1 . What is the most fun you can have in 21 hours and 23 minutes? On 15 October, 2003, Yang Liwei answered this question. His voyage in space took him 600, 000 kilometres in orbit, around the Earth 14 times, in just over 21 hours. It made him China’s first astronaut in space. He had worked towards this achievement for many years.

Born in 1965, Yang had wanted to fly since he was a young boy. His friends and teachers from Suizhong in north-east of Liaoning Province have all said that he loved science and technology from a young age. He always had a strong desire to learn how to fly. His dream was encouraged by his parents as well as his older sister and younger brother.

In 1983, he joined the army, and went to flight school. He graduated in 1987 and became a pilot. In 1998, he applied to be a member of Project 921, which is now called Shenzhou. He was one of the only 14 selected from 1, 500 candidates. The team spent the next five years being trained. They not only studied all the subjects required to be an astronaut, but also learnt survival skills and all about how spaceships and rockets are built. Yang scored among the very top in everything the group studied.

In September 2003, only three out of the 14 candidates were picked for the Chinese space adventure, and Yang was one of them. He took all kinds of tests to prove he was fit for this important task. Although Yang did not get the best scores on every single test, it was his high scores on the psychological tests that finally won him the status of China’s first astronaut. Yang was described by his superiors as hard-working and always in control of himself. Because of these qualities, they were optimistic he would be successful.

In the end, Yang was indeed a success. His name will go down in history with those of Yuri Gagarin and Alan Shepard. The people of China can be proud of Yang Liwei, and young people all over the world can look up to him as an example of a man who managed to live his dream.

29 outstanding Party members were conferred the July 1 Medal, one of     1     was Zhang Guimei. She founded a high school,     2    (offer) free education to girls in a less­developed area of Yunnan Province.

Zhang’s efforts helped nearly 2,000 girls go to college. She visited poor     3     (family) and persuaded them not to let their children drop out of school. This shows     4     educators should work with a greater sense of responsibility.

Another important lesson from Zhang’s story is that we should take a long­term view of rural education. Zhang has been working     5     (improve) education in rural areas because of her high degree of     6     (commit) and making the education of talents as her goal.     7    is because of the very goal that Zhang could overcome difficulties, and help the poor throw off     8     wrong idea that “education is useless”. It also reminds us that more efforts should     9     (make) to develop education in rural areas, and we should focus     10     long­term goals and interests.

I enjoyed English, biology, and chemistry at school, but which one should I choose to study at university? I did not know the answer until one evening when I sat down at the computer to do some research on great women of China.

By chance I came across an article about a doctor called Lin Qiaozhi, an expert in women’s diseases. She lived from 1901 to 1983. It seemed that she had been very busy in her chosen work, travelling abroad to study as well as writing books and articles. One of them caught my eye. It was a small book explaining how to cut the death rate from having and caring for babies. She gave some simple rules to follow for keeping babies clean, healthy and free from sickness. Why did she write that? Who were the women that Lin Qiaozhi thought needed this advice? I looked carefully at the text and realized that it was intended for women in the countryside. Perhaps if they had an emergency they could not reach a doctor.

Suddenly it hit me how difficult it was for a woman to get medical training at that time. That was a time when girls’ education was always placed second to boys’. Was she so much cleverer than anyone else? Further reading made me realize that it was hard work and determination (决心) as well as her gentle nature that got her into medical school. What made her succeed later on was the kindness and consideration she showed to all her patients. There was story after story of how Lin Qiaozhi, tired after a day’s work, went late at night to deliver a baby for a poor family who could not pay her.

By now I could not wait to find out more about her. I discovered that Lin Qiaozhi had devoted her whole life to her patients and had chosen not to have a family of her own. Instead she made sure that about 50,000 babies were safely delivered. By this time I was very excited. Why not study at medical college like Lin Qiaozhi and carry on her good work? It was still not too late for me to improve my studies, prepare for the university entrance examinations, and…

Chinese scientist Yuan Longping,     1     is known as the “father of hybrid rice”, is a pioneer for all people. Yuan Longping was born     2     1930 in Beijing.     3     (tackle) a serious shortage of food, he chose to study agriculture and received an education at Southwest Agricultural College in Chongqing.   After     4     (graduate) in 1953, he worked as a researcher. Yuan Longping realized that larger fields were not the solution. He was     5    (convince) that the answer could be found in the creation of hybrid rice. Through intense effort, Yuan overcame enormous technical difficulties. In 1974, he succeeded in making it     6     reality. This hybrid enabled farmers to expand their output     7     (great). Today, it is estimated that about 60% of domestic rice consumption in China is comprised of crop     8    (generate) from his hybrid strains, for which he received numerous     9     (award) both in China and abroad. Although Yuan’s hybrids made him wealthy, he     10     (care) little for celebrity or money. Despite his advanced years at that time, Yuan Longping was still young at heart and full of vision and trying to realize his dream.