2 . The first robots were invented in the 1920s. Robots have appeared in many American films. In some films, they are stronger, faster and cleverer than people.

In real life, robots are mainly used in factories. They do some dangerous and difficult jobs for humans.

Robots also help disabled people, for example, blind people. Today many blind people have a guide dog to help them. In the future, guide dogs might be robot dogs.

One kind of robot guide dog has wheels. It moves in front of the owner. It is very clever. It knows the speed of its owner’s walk. The owner wears a special belt. This belt sends instructions to the owner from the dog, such as “Stop here”, “Turn left” or “Turn right”.

In the United States, another kind of robot helps disabled people to take care of themselves in their daily life. The robot hears the sound of its owner’s voice. It follows instructions such as “Turn the page” or “Make a cup of coffee”.

Robots are also used in American hospitals. They can do simple jobs. At one hospital, for example, a robot takes meals from the kitchen to patients’ rooms. It never gets lost because this robot has a map of the hospital in its computer memory.

Though robots can help people in many different ways, they will never take the place of humans.

3 . Illegal (违法的) driving is really dangerous. It may cause traffic accidents, even deaths. It’s reported that thousands of people die from illegal driving each year. Many countries are trying their best to control it. France, for example, has made some strict rules and laws to stop it.

People are warned not to eat while driving. Any driver who is caught eating while at the wheel will be stopped by the police. Then he will be fined up to £ 50 for it.

Drivers are not allowed to read a map, make a phone call or listen to very loud music while driving. Besides, it is against the rules for the motorists (汽车驾驶员) to use any kind of earphones. Things change easily on the road. Drivers never know what will happen next.

From July 2 on, it will be illegal to smoke when there is a child aged 12 or under in the car. Smoking is also banned (禁止) outdoors at children’s play areas, including those at motorway rest areas. Notices in several languages have been put up at motorway service stations to warn foreign visitors of the rules.

Driving after drinking can put people in danger. All the drivers are asked to carry an alcohol breath equipment test (酒精测试) in their cars. Anyone who breaks the rule will be punished.

5 . Chemistry is usually thought to be more difficult than other subjects, at least for the beginners. There are some reasons for this idea. For one thing, chemistry has a very specialized vocabulary (学科专用语汇). At first, studying chemistry is like learning a new language. Also, some concepts (概念) of chemistry are hard to understand. However, with hard work and careful study, you can finish this subject successfully—and even enjoy it. Here are some suggestions to help you develop good study habits and better understand the topics in the book:

●Firstly, attend classes on time. Listen to your teacher and take careful notes in class. If possible, always review the topics you learn in class, and review your notes on the same day.

●Secondly, think carefully whether you really understand the meaning of a formula (分子式) or the use of an equation (方程式). A good way to test your understanding is to explain a concept to a classmate or someone else.

●Thirdly, pay attention to things which have something to do with chemistry in life. Watch or do experiments (实验) in class carefully.

●Fourthly, question often and do not be afraid to ask your teacher or classmates for help.

You will find that chemistry is much more than numbers, formulas and equations. It’s often used in daily life just like math and physics. Once you fall in love with it, you’ll get lots of fun.

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6 . Chinese shadow puppetry (皮影戏) is a form of traditional Chinese folk drama (剧) which is probably one of the most ancient arts using light and shadow (影子). It is also a mix of many art forms, including painting, music, opera (歌剧) and story-telling. Shadow puppetry was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List (世界质文化遗产) in 2011.

It’s believed that shadow puppetry appeared in the Han Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, shadow puppetry was played by many people in many places around the country. Then in the Yuan Dynasty, it was introduced into West Asian and European countries along the Silk Road. The art form became the most popular in the Qing Dynasty. At that time, it was played in almost every province and in many kinds of celebrations like weddings (婚礼) and birthday dinners.

In fact, most puppetry artists across China don’t get trained and don’t play shadow puppetry as a job. They just play it for fun and love. However, they are still experts in this field. In recent years, puppetry artists have explored (探索) ways to make this ancient art form as popular as it used to be and pass it on to the young, hoping more people can understand its importance and feel its beauty. They also get support from the Chinese government. Thanks to their hard work, Chinese shadow puppetry is becoming great again.

Physical exercise is good for our mind and body. Today, since the Internet is widely used, workout (锻炼) videos are becoming very popular.

One of my friends, Lin Feng, followed short workout videos to do daily exercise. “With live (直播) programs, I feel like working out with my friends, which encourages me to hold on to the last minute,” she said. Another friend of mine, Michael, told me that workout videos let him feel so comfortable. “I have a fear of working out at the gym (健身房) because I don’t like being watched by others.” he said.

With their examples, I decided to give it a try. When I told my plan to my elder sister, a P. E. teacher, she reminded me that workout videos could be helpful but might still carry some problems.

“Without being with someone in person, you will be less willing (愿意的) to work out to your best. Working out at the gym allows you to have advice in real time and get pushed harder,” my sister said to me. “Well, if you really want to have a try, first, choose proper programs or videos. And then ask your friends for advice. Their experiences can give you a good sight into what you can expect. Anyway, don’t be addicted (沉迷的) to it. You should try different ways to work out to be healthy.”

8 . Ten years ago, I started to study luck. I wanted to know why some people are always in the right place at the right time, while others always experience ill luck. Many people volunteered for my research. Over the years I have interviewed them, watched their lives and had them take part in my experiments.

I did a simple experiment to discover why there were differences in their ability to find chances. I gave both lucky and unlucky people a newspaper and asked them to look through it and tell me how many photos were in it. I had secretly placed a large message halfway through the newspaper saying, “Tell the researcher you have seen this and win $50.” This message took up half of the page and was more than two inches (英尺) high. It was staring (盯着看) everyone straight in the face, but unlucky people tended to (倾向于) miss it and lucky people tended to find it.

Unlucky people are just more nervous than lucky people. They are busy looking only for what they need and this stops them from noticing the unexpected. As a result, they miss chances. Lucky people tend to be more relaxed and open. They can see everything that is in front of them, rather than just what they are looking for.

My research shows that lucky people live by several principles (原则). Here are some of these principles:

* Listen to your gut instincts (直觉)—they are often right.

*Be open to new experiences and break your normal thought patterns.

*Spend a few moments each day remembering things that went well.

*See yourself being lucky before an important meeting or phone call.

9 . Could you imagine being in a car driven by a computer, not a human? Nowadays, China has made a big step toward self-driving technology. Since August, driverless taxis can run on roads in Wuhan, Chongqing and Shenzhen.

Why do we develop self-driving cars? Self-driving cars have many advantages (优点). They use computers to sense the things around them and make better use of space. This means fewer crowded roads and better parking of cars. For disabled or blind people, self-driving cars can also help them get around more easily.

According to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year, more than 1. 35 million people are killed on roads around the world. Many more are hurt in accidents. Self-driving cars could reduce (减少) road accidents by 90 percent and save governments a lot of money. The main cause of car accidents is human error. By using computers, self-driving cars don’t make poor decisions or lose attention like humans do.

But self-driving cars aren’t perfect. If something unexpected on the road happens, self-driving cars can’t react as fast as a human driver can. Also, during weather events like heavy snow, self-driving cars would be hard to see the lines on the road. It might lead to an accident.

It’s clear that there is a lot of work to do to make self-driving cars popular on our roads. And China is taking the lead in making this happen.

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The earliest form of writing appeared about 5,500 years ago. In the past, handwriting was an important subject in school. Now, many students sometimes do homework on a computer and hand in their tasks online. Many people think typing (打字) is quick and easy to read, while writing by hand may take longer than typing. But others say writing with a pen and paper is more valuable. Writing by hand has big advantages.

Research shows that when we write down ideas with a pen or pencil, we make the brain active to help us learn, remember and think. Writing by hand lets people show their creativity. No two people have the same handwriting. Writing by hand can also help people concentrate (集中注意力). When using a computer, people can go online or play computer games easily.

Handwriting may be pretty, however, people can get their ideas and thoughts down more quickly when they type. Typing can also make it easier for people to change. Once something is written by hand, you can’t delete (删除) it. If you want to make a change, you have to write it all over again. What’s more, some people’s handwriting may be hard to read. Typing makes everything clear, and no one will have to worry about their words being clear enough.