Peking Opera (Beijing Opera), is one of the oldest forms of dramas(戏剧) in the world. The roles(角色) in it were Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, Chou, Wuhang, and Longtao during its early age. But with the change of Peking Opera, there are four main roles in it today: Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou.

    Sheng——Men Roles

    Sheng are the men roles in Peking Opera, which can be divided into Laosheng, Wusheng, Xiaosheng and Wawasheng.

    Laosheng are middle-aged or older men who are honest. Hongsheng,a type of Laosheng, have a red face. There are only two roles famous as Hongsheng. One is Guan Gong and the other is Zhao Kuangyin. Wusheng are young generals(将军) who are good at martial arts(武术). Xiaosheng are clean-shaven(没有胡须的) and handsome. Wawasheng are children's parts.

    Dan——women Roles

    Dan are women roles that can be divided into different types——Laodan, Qingyi, Huadan, Wudan and Caidan.

    Laodan play old and clever women. Qingyi are the main women roles. Huashan, a type of Qingyi, was created by Mei Lanfang, who played an important role in shaping Peking Opera. Huadan are lively and unmarried women roles. Wudan characters are women, good at martial arts. Caidan are clowns(小丑) in funny plays.

    Jing——Painted Face Men Roles

    A Jing role is an important man character with striking(吸引人的) looks and high social position. The main types of Jing are Tongchui, good at singing and usually a general; Jiazi, good at acting with less singing; and Wujing, a martial arts and acrobatics(杂技) role.

    Chou——Comedy Roles

    Chou are comedy(喜剧) roles in Peking Opera. There are Wenchou who speak, act and sing, and Wuchou who both speak and fight. What makes this type of role special is a small patch(块) of white chalk around the nose. One of the famous roles is the Monkey King, who has a special position in the hearts of all who are interested in Chinese opera.

Florence Nightingale was born on May 12th, 1820. In 1851, she trained as a nurse. Two years later she went to a British military (军事的) hospital so that she could help British soldiers. Before she arrived, many soldiers died in the hospital because it was dirty. Nightingale worked hard to make the hospital clean and stop soldiers dying. When she returned to England in 1856, she was a national heroine. Nightingale wrote two books about nursing and she also started a school to train nurses. She died in London on August 13th, 1910, when she was 90 years old.

My grandma moved to a new house. The houses in the neighborhood were all new and {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (look) the same. My brother and I planned {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (make) something special as a gift for Grandma's new house. We came up {#blank#}3{#/blank#} the idea of building a deck (平台) in her backyard (后院).

That day, Grandma was away with Jenny, one of her {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (neighbor). My brother and I started working. It was not easy to build a deck. We worked all day without {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (take) breaks. At last, we finished it and went home with satisfaction.

The next morning, we came to Grandma's home and {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (open) the back door. To {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (we) surprise, the deck was not there! Just then, Jenny came out and said, "Hey, look! Someone built a deck for my house."

{#blank#}8{#/blank#} (sudden), we realized that we built the deck in Jenny's backyard instead of Grandma's! {#blank#}9{#/blank#} we told the truth to Grandma, she laughed. Finally, we decided to build {#blank#}10{#/blank#} new deck for Grandma. We had a deck party after we finished working.

Grandparents Day

Grandparents Day is on the first Sunday in September. It is a day to celebrate grandparents. It is celebrated in a few countries around the world. It is always important to respect your elders. 

The night before Grandparents Day, Nancy and May couldn't go to sleep because they wanted to do something for their grandparents. "Now, " said Nancy, "It's time for us to do something for our grand- parents. Let's think about a surprise for them. " The children thought and thought. 

At last May got a good idea. She said, "Oh, I'll tell you. " And she began to talk very fast. "Oh, oh!" said Nancy. "That is just the thing!" The next morning the children got up early. They were very busy making breakfast. After some time, they called their grandparents. "Happy Grandparents Day!" they said. "Breakfast is ready. ""Oh, what a surprise!" their grandparents cried. 

Your grandparents have learned a lot. What have they taught you? Did your grandpa teach you how to fish? Did your grandma show you how to bake cookies? If you think about how much your parents do for you, just remember that your grandparents helped them that much, too! How can you return the favor? Do they need your help now? Maybe they would just like to see you or hear you on the phone!

 On a Saturday night in January, I was making my way to a sleepover at Nathan's house. This was going to be a wonderful adventure as I had never been to his place before. I had received the address, 39 Western Avenue, via text message. As I turned the corner and stepped onto Western Avenue, a large cloud moved in front of the moon, leaving a shadow(阴影) over everything.

 In the dimness, I found it truly hard to see the house numbers clearly. However, not wanting to waste any time, I walked up the driveway of what I thought might be Nathan's house. I rang the bell and waited patiently, expecting someone to open the door and welcome me. But no one came. Thinking that perhaps they hadn't heard the first ring, I rang the bell again. After a few moments of waiting, I realized with a sinking feeling that I had made a mistake. I had gone to number 37 instead of 39.

 Just then, the door of number 37 opened suddenly. The house was completely dark inside, so I could hardly see anything. Suddenly, there was a loud shout and a man rushed past me, running towards the street. Another man quickly followed him. They were in such a great hurry to leave that they dropped most of the things they were carrying. Curiosity(好奇心) getting the better of me, I picked up one of the items so that I could look at it more closely. To my surprise, it was a beautiful brooch. Right then, I understood what had been happening. These men must be thieves! Without hesitation(犹豫),I took out my phone and called the police.

I stood on the doorstep, anxiously waiting for what seemed like a long time. After five or ten minutes had passed, an unmarked police car finally arrived. Two policemen got out of the car. One of them immediately went into the house to look for clues while the other policeman asked me about the thieves. "You did extremely well," he said with admiration. "It was really____▲____ of you to interrupt(打断) those thieves and chase them away." I felt a sense of pride and relief knowing that I had done the right thing.