“I've always had a pretty clear idea of what I want to do.” says Mary, a middle school student who wants to become a director some day. You may not be as sure of your career (职业) as Mary. But you can start thinking about and planning for your future career.

    The following article helps middle school students plan for careers.

    Explore (探索) your interests

    Many middle school students don't yet know what they want to do. But in fact, students may change their minds several times, perhaps even after they enter society. And some of tomorrow's careers might not exist (存在) today. Focusing on just one job in middle school isn't necessary. But looking into the kinds of careers you might like can help you succeed.

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    Understanding what you enjoy and what you're good at is the most important step in exploring careers. If you don't know what you want to do, you should ask yourself what you like to learn about. If you really like science, what do you enjoy about it — the lab work or the research? It's important to think about what you like to do, because work will finally be a big part of your life.

Discover possible careers

    Once you've thought about the subjects and activities you like best, the next step is to look for careers that put those interests to use. If you love sports, for example, you might consider a career as a P.E. teacher or a soccer coach. If you like English, a career as an English teacher, a translator or a travelling guide might be a good choice.

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    After discovering possible jobs, you'll want to learn more about them. Talking directly to workers on the phone, by email, or through online discussion can help you get information about what they do. Even meeting with them in person is helpful. First-hand information is necessary for you to find out if you'll really like a career.

    When we talked about the space, we know the universe means the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars and so on in space. Many of the stars are so far away that we can't see them.

    Through our geography lessons, we know the earth ①goes around the sun, and the moon goes around the earth.

    We have day and night because the earth keeps moving all the time. Just because the moon is closer to the earth than the sun, it looks much bigger than the sun. ②The sun is bright enough to give out very strong light. The moon can't give any light at all, but it looks quite bright, too. Why? In fact, the light from the moon comes from the sun. ③But in fact the stars are much bigger and brighter than the moon.

    ④在宇宙中仍然有许多其他的行星。But of all these planets, only on the earth there are living things. People on the earth have studied the space all the time. They've sent many spaceships into the space many times. On November 3 and 14,2011,Chinese scientists let Shenzhou Ⅷ successfully dock with(对接)the Tiangong Ⅰtwice. This is one of the greatest events in the history of China's space.

    As the proverb says, "Your tongue has the power of life and death." This means that your words have power to finally cause things to happen, even life or death.

    We may all experience the power of words in our life, even when we were very young.

    A child is blamed (责备) by teachers or parents, and after that, he might probably think of himself as a bad child. Most kids have that experience. They say it is important to praise children four times for each negative (负面的) word. Blaming will make things worse, while positive words are helpful especially when being in trouble or in need. When we fail the exam, encouraging words from our teachers or parents make us work harder at our lessons.

    Encouraging words can go quite a long way. They lift people up. For example, encouraging words to someone who is sad can help them make it through the day. Words can have a powerful effect on your brain. And it will in turn (相应地) have a great influence on your action.

Everything you do depends on what you choose to do. It's not your parents, your past relationships or your job, but you and only you that are responsible for every goal you set. If you have dreams in life, write them down and speak them out. Your words are likely to bring you out something amazing.

    People burn coal, gas and oil to get energy But there are problems with these fuels (燃料). (A)________, these fuels cause pollution. Pollution makes the air and water unsafe for humans. Secondly, these fuels will not last forever. One day, we will run out of these fuels.

    Scientists are looking for new kinds of energy. One is heat from the Earth. We know that (B)地球中央非常热. We cannot reach the center of the Earth, but in some places the heat from the Earth's center comes to the surface of the Earth. Perhaps you know about some of these places One place is volcanoes (火山). It is very dangerous to go near an active volcano, (C) _______ we cannot use the energy from this.

    Another kind of heat from the Earth is hot springs (温泉). In these places, hot water comes to the surface of the Earth. If this water is near a town, the hot water can be sent in pipes (管道) directly to people's houses to heat them .In Iceland, this is a common way to heat houses.

    (D)In Australia, scientists are looking for ways to make energy using hot rocks under the surface of the Earth. They want to pump (抽水)water onto the hot rocks .When the water hits the rocks, it makes stream(蒸汽). The steam is piped to power stations where (E) it is used to make electricity. The electricity can then be sent all over the country.

    Food is life; it gives us the nourishment(营养) we need to stay alive and be healthy. Usually, we eat because we are hungry or need energy. Brian Wansink, a professor at the University of Illinois, says we also eat certain foods because they make us feel good, and remind us of happy memories. Wansink calls this kind of food comfort food. For some people, ice cream is a comfort food. For others, a bowl of noodles makes them feel good.

    How does a food became comfort food? Professor Wansink believes that we connect food with important times, feelings, and people in our lives. "When I was a child, my mother made a kind of delicious soup; I loved it. Now, I often eat this kind of soup when I am tired or worried, and it helps me feel better," says one of Wansink's friends.

    Do men and women choose different comfort foods? Wansink's research at the University of Illinois says "yes". In his study, the favourite comfort food for both men and women was ice cream. After this, men usually preferred hot, delicious foods like soup or noodles. Women liked sweet things such as chocolate and candies. Men and women like to eat comfort foods when they are happy, but women eat these foods more when they are sad or worried.