A

    An Englishman was showing a foreign visitor around London.“What's that strange building?” asked the visitor.“That's the Tower (塔) of London.”“I see. How long did it take to build it?”“About 500 years.”“In my country we can build it in a few months.”said the visitor. After they came to St. Paul's Cathedral (大教堂), the visitor asked the same question. “Nearly forty years,”said the Englishman. “In my country we finish it in forty days at most,” said the visitor. This went on all day. They visited most of the best known buildings in the city. Every time they saw a new one, the visitor asked what it was and how long it took to build it. Then he said they could do the same thing much faster in his country. At last the Englishman got angry with the visitor though he tried not to show it. Several days later they came to the House of Parliament (议会) and the visitor asked his usual question, “What's that?” The Englishman answered, “I have no idea. It wasn't there last night.”

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    Do you know Yao Beina?

    Not only a popular singer was Yao Beina, but also she was an energetic and warm-hearted angel. She had her corneas (眼角膜) donated to two men who needed them, which helped them see the world clearly again.

    Yao was born in a music family on Sept. 26, 1981 in Wuhan. Her father, Yao Feng, was the former chairman of the Shenzhen Association of Musicians and now serves as the vice chairman of Guangdong Association of Musicians. Under the influence of her family, she had taken up piano since the age of 4, and she sang her first song on the stage when she was 9 years old. Yao did quite well in singing, so she took part in the thirteenth Youth Singing Competition and won the first prize.

    She became well-known to the public after making a series of songs for the hit TV drama “The Legend of Zhenhuan” in 2012, and the mandarin version (中文版本) of “Let It Go” from Disney's “Frozen”. In July 2013, she competed in The Voice of China II and finally got the second place in Na Ying's team. She had won a lot of music awards before she was famous.

    Yao Beina was unfortunate to be diagnosed (诊断) with breast cancer (乳腺癌) and had a successful operation in 2011. Since then, she has fought against the disease for about four years while keeping singing, but sadly she failed. She originally thought of donating all of her organs (器官) to save others' lives, but failed to do it because of her serious illness.

    She's gone, even though she had never stopped struggling with cancer. Heaven just got another beautiful angel, with her beautiful voice and kindness.

    Gareth Ellis, 13, is the youngest son of Alan, an engineer, and Kath, a teacher. His older brothers work in banking and computers, but Gareth's dream was always to become a clown(小丑).Three years ago, Alan, Kath and Gareth joined the circus(马戏团). People laugh when we tell them,' saysKath. 'But it's true. Gareth has wanted to be a clown since we took him to the circus when he was three.'

    When Alan lost his job, he and Kath decided to see if they could find full-time circus jobs. They both got jobs with a famous circus and Gareth began training to become a clown. He calls himself Bippo. They travel with the circus during the summer and return home for the winter. Gareth's brothers are old enough to look after the house while they are away.

    'I can't say it was easy,' says Kath. 'There was a lot to think about and organize. We only had a car and a very small caravan(大篷车)to sleep in, and we were leaving behind our lovely house. The only thing Gareth missed was his long, hot baths.'

    'People ask about my education,' says Gareth, 'but from the beginning, wherever we go, someone has always come to teach me. I follow the same books as everyone back at school and I've got a computer. I've never fallen behind my classmates.'

    And the future? 'It was a difficult decision,' says Kath, 'but there was no other way to teach Gareth about being a clown. I'm happy to say it's working, and we're enjoying it.' And Gareth? 'I'm going to be the main clown in a circus one day', he says, 'perhaps Bippo's circus.'

    Mary likes English very much. She works hard. She reads English every morning. She likes speaking English. She often listens to the radio. She watches TV only on Saturday evening. Does she like dancing? No, she doesn't. But she likes drawing and singing. Her parents like her very much. And all the teachers and her friends like her, too.

Dear Li Na,

    I'm really glad to receive your e-mail. You said you were learning to cook. Is it interesting? I think if you want to keep healthy, food is very important. You'll be better if you try all kinds of food, especially（特别是） vegetables and fruit. I eat them every day.

    You asked me how to make a milk shake. There are different kinds of milk shakes, such as apple milk shake, banana milk shake, carrot milk shake and watermelon milk shake. Apple milk shake is my favorite, because apples and milk are both good for our health. Before starting, we need an apple, a cup of milk, some ice-cream and two spoons of honey. Of course, you need a blender.

    Now, let's start. First, peel an apple and cut it up. Next, put the apple, the milk, some ice-cream and two spoons of honey into the blender. Then turn on the blender. Keep it going for only one minute. Finally, pour the apple milk shake into a glass and drink it. It's delicious!

    I want to learn how to make some Chinese food, such as dumplings, noodles and zongzi. Could you teach me?

    Write soon!

Yours,

Maria