1 . 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.

2 . 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.

4 . Some children cannot wait to grow up. Because once you become an adult, you are free to make your own decisions. More importantly, you can do all those things that you cannot do now because you are too young. So, the question is. “At what age do you really become an adult?” Well, people become adults at different ages in different places.

In Australia, the 18th birthday is a very important event for young Australians because it means they can do almost anything they want. They can vote (投票) , learn to drive a car, get married, join the army and even buy their own houses. However, even if they can do all these things, most Australians have to wait until their 21st birthday to really celebrate becoming an adult. This is the traditional adult age not only in Australia, but also in the US and the UK. It is their first year of true independence. Traditionally, people were given a key to their houses by their parents when they turned 21, meaning they could come and go as they like. Even though 21 is the traditional adult age in many English-speaking countries, the law nowadays is different in each country. In the UK, you can join the army at 16 and even get married at 16 if your parents allow. Young people in the UK can learn to drive a car at 17 as in Australia, although they have to wait until they are 18 to vote.

In China, there is a different age for each of the stages of becoming an adult. You can vote and learn to drive a car when you are 18, but if you want to get married, women have to wait until they are 20 and men until they are 22. Chinese people celebrate important birthdays every 10 years-so when young people turn 20, they can expect a big party!

No matter what age you are, becoming an adult is really about learning how to be independent and responsible. Once you are finally able to take care of yourself and make your own decisions, then you can say that you are truly all grown-ups.

5 . What do you think of the most important inventions in the world? The TV? The printing? The telephone? Or the computer? A report shows that they are not the only important inventions. Here are three other important inventions.

One of the simplest（最简单的）inventions is the toilet（冲水式马桶）. Before toilets, waste ran into rivers from people’s houses. Illnesses were common in big cities, and it was often difficult to find clean drinking water.

Animal food is another important invention. Before the invention, most animals were killed（杀死）every autumn because there was not enough food for them in winter. After hay（干草）became a kind of common animal food, animals could live through the long winter.

The third great invention is glasses. Glasses help people read, write and do “close work” after the age of 45. Without glasses, the world would be difficult for the people above 45.

It’s known for all that China is famous for its tea culture. Here is a list of some Chinese tea.

In Chinese and the languages of neighboring countries, black tea is known as “red tea”. It is made from the new shoots（芽）of the tea leaves which are fermented（发酵的）and dried. It has a lovely red color. Dianhong and Yixing are popular brands of black tea.

White tea is unfermented tea that has been quickly dried. It is lighter in color than other types of tea. Popular brands of white tea are White Peony and Silver Needle.

Wulong tea, also known as blue tea, is made from a mixture of green tea and black tea. It is said that people who drink Wulong tea can lose weight. Wenshan Baozhong Tea and Dongding Wulong Tea are two famous brands of this popular tea.

Green tea is the oldest and most popular type of tea. It has been enjoyed in China for several thousand years. Green tea is made from the new shoots of the tea leaves which are dried and processed. Longjing may be the most well-known brand of green tea.

7 . Many strange creatures（生物）live deep in the ocean. One of the most mysterious is the huge squid（乌贼）. Some had been caught in fishing nets or found washed up on shore（岸）. No one had ever seen a giant（巨大的） squid alive up close or had even gotten a picture of one. That all changed a few years ago. Researchers（研究者） got the first pictures of a giant squid alive and swimming in the deep ocean.

Scientists didn’t know just where to look for the squid. It lives in the ocean, about 660 to 2,300 feet deep. Then the scientists had a bright idea. They knew sperm whales（抹香鲸）like nothing better than a delicious squid dinner. Why not follow the whales? Scientists, led by Tsunemi Kubodera, followed some sperm whales off the coast of Japan. Their idea turned out to be correct. Just as they thought, the whales led them to a huge squid.

The squid wasn’t going to come to the scientist. So they used a baited（饵）fishing line to draw it in. Scientists dropped a remote-control camera into the ocean. Then they used the bait to attract（吸引）the squid. The trick worked. As the squid went after the bait, the scientists took hundreds of pictures. The squid swam away finally.

When the scientists were raising the fishing line, they discovered something amazing. The squid had left a piece of itself. It went after some bait that we had on the end of the camera and became stuck （卡住）,” said Kyoichi Mori, a researcher.

8 . Inventions change how we live, work, play and think about what’s possible. Every year, LIFE magazine lists the 100 best inventions based on their creativity and influence on our life. What did the magazine choose this year? Let’s take a look.

	Reading can be a big challenge for millions of people. They may have poor vision（视力）or reading difficulties. But OrCam Read can help them! This reading pen with a smart camera and an AI system can read the text aloud to the user after scanning（扫描）a page of text. You don’t need to connect it to the Internet. You can use it offline at home, work, school, or even in stores when you need to read any instructions.
	Honey is produced by bees. But bee farmers may kill them after getting honey because it’s cheaper than feeding the bees through the winter. To save bees, US company MeliBio has found a way to make the world’s first bee-free honey. They used synthetic（合成）biology to create honey directly from plants. This kind of honey tastes just like the real one, and it is healthy, too.
	When you feel angry or unhappy, what do you do about it? Scientists say you can try to calm others. This can help you calm down. That’s why Purrble was invented. This soft bear-like toy has 9 sensors（感应器）. It has a quick “heartbeat” and can respond to your touch. As you hold and pet it, its heartbeat slows. And it sounds like a cat, which means it really enjoys your touch! You will learn how to feel calm yourself in this way.

A mind map is a tool that connects information around a central subject. It can help you make a knowledge bank to solve problems. A student recently said, “I thought mind mapping would take a lot of time to do but in fact it saves me time. I don’t have to read my, notes over and over again.” Do you know how to make a mind map? These following steps can help you.

Start in the center

Starting in the center of the page lets your brain spread out in all directions and express itself more freely and naturally.

Use as many pictures as possible

Use a picture for your central idea. A picture is worth a thousand words and helps you use your imagination. If you have 10 pictures in your mind map, they are already worth 10,000 words of notes. It helps get your attention and makes you work excitedly!

Draw clear branches (分支)

Connect your main branches to the central picture and connect your second-level branches to the first level, etc. Why? Because brain works by connection. It likes to connect two, three, or four things together. If you connect the branches well, you will understand and remember easily.

Use key words and colors

Every single key word can make you learn more clearly and easily. Try to use more colors. Colors are as exciting to your brain as pictures. Different colors express different parts of your mind map and add great energy and fun to your creative thinking.