Michael Jackson (1958-2009) spent many of his later years alone in a mansion called Neverland.The name “Neverland” is taken from the children's story Peter Pan.It's about boy who never grows up.Cruel critics of Jackson thought he was like Peter Pan,but that he was childish rather than childlike.They laughed at his taste,his clothes and his pet chimpanzee,Bubbles.

    But perhaps Jackson acted like a child because he hadn't had a proper childhood.He began to work as a professional singer at the age of 9, performing with a group made up of his brothers.Besides working with this group. The Jackson Five,be also had a solo career.He didn't choose to make music like this;he was under a lot of pressure from his father and the music business.He started young and began to sell lots of records while he was still young. With this kind of pressure,who can blame him for living in his own way once he'd become an adult and gotten rich enough lo do what he liked?

    His great originality came from the fact that he wrote,performed and recorded music that appealed to different communities.Before there had been “white” music and “black” music.But Jackson made “crossover” music,songs that had parts of funk,rock ‘n' roll and disco in them.He broke down a lot of barriers with this approach.A great example of this “crossover” style is the song Beat It.It has guitars like rock music,but it also has a beat like disco music.

    If you look up the Beat It video on the Internet,you'll understand another reason for his fame.He made imaginative music that went well with equally imaginative videos.Beat It is,in part,about a war between young gangs. Jackson and his team made a great job of showing the rival gangs facing each other.You also see great dancing,and Jackson shows off his strong sense of fashion.Jackson was as much a video artist as a music artist.

    This is why he was such a hit not just in the United States,but also globally.People loved his music and videos everywhere.He had a great effect on so many household names.Britney Spears,Justin Bieber and many others.In all of them you can find the combination of catchy danceable music and great videos that Jackson started.His music videos were must-see TV,and young would-be artists learned that it took more than just holding a microphone if they really wanted to make it big.

    English is an excellent language to learn, whether it's for business, travel or personal reasons. Here are some important ways to improve your spoken English.

    When you have time to speak, just try your best to practice. Don't wait until you “feel more comfortable” speaking in English, so start speaking English today. You'll be surprised at how quickly your language skills improve. Find a native English speaker who is willing to spend some time speaking English with you—you may be able to offer them a language exchange, where they spend 30 minutes speaking English with you and you spend 30 minutes speaking your native language with them.

    Even if you have a good knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary, native English speakers may find it's very difficult to understand if you don't work on your pronunciation. Correct , clear pronunciation is necessary if you really want to improve your English. Listen closely to how native English speakers pronounce certain words and sounds and do your best to copy them.

    The wider your vocabulary and the more English phrases you learn, the easier speaking English will become. Once you have learned a new word or phrase, you should make an effort to use it in a sentence—this is the best way to keep it in mind. You should also start a notebook of phrases that English speakers use all the time.

    Another great way to add some more English conversation into your weekly practice is to sign up for a class of discussion group. Attending an English class is a great way to pay attention to some of the more formal aspects of speaking English. A class will teach you the correct way of speaking. Attending a discussion group is a more informal and relaxed way of learning English, where the emphasis(重点) is more on communication and relationship building than on speaking “correct” English.

    I was at the chemist collecting my daughter's medication and she asked me to go into the shop next door to get some energy drinks for her.She was about to travel on a train and she tires easily.The shop did not have what she wanted so I went to the garage near my home.As I came out of the garage I could see Margaret across the busy road. I thought to myself she-d just got off the bus and was on her way to her daughter's house which is next door to me.I thought I'd give her a lift to her daughter's house.

    Then from across the busy road I could see the elderly lady I thought was Margaret going in a different direction down a different side street.I was surprised because I was really sure it was Margaret.In fact,I was so sure that I took the trouble of waiting to drive across the busy road to go to Margaret.

    By the time I caught up with the elderly lady she was at the bottom of a dead end and looked confused as she didn't recognize where she was.It was indeed Margaret.Though I have spoken to her before and given her a lift,she needed reminded of who I was.Margaret got in my car.

    We arrived at her daughter's house,it seemed in darkness and I didn't think Julie was in.I told Margaret to go and check.I had to take Lauren to the train station.If Julie wasn't at home I'd bring Margaret back to her own house.I went to my house and Lauren got in the car,then I saw Julie with Margaret.

    Margaret thought I was kind to her today.Truth is though that her thankful words will stay with me for a long time.I'm so happy too that the first shop I went to didn't have what Lauren wanted otherwise I' d never have got this beautiful compliment or more importantly, to help Margaret.

    Bill Bowerman was a track coach. He wanted to help athletes run faster. So he had learned how to make running shoes. He had also started a shoe company with a friend. It was 1971. Running shoes at the time were heavy. They had spikes (鞋钉) on the sole (鞋底). The spikes tore up the track and slowed down runners.

    To make a lighter shoe, Bill tried the skins of fish. To make a better sole, he wanted to replace the spikes. Bill dug through his wife Barbara's jewelry box. He hoped to find a piece of jewelry with an interesting pattern. He would then copy the pattern onto the new soles. Nothing worked. Bill was defeated.

    Then, one Sunday morning, Barbara made Bill waffles (华夫饼) for breakfast. Bill watched her cook.

    He studied the criss-cross pattern on a waffle iron.

    Inspiration struck. The pattern on the waffle iron was just what Bill was looking for. The squares were flatter and wider than sharp spikes. The pattern would help the shoes hold any surface without tearing into it.

When Barbara left the house, Bill ran to his lab. He took the liquid chemicals that, when mixed, would harden into the sole of a shoe. He poured the mixture into the waffle iron—and the Waffle Trainer was born.

Bill's company put the Waffle Trainer on market in 1974. It was a huge hit. Maybe you've heard of that company—it's called Nike. And today it's worth around $100 billion.

It was the waffle iron that had changed the course of Bill's life—and helped turn Nike into a well-known name. Today, the waffle iron is kept at Nike headquarters. It serves as a reminder that if we keep trying, we can find a solution to even the most difficult problems. And those solutions can come from unlikely places, even the breakfast table.

    In a room at Texas Children Cancer Center in Houston, eight-year-old Simran Jatar lay in bed with a drip(点滴)above her to fight her bone cancer. Over her bald(秃的)head, she wore a pink hat that matched her clothes. But the third grader's cheery dressing didn't mask her pain and weary eyes.

    Then a visitor showed up. "Do you want to write a song?" asked Anita Kruse, 49, rolling a cart equipped with an electronic keyboard, a microphone and speakers. Simran stared. "Have you ever written a poem?" Anita Kruse continued. "Well, yes," Simran said.

    Within minutes, Simran was reading her poem into the microphone. "Some bird soaring through the sky," she said softly. "Imagination in its head…" Anita Kruse added piano music, a few warbling (鸣,唱)birds, and finally the girl's voice. Thirty minutes later, she presented Simran with a CD of her first recorded song.

    That was the beginning of Anita Kruse's project, Purple Songs Can Fly, one that has helped more than 125 young patients write and record songs. As a composer and pianist who had performed at the hospital, Kruse said that the idea of how she could help "came in one flash".

    The effect on the kids has been great. One teenage girl, curling(蜷缩)in pain in her wheelchair, stood unaided to dance to a hip-hop song she had written. A 12-year-old boy with Hodgkin's disease who rarely spoke surprised his doctors with a song he called I Can Make It.

    "My time with the kids is heartbreaking because of the severity of their illnesses," says Anita Kruse. "But they also make you happy, when the children are smiling, excited to share their CD with their families."

    Simran is now an active sixth grader and cancer-free. From time to time, she and her mother listen to her song, Always Remembering, and they always remember the "really sweet and nice and loving" lady who gave them a shining moment in the dark hour.

Inspired by the movement to protect the Carmanah Valley and Clayoquot Sound, I decided to devote myself to producing images for conservation full-time in 1992. Since that time my work has taken me all over the world and my photos have appeared in many major magazines. However, many of my most rewarding moments have come from working on projects in British Columbia, Canada, and sharing those images in slide show tours I have given throughout Canada, the U. S. and Europe.

The more I travel and photograph in other parts of the world, the more I have come to realize the wilderness we have in Canada is truly special and rare.

I have always felt that as a photographer my goal is to approach the natural environment with the sense of wonder and curiosity that comes so naturally to children. This, I believe, is one of the basic keys not just to producing meaningful images, but more importantly, to gaining a full appreciation and enjoyment of the natural world.

I find that not only my best images, but also my most enjoyable experiences in nature, occur when I have an open mind and follow my intuition (直觉). When I feel drawn to a certain scene, I try to make the scene simple and not include anything that is not relevant. I also try all ways to look for beautiful light. Early morning and the end of the day almost always produce light that results in more pleasing images than those taken under the strong light in the middle of a sunny day. Soft cloudy skies are wonderful for photographing all day, especially in our beautiful forests or for small subjects like wildflowers. Rain, storms, and snow also provide wonderful opportunities for new and different kinds of images.