I’ve wanted to be an astronaut for as long as I can remember. My parents have always been very supportive and I have very specific memories of my mom telling me that I could become whatever I wanted,if I worked hard enough. I guess I took that to heart!I was also influenced by science fiction — by movies like Star Wars and by books!

   As I grew older,I came to realize how difficult it would be to achieve this dream,but my passion for human spaceflight,the desire to explore,and the challenge of it all kept the dream alive.

   I truly feel like books and reading have been fundamental to my success. First of all,books are fiin to read. Space history and science fiction captured my imagination and challenged me to pursue my goals. More importantly,books are a conduit(导管) for knowledge. While I consistently read for enjoyment,I also had to read to learn.

   I like to compare reading to rocket fuel. You can't launch(发射) a rocket without fuel and it is difficult to be successful without strong reading skills.

   My love of science fiction played a huge role in my desire to be an astronaut. Some authors,like Kim Stanley Robinson,describe the fundamental difficulties with living and working in space. I think I am drawn to science fiction because it paints a picture of what the future may hold. Authors can thrill us with their speculation(猜想) of how we might live,work and travel in the future,and what challenges might lie ahead.

   Reading has been a huge part of my life,for both enjoyment and work. I want to share that joy and the success it can bring!

   My kids love to read. My daughter loves animals,so she likes some nonfiction,but she is a big fan of science fiction,too. My boys like to read about superheroes. Their love of reading is no accident — we love to read together as a family and we make regular trips to our local library.

1. What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

   A. The author's love for his parents.

   B. The author's mom's encouragement.

   C. The author's interest in science fiction.

   D. The author's dream of becoming an astronaut.

2. As the author grew up,he.

   A. gave up on his dream

   B. kept his dream a secret

   C. became realistic about his dream

   D. realized the importance of dreams

3. Rocket fuel is mentioned to .

   A. explain how to realize a dream

   B. stress the importance of reading

   C. show how difficult it is to succeed

   D. describe an astronaut's amazing life

4. What is the author's attitude towards science fiction?

   A. Critical. B. Worried.

   C. Doubtful. D. Interested.

5. The author's kids enjoy reading .

   A. thanks to their school teachers

   B. since they live near a local library

   C. because of their home environment

   D. because they are very good at reading

   The Style Invitational is a humor / wordplay contest,through which we seek to bring a variety of clever humor every week to the readers of The Washington Post. While our ultimate goal is to get you to write great stuff for us for less than peanuts,we do aim to judge the contest as fairly and carefully as we reasonably can.

   This week we’ re not following every one of the poem's many rules — there is only one rule for the contest. The poem must be about a specific person and must include at least some part of his name.

   Winner gets the Inkin,Memorial ($12) , the Lincoln statue bobblehead that is the official Style Invitational trophy (奖品) . Second place wins a souvenir snow castle ($8) from Brussels,featuring a little statue that seems to be producing a fountain of snow and donated by Continual Snow Globe Donor Cheryl Davis. Other runners-up win their choice of a Loser Mug ($6) or the greatly desired “Whole Fools” Grossery Bag ($4) .

   E-mail entries to losers@washpost.com or,if you were bom in the 19th century,fax to 202-334-4312.-Deadline is Monday,June 22; results published July 12 (online July 10) . No more than 25 entries per entrant per contest.

   Include “Week 1076” in your e-mail subject line or it might be ignored as spam(垃圾邮件) . Include your real name,postal address and phone number with your entry.

   See contest rules and guidelines at wapo.st/InvRules. You can join the lively Style Invitational Devotees group on Facebook at on.fb. me/invdev.

   The Empress’s weekly online column discusses each new contest and its results. Especially if you plan to enter,check it out at wapo.st/styleconv.

11. The poem is required to be about .

   A. a joke   B. a person

   C. a newspaper   D. a kind of food

12. You can hand in your entries .

   A. by fax only   B. by mail or fax

   C. by e-mail only   D. by e-mail or fax 

13. Along with your entries,you should also provide your .

   A. real name   B. pen name

   C. ID number   D. e-mail address 

14. Where is the text most probably taken from?

   A. A personal diary. B. A contest notice.

   C. A news report.   D. A lesson plan.

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