Famous British physicist Stephen Hawking，{#blank#}1{#/blank#} mental genius and physical disability made him a household name and inspiration across the globe, has died at age 76.

    Propelled(推动) to superstar by his 1988 book A Brief History of Time, which became {#blank#}2{#/blank#}unlikely worldwide bestseller, Hawking devoted{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(he) to unlocking the secrets of the Universe. His genius and wit{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(win) over fans from far beyond the world of astrophysics, earning comparisons with Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton.

    Hawking died {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(peaceful) at his home in the British university city of Cambridge in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

    “We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today,” professor Hawking's children said in a statement{#blank#}6{#/blank#} (carry) by Britain's Press Association news agency. “He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live{#blank#}7{#/blank#} for many years.”

    Hawking refused to accept the predictions that he would only live for a few years after developing a form of motor neurone disease in his early {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(twenty). The illness gradually robbed him of mobility{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(leave) him confined to a wheelchair, almost completely paralysed and unable to speak except through his voice synthesiser(合成器).

    “His courage and persistence with his brilliance and{#blank#}10{#/blank#} (humorous) inspired people across the world,” his family said.

Dear professor Gary,

    I'm {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (terrible) sorry for using the mobile phone in your lecture last week.  I admit {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (make) a mistake and I deserve any {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (punish) for being such a rude student. But I didn't use the mobile phone {#blank#}4{#/blank#} design. I was trying to find a part-time job and that day, a company e-mailed me a job offer and I {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (require) to present my further information without any delay. As {#blank#}6{#/blank#} result, I had to try {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (send) them a text message in class. I promise it will never happen {#blank#}8{#/blank#} me again. But I do need my phone with {#blank#}9{#/blank#} I could communicate with others. I would be grateful {#blank#}10{#/blank#} you could give it to me this time.

    Thank you.

Tom

The Creator of Middle Earth

    John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, better known as J. R. R. Tolkien, was born in 1892 in South Africa. His parents had moved there looking for {#blank#}1{#/blank#} better job for his father. Three years {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(late), his mother took him on a trip to England to visit family. While they were away, they received terrible news that his father had died.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(grow) up without a father must have been difficult for Tolkien. Worse still, when he was only twelve years old, his mother also passed away. As a child, he had a great passion for language and in 1908, he went to Oxford University {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(study) languages and literature. In 1915, he joined the army and fought in the battle against the Germans. But soon, he became too ill to fight and returned {#blank#}5{#/blank#} England the following year. He didn't have a {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(satisfy) childhood himself, so around in 1933, he spent much time telling his children fantasy {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(story) of a hobbit (霍比特人) called Bilbo. He first put it in writing in 1936, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} turned out to be a surprising hit. The publisher asked him to write another. He did so and in 1948 published The Lord of the Rings, which {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(publish) in three volumes between 1954 and 1955.

    Tolkien, {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(age) eighty­one, died in 1973.

For much of history, reading was a fairly noisy activity. Today, however, the majority of us bottle the words in our heads as if {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(sit) in a library.

Recent studies provide ample evidence {#blank#}2{#/blank#} the ancient art of reading aloud has a number of benefits, from helping improve our memories {#blank#}3{#/blank#}strengthening emotional bonds between people.

According to a research on the impacts of reading on memory, people consistently remember words and texts {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(well) if reading them aloud than if reading them silently. This phenomenon has been named the "production effect", which means that producing {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(write) words-namely, reading them out loud-improves our memory of them. Even just silently mouthing the words makes {#blank#}6{#/blank#} more memorable.

One reason why people remember the spoken words better is that it gives us {#blank#}7{#/blank#} additional basis for memory. We are {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(general) better at recalling events that require active involvement. For instance, producing a word in {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(respond) to a question makes it easier to remember.

In time when our interactions with others and the large amount of information we take in {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(be) all too transient (转瞬即逝的) , perhaps it is worth making bit more time for reading out loud.