Kevin sat at the desk in his study, pencil in hand. He had to write a story for his English class by Friday. “I don't know what to 1,” he complained to his dog, who was asleep at his feet. Kevin was talkative when speaking to his friends, yet he had 2 finding words he had to write.
By bedtime Kevin had drawn a picture of his dog smiling. He had drawn a tree with its branches(树枝) blowing in a high wind. He had also written a 3 asking his friend to go to the movies on Saturday. 4 he had not written a single word of his story.
On Wednesday, Mrs Scott, Kevin's English teacher, asked the class to 5 the first draft of their stories. Kevin had to turn in the only work that he had—the page with his name, the 6, and the note.
Kevin wasn't 7 when Mrs Scott asked him to stay after class the next day. But he was surprised by what 8 said to him. “Kevin, this is a fantastic story—the dog, the movie, the tree in the 9. I can't wait to find out how they all fit together. I think you have the idea of a story there. Look at your note and the pictures and try to see 10 a story comes to you.”
That night Kevin sat at his desk, and this was what he wrote: “One Saturday Tom went to meet his friend at the 11. it looked as if it might rain, so Tom 12 his umbrella. Suddenly a big storm blew in. The noise of the wind 13 like Tom's dog Spotty. Spotty really hated storms and barked whenever he wanted to be let inside. Then Tom saw Spotty running after him down the busy street, barking. The sound was full of blame(责备). Tom felt 14 because he had left Spotty outside. He turned and headed home with Spotty. Tom let Spotty in the door just and the rain started to pour down.”
Kevin had a story after all. The last thing he did was to write his name 15 at the top of the page.
Mrs White had a problem. Her young son, Timmy, hated to go to bed at night. Mrs White read to him and gave him warm milk, but Timmy refused to fall asleep. No matter what she did, Timmy wanted to stay up. One day Mrs White had an idea.
Ever since Uncle Charlie had taken him sailing, Timmy wanted to be a sailor. He loved fishing with his father. He loved to watch the waves wash against his hair. “some day,” Timmy said, “I'm going to have my own boat. And I'm going to be the captain.”
So Mrs White had a boat built—one that could be hung from the ceiling in her son's bedroom. She felt that if he could sleep in the boat, he would want to go to bed at night.
The boat builder made the boat and hung it in Timmy's bedroom. Timmy loved it.
Finally Timmy was happy to go to bed.
| Alice, Sue and Simon are having a Chinese New Year Party at Simon's house at 6 p.m. Wear something red! |
Believe it or not, our eyes are the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing. Have you ever noticed it? |
John was driving home from work. Suddenly he stopped the car. He could hardly believe what he saw. A camel was standing in the middle of the road! Later he learned the camel had run away from the zoo. What a story John would have to tell! |
Some trees communicate with each other. Willow trees are be best known of these trees. When insects begin biting a willow tree, the tree sends out a special smell. Other willow trees in the area can catch this smell. This tells them that harmful insects are nearby. The willows quickly make a chemical(化学物质)in their leaves. This chemical, which insects do not like, drives the insects away fron the willow trees. |
William Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers in English literature. His plays can be divided into three categories: histories, tragedies(悲剧) and comedies. Shakespeare wrote eighteen comedies, although two were lost. These comedies usually have happy endings and a light-hearted tone and style that are quite different from his tragedies.
All of Shakespeare's comedies have five acts and the most important or exciting point always takes place in the third act. The hero does not appear until after other characters have talked about him. Shakespeare had some themes that he usually wrote about: the fight between good and bad, love's great effect on people, and the difference between first appearance and a person's true personality or face. Shakespeare also wrote his play in a certain style. For example, Shakespeare used words in such a clever and humorous way that they had more than one meaning. Some of the characters changed their appearances so that people didn't know who they were.
Even though the tone is lighter in these plays. Comedies in Shakespeare's day were quite different from modern-day comedies because their purpose was not to make people laugh. Shakespeare's comedies are very emotional(有感染力的) and often include serious topics to think about.
remind wonders carry on aloud opposite against |
Dr Watson was a good friend of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. One morning they (eat) breakfast when suddenly Holmes said, “I have to go to a place (call) Coland. A horse has disappeared from there, and the police can't find it. Will you come with me?”
“Do you think that the horse (steal) the other day?” Watson asked.
“I don't know,' Holmes replied. “ I need to go to Coland (find) out.”
“Why is this horse so important, Holmes?” Watson asked.
“Because I (run) in a big race. If it wins, a lot of people will win a great deal of money. There are also people who (not want) it to win.”
An hour later, they were on the train to Coland.
Brazil is a country in South America. It will host the 2016 Olympic Games.
Brazilians are very friendly people and are generally relaxed, so it is important to say hello and goodbye to everyone. Women kiss men and each other, but men usually just shake hands. Brazilians stand very close to each other and touch each other's arms, elbows(肘) and back regularly while speaking. You should not move away if this happens.
If you go to a business meeting, you are not expected to take a gift. On the other hand, if you are invited to someone's house, you should take a gift—for example, flowers or chocolates. However, you shouldn't take anything purple or black, as these colours are related to death. If you are invited to dinner, arrive at least half an hour late, but always dress well because appearances are very important to Brazilians.
Football is very important in Brazil. People play football everywhere, and everyone plays. Adults and children play football in their free time. They usually play on football fields, but sometimes they football on the beach or in the street. Brazil has many world-famous footballers, like Pele, Kaka, and Ronaldinho. In total, there are more than 13 million players and 29,208 football clubs.
Football is not the only popular sport in Brazil. Capoeira is an important part of Brazilian culture. It is a mix of martial arts(武术), exercise and music. People do capoeira in groups. You can watch capoeira groups in the park or in the street. People around the world come to Brazil to learn it.
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In 1986, the Honda automotive company wanted to see if it could make a human-like robot, to help in home, play football, balance on one foot, and even dance. Over the years there were some problems but soon the researchers managed to get a robot named ASIMO. It could walk on uneven(不平坦的) surfaces, and move its center of gravity like we do to climb stairs.
More recently, ASIMO was improved so it could turn round and run at six kilometers per hour, using its upper body to control movement.
ASIMO is designed to be friendly. It is hoped that robots like this could be used to help elderly people in their home. Honda are also using this technology to help people with disabilities. It can also push a cart(手推车) and open and close doors. ASIMO can even shake hands. It stands 120 centimeters tall, so that it can look into adult faces when they are sitting down. It can hold two kilos in its hands. It can even carry a tray without dropping the contents.
So, where next for this kind of robot? Well, while ASIMO is attractive, it is still controlled by a human. Researchers in the USA are working on the robots that can learn about the world around them, and give a reply to human touch and voice. The robots are even learning to recognize(辨认) objects, people and vocabulary. Soon the descendants(后代) of these robots may be serving you drinks or helping with jobs at home and at work.
A. Users for ASIMO
B. What similar robots will be able to do in the future
C. Background and history of ASIMO
D. Recent improvements to ASIMO
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