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To Borrow Arrows with Thatched Boats

One day, Zhou Yu ordered Zhuge Liang to make 100, 000 arrows in ten days. Zhou Yu thought it was impossible, but Zhuge Liang said,“Give me three days.” Then he asked Lu Su to lend him 20 boats, and the soldiers put some scarecrows (稻草人) in line on the boats. He reminded Lu Su not to tell Zhou Yu what was happening.

When Lu Su came again to see Zhuge Liang, he found nothing unusual. Nothing happened on the second day, either. In the small hours (凌晨) of the third day, Zhuge Liang invited Lu Su for a boat ride. The 20 boats were tied together with strong ropes. Zhuge’s fleet went towards the camp of Cao Cao. The surface of the river was covered with thick mist (雾) all over. People could hardly see each other on the river. When Zhuge’s fleet got close to the Cao camp before dawn (黎明), Zhuge Liang ordered his soldiers to shout and beat drums heavily to pretend an attack. But Zhuge and Lu Su only sat inside one boat drinking wine to enjoy themselves.

As soon as the Cao camp heard the shouting and drum beating, they mistook it for a surprise attack by the Zhou Yu camp. Since they could see nobody on the river,they had to order 3, 000 soldiers to shoot arrows to stop the unexpected attack. The front of the scarecrows was quickly full of arrows. After a while, Zhuge Liang had his fleet turned around to get the other side of the scarecrows to face the Cao camp.When both sides were full of arrows, the day broke. Zhuge Liang ordered his soldiers to return. The soldiers shouted in excitement, “Thank you, Cao Cao, for your arrows.” After they got back to their camp, they collected more than 100, 000arrows in total from the scarecrows.

Amazon has released (发布) a new home robot called Astro. The makers said it can be controlled though the owner is not at home. It can check on specific areas by its camera. There are also other robots that can cut the grass or read stories. But some people still think these robots might affect human behaviour. Can home robots really play a good role in people’s life?

Pro (正方): Housework is boring but has to be done. So why not get a robot to do it? When the robot is busy working, people can spend time doing things they actually enjoy. Robots can also make people feel more comfortable and safer in their homes. For example, it can warn the owner if there is a water leak (泄露). It can keep an eye on pets or people so that the person knows they are all right. Robots can be our friends and can stop us from feeling lonely. They can also help us stay in touch and make video calls with other people.

Con (反方): Although robots can help people do household chores, before too long, people will become dependent on them. They will slowly forget how to do things and lose the skills. Home robots may record information about people, including their conversations and their privacy. If robots do everything for people, they will become lazy. Doing housework is a good way to stay active and keep people healthy.

It’s hard to turn down a tasty banana. They taste good and you don’t have to wash them before eating them. However, British scientists say that the fruit may disappear by 2050.

One reason for this is climate (气候) change. Scientists at the University of Exeter collected data (数据) from 27 countries that produce 86 percent of the world’s bananas. They found that climate change has improved growing conditions in 21 of these countries. In the past 60 years, the average yield (平均产量) has reached 1. 37 tons of bananas per hectare (公顷).

However, if temperatures keep rising, this advantage will disappear. Ten of the countries, including India, the world’s biggest producer of bananas, will produce fewer bananas. By 2050, the fruit may die out.

Shouldn’t bananas grow more easily if it’s hotter outside? In fact, the perfect temperature range (范围) for growing bananas is between 24℃ and 32℃. If temperatures get too high, they will stop growing.

Diseases are another danger to bananas. Unlike other plants, the bananas we grow come from shoot cuttings (茎段) rather than seeds (种子). This means that all banana plants have the same genotype (基因型). In other words, if a disease is able to kill one plant, it could kill them all.

One serious disease is called Panama. Caused by fungus (真菌) in the soil, it spreads easily. It has spread across South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Australia. If one banana plantation suffers from the disease, it will take 30 years until it is able to grow bananas again. Scientists have yet to find a cure for this disease.

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