Probably no other musical instrument is as popular as the guitar around the world. Musicians use the guitar for almost all kinds of music. Country and western music would not be the same without a guitar. The traditional Spanish folk music called Flamenco could not exist without a guitar. The sound of American blues music would not be the same without the sad cry of the guitar. And rock and roll music would almost be impossible without this instrument.

    Music experts do not agree about where the guitar was first played. Most agree it is ancient. Some experts say an instrument very much like a guitar was played in Egypt more than 1,000 years ago. Most experts say that the ancestor of the modern guitar was brought to Spain from Persia sometime in the 12^th century. The guitar continued to develop in Spain. In the 1700s it became similar to the instrument we know today.

    Many famous musicians played the instrument. The famous Italian violins Niccole Paganism played and wrote music for the guitar in the early 1800s. Franz Schubert used the guitar to write some of his famous works. In modern times Spanish guitarist Andres Segovia helped make the instrument extremely popular.

    In the 1930s, Les Paul began experimenting to make an electric guitar. He invented the solid-bodied electric guitar in 1946. The Gibson Guitar Company began producing its famous Les Paul Guitar in 1952. It became a powerful influence on popular music. The instrument has the same shape and the same six strings (弦) as the traditional guitar, but it sounds very different. Les Paul produced a series of extremely popular recordings that introduced the public to this music. Listen to this Les Paul recording. It was the fifth most popular song in the United States in 1952. It is called “Meet Mister Callaghan.”

    An American company has built a new drone（无人机）that could improve the speed of deliveries（送交的货）.

    The drone is very different from other unmanned aircraft.It is made almost completely out of cardboard and has no motor.It can be packed with materials and sealed up with tape.

    Because the drones do not have a motor,they are designed to be dropped from airplanes.Hundreds of drones could be sent out at once.Then they could be automatically guided to where they are supposed to go.The company says these drones could then complete deliveries to different places over an area covering hundreds of kilometers. The drones look bigger than the paper airplanes we used to make as kids.But this light flyer is not a toy.It is aerodynamically designed and equipped with a small computer,a battery and sensors to guide it to the ground.

    The drones are being developed by Otherlab—a technology research company in San Francisco,California.It calls the drone a "Sky Machine."

    The company says it can travel about 150 kilometers at speeds up to 88 kilometers an hour.Now,it can carry materials weighing up to one kilogram,but future models are expected to carry larger loads.

    One of the drone's main advantages is that it does not have a heavy motor or large battery.This allows more room for materials and makes the drone cost less to build and operate.

    The Otherlab development team has called its invention the "Ikea of drones".This is because it is packaged similarly to products from the Swedish furniture maker Ikea.The drone arrives as flat pieces of pre-cut cardboard that can be quickly and easily put together.

    The technology that guides the drone can make it land within 10 meters of its target,according to Otherlab. Unlike other drones,even a crash landing is acceptable.The company says the drones can also be reused.

    Once the drone completes its delivery,it can be thrown away and the cardboard material will likely break down within a few months.

    The company has received money from the U.S. Department of Defense to carry out research on the drones.The money came from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.The agency is attempting to find the best delivery vehicles that can disappear after their missions are complete.The U.S. military has a need for delivery drones.But it wants to simplify and lower the cost of using them.Otherlab's Sky Machines are an attempt to fill that need.

    Military drones can also be stolen and studied by others if found after use.Before they can truly disappear,the electronic materials inside must also somehow disappear.Researchers are still working on ways to get the technology itself to self-destruct.

    As Simon Kindleysides, 34, took his first step in the London Marathon in April, he felt as if magic was in the air.

    "As we were walking toward the first mile, we actually started joining all the runners," he said. "Everyone was on the streets, cheering, and that was a magical moment." As time went on, the crowds and other racers spread around. Kindleysides and his team of eight supporters continued walking.

    Kindleysides, who is paralyzed(瘫痪的)from the waist down and typically uses a wheelchair, was equipped with an exoskeleton(体外骨骼)to help him walk. His supporters walked with him to change the batteries in his exoskeleton so he could keep moving.

    In 2013, Kindleysides was diagnosed with a brain tumor (肿瘤) that was growing in a way that pressed on certain nerves, leading to him losing feeling in his legs. He was told he would never walk again. Before his paralysis, the London-based singer and dancer had "always wanted to run a marathon," he said, but he never made the plan to do so--until this year.

    During the London Marathon, the last two miles were the hardest. "At that point, I was exhausted. It was freezing cold, and I was hurting emotionally," Kindleysides said. But he kept going. "I didn't want to let people down. I had a team of eight, and I was raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity," he said. "I didn't want to let them down, myself down, and I thought if I would get this far, I would have to continue."So he continued and made history as the first paralyzed man to complete the London Marathon on foot.

    Then, recovering at home, he shared his accomplishment with his three children. "They used to say I'm the only dad in their whole school who's in a wheelchair, and now they say I'm their dad, the only one who has walked a marathon," he said.

    Kindleysides is training to complete three more marathons next year, including the London Marathon again.

The Museum of Science and Industry

    The Manchester Museum of Science and Industry will give us a more wonderful interpretation of the museum. The 2.8 hectare museum was rebuilt on the site of a huge Victorian warehouse and the world's oldest passenger train station. The number and type of collections are ranked first, and in the power exhibition hall, steam engines used during the Industrial Revolution can still be seen. The display of the railway here is rich and vivid in content. Understanding the history of the Industrial Revolution, the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry is a good choice.

    Power is the central theme of the museum, whether it is a bicycle or a steam engine, not to mention an old car. The history of mankind, as this museum shows, has been constantly running. All human inventions can't be separated from this idea. Life is also about exercise. All the exhibits in the museum are alive. The workers oil and wipe every day. Finally, steam is imported into the machinery to make them run as usual as they did a hundred years ago. Time is also reversed.

    In the power exhibition hall, the steam engine that had been used during the Industrial Revolution was still roaring, and the influence was not reduced. If you want to understand the Industrial Revolution and the role of Manchester in it, you must come and visit it, and you will find answers from the many wonderful exhibitions here.

    The Manchester Museum of Science and Industry completely reproduced the British Industrial Revolution, and ensured that the machines of its scientific and technological inventions operated daily, so that visitors and school children could experience the Industrial Revolution. Therefore, the museum has become an outstanding model for preserving industrial heritage.

    Manchester was known as Cotton Capital, Northern Capital, Second City, and Warehouse City for the Industrial Revolution. The Manchester Museum of Science and Industry is located in the center of Manchester City. It records the cradle (摇篮) of the Industrial Revolution with historical details. Manchester City's history, textiles, energy, communications, aviation, transportation and other industries have risen and fallen with the development of science and technology.

    More information: visit https://www.msichicago.org/

    Address: 150 Deansgate Manchester M3 3EH

    Main traffic: Bus 255 to Manchester City Centre

    Open daily: from 10:00 to 17:00

    Tour tickets: free

    Elephants might be the most well-known and well-loved animal in African wildlife. But conservation (保护) of the African elephant still faces special difficulties. While the elephant population is half of what it was 40 years ago, some areas of Africa have more elephants than populated areas can support. That's why AWF scientists are studying elephant behavior, protecting habitats and finding ways for humans to live peacefully with elephants in Africa.

    Years ago, overhunting and the ivory trade were the biggest threats to elephants' survival. Luckily, ivory bans (禁令), hunting rules and protected areas protect elephants from these dangers today.

    The 21st century brings a different challenge to elephant conservation—land-use. Elephants walk across borders and outside parks and other protected areas. So they often destroy crops, causing conflicts (冲突) between local farmers and these big animals.

    Successful conservation strategies must allow elephants to walk freely in their natural habitats while reducing conflicts between elephants and local people.

    AWF researchers are searching for a way to give both elephants and people the space they need. The AWF is collecting information on elephant habitats and behavior. The information they gather will help to develop the widest possible space for elephants.

    The AWF is helping elephants by protecting their habitats. And they also work with local farmers to improve their life in order to encourage them to protect rather than destroy elephants.

POETRY CHALLENGE

    Write a poem about how courage, determination, and strength have helped you face challenges in your life.

Prizes

    3 Grand Prizes: Trip to Washington, D.C. for each of three winners, a parent and one other person of the winner's choice. Trip includes round-trip air tickets, hotel stay for two nights, and tours of the National Air and Space Museum and the office of National Geographic World.

    6 First Prizes: The book Sky Pioneer:A Photobiography of Amelia Earhart signed by author Corinne Szabo and pilot Linda Finch.

    50 Honorable Mentions:Judges will choose up to 50 honorable mention winners, who will each receive a T-shirt in memory of Earhart's final flight.

Rules

    Follow all rules carefully to prevent disqualification.

    ■Write a poem using 100 words or fewer. Your poem can be any format, any number of lines.

    ■Write by hand or type on a single sheet of paper. You may use both the front and back of the paper.

    ■On the same sheet of paper, write or type your name, address, telephone number, and birth date.

    ■Mail your entry to us by October 31 this year.