Many cultures in the world tell stories about dragons. In some cultures they are good and in some they are bad. No matter good or bad, in the stories they are always 1 and have supernatural power. Some people say that there used to be real dragons, but most agree that they were imaginary creatures (生物).

    Dragons in China and other Asian countries are usually said to be 2. People say that they bring strength, good luck, and health. In ancient China, the dragon was a 3 of the Chinese emperors. Some Chinese people believe that dragons live under water most of the time. Unlike European dragons, they do not have wings, and they 4 using magic. The Chinese dragon looks like a long snake with four claws. In the Chinese lunar calendar, people born in the “Year of the Dragon” are 5 to be lucky, brave, healthy, energetic and excitable. The Dragon person can't make great achievements in life 6 he or she knows how to make the best use of his or her energy, intelligence, and talent.

    In European legends, dragons are usually seen 7 greedy (贪婪的) and cruel winged devils (恶魔). The European dragon is also described to be a strong and smart creature. Any knight (骑士) who killed a dragon was able to get not only its treasure but also its 8. In Christianity (基督教), the devil is sometimes shown as a dragon. It has become popular for the 9 of popular stories to fight angry dragons. Dragons continue to live in storybooks. Modern fantasy writers 10 write books about heroes fighting dragons. Although dragons appear in many legends around the world, different cultures have different stories about them.

    “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 traveled．You came to London by train．You also rode to the train station on a horse—drawn wagon．''

    “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．Grimsby 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 mone37 for expenses．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(吉普赛人)．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．”    ，  .

    I got out of the train station with my father. A woman came to him and said that her money had been stolen(偷). She asked if he could1her some money to go back home. My father gave her what she asked for and told her not to worry about paying it back. I was2. How could my father be so silly? Anyone could see that she was telling a lie(谎言), staying at the station all day long3for money.

    "She was lying!" I said."4did you give her the money?"

    My father looked at me. He was a bit angry. "And what would you like me to do?" he said.

    "Should I tell her that I am a college professor and I can see through her scam(骗局）？" I did not5his meaning at all, and then he told me something that I have6forgotten. "First, she would not do this7she didn't need the money. Second, I made her day, because now she thinks that she's8than me. It is more important to9than the money. but I don't mind this."

    A week later, we were at the same station, and the same woman came to my father with the same story. "Not this time," my father told her. "In your business, you should learn to recognize(认出) people. Try another10on me next week."

    Beethoven had an ugly face and a very 1 temper(脾气), but people 2 him to their homes.When he lost his temper, they forgave(原谅)him.He was often poor and ill during his life.After one illness, he suddenly 3 himself deaf.At that time he was 4 31.What a blow it was on him!

    5 this didn't stop Beethoven 6 on in his life.He went on 7 much music. He wrote long pieces and short pieces, happy ones and 8 ones.During his life, he composed(作曲)about 300 pieces. 9 people's surprise, he wrote some of his best and most beautiful pieces 10 he became deaf.Many of them are known and loved all over the world.

    Thank you very much. Thank you!

    Thank you for Principal Xu, all the teachers and most importantly, the class of 2019. If I can't make my speech fantastic, I will at least try to make it short.

    It's been nearly 40 years since I became a member of the navy. You may be wondering how I have won so many honors as a commander-in-chief. In fact, it all began from the half a1basic training, which I will never forget, The training included midnight swims in the cold water, days without 2 and long painful runs in the soft sand, I always felt cold, wet, sleepy and painful.

    The training also needed to find those who could3in an environment of stress, mess, failure and hardships. To me, the basic training was a lifetime of challenges that lasted six months. And today, I'd like to talk about one little thing, which I think is one of the most important points leading to great4.

    Every morning in the training, my instructors(教官) would5in our rooms. The first thing they did was to6our beds. The corners would be square if we did it right. The covers would be pulled tight, and the pillow would be centered just under the headboard.

    It was a(n) 7task. But every morning we were required to make our beds8. It seemed a little funny, but the wisdom of this simple act has been proved to me many times over.

    If you make your bed every morning, you will have completed the9task of the day. It will bring you a small sense of success, and it will10you to do another task, and another and another. And by the end of the day, one task completed will have11into many tasks completed. Making your bed will prove the fact. If you can't do the little things right, you will12be able to do the big things right.

    13the world can happen anywhere and anyone can do it. I can make sure that it doesn't matter whether I ever14 a day in uniform. Even now, I still start my day with making the bed to perfection. So if you have an awful day by accident, you will come home to a bed that is made-that you made-and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.

    In general, if you want to change the world, 15off by making your bed. I hope all of you will have a brighter future! 

When my daughter was in primary school, she brought home four small twigs(细枝) from school to plant. None of them looked very strong and lively. But with hope for the future, I planted them somewhere in our backyard which could give them enough sunlight. Over the years, because of the poor soil(土壤), three of them died. Only one lived at last.

It grew crooked(不直的) and very slowly. In fact, it looked more like a fat bush than a tree. Later, I noticed that it was starting to die. The branches(树枝) were becoming bare. Only the top third of the tree was still green. I did my best to save it by feeding it a lot of fertilizer, but it didn't work.

Later one morning, I went out and looked at it again. I was thinking if it would be better to just cut it down. It would make the yard look cleaner. As I walked over to take a closer look at it, however, I noticed something moving within the leaves. It was a bird patiently building a nest in the topmost branches. I smiled when I looked at it. I thought maybe this old tree was still useful. It might not be healthy or pretty, but it was still giving a bird a home.

This tree let me know that all of our lives have a purpose. It doesn't matter if we are young and strong or old and sickly. Until our last breath, we have things to do, love to give, and joy to share. We can help to make this world a better and more beautiful place.