There is a lot to learn about the creations of Beatrix Potter—not only is she the author and illustrator of one of the world's most famous children's books, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, but also a pioneering conservationist with the spirit of a scientist.

“Potter grew up as the daughter of a wealthy Victorian family, but along with her brother filled an entire floor of their large house in London with all sorts of animals,” said Anne Lundin, a retired professor for the UW-Madison School of Library Studies.

“As an adult, she was a frustrated botanical illustrator and scientist. That field was not open to her because she was female,”Lundin said. Potter was urged to turn the charming illustrations and stories she wrote in letters to children into books. She wrote 23 books in all—a body of work that has inspired plays, ballets, films and an astonishing amount of merchandise.

“The Tale of Peter Rabbit is probably the most famous children's book in the world, which was published 113 years ago and has really stood the test of time. It's been translated into 36 languages. The parents and grandparents will share it with the next generation,”said Lundin.

Potter also made a mark on the world through her land conservation. “In many ways, she was like Peter Rabbit, venturing into a world of adventure and risk. She withdrew from London as soon as she started making some money on her books to the Lake District and became an extremely important farmer and conservationist. She preserved and passed on 15 farms and over 4,000 acres, which were given back to the country as gifts in the 20th century,”said Lundin.

Even though she was born 150 years ago, she was amazingly modern—her embracing of the natural world, commented Jennifer Blatchley Smith, an artistic director of the show Peter Rabbit Tales to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Potter's birth.

All of my childhood and early adult life my mom weighed over 220 pounds. She never came to any school events. I have no memory of my mother attending anything with me at all. I often wondered if she maybe didnˈt love me enough to support me.

I would hear stories about when my mother was younger. She used to be the familyˈs number one dancer，dancing all night. I had never seen this dancing woman，though; the woman I grew up with had traded in her dancing shoes for house slippers.

As I became an adult，I began to understand people better. I soon realized that my mom loved me. After a while，I understood that my mom was in pain; however，I didnˈt know how to help her.

Fortunately，from somewhere，she found the strength to help herself. After more than twenty years of fighting against obesity(肥胖症)，my mother completed an eighteen-month diet that left her ninety pounds lighter than before. A new woman was born！At age twenty-eight，I got a new mom！It wasnˈt so much her new body that was the surprise，but rather her new spirit.

To celebrate her new size，my mother joined a “Mrs. Forty-Plus” competition，where she would have to model，give a speech and provide a dance performance. She told our family that she didnˈt care if she won－she simply had always wanted to perform on stage.

The competition was intense(激烈)！Her speech brought tears to everyoneˈs eyes，and her performance copying Janet Jackson stopped the show. That night，at age forty-three，my mother was crowned “Mrs. Forty-Plus”．She was the first person in our family to ever win such a title. With this new woman，my mother was born again. She gave herself a new chance in life－as a model，a dancer，a mother and a friend. At age twenty-eight，I met my “hero”．

I wanted to have tea with Nirad in a tea break during a retreat (静养). I was holding the cup so he could sip (小口喝) tea. I was being careful and poured a small quantity in his mouth. I enjoyed concentrating on each moment and listening deeply to do a good job with serving tea.

We were immediately connected and befriended each other during this time. Two other retreat participants joined and then there were four people talking about varieties of topics which ranged from how Nirad progressed in his education to cool ones like how he maintains his weight, etc. These conversations brought smiles and it seemed that we all knew each other from long time ago. In subtle (巧妙的) ways, we quietly felt the connection.

When we finished tea, I felt like tying a wristband for Nirad. The wristband had the letters that read “WE” on one side and “ME” on the other if read upside down. This beautiful gift was received from the Moved By Love team (a non-profit volunteer organization in India). I told Nirad that my youngest brother is about his age, and he gave me a sweet, calm smile.

I felt deep content during this teatime. I had actually lived those moments, being sympathetic and friendly. It was an experience of joy. Later, during the retreat, each time myself and Nirad happened to greet or talk, we smiled naturally and felt connected.

It's sad that we don't connect deeply, even with our family or friends. We are just too busy running after things, going nowhere. We don't seem to concentrate or care enough for people during our conversations. I had these valuable realizations later.

On the last day of the retreat, I told Nirad, “This was the best teatime I ever had in my life.” He gave me a warm, unforgettable smile.

It was evening when my parents and I ventured across Nemeiben Lake，in Northern Saskatchewan.This vast lake had a unique reputation as being the best fishing and tourist resort in the province.

With the boat undocked and the gear and luggage stored beneath the security of the seats，we set off into the setting sun at 8：30.

Unlike my parents，I had never been on a fishing boat before and was captivated (被迷住)by the speed and grace in which it traveled through the waves.The lake was deserted as the sky began to darken and looked more threatening by the minute.

Suddenly the boat hit something with such a force that we all fell over in our seats.The whole boat shook for a moment，before water started to trickle slowly over the stern.My father went to the back and after many attempts to start the engine，he began to look very worried.The water was now rushing in at a much faster rate，tipping the boat at an awkward angle.

We tried our best to hold on to something.The worst was yet to come.With our life jackets secured and fastened，we waited as the boat sank deeper into the water.We were soon immersed (浸入，沉入)in the chilly depths.The biting cold was more terrifying than anyone could have imagined.

My parents，who were dressed in floater jackets，clung desperately to each other，trying to keep their heads above water.I，on the other hand，wasnˈt so fortunate.A strong gust of wind blew briskly across the lake，bringing with it，torrential rain and threatening thunderstorms.The strong waves carried me on into the night.The waves continued to pound violently，forcing me underwater.

The following morning a fisherman found us.By that time，our body temperatures were twenty-four degrees，which meant we were nearly dead.Later investigation showed that we had been in the water for fifteen hours.

Whatˈs the main idea of this passage?

Unlike the other lakes in Northern Saskatchewan，the Nemeiben Lake ________.

What is the reason which caused the accident?

   I think it was October, 1982. A friend had business dealings in the city of Reno, Nevada, and I was asked to accompany her on an overnight trip. While she conducted her business, I was aimlessly wandering down Virginia Street, heading into a most gloriously beautiful sunset. I had an urge to speak to someone on the street to share that beauty, but I couldn't make eye contact with anyone. Quickly I ducked into a department store and asked the lady behind the counter if she could come outside for just a minute. She looked at me as though I were from some other planet and said, "Well..." Surprisingly, she followed me out.

   When she got outside I said to her, "Just look at that sunset! Nobody out here was looking at it and I just had to share it with someone."

   For a few seconds we just looked. Then I said, "God's in his heaven and all's right with the world." I thanked her for coming out to see it and sharing the beauty.

   Four years later my situation had changed considerably. I had come to the end of a twenty-year marriage, I was alone and on my own for the first time in my life. One day, while my clothes were going around, I picked up a Unity Magazine and read an article about a woman who had been in similar circumstances. She had come to the end of a marriage, moved to a strange community, and the only job she could find was one she disliked: cosmetic sales in a department store. We had a lot in common.

   Then something happened to her that changed everything. She said a woman came into her department store and asked her to step outside to look at a sunset. The stranger had said, "God's in his heaven and all's right with the world.", and she had realized the truth in that statement and that she simply had not been seeing it. From that moment on, she turned her life around.

April 23,2016 marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death. Organizations in Britain have planned numerous events to honour him.

In Stratford-upon-Avon, his birthplace, the tourism organization has a great number of free events, including performances of Shakespeare's plays, and a dazzling fireworks display. And the BBC is broadcasting a live show from Stratford-upon-Avon, celebrating Shakespeare's widespread influence on the world. In England's capital, the London Shakespeare Centre and King's College London are holding a series of public performances, exhibitions and activities. It isn't just England that honours the anniversary of the death of this extraordinary writer. In Washington,D.C., the Folger Shakespeare Library, which houses the world's largest collection of documents relating to William Shakespeare, is displaying a series of exhibitions.

Shakespeare is probably the most famous author and is considered a genius by most. He wrote around 38 plays and 154 sonnets(十四行诗), and his work has been translated into over one hundred languages! He penned beautiful metaphors(暗喻), serious dramas and amusing tales.

Shakespeare also invented many new terms and phrases. If someone's behaviour suggested he/she was not being honest and should not be trusted, Shakespeare called his/her actions suspicious. If someone was being silly and perhaps looking like a fool, Shakespeare found his/her actions laughable. And Shakespeare called people who offered their opinions on the quality of something critics. Today, for instance, food critics and film critics give audiences their opinions of food and films. The familiar phrase “break the ice” comes from Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew. The “ice is broken” when a difficult conversation or meeting is calmed by some basic introduction, such as a simple game. More common words coined by Shakespeare include road, gossip, lonely, bump and hurry.

Four hundred years after his death, Shakespeare surely lives on, in everyday speech, as the most famous writer of all time!

Given the tradition of students bringing apples to their teachers, it somehow seems fitting that an old apple barn(谷仓) will find a new life as a one-room schoolhouse.And it is just as fitting that a retired schoolteacher will become the caretaker of that historic treasure.

My friend Velma, a teacher for more than 30 years, has been retired for some time now, but that doesn't stop her giving history lessons at the old Englewood School, located on her family's California farm.The lovingly restored building was constructed around 1850 as a home for a woodsman and later was used as an apple barn.Then, in 1870 it began a new life as a schoolhouse.

Originally located in the nearby Englewood meadow, it was now moved to its current site in 1978 by Velma's late husband and his brother, Robert and Richard, who thought it would help keep Velma busy in retirement.No nails had been used in the original construction, so each piece of wood had to be carefully marked and the building was reassembled(重装) on its new site.The brothers worked with much care and hard work to ensure a perfect fit of mitred(斜接的) corners.After the relocation, Velma and her family furnished the school with some of its original desks.They also added a collection of schoolbooks, the oldest dating back to 1845.

Nowadays Velma gives tours to local schoolchildren and other groups, who learn what it was like to attend school back in the good old days.She has kids ring the school bell, recite the Pledge of Allegiance and sing Good Morning to You as they might have done in days gone by.Then, with twinkling eyes and much enthusiasm, she tells the history of the school, and gives a short sample lesson.