【推荐1】Someday in the future we may not need to have money in our pockets. Is life easier when people don’t need to carry any money at all? Is money heavy to carry? Is it safe to carry money? Maybe in the future each of us will have only one small credit card（信用卡）. We will use it instead of money to buy all the things.

Of course, we may still have some of the same problems with cards we now have with money. For example, we lose money from time to time. Maybe we will lose the cards. Maybe someone will take the cards. Someone may even make a card and it just looks like our cards. Since we can’t buy anything without our cards, the credit cards may be no better than money.

Is there anything easier to use than credit cards? Each of us has a thumbprint（拇指指纹）. No two thumbprints are the same. Maybe someday the government will keep people’s thumbprints with a number. When you want to buy something, you will put your thumb on a machine or a computer. Each store or business will possess one. Everyone’s thumbprints will be in the computer. It will be difficult to lose our thumbprints! It will be difficult for someone to steal it or to make one like it.

【推荐2】China has named the nation’s Mars rover (火星车) Zhu Rong. For all of us, Zhu Rong is a well-suited name.

In an ancient Chinese story, Zhu Rong had a big fight with Gong Gong, the god of water. And Zhu Rong won in the end. But after the fight, the human world came into complete darkness. Then he brought fire from heaven to the world.

“Zhu Rong is regarded as the earliest god of fire in traditional Chinese culture.” a space official said. “The first Mars rover was named Zhu Rong. The name symbolizes (象征) light and hope for space exploration(探索)in our country, and means to guide humans to continue exploration.”

After leaving the earth last summer. Zhu Rong circled Mars for several months and landed on it in May. In recent years, our country has sent up the world’s first quanturn satellites (量子卫星), and Chang’e 4 has made a soft landing on the moon. We have made great progress in space technology and will soon start building our own space station.

【推荐3】You Are What You Eat

Genetic (基因的) engineering is the scientific change of the genetic material in a living thing. It allows scientists to identify specific genes, to remove them from a living thing’s chromosomes(染色体), improve them, analyze them, and possibly clone them, and to then reinsert the changed gene into the original living thing, or a completely different living things. Unlike traditional breeding (繁殖), where a desired quality would be bred within the same kind of living things, genetic engineering can insert desired ones into living things of different kinds. Wow ... did you catch that?

Genetic engineering creates many positive contributions to agriculture. For example, by genetically engineered (GE) foods, anti-cancer agents, minerals and vitamins can be increased. Improved taste, shelf life, and better transport are all possible. Also, GE plants can increase pest and bacterial resistance（抵抗力）, therefore, making the food safe for the consumers.

But some argue that the possible negative effects outweigh the positives, and critics are starting to voice their worries. Unlike Europe, in the United States labeling（贴标签）is not required on genetically engineered foods or on foods that contain genetically engineered products. Most Americans do not realize that they are, in fact, eating GE foods.

The public is also concerned about the unknown health risks. With limited understanding of genes, scientists cannot predict possible effects. Because most genes introduced into GE plants come from sources not introduced into the human body, it is impossible to know if they will cause reactions. Moreover, due to the lack of labeling, if allergies（过敏）develop, it will be extremely difficult to find the origin of them.

There is also a major moral question in many minds. For many, the conflict is not if it is safe or not, but it disturbs them because it is unnatural and unnecessary. We are currently producing one and a half times the amount of food needed to feed the world, yet one in seven people are starving. So GE food is unnecessary, and fails to address the root of hunger. Many believe that the only people who will benefit are the corporations that produce it.   

Scientists cannot foresee the possible effects of GE foods, yet we eat them every day without even knowing it. We already have enough food, so why create more that could be potentially harmful to us, to the Earth and to all wildlife? I think that the benefits are amazing, but until we know for sure how these foods will affect us, they are not worth the risk.

【推荐1】“Make-A-Wish” is one of the world’s most well-known charities (慈善机构). It makes wishes come true for children who have serious illnesses. It gives them hope and joy and helps them forget about their health problems and have fun.

It started in 1980 in Phoenix, Arizona. Christopher was a 7-year-old boy who was very sick. He always dreamed of becoming a police officer. Tommy Austin and Ron Cox, two police officers, made his wish come true. They gave Christopher a tour of the city in a police helicopter (直升飞机) and made a real police uniform (制服) for him.

There are four kinds of wishes children usually have:

I wish to go. Children usually want to travel or go to a concert, a game or a park.

I wish to meet. Children sometimes want to meet their favourite actors, singers or players.

I wish to be. Some children wish to become actors, singers or police officers.

I wish to have. They often want to have a computer, a game, a bike or many other things.

Let’s hope more wishes will come true in the future. People who work in the charity always try for the best. Almost 25,000 volunteers help, work or give money. Will you be one of them?

【推荐3】Do you know that 93 percent of our communication is through our body? We call it body language. This can include the body-gesture language, head-neck language, sign language, face language and looks language. In different cultural backgrounds, the same movement might have quite different meanings, which, may usually lead to misunderstanding in communication. Misuse of body language can be an unpleasant or even dangerous experience.

In 1992, the President George H. W. Bush made a state visit to Australia. People lined up along the roadside to welcome the American President who greeted them with raised fingers in the form of “V” with the back of his hand toward the onlookers. The following morning a headline in a local newspaper announced that the American President insulted (侮辱) the Australians. In Australia, the “V” sign with the back of the hand equals to the middle finger. But in America it means victory.

Have you understand the importance of body language? Pay attention to the following and you will realize that they are very helpful when you are in Australia.

Men in Australia shake hands instead of kissing when they meet. In China, thumbing up means “You are good”. However, it’s rude in Australia. If an Australian laugh at others, he makes his thumb down. If you want to order a glass of beer in the bar, just hold up your forefinger. And in social situation, you shouldn’t yawn or stretch yourself.

Keep these in mind and have a nice trip in Australia.

【推荐1】Mammoth Cave National Park (猛犸洞国家公园) in America s a great park. And Mammoth Cave is the world’s longest cave system.

Last July, my husband and I took our six children to visit it. The park itself was free to enter. However, one had to buy tickets for cave tours. The Trog Tour was interesting. However, only children between the ages of 8 and 12 could take this tour. So my family took two different tours in the morning. My three kids aged 8-11 took the Trog Tour. And the rest of us took the Historic Tour. In the afternoon, my husband and I took our children to take the New Entrance Tour. It was really cool.

We loved our visit to Mammoth Cave National Park. What a cool place! Next time we visit the park, we really want to take the Violet City Lantern Tour.

【推荐2】