Drones（无人机）can do a lot of things for us, taking photos, delivering（快递）things from packages to pizzas and ________ wild animals. But they have ________ uses now.

Can you believe it? Drones can serve people coffee. The US company IBM has made this kind of drone. It can send coffee ________ sleepy people. The drone can know when to bring a cup of coffee by ________ a person’s personal data（数据）. Then , the drone ________ to the person. There ________ a special device（设备）under the drone. It helps the drone to give people coffee. The drone can ________ learn about someone’s coffee-drinking habits and predict（预测）when someone ________ their next cup of coffee.

Drones can save ________, too. One company in Africa uses drones to deliver medicine and blood fast. The drones are able to fly ________ speeds up to 60mph and when they are within a minute of the destination（目的地）, the doctors receive a text and wait nearby. The drone drops off the package and then returns to ________ home.

A ________ hunter in Virginia was lost and had to spend a night in the woods. The police searched for him all night ________ failed to find him. ________, the drone tracked him down in 20 minutes. Also, drones helped the firefighters know ________ the fire in the wildfire fight.

Developing apps is not an easy thing, but some middle school students are inventing their own apps. Recently, lots of middle school students ________ an international competition in Shanghai, China. A group of middle school students from China showed their creative ________ in the competition.

Lin Shao, a student from Shanghai, invented an app called Health Helper. His app is very useful. It can ________ people when and how to do exercise every day. By using this app, people can know their track (轨迹) of running as well as their own health conditions.

Zhang Jichen, a Grade Nine student from Beijing, used to be troubled by the bad ________. So he invented an app that can calculate PM 2.5 ________. To make people breathe the fresh air, this app gives not only a lot of information about the weather but also some ________ about outdoor activities.

“It is ________ to make an app. You have to be really careful and ________. Sometimes you have to ________ again and again. But I enjoy doing it,” said Yuqi, another student from Shanghai. “Many interesting apps ________ a deep impression on the engineers from Google in the competition and we are looking forward to their better performance in the future,” the news reporter said.

For his eleventh birthday, Lin’s father gave him a gift. It would make his life meaningful. On that day, his father took him to the Children’s Activity Centre and said he could choose any course (课程) that interested him but had to follow his choice. Lin would have to promise to study it for at least one year.

Lin once had many hobbies, but none kept his interest for more than a week or two. His mum once gave him a bag of stamps to encourage stamp collecting. That hobby lasted for a week. Then his father got him some paints, hoping that Lin’s artistic side would shine through. Those paints were now under his bed, still unopened. This time Lin’s parents would let him decide.

Lin’s eyes moved down the noticeboard to choose the course. He stopped at “Photography”. He liked the idea of taking beautiful pictures, but the notice said each student needed their own camera. Although Lin’s family weren’t poor, they weren’t rich either, and a camera cost a lot of money. He continued looking.

The next course to catch his eye was “Language Art”. He didn’t even know what that meant. His father explained that it taught people how to make public speeches. Lin, a shy boy, could think of nothing worse.

Then he saw it. “Cooking” sounded like something he’d like to do. It was inexpensive and convenient; it could be done alone and it was also creative.

For Lin’s hobby history, his dad did not believe him, but he agreed. Much to his parents’ surprise, Lin kept his promise. He studied cooking at the Centre every Saturday, and practised at home, making delicious meals for his family. Everyone looked forward to birthdays, when they could eat his cakes. Lin got great satisfaction (满足感) from the pleasure his food brought to others.

The months turned to years, but his hobby never changed again.

Now Lin is an adult and runs a successful restaurant. When customers say they enjoy his meal, he still gets the same pleasure he did as a child, and remembers the special gift he received all those years ago.

In the fight against COVID-19, many national heroes have become well-known to the public. On August 11th, 2020, Chinese president Xi Jinping awarded four of them for their outstanding contribution(贡献) in the battle against the deadly disease.

Zhong Nanshan was awarded the Medal of the Republic(共和国勋章). He is now leading the Chinese government’s efforts in the fight against COVID-19. The 84-year-old respiratory(呼吸道的) expert found that COVID-19 could be spread between humans. He also found the SARS virus in 2003.

The national honorary title(国家荣誉称号), “the People’s Hero.” was given to three others. They are Zhang Boli, Zhang Dingyu and Chen Wei.

Zhang Boli is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) expert. He has been in charge of the research of the COVID-19 treatment combining TCM and Western medicine.

Zhang Dingyu is the head of Wuhan’s Jinyintan Hospital. He was diagnosed(诊断) with ALS(渐冻症) in 2018. However, he chose to stay with his co-workers in Wuhan to save lives.

Chen Wei is a professor at the Academy of Military Medical Science. She has made great achievements in COVID-19-related research, vaccine(疫苗) development and protective medicines. She is also one of the key leaders in China’s Ebola(埃博拉病毒) vaccine research.

The aim of giving the nation’s top honors to these people was to fully show the spirit of the Chinese people in their great courage and sense of unity.

Most animals need to sleep to stay healthy. But sleeping can also be dangerous because other animals may hurt those who are sleeping. There are many different ways of sleeping that help them stay safe. Some of these may surprise you!

Almost all bats sleep with their feet up and heads down. They hang from a branch of a tree or the ceiling of a cave（洞穴）. Up high, bats are safe from most other animals. If they are in danger, they just fly away.

A dolphin sleeps with just half its brain at a time. It must stay awake to breathe and to watch for danger. Dolphin mothers and babies can go without sleep for as long as two months to stay safe.

Some ducks sleep with just half their brains too. These ducks often sleep in a line. The ducks at both ends help to keep the group safe. They keep one eye open to watch for danger. The ducks in the middle sleep deeply with both eyes closed.

Seals breathe air, but that doesn’t stop some of them from sleeping underwater. They hold their breath and dive deep to sleep for up to twenty minutes at a time. Sleeping deep underwater helps these seals stay safe from animals that hurt them near the surface.

Horses often sleep standing up. Their legs lock in place so they don’t fall over. If a horse falls over, it needs a long time to get up. A horse can run from danger more quickly if it is standing.

A flamingo can sleep while standing on one leg. The standing leg locks so it stays straight. The other leg remains close to the flamingo’s body. Its head rests on its back. A flamingo lives and sleeps near many other birds to stay safe.

Some seabirds can sleep while they fly. These large birds spend most of their lives over the ocean. They are in danger on the water, but they are safe in the air. Sometimes they sleep while they are flying.