, the more creative the output will be

F. This is done with good intentions, but it actually hurts your natural creativity

G. While breaking your routine once in a while to force new ways of thinking is good

Painting

    The art of creating pictures using colors, shapes and lines is called painting. Museums and galleries show the paintings of professional (专业的) artists. But painting is also a popular form of entertainment and creative expression.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Experienced painters usually use a brush to apply oil paints to a canvas cloth surface. Young painters usually use watercolors on pieces of paper. Very young children may use finger paints to create paintings.

    Painters can use their art to express devotion to a religion, to tell a story, to express feelings and ideas, or simply to present a pleasing picture. Religious paintings often show a god or a scene from a sacred text (圣典). Other common subjects have been famous legends and events in history, as well as scenes from daily life. Artists also paint portraits (画像), or pictures of people.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} All of these types of paintings show the human figure in some way.

    Some kinds of paintings do not focus on people. In landscape (风景) painting the focus is on scenes from nature. Artists also paint still objects such as fruits and vegetables.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Some artists communicate their ideas through pictures that do not represent any object.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Paintings dating back 15,000 years have been found on the walls of caves in France and Spain.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Samples of painted pottery (陶器) from at least 5,000 years ago have been found in China and Iran. The ancient Egyptians decorated their temples with beautiful paintings. People in ancient Greece painted decorative objects such as vases in addition to the walls of temples.

A. These works are called still-life paintings.

B. These works can communicate a special feeling.

C. Humans have been making paintings for thousands of years.

D. People of all ages create pictures using a variety of materials.

E. Cave paintings generally show animals that early humans hunted.

F. The design of a painting is the plan of its lines, shapes and colors.

G. Sometimes artists make portraits of themselves, which are called self-portraits.