Curly the robot beats athletes at curling

A robot has beaten top-class humans at the sport of curling (冰壶运动). Klaus-Robert Muller at the Berlin Institute of Technology in Germany and his workmates built the robot,    1    (call) Curly, to master the sport.

In curling, players slide heavy stones down an icy path towards a target (宫垒). Players compete in two teams of four, with most players    2    (take) turns to “throw” a stone or to use brooms (冰壶刷)    3    (sweep) the ice in front of a moving stone. Points are given for stones closest    4     the centre of the target and a team wins by having the highest score.

Curly won three out of four     5    (match) against top-class South Korean women’ s curling teams. The robot throws stones, but doesn’t sweep.

Placed on wheels, the robot has     6     long neck with a video camera to check     7     stones are. Curly’s     8    (power) learning program takes into consideration the position (位置) of other stones and the state of the ice when deciding the next moves. Once the game     9    (begin), Curly continuously learned how to improve on    10    (it) earlier moves, based on the errors it had made.

Kjell Lindgren wanted to be an astronaut for as long as he could remember. He spent much of his childhood abroad with his family on several U. S. Air Force     1     (base). “The idea of becoming an astronaut by serving as an Air Force test pilot seemed like the path     2     I needed to follow,” says Lindgren.

Lindgren’s hopes of becoming an astronaut, though, would come to     3     sudden stop when he was diagnosed with asthma (哮喘), a serious disease, after     4     (graduate) from the U. S. Air Force Academy. The Air Force decided to     5     (medical) fire him.

So Lindgren came to a medical school, eventually specializing in emergency medicine. As part of his training, he     6     (test) for asthma again. This time, the tests said that he didn’t have the condition. Lindgren was     7     (please) because his dreams of spaceflight returned.

Lindgren worked as a flight doctor at NASA, treating crews that were preparing for spaceflight. Then, in 2009, he was selected as a NASA astronaut. Since then, Lindgren     8     (fly) into space twice. On his trip aboard the International Space Station in 2022, he served as the commander for SpaceX Crew 4     9     170 days. Lindgren is now a member of the Artemis Team, a group of scientists and astronauts working together     10     (send) people back to the Moon in 2024.

In many ways, friendship     1     (natural) comes to kids. However, it is also a skill to learn and manage, particularly as kids get older.

It is important for teens to choose friends wisely. They might choose friends with shared interests or look for people     2     have different backgrounds. The most important things are whether or not the person will be a good friend and whether they enjoy     3     (spend) time with each other. If it’s a yes on both counts, then that person is likely     4     (play) the role of a friend.

It can take time to make a good friend, but it is often worth the effort. Doing things together, whether it’s homework or kicking a soccer ball,     5     (build) closeness. Considering the other person’s     6     (feeling) in different situations is also important. It’s true that you should stand by good friends in the hard times, but you don’t want to give and give without anything     7     return. Healthy friendships are     8     two-way street.

    9     (honest) and trust are important in friendships. Teens need to learn about the importance of being frank (坦率的) with their friends. Friends sometimes hurt each other, but they can always apologize (道歉) and forgive each other. Good relationships are worth the work to repair the damage     10     (cause) by any miscommunications.

Wildlife protection is     1     global issue, as illegal hunting and habitat loss continue to threaten the balance of ecosystems (生态系统). The decrease in species has caused concerns among individuals and organizations all over the world.     2     (recognize) the serious need for actions, people are making efforts to raise awareness to fight     3     these harmful practices.

To deal with the threats faced by wildlife, building reserves and habitats plays an important role. These areas provide a safe place for various species to survive, allowing     4     (they) to live and grow without the effect of human activities. By     5     (create) these protected spaces, we can ensure the     6     (preserve) of their natural habitats and protect their populations for future generations to enjoy. However, the challenge     7     (lie) in keeping the balance between conservation and economic development. Practical practices, such as responsible tourism and the promotion of environment-friendly industries, can create income without doing harm to the well-being of wildlife and their habitats. By carrying out these practical practices, we can develop a     8     (harmony) relationship between human activities and the natural world.

    9     (true), wildlife protection is a necessary issue     10     requires efforts from governments, organizations, and individuals. By rising awareness and applying stricter management, we can reduce the threats faced by endangered species.

Today’s Teens in No Hurry to Start Driving

The legal age to drive a car in the United States is 16. Obtaining a driver’s license on the day you turn 16 has long been     1     major life event for many young people in America.

But interest in driving among today’s teenagers     2    (drop) sharply over the past 35 years. In 1983, 80 percent of 18-year-olds in America had a driver’s license. By 2018, that number had reduced to 61 percent. Among 16-year-olds, the number decreased from 46 percent in 1983    3     25 percent in 2018. Those    4    (figure) come from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration.

Young people say they have many reasons for delaying or avoiding     5    (get) a driver’s license. Some choose more environmentally friendly transportation choices. Others find driving     6    (stress). And some     7    (simple) do not care about cars at all.

Carmakers want to make their vehicles more appealing to young people. They seek to make cars more interesting to a generation     8    (bring) up on technology. Some believe a big screen is     9    today’s teen drivers want. The vehicle is an    10    (extend) of their iPhone or their screen device.

Chinese high school principal Zhang Guimei has been honored     1     the title “Role Model of the Times” in recognition of her dedication to education for girls.

With the support of the Party and the government, she helped establish the country’s first senior high school to offer free education for girls from poor families. Since it opened in 2008, it     2    (see) more than 1,800 students progress to universities and colleges.

About 20 years ago, while on the way to visit a student’s house, Zhang Guimei, then a rural teacher in Huaping county, Lijiang, Yunnan province, noticed a girl     3    (sit) on the hillside. She was staring     4    (blank) into space. The girl, 13, told Zhang she was about to get married and it was arranged by her parents.

That fateful encounter(邂逅) persuaded Zhang     5    (build) a free high school for girls, aiming to help break the spell (魔咒)     6     women drop out of education, marry early and spend     7    (they) whole life in the remote mountain.

After years of trying to raise funds, in 2008, Huaping High School for Girls, a free public high school,     8    (found) at the foot of the Shizi Mountain in Huaping, where Zhang is the principal. Over the decades, More than 1,800     9    (graduate) have been admitted to college,     10     is regarded a “miracle” in the remote area, as most students didn’t perform well in academic study before the school was established.

August 3rd is Watermelon Day, an annual holiday that celebrates everyone’s favorite summer fruit.     1     (make) of almost 92% water, the fruit is full of vitamin A and vitamin C and antioxidants (抗氧化剂). So what are you waiting for? Get yourself a few slices of watermelon     2     (celebrate) this delicious holiday.

Watermelon is an ancient food that     3     (believe) to have originated in Africa. Historians have found evidence of watermelon planting as far back as 4,000 years ago. Today,     4     (variety) of the fruit are grown in warm parts of the world.

Because of     5     (it) high water content, watermelon is a kind of thirst -quenching (解渴的) fruit. In fact, in the Kalahari Desert,     6     watermelon is called “tsamma”, it is one of the main sources of water during the dry, hot season. In the past, people     7     (go) across the desert only during a good tsamma season.

Some studies have shown that the antioxidants in watermelon can reduce the risk of some types of cancer. Moreover, all parts of the fruit are eatable. Its flesh can be eaten     8     (direct) or juiced. In many parts of the world,     9     thick green outer covering of the fruit serves     10     a dish, and its seeds are dried, roasted and enjoyed like nuts.

Do you know what the ballet, jeans, and eyeglasses have in common? They     1     (invent) in Italy. Now, another Italian symbol is making headlines as a possible solution to a huge     2    (environment) problem. In a time when the world searches for ways     3     (reduce) plastic waste, pasta straws might be one of the answers.

Recently, a picture     4    （show）the initiative (倡议) some bars in Italy have been taking was posted on the Internet,     5     has been spreading like crazy.

    6     (interest), there are already a couple of companies that sell pasta straws: Stroodles and The Amazing Pasta Straw. The straws are tasteless while in cold beverage, as they're just made of wheat and water. According to the Stroodles website, the straws last roughly     7     hour before softening up, after which they can be composted (制成堆肥) or even consumed.

"Stroodles is not just a straw company and there is a much     8     (big) picture, as I feel I can leave a long-term impact by creating a ripple effect (连锁反应) by triggering many small challenges all across the world, especially among people that are less conscious     9       sustainability and their respective     10     (act) and behaviors, "company founder Maxim Gelmann said.

At 0:23 on Oct 16, the crewed spacecraft, Shenzhou XIII ,     1     (launch) at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center,     2     (mark) the start of the country's longest crewed spaceflight. The spacecraft     3     (success) docked with the space station core module Tianhe, or Harmony of Heavens. The crew has     4     wide range of assignments, such as performing two to three spacewalks, verifying key procedures and technologies. "The mission is a     5     (value) opportunity for China's science community     6     it allows the astronauts to carry out large in-orbit experiments requiring a long time and manual operation”. Pang Zhihao, a former analyst at the China Academy of Space Technology, told China Daily. The mission will also see the first space walk by a Chinese woman: Wang Yaping. Wang is China's     7     (two) female astronaut to take part in a spaceflight. Pang said that female astronauts have many advantages over their male peers. "Women are usually     8     (sensitive), attentive and careful in many aspects, and normally are better     9     communicating. The     10     (present) of a female astronaut usually brings more joy to a demanding mission, Pang told China Daily, noting he looks forward to Wang's success.

Chinese carmakers are taking the lead in developing the intelligent cockpit (驾驶座舱),    1     is becoming a key part of the modern driving experience.

Intelligent cockpits combine smart technologies with     2     (vary) driving functions, such as voice recognition for vehicle commands and the entertainment and navigation (导航) systems.

According to a report     3     (publish) by patent research firm PatSnap last week, globally there have been 193, 000 patent applications related     4     intelligent cockpits.

Of those, China owns 82, 300 applications, accounting for 42.56 percent of the total and     5     (rank) first worldwide. It means that the country has become the     6     (much) important market for intelligent cockpit technology, according to the report.

Japan ranks     7     (two) with 31, 900 patent applications and the United States follows with 19, 300. The patent applications of the top three nations account for around 70 percent of the total.

A representative from PatSnap has said the three countries represent the development trend of the automobile industry to a certain degree as they     8     (be) the three largest auto producers worldwide.

It can     9     (see) that under the global trend of autonomous, connected, electric and shared vehicles, the intelligent cockpit has become one of the vital development     10     (direction) of the future of mobility, the report said.