The studies on coherent control of extreme nonlinear optical properties via few-cycle laser pulses in atomic and atomic-like systems are reviewed,including self-focus effects on extreme nonlinear optics,self-induced transmission,resonant multipole vector solitons,etc. Due to the transverse effect,the 2nπ sech-pulse deformes and breaks up during the propagation. With further propagation,interference of the crescent-shape pulses,constructive interference and self-focusing phenomena are observed. Conventional area theorem is invalid in the study of ultrashort pulse in quantum wells. By defining effective area,the self-induced transmission of ultrashort pulse with effective area of 2π is investigated. The formation and propagation of resonant multipole vector soliton with weak light intensity are studied in a tripod-type atomic system,in which large nonlinearity and nearly vanishing absorption are achieved due to the quantum interference effect.