1 . AI is just now starting to go mainstream, but these classic films about AI have been exploring the future of artificial intelligence for decades.

In Ex Machina, a computer programmer is selected by the genius CEO of the company he works for to take part in an experiment involving the Turing test (图灵测试)with an impressive AI robot named Ava, convincingly played by a real actress.

No list on films featuring AI would be complete without A. I. Artificial Intelligence where a young AI boy with human-like feelings is left out by his human mother. As is so often the way, the questions posed by the story make the film way ahead of its time. What responsibility would humanity hold for an artificial intelligence that is advanced enough to actually experience feelings and emotional turmoil (混乱)？

As humans and robots struggle to survive together, and sometimes against each other, on Earth and in space, the future of both hangs in the balance. Here human men and women confront robots gone mad, telepathic robots, robot politicians, and vast robotic intelligence that may already secretly control the world. And both are asking the same questions: What is human? And is humanity out of date?

When an inventor in a Welsh village develops an AI being that looks like a mature professor who acts nothing like it, the result is quite possibly the funniest film of the decade so far. This is a film that is the perfect antidote to the apocalyptic threats surrounding modern life in the 21st century.

2 . As the COVID-19 appeared, many people’s life changed.

At the beginning of March 2020, Boylan, a professor of Medicine Jon Bae, went from working onsite to being another role as a health economic analyst(分析家) of Duke University Health System. And a month into the pandemic(流行病), his daughter, Elora, was born. The past two years drew Boylan closer to his wife, Katie, “During the time of the pandemic, I am not one of those people who have time to learn how to bake bread or anything,” Boylan said. “I think, in terms of personal growth, I have learned much about how to live a happy life.”

By October of 2020, the pandemic had lasted for several months, and Melanie Thomas was feeling down. “How do I have a rich and full life during this special time and keep a positive attitude?” Thomas asked herself. She decided that she needed a goal that she could work out until the world opened up. For the next several months, Thomas began running, working out at a socially distant gym, and walked as much as she could every day. While the trip to Nepal was the goal, the exercise to prepare for it became a central piece of herself-care routine.

A few weeks ago, Mary Atkinson began spending the remaining daylight after work setting up a garden in the yard of her Greensboro home. She as well as her two-year-olds on, West, often played there with the sand and his toy truck. “This is something that never happened before the pandemic, and it gives much happiness to us,” said Atkinson.

During the pandemic, John Carbuccia, instead of eating lunch out or grabbing meals in the university canteen, found himself eating homemade breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Scrambled eggs with vegetables or simply prepared salmon fillets are some of his current favorites. And without having to rush to the company, he walks and runs around his neighborhood before and after work at home.

3 . When Shanghai introduced a new garbage-sorting policy (垃圾类政策) in July last year, the city’s residents (居民) took some time to get used to it. They joked that every time they took out their garbage, the staff (工作人员) standing by the bins would ask, “What kind of garbage are you?”

Starting on May 1, Beijing joined many Chinese cities by introducing a new garbage-sorting policy, People’s Daily reported. Residents should sort their garbage into four groups: kitchen, recyclable, hazardous (有害的) and other waste.

These groups are represented (代表) by four different colors of trash bins—green, blue, red and gray. Those who fail to sort their trash correctly may be fined up to 200 yuan, Xinhua reported.

Some cities like Shanghai and Qingdao sort their trash differently. These cities use four different groups: wet, recyclable, harmful and dry. Although their names are different, the groups are actually the same. In fact, wet garbage in Shanghai is kitchen garbage in Beijing. And dry garbage is the same as other waste, China Youth Daily reported.

To help residents sort their trash correctly, the Beijing government is offering online guidelines (指导). If people don’t know how to throw away garbage, they can search for it on the WeChat account Guanchenglishi (管城理市) to find out. By searching a keyword or taking a photo, people can immediately find out which group their waste belongs to.

4 . Saisri Akondi was visiting a friend in Manipal just before the lockdown. Trapped by the travel ban, the researcher found herself frustrated at not being able to help during a national emergency. Back home, her colleagues at the National Chemical Laboratory worked on innovative methods to deal with the pandemic (流行病). She wanted to contribute in her own way. Soon, she spotted the opportunity.

On the evening of 11 May, she came across 50 migrants being questioned by the police. Akondi learned that they were railway construction workers, abandoned by their employer after the lockdown and were making their way to Mahabubabad, 680 kilometres away. “I instantly thought of helping them, noticing there were 10 children and a pregnant lady among them,” recalled Akondi.

Her first task was to register the group on a government portal (入口) to help them get movement passes within the state. Then, she arranged for food and convinced the railway authorities to let the migrants stay at the Udupi station until their transport was arranged. Akondi next turned her attention to the women, arranging for vitamins for her. She continued to make frequent posts to the social media handles of the Telangana chief minister’s office, seeking attention and help. There was no response for days, but she did not give up.

Her relentless efforts paid off, The Telangana government paid for the migrants’ travel back. On 19 May, the happy migrants were saying a tearful goodbye to Akondi and on 20 May, they reached their homes.

Akondi continued to help other stranded migrants reach their homes. Even as the world came to a standstill, this large-hearted woman became the ant that moved mountains.

On Oct. 20, 2021, the flame for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games arrived in Beijing,     1     (carry) a message of peace and union. Witnessed by many people, the flame drew crowds of audiences as it was escorted (护送) by volunteers into a ceremony,     2     was held at Beijing’s Olympic Tower. The flame, lit on Monday in Greece — the birthplace of the Olympics,     3     (transport) to Beijing on Wednesday morning by air.

This is the first time that China     4     (host) the Winter Olympic Games. Compared to Tokyo’s Olympics prevention measures, those in Beijing 2022 were even     5     (strict). Games organizers have cut back the traditional torch (火炬) relay to a small event due to COVID-19.

The relay was scheduled from Feb. 2 to Feb. 4, with the route connecting landmarks, historical sites and major tourism     6     (attraction) in Beijing and Zhangjiakou. The shortened torch relay with     7     (reduce) crowds, helped ensure the health and     8     (safe) of all judges and athletes.     9     is certain that the torch relay, as a cultural part of the Olympic Games, plays an important role     10     promoting the host’s international image while spreading the message of peace, union, friendship and health.

China launched (发送) the Shenzhou XIII manned spacecraft on October 16th. It carried three     1     (astronaut)—Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu—to Tiangong Space Station’s core module (核心舱) Tianhe.

Zhai is the country’s first astronaut to take a spacewalk,     2     did so in September 2008 in the Shenzhou VII mission. Wang is China’s second female astronaut to take part     3     a spaceflight and was a member of the Shenzhou X mission in June 2013. She will become the first Chinese woman     4     (enter) Tiangong Space Station and take a spacewalk. While it’s the first time for Ye to go on his journey to space. The astronauts     5     (stay) in Tiangong Space Station for six months. It     6     (expect) to be the longest space journey by Chinese astronauts,     7     (two) as long as the Shenzhou XII mission.

The astronauts have     8     lot of tasks, such as performing two to three spacewalks,     9     (check) the performance and capability of devices inside the station and testing support instruments for astronauts’ lives and work during long-term flights. And they will also carry out     10     (science) experiments and technology demonstrations (示范) in space medicine, microgravity (微重力) physics and other fields.