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．

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

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.

   After the examination, the doctor told my parents my sight would get worse and that I would lose my sight finally. On the way home from hospital, no one said a word. One day, would I only imagine the scenery beyond the glass rather than see it?
    That September, I entered middle school. Most nights I had homework that included an armful of books to read. To keep up with other children, I took great trouble to finish the task. With my nose a couple of inches from the page, I was tired easily. What’s worse, after I had read several pages on my own, the words slipped off the page into inky pools.
    However, then I did not have audio books and electronic devices like kids do now. Instead, Mom volunteered to read out loud. Mom worked part-time, cleaned the house, cooked and spent time with Grandma. In spite of being so busy, she showed up in my room like clockwork. She put on her reading glasses. Mom always thought those glasses made her look old. To me, she looked like a teacher.
    In my room, Mom’s voice raced with the ticking of the clock. Being forced to focus on listening, I found a way to keep my marks up and compete with the other kids. When the teacher asked a question, I raised my hand with confidence. Teachers praised me for having a good memory. Reading removed my fear for my failing sight, reading also made me curious about other people’s challenges and how they managed. Though I could not use my eyes to fix on each passage, my mind lit up with every new book.
    True to what the doctor said, the worst came, but thanks to Mom, my sense of hearing now allows me to “see”. This was the most precious gift from a mother to her child.

C

Marc had worked in the city hall’s engineering department for so long that the city was laid out in his mind like a map，full of names and places．And then something happened that filled him with shock．   

One August afternoon，he discovered a card saying GREEN BOTTLE STREET at the back of the drawer．He checked the listed details．It was not there．It was a lost，a forgotten street，which existed in the heart of Montreal，not half a mile from city hall，and no one had known．He put the card in his pocket and the next day he went looking for the street with beating heart．   

At his first glance，Marc realized how it had gotten its unusual name．It was exactly like a bottle in shape．With the sun shining on the garden plots，and the blue sky overhead，the street gave him a sense of peace．A woman some sixty years of age was watering roses in the garden of the first house to his right．   

He announced，“I'm from the city engineering department，madam．”   

The woman recovered herself and set her watering can down．   

“So you have found out at last,” she said．“We paid our taxes and made out a lot of forms and answered the questions of various officials．Then，after a while, we were sent no notices，so we paid no more taxes．No one bothered us at all．It was a long time before we understood that in some way they’d forgotten about us．”   

Marc nodded．Of course，if Green Bottle Street had been ignored by the city hall，no inspectors would go there，no tax collectors．All would pass merrily by．   

“For several years，the tenants(租户) here had lived in harmony with each other and the landlord．The owner became so attached to them that he gave them all he had when he died．I have lived here for more than twenty years．I hope to end my days here as well．”   

She smiled pleasantly at him，apparently forgetting for the moment that he carried in his pocket a bomb that could blow their little world to pieces． 

“You remind me of my nephew,” she said suddenly．“He was a dear boy．I was heart broken when he died．I’m the last of my family, you know．”   

Marc thought of his noisy and violent landlady and neighbors．He could not recall when he had been spoken to with such simple goodwill．His heart warmed to this old lady．“I wonder, ”he said slowly, “I am a good tenant，and I wonder…”   

“Oh yes，”she leaned forward eagerly, “you could have the top floor of my house．I'm sure it would suit you．”   

Marc took the card out of his pocket and tore it across and dropped the pieces in the watering can．As far as he was concerned，Green Bottle Street would remain mislaid forever．

On May 28,1923, the top lawyer in the U.S. said women could casual trousers(便装裤子). Up until that time it was not acceptable for American women to wear trousers.

 Even with this change, however, people still considered women in trousers a shocking idea. Today, though, times have changed, and it becomes common for women to wear trousers. What made this item of clothing acceptable?

In New York City around 1850, some ladies started to fight for women’s rights and dress reform （改革）. Some of them wore full-cut trousers known as “ bloomers”（灯笼裤）under their skirts. The special-looking trousers were named for Amelia Bloomer, their strongest supporter. However, they were heavily criticized by most people. While some women wanted to be free of their heavy skirts, they didn’t like the bloomers. Yet these early trousers were a glimpse(一瞥) of the future as women continued pushing for equal rights.

When men went off to fight in World War I, women’s roles changed. They were forced to take jobs that were traditionally performed by men. As women began working in factories and fields, they discovered that skirts weren’t convenient. So they wore trousers at work.

Women once again performed traditional male jobs during World War II. Often they would borrow work trousers from their husbands, fathers and brothers. But trousers still weren’t acceptable outside of work.

Hollywood began to change that concept(观念)，though. When stars Katharine Hepburn and Grace Kelly appeared wearing trousers, Many fashionable ladies copied the look. However, most women during the 1940s and 1950s still preferred to wear dresses and skirts.

 In the 1950s teenage girls chose rolled-up blue jeans for casual wear. In the 1960s,they chose bell-bottom jeans, and in the 1970s, designer jeans. In the 21^st century, women feel free to wear different types of trousers most of the time. From bloomers to business suits, women and their trousers have come a long way.

l  Putting Movies on Mobiles

Movies in the theater get their recognition at awards ceremonies such as the Oscars. But how about movies for phones? They are getting their turn at MoFilm — the first mobile film festival.

The first MoFilm competition received 250 entries from more than 100 countries. Entries were restricted to films that were five minutes or less in length — ideal for viewing and sharing on mobile phones. An independent jury then selected a shortlist of five film-makers. The winner was chosen from the shortlist by an audience voting using their phones.

l  New Platforms

The awards highlight the increasing impact that mobile phones are making in the entertainment industry. Many grassroots filmmakers start out with short films. They are thwarted by the lack of opportunities to screen their work. Therefore, mobile phones are increasingly being seen as a new platform for these short works.

It is a good place for anyone who wants to express themselves and find a way to have that expression be seen by a wide audience. Just think about how many people have mobile phones in the world!

l  New Technology Advances

MoFilm is pioneering content for mobile and online services that is a world away from Hollywood. The majority of films made for mobiles are now short in length, taking into account the screen size. However this could be overcome as technology advances.

In the near future, longer films will likely be seen on the mobile phone. And there are mobile companies creating phones where users can watch movies at higher quality.

Wherever you see movies, one thing is certain: the quality of work, the simple ability at story telling, and the thing that inspires someone to tell a story can really come from anywhere.

Wild weather, unexpected coral reefs and dangerous sea creatures… these are the nightmares  you can imagine a teenager on a solo voyage around the world might suffer from. But for Laura Dekker, sailing around the globe seems less a price to be paid than a prize to be treasured.

As the 19-year-old Dutch sailor said in Maidentrip, a documentary released last year about her experience of becoming the youngest person to sail around the world alone in 2012, “I was born on a boat. I lived my first five years at sea. And ever since, all I have wanted is to return to that life.”

With her yacht Guppy, Dekker began her journey at 14 and sailed 50,004 kilometers in 519 days.

The flying fish keeping her company, the dolphins following in her wake and the warm days spent on deck playing the flute (长笛) as she watched another unforgettable sunset were enough to make others jealous.

But these didn’t always go well. There were terrible moments in which Dekker feared death. On one occasion, a whale almost turned Guppy over. Another time, she battled extreme winds and Guppy surfed down 8-meter-high waves.

Out on the open sea alone, she also got used to living without a fridge, a flushing toilet, and a hot shower.

“As a human being you don’t need much,” she told Stuff.co.nz. “ They might make life more comfortable, but you really don’t need them to be happy.”

In fact, her outlook on life was shaped by the trip. “I wanted the storms. I wanted the calms. I wanted to feel loneliness,” she told The New York Times. “And now I know all these things. It’s the end of the dream I had as a child, and it’s the beginning of my life as a sailor.”