Most of the time, we know what weather is heading our way — thanks to meteorologists (气象学家). Will it be sunny or rainy, hot or cold? Every day, people turn to the TV, computer or radio to ________.

For some, a(n) ________ in weather starts early. It did for Samantha Gibbons, a 10-year-old from the USA. She says she loves watching the weather. Every week, Samantha studies the science behind weather ________ the Internet. In January, she was the youngest kid to attend the 2015 American Meteorological Society (AMS) Annual Meeting. During the Q& A discussion at the event(晕轮) appears. One expert answered her question. “I was very ________ to take part in the meeting! It was like I was meant to be there,” said Samantha.

Not only does Samantha study the numbers behind weather, but she also ________ speaking on air. As a member of her school’s broadcast club, she helps produce the school’s morning programs. “I love being on TV, “ she said.

On September 3, 2014, Samantha ________ her first TV show on NBC Channel 12 in Phoenix, USA. Before her ________, she woke up at 4 a.m. to arrive at the station by 5:30 a.m., a typical ________ for many meteorologists. “To prepare, I practiced in front of the mirror,” said Samantha. “I learned I needed a lot of practice on camera!” Her future plans are simple: do well in school and practice ________.

What’s her ________ for other kids interested in becoming meteorologists? “Ask lots of questions,” said Samantha. “Always believe what you’re doing and keep pursuing (追求) your dream.”

“Save the whales!” That’s what the picture on Jake Smith’s bedroom wall said. Jake liked having a picture that said something important; that showed he cared. But he never expected to get a chance (机会) to save a real whale in his own neighborhood.

It was a Saturday morning when the newspaper first reported the whales’ coming. A group of the animals were swimming close to the beach in Jake’s hometown. Many people, including Jake and his family, ran out to the beach to see them. They were expecting a beautiful show.

Then one whale swam towards the land. It came with the waves (海浪), and when the waves receded, its huge body was left on the sand. Now, Jake and his family and all the others were no longer sightseers. They had to become rescuers (营救者). A few people ran towards the animal. They pushed and tried to get the whale back into the water, but it was no use.

An animal rescue service team soon arrived to help move the animal, Jack and his family couldn’t do much on the beach, so they went back to their house and made sandwiches and hot tea for the rescuers. At last, they could help in some way.

Back at the beach, they offered the food to the rescuers and were happy to see that they needed it. It was getting dark. Some people lined up their cars along the beach and shined the headlights on the sand. The rescuers would not give up. After trying many times, they were finally able to lift the whale into the water. Everyone cheered when it headed out to sea. It swam out about a mile and then disappeared for a while under the sea. Then, it rose high above the water — a thank-you to those who had worked so hard to save his life.

Have you heard of a woman writer? She wrote a lot of detective (侦探) novels. Her name is Agatha Christie. She is one of the most popular writers of all time. About four billion copies of her books have been sold, and they have been translated into 103 languages. She is often called the queen of the “whodunit”. A whodunit is a story that starts with a crime, usually murder. Then the main character of the story tries to discover who did it (or who-done-it).

When Agatha Christie was five, she had read a lot of books and tried to write novels. At the age of 30, she had finished her first detective novel. Readers love her stories because there are always lots of clues (线索).

Christie always wrote about places that she knew, like Torquay, the English town where she was born in 1890 and lived for a long time. But her readers are lucky that she was also a great traveler. She was married to an archaeologist (考古学家) and traveled with him to Syria and Iraq, where they worked at archaeological “digs”. In the book Murder in Mesopotamia, Poirot found a murder at one of these digs. Christie also traveled to Egypt, the setting for Death on the Nile ( Murder on the Orient Express).

Agatha Christie died in 1976, but her books continue to be popular today. For one week every year, lovers of her stories can go to the Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay. People dress up in clothes from the 1920s and 1930s.

Was it possible that Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai and Western hero King Arthur meet and fight against each other? Yes. In a game called King of Glory, created by Chinese company Tencent, King of Glory was one of the most popular MOBA games in China in 2017.

About one in every seven Chinese people plays the game, and 55 million of them play it every day. The game is designed to be easy for beginners. Social media like QQ and WeChat have also helped the game’s community grow. New players can be invited to play the game by their WeChat contacts, with some seeing it as a good way to keep in touch with old friends and make new ones.

The game has more than 60 characters to unlock and play as you progress, each with their own special style and abilities. The characters cover different times and countries. Some are real historical characters, like Li Bai. Some are not. Players use them to fight against each other or team up to fight. The winners can reach higher ranks.

However, some people think King of Glory gives the students incorrect information about events and people in history. For example, the poet Li Bai is described as a killer, the man who tried to kill the first emperor of China, is a girl in the game. But more people worry about children playing the game too much and spending too much money on it. Most of the players are below the age of 19. It’s reported that a 17-year-old boy had a stroke（中风）.

To change the situation, Tencent added a time limit feature to the game to prevent kids from playing too much. From July 4, 2017, users between 12 to 18 get two hours. Those who try to play beyond the time limit will be locked out of time.