1 . In 1969, watching the landing of Apollo 11 on the Moon on TV from his parents’ farm in Canada, Chris Hadfield was amazed and excited. On that day, at only nine years old, Chris made the most important decision of his life: He was going to be an astronaut.

There wasn’t even a training program in Canada to become an astronaut; but Chris was determined. He spent a great deal of time studying and fixing engines. After school he joined the Canadian army where he learned to fly many different types of planes. Chris did a lot of research for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States and had special training. Finally, in 1995 he rode his first rocket into space.

Chris became the first Canadian astronaut to walk in spare, and went on a number of space missions throughout his career. The most memorable was his five-month stay on the International Space Station (ISS) as commander, between December 2012 and May 2013.He posted on social media thousands of photos of Earth and videos of himself explaining how things work in zero gravity. His followers could watch him sleeping, brushing his teeth, washing his hands, or preparing “space” snacks in zero gravity, which turned him into a social media phenomenon.

Today, Chris travels the world giving talks about his work. He once said, “Decide in your heart of hearts what really excites and challenges you, and start moving your life in that direction. Every decision you make, from what you eat to what you do with your time tonight, turns you into who you are tomorrow. Look at who you want to be, and start sculpting yourself into that person. You may not get exactly where you thought you’d be, but you will be doing things that suit you in a profession you believe in. Don’t let life randomly kick you into the adult you don’t want to become.”

5 . Five-year-old Willard Wigan struggled to tell the difference between an M and a W or a 6 and a 9. Unfortunately, his schoolteacher knew nothing about dyslexia (阅读障碍症), a learning disability that can make letters and numbers confusing. She didn’t try to help him. Not surprisingly, Willard didn’t like school. Usually, his mind drifted — to playing outside, to his dog Maxie, or to the ants that lived near his family’s garden shed. Willard was especially curious about those ants. He felt like them — small and insignificant. Thus, when he noticed some ants trying to build a house, he decided to help them! Willard constructed a little building. Then he sprinkled sugar inside to encourage the ants to move in. When they did, Willard built more houses.

At school, Willard still struggled, but now he knew he could do something special. Maybe he wasn’t a failure after all. If he had trouble with his reading or math, Willard would later go home and create tiny furniture for the ant houses. He even built an ant school, with teeny swings, ladders, seesaws, and a merry-go-round. His artistic skill increased, and a love for little things began to grow in his heart.

At age nine, Willard began carving faces on toothpicks. He discovered that his ability improved when he held his breath as he worked. When he quit school at age 15 to help support his family, Willard still spent his spare time carving. His confidence grew as more people appreciated his talent. Eventually, he quit his factory job to pursue his dream of becoming one of the best artists in the world. Now, years later, Willard carves the tiniest artwork in the world! His sculptures are so small that several can fit on a period at the end of a sentence.

Because of their beauty and rarity, his sculptures have made Willard a wealthy man. But he says, “Success isn’t about material things like an expensive watch or a costly ring; it’s about chasing and achieving your dreams.”

Willard Wigan, a microsculptor, has done just that. The man who felt small as a boy has shown the world that something small can really be big.

6 . Monica Bertagnolli is an oncologist (肿瘤学家) at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. Growing up in Wyoming, she was well aware of the lack of healthcare resources in rural areas. Access to in-depth care for cancer patients is hard to get. She’s worked throughout her career to change that.

In Wyoming, there’s a great distance to travel between where people live and where they can find a cancer specialist. “If you need treatments and they have to be administered every day, and if it’s 120 miles from where you live, that will be a huge barrier to receiving the kind of care you need.”

And now Monica serves as the vice president of the Coalition (联盟) of Cancer Cooperative Groups (CCCG)--an international network of individuals who work to improve the quality of life and survival of cancer patients by increasing participation in cancer clinical trials (临床试验).

She said, “One of the really important things is, we’re trying to make sure that cancer clinical trials can get to every single patient who needs them in my own state.” The coalition setup sites in northern and southern Wyoming that are able to run clinical trials. Before those trials became available, patients would usually go to Denver or Salt Lake City--a three-to-seven-hour drive.

Monica’s efforts to increase access to the healthcare needs of her rural Wyoming patients also include helping to develop new policies that will allow patients to participate in more clinical trials, and linking them with a regional doctor who can get them the access to the care they need.

In addition to the clinical trials, Monica said that technology’s progress like better cell phone and internet service in the mountains of Wyoming, as well as social media, has helped rural residents stay in touch with loved ones and medical professionals despite their distance. She is trying to advocate strongly for those changes to continue.

“I still consider myself part of Wyoming and I am very devoted to making sure that patients can get access to care.”

Qian Xuesen, or Hsue-shen Tsien (11December 1911—31 October 2009), was a Chinese mathematician, aerospace engineer and physicist,.    1     made significant contributions to the field of aerodynamics (空气动力学).

After graduating from a high school in Beijing, Qian     2    (admit) into Shanghai Jiaotong University in 1934. In August 1935, Qian left China    3    (study) mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on a scholarship, where he obtained a Master of Science degree after one year

Later, Qian left for the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and studied under Theodore von Karman, who was regarded as    4     outstanding scientist of the 20th century. Shortly after arriving at Caltech, Qian was involved     5     rocket-related experiments at a laboratory at Caltech. He received his doctor’s degree from Caltech in 1939.

During World War II Qian helped prepare an analysis of the German rocket program for the US.

    6    , Qian had difficulty adjusting to American culture and his strong personal attachment to China caused suspicions (怀疑). Through a series of    7     (effort), Qian was     8     (ultimate) allowed to return to China with his wife and kids several years later. To his surprise,     9     he received in China was a hero’s welcome from the Chinese government.

He earned the title "the father of China’s aerospace", because he personally trained the first generation of China’s aerospace engineers. Qian’s love for China and his     10     (determine) to the revitalization ( 复 兴 ) of China made him a well-respected scientist in the history of China.

A Young Designer’s Way to Fashion Success

Chinese designer Zhang Yan,     1    work has just hit New York’s and Chinese catwalks (T台), is slowly breaking the old idea about men in embroidery (刺绣) and fashion. Zhang has surprised the world with his unique embroidered Qipaos.

However, for the 26-year-old young man, his success is not easy. Holding the tiny needle properly in his big hand wasn’t     2     easy job for Zhang in the early days. What’s more, his parents were     3    (strong) against him, thinking that embroidery was women’s work and it had no future,     4    Zhang did not give up. He believes handwork has nothing to do with gender (性别) especially when it comes to    5    (dream).

Years of his hard work has paid off so far. His designs quickly    6    (draw) attention and even earned him an     7    (invite) to the 2019 New York Fashion Week. Western audiences at the show were amazed     8    the charm of the embroidered Qipao, saying it showed a kind of Eastern power.

    9    (feel) that his success has brought him a sense of national pride, Zhang hopes his experience can also help inspire teenagers     10    (follow) their dreams. “There are many ways to achieve success. As long as you keep going, you can make your dreams come true,” he says.