What will our life be like in 50 years? No one knows the answer exactly (确切地), but we are sure that it will be very different from the life today. My brother Jill White makes some predictions.     1    

First, people will have less work to do, and robots will do most work. People will use robots to make cars, do the housework, look after sick people and teach students.     2     So people will become stronger and healthier, and they will live to be about 200 years old.

Second, cars will become very small and computers will control (控制) their speed.     3     Planes will be very popular and most people would like to take them to travel.

Third, people will be able to live in the sea, on the moon or on Mars.     4     So there will be much space for people to plant trees. There will be less pollution, and the air will become much fresher.

Finally, water shortage will become one of the most serious problems.     5    

2 . Nowadays robots are going into many fields of human beings. They can do different tasks and finish them well. They bring great convenience to people. Here are four different kinds of robots below. See what is perfect for you.

3 . A Chinese knot (中国结) is woven (编织) with a single rope (绳). It has different shapes. Each shape has its own meaning. People can use ropes of different colors to weave a Chinese knot, but they usually use red because it means good luck.

The Chinese knot, a folk art, has a long history. People first made them to record information and send messages before they started to use words. The knots were used for decoration (装饰) and to express thoughts and feelings in the Tang Dynasty (朝代). They were later popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. But this art wasn’t really accepted (接受) by the common people until the Qing Dynasty.

Even today, Chinese knots still hold the value of feelings when they are sent as gifts. For example, lovers may give a knot to show their love. The “double happiness knot” is given and used at weddings (婚礼) to express each other’s love and wishes for growing old together.

Knots are also used when people make traditional clothes in China. They can play the role of buttons (纽扣) and now silk is widely used to make these clothing knots.

Many tourists including foreigners like to buy Chinese knots as gifts during their trips. There are many shopping streets for people to buy Chinese knots. Yiwu Commodity Market in Zhejiang Province is a good place for that. There are many different kinds of beautiful Chinese knots there. They are popular with customers.

4 . American people like to say ‘Thank you” when others help them or say something kind to them. People of many countries do so, too. It is a very good habit.

You should say “Thank you” when someone passes you the salt on the table, when someone walking in front of you opens the door for you, when someone says you have done your work well, or you have bought a nice thing, or your city is very beautiful. ‘Thank you” is used not only between friends, but also between parents and children, brothers and sisters.

“Excuse me” is another short sentence they use. When you hear someone say so behind you, you know that somebody wants to walk past you without touching you. It’s not polite to break others when they are talking. If you want to speak to one of them, say “Excuse me” first, and then begin talking. You should also do so when you begin to cough or make any noise before others.

Let’s learn to say “Thank you” and “Excuse me”.

6 . Many people have heard the story of the lost island of Atlantis (亚特兰蒂斯), one of the oldest mysteries in the world. But is any part of the story true? And how did the story begin?

More than two thousand years ago, the famous Greek thinker Plato wrote about Atlantis, a beautiful island in the Atlantic Ocean. The island’ s people were very rich and successful. They built a big city with many great buildings. At the center of the island, they built a beautiful golden temple. However, as the people grew richer, they became greedy—they had many things, but they still wanted more. And they started to argue and fight against each other. So the gods became angry. Then, one day, as a punishment, a huge earthquake came and great waves (波浪) covered the island of Atlantis until it disappeared under the sea.

Many explorers (探险者) have looked for Atlantis but failed. In 2004, explorer Robert Sarmast reported finding the remains of a city under the sea near Cyprus. However, Sarmast and other scientists later found out the structures (结构) he found under the sea were natural, not man-made.

Many people think Atlantis is simply a story. The purpose of the story is to teach people not to be greedy. Richard Ellis wrote a book about Atlantis in 1999. He says “there is not a piece of true evidence (证据)” for a real Atlantis.

So was the island real or not? The argument is still far from over. We only know one thing: The mystery of Atlantis will be with us for a long time.

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Hello, friends! I’m Linda. I like to tell you something about the Spring Festival. The Spring Festival is an important (重要的) festival in China. All Chinese like it.

It is always in January or February. These are my two favorite months. It is often cold at this time of year, but people are happy. Family members get together and have a big dinner. We usually eat chicken. After dinner people like to watch Spring Gala (春节联欢晚会) on TV. It’s very interesting. We can see people singing and dancing very happily. Children have a lot of fun on Spring Festival. Usually our parents get new clothes ready for us and we get the “lucky money” from our grandparents, parents aunts and uncles, we like to let off fireworks (烟花) at night, they are really beautiful.

10 . The Double Ninth Festival (重阳节) is a special day for older people in China. On this holiday, younger people usually show love and respect for older people.

Respecting older people is a tradition in China. There are many ways in which Chinese people express their respect. When an older person enters a room, everyone stands up. People are introduced from the oldest to the youngest. When we present a book to an older person, two hands are used. Young people always offer their seats to older people on a crowded subway or bus.

In western countries, however, older people seldom think they are old. They are called “seniors” instead of “old people”. They’d rather do everything themselves. Even after retirement (退休), they take on hobbies, part-time jobs and new activities to keep their bodies working well.

Westerners respect their older people, too. Seniors usually take trains and buses for free. They are given discounts (折扣) in stores and restaurants.

But western seniors don’t often live with their children — they live alone. For holidays, the family usually gather at the grandparents’ homes. A great smile and a warm hug for their parents are enough for children to show their respect.