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

    Teenager Jake Denham was skiing with his family in the USA when he fell over and lost one of his skis(滑雪板). His family didn't know that he had a problem. They kept on skiing. When they got to the foot of the mountain, there was no sign of Jake.

    Jake couldn't find his ski anywhere. In the end, he decided to take off his other ski and walk down the mountain. But he couldn't work out the right way to go.

    It was now getting dark and he was a long way from any place of safety. He knew that he might die that night in the cold temperatures. But Jake kept calm. At home, Jake watched a lot of TV programmes about living in difficult situations. He remembered the advice from these programmes and knew that he should build a hole in the snow. He made a hole and pointed it up the hill so the wind couldn't blow into it. Outside his hole the temperature fell to a dangerous —15℃ that night, but inside it Jake was safe from the cold.

    But he had to get down the mountain. The TV programmes always said, ^”If you are lost, you should find someone else's tracks (轨迹) through the snow and follow them.” “I wanted to live my life”, remembers Jake.

    So I got up and I found some ski tracks and I followed those. He walked and walked and finally he saw lights.

    Nine hours after he lost his ski, he found a team of workers who came to save him. He was safe!

    His mum was very happy when she heard the news. Amazingly, Jake didn't even have to go to hospital. He got through the terrible experience without any injuries.

    So, the next time someone says that watching TV is a waste of time, think of Jake. Sometimes TV can save your life!

    Jia Zuosheng, 27, used to work as a security guard (保安) at the library of Tsinghua University. But a few months ago, he became a college student in Lishan College in Shandong and he studies math there now. When hearing this news, many people were surprised. On school opening day, many reporters waited outside the school gate to interview him.

"I was born in a poor village in Shandong Province," said Jia. "Our village has never had a college student. Most boys work in town after growing up. I failed the National College Entrance Exam（高考）twice. Then I went to Beijing to find jobs. In the following years, I went on studying by myself while working."

At the end of 2009, Jia found a job as a security guard at the library of Tsinghua University."I cherished (珍惜) the job very much because it gave me a good chance to read books," Jia said."I usually worked at night so I had plenty of time to study in the daytime." When he had problems that he couldn't work out, Jia asked the students at Tsinghua for help. "My dream is to be a college teacher. So I need further education. That's the reason why I took the National College Entrance Exam again," Jia said. "I wish to educate students with my knowledge and love and help them enjoy true, kind and beautiful things."

Jia's mother said Jia has always been independent（独立的）and knows what he wants. But she has other worries. "It's difficult to find such a good job at present as a library guard in Tsinghua University. I'm not sure if this is a right decision." "I will never regret(后悔），"said Jia. "Everyone will have a new start. It's the end, and the beginning."

    Lang Lang is a famous Chinese pianist. He was born in 1982 in Shenyang. He showed his talent(天赋)for playing the piano when he was two. He began to take piano lessons at the age of 3. At the age of 5, he won first prize in the Shenyang Piano Competition. When he was 11, he won first prize at the Fifth International Young Pianist Competition.

    He began his study at the Curtis Institute(学院) of Music in America when he was 15. He became the first Chinese student at the institute. During his study there he made great progress and became a top pianist. On August 14th, 1999, the great Andre Watts was ill so Lang Lang played at the concert instead of him and he was successful. Then he became famous all over the world.

    In August of 2008, more than 5 billion people watched Lang Lang's performance at the opening ceremony(开幕式)of the Beijing Olympic Games. He also played at the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Expo(世博会).

    I was walking down the street the other day when I suddenly saw a small purse lying on the ground. I picked it up and opened it to see if I could find the owner's name. There was nothing inside it except some money and an old photo of a woman and a young girl about twelve years old. The girl looked like the woman's daughter. I put the photo back and took the wallet to the police station. There I gave it to a policeman. Before I left, the policeman took down my name and address so that the owner could write to me and thank me if the policeman found the owner.

    That evening I went for dinner with my aunt and uncle. They also invited a young woman, so there were four people at the table. Her face seemed familiar. I was quite sure that we had met before, but I could not remember where I had seen her. During the talk, the young woman said that she had lost her purse that afternoon. At once I knew where I had seen her. She was just the young girl in the photo though she was now much older. She was very surprised, of course, when I was able to tell her what her purse was like.

    My uncle said that we should go to the police station at once to get the purse. As that policeman handed it over, he said it was an interesting coincidence(巧合). I not only found the purse, but also made friends with the person who had lost it.