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The Ancient City of Pingyao, originally named "Gu Tao",(construct) during the Western Zhou Dynasty. In order to defend from invaders (入侵者)， a wall was built the city in 1370. More than 300 years later, gate towers were built (celebrate) a visit by Kangxi Emperor.

The three most historic sites in Pingyao, often referred to as the city's Three Historic Treasures, (be) the ancient brick-made city wall and the Zhenguo and Shuanglin temples.

The first of these historic treasures, the ancient city wall is 6,163 meters long and separates the city into two parts - an old city enclosed within the wallsthe newer modern section of the city. The old town still looks as it (do) during the Qing Dynasty, with antique streets and buildings along(age) roads. Walking along the alleyways, one can appreciate the symmetrical (对称的) design of the city and(it) stylish manmade-cave houses. In the northeast corner of the city is the second treasure: Zhenguo Temple. Its Wan Fo Hall is the third oldest wooden building in China and houses numerous(value) painted sculptures. The third treasure is Shuanglin Temple. Built during the Qi Dynasty, the temple boasts (拥有) more than 2,000 painted clay statueswere created during the Yuan and Ming dynasties.

A week ago, in search of an extremely 1  flower called the tagimoucia, I travelled to Taveuni, where the plant only grows.

My host Vagoni told me that many locals may have only seen the flower in pictures. He also told me that I'd be 2 to climb the mountain without a 3 ."You'll be on the steep (陡峭的) service road before you 4 the rainforest on an unmarked track to have any chance of finding the tagimoucia. There's thick 5 and it's always raining," he said. "At best, you don't find the 6 . At worst, you get completely 7 ."

I asked Vagoni 8  this worst case had happened before. "9 !" he said. "Just two weeks ago, a group of seven locals went up without a guide and got lost in the cloud. There was a search-and-rescue mission. What a 10 !"

Soon, we set out up the service road with a guide. I'd hiked Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, and made it 11  the Everest Base Camp. 12 , I quickly discovered that Taveuni's extreme humidity and the trail's steepness make the climbing astonishingly 13 . I needed to stop to rest every 10 minutes.

An hour later, we were in the forest, ducking under fallen trees and climbing over other obstacles. Suddenly, the guide pointed up with 14 . "Look! The tagimoucia!" he shouted. I couldn't believe we'd found it - I also couldn't see a thing, as my glasses were 15  up in the mist.

Museums can be overwhelming. With thousands of pieces there, how do you know which to focus on? And once you see a piece you like, how do you interact with it? Here is some advice on how to have a meaningful connection when you look at art.

Get up close and personal.Therefore, take your time to observe qualities about a work that may not come through on a computer screen. That includes its look and the feel of its surface, the marks made by the brush and the path your eyes take when viewing the work.

Stand back. Next, take a few steps back, stand in the center - and observe what's happening in the big picture. What's going on in the piece?What are they doing? How are they related?

Look at it from an angle. Then try looking at an artwork from its sides, because you might catch something you might not have seen straight on. If it's something like The Ambassadors by Holbein at The National Gallery in London, if you stand to the side, you'll see something that from front on looks very different.That's called anamorphic art.

Move your body. If you're looking at a painting, you can take a finger to the air and trace the outline of the figure or the movement of the brushstrokes.This can help you see and feel what it might be like to make this artwork from the artist's perspective.

Consider the subject of the art. That can have a profound effect on how you feel about the work - and perhaps you can learn something from it. Take the example of Andrew Wyeth's famous painting, Christina's World, which depicts (描绘) a girl with a muscle disease crawling across a field to get to her home in the distance. The painting personifies (体现) determination.

A. So just keep an open mind.

B. What have they gone through?

C. When you stand to the side, it changes.

D. How are the figures in the piece arranged?

E. We have the luxury of seeing the real thing at a museum.

F. When looking at sculptures, try the poses with your body.

G. It can in a way relieve your stress to know we have this inner strength.

Today, poetry and science are often considered to be mutually exclusive (互相排斥) career paths. But that wasn't always the case. The mathematician Ada Lovelace and the physicist James Clerk Maxwell were both accomplished poets. The poet John Keats was a licensed surgeon. Combining the two practices fell out of favor in the 1800s. But translating research into lyrics, haiku, and other poetic forms is resurging (再现) among scientists as they look for alternative ways to inspire others with their findings.

"Poetry is a great tool for questioning the world," says Sam Illingworth, a poet and a geoscientist who works at the University of Western Australia. Through workshops and a new science-poetry journal, called Consilience, Ilingworth is helping scientists to translate their latest results into poems that can attract appreciation from those outside of their immediate scientific field.

Stephany Mazon, a scientist from the University of Helsinki in Finland, joined one of Illingworth's workshops. In the workshop, she was grouped with other scientists and tasked with writing a haiku, a 17-syllable-long poem, which spotlighted water, a fluid that featured in all of the group members' research projects. "It was a lot of fun, and surprisingly easy to write the poem," Mazon says. She plans to continue writing. "We do a disservice (伤害) to ourselves to think that scientists can't be artistic and that art can't be used to communicate scientific ideas," Mazon says.

That viewpoint is echoed by Illingworth, who thinks science communication initiatives are too often dominated by public lectures with their hands-off PowerPoint slides. "Actually, when science communication involves writing and sharing poems, it invites a two-way dialogue between experts and nonexperts," he says. Scientist-poet Manjula Silva, an educator at Imperial College London, agrees. Poetry provides a way to translate complex scientific concepts into a language that everyone can understand, Silva says.

Scientists and poets are both trying to understand the world and communicate that understanding with others. The distinction between scientists and poets is less than people might think. We're all just people with - hopefully -- really interesting things to say and to share.

When my daughters reached the third and fourth grades, I sometimes allowed them to walk to and from school alone if the weather permitted. One warm spring day, a little dog followed them home after school. It had short legs and long lovely ears. It was the cutest dog I had ever seen and the girls begged me to keep it.

The dog was about twelve weeks old. It had no collar (项圈) or identifying marks of any sort. I didn't know what to do. I thought about posting an advertisement but I really didn't want to. It would break the kids' hearts if someone should show up. Besides, its owners should have watched it more closely.

By the end of the week the dog was part of our family. It was very intelligent and good with the girls. The following week something told me to check the lost-and-found section in the local paper. One particular advertisement jumped out at me and my heart beat with fear for what I read. Someone was begging for the return of a lost dog in the neighborhood of our grade school. They sounded extremely eager. My hand shook, couldn't bring myself to pick up the paper.

Instead, I pretended I hadn't seen the advertisement. I quickly put paper away in the drawer and continued with my dusting. I never said a word about it to the kids or my husband.

By now we had named the dog. It looked like a Molly, so that was what we called it. It followed the girls everywhere they went. When they went outside, it was one step behind them. When they did the housework, it was there to lend a hand.

There was only one problem with this seemingly perfect picture: my conscience (良心) was bothering me. I knew in my heart I had to call that number in the paper and see if our Molly was the dog they were desperately seeking. It was the most difficult thing I've ever done.

注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

With mixed feelings, I finally picked up the phone.

……

I asked the woman to come in and she quickly bent over and hugged Molly tightly.

注意：（1）写作词数应为80左右；（2）请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Dear Peter,

……

Yours sincerely,

LiHua

As the annual national college entrance exam, or gaokao, (conclude) on Saturday, "Li Hua", the name of a student who made frequent appearances in the English essay, had netizens (joke) about why he was always asking people to write a letter for him.

In this year's essay, a foreign teacher asks students to practice speaking English in pairs, , Li does not think it is a good idea, so exam takers (require) to write a letter on behalf of Li, presenting his opinions and suggestions.

Netizens are calling Li gaokao fixture (固定成员), as he is the main character in the essay writing section from primary to secondary school. The essay question usually ends with the phrase "If you were Li, please......" Based on the different questions, it seems that Li likes to write letters and (diary), make pen pals and offer suggestions. Li, is extroverted (活泼开朗), likes to participate in school clubs and holiday celebrations.

In the comment sections, many exam takers have recalled the things  (joyful) they have done on behalf of Li. Others questioned why Li has so many foreign friends. Meanwhile, some student have also expressed  (they) gratitude to Li for accompanying them throughout high school, calling Li a memory of their  (young), a reminder of their school days.

Every year I'd read over 2,000 college applications from students all over the world. It is quite 1 to choose whom to admit. 2 , in the chaos of SAT scores and recommendations, one 3 is always irresistible (无法抗拒的) in a candidate: kindness.

The most surprising 4 of kindness I've ever 5 came from a student who had excellent scores and a supportive recommendation from his college counselor (顾问). Even with these qualifications, he might not have 6 . But one letter of recommendation caught my eye. It was from a school security 7 . Actually, letters of recommendation are typically written by people like former presidents, celebrities, and Olympic athletes.

The security guard wrote that he supported this student's admission because of his 8 . This young man was the only person in the school who knew the names of every member of the guard staff. He turned off lights in empty rooms, consistently 9 the hallway monitor each morning and tidied up the classroom after his peers left school 10 nobody was watching. This student, the security guard wrote, had a(n) 11 respect for every person at the school, regardless of position, popularity or power.

It gave us a 12 onto a student's life in the moments when nothing "counted". That student was admitted by unanimous (一致的) vote of the admissions committee.

Next year there might be a flood of security guard recommendations 13 this essay. But if it means students will start paying as much 14 to the people who clean their classrooms as they do to their principals and teachers, I'm happy to help start that 15 .

Reading is essential but how can one choose the right books to read and where can one find them? A few famous people may give you some helpful tips.

Read books from past eras.

Otherwise, you'd be "completely dependent on the prejudices and fashions of your times," just as Albert Einstein put it. "Somebody who reads only newspapers and books of contemporary authors looks to me like an extremely near-sighted person who dislikes eyeglasses," he said.

Reading too wide a variety in too short a time would keep the teachings from leaving a lasting impression on you. Seneca the Younger, a first-century Roman philosopher, suggested that "you must linger (流连) among a limited number of master thinkers, and digest their works, if you would obtain ideas which shall win firm hold in your mind."

Shop at secondhand bookstores.

Virginia Woolf believed the works in secondhand bookstores have an attraction which the usual volumes of the library lack. Browsing through these books gives you the chance to run into something that wouldn't have risen to the attention of librarians and booksellers.

Check out authors' reading lists.

In his 1940 guide How to Read a Book, American philosopher Mortimer J. Adler talked about how to choose books. He attached importance to those that other authors consider worth reading. Mortimer wrote that "one way to understand them is to read the books they read."

Make the final decision by yourself.

It's you yourself who should choose what, how and when to read. Theodore Roosevelt recommended choosing books on subjects that interest you and letting your mood guide you to your next great read.

A. Interest is the best teacher.

B. Great authors are great readers.

C. Leave some room for older works.

D. Learn more about those great authors. 

E. Don't jump too quickly from book to book.

F. There's no "best books" list that everyone should follow.

G. Usually they are much more selective in organizing their collections.

Recently, Google researchers published a paper describing results from an artificial intelligence (AI) tool, called MusicLM, built to create music. It is not the first AI music tool to launch. But the examples Google provides demonstrate musical creative ability based on a limited set of descriptive words. AI shows how complex computer systems have been trained to behave in human-like ways.

Google engineers explain the MusicLM system this way: First, a user comes up with a word or words that describe the kind of music they want the tool to create. For example, a user could enter this short phrase into the system: "a continuous calming violin backed by a soft guitar sound." The descriptions entered can include different music styles, instruments or other existing sounds. Several different music examples produced by MusicLM were published online. Some of the generated music came from just one-or-two-word descriptions, such as "jazz", or "techno". The system created other examples from more detailed descriptions containing whole sentences. In the resulting recording, the music seems to keep very close to the description. The team said that the more detailed the description is, the better the system can attempt to produce it.

In addition to generating new music from written descriptions, the team said the system can also create examples based on a person's own singing, whistling or playing an instrument. The researchers said the tool "produces high-quality music… over several minutes, while being faithful to the text conditioning signal".

Although it hasn't been released for public use, Google announced it was releasing a "high-quality dataset (数据集)" of more than 5,500 music-writing pairs prepared by professional musicians called MusicCaps. The researchers took that step to assist in the development of other AI music generators.

The MusicLM researchers said they believe they have designed a new tool to help anyone quickly and easily create high-quality music selections. However, the team said it also recognizes some risks linked to the machine learning process.

Scientists have come up with a new way of identifying animals in an area by testing DNA taken in from the air. The researchers believe their new method could help scientists keep track of animals that are hard to spot, including endangered animals.

Two teams of scientists—one in Denmark and one in the United Kingdom (UK)—came up with the same question at about the same time: Could they identify the animals in an area from DNA that was simply floating in the air?

Testing for eDNA isn't a new idea, but most of the time, scientists look for eDNA in water. DNA in the air is usually so small that it would take a microscope to see it. The scientists didn't have high hopes for their experiment. Neither team knew that the other group was working on a similar experiment. One collected samples from different locations at Denmark's Copenhagen Zoo, and the other at Hamerton Zoo Park in the UK. The scientists used slightly different methods to collect their samples. But basically, both teams collected extremely tiny bits of DNA onto very high quality filters.

In the laboratory, they got the DNA from the filters and made copies of it to study. By comparing their samples with examples of DNA from different animals, the scientists were able to identify many different animals at the zoos.

Each team only discovered about the other experiment after they had written a paper about their own results. Instead of competing, the two decided to combine their results and publish a paper together.

Both teams are excited about the ways this new method could be used in the wild. Scientists have been looking for better ways to track endangered animals without interfering with them. If researchers know where animals live, they can do a better job of protecting them. "The next step is to figure out how to take this method into nature," says Dr. Bohmann, one of the scientists on the Copenhagen team.

Most people have heard of Shakespeare and probably know something of the plays that he wrote. However, not everybody knows much about the life of this remarkable man, except perhaps that he was born in the market town of Stratford upon Avon and that he married a woman called Anne Hathaway. We know nothing of his school life. We do not know, for example, how long it lasted, but we presume that he attended the local grammar school, where the principal subject taught was Latin.

Nothing certain is known for what he did between the time he left school and his departure for London. According to a local legend, he was beaten and even put in prison for stealing rabbits and deer from the estate of a neighboring landowner, Sir Thomas Lucy. It is said that because of this he was forced to run away from his native place. A different legend says that he was apprenticed to a Stratford butcher, but did not like the life and for this reason decided to leave Stratford.

Whatever caused him to leave the town of his birth, the world can be grateful that he did so. What is certain is that he set his foot on the road to fame when he arrived in London. It is said that at first he had no money or friends there, but that he earned a little by taking care of the horses of the gentlemen who attended the plays at the theatre. In    time, as he became a familiar figure to the actors in the theatre, they stopped and spoke to him. They found his conversation so brilliant that finally he was invited to join their company.

The following are newly released devices all designed to help make your life more convenient, beautiful and vivid.

Tonal

$2,995 AT TONAL.COM

Tonal makes lifting and resistance training truly easy and accessible from your own home. It is great because I hate any sort of public weight training. Tonal has a remarkably easy user interface and gives data and feedback in a helpful manner. It also makes you feel great by keeping track of clear improvements.

Hisense 75'' U 800GR 8K ULED Roku TV

$1,800 AT BEST BUY

8k sounded like a luxury, but now that brands like Hisense, which focus on a more affordable end of the spectrum, have gotten some time with the tech, you can finally bring the deep color output and stunning detail into your living room. Calling it "affordable" may be a stretch, but compared to most 8k TV's which all run over $5,000, it's the most cost-efficient version of the tech we've got.

VIVE Goggle

$499 AT VIVE.COM

Vive goggles will bring an extremely accessible and refreshing approach to the VR world. They are a pair of goggles not unlike something you'd wear to snowboard. They're extremely lightweight with a lightning fast set—that's connected with things like watching Netflix. It's the calmest headset I've ever worn and uses cameras to let you control everything with just your hands. This one's for the not-gamers.

Dyson Purifier Humidify+Cool Formaldehyde

$920 AT WALMART

For people who easily sneeze because of dog hair or something like that outside, Dyson has created a machine that saves them for time at home. This new purifier doubles as a humidifier, plus it has a cooling function, making it the end all be all for stuffy, hot, dry apartments.

 请用英语写一篇短文投稿，谈谈你是怎样理解低碳生活的，并描述你在日常生活中实现低碳生活的具体做法。 

 提示词语：protect, recycle, reduce, environment, energy  

 提示问题： 

 ● What do you think of low-carbon life? 

 ● What do you do to have a low-carbon life? 

 An idol is someone who we respect or love. However, unlike many of my classmates, my idol is not a film star, a famous writer or a sportsman. He is neither a world leader nor an important person from history. My idol is my dad. 

 Most people believe that a man should go out and work. However, when I was only a five-year-old boy, I was seriously ill and needed attention all the time. My mother and father both worked and my grandparents lived far away. This was a big problem. My dad knew how much my mum loved her job, so he stopped working to stay at home and look after me. Many men in this situation would want their wives to stay with the child, but my dad always thinks about others before himself. This made me start to respect him. 

 My dad later took a job and worked at night. He chose the job so that he would only be out of the house when I was sleeping. Since then, my dad has helped and supported me in everything I do. I remember when I was learning to ride a bike. My dad ran behind me and held the back of the bicycle so that I would not fall. I felt so safe because I knew he was near. I did not notice when he stopped holding me. Soon, I was able to ride by myself. 

 My family is not rich, and we do not own a big house or an expensive car. My dad has showed me that something is more important than money. My dad gives me his time. Although he now works hard every day and is often very busy, he always makes time to stay with me. He helps me with my homework, and plays games with me at weekends. We make and fly our own kites, go for walks in the countryside, and even cook together. He taught me that I can achieve anything if I really work hard on it. 

 My dad is my idol because he showed me the most important things in life. 

 With most people staying at home because of COVID-19 (新冠), live streaming (直播) has become more and more popular. It is not only fun and interesting, but has also provided a new stage (舞台) for traditional culture artists. 

 On video sites and apps such as Douyin and Bilibili,  Some of them sing Peking Opera, some show their hand-made products, while others perform traditional Chinese music. 

Li Jun is a laosheng (old male role) Peking Opera performer with the Shanghai Jingju Theater Company. During the outbreak (疫情), Unlike performing on a normal stage, Li uses everyday places as his stage, including his backyard, and even the kitchen. Besides singing, Li also teaches viewers (观众) about Peking Opera in a humorous way. People can ask him questions and get answers directly. "Live streaming has brought this elegant (高雅的) art down to earth," one viewer (观众) said. " " Up to now Li has more than 6,000 fans on Douyin, while one of his videos has received 42,000 views on Bilibili.

 Other kinds of artists also see live streaming as a new chance. On March 26th, the third China Huafu Day, Bilibili live streamed a fashion show. including those from the Wei (220—265), Tang (618—907) and Ming (1368—1644) dynasties. During the show, viewers not only enjoyed seeing the clothes but also watching how performers use ancient styles of make-up. For example, one blogger (博主) taught people how to draw the guiye eyebrow (桂叶眉) which was a typical make-up style during the Tang Dynasty. 

 As Guangming Daily noted,  

 A．Some famous artists perform traditional Chinese music through this special way. 

 B．live streaming has created a new way in which traditional culture can be kept alive. 

 C．Performers presented beautiful clothes in traditional Chinese styles, 

 D．many traditional artists are trying live streaming for the first time. 

 E．It allows young people to get closer to this traditional art and learn more about it. 

 F．In this way, viewers can enjoy different kinds of beautiful clothes. 

 G．the 59-year-old artist started live streaming for the first time. 

 Awe is the feeling of amazement and respect mixed with surprise. Research shows that awe experiences decrease stress and anxiety and increase positive (积极的) emotions and overall satisfaction in life. It can also improve our relationships, making us more likely to help others and more supported. 

 Most of us connect awe with something unusual and beautiful: nature, music or a spiritual experience. But ordinary people can bring about awe too. Research shows we can be awed by our nearest and dearest—the people sitting next to us, or talking on the other end of the phone. Psychologists call this interpersonal awe. 

Often, this interpersonal awe is how people respond (反应) to life's big changes, like seeing a baby's first steps or a friend fighting against cancer. Yet interpersonal awe happens in our everyday life, too. John Bargh, a psychologist, said he was "truly awe struck" by his then 5-year-old daughter while dining in a McDonald's years ago. When she heard another child crying across the restaurant, she took the toy from her Happy Meal, walked over and handed it to him.

We can't make someone else behave in an awesome way, but we can get prepared to notice it when they do and take steps to strengthen the emotion's positive effects.

To increase your chances of feeling awed by people around you, Marianna Craziosi, an expert in positive psychology, suggests you direct your attention to people's positive sides and catch them at their best. You may think your brother or friend is selfish; there may be a little truth to that, but it's never the whole story. "Try to find examples of him helping others or doing something great. In other words, become a field scientist, like Jane Goodall," Graziosi said.

To help you recognize and remember a special experience, say out loud "Wow, that was awesome!" when awe strikes you. Enjoy it in the moment and tell others about it. This will strengthen your positive emotions. And recall it or write about it later. Studies show awe can be drawn again simply by remembering an awe experience.

When you feel awed by people around you, thank them and let them know just how much their actions affect you. This makes the other person feel good and can give your relationship an improvement. And you'll also have high levels of happiness and psychological well-being.

 Awe could be anywhere. Perhaps awe, while an ordinary response to the extraordinary, is also an extraordinary response to the ordinary. 

While the pandemic（流行病） has prevented people from traveling afar, there's a silver lining in that dark cloud: micro-tourism, or mini-vacations.

 Micro-tourism refers to short-distance（短距离） travel in which people drive two or three hours to a nearby place and spend two or three days there. Instead of requiring a plan with lots of details and money, micro-tourism allows travelling to be simpler and less expensive.  

 According to China Daily, micro-tourism began catching on about seven years ago. With the pandemic prevention making long trips less convenient, more and more people choose to take short trips instead.  

 Mark Hou from Beijing is one of them. Before the pandemic, he preferred taking long trips abroad or visiting other places in China. But the pandemic meant he had to adapt（适应） to a new travel style.  

"Traveling a long distance means you should take public transportation, like planes. But that would be likely to increase the chances of infection （感染）," Hou said. "To stay healthy, short-distance travel is the better choice." But that doesn't mean Hou has lost fun during his short trips.

After a long and tiring week at work, Hou likes to invite friends and drive to the countryside near Beijing on weekends. "Walking in the mountains or having a hot spring, we can get the fresh air and have some exercise," Hou explained. "That can really move the stress out of our daily life."

 To meet the new needs, many cities have also created more chances for tourists. For example, Shanghai started a number of micro-tourism products for half-day and one-day tours, including exploring cultural heritage（遗产）sites in the city and experiencing country life.  

"With these programs, young tourists no longer look to get ‘distance', but are willing to find new ways to experience their cities," Feng Rao, head of a tourism research center, told People's Daily. Travel doesn't mean you need to go far away to find a place to relax. That's also the aim of the micro-tourism.

 On 20 July 1969, the world celebrated an important moment in history when American astronaut, Neil Armstrong, became the first man to walk on the moon, making a giant leap for humanity. For more than 50 years, human beings have tried many times to understand the space environment. These efforts have paid off. Today, we are in a better position to understand our universe in which we live, thanks to space exploration.  

 Space exploration has triggered advances in science and technology which have benefitted humans and improved the quality of life on Earth. These benefits are related to space technology such as satellite communications, global positioning system(GPS) and weather forecasting. The development of satellite technology, for instance, makes telecommunications possible, connecting people from different parts of the world through satellite television, phones, radio and Internet access. Today, space technology also enables us to have virtual (虚拟的) meetings and lessons, making work and study from home possible during the Covid-19 pandemic.  

 With the excitement and curiosity generated (产生), space exploration is attracting young people to careers in engineering, science, technology and mathematics, which creates innovations (创新) in science and technology. In countries such as America, Canada and Europe, space exploration has also generated jobs in fields related to engineering, technology and science. Even if interested youngsters do not end up in a job in these areas, space technology enriches their imagination about the possibility of life beyond Earth and space travel. To this end, space exploration continues to encourage human imagination, inspiring (激励) people to write stories and create movies, photographs and songs about space exploration.  

 Although there are many benefits, space exploration has often been criticized (批评)for its high cost. According to the University of Florida, it costs about $500 million to launch (发射) a space shuttle and many argue that this money could be better spent on solving the problems on Earth such as hunger, pollution, diseases and climate change. Although space exploration cannot directly provide immediate solutions to these problems, it generates many useful technologies and new knowledge in sciences necessary to improve the conditions of human life on Earth.  

 Every year, about a thousand innovations in the space programmes find their way into earthly technology that leads to better farming; better medical instruments; and more energy-efficient vehicles(交通工具). As a result, the money spent on space exploration does finally benefit human beings.  

 There is no doubt that space exploration has produced many benefits for humanity. It has also encouraged many to understand Earth and the universe in a deeper way. In the coming decade, we can continue to expect more exciting discoveries. We may eventually even find another planet where humans can live. 

 This was our last trip before high school. I had been looking forward to it for weeks. But at the roller coaster, my stomach felt too tight to say anything at all. 

The big girl beside us was Tasha, my best friend Dan's sister. She was a singer. She was fantastic on the stage. Just the image of her up there made me think she was so cool.

Our roller coaster car pulled up, and my friends rushed forward, I felt my legs couldn't move. All I could think about was the roller coaster might fly off into the sky. Without a word, I turned, ran out of the line. I knew what people were saying about me, but I didn't care. I just kept moving past the crowd, found a bench ( 长椅 ) near the bathrooms to sit down and put my head in my hands.

"Hey! Steve! Are you okay? " I looked up. It was Tasha!

"Oh, uh, yeah, I just started feeling, um, sick." I responded.

"You know, it's okay if you were scared. Everyone gets scared." She said.

"You don't." I said in a low voice. "I've seen you on that stage. You were fearless."

"I'm glad it looks like I'm not scared!" Tasha smiled. "But that's not true. I get really scared and nervous before I perform."

 Before I noticed she was on the bench by my side, her words moved on. 

"Hey, look, singing is important to me. And I want to share what I love with my people. So, even if I'm scared. I do it anyway. I push through the fear and just get up and do it. Is taking roller coaster important to you?"

"Yeah, it is. And I want to be able to look back and remember having fun with my friends. I don't want to remember running away and sitting alone by the bathrooms."

"Everyone gets scared, but brave people don't let fear control them." She looked into my eyes. Still being lost in what she said, I saw my friends coming towards me.

 I got up and went with them to the coaster. 

 When we were leaving, Tasha took a photo of my big smile in front of the coaster. I put it on my door. It stayed there through all four years of my high school, a reminder of what was more important to me than fear.