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　　THE names of William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Jane Austen are probably not new to you．They are stars of the literary landscape and their works add to the charm of their British homeland．This week, we take you to the places where these literary masters grew up, lived or got their inspiration from．

　　Stratford-upon-Avon

　　Located on the banks of the river Avon in the north of England, Stratford-upon-Avon provides a beautiful glimpse into Britain’s rural life．Every year, thousands of tourists flock to the town to see the land that produced Britain’s greatest playwright．They visit the house where Shakespeare lived and go to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre to enjoy his plays．

　　William Shakespeare(1564-1616)

　　Stratford-upon-Avon would be on an ordinary small city in Britain if it was not the birthplace of William Shakespeare．Shakespeare left the town when he was 18, but even at the height of his career in London, Shakespeare returned here regularly to visit his family．Shakespeare thought of it as his real home, even though London brought him fame．

　　Bath

　　UNESCO World Heritage city．Bath has the country’s only natural hot springs．The city is named after its most popular sight：the Roman Baths, which were built by the Romans in the first century as a public bath house．For centuries, people went there to bathe in the natural mineral water．

　　Jane Austen(1775-1817)

　　Bath was one of Austen’s favorite places．It appears in her novels ?Persuasion and Northanger Abbey． In the latter she wrote：“I do like it very much．If I could have papa and mamma, and the rest of them here, I suppose I should be too happy!”

　　London

　　LONDON is the cultural centre of Britain．Its historical attractions draw numerous visitors．Treasures such as Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Buckingham Palace are among the world’s top tourist attractions．Museums like the British Museum and the National Gallery, all free, make London a favorite for art lovers．

　　Charles Dickens(1812-1870)?

　　Dickens spent most of his life in London and wrote extensively about this city．Born in Hampshire, south of London, Dickens moved to London when he was two years old．He depicted London as foggy, dirty, with villains everywhere, as shown in his works Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, Bleak House and A Tale of Two Cities．

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Strength in the face of problems

　　I was standing on the stage before 200 people, 　　1　　 as George Washington．I had the leading 　　2　　 in my sixth grade play and, for the past two months, I had walked back and forth in my room struggling to say my 　　3　　．

　　Now it was time to perform, my heart was 　　4　　 rapidly．At my 　　5　　, I began to speak smoothly and clearly, but then it happened：I stuttered(口吃)．I knew I would, and I did．

　　All things were a problem．

　　From that moment on, I promised myself that my role in that play would be my first and my last．My speech problem 　　6　　 everything．

　　　　7　　 a child, I struggled to say a full sentence, repeatedly hearing the 　　8　　 comments of my parents．"Take a deep 　　9　　 and think about what you're going to say．" I 　　10　　 to take speech therapy(治疗，疗法)．I was too ashamed to 　　11　　 I had a problem．

　　As my school career progressed my speech problem became less noticeable, but it never 　　12　　．It held me back．

　　After realizing that class officers had to speak in front of the entire student body, I 　　13　　 running in class elections．I feared reading aloud and meeting new people．

　　Changing my attitude．

　　Many times I would sit in my room and cry, 　　14　　 what it would be like to be normal, like everyone else．

　　Finally, I came to my senses．I read articles about famous people who 　　15　　 their speech problems．

　　I 　　16　　 I was letting it control my life, who I am and who I will become．l faced the 　　17　　 that I do have a problem that will always be with me．

　　It has made me a stronger person and, with time, I know I'll 　　18　　 the confidence to stand up and prove to myself that it will never 　　19　　．Most of all, I know that I'm not the only one who suffers, because nobody is 　　20　　．