Travel to Italy

    The classics are really great. Some of them can even change our life. I have a cousin who is eight years older than me. He is very good at writing now，because he has read many classics before. Those novels(小说)help him do well in writing. He thinks the classics are part of his life. He can't live without them. He has read 26 classics. As for me，I have read Little Women ， Tom Sawyer and Treasure Island.

—Mike，14 years old

    Reading the classics is good for us. Some classics such as Oliver Twist ， Treasure Island ， Tom Sawyer and Little Women are good books. I have read all of them. But if students spend too much time reading the classics，they won't get good grades，either.

—Susan，16 years old

    There are more than sixty cool places for kids in Virginia, and here are three of them.

    Once Effendi had a joke with the Prime Minister（宰相）. He said that the Minister would die the next day. The next day，the Minister fell on to the ground from a horse and really died. When the king learned this，he got angry and sent his men to catch Effendi at once.

    When Effendi was brought to him，the king shouted angrily," Effendi, since you knew when my Minister would die, you must know the date of your own death.

    Say it out, or you'll die today. "Effendi looked at the king for a while.  Then he answered, "But how can I know? I'll die two days earlier than you. "The king was afraid that if he killed Effendi, he himself would die after that. He thought he must keep Effendi alive as long as possible, so he let Effendi go.

    A young man from a village called Nawalapitiya married a young woman from Maiyuwa, a small village. They lived with the man's big family-his parents, his brothers, their wives and children.  The family kept an elephant, in which the woman soon took a great interest. Every day she fed it with fruit and sugar.

    Three months later, having quarreled with her husband, the woman went back to her parents' home. Soon the elephant refused to eat and work.  It appeared to be ill and heartbroken. One morning after several weeks the animal disappeared from the house.

    It went to the woman's home. On seeing her, the elephant waved its trunk and touched her with it. The young woman was so moved by the act of the animal. So she went back to her husband's home.

    Have you ever wondered what kind of music young people across the United States are listening to? Are they crazy about Britney Spears? Do they love the Backstreet Boys? Or do they dance with Eminem?

    Well, nearly 6,000 teens have taken part in a Teen & Music survey, made by the USA Weekend Magazine last autumn. And the result showed what type of music was hot and what was not.

    It comes without surprise that hip-hop and rap are the most popular types of music among American teenagers. They began in the mid-1970s with young black kids in New York, taking music onto the streets. Hip -hop and rap are well-known for the break-dancing that goes with them.

    The word "rap" comes from a slang word. It is a rapid rhyme that is spoken rather than sung.

    Pop music, such as Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys, has always met the tastes of the general public. It continues to enjoy support from teens and is the second most popular music after hip-hop and rap.

    The third is rock music with exciting dance beats and simple lyrics that speak loudly of social problems. The melodies are led by electric guitars. Rock became popular in the USA in the early 1950s. The American singer Elvis Presley and British group the Beatles became world famous rock artists.

    The survey also shows that jazz is least loved by American teens. It developed in the later part of the 19th century from a mixture of African songs and hymns. Jazz tends to be the type of music that people enjoy more as they get older.

    Asia's first Legoland（乐高乐园）was open for business on September 15th in Malaysia，bringing a new tourist attraction to all the people in Asia. The park has seven special themes. It is especially for families with children from 2 to 12 years old. Legoland Malaysia is the sixth Legoland theme park in the world，after those in Denmark（丹麦），Britain，Germany and another two in the United States.

    Erik was a fourteen-year-old boy. He thought he was a young man but his parents didn't think so. They told him," When you begin to think about helping others, you'll be a young man. "

    One morning, his parents gave Erik some money to buy hamburgers at a store. He saw an old man there. The man looked very sick. Erik went up to him and found that the old man had lost his money and hadn't had anything for his breakfast. Erik took the old man to the nearest restaurant. But the man ordered only a glass of water for himself. Erik felt sorry for him, so he asked the waiter to bring the man some bread and a cup of coffee. The old man was so hungry that he ate up all the food very soon. After that, the man told Erik that he would never forget his kindness. Erik was very pleased when he heard what the old man said," You are a very good young man. "

    To their surprise, the food was a present because that day was the birthday of the boss.