Jane Austen, a famous English writer, was born at Stevenson, Hampshire, on December 16,1775，and died on July 18,1817. She began writing early in life, although the prejudices of her times forced her to have her books published anonymously(匿名 )．

But Jane Austen is perhaps the best known and best loved of Bathˈs many famous local people and visitors. She paid two long visits here during the last five years of the eighteenth century and from 1801 to 1806，Bath was her home. Her deep knowledge of the city is fully seen in two of her novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, which are largely set in Bath. The city is still very much as Jane Austen knew it, keeping in its streets and public buildings the well-ordered world that she described so well in her novels. Now the pleasure of learning Jane Austenˈs Bath can be enhanced by visiting the Jane Austen Centre in Gay Street. Here, in a Georgian tow house in the heart of the city, you can find out more about Bath in Jane Austenˈs time and the importance of Bath in her life and work.

The Centre has been set up with the help and guidance of members of the Jane Austen Society. After your visit to the Centre, you can look round the attractive shop, which offers a huge collection of Jane Austen related books, cards and many specially designed gifts. Jane Austen quizzes are offered to keep the children busy.

You can also have walking tours of Jane Austenˈs Bath, which is a great way to find out more about Jane Austen and discover the wonderful Georgian city of Bath. The tour lasts about one and a half hours. The experienced guides will take you to the places where Jane lived, walked and shopped.

The library is one of the most popular places at a western university.Students turn to it for research，conversations about class，and many other services.

Compared with Chinese libraries，college libraries in the US and UK tend to offer more resources.A postgraduate at Yale University can borrow as many as 225 books at a time.

In addition to borrowing books，there are online and electronic resources.These include a database search of popular and academic material，such as LexisNexis Academic，which offers items from newspapers and magazines.

Although books and articles are the items that students ask for most frequently，some libraries provide audio and video recordings，maps and sheet music(活页乐谱)．At some schools，teachers and tutors put electronic copies of their teaching PPTs on the library web to give easier access for students.

Another useful service in western college libraries is the Interlibrary Loan.This allows a student at one school to borrow books from another school.The loan request is made through the studentˈs college library，which gets the book，gives it to the user，and arranges for its return.

Technology has brought more services to students and has made libraries attractive.Some universities have services for students to send messages through the computer or mobile texts to ask the library staff for information.

Earlier this year，Harvard University introduced a new Scan and Deliver service，allowing students to make requests for parts of books and articles.Requests made through the system are handled by library staff.The student receives an e-mail with an Internet link to the scanned pages.The service is free and all material comes within four days.

It used to be that libraries didnˈt allow food or drinks.But that rule is changing and many of them now contain a café so students can spend as much time as they want in the library.

Actually，some US university libraries are now all-night affairs，or have at least one study room open all night.

The wedding took place in a Birmingham hotel. The bride and her father arrived in a new black American sports car. Her father looked nervous and uncomfortable in front of the cameras. The bride wore a silk wedding dress. She smiled nervously at the waiting photographers and went to a room on the first floor where she met her future husband for the first time.

   Carla Germaine and Greg Gordell were the winners of a radio station’s competition. The aim of the competition was to find two strangers prepared to marry without having met each other. Miss Germaine, 23, is a model. Mr Cordell, 27, is a TV salesman. They were among the two hundred people who entered for a peculiar “experiment” organized by BMRB radio in Birmingham,England. Greg and Carla were among eight finalists who were interviewed live on radio. They took a lie detector (测谎仪) test and the station also spoke to their friends and family about their personalities. The competition judges included an astrologer (占星家) who declared that they were suited.

   The couple celebrated their wedding with a wedding breakfast and a party for 100 guests in the evening, but not everyone shared the joy. Miss Germaine’s mother looked anxious throughout the wedding and Mr Gordell’s parents are reported to be less than delighted.

   Organization, including the marriage guidance service Relate, have criticized the marriage. As one person put it, “We have enough problems getting young people to take marriage seriously without this. Marriage should always be about love.”

   The couple are now on aCaribbeanhoneymoon followed by journalists. Their other prizes include a year’s free use of a wonderful apartment in the center of Birmingham, and a car. But will it last?

The  cat’s  lot  was  about  to  improve. That year, one of Benjamin’s cousins, Mr.Pennington, came to visit. He was impressed with Benjamin’s drawings. When he went home, he sent Benjamin a box of paint and some brushes. He also sent six engravings(版画) by an artist. These were the first pictures and first real paint and brushes Benjamin had ever seen.

In 1747，when Benjamin was nine years old，Mr.Pennington returned for another visit. He was amazed at what Benjamin had done with his gift.He asked Benjamin’s parents if he might take the boy back to Philadelphia for a visit.

Holly was confused as she opened the gift from her best friend, Susan.

“I…I thought you could use it for something. Susan’s explanation did nothing to help us understand why a twelve-by-eighteen-inch dark blue carpet was being presented as a birthday gift.

The murmured “thanks” was hardly heard as Holly tried hard not to allow her disappointment to show. She laid the piece of carpet on the kitchen counter, and the two girls headed outside to play with the family dogs.

Holly’s disappointment over the incident didn’t become obvious until the following evening when she came downstairs to say good night. Well, I guess we know how much my best friend thinks of me, huh, Mom? Her attempt at a cheerful tone failed completely.

The next morning, I carried a kitchen rubbish bag outside. My heart wrenched as I opened the rubbish can and saw Susan’s carpet lying among the other waste items. Hesitating only a moment, 1 reached in and pulled it out of the can. I brought it into the house and put it away in the hall closet.

Before Holly’s birthday, Susan had been a regular visitor in our home. On several occasions, she rode the bus home with Holly and was one of the few friends ever permitted to stay over on a school night. The girls did their homework together and went to bed at a reasonable hour. Now as I cooked the evening meal, I realized it had been nearly three weeks since wed even heard the mention of Susan’s name. I missed her warm smile and eager-to-please ways.

The noise at the front door told me Holly had arrived home from school. “Susan invited me to come over to her house after school tomorrow.” She announced she put her books down on the kitchen table. Although her voice carried a so-what attitude, I sensed she was pleased by the invitation.

Arrangements were made, and the girls rode home together on the school bus the following day. As I travelled along the winding country road that led to her house, Susan talked nervously about her foster mom(养母) and the seventeen cats she had taken in and cared for with Susan’s help.

Susan guided us through the house. She proudly showed us her room, which was decorated with used furniture. An old picture frame (框架) sitting beside the bed contained pictures of Susan’s parents and siblings from whom, we later learned, she had long since been separated.

I followed Susan’s foster mom into the kitchen. After clearing a small area, she placed a couple of cups on the table. Her hand trembled slightly as she poured us each a cup of steaming black coffee. She began to relax as we drank our coffee and chatted about her cats.

Her eyes shone as she showed her fondness for Susan. But her expression turned blue when she referred briefly to the girl’s past. In a short time, I came to respect this generous-hearted woman.

As daylight began to fade, we offered our thanks for the visit and said good-bye.

Holly sat quietly in the car on the way home. Stealing a glance, I noticed her head and shoulders were thrust forward as if willing the car to move faster. No sooner had we come to a stop in the driveway than she threw open the car door and walked purposefully toward the side gate. Curious, I followed. My throat tightened as I observed my daughter standing next to the rubbish can looking inside. Her shoulders dropped as she replaced the lid of the can and dragged into the house.

“Is this what you were looking for?” I placed the piece of carpet on the table in front of her. “Thanks, Mom.” A tear or two slipped from her eyes and splashed onto the dark blue carpet that, as if by magic, had become the most precious birthday present in the whole world.

Jane Addams（1860﹣1935）

Anyone who has ever been helped by a social worker has Jane Addams to thank．Addams helped the poor and worked for peace．She encouraged a sense of community（社区）by creating shelters and promoting education and services for people in need In 1931，Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize．

Rachel Carson（1907﹣1964）

If it weren’t for Rachel Carson，the environmental movement might not exist today．Her popular 1962 book Silent Spring raised awareness of the dangers of pollution and the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and on the world’s  lakes and oceans．

Sandra Day O’Connor（1930﹣present）

When Sandra Day O’Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School，in 1952，she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman．She became an Arizona state senator（参议员） and，in 1981，the first woman to join the  U．S．Supreme Court．O’Connor gave the deciding vote in many important cases during her 24 years on the top court．

Rosa Parks（1913﹣2005）

On December 1，1955，in Montgomery，Alabama，Rasa Parks would not give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger．Her simple act landed Parks in prison．But it also set off the Montgmery bus boycott．It lasted for more than a year，and kicked off the civil﹣rights movement．“The only tired I was，was tired of giving in，”said Parks．

      Every year, I tell my sons what Iˈd like for Motherˈs Day: a letter, something written from the heart and offered freely rather than bought from a store and wrapped neatly. I donˈt always get my wish, nor do I always take the time to write to my own mother.

This year, my boys will be in two different states on Motherˈs Day. My mom and dad will be away together, and Iˈll be driving home from a writerˈs workshop in Massachusetts. Thinking of the fact that many friends have already lost their mothers and that a few have lost children, I am deeply grateful that what separates us, for now at least, is only distance. It wonˈt always be so, and there is no way to prepare for that fact other than to appreciate the moment that is. My sons know that they can please me on Sunday with a phone call or an e­mail, and that is enough as I love their words. The very best gift they can possibly give me is their own happiness, the very fact of their busy, full and well­lived lives.

Still, knowing that my years of staying with my sons are over, I do feel doleful. The truth is, I miss being the center of the universe to two little boys. And this holiday can be a bit painful.

I wonder if my own mother ever felt nostalgic (怀旧的，乡愁的) for the passing of my childhood. I wonder if she realizes that she is still at the center of my universe and always has been. I donˈt often pause to think about it, but of course she is the one who has been right there, at my side from the moment I drew my very first breath. How to ever fully appreciate the woman whose presence and love and example have shaped me into the adult I am？How to describe even a small part of the sharing, sacrificing, and support she has given me over the years? 

One newspaper is giving a voice to street children. They are seen but not often heard. Balaknama is a newspaper produced totally by teens who live or work in the streets in India, the Hindustan Times reports.

   “We are treated like garbage and no one speaks for us,” Chandni, the paper ’s 18-year-old editor, told the news outlet. “When governments talk about children’s rights, they are looking at school-going children. No one is looking at us. It seems that we are ignored completely.”

   Around 18 million children live and work in the streets in India, more than any other country in the world. One of the major problems affecting street children is the employment of children. In Delhi, almost 9 out of 10 street children are working.

   The reporters are trained by Chetna. It’s an NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) that works with street children, according to the Hindustan Times. The young reporters cover social and political news that affect street children, such as the employment of children and underage marriage. One story, for example, told homeless children how to stay safe and warm during cold winters in northern India.

   “We saw news on how to keep warm. But nothing has talked about children who are sleeping in the streets or under bridges.” Kumar, a 17-year-old reporter, told the news outlet. “So we have decided that our cover story is to direct kids to the places where they can find shelter during cold winters.”

   With more than a dozen reporters across Delhi, the monthly paper has thousands of readers now.

Lately, everywhere you look, people are running around with fitness trackers (健身追踪器）on their wrists. Along with a smartphone and an accompanying app, these trackers can report how many calories you’ve burned and the distance you’ve traveled. Still curious about yourself? You can also learn the number of stairs you’ve climbed and steps you’ve taken.

Not one to resist peer pressure, however, I paid $100 for a Fitbit Flex. I chose that brand on the basis of intense research: asking my friend Sari which tracker she was using.

The Fitbit website offered instructions on setting up my new tracker. I entered my height and gender (性别) and certain information I considered none of its business: birth date and weight. Then, I established goals. The American Heart Association recommends that we all walk 10,000 steps a day—about five miles, and so does Fitbit. I decided 6,000 steps was a good place for me to start.

I changed my tune when, on Day 1, I hit 6,000 steps and tiny LED lights flashed on my wristband. Confident enough now, I went back to my phone and upped my goal to 8,000 steps. So, I got a little obsessed(着迷). On Day 5 at a department store, I decided to check my progress. My target number was just 275 steps away! I walked around the dress apartment watching my smartphone register each step I took. I hate to tell you how much pleasure this gave me.

Now I always wear my tracker, not because Iˈve grown to love fitness but because I like being trendy and self-absorbed. Last night I was leaving a restaurant when Fitbit emailed to congratulate me on walking more than 10, 000 steps. Who wouldn’t love a gadget（小装置）that turns your every footstep into an accomplishment?