2 .     1     The concept of time has fascinated philosophers, scientists, and artists throughout history. Time’s passage seems relentless, yet its nature remains a subject of deep contemplation and debate.     2     Some believe time is an objective reality, an unchanging stream that flows independently of human perception. Others argue that time is a construct of the human mind, a way for us to make sense of the world.

    3     The idea of time travel has captured the human imagination for centuries. Fictional works, from H. G. Wells’ “The Time Machine” to Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar, ” explore the possibilities and paradoxes of traversing the temporal landscape. While time travel remains relegated to the realm of science fiction, the study of time’s nature and behavior is a serious pursuit among physicists.

    4     One intriguing phenomenon related to time is time dilation, a concept from Einstein’s theory of relativity. According to this theory, time can slow down or speed up depending on factors like velocity and gravity. This phenomenon has been experimentally verified with atomic clocks flown on fast-moving airplanes and placed in strong gravitational fields

    5     Philosophical discussions about the nature of time often touch on the distinction between past, present, and future. Some physicists propose that all moments in time exist simultaneously, blurring the lines between these temporal divisions. This idea challenges our common sense understanding of time as a linear progression.

    6       Moreover, the concept of time has cultural and psychological dimensions. Different cultures and religions perceive time differently, with varying views on the significance of the past, present, and future.     7     Psychologically, time perception can be influenced by factors such as age, emotions, and cognitive processes.

Do You Think You Will Have Your Own Robot?

When we watch movies about the future, we sometimes see robots. They are usually like human servants. They help with the housework and do jobs like working in dirty or dangerous places.

Today there are already robots working in factories. Some can help to build cars, and they do simple jobs over and over again.     1     Fewer people will do such jobs in the future because they are boring, but robots will never get bored.

Scientists are now trying to make robots look like humans and do the same things as we do. Some robots in Japan can walk and dance. They are fun to watch. However, some scientists believe that although we can make robots move like people,     2     让它们真正像人类一样思考将是很困难的. For example, scientist James White thinks that robots will never be able to wake up and know where they are.     3     但是许多科学家都不同意怀特先生的观点. They think that robots will even be able to talk like humans in 25 to 50 years.

Some scientists believe that there will be more robots in the future.     4     However, they agree it may take hundreds of years. These new robots will have many different shapes. Some will look like humans and others might look like animals. In India, for example, scientists made robots that look like snakes.     5     If buildings fall down with people inside, these snake robots can help look for people under the buildings. This was not possible 20 years ago, but computers and rockets also seemed impossible 100 years ago. We never know what will happen in the future!

One day a famous teacher was walking with his student. On the way, they saw a lake. They stopped and the teacher told the student, “I’m thirsty. Get me some water from that lake.”

Just when the student reached the lake, a cow was walking in the lake. So the water became very dirty. He thought, “I can’t give the dirty water to my teacher!”

He came back and told the teacher, “The water is very dirty. We can’t drink it.” After about half an hour, the teacher asked the student to get some water again. So he went back to the lake.

But the lake was still dirty. So he told the teacher the same thing. After some time, the teacher asked him to go back again. But this time, he found the water was clear. The mud (泥) in the water came to the bottom. So he got some water.

The teacher looked at the water and said to him, “You did nothing to make the water clear. You just let it be... Your mind is also like that! When it is bothered (被打扰), just let it be. Give it some time.”