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    Rose's husband, George, was in prison for two years for stealing. While he was in prison, Rose had a very difficult time. She had two children, but no job. Her husband did not make any money either. She only had a small amount money from the government.

    “I don't know how we will manage. Life is so difficult for us,” she wrote to her husband in prison. “I get only enough money to pay the rent (房租). There isn't enough money for food. I have to plant vegetables in the garden. They will grow quickly. We can live on vegetables.”

    The garden was quite large, and much of it was covered with grass.

    When George received his wife's letter, he wrote to her immediately.

    “Don't dig up the garden,” he wrote. “That's where the money I stole is hidden.”

    All letters written by the prisoners were read by one of the guards (守卫) before they were mailed.

    When the guard read George5 s letter, he took it to the head guard. When the head guard read it, he telephoned the police. He told them what George had written to his wife.

    The police went to George's house at once. They dug up the garden, looking for the money, but they did not find anything.

    When they had gone, Rose wrote to her husband. “The police came today,” she wrote. “They dug up the garden. What should I do?”

    Her husband wrote back immediately, “Plant the vegetables.”

    Last summer Jenny and her friends had a bus trip to New York. She felt very relaxing on the way. They visited a museum. But it's really crowded there and the display(展览) were not interesting at all. They went to different restaurants to have dinner. Some food was quite delicious, but Jenny thought the fast food was terrible. When the weather was fine, they went to the beach to swim. The sea was beautiful and they had a good time.

    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.