One dollar a week

The doorway of the house where Chandler has a room. He is dressed in his best clothes, ready for

his evening out. He is going out as his friend, Jeff 'White, comes in.21教育名师原创作品

WHITE                        What are you doing this evening, Towers?

CHANDLER                (Smiling) Tonight I'm going to live like a man with a million dollars!

WHITE                        What are you talking about? You haven't got a million dollars!21*cnjy*com

CHANDLER                How much money are you and I paid each week, Jeff?

WHITE                        Eighteen dollars. Why?

CHANDLER                And how much of that eighteen dollars do you spend each week?21·世纪*教育网

WHITE                        All of it, of course.

CHANDLER                Well, I don't. Each week I save one dollar out of my eighteen. Then,

every ten weeks, I can buy myself an evening to remember.

WHITE                        What do you do?

CHANDLER                I put on my finest clothes, go to one of the best restaurants in New York,

eat the most expensive food on the menu, drink the best wine, and then

take a taxi home!

WHITE             (  29  ) Why?

CHANDLER        Why? Because it makes me feel wonderful to sit with some of 'the richest

people in America, and to make them think that I'm rich, too.

WHITE             You're crazy!

CHANDLER        (Laughing) Perhaps I am!

Mrs Black comes in.

MRS BLACK               Ah, Mr Chandler. I wanted to see you.

CHANDLER                Good evening, Mrs Black. What a lovely evening!

MRS BLACK               Lovely evening perhaps, but you haven't paid me for your room this

month. When am I going to get the money?

CHANDLER         Soon, Mrs Black. Very soon.

Mrs Black looks at Chandler s clothes.

MRS BLACK               You can spend money on expensive clothes, but you can't pay for your

room. Is that right?

CHANDLER         (Hurrying away) Good night, Mrs Black!21世纪教育网

    Laura is at the airport(机场). She waits for her plane. Her plane is to Berlin, and it is 4 hours away. Laura walks around the shops.

    After an hour she wants to go to the bathroom. But she doesn't find it. “Where is the bathroom?” she says. She starts asking other people. Laura says to a man，“Excuse me, sir, could you please tell me where the bathroom is?” The man says, “You mean the restroom，right?” Laura says, “No, I mean the bathroom.” “Well, the restroom is over there.” He says and walks away.  

    Laura doesn't understand(明白). She asks a woman, “Excuse me, madam, could you please tell me where the bathroom is?” “The restroom is over there,” the lady answers and walks away.

    Laura is confused. “What's wrong? I need to use the bathroom and they tell me to rest!”

    Then Laura gives up(放弃). She feels tired and thinks she needs to rest.  

    She walks to the restroom. Now she is surprised. She realizes(意识到) the restroom is the name for a public(公共的) bathroom!

    William Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers in English literature. His plays can be divided into three categories: histories, tragedies(悲剧) and comedies. Shakespeare wrote eighteen comedies, although two were lost. These comedies usually have happy endings and a light-hearted tone and style that are quite different from his tragedies.

    All of Shakespeare's comedies have five acts and the most important or exciting point always takes place in the third act. The hero does not appear until after other characters have talked about him. Shakespeare had some themes that he usually wrote about: the fight between good and bad, love's great effect on people, and the difference between first appearance and a person's true personality or face. Shakespeare also wrote his play in a certain style. For example, Shakespeare used words in such a clever and humorous way that they had more than one meaning. Some of the characters changed their appearances so that people didn't know who they were.

    Even though the tone is lighter in these plays. Comedies in Shakespeare's day were quite different from modern-day comedies because their purpose was not to make people laugh. Shakespeare's comedies are very emotional(有感染力的) and often include serious topics to think about.

    Who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?

Jane Addams (1860 - 1935)

    Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She created shelters, education opportunities and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Noble Peace Prize.

Rachel Carson (1907 - 1964)

    Rachel Carson was born in the rural river town of Springdale, Pennsylvania in America. The popular 1962 book "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson made people realize the dangers and the harmful effects(影响) of pollution on humans and on the world's lakes and oceans.

Angela Merkel (1954 - )

    In 2005, Germans chose Angela Merkel as their first woman head of the country. She had been a scientist in the past. As Germany's leader, she has had an effect on the whole world.

    Sandra Day O' Connor (1930 - )

    When Sandra Day O' Connor finished her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952, she could not find work because she was a woman. However, she became the first woman to join the U.S. Supreme Court (最高法院) in 1981 after years of hard work.

    Margaret Thatcher (1925 - )

    In 1979, Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first woman Prime Minister (首相). She served until 1990, which made her the first British leader to serve three terms in a row. Because of her high standards and strong will, people called her Britain's Iron Lady.

    Marie Curie (1867 - 1934)

    Polish-born scientist Marie Curie discovered that some types of metal give off energy called radiation (辐射能). Her research led to new medical treatments and arms. She received the Nobel Prize in physics in 1903 and in Chemistry in 1911.

    "Colour, colour, colour!" are the words of the artist Eric Carle. Eric is like the king in the world of children's books. He has written over 70 children's books. His most famous book. The Very HungryCaterpillar, is common on children's bookshelves all over the world. What most people don't know is that Eric also makes art for adults, which is called "ArtArt". People didn't know about it, because he didn't show it to the public until he was 84 years old!

    Like Eric's children's books, his "ArtArt" is full of bright and clear colour. He says that he loves colour so much because he missed it during the war in Germany. Eric was born in New York in 1929, but moved to Germany with his family when he was 6. When he was 10, World War Ⅱ began. He noticed that all the houses and buildings in his town were painted grey, brown or dark green. It was a sad time, and it seemed like there was no colour anywhere.

    At the end of the war, "when colour came back", Eric explains, "I just loved it so much. I keep saying that I wish our eyes could see more colour. Colour is a very important part of my work."

    That's true. Eric paints bright colours on Paper, cuts out shapes, and then glues them onto another piece of paper. This method is called collage (拼贴画). In fact, it is what led Eric to his "ArtArt".

    Eric's "ArtArt" includes large collages as well as paintings, photographs and even costumes. In all these works, he uses all kinds of colours—everything from purple to light green to orange. Now that's a lot of colour!

    I left my hometown in London last year and now I have enjoyed working in this small city in China. Learning a foreign language opens you up to the culture and history of a country. So in order to know more about China. I started to learn Chinese.

    But at times, I found myself in funny situations. When I greeted strangers in China, they began to talk a lot and very fast. They asked me questions about everything. But all I could do was to look at them with a blank face. I had no idea what they were talking about. Were they just being kind, funny or impolite? Many people want to make friends with me. But I am a bit upset when I find out the reason why they need a foreign friend. They say they want to practice their English. I don't need friends like this. I like friends to share nay feelings and ideas with.

    However, the more Chinese I learn, the more similarities I find it has with English. In English, thick—skinned is to describe a person who doesn't care for criticism(批评). I was surprised to find that houlianpi in Chinese means the same. And both languages share some common idioms(习语). For example, "look on with folded arms" means xiushoupangguan, and ''burn the boats" is similar to pofuchenzhou.

    I'm still on my journey to learn Chinese. I believe that sometimes you have the most fun on a journey.