For this month's Young World magazine, I interviewed 19-year-old Asian pop star Candy Wang．Candy told me that she used to be really shy and took up singing to deal with her shyness．As she got better, she dared to sing in front of her class, and then for the whole school．Now she' s not shy anymore and loves singing in front of crowds． I asked Candy how life was different after she became famous．She explained that there are many good things, like being able to travel and meet new people all the time．“I didn't use to be popular in school, but now I get tons of attention everywhere I go．” However, too much attention can also be a bad thing．“I always have to worry about how I appear to others and I have to be very careful about what I say or do．And I don't have much private time anymore．对我来说和朋友闲逛是不可能的now because there are always guards around me．” What does Candy have to say to all those young people who want to become famous? “Well, ” she begins slowly, “you have to be prepared to give up your normal life．You can never imagine how difficult the road to success is．Many times I thought about giving up, but I fought on．You really require a lot of talent and hard work to succeed． Only a very small number of people make it to the top．

    What are some tips on becoming a writer?

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    Most writers read whatever books they can find because they love to lose themselves in them. They like the sounds of language and the way that reading a good description can feel as satisfying as winning a baseball game or eating a banana split.

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    It's easy to forget a good idea if you do not write it down immediately. If you get in the habit of carrying a notebook with you everywhere you go, you can write down anything you want to remember. When you are talking to friends in the cafe or waiting for the bus, something might spark an idea for a character or a scene in a story.

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    Nearly all writers agree that writers must write. It doesn't matter if you feel like you have nothing to say; the important thing is that you write every single day. Sometimes, you need to give yourself permission to write things which won't be your best work.

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    Do you have any friends who enjoy writing? Think about starting a writing group with other people who have similar interests. It helps to have the support of other writers. You will also receive valuable feedback, or suggestions, about how to make your work better.

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    If you decide that you would like to send your work for publication, make sure to do your research. If you are sending your writing to a magazine, look through old ones. Does it seem like your writing fits in with the other stories or articles? That is the homework for you after writing.

A. Join or start a writing group.

B. Read everything you can.

C. Write every day.

D. Keep a notebook.

E. Stay active.

F. Do your homework.

    The summer solstice(夏至), around June 21, is the longest day of the year in the northern half of the world. On that day, the sun is the highest in the sky, so the earth gets the most hours of light. People in many countries celebrate that day in a holiday called Midsummer.

    Different countries celebrate Midsummer in different ways. In towns in Sweden, people put up a Midsummer Pole(仲夏柱) made of wood covered with flowers. They dance and sing around it. After wards, they eat fish, new potatoes and strawberries. That night, young people pick seven different flowers and put them under their pillows(枕头) when they sleep to dream about the person they will marry.

    In Finland, people go out to the country and build huge fires to celebrate Midsummer. In the past, people believed that the fires drove away bad luck. Now, they're a reason to get together with friends for a big party all night. Because Finland is so far north, the sky is light most of the night on Midsummer. Many Finnish people start their summer vacations on that day.

    In some parts of Spain, people have big parties and enjoy fireworks(烟花) on the beaches at night to celebrate Midsummer. Some people believe that plant medicines work the best if they are made on Midsummer, so women go out to collect the plants that night. Some people put the plants in water and then wash their faces with the water for good health. And of course there are special foods: fish, potatoes and corn bread.

Peter: I found an ID card. My phone number is 512-8843.

Jim: I lost a computer game. If you find it, call me at 680-7432

Paul: I lost an English dictionary. Who found it? Please call me at 555-0287

Sam: I found a notebook with the name "Kevin Clark". My phone number is 476—3539.

    When Paul was a boy growing up in Utah, he happened to live near a copper smelter(炼厂), and the chemicals coming out of the smelter made a beautiful forest become a wasteland. One day a young visitor looked at this wasteland and called it an awful area. Paul got so angry when he heard these words. From then on, something happened inside him.

    Years later Paul was back to the hometown and he went to the smelter office. He asked if they had any plans or if they would let him try to bring the trees back. The answer from that big industry was "No".

    Paul then went to college to study the science of plants. Unfortunately, his teachers said there weren't any birds or squirrels(松)to spread the seeds. It would be a waste of his life to try to do it. Everyone knew that, he was told. Even if he was knowledgeable as he had expected. nobody accepted his idea.

    Paul later got married and had some kids. But he didn't give up. And then one night he did what he could with what he had. Under the cover of darkness, he went secretly into the wasteland and started planting.

    And every week, he made his secret journey into the wasteland and planted trees and grass. Slowly rabbits appeared. Later, as there was pressure(压力)to clean up the environment, the company actually invited Paul to do what he was already doing. Now the place is fourteen thousand acres of trees and grass, and Paul has received almost every environmental award Utah has. It took him a long time until his hair turned grey, but he managed to keep that impossible promise he made to himself as a child.