【推荐2】Thousands of people came to the theatres and concert halls to hear him. Performances were sold out in Britain and America. People fainted (晕倒)at his shows. Who do you think he was? Well, he wasn’t a pop star. He was in fact a writer, and he didn’t live in this century. He lived nearly two hundred years ago. His name was Charles Dickens.

In the 19th Century, Charles Dickens went on long tours in Britain and America. At each performance he read and acted out passages from his novels.

Why did he go on tour with his books? His first tour was for charity - he wasn’t paid for it. The first performance was of A Christmas Carol for 2,000 poor people in Birmingham. Many people in the audience couldn’t read and so storytelling was very important to them. After this first performance, he was offered money to perform his readings at other places. At first he refused, but later he agreed to do more shows. He loved performing, and as a young man, he had wanted to be an actor. His tour of America from December 1867 to April 1868 earned him over £19,000, which was a huge amount of money at the time. It was a lot more than he earned from selling his books.

Charles Dickens’ tours were very hard work as he travelled long distances by train, and trains were very slow in those days. His family and friends became worried about his health. They wanted him to stop touring.

In 1865, there was a terrible train crash at Staplehurst in Kent. All the carriages except one fell down a slope (山坡). What happened to Charles Dickens? He was in the one carriage that didn’t fall down. After the accident, Charles Dickens was fiightened of travelling by train, but he still continued his tours. His readings continued to be successful.

However, his friends and families were right to be worried about his health. Five yeilTS Jater, ill 1870, Charles Dickens died of a stroke (中风).

【推荐1】After the recent storms, many Texans have been in desperate need of a plumber (管道工). Unfortunately, with pipes burst all over the state, and plumbing materials difficult to find, many families have been left without water and with their homes flooded.

In response to the cry for help from overwhelmed plumbers in the south, Andrew Mitchell and his family loaded up their car with $ 2,000 worth of materials and drove down to Texas to help.

The plumber, his wife, Kisha Pinnock, their two-year-old son, and brother-in-law, also his apprentice (学徒)，Isiah Pinnock, made the 22-hour journey from their home in New Jersey with all the materials they could financially afford. Their first stop was to help Pinnock's sister in Humble, Texas.

From there > Mitchell and his apprentice一who is actually a college senior一went to other homes to help. Mitchell's wife said that the pair would come in at 2 a. m. and head back out at 7：30 in the morning.

“It's really a blessing to be a blessing to other people and Andrew truly enjoys the work," she explained, adding, "plumbing is his passion."

The family has been in Texas for nearly a week, and they wish to continue helping others as long as they have the materials to do so. There's a huge need for their services lot of the people we've helped were telling us they either can't get a plumber on the phone or一if they do get one on the phone一the wait to be serviced is three to four weeks out, so they can't have water during that entire time,” Pinnock pointed out.

Mitchell has said that he might make a return trip, so that he can continue to be the blessing he truly has been to his southern neighbors.

【推荐2】Atop a hill in a garden, three children were having a heated discussion. “It’s not fair!” Mag threw her bike to the ground. “Why won’t you let me have a go?” Paul exchanged glances with his friend Billy, both planning a bike ramp (坡道) for an upcoming stunt (特技) bike competition. “You’re too young for it,” Paul declared. Upset, Mag ran away.

Paul and Billy set out to build a bike ramp out of a wooden board and an upturned metal bucket. One end of the board rested on the ground while the other rested on the bucket. The hilly terrain seemed perfect for their plan. However, each attempt to ride the ramp ended with the board out of place.

Determined to secure the board, Paul rushed to his father’s shed and returned with four leftover house bricks. Placing them strategically, he hoped it would now hold for their stunt attempts.

Paul gave Billy the thumbs up, who was waiting at the hill’s highest point. Billy raised himself off his seat. Riding down, he faced the strong wind, his helmet swinging. Absorbed in their testing, neither noticed Mag approaching with her own plan.

Hidden behind a tree, Mag, seeing her chance, kicked the board off the bucket. Just at that moment, Billy’s bike arrived and he simply could not brake in time. With no ramp, the bike swung violently off course, heading directly toward the shed.

Reacting swiftly, Paul leaped aside, avoiding the bike’s path while Billy hit the shed door with a loud bang. Mag, realizing her fault, began to sob in regret.

“Why did you do that?” Paul, dusting himself down, turned to face his sister. Tearfully, Mag blurted, “You guys said I couldn’t have a go… “

Paul’s anger faded away. He said gently, “You can’t take part in the sport, but you can help us rebuild the ramp.” Smiling weakly, Mag put her hand in her big brother’s. They headed over to help Billy, who was a little shaken but otherwise unhurt.