The Forgotten Pages

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was a small village. Surrounded by the majestic mountains, the villagers happily lived a life of bliss.

All of them were used to their robotic daily tasks and none of them had the imagination or the will to try something new, except for one girl named Hannah. Very few people in the village could read let alone write, and Hannah was one of them. Her parents had made sure that their only child got everything possible.

Hannah was an adventurous spirit with an imagination far beyond her time. One afternoon, when Hannah was on one of her adventurous quests, she came upon an abandoned cottage. The cottage looked very old in its condition. Even though Hannah’s mother had strictly warned her not to go wandering in abandoned places, her curiosity got the best of her.

She tip-toed slowly to the door and slowly opened it and she was left stunned. In front of Hannah was a room full of books! Books glistering in the dust, basking in the warm sunlight just waiting to be explored. Hannah gasped (倒吸气) as she realized that she had found a hidden treasure. Hannah broomed and dusted all day long until she realized it was dark and she had to go back. So Hannah picked two books and decided to read them at her home.

She went home and all night long, she read the adventurous tales hidden in the book cover. The next day, she quickly gulped her breakfast and made her way to the cottage again. Hannah devoured the books.

They were too interesting filled with stories about different creatures. Each page was just an adventure waiting to be embarked on. Hannah’s imagination took her to a world of talking animals, mystical creatures, and daring nights. The little girl was so inspired by the books and she learned the power of love and friendship! With the good in heart, she decided to share the tales with the people of her village.

Students’ Union

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua

6 . “Two centuries ago, Lewis and Clark left St. Louis to explore the new lands acquired in the Louisiana Purchase,” George W. Bush said, announcing his desire for a program to send men and women to Mars. They made that journey in the spirit of discovery. America has ventured forth into space for the same reasons.

Yet there are vital differences between Lewis and Clark’s expedition and a Mars mission. First, they were headed to a place where hundreds of thousands of people were already living. Second, they were certain to discover places and things of immediate value to the new nation. Third, their venture cost next to nothing by today’s standards. A Mars mission may be the single most expensive non-wartime undertaking in U.S. history.

Appealing as the thought of travel to Mars is, it does not mean the journey makes sense, even considering the human calling to explore. And Mars as a destination for people makes absolutely no sense with current technology.

Present systems for getting from Earth’s surface to low-Earth orbit are so fantastically expensive that merely launching the 1,000 tons or so of spacecraft and equipment a Mars mission would require could be accomplished only by cutting health-care benefits, education spending, or other important programs—or by raising taxes. Absent (缺乏)some remarkable discovery, astronauts, geologists, and biologists once on Mars could do little more than analyze rocks and feel awestruck (敬畏的) staring into the sky of another world. Yet rocks can be analyzed by automated probes without risk to human life, and at a tiny portion of the cost of sending people.

It is interesting to note that when President Bush unveiled (公开) his proposal, he listed these recent major achievements of space exploration: pictures of evidence of water on Mars, discovery of more than 100 planets outside our solar system, and study of the soil of Mars. All these accomplishments came from automated probes or automated space telescopes. Bush’s proposal, which calls for reprogramming some of NASA’s present budget into the Mars effort, might actually lead to a reduction in such unmanned science—the one aspect of space exploration that’s working really well.

Rather than spend hundreds of billions of dollars to hurl (投) tons toward Mars using current technology, why not take a decade or two or however much time is required researching new launch systems and advanced propulsion (推进力)? If new launch systems could put weight into orbit affordably, and advanced propulsion could speed up that long, slow transit (运输) to Mars, the dream of stepping onto the red planet might become reality. Mars will still be there when the technology is ready.

I’m glad to know that you enjoyed volunteer activity very much.

Yours,

Li Hua

9 . At a young age, Darrius Simmons fell in love with the piano. As he watched others play, he was _________ by the joy the piano gave them. He wanted to experience that, too, but knew for him it would be a/an _________.

“I decided at age 10 that I wanted to learn how to play the piano, _________ it was going to take a little bit _________ work for me to learn,” Simmons says. “I knew most people had 10 fingers while I had four, yet I was pretty _________ I could make it work.”

The Warren, Ohio teenager was born with a genetic _________ called ectrodactyly (先天性缺指畸形). He has three fingers on his right hand and _________ finger on his left. But it didn’t _________ Simmons from following his _________. With no formal training, Simmons taught himself by ear how to play the piano. He practiced and practiced, finding a way to __________ the keys with four fingers while mastering the pedals with his prostheses(假肢).

Simmons knew he would have to __________ his own style of playing. “I couldn’t base it __________ the technique of somebody who has 10 fingers. It just wouldn’t __________.” He says. “That’s __________ it was hard for me to take piano lessons. It’s very __________ for somebody who has learned how to play with 10 fingers to adjust and teach me with only four.”

The now 18-year-old not only learned how to play and read music but also began composing.

His mother, Tamara Simmons, isn’t surprised by Darrius’ __________. She knows how focused and __________ he can be.

From mastering music to beating __________ challenges, Darrius Simmons sets out to __________ the world. “I like to be somebody’s __________,” he says. “If I play in front of a whole crowd and I see one person smile, that’s a job well done.”

10 . Experienced⁃Based Education

Everyone is familiar with traditional education. You sit in a class and a teacher teaches.   This is an important part of development. But at some point, every individual has to take charge of their own education. To do this, one must look at the root of learning.    1    

Basically, unfamiliar experiences usually add more value than experiences that are familiar.

    2     And we are in a better state to learn something new. Honestly, someone who never experiences the same thing twice will never have a chance to benefit from anything learned. However, new experiences are generally what make people interesting and push them to grow.

High school is a new experience. College is a new experience. However, at some point traditional education becomes repetitive. It is not that you won’t learn anything else, but that the environment is so familiar.    3    

To solve this, an individual needs to introduce new experiences into their life. You may spend a summer in a different part of the country or learn a new language through trial and error. You can also go to a drive⁃in movie（or some other entertainment event that is new to you）.    4    

These types of experiences often result in very little“book knowledge”.   Instead, they will often provide you with a better understanding of yourself as you experience your reaction to different situations.    5     It can be invaluable for you to work effectively with others. Becoming a well ⁃ rounded human isn’t something that happens by accident. You can spend your entire lifetime developing your potential.