A light knock on the door brought me from my kitchen. Because we had just moved into the neighbourhood, I couldn’t imagine who it would be. Opening the door, an old man stood there, who was dressed in dirty clothing and wearing dirty rubber boots. His hand hung a plastic bag.

“Can I help you?” I asked.

“Would you like to buy some fresh garden vegetables?” His blue eyes were hopeful.

“Are they from your garden?” I looked inside his plastic bag and saw some carrots with soil.

“Yes,” His voice was soft. “And I can get some apples from a tree in my yard. Would you like some of those, too?”

My heart softened, and I wondered if he is badly in need of the bit of money. With a sigh, I said, “Please step inside and I’ll get my money.”

The next day, he knocked at our door again. This time, my little four-year-old daughter got there first. “Oh, hello. Would you like to come in for tea?" Without a second thought, the old man stepped inside and held out a broken basket with several bruised (擦伤的)apples. “From my tree,” he said, removing a worn cap. “You might like to make a pie. ”

The three of us sat at the kitchen table and drank our tea. It was obvious that my daughter liked hosting a visitor in her never-ending questions. “What is your name? Where do you live? Why are your clothes so dirty?”

The homeless-looking man laughed as he answered each question. His name was Mr. Locket and he lived around the corner. His wife had passed away several years before, and his children all lived far away. He was lonely. His need for company had sent him door to door selling fruit and vegetables. Ours was the only door opened to him that day.

When he finished the tea, he said he had to go home and promised to return the next day.

Several years later, a small envelope was delivered to our home—a letter from the old mans daughter.

Functions of a Speech

The art of public speaking began in ancient Greece over 2, 000 years ago. The spoken word can handle various vital functions: persuading or inspiring, informing, paying compliment, entertaining, or simply introducing someone or something or accepting something. Over the past years, the human voice has helped guide us over the ups and downs of what was certainly a stormy time.

Persuasion is used in dealing with or reuniting different points of view. When the leaders met in Copenhagen in December 2009, persuasive words from activists encouraged them to commit themselves to firmer action. Inspirational speeches challenge the emotions. They focus on topics and matters that are close to people's hearts. During wars, generals used inspiring speeches to prepare the troops for battle.

A speech that conveys knowledge and enhances understanding can inform us. The information must be clear, accurate, and expressed in a meaningful and interesting way. Informative speeches from World Health Organization officials helped people to keep their panic under control so they could take sensible protection.

Sad events are never easy to deal with but a speech that pays tribute to the loss of a loved one and gives praise for their contribution can be comforting. Madonna's speech about Michael Jackson, after his death, highlighted the fact that he will continue to live on through his music. It's not only in world meetings where public speaking plays an important role. It can also be surprisingly helpful in the course of our own lives.

On a more personal level, a friend may be upset and need comforting. Or you might be asked to introduce a speaker at a family event or to speak at a wedding, where your language will be needed to move people or make them laugh.

Great speaking ability is not something we're born with. For a brilliant speech, there are rules that you can put to good use. To learn those rules you have to practice and learn from some outstanding speeches in the past.

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I was born in London, England, and lived there with my mother until I was about eight years old. To find a better life, she went to Chicago and left me with friends in London until she got settled enough to send for me.

Meanwhile, back in England, I was getting into trouble. I had always felt like an outsider, different from the other kids. They didn’t want to play with me. That made me mad, so I got into fights and ended up getting expelled (开除) for being a danger to the other kids at my school. The people I was staying with were upset with me and felt they couldn’t manage me. So, they sent me to a home for kids — kind of a boarding school. I felt alone and bored, the food was terrible, and I really missed my mother. Finally, she sent for me.

The weather was different, my school was different, the country was different, but some things were still the same—I was still getting into fights. Kids picked on me about my accent, the color of my skin, my grades or whatever. I was different, still left out. It didn’t matter; I hated getting picked on, and I let them know it — with my fists. All through grades seven and eight, I was sent to the principal’s office so often that he and I became friends. Instead of punishing me, he advised me that I should be better off using the energy I had in more positive ways and encouraged me to play football and basketball after school. He also suggested that I check out boxing — maybe I could learn to use my fists in a meaningful way instead of being on the destructive path I seemed to be headed for.

One day, I happened to go in a boxing gym downtown.

From that day on, boxing became the sport that I liked the most.

At Sandringham I got to know this kid, Teddy, a funny guy. He is one of those friends with whom you start hanging out and from that day forward you’re never apart. We were both very naughty. When you put us together, it was a disaster. Walking home from school, we’d throw stones through windows, just to see them broken, and then we’d run away.

One Saturday night, we were at the shopping center and most of the shops were closed. The cinema was still showing movies and the building was still open. There was a shop that sold greeting cards and magazines and it didn’t have a door. So when it closed at night, there was only a metal gate, like a trellis (架子), which was pulled across the entrance and padlocked (用挂锁锁上). Walking past this shop, Teddy and I realized that if we put our arms through the trellis, we could reach the chocolates just inside. We reached in, took a few, and then swallowed the chocolates. We started going back again and again to steal more.

We did this every weekend for at least a month. Then we pushed our luck too far. It was a Saturday night. I reached in to take a chocolate, and at that exact moment a security (安全) guard came around the comer and saw me with my arm in up to my should. I brought my hand out with a bunch of chocolates in it.

I saw him. He saw me. His eyes went wide.

The next day when Teddy and I ran into the classroom, the headmaster was there waiting.