The big day had finally arrived. I had won the local speech contest(比赛),representing Madison Middle School. Here it 1the state competition. I waited backstage for the host to announce2name.
3I had practiced much, I was extremely nervous. My heart was thumping my palms4, and my mouth was dry. “Calm down,” I told myself. Still, picturing an audience of teachers, parents and classmates made me want5totally.
Mr. Patrick6taught me to give speeches, reminded me, “You'll do great. You're prepared. You've come this far.”
Mr. Patrick was right. I was ready7this, and besides, I won first place in the8contests. Yet, when I pictured9eyes on me waiting for me to mess up, my heart was gradually sinking into my stomach.
“You10back out now,” I told myself as Mr. Nichols, the host, announced my name and the title of my speech, “My Hero.”
A Wonderful Christmas Gift
Ann and her mother had lived in a small cottage. Christmas was so close， and so was her birthday.
Ann wished she could get a new 1with lace as a wonderful Christmas gift. All her friends would be getting new dresses.2Ann did not want to ask her Mom for that. She knew how hard her mom worked to make both ends meet. Maybe she could make a3maybe Santa Claus would come， even though she knew that Santa Claus is just an imaginary character.
It was not just gift that4Ann. It was her mother. Nowadays she was working overtime and looked pale and worn out.
The days passed and soon it was Christmas Eve. In everyone's house， except Ann's ,a Christmas tree adorned(装饰)the living room. In the5there hung the baked cakes and turkey. But6lovely was being cooked in Ann's house. Every child went to bed eagerly waiting for the lovely gifts that he or she would 7the next day. Ann went to bed with a8heart. She knew that there would be no gifts for her.
Ann wished with her whole heart that at least this time she would get a gift from Santa Claus. Ann slowly drifted off to sleep. She dreamt of Santa riding in the snow on his reindeers.
Ring.…Ring.…Ann jumped， hearing alarm.
She suddenly remembered that it was Christmas morning. Without much hope she looked 9there were any gifts for her. Wonder of wonders! There lay a beautiful packet tied with a red ribbon.
Ann excitedly opened the package. It was a pretty white dress with attractive lace. She 10the gift carefully to find out who gave it to her. Suddenly a small piece of paper fell out from it. Ann11started to read the note.
“Dear Ann ，
This dress is given to you as a12 for being a good girl. Hope you continue to do good things and help your mother.
Your Loving friend ，
Santa Claus"
Ann felt that there was something familiar about this note. She looked into the note carefully. Then it13 her. It was her mother who had worked overtime to save money to buy this expensive gift. Ann was happy 14words. She knew that she was the15girl to have such a wonderful mother as a wonderful Christmas gift.
Help Hermit Crabs
Hermit crabs are nature's recyclers. They eat waste and help keep oceans and shores clean. Unlike other crabs, the hermit crab has a thin outer shell over its soft tail. This makes the hermit crab easy prey for hungry predators(天敌).Hermit crabs stay safe by living in old seashells. A hermit crab is picky(狡猾); it tries on many shells until it finds one that fits just right. In recent years, however, many hermit crabs have had trouble finding their perfect homes. What is the problems. There are not enough shells to go around!
One reason for the seashell shortage is that ocean water is not as clean as it once was. This has caused chemical changes to sea water. Some sea animals, like snails, are affected by these changes. Now there are fewer snails making shells. People visiting the beach often take shells home as souvenirs(纪念品).This is another problem. Other people even take shells for their own pet hermit crabs! They do not realize that hermit crabs in the wild need those shells too.
Now people are working to solve this hermit crab housing shortage. They are teaching beach-Boers to leave seashells where they belong--at the seashore! Some people even make fake seashells that they hope the hermit crabs will like. For example, a group called Project Shelter invited people who visited their website to create different designs for hermit crab shells.
These designers had a lot to consider. What kind of material should be used to build a seashells. The material must be light enough for the hermit crab to carry, but strong enough to protect the crab from predators. The man-made shells could not contain glue or any other substance(物质)that might harm a hermit crab. Another challenge with building a hermit crab home was the opening to the shell. Too big would mean the crab would not feel safe. Too small would be uncomfortable, and the crab would not want to move in.
The Project Shelter shells are placed in the wild for hermit crabs to find. Lucky hermit crabs can move into these new dream homes.
Benito Juarez, a poor Indian boy, was twelve years old when he left his village home in December 1818.Benito walked forty-one miles to the city of Oaxaca, high in the mountains of Mexico. When he heard the Spanish spoken by the city people, Benito didn't know what they were saying.
First, Benito became a servant for a wealthy gentleman, Serer Maza. Soon, he went to work for Antonio Salanueva ,a church(教会)librarian. Antonio repaired and copied the library books, keeping them in good shape. Benito became his helper and his housekeeper. Antonio loved to teach. Benito soon became his student as well as his servant. With the help of Antonio, Benito learned to speak, read, and write Spanish.
At that time in Mexico, many people believed that Indians were not smart enough to read or learn. Antonio knew that was not true. Indians had been prevented from learning by a lack of schools. The first Spanish missionaries(传教士)who came to Mexico had educated the native people. In fact, churches from Spain had built the first college on the North American continent(大陆)for the Indians. As more Spanish came to Mexico, however, the Indian children were crowded out of the schools.
Benito was a good and bright student, so Antonio developed a plan for him. In 1821, when Benito was fifteen, Antonio decided to enroll him in a school for boys. Antonio taught Benito what he needed to pass the entrance test for the school.
Benito became a student at the college. His studies were difficult, and he was teased because he was the only Indian student there. He succeeded in spite of these challenges. Later, as the laws changed, Benito was able to attend a public college with other Indians.
Benito Juarez continued his education and became a lawyer and, much later, the President of Mexico from 1861 to 1872. He led the Mexican people to victory over the French, who tried to rule Mexico, and fought for the rights of Indians. He is one of the great heroes in Mexican history.
Fishy Weather Conditions
Laj amanu, Australia, is a dry little town, sitting right on the edge of the Tanami desert. Can you imagines how surprised were people when live fish rained down on them from a dark gray cloudy. It happens that there are similar cases in England and Honduras.
How do clouds make fishy. The simple answer is that they don't. There is a particular weather phenomenon(现象)called a waterspout. A waterspout is just like a tornado, only it forms above oceans, lakes, or rivers. Like a tornado, a waterspout moves in a circle at high speeds. When it moves above the water, it tends to carry the fish with it, as well as frogs or other small plants or animals.
Scientists couldn't work it out at first. To make matters stranger still, the fish in Honduras were very much alive when they rained down to the ground, but they were all blind. In England and Australia, it rained fish and snakes, and none were blind. It was difficult to puzzle out, but the blind fish gave them a place to start.
Scientists knew that some fish that lived in deep, underground caves with no light sources often lost their eyesight. So when blind fish rained down on Honduras, scientists began to connect some dots. Clearly, these particular fish were pulled from an underground water source by force.
It has rained fish on every continent, and each time, people have tried in various ways to explain this strange phenomenon. Historically, villagers thought the “fishes from the heavens” might be answers to prayers for food. Others suggested that floods overran river banks and oceans, leaving the fish on the city streets. No scientist had actually seen the rain as it occurred, only the fish left on the ground. But in 1990, a National Geographic team happened to be in Honduras when the Rain of Fishes began. They recorded what was happening and made history by finally proving that the fish really did fall from the sky.
This huge breakthrough wasn't just a spot of good luck. It changed thousands of years of myths and legends into true stories and provided scientific explanations for how fish came to live in deep caves. It explained ancient cave paintings and shed new light on how species have spread over time. It turned out to be a lot more than just a little fishy weather.
The Youngest Skier To The South Pole
On Friday December 9th, a 16-year-old skier, Ameba Hempleman-Adams reached the South Pole with her father after skiing 97 miles and spending 17 nights on the ice. On the final day they skied 14 miles and afterwards Ameba said she felt “elated and tired" on reaching the South Pole.
“The biggest challenges were the freezing cold and eating only dried food. The best bit has been experiencing what Dad does on expeditions(探险).It's the first time I've been on a difficult long journey with him and now I know what it's like. The trip brought me closer to Dad, but I also had to put up with his snoring(鼾声)which was terrible.', She added, “Would I do it again? I'm not sure. I'll have to think about that after a few nights' sleep! At times it's been really hard: I've got aching shoulders, and my back's been sore from pulling my sledge(雪橇), I've got blisters(水泡)on my feet from the boots and I've got a cold burn on my nose from my sunglasses. ______”.
She said the most extraordinary part of the trip had been the breathtaking scenery and the sense of isolation in the Antarctic landscape.“ I've really missed my friends while I've been away and want to thank them for all their messages of support.”
Friends and relatives who posted comments on Ameba's expedition website paid tribute(致敬)to her positive attitude which , they said ,would be an inspiration to others.
Her father, David, said “Ameba has done amazing well. I'm proud of her. She showed real determination. She was tough and she pulled her sledge the whole way. It was a special experience to share those 97 miles with her.”
A . Except for those, it's been a really good journey.
B . As a result, I had to give it up to go any further.
C . Therefore, the only person I could care about was my father.
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ruins dig out at an end loud sounds hide survivors injured burst rescue shelters |
A Night The Earth Didn't Sleep
On July 28, 1976, a magnitude 7. 8 earthquake hit the sleeping city of Tangshan in northeastern China. The very large earthquake killed over 240, 000people, making it the deadliest earthquake of the twentieth century.
In a village outside of Tangshan, well water rose and fell three times the day before the earthquake. Water pipes throughout the area cracked and . Animals also gave a warning that something was about to happen. Chickens and pigs were too nervous to eat. Mice ran around looking for a place to . A goldfish began jumping wildly in its bowl. Stranger Indeed. Many people reported seeing strange lights as well as hearing , which was described as louder than that of an airplane.
At 3:42 a. m. on July 28, over a million people lay sleeping. As the earth began to shake, it seemed as if the world was . One-third of the nation felt it. In fifteen terrible seconds a large city lay in . Two-thirds of people died or were during the earthquake. Everywhere they looked nearly everything was destroyed. All of the city's hospitals, 75%of its factories and buildings and 90% of its homes were gone. were faced with no water, no food, and no electricity. People were shocked. Then, later that afternoon, another big quake which was almost as strong as the first one shook Tangshan. Some of the workers and doctors were trapped under the ruins.
All hope was not lost. Soon after the quakes, the army sent 150, 000 soldiers and thousands of people were helped. The army organized teams to those who were trapped and to bury the dead. Workers built for survivors whose homes had been destroyed. Fresh water was taken to the city by train, truck and plane. Though it took time, the entire city was rebuilt, earning Tangshan the name “Brave City of China.”
The very large earthquake killed over 240, 000 people, making it the deadliest earthquake of the twentieth century.
Everywhere they looked nearly everything was destroyed.
