Dragons are not real animals, but look like a combination (组合体) of many animals such as snakes, fish and deer. They have two horns (角) and a long moustache (胡子). With fantastic powers, they fly in the sky or swim in the sea. They can make rain, too. The Chinese dragon is a symbol of strength and good luck. The emperors of ancient China loved dragons. Their clothes were covered with pictures of dragons.

       We are proud to call ourselves the “descendants (传人) of the dragon”. In Chinese, “excellent” people are often called “dragon”. A number of Chinese sayings and idioms talk about dragons, for example, “Hoping one's child will become a dragon,” which means he or she will be successful.

        It is said that people born in the Year of the Dragon have certain characteristics. They are creative, confident, brave and quick-tempered. There are some famous “dragons” who have done excellent things, for example, Deng Xiaoping, the famous businessman Li Jiacheng and the movie star Zhao Wei. They are all successful. There are also some traditional festivals about dragons in China, such as Dragon Head-Raising Day and the Dragon Boat Festival. We have different kinds of activities to celebrate them. These two festivals come every year, but the Year of the Dragon comes every twelve years.

       The dragon is very important in Chinese culture. As the “descendants of the dragon”, it is necessary for us to know the views on dragons in our culture. It can help us understand why our parents always want us to be “dragons”.

       The year 2024 is the Year of the Dragon. Good luck to you!

    China is a great country with the largest population in the world. In order to solve the population problem, our government carried out one﹣child policy （政 策）before. When it is carried out for some time, many people not only see its advantages but also disadvantages.

    From 2016, two﹣child policy is put into effect. In my opinion, two﹣child policy is good. First of all, two﹣child policy is the gift for some only child. For some families, maybe the parents are only child and they also can have only child. Besides the loneliness of their child, when their child grows up and they grow older, their child marry an only child girl, the burden（负担）on their child and his wife is too heavy. Their child and his wife have to take care of two couples. Usually, a young couple looking after an old couple is a little difficult. But if their parents have two children, they can share the burden of taking care of their parents. It would be much better. Secondly, two﹣child policy can guarantee （保证） the number of Chinese population.

    All in all, one﹣child policy has been out of date. And two﹣child policy is needed and necessary. It can solve the problems of nowadays （现在）and the future.

    Different gestures (手势)mean different things in different countries. Sometimes a gesture that is polite in one country is not polite in another and should not be used. Different meanings of gestures can also cause problems in understanding what another person is trying to say. A gesture that many people do not understand is one that uses the thumb. Most westerners will sometimes show that they like something by holding out a closed hand with the thumb lifting in the air. This is called give someone or something "the thumbs up". Often, only one thumb is used, so it should be "the thumb up".

    The usual explanation (解释)for the origin of this gesture is not really correct. It says that in ancient Roman times, when people were pleased with the way a gladiator (角斗士) had fought, they showed their thumbs up. When they were not pleased, they gave the thumbs down. When a gladiator was given the thumbs up, the emperor allowed him to live. When a gladiator was given the thumbs down, the emperor ordered him to be killed.

    The truth is, however, it was translated into a wrong meaning by mistake. If people wanted to save the gladiator, they put out their hands and hid their thumbs in their hands. If they wanted the gladiator to die, they pointed their thumbs straight at him.

    It's 21:00 in Beijing now. Let's look at what the four students are doing.

Carol has three sisters. All of them are very beautiful. Sometimes she feels very bad because she doesn't look like them at all. She is short and heavy and she doesn't have big eyes or beautiful hair.

As young girls, her sisters often go to parties on weekends but Carol always stays at home—reading books and doing the homework. She says it's her dream to go to university(大学).

Ten years later, Carol grows up. All her sisters get married(结婚) at a young age and don't live a happy life. But Carol is now a teacher in a university and she spends most of her free time taking trips. Every day her life is colorful.

Well, you see it won't matter if you are not beautiful but you must study hard all the time. That may be the only way if you want to make your dream come true.