1     Microsoft created an app that can describe a photo. Huawei made an app that uses sounds to tell users if people they are talking to look happy, sad or angry. Google made an app that can allow blind people to run alone.

At a Google event, a blind runner, Thomas Panek, asked a group of experts (专家) whether they could create something to help blind people run on their own without a guide dog or a human helper.

Panek, CEO of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, always loves running. But he started losing his eyesight when he was 8, and by his early 20s he was blind. Later in life, he started running with other people or a guide dog to help him.     2    

The Google team soon created Project Guideline. The Guideline app uses a smartphone camera to recognize (识别) a line painted on the ground.     3     The sounds get louder in either the left ear or the right ear the farther the person moves away from the line.

    4     “For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel like a blind man. I felt free,” Panek said. Then Panek succeeded in running 5 kilometers around New York City’s Central Park by using the app. Panek hopes the app Project Guideline can help more people like him.     5    .

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings and senses, including love, happiness, sadness and wisdom (智慧) lived. One day they were told that the island would fall below the sea, so they all got on boats and left except love.

Love was the only one that stayed until the last possible moment. Finally, love decided to ask for help.

Wealth was passing by love in a beautiful boat. Love said, “Wealth, can you take me with you?”

Wealth answered, “No, I can’t. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no room for you.”

Love decided to ask pride, who was also passing by in a beautiful ship. “Pride, please help me.”

“I can’t help you, love. You are all wet and might damage (损坏) my boat,” pride answered.

Sadness was close by, so love asked, “Sadness, let me go with you.”

“Oh... love, I am so sad. How can I take someone else with me?”

Happiness passed by love, too. But she was so happy that she did not even hear when love called out to her.

Suddenly, there was a voice, “Come, love, I will take you.” It was an elder. Love was so excited that he forgot to ask the elder where they were going. When they arrived at the river bank, the elder went his own way. Love was thankful to the elder, so he asked wisdom, another elder, “Who helped me?”

“It was time,” wisdom answered.

“Time?” asked love, “But why did time help me?”

Wisdom smiled and answered, “Only time can understand how valuable love is.”

4 . I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it when mother sat doing letters. Looking at the ink bottle, pens and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.

Years later, during her final illness, mother kept different things for my sister and brother, “But the desk,” she said again, “is for Elizabeth.”

I never saw her get angry, and never saw her cry. I knew she loved me, and she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter. They never happened and a gulf opened between us. I was “too emotional (易动感情的)”, but she lived “on the surface”.

As years went by, I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know that she did forgive (原谅) me.

I posted the letter and waited for her answer, but it didn’t come. I wondered if the letter had even got to her. Now the present of her desk told me that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work, though she had never been able to. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside—a photo of my father and a one-paper letter, folded and refolded many times.

Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose. Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.

5 . Many of us like to watch and post short videos. But can we share whatever we like, even with the wrong information?

A blogger (博主) said sorry for one video she posted on Feb 16. In the video, she said that she had found a student’s holiday workbook and said the student’s name was Qin Lang. Many Internet users checked the student’s name, grade, and school. They found out the video might not be real. In a new video, the blogger claimed (声称) that she had given the wrong information to protect the student’s privacy (隐私).

Some people might think it’s not a big deal if you make a video with the wrong information. They believe that saying sorry will fix everything. But it’s not that simple. According to the Law on Penalties for Administration of Public Security (《治安管理处罚法》), if the videos don’t care about the truth and disturb (扰乱) public order, their makers will get punished (惩罚).

It’s important to be creative when people make short videos. However, it is not OK to make up stories and break the law.

As early as 2000, the State Council issued the Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services (《互联网信息服务管理办法》). It bans (禁止) spreading rumors and disturbing the social order. If you break the law, you could get in trouble. For example, you might get your social media account (账户) stopped, have to pay fines, get detained (拘留) or even go to jail (监狱).

Eleven online celebrities in Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture in Sichuan were arrested (逮捕) in 2023 for selling fake products in videos. They got sentences from 8 months to 3 years and 2 months in jail.

Hangzhou, together with five other cities in Zhejiang, has successfully hosted the 19th Asian Games from Sept 23, 2023 to Oct 8, 2023. The Games were thought “smart” with the use of many exciting technologies.     1    !

The venue (场地) for the tennis finals of the Hangzhou Asian Games is sometimes called the “Small Lotus”.     2    . These petals can open and close freely though each of them weighs 160 tons. It’s built this way for different kinds of weather.

    3    ? When the athletes needed first aid, drones (无人机) were used to send things over. They could fly as far as 20 kilometers and travel 16 meters in one second. Using a drone saved about 60 percent of the time.

If you are in Hangzhou and going to visit the venue, it will be sad if you can’t find your way. AR is here to help. There is a mini program that provides us with AR service. You simply turn on your phone’s camera and     4    . You can also get more information about the venue as you walk by.

Technology made the 19th Asian Games very smart and convenient.     5    . We hope we can see more “smart” games in the future.