Reading Comprehension

　　Men always wanted to fly．For hundreds of years they watched birds flying and wished that they could fly too．Birds fly very easily．They beat the air with their wings and climb up through the air．The air keeps them up．

　　Men knew how to make kites hundreds of years ago．Kites could stay in the air for many hours．“If birds and kites stay up in the air, perhaps we can,” they thought．

　　At first they made wings like birds．Then they jumped off high buildings and tried to fly．Many men did this but they failed to fly．They crashed to the ground．Some were killed and some were badly hurt．After many times they stopped trying to fly with wings．Then two brothers tried another way．They tried balloons．“Hot air is lighter than cold air,” they said．“That is why hot air goes upwards．If we fill a balloon with hot air it will go upwards．”

　　They built a balloon．It was made of thin cloth and paper．They lit a fire beneath it．Up into the air it went! It reached a height of 1, 800 meters．Then the air inside the balloon became cool and it slowly downed and gently rested on the ground．

　　A few months later the brother sent up another balloon．This time there was a basket hanging underneath it．In the basket there were three animals： a sheep, a duck and a hen．The balloon traveled through the air to a place two and half kilometers away．Then it came down safely to earth．Now it was time for men to fly! In October 1783 another of the brothers’ balloons went up．This time a man went with it．The balloon did not rise very far．It went, only to twenty－five meter．It was tied to the ground by a rope．A month later two men went up in a balloon full of hot air．This time there was no rope! A great crowd of people watched．The balloon rose to a height of 900 meters．The wind blew it along for nine kilometers．Then it came gently back to earth．Men had traveled through the air for the first time．

　　Other men filled the balloon with a gas called hydrogen．Hydrogen is much lighter than air．Balloon filled with it were able to travel long distances．But the men in the basket underneath could not steer them．They went where the wind took them．

　　Later balloons were made in the shape of a cigar．These were called airships．They had engines to drive them alone, and they could be steered a little．But they were still blown about by the wind．The hydrogen gas was dangerous, too．It caught fire very easily．There were many accidents and many people died．At last they stopped making airships．

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　　Alexis Goggins climbed aboard a special tricycle(三轮车) and maneuvered through hospital hallways, beginning the months of physical therapy(治疗) because she needed to recover from six gunshot wounds．To many people, the soft-spoken 7-year-old is a hero after she threw herself across her mother just as a gunman was about to shoot the woman in an SUV．

　　“An angel is what I call her,” Seliethia Parker said of her daughter．

　　After more than two months in the hospital and six surgeries, Alexis was recently released．She returns twice a week for physical therapy．

　　The young girl bears several scars from the shooting, including a long, thin surgical line stretching from one side of her hairline to the other．Her right eye, which was blinded in the attack, has also been removed．

　　“I’ll be good for therapy,” Alexis promised her mother before bounding back to the games．

　　Alexis speaks little about the shooting．

　　The mother and daughter were getting a ride from a friend when Parker’s former boyfriend emerged from the shadows outside Parker’s house and jumped into the vehicle．He then forced the friend to drive at gunpoint for several minutes．

　　Under the pretense of needing fuel, Parker’s friend stopped at a Detroit gas station to call 911．

　　Inside the SUV, Parker pleaded(恳求) with the gunman not to shoot．As he was about to open fire, Alexis cried，“Don’t hurt my mother” and jumped into her mother’s arms from the back seat．

　　Despite her daughter’s efforts, Parker was shot twice．But Parker has said that if her daughter had not put herself in between she might have been killed．

　　Since the attack, Alexis and her family have received more than 200 letters from well-wishers, some from as far away as London．Supporters have also contributed ＄30,000 to a fund set up for Alexis through her school．

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