4 . Elvis Presley was one of the greatest musicians in rock and roll history who changed the way people enjoyed music. Born on January 8, 1935, Presley was raised by loving working-class parents. He received his first guitar as a gift on his 11th birthday and had his first taste of musical success a few years later when he won a talent show at his high school. After graduating in 1953, hе did a number of jobs while pursuing his musical dream.

In 1955, Presley began to develop a following for his unusual musical style and good looks. That same year, he signed with RCA. After that, Presley was on a roll, scoring with his first No.1 single as well as his first No.1 album, and signing a movie contract—all in 1956. From very humble (卑微的) beginnings, he grew into one of the biggest names in rock and roll.

Presley was hugely popular, releasing album after album of perfectly written and performed songs and creating a huge body of work that was the envy of anyone during the rock era. He was also a big influence in the Civil Rights Movement at the moment when black music was becoming popular. His home, Graceland, also became a landmark. After his death, countless fans from around the world visit the famous residence every year.

Figures like Presley helped create the image of the “rock star” as a cultural icon in America. In the mid-20th century, singers and musicians became superstars due to the wider distribution of music and the post-war economic growth, which led to much more free time and income for American families. The rebellious (叛逆的) rock stars inspired them to create their own, more liberated identity outside the cultural norms (准则) in the 1950s. Colorful figures like Presley influenced an entire generation of Americans.

7 . When Elvis Presley died on August 16th, 1977, radio and television programs all over the world were interrupted to give the news of his death. President Carter declared a day of national mourning. Carter said, "Elvis Presley changed the face of American popular culture...He was unique and irreplaceable." Eighty thousand people attended his funeral. The streets were jammed with cars, and Elvis Presley films were shown on television, and his records were played on the radio all day. In the year after his death, one hundred million Presley LPs(密纹唱片)were sold.

Elvis Presley was born on January 8th, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi. His parents were very poor and Elvis never had music lessons, but he was surrounded by music from an early age. His parents were very religious, and Elvis regularly sang at church services. In 1948, when he was thirteen, his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. He left school in 1953 and got a job as a truck driver.

In the summer of 1953, Elvis paid four dollars and recorded a song for his mother's birthday at Sam Phillips' Sun Records studio. Sam Phillips heard Elvis and asked him to record That's All Right. Twenty thousand copies were sold. He made five more records for Sun. Then in July 1955, he met Colonel Tom Parker, who became his manager in November. On January 10th, 1956, Elvis recorded Heartbreak Hotel, and a million copies were sold. In the next fourteen months, he made another fourteen records, and they were all big hits. In 1956, he also made his first film in Hollywood.

In March 1958, Elvis had to join the army. He wanted to be an ordinary soldier. When his hair was cut, thousands of women cried. He spent the next two years in Germany, where he met Priscilla Beaulieu, who became his wife eight years later on May 1st, 1967. In 1960, he left the army and went to Hollywood where he made several films during the next few years.

By 1968 many people had become tired of Elvis. He hadn't performed live since 1960, but he recorded a new LP From Elvis in Memphis and appeared in a special television program. He became popular again, and went to Las Vegas, where he was paid seven hundred fifty thousand dollars for four weeks. In August of 1977, he died from a heart attack. He has been working too hard, and eating and drinking too much for several years. He left all his money to his only daughter, Lisa Marie Presley.

8 . When Elvis Presley died on August 16th, 1977, radio and television programs all over the world were interrupted to give the news of his death. President Carter declared a day of national mourning. Carter said: “Elvis Presley changed the face of American popular culture ... He was unique and irreplaceable”. Eighty thousand people attended his funeral. The streets were jammed with cars, and Elvis Presley films were shown on television, and his records were played on the radio all day. In the year after his death, one hundred million Presley LPs (密纹唱片) were sold.

Elvis Presley was born on January 8th, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi. His parents were very poor and Elvis never had music lessons, but he was surrounded by music from an early age. His parents were very religious, and Elvis regularly sang at church services. In 1948, when he was thirteen, his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. He left school in 1953 and got a job as a truck driver.

In the summer of 1953, Elvis paid four dollars and recorded a song for his mother’s birthday at Sam Phillips’ Sun Records studio. Sam Phillips heard Elvis and asked him to record “That’s All Right.” Twenty thousand copies were sold. He made five more records for Sun. Then in July 1955, he met Colonel Tom Parker, who became his manager in November. On January 10th, 1956, Elvis recorded “Heartbreak Hotel”, and a million copies were sold. In the next fourteen months, he made another fourteen records, and they were all big hits. In 1956, he also made his first film in Hollywood.

In March 1958, Elvis had to join the army. He wanted to be an ordinary soldier. When his hair was cut, thousands of women cried. He spent the next two years in Germany, where he met Priscilla Beaulieu, who became his wife eight years later on May 1st, 1967. In 1960, he left the army and went to Hollywood where he made several films during the next few years.

By 1968 many people had become tired of Elvis. He hadn’t performed live since 1960. But he recorded a new LP “From Elvis in Memphis” and appeared in a special television program. He became popular again, and went to Las Vegas, where he was paid seven hundred fifty thousand dollars for four weeks. In August of 1977, he died from a heart attack. He had been working too hard, and eating and drinking too much for several years. He left all his money to his only daughter, Lisa Marie Presley.

Mei Lanfang was born into a very poor family in Beijing. He had no opportunity    1    (go) to school, so he went to the troupe(戏班子) when he was 8 years old. Mr. Mei started to perform on stage 3 years later. He performed hundreds of    2     (tradition) plays and over 30 modern plays    3     his career. His spoken parts in Beijing Opera were unique; his performances were quite elegant and    4     (exact) matched his roles’ social background. Thereafter, the whole world regarded Beijing Opera as a high form of Chinese art.

10 . Every month we look at a different artist. We think Haroshi is super cool—he makes sculptures(雕塑) from skateboards.

Haroshi is in his late 30s. He’s a skateboarder but he also makes things from wood. He began skateboarding when he was 15 years old and he loved it. He used to skate every day. Now, if you know anything about skateboarding, you’ll know that skateboards don’t last forever because they break. But Haroshi didn’t throw his out because he was fond of them. Over time he built up a big collection and at the same time he learnt about all the different types of skateboard. Surprisingly, not all skateboards are of the same shape and actually they are often built in different ways. By the time he was 25, he had an enormous collection of old skateboards.

He decided he had to do something with them so he started to cut them up. As he was doing that, he noticed some interesting patterns in the wood. He then cut more and stuck them on top of each other. The first thing he created from the wood was a piece of jewelry. He created something new from something old.

Nowadays, however, he is known for his extremely large 3D wooden sculptures. His ideas generally come from skateboarding culture, ranging from skateboarding cats to cool trainers, but also everyday topics such as hurting yourself, getting better, being crazy about something and of course, growing up. All skateboarders will understand these. Haroshi has made over 40 pieces and each piece takes a very long time. There is no doubt that he is very talented but he’s had no formal art training. He taught himself.

Haroshi held an exhibition in London last month and three of us from @teenattack went along. As we entered the first room, we saw a huge bird that covered one wall. It was absolutely enormous! There was also a sculpture called Ordinary life. It looked like a broken leg—a very common problem, of course. It’s incredible to think that these sculptures are all made from broken skateboards. But there’s something else that is really interesting about Haroshi’s work.

In the twelfth century a sculptor called Unkei placed a glass ball in each of his works to show the heart of the piece. Haroshi also places something inside his sculptures—a piece of broken skateboard. In this way, he gives his sculptures life. We think that is just awesome!