【推荐1】In recent years, many schools in China have had high-tech products. They add value to student learning and life at school.

At the Tianjin Eco-City School, the high technology makes learning a fun experience. In aerospace (航天) classes, students use VR glasses to learn about what’s inside a rocket and how it is launched (发射) in a computer game. Also, in swimming classes, by wearing smart earphones, children can get real-time commands from the coach under the water. It helps improve the quality of training.

For PE classes, Yuwen School in Wuhu, Anhui, has used self-testing tools with AI technology for activities. Students can get voice reports and results on how they did right after each exercise. They can also see which parts of their exercise need improvement.

Apart from learning, students can also enjoy meals made by smart canteens (食堂). To meet the different needs of students, the canteen offers over 400 dishes, with six to seven choices for each meal. Parents and students can choose their favorite before meals online. And they use facial recognition technology to pick up their meal. It helps the school plan and prepare meals cutting down on food waste.

Do you want to control equipments with your mind? Do you want to power your home with the energy of your own activities? These are two of the developments that engineers at International Business Machines Company (IBM) think will come true within the next five years. The technology company has announced its latest “5 in 5” report.

The engineers at IBM think people will soon be able to control many electronic equipments simply by using their minds. They say people will soon have a way to just think about calling or emailing someone in order to make it happen.

Another thing that will happen is a way for people to power their homes and offices using energy from activities like walking or running. Bemie Meyerson, IBM’S President, says this is known as micro-electronic times.

Also, passwords could soon become a thing of the past. IBM says technology developments could soon make passwords unnecessary. Some of the most common ways used to tell people are fingerprints, face and voice differences, and iris scans. The iris is the colored part of the eye. Bemie Meyerson says this technology will soon be more widely used by money machines and other designs.

The fourth possibility on IBM’s “5 in 5” list is an end to the digital designs “between those who have technology and those who do not”.

【推荐3】AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning refer to the ability of machines to learn and act intelligently. It means they can make decisions, finish tasks, and even tell the possible future results based on what they learn from data (数据).

AI and machine learning already play a bigger role in everyday life than you might imagine. Health care, banking, video games, every search on the Internet you make…, all are driven by AI.

It is going to change almost every field of modern life. A famous scientist said, “Success in creating AI would be the biggest event in human history.” And he also added, “Unluckily, it might also be the last, unless we learn how to avoid the risks.”

▲ , especially when you consider some countries are racing to develop AI-enabled autonomous weapons (人工智能自主武器). It is also going to change and take the place of many human jobs. The same worries also come from the public. According to the survey result from Centre for the Governance of AI, 91% of the people agree that “AI is a technology that requires careful management” in Europe.

But rather than agreeing with an idea of a helpless future where all human jobs are given over to robots, some people believe AI will make our working lives better. It will improve the work of humans, and new jobs will appear to take the place of the old ones.

What’s more, machines become more intelligent and they are able to finish more human tasks. Things which only belong to humans like creativity and critical (批判性的) thinking, will become even more valuable in the future.

Like it or not, AI is here. Maybe changing ourselves and managing it well are the best way out. Just as Benjamin Franklin once said, “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.”

【推荐3】Theme Numbers

Most kids learn how to count on their fingers (手指). However, many people think finger-counting looks a little silly. As kids grow older, their teachers often tell them not to count using their fingers.

But these teachers may be wrong. Scientists now believe it is a great idea for children to count using their fingers. The habit is good for their math study. It’s not hard to see why. By using fingers, an abstract (抽象的) idea becomes easy to understand. Kids then find it easier to work out difficult math problems.

In fact, there is an area (区域) in our brain (大脑) called the “finger area”. In 2015, a group of US scientists made a study about the area. They found the “finger area” became active when students worked on math problems. This is true even when the students don’t use their fingers. If students are good at finger-counting in the first grade, they will be better at math in the second grade. The ability to count by using fingers can decide students’ future grades in math tests. Other studies also showed the finger use is good for math ability (能力). For example, some scientists find pianists (钢琴家) are often good at math.

Unluckily, school teachers don’t think the finger use is important. Few of them ask students to count on their fingers. Maybe it is time for people to have a new understanding of finger-counting. Teachers should help students of any age develop (开发) their “finger area” by using fingers.