The year was 1932. Amelia Earhart was flying alone from North America to England in a small single—engined aeroplane. At midnight， several hours after she had left Newfoundland， she ran into bad weather. To make things worse， her altimeter （高度表） failed and she didnt know how high she was flying. At night， and in a storm， a pilot is in great difficulty without an altimeter. At times， her plane nearly plunged （沖） into the sea.

Just before dawn， there was further trouble. Amelia noticed flames （火焰） coming from the engine. Would she be able to reach land？ There was nothing to do except to keep going and to hope.

In the end， Amelia Earhart did reach Ireland， and for the courage she had shown， she was warmly welcomed in England and Europe. When she returned to the United States， she was honored by President Hoover at a special dinner in the White House. From that time on， Amelia Earhart was famous.

What was so important about her flight？ Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly the Atlantic Ocean alone， and she had set a record of fourteen hours and fifty—six minutes.

In the years that followed，

Amelia Earhart made several flights across the United States， and on each occasion （時(shí)刻） she set a new record for flying time. Amelia Earhart made these flights to show that women had a place in aviation （航空） and that air travel was useful.