"Haibao, the mascot(吉祥物) of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, is very cute, "said Gu Hui, a school kid. "I want a big toy like the mascot."

    Haibao looks like the Chinese word ren, which means people or a person. The name, a typical lucky one in Chinese tradition comes from the Chinese phrase "Si Hai Zhi Bao" —the treasure of the four seas. It also means the treasure of Shanghai, which lies beside the sea.

    Haibao's blue curly(卷曲的) hair looks like the waves of the sea. Its smile is a sign of the healthy spirit of China. Those thumbs-up(翘拇指) will welcome millions of people to Shanghai from around the world. Its big feet show China has the ability to host a successful Expo.

    Haibao was created by two artists, one from the mainland(大陆) and the other from Taiwan. The design is about people living together in the city. The designers want it to fit the theme of the Shanghai Expo, that is, a good life should be created by all the people and people should have harmonious relationships(和谐关系) with nature and society, so that life in cities would be better.

    Surely the mascot will become the lucky symbol and cultural remark of Shanghai Expo.

    Mary complained to her father about how hard she thought life was. She didn't know how to make it and wanted to give up.

    Mary's father took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and put each on a big fire. Soon the pots started to boil（沸腾）. In one he put carrots, in the second he put eggs, and in the last he put coffee powder. He watched them boil, without saying a word.

    Mary waited, wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the fire. He took the carrots and eggs out and put them on different plates. Then he poured the coffee in a cup. He asked, "Mary, what do you see?"

    He asked Mary to touch the carrots. She found that they were soft.  He then asked her to take an egg and break it. She saw a hard-boiled egg after taking off the shell. Finally, he asked her to taste the coffee.  Its rich smell brought a smile to her face.

    Each of them had the same trouble, but each reacted differently. The carrot was strong and hard at first, but it became soft and weak. The egg was weak, too. But after going through the boiling water, its inside became hard. The coffee powder changed the water, and created something new. "Which one is you?" he asked Mary. "When trouble comes to you, are you a carrot, an egg, or the coffee powder?"

    "My dear lady," says Holmes. "You're shivering. Are you cold? Do you want a cup of hot tea?"

    "I'm not cold," the woman replies. "I fear for my life!"

    "We are here to help you. Don't worry about anything. I don't know you. But I know many things about you. For example, I know how you travel. You came to London by train. You also rode to the train station on a horse­drawn wagon(马拉车). "

    "Why, yes. You're right. But how do you know these things？"

    "I see a return ticket in your glove. I see fresh mud on the left arm of your dress. Now tell us your problem. "

    "My name is Helen Stoner," she states. "My mother and father are dead. I am living with my stepfather, Dr Grimesby Roylott. He comes from a rich family. But they are no longer rich. They have nothing except a small piece of land and a huge old house. We are living in the house. Dr Roylott is using my mother's money for expenses(开支). Part of it was for my sister and me. It was for our marriages."

Holmes is sitting in his chair. His eyes are closed. He is listening carefully to Helen's story. He hears every detail.

    Helen continues. "My stepfather has no friends. He fights with everyone. He is strong and gets angry quickly. Everyone is afraid of him. "

    "He has no friends at all?" asks Holmes.

    "No. He talks to no one except the gypsies. They are poor people who travel from place to place. A band of gypsies is staying on our land right now."

    "Are you and your sister afraid of the gypsies?"

    "My dear Mr. Holmes. You are making me so sad. My sister is dead. That is why I am standing here in this room."