On Nov.18th,1908, three men went up in a balloon. They started early in London. The headman was Augusta Gaudron, and the other two men were Tannar and Maitland. They had a big balloon and they were ready for a long way.

    Soon they heard the sea. They were carrying the usual rope, and it was hanging down from the basket of the balloon. At the end of the rope they had tied a metal box. This could hold water, or it could be empty. So they were able to change its weight. It was for use over the sea. They were also carrying some bags of sand.

    After the sun rose, the balloon went higher. It went up to 3,000 metres, and the air was very cold. The water in the balloon became ice. Snow fell past the men's basket, and they could see more snow on the ground. The men tried to throw out some more sand; but it was hard. They tried to break the icy sand with their knives, but it was not easy. The work was slow and they were still falling, so they had to drop some whole bags of sand. One of them fell on an icy lake and made a black hole in the ice.

    At last they pulled the box into the basket. It was still snowing; so they climbed to get away from the snow. They rose to 5,100 metres! Everything became icy. They were so cold that they decided to land. They came down in Poland heavily but safely. They had travelled 1,797 kilometers from London!

    It's true that many dads in the wild aren't interested in parenting, but there are some that work pretty hard to give their little ones a good start. Maybe one of these dads will make you remember your own dad!

    The male giant water bug doesn't seem to mind a heavy load on his back for his kids. The female puts about 100 to 150 eggs on the back of the male, and then she leaves. Once the female is gone, the male has to look after the eggs. It usually takes one to two weeks for the eggs to hatch. The father giant water bug jumps around to make sure the growing eggs get enough air and water. All this time he can't fly because of the weight of the eggs growing rapidly on his back.

    Now let's turn to the male stickleback fish. When the mother leaves after laying her eggs, the father tends his young. If the young fish go too far away, their father helps with their safe return by carrying them back in his mouth. The male stickleback looks after all his young — as many as 100 — until they can live on their own.

    A similar example can be found in emperor penguins living in cold areas. The male emperor penguin goes without food while looking after his egg until it hatches. For about 62 to 67 days, the egg stays on top of the father's feet, in very cold temperatures that drop down to -39° C. As a result, the father may lose nearly 50 percent of his body weight while waiting for his baby penguin to be born!

    You may be familiar with the following famous people, but have you heard of their graduation speeches, in which they either share their unforgotten experiences or give you some great inspiration(启迪).

    Michael Dell, University of Texas at Austin

    And now you've accomplished something great and important here, and it's time for you to move on to what's next. And you must not let anything prevent you from taking those first steps. ... You must also commit to the adventure. Just have faith in the skills and the knowledge you've been blessed (赐予)with and go.

    J.K. Rowling, Harvard University

    Half my lifetime ago ,I was striking an uneasy balance between my ambition and the expectation from my parents who were not rich...But what I feared most for myself at your age was not poverty(贫穷), but failure. The fact that you are graduating from Harvard suggests that you know little about failure, you might be driven by a fear of failure quite as much as a desire for success.

    Steve Jobs, Stanford University

    Sometimes life's going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith...Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work, and the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking, and don't settle.

    Bill Gates, Harvard University

    We need as many people as possible to have access to the advanced technology to lead to a revolution in what human beings can do for one another. They are making it possible not just for national governments, but for universities ,smaller organizations, and even individuals to see problems, see approaches and deal with the world's inequities（不公平）like hunger, poverty, and so on.

    If all the food that's thrown away in three American cities could be saved, it would provide 68 million meals for people who don't have enough to eat, according to a recent study.

    The researchers found that, in the cities they surveyed（调查）, more than a kilogram of edible food per person is wasted each week. Edible food is food you can eat. It doesn't include things like apple cores（果核）, egg shells, or bones from meat. Fruits and vegetables were the most common edible foods found in the dustbin, followed by food leftover from meals. Eggs, bread and milk were also commonly thrown out.

    The people taking part in the survey gave several reasons for throwing edible food away. Most said the food went off. Some said they weren't interested in eating leftovers. A few said the food had passed the “Best Before” date printed on the label（标签）. When food is wasted—by families, restaurants or grocery stores—we are also wasting all of the resources that go into producing that food. That means we are wasting water, land, energy and labour, as well as the fuel needed to transport food.

    A lot of food is wasted before it even reaches the grocery store（食品杂货商）. Some food is damaged while it is being transported from the farm to the stores. Fruits and vegetables that don't look attractive enough don't even get put onto the shelves because most people won't buy them. Grocery stores, restaurants and hospitals also waste a large amount of food. The researchers suggest that grocery stores should donate any food that is still okay to eat to homeless shelters, instead of throwing it away. Prepared meals from hospitals or restaurants could also be donated to shelters.

    No one can deny that buttons are an important clothing device. But, can they rise to the level of art? Organizers of an exhibit in New York City think so.

    Peter Souleo Wright organized “The Button Show” at Rush Arts Gallery in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. Eleven artists used the small, ordinary objects to create sculptures, portraits and wearable art. Some of the works are political, some are personal and others are just fun.

    Wright said each artist reimagines and repurposes the buttons to make art. “What I tried to do with this show,” he said, “was to look at artists who were promoting that level of craft.”

    He said he wanted the button art to be comparable to a painting “because of the amount of detail and precision in the work.”

    Artist Beau McCall produced “A Harlem Hangover”. It looks like a wine bottle that fell over on a table. A stream of connected red buttons hand over the side, like wine flowing down. Similar red button form a small pool on the floor.

    McCall layers buttons of different shapes and sizes to create the bottle. The stitching that holds them together is also part of the artistic design.

    For San Francisco-based artist Lisa Kokin, buttons are highly personal. After her father died in 2001, she created a portrait of him using only buttons. That memorial to her father led to other button portraits, including those of activists Rosa Parks and Cesar Chavez.

    Others use buttons for details. Artist Amalia Amaki of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, placed them on and around old photographs. Los Angeles artist Camilla Taylor attached buttons to three large sculptures that look like headless animals with long, narrow legs.

    “The Button Show” ends at March 12. The Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation paid for the exhibition. The foundation was created in 1995 by the Simmons brothers: artist Danny, hip-hop producer Russell and rapper Rev. Run. The foundation seeks to bring the arts to urban youth and to provide support for new artists.

    Some students prefer a part-time job after class to earn some money and improve themselves. Here are some good companies:

    IN-N-Out Burger

    It is the best hamburger shop in the west of America. Regarded as one of the best employers, it offers flexible hours and the highest part-time salaries. Above all, the company treats its employees the way they would like to be treated: like family. However, there is no discount offered to its employees.

    Position: selling assistant (experience required)

    Website: in-n-out.cm

    Starbucks Coffee

    Starbucks has been at the forefront (前沿) of the United States' coffee revolution. Working hours are flexible. Fit twenty hours of work into your week. There is also a 30% discount and a free pound of coffee or box of tea every week.

    Position: assistant coffee taster (experience required)

    Website: starbucks.com

    Whole Foods Market

    Whole Foods Market is the world's largest natural and organic food selling company. With its focus on organic ingredients, Whole Foods Market is all about health. Working hours are free. Benefits include paid-time off and a 20% discount so you can eat like a king or at least like a top chef in training. There are also training courses on health and food every week.

    Position: secretary

    Website: wwholefoodsmarket.com.

    Lands' End

    Lands' End is a Wisconsin-based clothes store that focuses on casual comfort and warmth for the great outdoors. Employees (even part-time employees) have the chance to go to a company-owned entertainment center and get a 25% discount on theme parks and movies, and an invitation to the yearly company picnic. Besides, for part-time employees, they can come to work anytime they like as long as they work for 4 hours a day.

    Position: salesperson

    Website:landsend.com