Hi Sam! Sorry I haven't emailed recently— I've been revising for my exams. I have finished them now and I have got some time to relax and some money to spend on going out. Last weekend, I went to see a great film called Yes Man. If you haven't seen it, you must go! Jim Carrey plays the main character and it's very funny--and also quite encouraging. It's based on a book by Danny Wallace which is also called Yes Man. I read the book a few months ago and that's hilarious, too – I really laughed out loud!

      The book is a ture story about what happens to the writer, Danny. Basically, he found that he was doing nothing all the time, just worrying about things and complaining about his life. He wasn't seeing his friends much, so he was lonely and bored. Then one day, he was on a bus in London when he sat down next to a man. The man was a stranger, but they started talking. Danny told him about his boring life and the man just gave him three words: 'Say "yes" more.' And for Danny this was a turning point in his life. Those three words influenced everything he did. At that moment, he made a decision: 'I will say "yes" to everything!'  And he wrote a book about what happened to him in the next year or so. Three years later, the book was made into a hit film.

      The film is based on the book although there are some differences. First, it's set in the US instead of England. Secondly, the main character is based on Danny, but he called Carl in the film. And what's more, he doesn't meet a man on a bus. His turning point comes when he goes to a self-help class and they advise him to say "yes" more.

      In the film Carl succeeds in changing his life and doing lots of crazy things: he has flying lessons, he learns to speak Korean and he rides a motorbike with no clothes on! The storyline isn't very strong. It's quite weak, I suppose, but all Carl's stories are very interesting— especially because Jim Carrey is a very funny actor.

      I'm really interested in the film because there's a serious message, too. I believe in making the most of life and I've decided I'm going to be more positive. I've decided I'm not going to stay at home so much. I'm going to do more things, see my friends more and everything. Actually, that's why I'm emailing you! It would be great if we could meet up soon. Let me know when you are free.

      All the best, Adam

As he was sitting up in bed, Bunny heard a big noise on the roof(屋顶) and a sound downstairs. It was Santa Claus, he realized. Bunny jumped out of bed and ran down the hall to the stairs. He hoped to take a look at the old man before Santa left for his next stop.

By the time Bunny was at the bottom of the stairs, everything was silent again. Lots of presents were put under the Christmas tree, but Santa was gone. A little disappointed(失望的), Bunny turned to climb back upstairs when he heard a cry.

“Hello,”said Bunny. "Is somebody there?”

He was answered by another cry. Bunny looked around the big pile of presents to see what was making the noise. Right under the tree was a funny looking brown animal with big feet and sad eyes. It also had antlers(鹿角) on its head. Bunny almost mistook it for a dog.

“Are you a reindeer?”asked Bunny.

“Yes,” replied the brown animal with antlers. “My name is Ralph.”

“And you were pulling Santa's sled(雪橇)?”

“I was until I got air-sick,”replied Ralph. “Santa had to leave me here and go on with the other seven reindeer.”

“Isn't it a bit unusual for a reindeer to get air-sick? I mean, isn't flying what reindeer are famous for?”

“Not me, I'm afraid. It makes me scared. I always feel sick when it comes to flying,”replied Ralph. "But everyone wanted me to pull Santa's sled, so when it was my turn I gave it a try. I'm afraid I just wasn't cut out for the job. Now I'm stuck here and I don't know how to get back to the North Pole.”

“Well, if you like, you can stay with us as a friend," said Bunny. As he made the offer, Bunny suddenly realized the special present he wanted from Santa was a new friend!

    O. Henry, a famous American writer of short stories, was born in North Carolina in 1862. O. Henry was a pen name. His real name was William Sydney Porter. When he was a young boy, he did not go to school for long because of being born in a poor family, but he tried to teach himself everything he needed to know.

    When he was about 20 years old, O. Henry went to Texas. There he tried different jobs. He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank. But he got himself into some trouble. Some money went missing from the bank. O. Henry was believed to have stolen(偷)it, so he was sent to prison(监狱). During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories. After he got out of prison, he went to New York and went on writing.

    He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there. People liked his stories, because almost all of them finished with a sudden change. This made the readers surprised.

    Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living and sometimes I had to work at night. One late night, I got a telephone call from a neighborhood. When I arrived there at 2:30 a.m., the only building was dark except for a single light in the first floor window. So I walked up and knocked at the door.

    “Just a minute,” answered a weak voice. After a long time, the door opened and a small woman stood in front of me. Next to her was a small suitcase.

    Quickly I took her suitcase to the car and then returned to hold her. She took my arm and we walked slowly to the car. She kept thanking me for my kindness. “It's nothing”, I told her, “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.”

    When we got in the car, she asked, “Can you drive me through downtown?”

    “But it's not the shortest way,” I replied.

    “I'm in no hurry.” she said slowly, “I'm on my way to a hospice（临终医院）. I don't have any family left. The doctor says I don't have very long time.”

    I quietly turned off the meter. For the next two hours, we drove through the city and passed the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived, and some other special places. As the sun was rising, we stopped in front of a low building where two nurses were waiting.

    “How much should I pay?” she asked. “Nothing.” I replied.

    “But you have to make a living.”

    “Oh, there are other passengers.” Without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly and said, “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy, thank you.”

    Sometimes people may not remember exactly what you did or said. However, they'll always remember how you made them feel.

    One day a farmer Mr Dean came to town and bought four donkeys(驴). He got on one of them and went back home. On the way, Mr Dean found there were only three donkeys walking along with him.

    "One, two, three, where is the fourth one?" Mr Dean got down from the donkey and counted(数)again. "One, two, three, four. Good!" he rode back on the donkey.

    When he got home, Mrs Dean met him in front of their house .She said, "Did you buy them at good prices?"

    "Yes, I did," Mr Dean looked at the donkeys and said. "Oh, no! I bought four, but there are three again"

    Mrs Dean looked at him and said, "You stupid(愚蠢的)old man. You see only three donkeys, but I see five."

As a child, cultural historian and writer Sofia Ake l often stayed at the local library." The library near the East London estate(庄园) where I grew up was where I developed my interest in reading as a child," she said.

Akel soon realized that many people couldn't afford books. Later, she started the Free Books Campaign, an organization with the goal of giving books to those who can't buy them." We've donated(捐赠)6,000 books to people in the UK and Ireland so far," Akel said.

The organization is funded by donations, and anyone càn request a book they'd like to read. Akel believes that reading should be something that everyone can take part in." Without the library, my worldview, my imagination, and my vocabulary would have been reduced," she continued.

In its third year of operation, the Campaign held the Free Books Festival in Peckham, Southeast London. Over a weekend, they gave away about 3,000 books.

Estelle, a biochemistry graduate, went to the festival with her friends." It's important that events like this exist," she said." With events like this, it means I'm able to enjoy my love for reading and find new books." When asked about her book selections, Estelle said,"I chose Good Intentions by Kasim Ali.I got my book signed by him during the event. It was very exciting because I'd never met the author of a book I'd read in person."

Data suggests that accessing books at a library has become increasingly challenging. According to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), library book stocks.(储存) reduced by 11 per cent across England, Wales and Scotland between 2021 and 2022. So organizations like the Free Books Campaign are making a huge difference in the lives of many people around the world.