Would you agree with the statement that a wish is born from an idea, a simple idea imagined in the mind? Back in the 19^th century two men had an idea which became their great  (1)  . The efforts they had made were rewarded with their success that   (2)   world travel.

In 1903, the Wright Brothers (Wilbur and Orville) achieved their dream. They flew the world’s first power-driven, heavier-than-air machine by which they made free, controlled and sustained   (3)  . Kitty Hawk, North Carolina   (4)   this important and memorable moment.

The dream started with an idea that was planted in their minds by a   (5)   given to them by their father. In the words of the boys, “Our father came into the house one evening with some object in his hands, and   (6)   we could see what it was, he threw it into the air. Instead of falling to the floor, the toy flew across the room   (7)   it hit the ceiling, where it finally sank to the   (8)  .” This simple toy attracted the Wright Brothers and started their lifelong   (9)    in human flight.

The Wright Brothers   (10)   learning new things.   (11)   they opened their own printing office and then in 1893 they opened a company where they repaired bicycles. But Wilbur had his mind set on something more   (12)  . He decided to pursue   (13)  .

The brothers spent many hours researching,   (14)   their machines and making improvements. What started out as a   (15)   soon became a career. With determination and   (16)  they realized their dream in 1903.

The next time you hear or see an airplane or travel on one,   (17)   where it all started. A simple idea was developed in the minds of the two young men who didn’t have a university degree. They were not scientists in the   (18)   sense of the world.

What idea are you working on? Have you limited yourself by saying you are not a scientist or not   (19)   enough? Whatever the mind can think and believe, it can be   (20)  .

Liquid Paper (修正液) was invented by Bette Nesmith Graham. She was 17 when she got a job at a Texas bank as a secretary, even though she didn’t know how to type. The company she worked for sent her to a secretary school, and she was typing in no time at all.

The 1950s had seen the widespread use of the electric typewriter, which typed faster but also meant more mistakes. Also, mistakes made by early electric typewriters were very hard to erase, which caused problems for Bette.

In order to make extra money she used her talent to paint holiday windows at the bank.Then one day, it suddenly occurred to her that she could create a paint to cover up type-writing mistakes.

It worked! In 1956, Bette sold her first bottles of the new product, which she called “Mistake Out”. She made it in her kitchen, and her son Michael and his friends bottled it in the family garage.

By 1957, she was selling 100 bottles a month and had gotten a patent (专利) for her product, which she now called “Liquid Paper.” Sales continued to grow, as more and more people heard about Liquid Paper, through word-of-mouth and by reading about it in magazines.

In the 1960s, Bette bought a machine to help her produce Liquid Paper in large quantities. In 1971, she sold 2 million bottles. In 1979, she sold the company for 47.5 million dollars. She didn’t live to see the end of the contract (合同), dying in 1980, at the age of 56, in Texas.

Bette’s invention continues to be used every day by secretaries and other people in the office and wherever typewriters are used.

I believe that when life closes a door in your face，it always opens another one for you somewhere else.I was on a plane that was about to take off when my phone rang.I had a sudden feeling that something   (1)  had happened.It was my neighbor saying I needed to get to the   (2)  .She explained that she’d heard my two boys，George，then five，and Mickey，then four，crying.

At first，she had   (3)  it，but when it continued for a long time，she   (4)  something wrong.She also heard Mickey say，“Let’s put a pillow under her head.” So she came around and discovered my   (5)  on the floor.

Mary was taken to hospital，and when I arrived doctors were trying to make her   (6)  again，but it was no good.Mary had been emptying the dishwasher，hanging utensils (用具) on a rack，which was   (7)  with a live wire under the plaster and electrocuted (电击) her.She died   (8)  .We later discovered that  the  (9)   in the kitchen were laid too near the surface.We had been getting the mild   (10)  from time to time and it was on our list of things to get fixed.I never realized how   (11)  it was.

I   (12)   to the boys that Mummy had died.I felt it was important to be clear with them.Children are able to recover so easily，or perhaps they couldn’t   (13)  understand it；within hours they were running around the garden，playing with their granddad.

For a year，I was in the depths of misery.The worst thing that could happen had happened.Then I decided that we had to   (14)  this，and actively chose to swim rather than  (15)  .We moved house—I couldn’t bear going into the kitchen where Mary had died—after a while I started dating.I began to date Emma，my childhood friend，and Mickey and George couldn’t   (16)  us to get married so they could call her Mum.We got married two years later，and life started to look   (17)  .

We all have the   (18)  that our lives are following a particular path，but sometimes it turns   (19)  it’s going that way.Mine has changed direction suddenly，and I have learned to accept and adapt to the   (20)  it has brought.

  Minutes after the last movie ended yesterday at the Plaza Theater, employees were busy sweeping up popcorns and gathering coke cups. It was a scene that had been repeated many times in the theater’s 75-year history. This time, however, the cleanup was a little different. As one group of workers carried out the rubbish, another group began removing seats and other theater equipment in preparation for the building’s end.

       The film classic The Last Picture Show was the last movie shown in the old theater. Though the movie is 30 years old, most of the 250 seats were filled with teary-eyed audience wanting to say good-be to the old building. Theater owner Ed Bradford said he chose the movie because it seemed appropriate. The movie is set in a small town where the only movie theater is preparing to close down.

    Bradford said that large modern theaters in the city made it impossible for the Plaza to compete. He added that the theater’s location(位置) was also a reason. “This used to be the center of town,” he said. “Now the area is mostly office buildings and warehouses.”

    Last week some city officials suggested the city might be interested in turning the old theater into a museum and public meeting place. However, these plans were abandoned because of financial problems. Bradford sold the building and land to a local development firm, which plans to build a shopping complex on the land where the theater is located.

    The theater audience said good-by as Bradford locked the doors for the last time. After 75 years the Plaza Theater has shown its last movie. The theater will be missed.

I was really nervous about English class this year because I was an eleventh grader taking a twelfth grade class．I knew that I wouldn’t know anyone in the class，and that scared me a little．But since I didn’t know anyone，I had the chance to do something I love almost as much as socializing—people watching．

One of the most interesting girls in the class sat directly behind me．She was always laughing and talking，and she just seemed so happy．She was friendly，too—she was one of the very few people in the class who made any attempt to acknowledge me．

At the end of the year，we were assigned a big project．It was a very open-ended project，where the instructions were basically to read something，then read or watch something else that related to it，and then come up with a class presentation based on what you learned．

The presentations were spread out over the last month of schoo1．The girl behind me presented on one of the very last days．She got up in front of the class，and told how she had read about eating disorders，because she herself had struggled with one．Since it would have been too difficult for her to talk to us about it directly，she and a friend(who had also suffered from an eating disorder)had made a movie，where they interviewed each other about their eating disorders，how they had felt while they were struggling with them，and how they had overcome them．By the end of the presentation，almost everyone was in tears．

The most shocking thing about the whole presentation was how surprising it was．I never expected that she would have had a problem like that．She always seemed so happy and confident；it was hard to picture her counting calories because she thought she wasn’t good enough．

You also never know what kind of impact you have had on people’s lives．The courage of the girl behind me to talk about something so personal，and her strength to ask for help and overcome her problems have inspired me．

Traveling by bicycle is a very popular means of transportation throughout China. China has a huge population, and it is said that there is at least one bicycle for every two people within the company. Of course, many people in China ride bicycles purely for sport or exercise, but it’s also a much more commonly accepted means of everyday transportation, as compared to countries such as the United States.

If you are living for a long period of time in China, chances are you will want to purchase your own bicycle so that you can use it whenever you want for transportation or just for the enjoyment of riding. Even if you don’t use a bicycle for everyday transportation, owning one can be a great way of enjoying some of the trails in the rural areas, just for fun. However, if you are just visiting China, renting a bicycle can be a more convenient choice.

It is important to choose the correct bicycle for your use. You’ll find that in China, the one-speed style of bicycle is extremely popular. These bicycles are great if you want to ride around in the city to see the sights. They are quite comfortable and easy to ride. You can often rent a bicycle for an entire day for around $15.  

However, if you wish to ride on some of the rural paths, a mountain bike style would be a better choice. They are great for different kinds of road surfaces, providing for a safer ride. If you are planning to have a desire to tour and still be able to carry packages with you, then a touring bike would be the best choice. These are generally the most expensive to rent, but are extremely handy for carrying packages and even some of your luggage along with you.

My first job was at a local diner, where I worked for seven years and learned so many lessons, especially from a fellow waitress.

Helen was in her 60s and had extraordinary self-respect, something I was really lacking. I looked up to Helen   (1)   she was doing what she loved一  (2)   people一and nobody did it   (3)  .  She always made everyone, customers and co-workers,   (4)   and feel good.

Being a waitress changed my life. One of my   (5)   customers was Fred Hasbrook. He always ate an omelet, and when I saw him   (6)  , I tried to have it on his table as soon as he sat down.

Thanks to the newfound confidence I   (7)   from Helen, I dreamed of having my own   (8)  . But when I called my parents to ask for a loan (贷款), they said, "We just don't have the   (9)   ."

The next day, Fred saw me and asked, “What's up? You’re not smiling today”. I   (10)   my dream with him and said, “Fred, I know I can do more if somebody would just have   (11)   in me.”

Before long he handed me checks totaling $ 50,000一along with a   (12)   that read, “The only collateral(抵押) on this loan is my trust in your   (13)   as a person. Good people with a dream should have the   (14)   to realize that dream.” 

I took the checks to Merrill Lynch, where the money was provided for me. I  (15)  working at the diner, making   (16)   for the restaurant I would open during the break. My plans failed,   (17)  , and I lost the money.

Later I decided to apply for a job at Merrill Lynch. Even though I had no experience, I was   (18)  and ended up becoming a pretty good agent.   (19)   I paid back Fred the $ 50,000, plus 14 percent annual interest. Five years later, I was able to   (20)   my own company.

Children all around the world are familiar with fairy tales such as “The Little Mermaid”(美人鱼), “The Princess and the Pea” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. The colourful _(1)_  from the stories made us laugh and cry throughout our  _(2) _  .

The stories are the creation of Danish writer Hans Christian Anderson. He was born into a   (3)_  family in Odense, Denmark, on April 2, 1805. His  _(4) __ life was not easy. His father was a shoemaker and his mother a washerwoman. He  _(5) very little education. As a child he was very (6)_ and was laughed at for being feminine (女性化的) and tall.

In 1816 his father died and Anderson was __(7) _ to go out to work, first in a tailor’s shop and  (1)  at a tobacco factory.  __(9) _ the age of 14 Anderson moved to Copenhagen to start a career as a singer and actor. He struggled for three years  (10)_ _ he had to leave the theatre when his voice  _ (11) _in 1822.

  (2)  , Anderson went to a grammar school. Having done well, he was admitted to Copenhagen University in 1828. He began to publish his fairy tales in 1835. They _(13)_ in small volumes (量) until his death.

  (3)  Anderson lived a   (4)  life, he tried to make people  (5)  all his stories. He wrote because he didn’t want children to have a   (6)   childhood as he did. The works   (7)  Anderson world famous, but he remained a   (8)   man. He never married and his friends were the people who paid for his work. Anderson  (9)  on August 4,1875. His home in Odense is now a museum and thousands of people visit it every year.

The values of artistic works,according to cultural relativism(相对主义),are simply reflections of local social and economic conditions.Such a view,however,fails to explain the ability of some works of art to excite the human mind across cultures and through centuries.

History has witnessed the endless productions of Shakespearean plays in every major language of the world.It is never rare to find that Mozart packs Japanese concert halls,as Japanese painter Hiroshige does Paris galleries.Unique works of this kind are different from today’s popular art,even if they began as works of popular art.They have set themselves apart in their timeless appeal and will probably be enjoyed for centuries into the future.

In a 1757 essay,the philosopher David Hume argued that because“the general principles of taste are uniform(不变的)in human nature”,the value of some works of art might be essentially permanent.He observed that Homer was still admired after two thousand years.Works of this type,he believed,spoke to deep and unvarying features of human nature and could continue to exist over centuries.

Now researchers are applying scientific methods to the study of the universality of art.For example,evolutionary psychology is being used by literary scholars to explain the long-lasting themes and plot devices in fiction.The structures of musical pieces are now open to experimental analysis as never before.Research findings seem to indicate that the creation by a great artist is as permanent an achievement as the discovery by a great scientist.

The firsttime she saw Bryce Loski, she flipped. The first time he saw Juli Baker, he ran. For six years of living close by, they had played the same game of cat-and-mouse (Juli was the cat; Bryce was the unfortunate mouse).

For years Juli dreamed of one thing: her first kiss from the boy. Nothing else seemed to matter. But when Juliˈs favorite sycamore tree is threatened by developers, things begin to change. She begins to see things and places and people in a different light. Things, for years, she thought to be important, become things she can live without; and people she thought to be the center of her universe, become nothing more than a star in a faraway galaxy.

Things begin changing with Bryce also. It all begins with the eggs...which then cause a domino effect of changes with his relationships with his best friend, his father, the Bakers and, ultimately, Juli.

I had seen this book on the shelf at bookstores for years, but never bothered to pick it up because it looked to be another book from Jerry Spinelli (not exactly my favorite author in the world) and so, continually, I would walk past it without giving it a second glance. If by chance I had picked it up, I most likely would not have read it, since the summary on the back didnˈt seem too appealing. It wasnˈt until a couple of weeks ago that I heard about Flipped the movie. I read an interview with Callan McAuliffe (the actor who portrays Bryce) and thought that Flipped was a romance right up my alley; cute, innocent and as far from Jane Austin as you could pet. After reading the interview and a summary of the movie.Ifound the plot-line to be somewhat appealing and a definite breath of fresh air opposed to the dark material I have been recently reading and writing.I found the book a few days later in a Goodwill bookstore and finished it in three days.

The story isn’t what you would consider deep.. .it isnˈt shallow and pointless either…I guess you could say it’s the perfect balance of life-lessons and innocence.

You read about Bryce and Juli (each from their own points of view) and how, throughout six years, their lives and views and opinions change and develop. Flipped is somewhat of a coming of age story about two kids learning to see life from the other’s point of view and learning that growing up isnˈt about staying the same, but changing; changing likes and dislikes; changing friends and crushes and views on family.

Uniquely written, every other chapter showing the same scenes and events, only from the otherˈs point of view, you see how the saying. "Two sides to every story,” is true. You are able to see both Juli and Bryceˈs reasons for doing what they do and saying what they say...not just what the other sees.

It will be interesting to see how this writing style comes into play in the movie. Overall I thought this story was incredibly cute and light-hearted, although it didn’t entirely meet my expectations. Especially the ending. I felt as though it ended quite abruptly and that there was more story that needed to be told.

But even with that, after having taken a step back and taken my mind offof Flipped, I find the story has stuck with me and stayed in the back of my mind, making me highly anticipate seeingthis book turned to a film. I understand why it has been so popular for almost two decades and am looking forward to seeing Flipped on the big screen soon.