【推荐1】If only one person deserves (值得) the name of the greatest English writer of all time, that person should be William Shakespeare. His popular famous phrases, like “to be or not to be, that is a question”, and his stories such as the tragedy (悲剧) of Romeo and Juliet are almost known in every corner of the world.

William Shakespeare was born in a small town in England, in 1564. In his youth, he moved to London and began to work as a play writer. Sometimes he played the role as an actor and poet. By 1594, he had become a key play writer of a popular acting company in the city.

Whether comedy or tragedy, Shakespeare’s plays catch people’s hearts with complicated (复杂的) characters and stories that reflect truths about human nature.

His comedies make fun of human weakness and always have a happy ending. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, goddesses play magical tricks on people lost in the woods. But his tragedies can be very dark. Macbeth is a story about a Scottish man who becomes king by killing all his enemies. Hamlet is about the prince of Denmark who takes revenge(复仇) after he knows it is his uncle that kills his father. But he loses his life in the end.

Shakespeare’s work also has a big influence on the English language. He is a master of words. He coined about 1,700 new English words, including everyday ones like “lonely”, “hurry” and “critical”, according to the New York Post. Of course, Shakespeare wrote 400 years ago and his English was very different from that of today. But it doesn’t reduce his popularity. His plays have been translated into every major language and are performed more often than any other play writer. There are over 400 films and TV plays adapted (改编) from his work.

Shakespeare is not of an age, but for all time.

【推荐3】Mo Yan, 2012's winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, was born in the small town of Gaomi in Shandong Province. His parents were farmers.     1     Each day he took the goats outside and watched over them when they ate grass.

    2     He enjoyed the green, open land of Shandong. He enjoyed looking up at the blue sky and the white clouds. To pass the time, he talked to the goats. He told them his thoughts and some stories.     3    

During the Cultural Revolution (文化大革命), Mo had to leave school and work for a company.     4     Luckily, he found a friend who would lend him books. Later, Mo became a soldier and was able to continue his education. In the end, he graduated from Beijing Normal University (北师大). This is where he began to write.

    5     Many of his books talk about rural life and the people of Gaomi. For Mo, all of human nature can be seen in the village life of Gaomi. Mo is famous now, but he remains a true son of soil (土地).

【推荐1】James Shannon is a chef in a London restaurant. Here he tells us about his job.

I work at Suzie’s, one of the most popular restaurants in London. I started by washing the dishes when I was only 16. I wasn’t interested in food and I never cooked at home, but I worked hard, and soon became a waiter. Simon was the head chef at that time. He then began to show me how to cook food. I loved it so much that I went to college to learn more.

When Simon left Suzie’s, I became the head chef. At that time, all the food was British. The food was excellent, but I wanted to do something different, so I decided to have food from all around the world. There are so many fantastic food shops in London that I can usually find any ingredient (烹饪食材) I need.

I use a lot of natural ingredients. Some people think that healthy food is boring, but that isn’t true. Natural food can be more delicious than fast food. Our food is healthy and people love it. We use the best meats and vegetables.

Suzie’s is open Monday to Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and from 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. at weekends. On Fridays and Saturdays we have live ( 现场演出的) music. And there’s a children’s menu on Sundays.

【推荐3】Who is the greatest teacher in Chinese history? Many people will think of Confucius, whose birthday was September 28. Although he lived over 2,000 years ago, people still remember and respect him for his contribution（贡献）to the education today.

Confucius lived in the Kingdom of Lu, which lies in Shandong Province. He lived during the Spring and Autumn Period. He had a hard childhood. His father died when he was only 3. His mother brought him up. As a child, he had to work to help his mother, but young Confucius didn’t give up studying. He visited many famous teachers and learned music, history, poems and sports.

Later, he became a teacher and started the first public school in Chinese history. At that time only children fromnoblefamilies could go to school, but Confucius believed everyone should go to school if they wanted to learn. He had about 3,000 students in his lifetime.

Today, people still follow Confucius’ lessons. He told us that we all have something worthy to be learned. “When I am with three people, one of them must be better than me in some areas. I choose their good qualities and follow them.”

He also taught us that thinking is very important in study. “All study but no thinking makes people puzzled（困惑的）. All thinking but no study makes people lazy.”

Confucius is not only a great teacher, but also a famous thinker with wise thoughts about the world and society. His most important teachings are about kindness and good manners. “A person should be strict with himself, but be kind to others.” he said.