The start of the year is a good time for making resolutions. When people     1     them, they all hope that they are going to improve their lives. There are     2     kinds of resolutions. Some are about physical health. For example, some people promise themselves they are going to start an exercise program or eat     3     fast food. Many resolutions have to do with     4    . These are about making themselves a better person. Some people might say they are going to take up a hobby like     5     or taking photos, or learn to play the guitar. Some resolutions have to do with better planning like making a weekly plan for schoolwork.

Her name is Carol Brown. She’s a small    1     in Brown Village. Carol is eight     2     old. It’s time for her to go to school but she can’t go to school. Why? There’s a river    3     Carol’s village and her school. There’s no     4    . Carol needs to go to school by boat. Carol is    5     to take the boat. So she can’t go to school. Her dream is to have a bridge. Then she can go to school.

Do you know what a resolution is? It’s a kind of promise.     1     of the time, we make promises to other people. However, promises you make to yourself     2     resolutions, and the most common kind is New     3     resolutions. When     4     resolutions at the beginning of the year, we hope that we are going to improve our lives. Some people write down their resolutions and plan for the     5     year. This helps them to remember their resolutions. Others tell their family and friends about their wishes and plans.

   There are different kinds of resolutions. Some are about physical     6    . For example, some people promise they are going to start an exercise program or eat less fast food. Many resolutions have to do with self-improvement. Some people might say they are going to     7     a hobby like painting or taking photos, or learn to play the guitar. Some resolutions have to do with better planning like making a     8     plan for schoolwork.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Different children have different answers, and my answer is: to be an     1    .

I am always interested in different kinds of     2    . And I always want to find out     3     they work. It is fun. And I am also good at     4     small things. You can come to me if there is     5     wrong with your watches or radios. My classmates often ask me     6     help when their bikes are broken.

After 6 years of middle school, I will go to a     7     to study mechanical engineering (机械工程学). I want to be a great engineer. I hope I can     8     the coolest things in the world in the     9    . It is like a dream, right? But I will try my best to make it come     10    .

Today some students get together to talk about the future.     1     will the future be like? The students make     2     about it.

Linda:     3     Shanghai keeps going the way it is, it will be more crowded and polluted. We need to learn to     4     care of the environment, so we will have a good place to live.

Dorian: The future will be     5    . When your house is     6     , you just need your robot to help you do the housework.     7     will be different All the classrooms will have computes, and you     8     have to take your school bags. When you want to travel, a flying board (板) will take you anywhere. It will be very     9     and it will only take you half an hour     10     go to Harbin from Nanchang.

In the movies about the future, we sometimes     1     robots. The robots are     2     like human servants. They help humans with the housework and do jobs like working in dirty or dangerous places.

Today there are robots working in factories. Some robots can help to build cars, and they do simple jobs over and over again. Fewer people will do such jobs in     3     future, for they are boring,     4     the robots will never get bored.

Scientists now are trying to make robots look like humans and do the     5     things as we do. However, it will be difficult to make them really think like a human. They may not be able     6     wake up and know where they are.

Some scientists believe that there will be more robots in the future. These robots will have many different shapes. Robots in different shapes can help humans do different things. Snake robots in India can help look for people under the buildings. No one knows what will happen!