Some people believe that space exploration is a waste of time and the     1    . Then why do humans still explore space? 

It is humans’     2     about the unknown that leads humans to explore space continuously. Space exploration helps better understand the     3     and the origin, evolution and future of the     4    . Humans’ lives have become     5     through space exploration, which will probably provide     6     for humans in many areas. Space exploration can bring great     7     and attract young to take up     8     concerning it. Wonders in space exploration can provide children with     9     and motivate them to become the scientists and     10     of the future.

Lauren Bath, a photo blogger, has attracted many fans. In 2013, she     1    (离开, 离任) her     2    (以前的)job as a chef and chose a different     3    (专业, 行业). In other words, she     4     her hobby     5    (把……看作) a career. From then on, she has spent much time travelling the     6    (本地的) Australia. Of all the places in Australia she visited, Broome in the Kimberley region is her favourite     7    (目的地). She loves to photograph the scenery, as well as animals, such as     8    (袋鼠) and dolphins. When it comes to environmental issues, she hopes to stop people from feeding wild     9    (鳄鱼). And she    10    (决定) to make people aware of the problem. She hoped that her dream would     11    (实现) one day.

Strange things were happening in the countryside of northeastern Hebei. For several days, the water in the village wells rose and fell, rose and fell. There were deep c    1     that appeared in the well walls. At least one well had some s    2     gas coming out of it. Chickens and even pigs were too n    3     to eat, and dogs refused to go inside buildings. M    4     ran out of the fields looking for places to hide, and fish jumped out of the water. At about 3:00 a.m., on 28 July 1976, bright lights were seen in the sky outside the city of Tangshan and loud noises were heard. But the city’s one million people were a    5     as usual that night.

At 3:42 a.m., everything began to shake. It seemed as if the world were coming to an e    6    ! Eleven kilometres directly below the city, one of the most deadly e    7     of the 20^th century had begun, a quake that even caused d    8     more than 150 kilometres away in Beijing. Nearly one third of the whole nation felt it! A huge crack, eight kilometres long and 30 metres wide, cut across houses, roads, and waterways. Hard hills of rock became rivers of dirt. In less than one minute, a large city lay in r    9    . Two thirds of the people who lived there were dead or injured. Thousands of children were left without parents. The number of people who were killed or badly i    10     in the quake was more than 400,000.

    1     ( 台风) Goni, which made landfall in the Philippines with strong winds, appeared not to attack the area in and around the capital Manila, with its 13 million residents.

The storm c    2     at least 16 people’s lives in the Bicol Region of Luzon, the most populous island of the Philippines. Several died from an overflowing river, while one was killed by a falling tree. Thousands of people were r    3     and relocated, particularly those living in vulnerable (易受攻击的) areas.

Goni, which at one point was one of the most powerful storms ever recorded, had weakened to a tropical storm, according to the national weather agency. It was f    4     to reach Vietnam later with heavy rains, but not damaging winds, thus not     5     (危及) their people.

“Right now, we are busy dealing with the e    6    , including clearing the roads and fallen electricity wires and providing food and supplies,” the official in charge said.

For several days, the water in the village wells rose and fell, rose and fell. There were deep cracks that     1     in the well walls. At least one well had some     2     gas coming out of it. Chickens and even pigs were too     3     to eat, and dogs refused to go inside buildings.

The benefits of a degree are not obvious to people who live on this remote island. Families have a    1     lifestyle, hunting walruses, whales and other sea animals in the spring, and gathering berries in the summer. The largest employer is the school system;     2    , there are only a handful of jobs in fishing, oil and the airlines that connect the island to the mainland. There isn’t much demand for anything else and more than a quarter of adults are     3    .

Today two villages remain with a population of just 1,400. People there are used to the     4    landscape and climate—in the summer, fields of grassy frozen ground     5     from snow-capped mountain ranges to the stony shorelines, but in the winter the sun disappears, there is a lot of snow, and polar bears arrive on ice floes. Leaving the island is not an option, as a ticket on a bush plane costs $400, a week’s earnings for many islanders. The sense of     6    is strong. When a whale is killed, the houses and school empty as everyone races to the beach to take a share of the meat.

In the 1400s and 1500s, Peru was the centre of the powerful ancient Inca Empire. The Inca emperor lived in the     1     Machu Picchu. Spain took control of Peru in the 16th century and ruled until 1821. It is for this reason that Spanish is the main     2     of Peru.

Michael Jordan, known as “Air Jordan”, changed basketball with his graceful moves and jumps. His skills were impressive, but the     3     that he showed made him unique.

Tangshan started to revive itself and     4    . With strong support from the government and the     5     of the city’s people, a new Tangshan was built upon the earthquake ruins.

It’s a tough animal that has to survive in a difficult environment. Also, it cannot walk backwards, so it is always moving forward. This expresses the     1     of the Australians as individuals and as a nation. Baby kangaroos weigh only two grammes at birth. They then     2     their mother’s pouch-a kind of pocket-to stay safe and warm. They sleep and drink milk. . until they are about seven or eight months old.     3    , they go out to try their legs. After they to jump, they gradually spend less time with their mother and learnt to be independent. Kangaroo may look cute, but     4     don’t always end so well. Kangaroos can hit and kick very hard, so please folks, if you see some kangaroos, remember they’re not for petting!

One day my dog Billy was seriously ill. I took him to the pet doctor.     1    (被医生检查了半天）, it was still suffering in terrible conditions. After returning home, I began to take good care of him. But his cough got worse and worse, and gradually he could not eat. I       2    (如此担心他以至于我都觉得我也病了).    3    (沉溺在痛苦中) , I turned on the recorder beside me casually. Soon a beautiful song flowed into my ears gently and slowly. To my amazement, I felt like coming life, so did the dog. It seemed to be cured and got back on its feet. I turned off the music and the dog barked at me shortly after it. I played it again and the dog lay down onto the floor with an enjoyable look.     4    (受到鼓舞) , I let the music stream on. A few days later, with the music on and on, the dog became better and better. Eventually,     5    (徜徉在音乐的世界里), my dog     6    (恢复了健康) .

Wildlife     1     (开始存在) billions of years ago, which used to live happily in their own homes and live     2     (与……和谐相处) other animals and plants. However, in recent years, animals are     3     (灭绝) at an alarming rate, 75 species every day     4     (平均). In order to obtain their parts, organs, or the skin and fur, or to obtain high     5     (利润), human beings ignore animal protection laws, engaging in     6     (违法的) killing. Furthermore, human activities have direct or indirect     7     (消极影响) animals.     8     (一方面), the expansion of human activity space means the decrease of animal habitat, which directly disturbs their peaceful life.     9     (另一方面), human activities lead to the rise of global temperature, which threatens the survival of some animals, especially those species living in the polar regions. They live on ice, where they hunt the ocean creatures. But the rapid melting of ice makes it hard for them to     10     (适应) the changes, which puts them     11     (处于危险之中). If we do not     12     (足够关注) this, the situation will be worse and the process of extinction will be accelerated.

We and wildlife     13     (属于) a common life circle, where we depend on each other. The extinction of     14     (大量) animals is an alarm to us. Protecting animals is to protect ourselves, which is urgent. If we do not act     15     (立刻;马上), perhaps the next species to die out in the near future will be ourselves.