Peter loved to shop used articles（物品）. Almost a month ago, he bought popular word game that used little pieces of wood with different letters on them. As he was purchasing it, the salesgirl said, “Uh, look, the game box hasn't even been opened yet. That might be worth some money. ”    

    Peter examined the box, and, sure enough, it was completely covered in factory-sealed plastic. And he saw a date of 1973 on the back of the box.       

    “You should put that up for auction (拍卖) on the Internet, and see what happens.” the salesgirl said.       

    “Yes, you're right. People like something rare.” Peter agreed, “I can't imagine there being very many unopened boxes of this game still around 40 years later.”       

    “Don't forget to tell me if you sell it.” the salesgirl smiled.      

    “No problem.” Peter said.       

    After he got home, Peter went online to several auction websites looking for his game. But he couldn't find it. Then he typed in the name of the word game and hit Search. The search result was 543 websites containing information about the changes of the game. Over the years, the game had been produced using letters in different sizes and game boards in different colors. He also found some lists of game fans looking for various versions of the game. Peter emailed some of them, telling them what he had.      

    Two weeks later, Peter went back to the shop.       

    “Hello. Do you still remember the unopened word game?”      

    The salesgirl looked at him for a second, then recognized him and said, “Oh, hi!”

    “I've got something for you,” Peter said. “I sold the game and made $1,000. Thank you for your suggestion.” He handed her three $ 100 bills.       

    “Wow!” the salesgirl cried out. “Thank you, I never expected it.”      

    When she looked ahead，Florence Chadwick saw nothing but a solid wall of fog.Her body was numb (麻木的)．She had been swimming for nearly sixteen hours.

    Already she was the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions.Now，at age 34，her goal was to become the first woman to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast.

    On the morning of July 4th，1952，the sea was like an ice bath and the fog was so thick that she could hardly see her support boats.The wind was strong and it was raining heavily.Against the cold water of the sea，she struggled on—hour after hour.Millions of people at home were watching her in front of the television.

    In one of the boats，her mother and her trainer tried their best to encourage her.They told her it wasn't much farther.But all she could see was fog.They urged her not to give up.She never had...until then.With only a half mile to go，she asked to be pulled out.

    After thawing her cold body several hours later，she told a reporter，“Look，I'm not excusing myself，but if I could have seen land I might have made it.” It was not tiredness or even the cold water that defeated her.It was the fog.She was unable to see her goal.

    Two months later，she tried again.This time，despite the same thick fog，she swam with all her strength and her goal clearly pictured in her mind.She knew that somewhere behind that fog was land and this time she made it! Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel!  

    Dutch masters exhibition in Beijing

    The 17th century Dutch Golden Age had several significant artists and a range of great pieces produced during the period—including Jan Vermeer's Young Woman at Virginal,Jan Lievens' Boy in a Cape,and Turban and Rembrandt's Self-Portrait with Shaded Eyes.

    Some of the most refined examples of the time,including the three pieces mentioned above,will make their debut（首次亮相）in China as part of a world tour of The Leiden Collection.

    If you go:

    9 a.m.-5 p.m.,June 17-Sept 3 (closed on Mondays).National Museum of China,I Wusi Avenue,Dongcheng district.010-6400-1476.

    Ticket: 50 yuan ($7)

    The Age of Mechanical Reproduction

    The Age of Mechanical Reproduction,the latest exhibition at the Riverside Art Museum,features 41 artworks of US pop icon Andy Warhol,covering art installations,paintings and photographs.Warhol's well-known installation Electric Chair is a highlight of the show,which is also its debut in Asia.

    If you go:

    10 a.m.-5 p.m.,through August 28 (closed on Mondays).The Riverside Art Museum,Hongyan Road,Chaoyang district.010-5309-2062.

    Ticket: 60 yuan

    Back with a bang

    Beijing-based hand Escape Plan will hold a concert in Beijing this weekend.The band is most famous for the song The Brightest Star in the Night Sky.

    If you go:

    7:30 p.m.,June 17.Beijing Worker's Gymnasium,Gongti Beilu,Chaoyang district.400-610-3721.

    Ticket: 280-980 yuan

    Purple clay teapots

    Yixing purple clay potteries are a vital part of Chinese pottery culture and have been included in China's list of national intangible cultural heritage（国家非物质文化遗产）.A selection of more than 80 purple clay teapots will go on display at the Poly Art Museum starting Friday.The exhibit will include a range of delicate teapot works of Ji Yishun,Wang Xiaolong and Gao Lijun,who are all inheritors（继承人）the time-honored（历史悠久的）pottery handicraft.

    If you go:

    9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.(closed on Sundays),through June 30.Poly Art Museum,New Poly Plaza,1 Chaoyangmen North Street 9.010-6500-8117.

    Ticket: 20 yuan

    What Theresa Loe is doing proves that a large farm isn't a prerequisite for a modern grow-your-own lifestyle. On a mere 1/10 of an acre in Los Angeles, Loe and her family grow, can (装罐) and preserve much of the food they consume.

    Loe is a master food preserver, gardener and canning expert. She also operates a website, where she shares her tips and recipes, with the goal of demonstrating that everyone has the ability to control what's on their plate.

    Loe initially went to school to become an engineer, but she quickly learned that her enthusiasm was mainly about growing and preparing her own food. “ got into cooking my own food and started growing my own herbs(香草)and foods for that fresh flavor,” she said. Engineer by day, Loe learned cooking at night school. She ultimately purchased a small piece of land with her husband and began growing their own foods.

    “I teach people how to live farm-fresh without a farm,” Loe said. Through her website Loe emphasizes that ''anybody can do this anywhere.” Got an apartment with a balcony (阳台)? Plant some herbs. A window? Perfect spot for growing. Start with herbs, she recommends, because “they're very forgiving.” Just a little of the herbs “can take your regular cooking to a whole new level,” she added. “I think it's a great place to start.” Then? Try growing something from a seed, she said, like a tomato or some tea.

    Canning is a natural extension of the planting she does. With every planted food, Loe noted, there's a moment when it's bursting with its absolute peak flavor. “I try and keep it in a time capsule in a canning jar,” Loe said. “Canning for me is about knowing what's in your food, knowing where it comes from.”

    In addition to being more in touch with the food she's eating, another joy comes from passing this knowledge and this desire for good food to her children: “Influencing them and telling them your opinion on not only being careful what we eat but understanding the bigger picture,” she said, “that if we don't take care of the earth, no one will.”

    This contest from the Winchester Poetry Festival is intended for “surprise and delight”. However, don't try to surprise and delight them with a short story or a photo of your cat dancing in a Tutu. Stick to a poem of up to 40 lines.

    Closing: Quarterly.

    Prizes: £1,000, £500, £250.

    Entry Fee: £5.

    Starts Theatre One-Act Play Competition

    This annual contest from Strerts Theatre in Cornwall is for plays for up to four adult actors, with a running time of between 25 and 35 minutes. Plays can be on any theme; you need to be 18 or over to enter.

    Closing: Annually.

    Prizes: £100 plus performance of your play in Sterns Studio.

    Entry Fee: £7.

    Artificium Short Stories & Poetry Prizes

    This one from Artificium, a journal of new fiction and poetry, has two categories: Short Stories and In Brief. The former is for stories of between 2,000 and 8,000 words in any genre（体裁）. The latter is for poetry of between 500 and 1,000 words.

    Closing: End of each month.

    Prizes: £200, £100, £50.

    Entry Fee: £5 for one, £9 for two.

    PENfro Open Poetry Competition.

    This contest from the PENfro Book Festival is for poems of up to 40 lines on any subject and in any style. Costa Award winning poet Jonathan Edwards, whose taste in poetry is broad-ranging, will be judging.

    Closing: End of each month. Prizes: £300, £100, £75. The top ten winners will be invited to read their works at a spoken word event at which Jonathan Edwards will present the prizes.

    Entry Fee: £4.

    To have a successful job interview, you need to make good preparations beforehand. Here are some suggestions on what you should do before the interview.

    ⑴Find out as much as you can about the company. What goods or services do they provide? How long has it been founded? Read articles about it. Talk with people who work there. Perhaps you can look at the company website, or find some information on the Internet.

    ⑵Be sure of the time of the interview, the place and the person you'll see.

    ⑶Think about the kind of questions that the employer might ask. Write out questions and possible answers.

    ⑷Rehearse the interview with family members or friends. They can ask you questions from the list you've prepared and you can try to answer.

    ⑸Dress properly. Don't be too formal or too informal. Choose your clothes, shoes.

    ⑹Wash. Make sure that you are clean, and that your teeth have been freshly brushed.