Is it your dream to fly and to work in space? Do you want to be a NASA astronaut? Like many jobs, the first thing would be to fill out the application. A record-breaking 18,300 people filled out applications recently when NASA announced it was filling its 2017 Astronaut Candidate Programme, but out of those 18,300 applicants, just 8 to 14 will be hired by the US space agency.

    It will take NASA 18 months to decide who will be in the new class of astronauts. NASA will review all of the files, which will later go to its current team of astronauts, to make sure they meet the basic qualifications.

    The first requirement is that the applicants must be the US citizens. They need a college degree in engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science, or mathematics. They also need at least three years of experience in a similar field or at least 1,000 hours as a jet airline pilot.

    There are requirements to pass a physical test. And then there are personality tests as well. What kinds of personality qualities is NASA looking for in an astronaut? NASA's Selection Manager Anne Romer said, "I think leadership, teamwork, the ability to not only work on a team, lead a team, but also follow, be a follower on a team matter. Communication certainly plays a role, so it's some pretty common skills that I think translate into even other professions."

    About 120 applicants will be invited to the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas, for a first round of interviews, about half of whom will go back for a second round. Once selected, they must complete two years of training in everything about spaceflight—things like learning about all the systems used by NASA, walking in space and Russian language training. Until the US has a working vehicle to launch into space, NASA still depends on Russia to get astronauts into space.

    When was the last time someone unexpectedly did something nice for you? Not someone you knew, but a total stranger? It's happened to me a few times, but two instances really stand out.

    A few years ago, I was dining in a restaurant with a friend who kept talking about himself, completely not aware of the fact that I was sitting there in misery. It wasn't my friend's talks that made me suffer. I was recovering from a broken heart, and just sitting down to dinner reminded me of my last relationship. I could have burst into tears right there at the table.

    When we picked up the check, the waitress said, "Your meal was already paid for." My friend and I didn't have a clue how it happened.  Then I remembered a man I saw out of the corner of my eye. He was dressed in mostly white, sat down at the bar, had a beer, and stayed for maybe ten minutes. The waitress said, "Yes, the gentleman in white paid for you." It felt like an angel was saying, "I see you, honey. It's going to be okay."

    Just last year, I was running a half-marathon. With just one mile to go, I was out of gas. Runners call it "hitting the wall". I thought I couldn't move another inch. Out of nowhere, a stranger came up to me and said, "What's your name, sweetie? Jennifer? Okay, Jennifer, let's go! Come on! It's just around the corner! You can do it!" And he ran with me until I picked up my pace. I found him at the finish line to thank him for the encouragement only to learn he wasn't even supposed to be in the race that day.

    I still shake my head when I think of these momentary angels that came to me at my point of need. Do you have any experiences like these?

    After many years on the endangered list of animals, Japan's Amami wild black rabbit can finally breathe a sigh of relief—that's because this year, the rare animal is no longer in danger of dying out!

    The effort to save the dark-furred rabbit, often called "a living fossil", began in 1921, when the Japanese government promoted it to the status of "natural monument". This meant that it could not be hunted down for food. However, when that did not work, it got yet another promotion to "special natural monument", which meant that the rabbit could not be trapped or hunted.

    While that helped, it was not enough—by 2004 with only 2,000~5,000 specimen (样本) left in the wild, the Amami rabbit was officially declared endangered! The reason for the serious population decrease was due to loss of habitat caused by forest clearing for home and agriculture use and the introduction of a new species not native to the island—the mongoose. Brought in to get rid of the snake population, the mongoose instead seemed to prefer the black rabbit. In 2005, the government carried out a strict mongoose capture (捕获) order and slowly but surely, the rabbit started to come back.

    This rabbit lives in a rather unusual lifestyle. Its ideal habitat is a forest that features both trees and large grasses—the former to find acorns (橡子) to feed on and the latter, to hide its babies. That's because to protect them from being eaten by their enemies, the Amami rabbit buries them deep into the ground among the grasses and covers them up with dirt during the day. Then, in the middle of the night, still keeping a vigilant eye out for their enemies, it digs them out from their hiding place and feeds them. No wonder the animal is sometimes called "midnight rabbit".

    Though many measures have been taken to stop this furry animal from being wiped out from the world, there are many more rabbits that are still in danger. We surely hope that officials in other parts of the world try their best to save the endangered species.

    Social media and the mobile Web have given rise to a strange phenomenon called selfie(自拍). It refers to a picture of yourself, usually shared on any social networking website.

    Some selfies are extreme close-ups(特写镜头), and others show part of an arm held straight outwards. A few of them even feature the subject standing in front of a bathroom mirror.

    Everyone takes selfies, but the younger crowd seems to be especially involved in the trend. Young people are relatively heavier digital users. They are interested in staying connected to their friends.

    There are also kinds of psychological factors driving people to take a selfie and upload it to a social networking site.  A quick and easy way to attract others' attention is to get "likes" and comments from friends. Secondly, it's human nature to show off your own great achievements. When you feel good about yourself or look good, it's far too easy to take out your phone and document it all through one or several selfies.  That's right. Sometimes people are bored at work, bored at school, bored at home and even bored on the toilet. Last but not least, social media is about being social! If that means uploading as many selfies as possible, then so be it. It's fun, and it's a cool way to sort of document your own life.

    Finally, there are things to be mindful of when you're posting. It's easy to think you're sharing a photo with a few people.  So don't post anything online, selfies especially.

A. There are lots of selfie styles.

B. The rise of selfies has become universal.

C. Social media, to some extent, is the driving force of their selfie activity.

D. The desire to take, post and get "likes" on selfies goes back to a biological behaviour.

E. But the whole world of social media is public and every individual can get access to it.

F. There are also people who will take selfies because they have nothing else better to do.

G. The leading factor is that people want to get attention from as many people as possible.

    I remember as a smart child when we met with either family or friends. Someone would come up and mention my high "1" and ask, "What are you going to be when you 2?"

    Well, it started out being a teacher or a hero. 3 it was a fireman, artist…As I grew older my dreams of the future 4. When I was in college, I was asked, "What will you major in?" This was another question 5to find out what I would be when I "grew up".

    By then I had set about becoming a 6programmer. So I studied and prepared for that. I was studying software full-time for much of my life. I am 7that I could realize my dream that affords me the opportunity to have a positive8on someone's life. However, for many, there is a "9" which goes around stealing our dreams and robbing us of the necessary mental state to attain our10. Sometimes, the thief will come as a parent, a relative, a friend or a co-worker, 11the greatest thief is just ourselves.

    We find ourselves just about12the aim, and this "small" voice inside says, "You'll never13. Very few have ever done this successfully." And on and on the "small" voice14 some kind of failure.

    Failure, though, is exactly how dreams are15. It is one of the most important16 we have, because it teaches us17 lessons. And, when we learn these lessons well, we are ready for 18, which is probably just around the corner.

    There is no "overnight" success, but with perseverance (毅力), it will come. So, be true to your 19, and don't let anyone steal it from you. You can do anything you want to do, so don't 20.

    Itzhak Perlman, a famous violinist, came on stage to give a concert. He was stricken with polio（小儿麻痹症）as a child, so getting on stage is no small  (achieve).

    The audience sat quietly while he made his way across the stage  his chair and began his play. But this time, went wrong. Just as he finished the first part, one of the strings on his violin (break). We thought that he would have to stop the concert. But he didn't., he waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again.

     (power) and pure, his performance attracted all the attention.

    Of course, anyone believes  impossible to play a harmonious work with just three strings. I know that, and you know that, but that night Itzhak Perlman refused  (know) that.

    When he finished, people rose and cheered.

 (smile), he wiped the sweat and said, “You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with you have left.”

1）邀请他担任比赛评委；

2）问他届时是否有空出席；

3）请他向学生推荐合适的文学作品。

注意：1）词数80左右；

2）可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

    Carl lost his job. He tried to find another one but it wasn't easy. As a result, the poor fellow couldn't pay his bills and he couldn't even find anybody to lend him any.

    Carl spent most of his days at home. Sometimes he looked out of the window and watched his neighbour's house. An old professor lived there alone. Strangely, he hardly talked to his neighbours. Carl could see into the professor's house because he never drew the curtain. The rooms were full of antique(古老的) furniture and vases. Carl thought, "If I got an antique vase, I could sell it for a lot of money."

    Every day Carl saw the professor. He left at 10 o'clock in the morning and came back home at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. He had a dog. Carl often went to the fence and played with it or gave it a piece of meat.

    One day Carl thought, "I will go into the professor's house and steal a vase. I will break the window and climb in. The dog is not a problem."

    There was an old gun in the cellar. It had been his great grandfather's favourite thing a long time before. Carl didn't want to use the gun but he thought, "Anything could happen."

    He wanted to hide the gun under his coat but it was too long so he had to cut the end off with a saw.

    The next morning he watched the professor leaving home at 10 o'clock. Carl climbed over the fence. The dog ran to him and Carl gave it a big bone. He threw a piece of stone through the window, which broke. It wasn't high. He could climb into the house easily.

    He looked around inside. There were paintings on the walls, small figures and vases on the shelves and the floor. Carl didn't know much about arts. He couldn't choose. He reached his hands towards a big vase when he heard a noise. The front door opened and someone entered the house.

注意：

1）所续写短文的词数应为150左右；

2）至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；

3）续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；

4）续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

Paragraph 1:

    It was the professor. He had forgotten to take an important document with him.

Paragraph 2:

    The professor was scared.