Hi and welcome to To The Max. I'm Max Gregg and I'm thirteen. My family and I are from Boston in the United States, but at the moment our hometown is Rye in England.

I'm a dance fanatical. I've got my own dance studio in our garage at home. I've also got a video blog about dance. It's got some great tips about how to do different kinds of modern dance. My video clip hasn't got any fans at the moment. It's a shame!

I've got a big sister, Lily. She's nineteen and she's at university. Has she got any hobbies? Well, her hobby is learning languages. She can speak four languages: English, German Polish and Russian. She's really smart!

Rye has got a castle and lots of old houses, but it hasn't got much for teenagers. Our house is twenty minutes from the sea, but I can't swim! I haven't got big family. Just me, Lily and Dad. We haven't got any pets. Dad's got a job at a university near here. He's OK, but he's got a really uncool car and he can't drive very well, especially in London. Oh, and he can't cook.

【推荐2】My pen pal is Lily. She lives in New Zealand. It’s next to Australia. She is a quiet girl. She likes football. She wants to be a football coach in the future. She goes to school on foot. She has a brother. His name is Jill. He is only five. He likes singing. Her father is a baseball player. Her mother is a reporter. She works in a TV station. She likes using computers. They both go to work by car. They are very happy.

【推荐3】When I was young, my mom used to give the family a funny special treat from time to time—she would make breakfast food for dinner.

I remember she did so one night. She had been at work all day but wanted to do something special for us.

On that evening, my mom put a plate of eggs, sausages and very burnt (烤焦的) toast in front of my dad. I waited to see if anyone noticed. But my dad just took his toast, smiled at my mom and asked me how my day at school had been. I don’t remember what I told him that night. But I do remember watching him put butter and jelly on that toast. He ate it up as usual, every single bite.

After dinner, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. I’ll never forget what he said: “Honey, I love burnt toast. ”

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night. I asked him if he really liked his toast burnt. He hugged me in his arms and said: “Your mommy worked very hard today. She’s really tired. And besides, a bit of burnt toast never hurts anyone!”

Life is full of imperfect things. Nobody is perfect either. I’m not the best at anything. I forget birthdays and other important events just like everyone else does. But I’ve learned something important from my father. Understanding is the basis of everything, whether between a husband and wife, a parent and child or just between two friends. Remember, burnt toast never hurts anyone. It’s the people with the kind thoughts who make life worth living.

【推荐2】Today is Saturday. It's seven o'clock in the evening now. Jack's family are busy(忙碌的).

Jack is in his room. There are some clothes on his bed. He is looking for his blue T-shirt. At eight, he will have dinner with his friends at a restaurant. Jack's sister, Ann, is watching TV. Basketball is her favorite and she often plays it and watches basketball games on TV.

Where are Jack's parents? Oh, his father is searching for some information(搜索一些信息) about Hainan on the Internet. He will drive to Hainan with his friends tomorrow. Jack's mother is doing some cleaning. Oh, where are Jack's grandparents? They are in the park. Jack's grandfather is walking with the dog. Jack's grandmother is dancing there.

【推荐3】Waves(波浪) are beautiful to look at, but huge waves are greatly harmful to ships at sea, as well as houses and buildings near the seaside. What causes waves? Most waves are caused by winds blowing over the surface of the water. The sun heats the earth, causing the air to rise and the winds to blow. The winds blow across the sea, pushing little waves into bigger and bigger ones.

The size of a wave is decided by how strong the wind is, how long it blows, and how large the body of water is. In a small bay, big waves will never build up. But at sea the wind can build up big, powerful waves.

It is believed that the height of a wave (in meters) will usually be no more than one tenth of the wind's speed (in kilometers). In other words, when the wind is blowing at 120 kilometers an hour, most waves will be 12 meters high or less. Of course, some waves may come together to form big waves that are much higher.