The Museum: The Charles Dickens Museum in London is the world's most important collection of material relating to the great Victorian novelist and social commentator(时事评论员). The only surviving London home of Dickens (from 1837 until 1839) was opened as a museum in 1925 and is still welcoming visitors from all over the world . On four floors, visitors can see paintings, rare editions, manuscripts(手稿),original furniture and many items relating to the life of one of the most popular and beloved personalities of the Victorian age.

Opening Hours

The Museum is open from Mondays to Saturdays 10:00—17:00; Sundays 11:00—17:00.

Last admission is 30 minutes before closing time.

Special opening times can be arranged for groups , who may wish to book a private view.

    Admission Charges: Adults: £5.00; Students: £4.00; Seniors: £4.00; Children: £3.00; Families: £14.00 ( 2 adults & up to five children)

    Group Rates: For a group of 10 or more, a special group rate of £4.00 each applies. Children will still be admitted for £3.00 each.

    Access: We are constantly working to improve access to the Muse um and its collection. Our current projects involve the fitting of a wheelchair ramp（波道）for better access, a customer care kit and an audio tour for visitors with impaired(受损的)vision. Our Handling Sessions are also suitable for the visually（视觉上地）impaired. The Museum has developed an online virtual（虚拟的）tour through the Museum. Click here to visit all the rooms in the Museum online.

    Hire the Museum: The Museum can be hired for private functions, performances soirees(社交晚会)and many other social occasions.

    Find Us: The Museum may be reached by using the following buses:7,17, 19, 38, 45, 46, 55, 243. And by these underground services: Piccadilly Line; Central Line. For a map, please click here. T he British Museum and the Foundling Museum are within walking distance.

    Everyone needs friends. We all like to feel close to someone. It is nice to have a friend to talk，laugh and do things with. Surely，there are times when we need to be alone. We don't always want people around. But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend.

    No two people are the same. Sometimes friends don't get along well，which doesn't mean that they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will go on being friends. Sometimes friends move away，then we feel very sad. We miss them much，but we can call them and write to them. Maybe we would never see them again，and we can make new friends. It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them. Families sometimes name their children after a close friend. Many places are named after men and women，if they are friendly to people in a town. Some libraries are named this way. So are some schools. We think of these people when we go to these places.

    There's more good news for people who have friends. They live longer than those people who don't. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. Or it could be just knowing that someone cares. If someone cares about you，you take better care of yourself.

    One of the most important things in the world is friendship. In order to have friends, you have to be a friend. But how can you be a good friend at school?

    Listen — Listen when they are talking. Don't say anything unless they ask you a question. Sometimes it's not necessary for you to have anything to say; they just need someone to talk to about their feelings.

    Help them — If your friend is ever in need of something, be there to help them. You should try to put them first, but make sure you don't do everything they want you to do. Try to take an extra (额外的) pencil or pen with you to classes in case (以防) they forget one. Have a little extra money in your pocket in case they forget something they need.

    Be there for them — Try to make something for your friend to help make them feel better in hard times. Making cards and encouraging them are among the nicest things you can do for a friend. Marilyn Monroe, a famous U.S. actor, once said, "I often make mistakes. Sometimes I am out of control. But if you can't stay with me at my worst, you are sure not to deserve (值得) to be with me at my best." Always remember this! If you don't want to stay with your friends when they're in hard times, then you don't deserve to be with them when they're having a good time!

    ______—Try to make plans with your friends.  Go shopping, go for ice cream, have a party, go to a movie and so on. Take time to know each other even better by doing something you both enjoy. By planning things together, you both can have a good time. And you'll remember these things when you're all old!

    Buying new clothes isn't an easy matter for everyone, here are some tips(建议) for you .When you want to go shopping, decide how much money you can spend on new clothes. Think about the kind of clothes you really need. Then look for those clothes you really need. Then look for those clothes on sale.

    There are labels(标签) inside all new clothes. The labels tell you how to take care of your clothes. The label for a shirt may tell you to wash it in warm water. A sweater label may tell you to wash in cold water. The label on a coat may say "dry clean only", for washing may ruin this coat. If you do as the directions(说明)on the label, you can keep your clothes looking their best for a long time.

    Many clothes today must be dry cleaned. Dry cleaning is expensive. When buying new clothes, check to see if they will need to be dry cleaned. You will save money if you buy clothes that can be washed.

    You can save money if you buy clothes that are well-made. Well-made clothes last longer. They look good even after they have been washed many times. Clothes that cost more money are not necessarily better made. They do not always fit better. Sometimes less expensive clothes look and fit better than more expensive clothes.

My First Day of School

    Fear started taking over, I was walking into my first school in America. I had traveled a long distance from India in order to join my parents, who had been for three years, hoping America would help my future. My father decided that I would be better off going to school here, so I enrolled(登记)in the local high school in my new town.

    I was afraid how I would do. On the first day, I went to my second period class after I had missed my first. With anxiety, I reached for the door, opening it slowly. Without paying attention to my classmates, I went straight to the teacher and asked if this was the right class. With a soft voice he answered. "Yes." His voice comforted me a little. He gave me a sheet called Course Requirements, which I would never get in India because we didn't have anything like that. Then he asked me to choose where I would sit. I didn't actually want to pick a seat. In India we had fixed seats, so I never needed to worry about that. I spent the rest of the class taking notes from the image produced by the overhead projector. In Indian schools, we didn't use the technology we had. We had to take notes as the teacher spoke.

    It was noon. I was very confused about when I would have lunch. I went to my next class and the bell rang as I entered. I went through the regular process of asking the teacher if I was in the right class. She said, "It's still fourth period."

    "But the bell just rang," I said.

    Changing from a gentle tone to a harsher(刺耳的)one, she said, "That is the lunch bell, young man."

    I apologized. Without another word I headed for the cafeteria. I felt lucky because we didn't have this in India. Every confusion seemed like a barrier I had to get through to reach my goal. At the end of the day, I was on my way to the bus which we didn't have in India either. I spotted my bus and sat down inside happily. I was thinking, today wasn't so bad.

Ken was my best friend for 30 years. I told him I would leave Chicago for Philadelphia to receive a new job there. "What do you mean you're leaving?" Ken asked angrily. "When did you interview for a job in another city? You had never told me before." I explained that was the new company's rule. "Like you couldn't tell me?" he asked. "I thought our friendship meant more to you than that." "I'm sorry," I said. But I would never give up the job because of friends.

Ken and I had met in a church. Then Ken was a college student studying mental health and I was working in a company. I found we both grew up in small towns and struggled for school life. He often volunteered in Thailand during school holidays. And I once worked there for five years. Talking with Keri gave me great pleasure. Gradually, our conversations even involved in deeper subjects, like our dreams.

I was older than Ken. When he married Lee, I gave him advice about marriage. By that time, I was running a television production business, and was under a lot of stress. It was Ken who encouraged me and helped me get through the hard time. He was a great guy. Even so, I didn't change my mind.

Anyway, when leaving Chicago, Ken and Lee had a warm farewell (告别) party. But we didn't talk much later. After September 2012, everything changed. It started with a letter from Ken: Lee had cancer. Unfortunately, I got divorced (离婚) later and everything was a mess.

In February 2013,I flew to Chicago to see Ken and Lee. We talked. I found there was no one I had ever been able to talk to quite like Ken. I needed to be there for Ken in any way I could. This friendship mattered more than work. When going back to Philadelphia, I left my job and bought a plane ticket that would mean a lot to the rest of my life.