I climbed Kilimanjaro with Lava Expeditions (探险队) during the rainy season.

    I flew to Nairobi in Kenya and spent several days there. At my hotel in Nairobi I met the rest of the group with whom I would spend the next week. We all travelled on the bus together for a 6-hour journey into Tanzania and then Arusha, a quiet town.

    After we arrived at our hotel in Arusha, we had dinner and a few drinks. Then we were introduced to more members including Taddeus Minja, the main guide, who was very experienced — climbing Kilimanjaro runs through the generations (代) of his family.

    The next day the Lava Expeditions members checked if we had the correct and enough clothing for our expedition on Kilimanjaro. Only one person needed to bring more clothes.

    After that we set off, walking in the rain through the beauty of the rainforest, all the way to the first camp. I was happy the next few days as the view was so wonderful and changed every day. I suffered a little during the trip and I felt so tired. But the members of Lava Expeditions provided me with lots of encouragement, which was one of the best memories. Finally we reached the top of Kilimanjaro in bright blue skies.

I felt excited about climbing Kilimanjaro and the feeling didn't change during my trip. Lava Expeditions looked after me so well that I was deeply thankful for their help.

    In some science-fiction movies, robots refuse to die no matter how people fight back (反击). Now, it has turned into a fact. For the first time, researchers have created a robot that can take a beating (挨打) and keep on working. Developed by scientists from Cornell University and the University of Vermont, the new robot looks like a spider with four legs.

    Until now, even the most advanced robot was almost certain to break down when damaged. That's because its computer doesn't know how to operate the machine after its shape has been changed.

    To solve this problem, the scientists put some sensors (传感器) into the machine. The sensors can read how the machine is working and send signals to the computer.

    Using this information, the system follows a new way to tell the machine's shape at any given moment. The computer considers a lot of possible next steps, and it calculates how best to move the robot forward the longest possible distance, before trying to move it again.

    The new technology is a major advance in robotics (机器人技术), scientists say. It may someday help researchers create better artificial arms and legs that give new freedom to people who lack them. The new knowledge might also help scientists understand how people and animals tell their own sense of place in space.

     “Designing robots that can fit changing environments has been a difficult problem,” says scientist Olaf Sporns of Indiana University. “This work provides a new way toward solving this important problem.”

    An organization,Eye Care 4 Kids,is bringing much-needed eye care to poor kids.It provides free eye examinations for kids from poor families.Founded by Joseph Carbone in 2001,the organization has helped around 100,000 children in Utah and Nevada.

    Now,Cecil Swyers,a biomedical engineer who was once a poor child himself,is bringing the charity's services to poor students in Arizona,so that vision impairment（视力受损）doesn't stand in the way of their education.

    “Eye Care 4 Kids is bringing eye care and glasses to families that wouldn't have the means to pay for them,” said Mario Ventura from Isaac Elementary School District,the first school district in Arizona to receive its services.

    Good vision is important to a child's learning experience.According to a study,up to 80 percent of learning happens through sight for children between 6 and 18 years old.Without proper eye care,it's difficult for students to learn better and succeed.

    Swyers is hoping that by bringing the organization to Arizona he'll help a lot more students.He teamed up with two other organizations to get doctors to volunteer their time with the group.Using Eye Care 4 Kids mobile clinic,Swyers visited Alta E.Butler Elementary School and has already helped 40 students.

    The school was grateful to receive the eye care,especially since the services came to them.“It's is great for us,” said Assistant Pricipal Cindy Alonso.

    Swyers is hoping to bring Eye Care 4 Kids' services to other schools in the state.He said that hopefully his work will have a positive effect on students' futures.“If we can help students while they're young,we can make a difference in their futures,” he said.

    Michelle Kwan was born on July 7, 1980, in Torrance, California. The daughter of Hong Kong immigrants (移民), Kwan watched her older brother play ice hockey as a kid. She began skating when she was five, and entered and won her first figure skating competition at seven. She won the world title in the 1994 World Championships at the age of 13, and earned a spot as an alternate (候补者) for the 1994 Olympic Games. Kwan went on to capture the world title in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2003.

    At the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998, Kwan was believed to win gold, but ended up with a disappointing silver medal when fellow US skater Tara Lipinski surprisingly took first place. Shortly before the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in 2002, Kwan, who was then the reigning world champ, surprisingly fired both her choreographer (编舞者), Lori Nichol, and longtime coach, Frank Carroll. Once again, she failed to get the gold medal when she finished third behind Irina Slutskaya of Russia and US skater Sarah Hughes, who took first.

    As a student at the University of California at Los Angeles, Kwan has continued to compete since her defeat (战败) in Salt Lake City. In February 2006, she was unable to take part in the Olympic Games in Torino, Italy because of a serious injury. Though Michelle Kwan did not compete during the 2006－2007 figure skating season, she has turned down an offer to work for NBC Sports and says she is not retiring.

    A famous doctor once received a little child who was badly ill. Thanks to his skill and care, his young patient got well and was soon able to get up and run about again.

    The child's mother was very much obliged to the doctor, and she called on him to thank him for what he had done for her child. "Doctor," she said, "you have saved my little son. I don't know how to thank you enough. I feel that money alone cannot repay you, so I have made this little purse with my own hands, as a sign of my gratitude. I hope you will accept it." The doctor stood up and said coldly, "Madam, a little present like that is very nice between friends, but a doctor needs to be paid properly for what he has done." The lady was so surprised and hurt so much that she could not reply for a moment. Then she said quietly, "Perhaps you will tell me how much your fee is?"

    "Fifty pounds", he answered.

    The lady opened the little purse and took out four fifty-pound bank notes. She handed one of them to the doctor, and put the other three back into the purse. She put the purse into her handbag and, saying good bye to the doctor, went out of the room.