B

Courtney was just 15 years old when she joined a team of space researchers．Those scientists landed NaSa’s robot，Spirit，on the planet Mars．But this was neither Courtney’s first nor her last adventure in space research．When she was in fifth grade，Courtney had already decided to spend her life“exploring the mysteries of the universe．”She checked out space books from her library，studied hard in math and science classes，and later，attended United States Space Camp in A labama．   

Then Courtney entered a contest to become part of the Student Astronaut program run by a group called the Planetary Society．After a lot of hard work，interviews，and months of waiting．Courtney found out that she was one of 16 students who made it—out of 500 entered．

Courtney and fellow student astronaut Rafael Morozowski，a 16-year-old from Brazil，were at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California with NASA scientists when Spirit reached Mars．

“The most exciting part of the thing occurred late at night on January3，2004，when we received signals indicating that Spirit had landed successfully, ”Courtney says．“I joined the rest of the scientists in jumping up and cheering．”

Courtney and Rafael spent seven nights working with and learning from the NASA scientists. (They worked at night because that was daying on Mars．)They studied the photographs that Spirit was sending to Earth of Gusev Crater on Mars．They spoke to television reporters at NASA press conferences and attended meetings in which the NASA team named the rocks and hills that Spirit was finding．

When Courtney was 17 years old，she went to work for NASA as a student intern at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland．With two NASA scientists，Courtney plans to study astrophysics or planetary science at Princeton University，then return to work at NASA．She encourages other kids and teens to follow their dreams of getting involved with space research．

When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called “Brownie”. My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. One of us would walk her, another would feed her, then there were baths, playing catch and many other games. Brownie, in return, loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them. We always felt better when she was around.

One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up(咬破)one of Dad’s shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said, “Bad girl,” she looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.

Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet. She went everywhere with us. People would stop and ask if they could pat her. Of course she’d let anyone pat her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many times when we’d be out walking and a small child would come over and pull on her hair. she never barked(吠) or tried to get away. Funny thing is that she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she loved everyone.

Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss days when she was with us.

For many people, leisure time is an opportunity to get outdoors, have some fun and meet interesting people. Add two pieces of advanced 21st century technology — global positioning system (GPS) devices and the Internet — to get “geocaching”.

The word geocaching comes from “geo” (earth) and “cache” (hidden storage). Geocachers log onto a website to find information about the location of a cache — usually a waterproof plastic box containing small items such as toys and CDs — along with a notebook where “finders” can enter comments and learn about the cache “owner”, the person who created and hid the cache. Finders may take any of the items in the cache but are expected to replace them with something of similar value. They then visit the website again and write a message to the owner.

Geocaching became possible on May 1, 2000, when a satellite system developed by the U.S. Department of Defense was made public. Using an inexpensive GPS device, anyone on earth can send a signal to the satellites and receive information about their position. This is basically a high-tech version of orienteering, the traditional pastime which uses maps and compasses instead of GPS to determine one’s location.

Geocachers are a very considerate group. Owners carefully choose a cache’s location to give finders an enjoyable experience, such as a beautiful view or a good campsite. They also consider the environmental impact of their cache since it could result in an increased number of visitors to an area. As for the content of the caches, owners and finders must only use items that are suitable for the whole family, as caches are found by geocachers of all ages.

A

Driving to the airport in the early morning, I felt excited. Although l was heading abroad for  my first time alone, I felt cheerful and enthusiastic. l was spending the summer in Paris While looking for more interesting things to do besides sleeping and eating ,I found programs for learning languages abroad, and jumped at the chance to study French in this city known for its art,  fashion. food, and culture. As I arrived at the airport where l would leave my family, I still felt only great happiness.  l excitedly made my way through security, leaving my loved ones behind
    My connecting flight was in Frankfurt. Germany, 14 hours from Denver. Sitting in a  crowded plane watching bad movies couldnˈt dampen my excitement.  When the woman next to  me asked me where l was going, I happily answered and was pleased to note a tone of jealousy in  her response
    But when I arrived in Frankfurt, fear and anxiety began to set in  Being in an enormous, busy building in a country where I could not speak the language was frightening, hut as I found  my way ,I gained confidence. When I boarded the second plane and discovered that the flight was less than an hour,1 was filled with excitement as I thought of how l would manage in a country with a  new language.
   When I stepped on the ground of Paris for the first time,1 was extremely happy and excited. I gathered my bags and joined the crowd of people waiting for friends and family.  I  quickly had my first experience trying to communicate in a language that I had only practiced in  school. As I left the airport,  I looked for familiar monuments I had read about,  but the landscape looked very ordinary
Then, with one sharp turn, the Eiffel Tower came into view, and l was finally in Paris

Waldseilgarten is an adventure mountain holiday center that offers guests a thrilling night in the wilderness. Nestled at the top of a mountain, daring guests can spend the night hanging off the tree tops, or over a cliff face.

During the warmer months, the center hosts adventure nights out, where guests can sleep in their own portaledge, hanging several meters above the ground. A portaledge is a hanging tent system that is generally used by rock climbers on climbs. At Waldseilgarten, the tents are hung from thick branches of large free-standing trees, where guests can only ascend or descend with rope assistance.

Guests looking for more air and an extreme camping experience can choose to sleep on an overhanging platform, positioned amongst huge cliff faces measuring between 1000 and 2000 meters high. However, if that’s just a little too extreme, the resort also offers easier sleeping options, including cliff platforms between 100 and 300 meters high, or tree platforms between two or four trees, with easy ways to the ground at any time.

All guests partaking in an adventure night out will receive rope climbing training before spending a night in nature. Trained staff teach simple rope climbing techniques, and other useful skills for hiking and rock climbing.

Waldseilgarten seems to offer a camping experience you will definitely remember, however that experience doesn’t come cheap. A night sleeping in the trees in a portaledge will set you back $336 per person, while the cliff face ledges go for $1199. The cheapest option is the tree platforms, at $168 per person per night.

A

People in the United States honour their parents with two special days: Mother's Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father's Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care to their children. These two days offer an opportunity to think about the changing roles of mothers and
fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with childcare.

These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother's Day people wear carnations.A red one symbolizes a living mother.  A white one shows that mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honour their parents.  It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery(墓地).  On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues(烤肉)for Father's Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.

Another tradition is to give cards and gifts.  Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is "the thought that counts". Greeting card stores, florists(花商),candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.

Once an old man rose early to read each morning. His grandson wanted to be just like his grandfather, so tried to emulate him every way he could.

    One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I try to read just like you do, but I don’t understand most of it, and I forget whatever I do understand immediately I close the book. So what good is it for me to read?”

    The grandfather, who was putting coal on the fire, said, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.”

The boy did as told to, but the water leaked out before he could get the basket home.

The grandfather laughed, saying, “You’ll have to move a little faster.” This time he ran faster, but again the basket emptied. Out of breath, he decided it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket（桶）. But the grandfather said, “I want a basket of water instead of a bucket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough.”

The boy knew what he was trying to accomplish was impossible. However, he decided to show his grandfather a third time.

The boy dipped the basket into the river and ran as hard as he could. With the empty basket, he gasped（喘气说）, “See Grandpa? It’s useless!”

“So you think it useless?” the old man asked. “Then look at the basket.” To his surprise, the boy found it washed clean of the dirty coal stains and now clean inside and out.

“My child, that’s what happens when you read the book. You might not understand or remember everything, but the words will change you inside and out. That is the work of reading in our lives.”   

  C

     Fifty years ago, the well-loved musician Bob Dylan play ed at the Newport Folk Festival and was widely booed  (嘘声).  The audience may have been unhappy but Dylan's performance helped change the direction of music and culture in the United States.

     The mid-1960s were a time of great change. One such place of change was the world of folk music. Bob Dylan became a symbol ofchange when he moved from acoustic (原声的)  to electric guitar.

    Rock music historian Elijah Wald has written a new book about the change.  It is called " Dylan Goes Electric. "

      “There was a moment in the early 1960s when you could look at the Billboard charts and seven

of the top 10 albums were folk records. And Joan Baez, Peter Paul and Mary, the Kingston Trio, all had huge, huge, huge number-one records. "

     And  then this happened: The "British Invasion" introduced the world to the Beatles and grew a huge fan base for rock music. That worried many folk musicians, says Elijah Wald.

    They hoped that Bob Dylan would come to the rescue.  However, a new Dylan sound came from the stage.

     Bob Dylan had gone electric, and the followers of folk music were not pleased.

    "When Dylan went electric, I think one of the issues was the feeling that - wait a minute,

 he's gone over to the enemy. "

     Folk lovers had looked to Bob Dylan to save their movement from rock and roll.  But, author

 Wald says Dylan felt differently about the music.

     " Dylan had always liked rock and roll and Dylan didn't think of rock and roll as stupid music. 

In fact, Dylan was a Beatles fan.  He later said that from the first time he heard the Beatles he

 knew "they were pointing to the direction where music had to go. "

      Beyond the music, Dylan's performance that night also marked a turn in American culture.