Wang Yue, a seventh-grader from Jiangsu, opened a study app (应用软件) which can help students work out math problems. However, a series of game advertisements     1     suddenly which made her feel bad.

In fact, that is just one of several disappointing things about study apps that are     2     used by students. Study apps aim to help students learn. For example, students can check answers for problems and take online     3    . However, with more study apps coming into the market, serious competition has     4     some apps to change. How to make good use of them has become an issue.

Some study apps have social media features that can disturb students. Li Xieyichang, 14, from Sichuan, has noticed this. “I     5     joined a chat group to learn from others. However, hundreds of gossipy messages bombarded (轰炸) my phone,” she said. So, she quit (退出) the group chat.

In addition, some students simply     6     answers from study apps. Zhang Shiyuan, 14, from Shanghai, often sees her classmates do so. But she has a     7     way to use study apps. “They show many ways to     8     one problem. I try them one by one and see how they work. Then I use the things I’ve learned to work out the problem again,” she said.

Every now and then, you may hear satellites sent into space.Why do we need so many satellites? What do they do for us?

At present, there are more than 3,000     1     satellites moving around the earth. Satellites have all kinds of roles, from transmitting TV signals giving you     2     on the road, to helping scientists with their research.

For example, the 22 satellites China sent up on February 27 are     3     of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. Shared bikes that use BeiDou chips can provide more accurate positioning. It will make them     4     to find Drowes (无人机)can also use BeiDou to fly.

Before we have satellites, TV signals didn’t reach very far. Mountains or tall buildings would     5     the signals. Phone calls to faraway places were also a problem. Setting up telephone wires over long     6     is difficult. With satellites, TV signals and phone calls can be sent directly to the satellite and back to different locations on Earth.

Satellites can also provide information about clouds,oceans,land and ice. They help scientists     7     changes in weather and climate. By monitoring wildfires and volcanoes(火山) satellites help deal with natural     8    . Farmers can use satellite images to decide the best time to water their fields. Some satellites fly near other planets. They may look for water on Mars or take close-up pictures of Saturn's rings.

What’s in your face?

Your face might be the most unique (特别的) part of your physical appearance. ________ has something about their face that’s a little different. And that difference makes facial recognition (面部识别) possible.

This technology can be seen in many films. In the science-fiction classic: A Space Odyssey, a powerful AI-controlled computer called HAL 9000 is able to “________” the emotions of human astronauts by scanning (扫描) their faces. And in the 1987 action classic: Robocop, a half-robot police officer identifies (识别) a criminal by scanning his ________ and finding it in a computer.

Today, facial recognition tech has become reality. It is mainly used as a ________ method to identify criminals. In 2018, facial recognition technology was used to identify and catch criminals who were attending concerts by Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung. And if you have a recent model of Apple’s iPhone, you probably already known that you can unlock the phone with your face. But those are ________ a few of the things we can use facial recognition for. The possibilities, it seems, are endless.

Take Grab for example. Grab is a ride-hailing (叫车服务) company in southeast Asia that uses facial recognition technology to protect passengers from danger. The technology works by scanning the faces of both the driver and the passenger, allowing passengers to make sure that they have been matched up with the ________ driver.

Facial recognition is more common than you might realize.

When Goldie Nejat began developing robots in 2005, she spent much of her time knocking on doors to let people know how her robots w    1     , but few showed interest. “But now, it’s different.” says Nejat, “People calling from around the world ask when my robots are going to be r    2    .” Nejat’s robots are made to meet a growing n    3    : care-giving for the old. The population(人口) of the people over age 80 will be 426 million in 2050, three times l    4     than that now.

Such robots could be especially useful for patients with Alzheimer’s disease(阿兹海默症). They can help with everyday activities from preparing food to telling patients to take m    5    .

Some w    6     that care-giving robots might cut down human communication and make more humans lose their jobs. “But they are made to help humans not to take the p    7     of them.” says Brian Scassellati. He tested robots with different patients, and found that daily communication with robots can help children with autism spectrum disorder(自闭障碍症) i    8     social skills.

As the field grows, scientists try to u    9     human-robot relationships better. Are robots useful because they don’t have f    10     and don’t give opinions? “One thing is clear,” Scassellati says, “robots help people a lot.”

6 . Useful inventions

Inventions change how we live, work, play and think about what’s possible. Every year, TIME magazine lists (列出) the 100 best inventions based on their creativity (创造性) and impact (影响) on our lives. What did the magazine choose this year? Let’s take a look.

Reading can be a big challenge for tens of millions of people. They may have poor vision (视力) or reading difficulties. But OrCam Read can help them! It’s the first of its kind reading pen with a smart camera and an AI system. After scanning (扫描) a page of text with the click of a button (点击按钮), it can read the text aloud to the user. You don’t need to connect (连接) it to the Internet. You can use it offline at home, work, school, or eve in stores when you need to read a price tag (标签).

Honey is produced by bees. But today’s beekeeping business (养蜂业) is not good for these hard-working insects. Bee farmers may kill them after harvesting (收获) 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 biology (合成生物学) 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 furry (毛茸茸的), bear-like toy has 9 sensors (感应器). It has a quick “heartbeat (心跳)” and can respond to your touch.

As you hold and pet it, its heartbeat slows. And it purrs (发出咕噜声) like a cat. It sounds like it really enjoys your touch! Through petting Purrble, you will become more aware of your own feelings and learn how to feel calm yourself.

7 . PowerPoint Presentations (PPT) are taking the place of writing on the blackboard with chalk. Someday, will robots take the place of human teachers?

In Japan, a robot is going to enter classrooms to help teachers. Last week the Japanese company Honda Motor Co. showed the public its robot at a Tokyo museum. The robot’s name is Asimo. Students will see Asimo in science classes and learn the wonders of science.

Asimo is 130 centimetres tall with a round head. It can jog, walk up stairs and wave. It can also avoid things on its way and have simple talks with you. Asimo is an experienced worker for humans. It has worked as a guide in showrooms. But this will be the first time it works as a teaching assistant in classrooms and in formal teaching!

How will Asimo help in class? A teacher explained the way Asimo works to students in last week’s show. Asimo has sensors (感应器) inside its body to keep its balance.

The smart Asimo tilted (倾斜) its body when it stood on a shaking platform (平台). Asimo kept its balance. But a wooden person beside Asimo fell (See the above picture).

When you walk, you pass your weight from the heel to the toe. The Japanese teacher explained this with Asimo at the museum. He moved the robot in slow move. Asimo made learning science more interesting for students!

Asimo will soon help teach thousands of primary students and junior high schools in two Japanese cities. Hopefully, robot teachers will arrive at our classrooms in China one day.

8 . 下周一上午轮到你在英语课上做课堂报告，你打算把爸爸最近网购的音乐机器人(music robot)介绍给同学们，下图是关于这个音乐机器人的广告，请你根据所提供的信息写一份发言稿。

Good morning, everyone! Here, I’d like to introduce the music robot my father bought online. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . When you’re not at home, many worries may start to come into your mind. Did I lock the door? Are the kids doing their homework or watching television? With a smart home, you can quit all of these worries.

A smart home is a home with a communication network. This network connects devices（装置）, such as TV sets, and allows people to control from far away through mobile phone communication.

More and more people may start to consider owning a smart home, because it makes life much more comfortable. It can help keep your room at a certain temperature. It can record what happens inside the home and send the video to your phone. When you are on vacation abroad, you can use a smart home controller to turn on or off the power when necessary. They can even feed the cat and water the plants.

Moreover, smart homes are easy to fix. Most smart home technology and devices are wireless（无线的）and can be set up with simple tools, using only the guiding information.

However, for home-users, the smart home technology is far from perfect. It can be very expensive to own the technology and the devices. Also, because the smart home system allows its owner to get home information from anywhere, it leaves the home easy to be attacked by hackers（黑客）.

Now, many scientists are excited at the future of smart home technology. Imagine being able to get fashion advice from your mirror（镜子）, or receive food shopping suggestions from your fridge, while there are others who worry that those smart devices will make people lazier and lonelier. Whatever it is, one thing is for sure—smart home technology will change the way we live and work.