Last year, I was on a plane with my friend, waiting for it to take off. The pilot's voice was heard throughout the plane: “Sorry for the delay, ladies and gentlemen. Our engines don't work. We are going to jump-start them. Once we get them going, we'll get up in the air and see what happens.”

    That was all he said. “See what happens? Shouldn't we have had a better plan than that?” At that point, I could only laugh nervously. One woman started crying: “Oh, no! We are going to crash!” There are sighs of desperation and anxiety, and we hadn't even taken off yet.

    The pilot even seemed unhappy. He told us one engine was working double time, and his plan was to get up in the air and see what happens! Then we did. We got up in the air, and what happened? Nothing. We arrived in Norfolk, and no sooner had the wheels touched down than applause burst out as everyone on the airplane breathed a sigh of relief.

    All too often, people stop achieving their goals just because they don't have a guaranteed result. But success will never be guaranteed. The best thing that you can do is to just get up in the air, and see what happens.

    If your aim is to build a business, then get up in the air and see what happens! Don't give yourself all the reasons why you can't. Do not wait until you have everything you need. You never will.

    If your goal is to start a friendship, say “Hello”, get up in the air and see what happens! The results could be very rewarding. If your goal is to learn a new skill, get up in the air and see what happens! It might not be as difficult as you think. It could be fun!

    Tornadoes are nature's most violent storms, which can cause deaths and destroy a neighborhood in seconds. A tornado appears as a funnel-shaped (漏斗状) cloud from a thunderstorm to the ground with whirling (飞快移动) winds that can reach 300 miles per hour. Damage paths can be over one mile wide and 50 miles long. Every state is at some risk from this disaster.

    Some tornadoes can be seen clearly, while rain or nearby low-hanging clouds obscure others. At many times, tornadoes develop so rapidly that little, if any, advance warning is possible.

    Before a tornado hits, the air may become very still. A cloud of debris (散片) can mark the location of a tornado even if a funnel can not be seen. Tornadoes generally occur near the edge of a thunderstorm, when the strong wind may die down. It is not uncommon to see clear, sunlit skies behind a tornado.

The following are facts about tornadoes:

    The average forward speed of a tornado is 30 MPH, but may also vary from still to 70 MPH. Debris is picked up or a cloud forms in the funnel.

    The average tornado moves from southwest to northeast, but tornadoes have been known to move in any direction. Tornadoes are most often reported east of the Rocky Mountains during spring and summer months.

    Tornadoes can happen together with tropical storms and hurricanes as they move onto land. Waterspouts are tornadoes that form over water.

    The tornado season in the southern states of America is March through May; in the northern states, it is late spring through early summer. Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m., but can occur at any time.

    Soda is refreshing and delicious, but it is not part of a healthy, balanced diet. Most sodas are packed with sugar. In fact, a can of soda can be hiding up to 10 teaspoons of sugar! The sugar does make soft drinks delicious, but definitely not nutritious. Too much sugar in a person's diet can lead to diabetes (糖尿病), heart disease, and tooth problems. One of the biggest sugary soda problems is that drinking much can lead to weight gain and even obesity.

    There are diet options available for almost every kind of pop (汽水), which means that you don't have to drink all that sugar in order to enjoy a can of soda. Many studies have been done on whether or not aspartame (甜味剂), the sugar substitute in diet soda, is bad for you. Up to now, there are still conflicting opinions on this issue. The European Food Safety Authority recently concluded that aspartame is safe for most people, even in fairly large amounts. Aspartame still might not be good for you, though. Studies have shown that people who drink diet sodas may actually gain more weight than those who drink regular soda, perhaps because, strangely enough, drinks loaded with fake sugar may actually make you want to eat more.

    Maybe you've decided it's time to cut down on your soda drinking, but what should you drink instead? Water is absolutely the healthiest thing that you can drink. Your body needs water to stay hydrated (水合物) and function properly, and water contains no calories or fat. Drinking fruit juice occasionally is not a bad thing, but you should be careful what juice and how much juice you're drinking. Fruit juices can contain almost as much sugar as pop!

    As with most things to do with your health, moderation is really at the base of any healthy diet. You can totally drink soda, even the sugary kind just, make sure you're not drinking too much!

    The arts, especially music, should be part of every school's lessons at every grade level. Students would be much smarter if they had some musical experience. They could improve their classroom skills, like paying attention and following directions. People develop all these skills when they learn music. Making music also lets children use their imagination. It provides students with a chance to try out their own ideas.

    Music not only makes children better students, but also gives them something positive to do. In a music program, children can be part of a band instead of joining a gang (团伙). Parents can enjoy listening to their children's music instead of seeing them glued to a computer or TV screen. In a school band, students get to be part of a team. They can get along well with old friends and make new friends through music.

    Music builds self-confidence, too. It gives children a sense of achievement and success. Making music is something for them to be proud of, and it lets kids practice performing in front of an audience. Music gives children an opportunity for self-expression, and that helps develop their self-confidence.

    Once again, music is important because it can make children better students, give them something positive to do, and build their character. That is why music should be offered in every single grade in every school.

    All across the nation, in Americans' backyards and garages and living rooms, wild animals kept as pets live side by side with their human owners. It's believed that more exotic animals live in American homes than are cared for in American zoos. The exotic-pet business has drawn criticism from animal welfare advocates and wildlife conservationists alike, who say it's not only dangerous to bring wildlife into households but it's cruel and criminal. Yet the issue is far from black or white.

    The term exotic pet has no firm definition. It can refer to any wildlife kept in human households or simply to a pet that's more unusual than the common dog or cat. Privately owning exotic animals is currently permitted in a handful of states with no restrictions in America. Adam Roberts of Born Free USA keeps a running database of deaths and injuries caused by exotic-pet ownership: In Connecticut a 55-year-old woman's face was permanently disfigured by her friend's lifelong pet monkey; in Ohio an 80-year-old man was attacked by a 200-pound kangaroo；in Nebraska a 34-year-old man was strangled(勒) to death by his pet snake. And that list does not include the number of people who become sick from coming into contact with zoonotic(动物传染的) diseases.

    Some people see wild animals as pets as a way to connect with the natural world. Other exotic-pet owners say they are motivated by a desire to preserve threatened species. They believe climate change and human population growth could wipe out a species in record time, so having a backup population is a good idea.

    But some groups like Born Free USA and the World Wildlife Fund say that captive breeding(圈养) of endangered species by private owners—whether for commercial, conservation, or educational reasons—serves only to continue a booming market for exotic animals. That, in turn, results in a greater risk to animals still living in their natural habitat.

China is known as the home of tea.It is said that Shennong discovered tea around 2700 BCE.At first,tea leaves {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(chew).During the Tang Dynasty,{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(advance) were made in the processing of tea.The leaves were steamed,oxidized(氧化) and pounded into the cake form.This made tea easier {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(transport) and more pleasing to the tongue. 

The earliest batch(批次) of tea is often ready to be picked before Qingming.This precious small output of tea,widely {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(seek) after for its outstanding quality,is called Mingqian tea.The seasonal tea is known {#blank#}5{#/blank#} its tender leaves and fresh flavor.They have {#blank#}6{#/blank#} better favor than theater batches which can be grown overnight. 

East China's Zhejiang Province is acknowledged as a major producer of tea.In spring,local hillsides {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(fill) with tea workers sowing seeds on their land.In the peak seasons,many tourists flood to witness the beautiful scenery of tea farms for {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(they),while enjoying a cup of tea. 

There are many ways you can experience tea culture in China.You can visit a tea plantation in Hangzhou or elsewhere to learn {#blank#}9{#/blank#} tea is grown and harvested.You can sit inside a {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(tradition) teahouse and take in the classical atmosphere as you drink tea.