20100111 Amelia Earhart (1)

Amelia Earhart

She made history by taking risks

In the early days of flight, one woman captured the world's attention by setting aviation records. That woman, Amelia Earhart, became even more famous in death though, because of the mystery surrounding her disappearance. That mystery remains unsolved to this day.

The early years
When Amelia Mary Earhart was born in 1897, young women were expected to lead simple, traditional lives as wives and mothers. But it became clear that Earhart's life would be different as she gained a reputation forclimbing trees and hunting rats.

At age 7, she discovered how much she enjoyed heights while riding a Ferris wheel. Sixteen years later, Earhart rode in an airplane and knew she had to fly! Just days after that, she took her first flying lesson, and within six months, Earhart purchased her own airplane!

A life-changing flight
On June 18, 1928, Earhart gained international fame when she became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Although she didn't pilot the plane, Earhart received the praise and credit for the flight. From that point on, she began to concentrate on flying.



aviation n. 航空/飛行

reputation n. 名譽/名聲
eg: The car dealer has an excellent reputation for customer service.
eg: This magazine has a bad reputation for twisting(曲解) the interviewees' comments.

Ferris wheel 摩天輪

fame n. 聲譽/名望

concentrate v. 集中/全力以赴/全神貫注
concentrate on something
=> focus
eg: Valerie finally decided to concentrate on her studying.
eg: The company is now concentrating on developing new products.

purchase v. 購買
=> buy
eg: The couple purchased their first house after they had their first baby.
eg: You can purchase tickets for the concert online one month in advance.


make history
=> do something very important in the history
=> change history


//== Chat room ==//

fear n. 恐懼/害怕
phobia n. 恐懼症
=> intense fear

acrophobia n. 【心】懼高症
claustrophobia n. 【醫】幽閉恐怖症
arachnophobia n. 蜘蛛恐懼症


//== Garmmar on the Go ==//

But it became clear that Earhart's life would be different as she gained a reputation for climbing trees and hunting rats.
=> But it became clear that Earhart's life would be different as she became known for climbing trees and hunting rats.

gain a reputation for
= become known for
=> gain a reputation for比起become known for，可使人有更強烈的印象
=> 可用於正面和反面的意思

eg: The new manager is fluent in five languages and guickly gained a reputation for being able to handle the company's overseas partners.(正面)
eg: Greg likes to take his time and has gained a reputation for always being late.(反面)