Sitting on the floor, Morteza Mehrzadselakjani’s raised arms stretch well over six feet. Standing up, the Iranian measures eight feet one inch, making him the 【小题1】（tall） athlete in the history of the Paralympics （残奧会）.

While his height has caused Mehrzadselakjani — known better as Mehrzad — to suffer in his entire life， on the sitting volleyball court it has made him a star. His 【小题2】（add） to the team that year helped Iran win the gold medal.

But Mehrzad’s 【小题3】（compete） advantage has come at a high cost. He suffers from acromegaly, 【小题4】 rare condition caused by the excess growth hormone.【小题5】 the age of 16, he already measured over six feet two inches. Several years earlier, a serious bicycle accident prevented his right leg from 【小题6】（grow） — it’s now six inches shorter than the left, making him difficult to walk. Mehrzad 【小题7】（normal） uses a wheelchair to get around.

Before finding sitting volleyball seven years ago, Mehrzad’s life 【小题8】（be） very different.

"I was alone and depressed," he said, " 【小题9】 my life has changed from playing sitting volleyball."

A coach saw Mehrzad on television and immediately discovered his potential. After training at regional Iranian clubs, he was selected for the national team and prepared for 【小题10】（he） Paralympic debut （首次登台） in Rio.

   More than four decades ago，British scientist Robert Edwards first witnessed the miracle of human life growing inside a test tube at his Cambridge lab. Since that groundbreaking moment，more than four million babies have been born through IVF（in vitro fertilization）（体外受精）and in 2010 his great contribution to science was finally recognized as he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

The prize for Dr. Edwards，who was given a Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Award in 2008，includes a ₤ 900，000check. The Nobel Assembly described IVF as“a milestone in modern medicine”.

With the help of fellow scientist Patrick Steptoe，the Batley-born physiologist developed IVF — leading to the birth of the world's first test-tube baby. Dr. Steptoe died 10 years later but their work has given hope to millions of couples.

It was a scientific breakthrough that transformed-the lives of millions of couples. They said，“His achievements have made it possible to treat infertility，a disease which makes humans unable to have a baby. This condition has been afflicting a large percentage of mankind including more than 10%of all couples worldwide.”

Louise Brown，the world's first test-tube baby，made international headlines when she was born in Oldham，Greater Manchester，in 1978 to parents Lesley and John who had been fruitlessly trying for a baby since 1969.

IVF is the process where egg cells are fertilized outside the body before being implanted in the womb（子宫）. After a cycle of IVF，the probability of a couple with infertility problems having a baby is one in five — the same as healthy couples who conceive（怀孕）naturally.

Professor Edwards，who has five daughters and 11 grandchildren，began his research at the University of Cambridge in 1963，after receiving his PhD in 1955. He once said,“The most important thing in life is having a child.  Nothing is more special than a child.”With the help of Patrick Steptoe, Prof. Edwards founded the Bourn Hall Clinic in Cambridgeshire, which now treats more than 900 women a year. Each year, more than 30,000 women in Britain receive IVF and 11,000 babies are born as a result of the treatment.

But his work attracted widespread criticism from some scientists who said it was“unethical and immoral”.

Martin Johnson, professor of Reproductive Sciences at the University of Cambridge, said the award was “long overdue”. He said,“We couldn't understand why the Nobel Prize has come so late but he is delighted — this is the cherry on the cake for him.”

Professor Edwards was too ill to give interviews but a statement released by his family said he was“thrilled and delighted”.

   Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28,1926. Since Lee’s mother was mentally ill, she was raised by her lather. She became very close to her father.

The naughty Lee loved reading, and would make up stories with Truman Capote, her neighbour who was two years older than her. Seeing his daughter’s imagination, Lee’s father gave her a typewriter.

In high school, Lee developed an interest in English literature. After graduating in 1944, she went to the all-female Huntingdon College in Montgomery. Lee stood apart from the other students. She could have cared more about fashion, make-up, or dating. Instead, she focused on studies and writing. Transferring (转学) to the University of Alabama, Lee was known for being a loner and an individualist. Before her final year in the University of Alabama, Lee dropped out to become a writer. She moved to New York City where her childhood friend Truman was already a famous writer. While there, she worked on her first book — To Kill a Mockingbird. It won her the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was made into an Academy Award winning movie the following year.

To Kill a Mockingbird tells the story of six-year- old Scout and her brother who live in the town of Maycomb, Alabama with their single father Atticus. Atticus is a lawyer who defends blacks. At a young age, Scout lives in the surroundings of the terrors of segregation (隔离政策).

Then, in 2014, the first draft (草稿) of a new book — Go Set a Watchman was discovered among Lee’s papers. It is the story of 26-year-old Scout who returns to Maycomb to visit her father. She is shocked to find her father a changed man. He has turned into a segregationist!

The story shows the mixed feelings Scout has about the changes that have taken place in her homeland and her father. A loner for most of her life, Lee stayed unmarried, preferring to lead a small town life. On February 19,2016, Lee passed away at the age of 89.

   Chances are the first Monday in September is a day off from school for you. If it is, you can _______ a man named Peter McGuire. Who's Peter McGuire?According to_______  , he's the founding father of Labor Day. On September5, 1882, McGuire led a_______ of 10, 000 workers in New York City一workers who took the day off from their jobs to hold a parade(游行) and a picnic. The_______ came to be known as Labor Day，and the idea_______ throughout the country. In 1887，Oregon became the first state to make it a statewide holiday, on the first Saturday in June. And in 1894，President Grover Cleveland_______ a bill that made . Labor Day a(n)_______ holiday, on the first Monday in September一the date we still celebrate to this day.

Labor Day began as a day for workers to protest, (抗议)_______ poor working conditions一long days, low pay and a lack of job security. Back in Peter McGuire's day, you could be_______ just for calling in sick -________  you were really too sick to work. Twelve-hour workdays were also________  . And workers had only short breaks for meals and other necessities.

McGuire went to work at the age of eleven, ________ newspapers on the streets of New York City. He had to help________ his family. McGuire saw poor working conditions first-hand. And he________ those conditions himself. That urged him to help________ the first trade unions in the United States.

The workers hoped strength in numbers would________ their employers to improve working conditions. They weren't always ________ . But' thanks to their________ the eight-hour workday and the five-day workweek became common practices. So did________ vacations and sick days. As for Labor Day itself, it became a day________  labor for most workers. So thanks to Peter McGuire, Labor Day means a day off from school for you and your teachers.