选择知识点

Satellites are an important part of our ordinary lives.For example, the information for weather forecasts is sent by satellite.Some satellites have cameras which take photographs of the Earth to show how clouds are moving.Satellites are also used to connect our international phone calls.

　　Computer connections of the World Wide Web and Internet also use satellites. Many of our TV programs come to US through satellites.Airplane pilots also sometimes use a satellite to help them find their exact location.

　　We use satellites to send television pictures from one part of the world to another.They are usually 35，880 kilometers above the equator.Sometimes we can see a satellite in the sky and it seems to stay in the same place.This is because it is moving around the world at 11，000 kilometers an hour—exactly the same speed that the earth rotates.A satellite must orbit the Earth with its antennae(天线)facing the earth.Sometimes, it moves away from its orbit，So there are little rockets on it which are used to put the satellite back in the right position.This usually happens about every five or six days.

　　Space is not empty! Every week, more and more satellites are sent into space to orbit the Earth.A satellite usually works for about 10-12 years.Satellites which are broken are sometimes repaired by astronauts or sometimes brought back to Earth to be repaired.Often，very old or broken satellites are left in space to orbit the Earth for a very long time.This is very serious because some satellites use nuclear power and they can crash into each other.

B

While there are many ways to offer help to people in need, being part of the solution can seem useful. There are many millions of starving children around the world. How can a single person who isn’t a billionaire have an impact? Where do you start? Start with one small act. 

When Hilde Back was a schoolteacher in Sweden, she decided to sponsor one child’s education in Kenya. Hilde’s sponsorship of Chris cost about $15 per month. Most poor children in Kenya cannot afford to pay secondary school tuition. Unfortunately, without an education, an extremely difficult and poor life is practically guaranteed. Thanks to Hilde’s generosity, Chris avoided that fate.

Chris graduated from high school, went to University of Nairobi and then attended Harvard Law School. He became a U.N. Human Rights Advocate, and he started a charity. He got the name of his anonymous (匿名的) sponsor through the Swedish embassy and named his nonprofit organization the Hilde Back Education Fund (HBEF) after the sponsor he never met. 

HBEF pays tuition for poor students in Kenya. Since the charity’s start, 350 children have been supported. Three hundred and fifty lives have been changed directly so far. That doesn’t even include the impact on their families. And who knows how many of these students will be inspired, as Chris was, to give back.

When talking about why he started HBEF to educate poor children, he said, “I think I want to see a world in which children have equal opportunity and are not robbed of their future by poverty, like so many of my friends in the village were.”

It’s interesting that the only reason why Hilde Back was even alive to support Chris was because of a stranger’s kindness. This is a reminder that we can all make a difference, and you never know what a big impact a small act of kindness can have.

  Have you ever been to the following places？If not，try to find a chance to visit them．

  Fez，Morocco

  Fez，about 240 miles northeast from Marrakesh，a wonderful scene is taking root slowly．It started with immigrants building castles，and continues as hotels and restaurants．The biggest news is that the Hotel Sahrai is completed with a bar and 50 rooms，many overlooking a pool．

  Catskills，New York

  The region that welcomed Jewish families in the 50s，hippies in the 60s，and soon，casino gamblers(赌博者)．

  Many stylish B&Bs have opened．Among them are the Hotel Dylan in Woodstock，the Arnold House in Livingston Manor，with its bar and diminutive spa(水疗中心)．So now is the time to enjoy fly-fishing，hiking and other peaceful experiences．

  Rotterdam，Netherlands

  The constantly unfolding city center in Rotterdam has become one amazing explosion of style，which surprised the tourists greatly．The latest attraction，and reason enough to visit，is the MVRDV-designed Markthal，an igloo(圆顶冰屋)-like horseshoe that houses 20 shops，nine restaurants，and 228 apartments．It also happens to be Holland's largest artwork．

  Chengdu，China

  Famous for its 1.600 pandas，most of which still live in the wild．Chengdu has introduced a 72-hour no-visa policy that makes it easier for Americans to drop in on one of the city's three major，panda research facilities．But it's worth sticking around longer to experience what's doing in Chengdu，a city on the rise．One of the shiniest attractions is New Century Global Centre，the world's largest bullding，complete with an artificial beach．

Peter loved to shop used articles. Almost a month ago, he bought popular word game that used little pieces of wood with different letters on them. As he was purchasing it, the salesgirl said, “Uh, look, the game box hasn’t even been opened yet. That might be worth some money. ”

Peter examined the box, and, sure enough, it was completely covered in factory-sealed plastic. And he saw a date of 1973 on the back of the box.

“You should put that up for auction (拍卖) on the Internet, and see what happens. ” the salesgirl said.

“Yes, you’re right. People like something rare.” Peter agreed, “I can’t imagine there being very many unopened boxes of this game still around 40 years later.”

“Don’t forget to tell me if you sell it.” the salesgirl smiled.

“No problem.” Peter said.

After he got home, Peter went online to several auction websites looking for his game. But he couldn’t find it. Then he typed in the name of the word game and hit Search. The search result was 543 websites containing information about the changes of the game. Over the years, the game had been produced using letters in different sizes and game boards in different colors. He also found some lists of game fans looking for various versions of the game. Peter emailed some of them, telling them what he had.

Two weeks later, Peter went back to the shop.

“Hello. Do you still remember the unopened word game?”

The salesgirl looked at him for a second, then recognized him and said, “Oh, hi!”

“I’ve got something for you,” Peter said. “I sold the game and made $1,000. Thank you for your suggestion.” He handed her three $ 100 bills.

“Wow!” the salesgirl cried out. “Thank you, I never expected it.”

I have a love/hate relationship with Halloween.Firstly, the costume hunting is tiring. When my daughter was 2 years old, she wanted to be Terri and Terry. Terri and Terry is the two-headed monster from MonstersUniversity. I searched everywhere for the consume for a week. Finally I convinced her to go as Mike Wazowski.

The costume hunting is also terrifying. This year, I brought my kids into an actual Halloween store to buy their costumes. I felt like we had stepped into a horror movie. My poor 4-year-old daughter stood still suddenly. I was not sure whether it was the mechanical witch talking to her when she walked through the door, or possibly the bleeding gore（血块）hanging from the walls. I finally had to ask the salesgirl to turn off every special effect and sound to get her out of the door. That night, I lost some sleep with frightened screams coming from her room.

Sometimes, the costume malfunctions（出故障）. When my daughter was 3 years old, she wanted to be Rapunzel. We both thought her costume was incredibly attractive… until she tripped and fell going up the stairs to each house. That day, while I was handing out candies, our door was thrown open and in walked my daughter. She was sobbing with lots of safety pins（饰针）holding up her dress and long hair.

What’s worse, the kids want to eat ALL of their candy. Every year, after Halloween is over, my kids want to dig into their candy. From the moment they wake up, they want candy. I try to explain that this is their one candy for the day and that once it’s gone, they won’t get another until the next day. Although they say they understand, sure enough by the evening they are trying to explain that they don’t like that one they have had earlier, and they desperately need another. It’s a constant battle.

    A

Jess really felt very happy. When he arrived at his seat in the classroom that morning, he found an invitation on his desk. It was from several of his classmates asking him to join them on a camping trip. This was the first time he was asked to join in an out-of-school activity. Why were they asking him now? Nobody seemed to like him. In fact，he had been so lonely that he drowned his feeling with food. As a result，he had gained a lot of weight，and this gave the kids something more to make fun of him.

Cindy, who was standing near Jess when he read the invitation, went out quickly to tell the others that the trick（恶作剧）had worked. Everyone was pleased that Jess thought that was true. But there was no camping trip. The whole thing was made up.At first, Cindy thought it was fun. But later, when Jess told her that he was going to buy a sleeping bag with his savings（积蓄）, Cindy had a second idea. She knew that Jess’s family had little money, and she hated to see him spend his savings on something he would never use. Cindy also hated to tell Jess the truth. Her close friends would be angry with her. What could she do now?

A couple of weeks ago, my friend had a yard sale, and she offered to sell some of our stuff for us. I thought it would be a good opportunity to clean my 7-year-old son’s room and get rid of some toys that he had long outgrown. We agreed that whatever we sold in toys would be his money.

     The night before the sale, we loaded up the truck with toys and a little bike that he was now too tall for. He took the bike for a final ride but happily put it on the truck for the sale. This little bike had had at least 2 previous owners that we knew of. It was not in the best shape and it certainly was not shiny new but it was still a bike, and the tires were still good.

     We put a price of $10 on it but it didn’t sell. So, when the sale was almost over, my friend put it on the sidewalk with a sign that said “FREE BIKE”. Within five minutes a little boy was standing there. His English was not very good but he asked if the sign was right. My friend said yes and said that he could have it for nothing. He smiled, jumped on the bike and rode away.

     Later that evening when I told my son how much money he had made at the yard sale, he was very excited. Tomorrow we were going to take the money to the bank. He asked about a few of his things, wondering if they sold. When he asked about the bike, I told him about the little lucky boy who got the bike for free. The smile on my son’s face was truly priceless, much more than when I told him how much he had made. He was so thrilled to hear that someone else would get good use of that little bike.

     The bike was given to us, so in this way, I guess we got to return the favor!

Open a large handkerchief out and show both sides of it to your friends. Point out that there is nothing in it; then show them both sides of your hands, which are also empty. Now ask a member of your audience to give you a match. Ask him to put a mark on it with a pen or a pencil. Fold up the handkerchief with the match in it, and let everyone present see you do this.

   Give the handkerchief to anyone in the audience and say: “Here’s the match. Can you feel it? Good! Now I want you to break it into two pieces.” When he or she has broken the match, you say “Would anyone like to feel the broken match in this handkerchief?” Several people will probably want to feel it. When they have satisfied themselves that the match really is broken, you say, “Now I’m going to make the match whole again.” Perhaps your friends will say that that is impossible.

Hold the handkerchief in one hand and pass your hand or your wand（magic stick）over it, saying: “Abracadabra, abracadabra.” Open the handkerchief and let the match fall onto the table or floor, saying “Presto” as it does so. When the audience examine the match, they will find that it is quite whole and undamaged. The member of the audience will see his mark on the match. Everyone will be amazed!

   The secret of this trick is quite simple, as in all magic tricks. Long before you do the trick you must do one thing---you must push one of your own matches into the hem（摺边）of the handkerchief. This must be pushed well along the hem so that it cannot fall out or be seen. When you have wrapped up the match provided by a member of the audience you must take care that it is the match in the hem which is broken, and not the other. You should practice the trick in private, of course, before you perform it before an audience.