The Monkey King

    The Monkey King was born from a stone. He wanted to live forever. He was really intelligent and knew what to do. ⑶他能够把他自己变成72种不同的东西, like a tree, a bird or an insect(昆虫). While he was changing himself, people just watched and couldn't believe it. He used the clouds in the sky   ⑷   around! One time he flew 108,000 miles on a cloud.

    The trouble was, the monkey thought he was the king. But he wasn't. The Emperor was. So, the real king decided to give the monkey a title(官职)to keep him quiet. ⑸But the monkey found out that everyone was laughing at him. He was extremely unhappy and decided to fight.  At last, the Emperor asked Buddha(佛) for help.

    The Buddha moved a great mountain to fall on top of him. As the mountain was falling on him, he nearly managed(设法) to get out of the way. He didn't, but he didn't die, either. The trouble was he couldn't move. Five hundred years later ,a monk(和尚) helped the monkey get out from under the mountain. That's when the real story began. You must remember it, don't you? It's a treat story.

    Mandy Harvey is a 29-year-old singer from Florida. She lost most of her ability to hear when she was 18.

    Harvey became a singer in her teens. _________ But she decided to start singing after she learned how to feel a song's beat through the wooden floor of a stage or theater. She watches carefully to make sure her musical instruments are tuned correctly and she is singing in the correct pitch.

    Harvey is now a professional singer. But not many people in the United States had heard of her until Tuesday night. That changed when she appeared on the television show “America's Got Talent”The show has four judges who watch people perform and decide if they should continue in the competition.

    Harvey said, "I gave up singing after I lost my hearing. But I want to do more with my life than just give up." As she was singing, one camera cut away to capture images of people in the theater. Many were seen crying. At one point, everyone stood up and cheered. By Wednesday afternoon, a video of Harvey's performance had been played 46 million times.

    Why? Shortly after she finished singing, Simon Cowell, one of the judges, gave her a golden star into the air. That meant Harvey could move on to the final round of the talent competition. Cowell said," I've done this a long time, and that was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen and heard."

    Many people wrote online that Harvey's performance was encouraging, and they will not give up on anything they want to do, either.

Jingxi Taiping Drum is a traditional folk dance that is popular in Mentougou of Beijing. It was included in China's national intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) in 2006.

This art dates back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770- -221 B.C) and it was originally (最初) used to wish for good luck. The art was first called the Taiping Drum during the Northern Song Dynasty (960- -1127). At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it started to be popular in and around the capital, and then by the end of the Qing Dynasty, it was introduced to Mentougou area of Beijing.

Jingxi Taiping Drum is usually made up of a shell, a cloth skin, and a handle. And this single-sided drum is usually played with a wooden hammer. The instrument is in the shape of a fan, as this design suits the performance better.

Jingxi Taiping Drum dance has been performed in local villages as well as on national and international stages. It has been performed in lots of cultural events, including the opening ceremony of the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing and the 2011 China's Cultural Heritage Day. In 2006 and 2007, it was also performed in Olympic activities in Australia and the United States.

Today, the folk art of the Jingxi Taiping Drum is being taken up by the young and is showing its lively artistic beauty all over the world.

"I am Peppa Pig. This is my little brother George! This is Mommy Pig and this is Daddy Pig! " Do you know this family? I like them very much. Peppa Pig is from England, and she is four years old. Her favorite thing is to play with her best(最好的) friend Suzy and her brother George. Who's George's best friend? Peppa? No! His best friend is his dinosaur(恐龙). He takes(带着) his dinosaur everywhere. Mommy Pig is beautiful. She cooks for the family. Daddy Pig sometimes cooks for them, too. They often jump in muddy puddles(泥坑) with Peppa and George. They are very happy.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Julie, a college student, likes love stories. She likes to follow the story and see the happy ending of the lovers.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Amy, a 26-year-old girl, dreams to be a singer. She wants to know how other people show their talents and make their dreams come true.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Mike is a student in Grade 8. He is really a sports lover. He is a big fan of NBA star Curry. He never misses his matches.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Alan Green, a 45-year-old man, cares about world issues（问题）. He hopes to find out what's going on around the world.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}John Smith, a 60-year-old man, likes to make his friends happy. He wants to learn some great jokes. 

It is my first day in Grade 7. And the first lesson is English, Mr Gough, 1 English teacher, walks info the classroom. 

To my surprise, be holds up2 book, The collected works of Edgar Allan Poe. He asks if anyone reads it. I put my hand 3 , because Poe is my favourite writer. He asks if I really know what the writer tries 4 in his book. Then I Share my idea5 . 

Mr Gough looks at me with a smile and asks me to write a passage about my favourite writer. Mr Gough thinks students need to learn form great6 . 

On the last day of my junior high. Mr Gough encourage(鼓励) me to be a writer 7 the future. When I leave school, he says to me, "you have a gift (天赋)for writing . Tony, 8 one day you'll find out it is great to have this gift. Just 9 good use of it. "

Mr Gough is more than just an English teacher, because he also teaches me 10 lessons. Now when I sit down to write something new, I still think of him.