On July 2, 1937. Amelia Earhart (an American pilot) and Fred Noonan left New Guinea for Howland Island in the Pacific. This was the longest and most dangerous part of their t{#blank#}1{#/blank#}around the world. Earhart had trouble soon after the plane took off. The weather was very bad, so she had to f{#blank#}2{#/blank#}at 3,000 metres. Going this high, the plane used fuel (燃料) quickly.

    After about 20 h{#blank#}3{#/blank#}, Earhart and Noonan got close to Howland Island. The island was o{#blank#}4{#/blank#}about 65 miles away, but the bright sun was shining in their faces so they couldn't see it. Near Howland, a ship was w{#blank#}5{#/blank#}for the plane. Earhart contacted the ship: " We don't have enough fuel," she said. The ship tried to stay in touch with her b{#blank#}6{#/blank#}got no answer. Finally, the ship called for help. People looked for help. People looked for Earhart and Noonan for days. However, they found nothing.

    What happened to Amelia Earhart? No one knows for sure. D{#blank#}7{#/blank#}the flight, she probably moved in the wrong direction because the sun was bright and it was d{#blank#}8{#/blank#}to see. So she got lost; soon after, her plane ran out of fuel, and she died at sea. Another idea is that she survived the plane crash, s{#blank#}9{#/blank#}to a lonely island, and later died there. Still others think she survived the crash and secretly returned to the U.S. with a new identity(身份).

    Till now, none of these i{#blank#}10{#/blank#}has been proved. People are still wondering about them. (Noonan's body has never been found either.) No matter what happened, Earhart probably died as she wished. "When I go," she said, "I'd like best to go in my plane."