【推荐1】Accidental inventions change our lives.

Most of you enjoy eating potato chips. Do you know? The invention of potato chips was actually an accident. In fact, scientists have created many inventions by accident.

Let’s take a look at a few of them. Each one has an interesting story.

In 1928, British scientist Alexander Fleming went on vacation. But he forgot to cover up some bacteria(细菌) before he left his lab. When he came back, he found there was some mold(霉菌) growing on the bacteria. The mold stopped the bacteria from growing. Fleming later found penicillin in the mold.

George Crum was a chef in New York. He invented potato chips in 1953. One day, a customer said that his French-fried potatoes were too soft and oily. Crum thought the customer was rude and wanted to teach him a lesson. He cut the potatoes into very thin slices and fried them until they were crisp and brown. Surprisingly, the customer loved them.

One day in 1946, US engineer Percy L. Spencer was working on radar tubes(雷达管). He noticed that a chocolate bar in his pocket melted(融化) while he was working. He found out that the microwaves(微波) from the tube melted it. The engineer started to work out how to cook with microwaves. In 1947, the first microwave oven was born.

【推荐2】

Feng Boyao and Meng Shuqi found that their city library didn’t have enough Braille books (盲文书籍) for blind people and many of the Braille books were outdated. So, they teamed up to help the blind by fixing the problem. Feng and Meng both studied at No 37 Middle School in Taiyuan, Shanxi province. They invented a new kind of Braille reader. Their work won first prize in a national competition aiming to nurture creative thinking by encouraging youths to solve social problems. The invention was also granted (授予) a national patent (专利).

When connected to a computer, their Braille reader can turn words into raised dots (凸起的点). Blind people can read by touching the dots, which are magnets (磁铁). This is the first Braille reader that uses magnets.

“We found that today’s Braille readers are very difficult and expensive,” Feng said. “So, we decided to develop a user-friendly product, especially for young blind children from grades 1 to 3. Moreover, it only costs about 2,000 yuan.”

After making their first device, Feng and Meng visited a school for the blind to get advice and improved it based on the students’ needs, like changing the size of the screen and the amount of space between the dots.

“We hope the invention will be popularized (普及) in the future to help those blind people who can’t afford the Braille reader now,” Meng told Taiyuan News.

【推荐3】People in the office usually sit for most of the day when they work. But this is bad for a person’s health. When people sit for too long every day, they don’t move very much. So it is easy to start getting fat. Sitting for too long is also bad for their work because it makes them want to sleep. When this happens, people may make more mistakes in their work or spend more time finishing their work. Companies need workers to be healthy, so how do they fix the problem?

Some companies have different kinds of desks to help their workers. The first kind of desk is the standing desk. The desk can be taller when a person wants to stand. It can also be shorter when the person wants to sit. Another kind of desk is the walking desk. This desk is made so that a person can work while walking at the same time. Workers in the companies like the different kinds of desks very much. They think these desks are quite useful.

【推荐2】Welcome to life in 2045! You get up in the morning and look into the mirror（镜子）. You look like a 20-year-old. Because science finds good ways to keep people young and healthy, many people of your age could live to be 120. Look, you are not old at all.

When you get dressed, you say to your shirt, “Turn red.” It becomes red in 2045!

On the way to the kitchen, you want to call a friend. Your phone is by the window because it gets its energy from the sun. But you don’t need to pick up the phone. You can just touch（触摸，碰） your jacket to make the call.

It’s breakfast time. You reach for the milk, but your fridge says, “Don’t drink that!” It knows the milk is old, and tells the supermarket to send you a new bottle. Ten minutes later, it is sent by a drone（无人机）.

When you leave for work, lights turn off by themselves. Your home goes into “see” to save energy. In 2045, cars drive themselves, so you just tell your driverless car where to go.

Will all this come true? Perhaps the future is much closer than we think.

【推荐3】What will humans look like in the future? It sounds like a cool question, but the answer may not be that fun. Here are some predictions.

【推荐1】B.O.B. stands for bug-out bag (求生背包). It’s a bag with things that are needed for life in it. Be sure to make a B.O.B. with the fewest things.

【推荐2】Hello, everyone. My name is John. I’m from America. I’m thirteen years old. This is my new school. It’s very big, and it’s very beautiful.

There is a big playground. It’s in the middle of the school. The sports hall is next to the playground. In front of the sports hall are science labs. Behind the sports hall is the dining hall. Teachers and students usually have lunch there.

Look! This is our classroom building. And there are forty-eight classrooms in it. In my class, there are forty-six students. Twenty-eight of them are boys. And the rest(其余的) are girls. On the right of the classroom building is a library. In the library, there are many books. I like reading books there. The office building is in front of our classroom building.

I like my school.

【推荐3】Things You Can Do to Help the Environment

CARS

Cars are getting bigger. Bigger cars burn more gas and increase problem with air pollution. So try to walk, ride, or take buses. If you drive a car, keep it in a good state. This can save gas and make less pollution.

ENERCY

The biggest use of home energy is heating and cooling. So turn down the heat, especially at night. Use energy-saving lights. And remember to turn lights off.

PRODUCTS

Each American throws away 10 kilograms of litter every day. Try to make less waste. Ask yourself before you buy something. Do I need it? Buy products that you can use over and over again.

WATER

Showers use a lot of water. In one week, a common American family uses as much water as a person drinks in three years! Take shorter showers or buy a special small showerhead. This can cut water use in half.