The First Lady of the Air (I)

Amelia Earhart: pioneer of the skies · 飞越天际的先驱

Amelia Earhart is one of the world's most celebrated aviators. She is remembered today as a pioneer of airplane travel and the greatest female pilot of her day. Her accomplishments in the field of aviation inspired others and helped pave the way for those that followed.

Amelia was born in Kansas, on July 24, 1897. When she graduated from high school in 1916, she travelled to Canada and worked as a nurse and an English teacher.

Upon returning to her home in the U.S., she entered college. But her stay there was short. Amelia Earhart was about to enter the pages of history.

One day, her father took her to an air show where she watched pilots showing off their flying skills. She immediately fell in love with airplanes. The next day, at only 24 years of age, she made her first flight. A year later, against the wishes of her family, she made her first solo flight.

She soon purchased her own airplane. For the rest of her adventurous life, she was a woman in a man's world. People in those days believed that only men should be piloting these new "flying machines". Of course, Amelia did not agree with this idea.

Amelia Earhart set many "firsts" in the early days of airplane travel—and not just as a female pilot. She earned the record as the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. She also held the record for altitude, reaching a height of 14,000 feet in 1922. And she was the first woman to fly solo non-stop across the U.S. She went on to become the first person—man or woman—to fly solo across the Pacific between Honolulu and California.

But Amelia Earhart wanted to make a truly amazing world record. She wanted to be the first person of either gender to fly all the way around the world. She planned to retire after accomplishing this goal. She wanted to return home and spend the rest of her life with her husband and children.

But, fate has a way of changing things in ways that we can never understand.

The First Lady of the Air (I) — Amelia Earhart: pioneer of the skies

Amelia Earhart is one of the world's most c(1)__________ aviators. She is remembered today as a p(2)__________ of airplane travel and the greatest female pilot of her day. Her accomplishments in the field of aviation i(3)__________ others and helped pave the way for those that followed.

Amelia was born in Kansas, on July 24, 1897. When she g(4)__________ from high school in 1916, she travelled to Canada and worked as a nurse and an English teacher.

Upon returning to her home in the U.S., she entered college. But her stay there was short. Amelia Earhart was about to enter the pages of history.

One day, her father took her to an air show where she watched pilots showing off their flying skills. She i(5)__________ fell in love with airplanes. The next day, at only 24 years of age, she made her first flight. A year later, against the wishes of her family, she made her first solo flight.

She soon purchased her own airplane. For the rest of her a(6)__________ life, she was a woman in a man's world. People in those days believed that only men should be piloting these new "flying machines". Of course, Amelia did not agree with this idea.

Amelia Earhart set many "firsts" in the early days of airplane travel—and not just as a female pilot. She earned the record as the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. She also held the record for a(7)__________, reaching a height of 14,000 feet in 1922. And she was the first woman to fly s(8)__________ non-stop across the U.S. She went on to become the first person—man or woman—to fly solo across the Pacific between Honolulu and California.

But Amelia Earhart wanted to make a truly amazing world record. She wanted to be the first person of either g(9)__________ to fly all the way around the world. She planned to retire after accomplishing this goal. She wanted to return home and spend the rest of her life with her husband and children.

But, f(10)__________ has a way of changing things in ways that we can never understand.

📌 重点单词 · Key Vocabulary

🔗 重点词组 · Key Phrases

💡 语法小贴士 · Grammar Tips

✈️ 文化拓展 · Amelia Earhart and the Unsolved Mystery

阿梅莉亚·埃尔哈特（Amelia Earhart, 1897-1937）是航空史上最富传奇色彩的女性。1932 年，她成为首位独自飞越大西洋的女性，被美国授予十字飞行勋章；此后她又创下多项纪录，并创办女子飞行组织「九十九人」，毕生推动女性进入航空领域。

1937 年，她尝试环球飞行——正是本文第七段写下的目标。6 月，她与领航员努南从迈阿密出发，7 月 2 日在飞越太平洋上空时与地面失去联络，飞机与两人至今下落不明。这场搜救持续了两周多，是美国海岸警卫队史上规模最大的行动之一，她的失踪至今仍是二十世纪最大的谜团之一。

本文是传记（上篇），写法上有一个值得学习的「钩子」：结尾一句「But, fate has a way of changing things in ways that we can never understand」把所有辉煌戛然收住，为下篇的失踪之谜埋下悬念。传记类文章常用这种「以未知收尾」的结构吸引读者读下去。