Once upon a time, there was a king. He was famous for his kindness. His people 1 him and were proud of him. Once, the king decided to build a palace on the river bank. In a few days the palace was ready. And the minister (大臣) decided to take a final look 2 he brought the king to show the palace.

"Great! " the minister said, looking at the palace. Then 3 his eyes fell on a small old house near the palace gate. "What's this house doing here?" shouted the minister. "Sir, it 4 to an old woman，" replied a soldier.

The minister walked up to the 5 and spoke to the old lady. "I want to buy your house，" he said. "I am sorry, Sir. My house is more expensive to me than my life，" the old lady said.

The minister tried to tell the old lady that 6 house would spoil (破坏) the beauty of the new palace. But the old lady refused 7 her house to the king. The 8 was then taken to the king.

The king thought 9 a while, and then said, "Let the old lady have her house. It will only add to the beauty of the new palace. Let us not forget something that seems 10 to us may be valuable(宝贵的) to someone else. "

Once upon a time in Ireland, there was a man called Patrick, who was very lazy. One day, as Patrick was lying under a tree, he saw a leprechaun (魔法精灵) with a pot of gold running past him! Patrick jumped up and ran after him. He eventually caught him but the leprechaun did not have the gold any more. 

"    ▲    " demanded Patrick. He held the leprechaun tightly because he knew that he would disappear if he let him go.

The leprechaun told Patrick the gold was hidden at the end of a rainbow. He promised to take him there if Patrick would free him afterwards. 

Now as you know, rainbows are very big and disappear quickly, so it can be very difficult to find them. Patrick walked and walked. It is very common for leprechauns to make you walk around and around in circles until you get so exhausted that you give up. 

As they walked, the leprechaun told Patrick humorous stories and funny jokes. He wanted to make Patrick laugh so much that he would not be able to hold onto him and would let him escape. Patrick, however, had no sense of humor and did not let the leprechaun go!

After fighting his way through bushes and trees, Patrick came to the end of the rainbow. It was beautiful. The sunlight was shining through a waterfall and Patrick was shocked by all of the colors. The leprechaun pointed to a small tree and said, "That's where I've buried my po t of gold!"Patrick let him go and instantly he disappeared.

Then Patrick realized that he had no shovel(铲子) to dig for the gold. He did not know what to do. Then he had an idea. He tied his scarf around the small tree and went off to find a shovel. 

Poor Patrick! When he returned, there were millions of trees with a scarf around each one!

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were two young men from Germany who loved good stories. As university students, they became interested in folktales—traditional stories that people memorized and told again and again. They began to collect traditional folktales from storytellers all over Germany. Many were similar to stories told in France, Italy, Japan and other countries. Between 1812 and 1814, the brothers published two books in German. These included stories like Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood. 

Despite the fact that Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm are often associated with Snow White and Rapunzel, the brothers didn't actually write any of those stories. In fact, the stories existed long before two men were born in

Germany in the mid 1780s. The fairy tales, in fact, were part of a rich oral tradition—passed down from generation to generation, often by women seeking to pass the time during the household chores. In 1812, Jacob and Wilhelm published the stories as part of a collection titled Nursery and Household Tales, or what is now known as Grimm's Fairy Tales. 

The Grimm brothers' tales reflected traditional life and beliefs. For example, forests are common in Germany, and forests often appear in the Grimms' stories. In the past, many people believed forests were dangerous places. In the Grimms' stories, a forest is the home of evil witches, talking animals and other magical beings.

Although most people today think of these stories as fairy tales for children, the brothers first wrote them primarily for adults. Many of their early tales were dark and a little scary. Later, the brothers changed the text of some of the original stories. They"softened"and added drawings. This made them more appropriate for children. Like the early tales, though, each story still has a moral(寓意): work hard, be good, and listen to your parents.

Once upon a time, a wealthy old man lived alone in a big house. He was growing weaker day by day and was unable to look1 himself, so he2 to hi re someone who is worth trusting to help with the housework and live with him. 

One early morning, the old man interviewed(面试) two3 . One was called Anthony and the other was Peter. Anthony was a really handsome young man, while Peter looked quite ordinary. The old man asked Anthony to make4 for him. Anthony agreed and walked away. 5 Anthony left, the old man turned to Peter and said, "Anthony has said something awful(糟糕的) about you. He said you were6 and dishonest. Is this correct?"

Peter thought for a(n)7 and said, "If Anthony has a bad opinion of8 , there must be something wrong with me. I should take time to9 these things. "

The old man was very impressed by Peter's character. At the same time, Anthony10 with a cup of tea for the old man. 

The old man said that he was11 and sent Peter to make breakfast for him. He then turned to Anthony and told him, "Peter spoke very12 of you while you were gone. What do you think about this?"After hearing this, Anthony became13 and started cursing.

14  , the old man hired Peter. Although Peter looked quite common and15 get much attention through his appearance, he had impressive inner beauty to touch the old man's heart. 

Long long ago, there lived a king. He was so f ond of new clothes that he spent all his money in order to get them. His only dream was to change new coats for every hour of the day. News of the king spread to distant kingdoms and finally came to two very shady(可疑的) characters. 

Scene 1

Cheater 1: Could we? Could we fool the king who loves new clothes?(They asked themselves. )

Cheater 2: Let's try. 

Narrator(旁白员): They traveled to the kingdom and applied to meet the king.

Scene 2

Cheater 1: Dear minister, we have something very special to show the king. 

Minister: That's what everyone says. 

Cheater 1: Ah, but this is magical. We have invented a new cloth by using a very special and secret fabric(纺织物). 

(The cheater whispered to the minister. )

Scene 3

(The minister whispered to the king. )

King: Something magical? (Trying the clothes on in front of the mirror. )Oh, I love new things. Show the two weavers in. 

Scene 4

Minister: Come in. 

King: So, why do you say your cloth is magical?

Cheater 1: Oh, my king. It is gold, and rainbow colored. 

Cheater 2: It feels like silk, but as warm as wool. 

Cheater 1: And it is as light as air, a most wonderful fabric. 

King: There is a grand(重大的) parade in the city in two weeks. I need a new outfit for it. Can one be ready in time?

Cheater 1: Oh, yes. But there is a problem. The clothes are very expensive to make. 

King: (Waving his hand. ) Money is no problem. I need the magical coat. I will give you enough money and a place to make it. 

(The minister led the cheaters to the room with some weaving machines and the cheaters began to pretend to make clothes. )

Student storytelling competition

We are looking for good stories, classical or modern, Chinese or international. 

Topics for Children(aged 7 and under)

◆My best friend

◆My family

Topics for Pre-teens(aged 8-12)

◆The most interesting story I have ever heard

◆It really makes me feel sad

Topics for Teens(aged 13-19)

◆I am interested in this traditional Chinese story

◆The heroes in the story

Topics for Young Adults(aged 20-24)

◆I found something unusual

◆Classics make me think more

One entry each person and no more than 1, 000 words and within 5 minutes. 

The entry can be a video or a recorder. 

Each participant should e-mail his or her entry to Mrs. Black at storytellingcompetition@gfi. com beforeJuly30th, including his or her name, age, school, phone number and e-mail address. 

The winners will get a call between August 10th and August 15th. 

There are 3 categories:

Category A—Adults; Category B——Teens; Category C——Children and Pre-teens

The money the winners can get(dollars)

It's very him so.

Pandas are bit .