Weird Butterfly Ceremony

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Wing walkers

Once airplanes took to the sky, they provided another platform for daredevils. Wing walkers became popular by performing breathtaking stunts like walking from one plane to another while in mid-air. Sadly, many died performing such dangerous feats.

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Does floating in a barrel over a massive waterfall or walking on the wings of an airplane sound appealing to you? If so, you might be a daredevil! Reckless activities like these seem crazy, yet since ancient times people have been taking incredible risks, often just for the thrill of it.

daredevil：喜歡冒險的人、鋌而走險的人、不怕死的、冒險家

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“Thank you.” This short but important English phrase acknowledges kind words or actions. But sometimes, those two words are not enough. When it comes to thanking people, you can be creative!

acknowledge：答謝、承認、認知

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Carol met Mr. Davidson every day after school and practiced at home to drum the notes into her head.

The night of the concert, Carol felt so nervous she was shaking.

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All week Bella tried to convince Carol to trade solos with her. She asked again and again, sounding like a broken record. She loudly criticized Carol’s singing. Carol tried to tune her out, but Bella’s mean comments bothered her.

Bella drummed up lots of support from the other girls in choir. Bella was popular and outgoing, so they took their cues from her. They accused Carol of being selfish.

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“Carol, why don’t you sing the solo one ‘Hear the Music,’” said Mr. Davidson, the high school choir director.

“Really? I’d love to,” replied Carol. Mr. Davidson’s words were music to her ears. She loved that song and didn’t get to sing solos very often.

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Listening to music these days often involves headphones, but it wasn’t always a solitary activity. Take the jukebox. You’d put a coin into the machine, select a song, and then punch a button with a letter and a number on it. Then you – and everyone else nearby – would listen as the machine played your selection from a vinyl record.

solitary：單獨的、獨自的、孤立的、獨立的

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A Life of Commas

During a two-year break, Mc Conaughey refused “Saturday” roles until offers stopped altogether. But later, he suddenly became a god idea again. Well-known directors wanted him in surprising character roles (Bernie) and darker stories (Mud).

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“Find Your Frequency”

While dealing with fame, McConaughey took some roles that were important to him. Contact’s theme was about the relationship of God and science, and Amistad discussed slavery. The first film was successful, but the second project started a string of financial disappointments.

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Matthew McConaughey has collected over 800 sayings, and he loves to share them. Collecting and creating bits of wisdom seems to be one of his hobbies. More than that, however, they seem to be fuel for his career.

saying：格言、諺語

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Wannabe race drivers don’t need to compete on a racing circuit. Almost anyone can rent a kart for a short session at an indoor track in many cities across the U.S.

wannabe：（= want to like）

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“Gentlemen, start your engines!” These famous words start races like the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500 where the best drivers race the fastest cars. But racing isn’t limited to professional racers who drive almost 200 miles per hour. Adults and children interested in the adrenaline rush of motorsports racing can drive a go-kart. In fact, many professional racers got their start driving go-karts. Racing go-karts, or karting, has become popular worldwide. In the past 50 years, an estimated 1.6 billion people worldwide have enjoyed some form of karting.

start your engines：（= get ready to do something）

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Beginning in the 14^th century, perfume was used mainly by French royalty and other wealthy people. No one took baths regularly, so fragrance was used to cover up body odor. King Louis XV enjoyed perfume a lot. He ordered a different fragrance daily for his apartment. Perfume became very popular in the 17^th century as people across the country began using it. As demand grew, the Western perfume industry got its start.

mainly：（= usually）

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Did you put on perfume or cologne today? If so, you are carrying on a long tradition that began in early Egypt.

Ancient drawings dating back to around 3500 B.C. show Egyptians using fragrances. They used them in their religious services. They also used scented oils to clean their skin. From Egypt, the use of perfume spread to Greece, Rome and beyond.

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Karly：Then how can you say that you don’t understand art?

Jason：The paintings in my house are just decorations. I’m still not interested in visiting a museum to look at stuff that has no purpose.

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Karly approaches her coworker Jason at his desk.

Karly：Hey, Jason! A new art museum just opened downtown. Some of us are going this evening. Do you want to come?

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Pushing beyond medical reasons

Now, a growing number of people are attempting to implant devices in their bodies for other purposes. Called biohackers, these folks strive to use technology to enhance their normal human abilities. A few biohackers have already implanted RFID tags in their hands that act as passwords, opening locked doors with the wave of a hand.

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Recent developments have led to the creation of wearable technology. Smartwatches, Google Glass and other wearable devices have been designed with a variety of uses, often connecting with users’ smartphones. The next step beyond wearing tech devices might be actually putting them into people’s bodies. And as bizarre as that idea may sound, it’s already a common part of several medical treatments. Since the late 1950s, heart doctors have been implanting electronic devices to regulate their patients’ heartbeats. These devices, called artificial pacemakers, help millions of heart patients around the world.

a variety of：各種各樣的（= all sorts of、all kinds of）

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Around the islands

If you can’t get to the Cayman Islands for Pirates Week, don’t worry! The Cayman Islands are famous for a lot of other cool things, too.

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Pirates Week

If you’ve seen Pirates of the Caribbean, you’ve got the right idea of a Cayman Islands pirate. Pirates Week is a fun-filled celebration, an excuse to put on an eye patch and yell, “Arrrghh!” There’s a parade, competitions, live music, delicious food and more. Don’t forget your peg leg!