1 . Ever since humans began adventuring into space, 227 astronauts have performed activities outside the spaceship. While 14 of those have been women, the female astronauts have always been with a male partner. On October 18, 2019, US astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir became the first all-female team to carry out a spacewalk to replace a failed battery controller.

The historic event began at 7: 38 a. m. when Koch and Meir set their spacesuits to battery power. Live-broadcast by NASA, it was watched by thousands of space fans, particularly young girls dreaming to be astronauts. The scientists, who spent seven hours and 17 minutes fixing the controller and completing other tasks for the station, were able to observe the Earth passing under their feet. Koch and Meir returned to the International Space Station at 2: 55 p.m., where they were welcomed with cheers by their four male workmates.

When asked about the importance of this spacewalk, Koch said, “In the end, I do think it’s important because of the historical nature of what we’re doing. In the past, women haven’t always been at the table. It’s wonderful to be contributing to the space program at a time when all contributions are being accepted and everyone has a role. That can lead in turn to increased chance for success. There are a lot of people who get encouragement from people who look like them, and I think it’s an important story to tell.”

Meir added, “What we’re doing now shows all the work that went in many years ago, and all of the women that worked to get us where we are today.”

3 . For the first 19 months of her life, Helen Keller was like other pretty happy babies in every way. Then in 1882, a sudden illness destroyed her sight and hearing. Because she could not hear what other people were saying, the child could not learn to speak. For the following 5 years, she lived in a world of darkness, without sounds or words and her parents could do nothing but let her be.

The person who changed Helen’s world was her teacher, Anne Sullivan, who entered her life. Miss Sullivan had accepted a job, which seemed impossible. She had agreed to teach a blind child who had never learned to act like a human being, because no one had ever been able to guide her in any way. No one could control Helen. She acted like a young animal, rushing wildly around, throwing things, and hitting anyone whom she could reach. Who could believe that such a child could be taught?

But Anne Sullivan was a very special kind of teacher. She had been blind during part of her own childhood and had learned to read Braille, a system of writing that uses raised dots which can be felt by the finger of a blind person. She had learned to see again after several operations, but she had never forgotten the experience of being blind.

Miss Sullivan understood Helen. She loved her and believed she could teach her.

Anne Sullivan could not teach Helen Keller to speak until some other important things had been learned. The little girl had to learn to control her actions and feelings. She had to learn that she could not always do what she wished to do. She had always been able to get what she wished by using force. The teacher had to change such habits without breaking the child’s spirit.

Miss Sullivan’s battle began. Sometimes, there was real fighting between the wild child and the strong young teacher. At last, however, the battle was won by Miss Sullivan, who had succeeded in showing Helen that she loved her and wanted to help her. The child and her teacher became friends. They continued to be friends until the teacher’s death, 50 years later.

The day on which Helen finally accepted Miss Sullivan as her friend and teacher was a great day in Helen’s life. After that the teacher could begin to teach the child language.

For forty years Jane Goodall, has been    1    (outspeak) about making the rest of the world understand and respect the life of these animals. She has argued that wild animals should be left in the wild and not used for    2    (entertain) or advertisement. She has helped to set up special places    3     they can live safely. She is    4    (lead) a busy life.

Not that Charlie’s own life was easy! He was born in a poor family in 1889. His parents were both poor music hall    5    (perform). You may find    6     astonishing that Charlie was    7    (teach) to sing as soon as he could speak and dace as soon as he could walk.

With all these    8     (attract), no wonder    9    (tour) is increasing    10     there is a Disneyland. If you want to have fun and more than fun, come to Disneyland.

10 . Joseph Frederick Engelberger, the father of robotics, was born on July 26, 1925, in Brooklyn. He received his B. S. in physics in 1946, and M. S. in Electric Engineering in 1949 from Columbia University. He worked as an engineer with Manning, Maxwell and Moore, and then he met George Devol at a party in 1956, two years after Devol had designed and patented an industrial robotic arm. However, Manning, Maxwell and Moore was sold and Engelberger’s division was closed that year.

Finding himself jobless but with a business partner and an idea, Engelberger co-founded Unimation with Devol, creating the world’s first robotics company. And the introduction of robotics to the manufacturing process effectively transformed the automotive industry. Over the next two decades, the Japanese took the lead by investing heavily in robots to replace people performing certain tasks. In Japan, Engelberger was widely described as a key player in the post-war ascendancy (支配地位，优势) of Japanese manufacturing quality and efficiency.

After observing the help his aging parents needed, Engelberger saw the robotics automation could be used in the medical field. In 1984, Engelberger founded Transitions Research Corporation (TRC). He introduced the HelpMate and hoped to kick-start a new industry for in-home robots, but he started in 1988 by selling his first HelpMate to Danbury Hospital. The medical robot was successful enough that the hospital ended up purchasing another, and within a decade, well over 100 hospitals worldwide operated HelpMates.

After Engelberger was awarded the Japan Prize in 1997, Senator Joseph Lieberman delivered a speech in the U. S. Senate in praise and recognition of the inventor, calling the HelpMate an example that shows the federal investment in science and technology for patients can lead to new products that employ Americans and make for a better quality of life.

Engelberger liked working. So even after he got into his 80s, he remained active in the promotion and development of robots for use in elder care. He died on December 1, 2015, in Newtown, a little more than four months after celebrating his 90th birthday.