【推荐1】Technology (技术) for space travel made our life on Earth better in many ways. Let’s look at things we wouldn’t have without space travel.

In the 1990s NASA (美国国家航空航天局) made cameras small enough to fit on spacecraft. The technology is now used in cell phone cameras so that we can take selfies.

There wouldn’t be Nike Air trainers if we didn’t go to space. The shock-absorbing (减震的) materials of the shoes come from space suits.

In the 1960s, NASA created a technology to clean astronauts’ drinking water. It is now widely used to clean water in swimming pools.

Astronauts could easily get tangled up in wires, so NASA made wireless, hands-free headsets. Astronauts can then move while talking and listening.

Astronauts hoped to collect samples on the moon. A company created a tool to help them do that. The company then used this technology to make the dust buster in 1979.

In the past, you needed to type in codes (代码) in your computer to make it work for you. In 1968, a NASA researcher tried to make computers on spaceships easier to use, and this led to the creation of the mouse.

【推荐3】China’s deep-sea exploration has entered a new period. Its deep-sea manned (载人的) submersible (潜水艇) Fendouzhe recently set a national diving (潜水) record of 10,909 meters in the Mariana Trench, the deepest underwater valley on the planet, according to AFP.

The average (平均的) depth of the ocean is about 3,600 to 4,000 meters. With Fendouzhe, experts said China now has “full ocean depth ability.” This means scientists can carry out manned exploration at any depth of any ocean.

Fendouzhe can find rare earth metals in the deep sea. These are used to make high-tech products. “The ocean floor is a whole new world. If we don’t explore this world, others will explore it,” CCTV reported. The three researchers aboard the sub are also studying the many forms of sea life that are only found in the deep sea. The researchers can use the sub’s video camera to record what they find underwater. They plan to collect samples (标本) of rocks, animals and plants.

The area that Fendouzhe dove in is known as the Challenger Deep, a very deep part of the Mariana Trench with very high pressure of around 11,250 tons per square meter, China Daily reported. The sub stayed safe thanks to its super-strong titanium (钛) body.

Since it’s so difficult to send manned submersibles to the deep sea, why not just send a robot?

“The ocean floor is dark and can be very cloudy, and cameras sometimes cannot discover things there as effectively (有效率地) as human eyes,” Yang Ning, an ocean scientist, told China Daily.

Moreover, the scientists in the sub have different backgrounds. If something unusual happens, they can react (反应) quicker than machines, which lead to surprising discoveries, according to Yang.

【推荐1】1

【推荐2】In John Burke’s creative photography class at Boone High School, US, students got an interesting task: record how COVID-19 has changed people’s lives.

The kids had different ideas. They took photos of empty refrigerators, discarded（丢弃的）face masks, and at-home haircuts.

Tristan Kaos Green, 17, decided to photograph an empty school courtyard（院子）.“I was thinking about the feeling I had when I first came back to school after COVID had happened. None of the faces I used to see were there anymore,” Green said. “It was kind of scary, and lonely. ”

In his photo, Green is alone, wearing a face mask, with his school ID around his neck and his backpack over one shoulder. The photo has a cold look and feel.

Burke said he often discusses how to come up with interesting ideas in class. “Observe（观察） your community, observe yourself, ” he tells his students. He was surprised by how deep his students’ ideas were.

Caitlyn Jaryszak photographed her 2-year-old sister. She is seen wearing a face mask and holding an expandable（可膨胀的） ball. The picture gives the sense that the little girl is in a cage.

Caitlyn wanted to show how much her youngest sister’s life has been limited by the COVID-19. “It’s changed her whole life so far,” she said. “I feel like she hasn’t been able to explore. ”

Burke believes that this task has helped his students connect with each other. “It also helps them face the difficulty. I’m anxious, but I see you’re anxious,” Burke said.

A．	B．
C．	D．

【推荐3】Last year was a difficult year for many, especially for filmgoers and the people who make films. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many movie theaters around the world had to close their doors to make sure everyone could stay safe.

Even now, some theaters are still struggling (挣扎). China’s movie theaters are now operating (运行) at around 75 percent capacity (容量), while those in the United States are at about 25 to 50 percent capacity, Bangkok Post reported.

It’s not all doom and gloom (前景无望), though. Although many of the movies of 2020 weren’t released (发布) on schedule last year, they are expected to debut (首映) this year. For example, we’ll finally be able to watch The Matrix 4 (《黑客帝国4》), Dune (《沙丘》) and Black Widow (《黑寡妇》), which were all postponed (推迟) due to the pandemic.

In China, there will be over 260 movies shown in 2021, according to China News. They include Detective Chinatown 3 (《唐人街探案3》), The Yin-Yang Master (《侍神令》) and Hi Mom (《你好,李焕英》).

There have been some changes to the film industry, however. Many studios (电影公司) are now releasing new movies online through streaming services (流媒体) like Disney, HBO Max and Netflix.

Take Warner Bros as an example. The studio said that along with showing movies in theaters, it will release 17 of its biggest films this year on the streaming service HBO Max. Before Warner Bros, many movies were already being released online, such as the Chinese movie Lost in Russia (《囧妈》) and the Disney movie Mulan (《花木兰》).

It’s a win-win for movie lovers: you can watch long-awaited movies from the comfort of your home without having to worry about COVID-19.