Except Pluto, there ______ eight planets in the solar system now, including Earth. By the distance from the Sun from close ______ far, they are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Pluto used to be known as the ______ planet in our solar system, and the furthest planet from the Sun. Pluto ______ in 1930, and was named by an eleven-year-old girl from England. Pluto is only half as ______ as the United States. This planet takes 248 earth years ______ around the sun. It means we need 6.5 earth days to ______ a day on Pluto. Pluto is about 40 times farther from the Sun than Earth is. Pluto is in an area of space called the Kuiper Belt ______ has thousands of small, icy objects. The temperature on Pluto is ______ low that Earth air would turn into ice soon. The gravity on Pluto is less strong than ______ on Earth. So fat persons may prefer to move there, they would weigh much less on Pluto.

【推荐2】How many things can you see in the night sky? A lot! _______ a clear evening you might see the Moon and some planets. And _______ sparkling stars _______, too.

You can see even _______ with a telescope. You might see stars where you only saw dark space before. You might see that many stars look larger than others. You might see that some stars _______ look white _______ really red or blue.

But scientists believe there are some things in the sky that we _______. We can’t see them with the biggest telescope in the world, even when it is the clearest night of the year. That’s _______ they’re invisible. They’re the mysterious dead stars and they _______ black holes. You might find ________ hard to imagine that stars die. After all, our Sun is a star. Year after year we see it up in the sky, burning brightly, giving us heat and light. The Sun certainly doesn’t seem ________ getting old or weak, ________ stars do burn out and die after billions of years. As a star’s gases burn, they give off light and heat. But when the gas runs ________, the star stops ________ and begins to die.

So the next time you stare up at the night sky, remember: there’s more in the sky than that meets the eye. ________ amazing space it is!

【推荐3】We know the Moon is our satellite（卫星）. It ________ round the Earth day and night. It ________ around once a month, every 29 and a half days.

The Moon is our ________ neighbour in space. It is ________ than the Earth. Plants can’t grow on the Moon ________ there is no air on it.

The Moon hasn’t ________ own light. It shines back the light of the Sun. When the Sun is shining on one side of the Moon, it looks like ________ big bright round ball. We can’t see the Moon when the Sun is shining on ________ side.

In fact, the Moon isn’t as near as it looks. It’s difficult for scientists to study on the Moon, but they will never stop ________ on it. I hope one day, we can take a trip to the Moon. It must be fun ________ into space.

【推荐2】The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year _______ 24 solar terms. Major Snow, the 21st solar term of the year, begins this year on Dec. 7 and ends on Dec. 21. During Major Snow, the snow becomes heavy and begins to accumulate on the ground. The temperature drops _______.

Here are several things _______ you should know about Major Snow. First, the heavy snow in North China may _______ a whole day, breaking tree branches and blocking the road. In the south, snowflakes fall and the world _______ white. There is _______ proverb about the snow says, “A timely snow promises a good harvest”. The snow covers the ground, which destroys _______ houses. Second, Winter sweet usually blossoms in mid-to-late December in some southern cities of China. Sometimes it even blooms _______. Winter sweet originated in China. With pine and bamboo, it is referred to as one of the Three Friends of Winter. Third, Lamb as the main food _______ by Chinese people during Major Snow. It is excellent for nourishing the body, promoting blood circulation and providing protection against the cold. People in Chongqing like to have potted lamb soup or stewed lamb soup with ________ families and friends.

【推荐3】The invention of the camera goes far into the past. In _________ 1500s, the cameras at that time only made pictures. But people didn’t find a way to make pictures permanent(持久的) until the early 1800s. Even then, photography was a new field. Most people had their family pictures _________ were taken by a photographer. People did not own cameras _________ taking pictures and developing the film(冲洗胶卷) were too difficult.

In the 1800s, George Eastman _________ a kind of film that could fit into a small camera. Because the new film was cheap, many people began to buy cameras. When they had used up their film, people returned _________ cameras to the factory. There, the film was developed, and pictures _________.

Taking pictures is very easy with the help _________ Eastman’s camera. Today’s cameras are even _________ to use, and people can put in their own film. Photography has become a growing hobby.

There _________ also many new jobs in the field of photography. One of the most important kinds of work is in news reporting. Newspapers, magazines, and television all need pictures __________ their stories. People find new uses for the camera every day.

Since the earliest times, people have looked up at the stars, the moon and the planets. Today people use modern machines ________ at the sky. This is very different from the situation ________ years ago when people could only use their eyes. They may dream of exploring (探索) the universe.

When did human beings (人类) first go into space? The story began not long ago. But the first astronauts were not people—they were animals.

Scientists wanted to make travelling to space as safe as possible for human beings. So they decided to experiment (做试验) with animals and test ________ in spaceflights. Mice, dogs and monkeys were some of the animals that first went into space. Many of them died, ________ they helped to make space travel safer for human beings. For their ________ service, we shouldn’t forget these animals.

Albert Ⅱ was the first monkey to go into space in 1949. Sadly, he died ________ his spaceship landed back on the earth. ________, the situation was different for Ham the Monkey. His story ended happily when he returned to the earth in very good health.

Scientists wanted to know the answer to the important question: Could ________ animal like Ham do the same things in space as he could do on the earth? The answer came when Ham was sent into space in 1961. Yes, he did everything well and lived ________ another 16 years.

Now, space travel is safer and more astronauts ________ to space already.

【推荐2】Have you ever thought of living in the space? There is no gravity(重力) there, so things are not as ________ as they are on the Earth. When you drop something, it floats(飘) away slowly in the air. So do you know ________ the life is like in space?

Wang Yaping and the other astronauts ________ in space for about six months. And they had special plates for food. Besides, special bags ________ for drinks. And when astronauts were sleeping, they tied ________ to the wall so that they didn’t float around. As they had to do the work ________, they needed to get enough rest. The astronauts used alarm clocks and sometimes music ________ themselves up, because the sun rose and set so often in space. ________ big difference it was to live in space!

Exercise was important for astronaut as well. Since there was no gravity, astronauts floated instead of ________, they had to exercise on special machines every day to keep healthy. No one wanted to become ill in space.

However, life was not just full of hard work in space. When they were not working or exercising, there was a little time ________ fun. They could watch movies, read the news and talk with family members.

【推荐3】Jerry is happy to travel into space. He’ll leave the Earth ______ spaceship. Because there ______ no gravity in space, he’ll be able to float around. He’ll have to tie himself to his bed ______ he won’t float away in his sleep! Without gravity, his body ______ get weak, so he’ll do exercise every day. Because there’s no air on the Moon, he’ll have to wear a spacesuit to help him breathe. He’s going to take as ______ as he can if his camera still works up there.