【推荐2】In our daily life, robots are often found to do work that is too dangerous, boring, difficult, or dirty. And we often see kids play with toy robots.

But what exactly is a robot? There are some important characteristics (特征) that a robot must have. These characteristics might help you to decide what is and what is not a robot. They will also help you to decide what you will need to build into a machine before it can be considered as a robot. A robot has these important characteristics:

Sensing. First of all, your robot would have to be able to sense the environment around it. It should have the following sensors (传感器): light sensors (eyes), touch sensors (hands), chemical sensors (nose), hearing sensors (ears) and taste sensors (tongue).

Movement. A robot needs to be able to move around its environment. It can move on wheels, walk on legs or be driven by small engines. A robot can move either the whole body or just parts of it.

Energy. A robot needs to be able to power itself. Some robots might power itself with sunlight, some might with electricity, while others with the battery (电池). The way your robot gets its energy will depend on what your robot needs to do.

Intelligence.   A robot needs some kind of “smarts”. A programmar is the person who gives the robot its “smarts”. The robot will have to have a certain way to receive the program so that it knows what to do.

【推荐2】Have you ever considered buying or moving to a farm? Did you know that children farming and raising animals builds character?     1    .

You needn’t worry about your child spending all day inside playing video games.     2     When physical activity is an essential part of a child’s life from the start, it keeps them at a health y weight while making them less likely to become fat as an adult.

When a child grows up on a farm, they learn the responsibility of caring for crops or animals. They discover how to understand and feel compassionate toward something that can’t communicate its feelings.     3    . On top of the animals or plants they care for, your child will also learn to appreciate and protect the environment.

By growing up on a farm, your child learns about responsibility. They learn that they have duty and that they can enjoy their free time when those jobs are done.     4    . When they see a beautiful harvest, they see that all those early mornings and long days were worth the reward. This attitude of self-discipline and putting in the work to see the results will benefit them for their entire life.

Kids who grow up on a farm have a good knowledge of their environment in a way most others never will. They learn how to grow plants and raise animals. They can diagnose problems and come up with solutions. They understand how to use farming equipment and how to work with the weather instead of against it. Those skills open the door to allowing your child to live and thrive anywhere they want.

【推荐3】Given that most little girls love to dress up as princesses, it is difficult to imagine what might be wrong with that. But one author has written an entire book on how she believes the fairy tale fantasies send a dangerous message.

Jennifer L Hardstein is behind the recently-published Princess Recovery: A How-To Guide to Raising Strong, Empowered Girls Who Can Create Their Own Happily Ever Afters. The child and adolescent psychologist believes that children as young as two are taking away unrealistic ideals from fairy tale books and Disney cartoons that can affect their self-esteem later on.

In her book, Dr. Hardstein theories that traditional stories like Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella promote the idea that if a girl is pretty enough and has fancy clothes and shoes, she find love and popularity. The author refers to this phenomenon as the “Princess Syndrome”

These kinds of messages, she says, have a huge impact on a girl's self-confidence and make it hard for children to understand as they grow up, that intelligence, generosity and passion are more important value. During an appearance on CBS' Early Show, Dr. Hardstein explained: “Girls are getting this message everywhere that. … what their worth is based on is how they look and the things that they have and it's very superficial (肤浅的)”

Her book teaches parents how to let their toddlers (幼儿) enjoy the Disney moves and their teenagers watch figures in reality shows while encouraging a discussion about the messages projected by the media. Speaking on the show she said: “Parents think their kids will understand the messages that they receive all the time but actually they don't.”

As well as warning of the dangers of “Princess Syndrome” her book advise parents how to guide and empower their children from an early age. Dr. Hardstein warns of the influence of toys like Barbie dolls and teenager celebrities who might wear heavy make-up.

Princess Recovery, she assure parents, will bring “balance, confidence, and self-sufficiency into your daughter's life while giving her a modern, energetic childhood.”