When we watch movies about the future, we sometimes see robots. They are usually like ______ servants. They help with the housework and do jobs like working in dirty or dangerous places.

Today there are already robots ______ in factories. Some can help build cars, and they do simple jobs over and over again. ______ people will do such jobs in the future because they are boring, but robots will never get bored.

Scientists are now trying to make robots look like humans and do the same thing as we do. Some robots in Japan can walk and dance. They are fun to watch. ______, some scientists believe that although we can make robots move like people, it will be ______ to make them really think like a human.

For example, scientist James White thinks that robots will never be able to wake up and know where they are. But many scientists disagree ______ Mr. White. They think that robots will even be able to talk like humans in 25 to 50 years.

Some scientists believe that there will ______ more robots in the future. However, they agree it may take ______ of years. These new robots will have many different shapes. Some will look like humans, and others might look like animals. In India, for example, scientists made robots that look like snakes.

If buildings fall down with people inside, these snake robots can help ______ people under the buildings. This was not possible 20 years ago, but computers and rockets also seemed impossible 100 years ago. We never know what ______ in the future!

Hi! I’m Lily. My family and I live in a big house. I’m 11 and I have a younger brother Tom. He is 8.

My mom is a nurse, and she works in a hospital. She works a lot, and usually at night. She doesn’t have enough time to do the housework, so my dad often helps her and he likes it. My dad works in a bank. He arrives home at about 4 p.m., so he can do a lot of things at home.

Every evening Dad cooks dinner. My brother and I help him. After dinner Dad does the dishes and I help him dry them. Then we take a shower and Dad reads us short stories.

In the morning, Mom makes breakfast. Tom and I make our beds. Then Dad takes us to school by car.

On Saturday, we clean the house. I clean the furniture (家具) and Dad sweeps the floor. Tom takes the rubbish out and waters the plants. Dad likes cleaning the windows but he hates ironing (熨烫). He never does it. My grandma comes to us twice a week and she irons our clothes.

On Sunday, we wash the car together and Dad often takes us to play in the park and eat in our favorite restaurant.

One day, a little mouse went out to find out something to eat. He ran carefully through some tall grass. He ran into a strong lion. The lion caught the little mouse. He held the mouse and would not let him go away. “Please let me go, Mr. Lion,” said the little mouse. “One day, I will help you when you need some help.” The lion laughed. “How could a little mouse help a big lion?” he thought. “Well,” he said, “I will let you go. But you must walk more carefully.”

The mouse was very thankful. “Thank you,” he said. “You are very kind. I will never forget you and I will help you some day.”

The next week the mouse was again looking for something to eat. He saw the lion was tied tightly (紧紧地被捆着) in a net of strong ropes(绳子). He couldn’t move.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Lion,” said the little mouse. “I will help you.”

His teeth were sharp. He bit(咬) through one of the ropes. Then he bit through another rope, and then another. Soon the lion was free. He was very happy.

“Thank you Mr. Mouse,” he said. Later, they became good friends.

It’s not easy being your age, and it’s normal to have these feelings. Why don’t you talk about these feelings with your family? If your parents are having problems, you should offer to help. Maybe you could do more jobs around the house so that they have more time for proper communication. Secondly, why don’t you sit down and communicate with your brother? You should explain that you don’t mind him watching TV all the time. However, he should let you watch your favorite show.

I hope things will be better for you soon.

Robert Hunt

The Spring Festival is the most important traditional festival in China. Chinese people have been celebrating it for centuries(世纪，百年). It comes in winter. We usually have a long holiday, but in 2020, a disaster called COVID-19 (新型冠状病毒肺炎) hit China. We had a longer holiday than before.

As we all know, the Spring Festival is a time to get new. We usually clean and decorate(装饰) our house carefully before it comes. Before the new year, I helped my mother clean the rooms and wash our quilts(被子). My father put up red couplets(春联) on the doors and red paper cuttings on the windows. It’s said that red is a lucky color in China. In the new year, no matter how far it is, we come back to have a big dinner together with all the family members.

However, we didn’t visit any relatives(亲属) and friends because of the sudden illness. I just said “Happy new year.” to my parents. At night, I was glad to talk with my friends on WeChat. It’s exciting for me to get WeChat red packet(微信红包) from my grandparents. My mother likes buying all the products from the supermarket.

During this new year, she had to order things on the Internet, so she received many packages(包裹).

After the Lantern Festival(元宵节), we couldn’t go to school. Instead we studied on computers, TV or iPads at home. Our teachers organized(组织) online teaching for   us, and we were able to have classes through the new way of teaching. During the holiday, how I hoped that I could go to school earlier.

Luckily, on September 1st, 2020, I went back to school. As I started my new journey, I couldn’t forget this special spring festival.