Bemidji high school senior Jaxon Anderson is     1    awkward teenager who wants to be everyone’s hero. When he puts on the mask, however, Anderson becomes the amazing Spider-Man.

“I     2     (struggle) for senior photos for months and I believe this would make me stand out among my classmates and help me be myself,” Anderson said. “I love superheroes. I guess I’m just really cool     3     that way.”

Spiderman’s pictures are just the     4     (late) in a trend that some people are calling “extreme senior portraits”. “Everyone wants to do something outside of the box,” said Megan Engeseth of Megan Engeseth Photography, a studio     5     is known for its creative senior portraits. “It’s a     6     (total) different thing even from five years ago.”

High school seniors no longer want to graduate with a regular yearbook picture.     7     most still take a traditional headshot (头像) for Mom and Dad, they want the rest of their photos to reflect their true     8     (personal). And they want the photo shoot experience     9    (make) them feel like a famous person – or superhero – for a day.

The goal for many seniors — especially the girls — is to end up with an     10     (impress) set of pictures to be shared and liked on social media. With millions of pictures on the Internet, the bar (门槛) is high.

As children, my brothers and I constantly annoyed our mother. When we combined forces, we had the power to make that sweet, loving woman go mad.

One day, I arrived home from school feeling overheated, exhausted, and angry with my brothers for being kicked out of the car and walking home alone. Taking a few steps inside, I dropped my books and realized the house was a little too quiet. Looking around, my anger turned to weariness, and suddenly I felt a fierce stream of water glide across my shirt. Before I realized what happened, another blasted me directly in the face. I dove behind the couch as I heard my brothers yell, “Water fight!”

Running to the other side of the room where my own water gun was hidden beneath a loose floorboard, loaded and ready to go, I grabbed it and congratulated myself on being prepared in advance.

Instantly, my anger with my brothers disappeared, and I eagerly joined in the water spraying. We didn’t stop until we were nearly wet all over and out of water. Calling a truce, we decided to team up and take on a larger, more dangerous enemy. While taking turns reloading our weaponry, we hatched our plan.

Our mother was outside watering the garden, totally unaware of the danger approaching her from behind. We silently counted to three and began showering her with water. She turned around and stood still as we finished the last of our supply. Only when she thought our guns were empty did she dare to speak a word. However, when she began to lecture us, a water ‘bullet’ shot from my gun, smacking(猛击) her right eye, and she lost her temper.

We ran to the living room with our mother close behind and barely reached the door in time to shut her out. She began pounding on it and shouting at us to let her in, but we had no idea that this was all an act. She actually had her own plan.

She decided to hatch her own plan.

When we left the door open for too long, she took action.

7 . Morgan’s Wonderland, located in San Antonio, Texas, is a theme park intended mainly for mentally or physically disabled children. The park was built by a man called Gordon Hartman, a former real estate developer(房地产开发商).     1    

Completely wheelchair-accessible, the park is home to a variety of thrilling rides.     2     The adapted rides include the Off-Road Adventure, where guests can test their driving skills in sporty vehicles.

Moreover, each visitor is offered the option to wear a GPS Adventure Band, which allows them to keep track of each other while in the park.     3     For example, when the riders scan the band at the Off-Road Adventure, a photo will be taken and sent to their email.

In June 2017, Morgan’s Wonderland celebrated the opening of Morgan’s Inspiration Island.     4     The wheelchair guests can transfer out of their chairs into unique, waterproof chairs and enjoy the splash park without risking damage to their personal wheelchairs.

    5     Besides, fees for the general public are set at a much discounted price so that people of all ages and abilities can come together and play in a fun and safe environment.

8 . The prickly pear cactus (仙人掌) is such a powerful symbol in Mexico that it occupies a prime spot on Mexico’s national flag. The plant was considered sacred(神圣的) by the ancient Aztecs, and modern-day Mexicans eat it, drink it, and even use it in medicines and shampoos. Now scientists have come up with a new use for the bright green plant: producing renewable energy.

Known locally as nopal, the prickly pear is farmed on a massive scale in Mexico. Over the years, only the edible(可食用的) soft inner flesh has been used. The cactus’s thick outer layer (i.e., husk), with all those spines(刺), had always been viewed as a waste product until researchers developed a biogas generator to turn the husks into electricity.

The pilot project(试点项目) devoted to developing the cactus biogas generator began in the south of Mexico City. The area produces 200,000 tons a year of prickly pear cactus—up to 10 tons of which ends up as waste on the floor of the cactus market each day. Then, a local green energy startup company got the idea to turn that waste into energy. The generator is now in place at the cactus market, where the vendors(商贩们) are enthusiastic about this new way to make use of the tons of cactus husks that once went directly into the trash.

The prickly pear has a number of advantages over other biofuel crops, such as wheat, sugarcane(甘蔗), and soybeans(大豆). For one thing, only the husk of the cactus is used for generating biofuel, while its inner flesh is still preserved for food. Therefore, using the plant as a fuel source will not put pressure on food prices.

Moreover, the cactus requires minimum water, and thus is not grown on traditional agricultural lands. This means that no increased competition arises for the water or land presently used for food production.

The project in Mexico City has brought new hope to reducing the use of fossil fuels. If it can be expanded, the prickly pear could be the key to Mexico’s energy future.