In some parts of the world there are large deserts. There aren't trees or water in these Travellers must take food and water with them. The only animal that can walk the desert is the camel. It can go food or water for a long time, and it can heavy things. People call the camel “the ship of the desert”. The camel is very big. It has one or two humps on back, short ears and a long neck. The camel can hold water in twelve deep pockets. Each pocket has a mouth, and the food doesn't mix with the water. When the camel wants some water, it can get it out of the pockets.

    Did you have any interesting dreams last night?

    A person can have four to six dreams a night, and each dream usually lasts from 10 to 40 minutes. Everyone dreams, but not everyone remembers their dreams. Most people forget half of their dreams within five minutes of waking up. After ten minutes, 90% of their dreams are usually gone. Most people dream in colour, usually with sound. And we usually dream about ourselves and the people we know.

    Many people believe our dreams have meanings and tell us more about our lives in the real world. Here are some kinds of dreams and what people think they mean.

    Dream 1: You're Flying

    If you dream about flying, you are probably quite happy. This is a good period in your life. You may feel that other people see you as an important person.

    Dream 2: You Didn't Study for an Exam

    This probably means you worry about an important thing coming in your life. If you don't prepare for it, your dream may tell you, "It's time to start to work!"

    Dream 3: You Meet a Snake

    If you meet a snake in your dream, it probably means you're afraid of something you can't see in your real life.

    You have waited 45 minutes for the valuable 10 minutes' break. But when the bell for the next class rings, you can't believe how quickly time has passed. If you have this experience, you'll know how time flies when you are having fun and drags when you are bored. Now scientists have come up with a reason why this happens.

    They have found that the brain changes its way to work according to how we direct our attention to a task. When we are bored, we pay more attention to how time is passing. And this makes our brains think the clock is ticking more slowly.

    Recently some researchers who want to understand the conditions carried out an experiment. In the experiment, twelve volunteers watched a picture while researchers monitored their brain activity.

    The volunteers were told to first notice how long a picture appeared, then the color of the picture, and thirdly, study the both. The results showed that the brain was more active when the volunteers paid attention to more subjects.

    It is thought that if the brain is busy noticing many aspects of a task, it has to spread it resources, and pays less attention to the clock. Therefore, time seems to go quickly. If the brain is not so active, it spends its full energy on the passing of time. As a result, time seems to move slowly.

    Next time you feel bored in class, perhaps you should concentrate on what the teacher is saying.

Humans are mammals (哺乳动物). Most mammals are born able to do many things.

Some can walk within a few minutes of being born. They have to be able to run away if 1 is near. But human babies are born 2. They need the care of adults to live.

In the first month of life, babies can not smile or sit up. They can not even hold up their own heads 3 some help from grown-ups.

In the next few months, babies grow a lot. They learn to roll over, support their heads, and 4 sit up while being held.

Babies also have to learn to use their 5. It takes months for them to learn to reach for objects. At around six months old many babies can 6 an object from one hand to another.

Babbling is 7 a human baby learns to speak. Babies all seem to make similar sounds by babbling. They try to imitate (模仿) the sounds they hear from adults. It will take about nine months 8 a baby can say real words.

Somewhere around a baby's first birthday he or she may stand or walk with help. Soon the baby will 9 around on his or her own!

The first year of a baby's life is a time of growing and 10. Growing sure takes a lot of work!

All students need to have good habits(好习惯). When you have good study habits，you learn things quickly. You also remember them easily. Do you like to study in the living room? This is not a good place because it is usually too noisy. You need to study in a quiet place, like your bedroom. A quiet place will help you only think about one thing, and you will learn better. Before you begin to study, do not forget to clean your desk. A good desk light is important, too. You'll feel tired easily if there is not enough light.

Sitting among a sea of cars, have you ever dreamed about your car taking off and flying over the road? Many of us spend an hour or so stuck in traffic every week. The main problem is that we are not expanding (扩展)our transportation systems fast enough to meet ever increasing demands (需求). One solution is to create a new type of transportation that doesn't rely on roads.

In the last century, planes and cars changed the way we lived. Cars, which can be afforded by the general population，have allowed us to move farther. Planes have also cut travel time to faraway destinations(目的地).At the beginning of a new century, we may see the realization of a century-old dream一the mix of cars and planes or flying cars.

You might have heard news about flying cars before. The technology to make them safe and easy to fly may finally be here. With progress in lightweight material，computer models and no-man control, the dream is very close to becoming real.

Car maker Moller went public with the Skycar M400 in 2011. It is the first car that can take off and land straightly. The four-seat Skycar is powered by eight engines(引擎). The cost of a car is about $1 million at first, but when it begins to be produced in large amounts, that price could come down to as low as $60,000.

The latest flying car City Hawk is predicted to be tested between 2021 and 2022.It is similar to the Skycar except for its power source. The important difference lies in the power fans that seem much quieter on the road. The City Hawk is about as large as a middle-sized car. It could be used as an air taxi for news collection and traffic control.

The popularity of flying cars could be very exciting or very scary, depending on how you look at it. If proper rules are put in place, they could be the answer to our ever-heavier traffic pressure.

A study has been done at a university. Scientists divided a class into two groups, They made each group take notes different ways. The first group took notes by hand, The second one did it on the computer. The of the study was to find out which method would help the students learn better. The scientists thought Group Two would win. But to their surprise, Group One did a better job. Since you take notes by hand, stick to it!

Good notes can  to less stress (压力) when test time comes around. Then how can you improve your note-taking skill? The following advice can help you.

Firstly, try to get yourself ready  class begins. Be familiar (熟悉的) with the material that you are going to learn. Make sure you have your notebooks and pens on the desk.

Secondly, take notes wisely while listening in class. Many students become  taking notes and they may fail to follow the teacher. So it is important to know when to take notes. And remember to write down the key words and use shorthand (速记法) if necessary.

Thirdly, check your notes after class. You can add some details (细节) yourself first. If there is still something missing, compare your notes with  . Do it with those who take notes carefully. These checks will also   your chances of understanding what you've written

Try the advice above. When you can take notes  than before, you will find your lessons easier and more enjoyable.

Are cell phones making the human stupid? According to a new study out of Britain, the answer is "yes". Cell phones are reducing the human power and we can see it from the numbers.

Professor Ian Robertson of Trinity College Dublin carried out the study. His research found that most people in Britain have to remember five passwords(密码), five pin numbers, two number plates, three security ID numbers, and three bank account numbers — quite a lot to just get through the daily life! To get around this, most people use only one or two passwords. Cell phones, laptops, and other memory machines offer a way to all the numbers and passwords that the common people have to remember. As a result, people don't use their memories.

The study found that one quarter of all Britons couldn't give their home phone numbers when asked. What's more, only a third of those could remember more than three birthdays of their family members.

The study divided the numbers into age groups, providing some clear results. About one third under the age of 30 couldn't remember their home phone numbers without using to a cell phone or other machines. In the same age group, only 40% could provide important dates, such as birthdays, for family members. For those over 50, 87% could remember details(细节) on family. The study also found that 58% wrongly believed it impossible to remember most of the numbers and passwords they use every day.

Hot Dog is popular. It's not a dog, but a cooked sausage in a long piece of bread. Here are some stories and facts about it from English websites.

"All right then-just one more piece..." Words every girl has said when they are faced with the delicious cheesecake. Of course, many of us know we may eat the whole thing in the end.

It isn't just girls. Most of us find it hard to say "no" to something attractive. However, scientists now say that willpower(意志力) is very important for success and a happy life. Scientists in different countries have been studying the influence of willpower on people's lives for a long time. In one experiment(实验), scientists told young children that they could either have a candy now, or two candies in 15 minutes. Waiting of course needed more willpower. Scientists then continued studying the children as they grew up. They wanted to see if some children always had stronger willpower. They also wanted to see how having stronger willpower influenced their lives.

Years later, scientists found that the children who had waited for two candies were all healthier, happier and richer adults. Oppositely, the children who had shown weaker willpower at that young age were more likely(可能) to be in low-paid jobs, to be overweight, to have social problems.

But there is hope, Roy F Baumeister, an American social psychology(心理学) expert told us that we can train our willpower just like we train our muscles(肌肉). You could start by making yourself stand up straight, speaking in complete sentences, or using a computer mouse with the other hand. Of course, don't try to do too many things at the same time, or when you don't have enough energy, for example, when you are ill. If you already feel tired, you can try to recharge(恢复) your willpower with a good night's sleep and by eating well.

What is going to happen in the future? Will robots control our planet? Will computers become smarter than us? Not likely. But here are some things that scientists say that most likely to happen in 10-30 years from now, according to the BBC.

Bionic(仿生的)Eyes

They're no longer something only in a science fiction movie. People who are blind may have a chance to see things clearly by wearing bionic eyes.

Digital Money

We used to pay with cash-for everything we bought. Now we can use We chat Pay(微信支付) or Alipay(支付宝) to shop. Money is spent without seeing it. That means we are already using digital money. People only need to take a mobile phone wherever they go. Using these ways is much easier than searching our pockets for change(零钱). It is also safer than carrying a lot of cash.

It is reported that people in Sweden completely stopped using cash last year, and the US might be the next.

Self-driving Cars

Unlike a human driver, a self-driving car can't be influenced by a phone call, the radio or something outside the window. Sensors(探测器) and cameras on the car would allow it to follow the rules of the road strictly and keep a safe space from other cars. This would greatly make the number of road accidents smaller. You can even take a short rest while the car drives itself. In the future, driverless cars would be widely accepted(接受)

China is a country with many colorful days and festivals. The Dragon Head Raising Day(  龙抬头) is one of them. This special day is on the second day of the second month in the Chinese lunar calendar(农历). It is the start of spring and farming. This year, the day fell on March 8 th.

The dragon is important in Chinese culture. We Chinese people call ourselves the "descendants(传人) of the dragon". Therefore, people celebrate the Dragon Head Raising Day with many customs about dragons. On the day in ancient times, people put ashes( 灰) in the kitchen. This was "to lead the dragon into the house". People believed that with the help of the dragon, they could have a good harvest（收获） in autumn.

Also, people eat special foods on that day. The foods are usually named after dragons. For example, people eat "dragon whisker(细须)" noodles and dumplings Today many customs have been dead. But one that has remained is the cutting of hair. It was said that a haircut during the first lunar month may bring bad luck to the mother's brothers.

Chinese sportspersons did a great job at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, winning 88 medals in total. But did you know the cool technologies - even space technologies - behind their success?

Quan Hongchan won the gold in diving. This 14-year-old new star said an AI training system helped her train. Baidu developed the system to record a diver's body posture (姿势). A diver lasts less than two seconds before getting into water from the diving board. But the AI can catch much important information, such as the diver's starting height, entry speed and so on. The information is sent to coaches right away.

Before setting out for Tokyo, some Chinese players visited the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodymamics (中国航天空气动力技术研究院). The technologies there are normally used to develop rockets. But they can also help rowers, swimmers and cyclists.

"For example, rowers in the women's national team came to my lab and used a wind tunnel to do experiments," said Jia Yi from the academy. The tunnel can make winds with different speeds. They controlled the air drag (阻力) on their bodies. It helped them change their movements in order to behave better at the games.

But there's even more. The national table tennis team has a popular coach called Pongbot. It's a robot that can make difficult shots and never gets tired. Su Bingtian, the first Chinese sprinter (a person who takes part in short, fast races) to reach the Olympic 100-meter final, uses high-speed cameras to record his training. "The use of technology will help improve the nation's overall competitiveness in sports," said Huang Haiyan, a professor at the Shanghai University of Sport. 

In some science fiction movies, the robots are just like humans. They help with the housework and do the most1jobs.

Some scientists believe that there will be such robots in the future. However, they agree it may2hundreds of years. Scientists are now trying to make robots look like people and do the same things as us.

But robot scientist James White3. He thinks that it will be4for a robot to do the same things as a person. For example, it's easy for children to wake up and know where they are. Mr. White thinks that robots won't be able to do this. But other scientists disagree. They5that robots will be able to talk to people in 25 to 50 years.

Robot scientists are not just trying to make robots look like people. For example, there are already robots6in factories. They do simple jobs over and over again. People would not like to do such jobs and would get bored. But robots will never get bored.

In the future， there will be more robots everywhere, and humans will have less work to do. New robots will have many different7. Some will look like humans, and others might look like snakes. After an earthquake, a snake robot could help look for people under8. That may not seem possible now, but computers, space rockets and even electric toothbrushes seemed impossible a hundred years ago. We never know what will happen in the future!

Many cultures have stories of talking trees that give advice as well as warnings to people. Alexander the Great and Marco Polo were said to have visited such a tree in India. And in some modern stories, such as the film Avatar, trees can communicate with animals and people.

New research has found something amazing: it seems that plants can communicate after all.

It has been known for some time that plants use chemicals to communicate with each other. This happens when a plant gets attacked by insects. The plant gives out chemicals from the leaves that are being eaten. This is like a warning, or a call for help: "I'm being attacked!" When another plant gets the chemicals, it starts to give out its own, different chemicals. Some of these chemicals drive insects away. Others attract the wasps! The wasps kill the insects that are eating the plants. Scientists hope to learn more about this plant warning system, so that we can use it to grow more crops.

More surprisingly, plants also use sound to communicate. People can't hear these sounds, but plants are making them. Some plants make noises with their roots. Corn and chilli plants do this. Some trees make clicking noises when there is not enough water.

Most surprisingly of all, plants have an amazing system of communication that can link nearly every plant in a forest. Scientists call this system the "wood wide web". The wood wide web is linked underground by fungi. It links the roots of different plants to each other. It is in some ways similar to the Internet we use. Using the wood wide web,  ▲ . However, it may lead to bad effects. Plants may use it to steal food from each other, or spread chemicals to attack other plants. Perhaps one day scientists will learn how to create a "firewall" to help prevent these attacks within the wood wide web.

Scientists are learning more every day about the secret ways in which plants talk to each other. Who knows? Maybe one day we will know enough about plant communication to be able to "talk" with them ourselves.

My dear boys and girls, good morning. Today I'm going to talk to you about my understanding of learning history.

Many of you may think it is a terrible thing to study history. You may often wonder why we students should study something that has nothing to do with our own lives. If you think that way, I should say you are far from the truth.

In fact, if we study history, we can learn quite a lot about personal stories and events of people just like us. The people who came before us helped build and develop the country we are living in. Their ideas often solved many of our problems and troubles. Studying the past helps us to understand what our ancestors' lives were like. And it also helps us to see how their experiences have shaped our own life.

To be honest,     ▲     . Some of what we study in history helps us understand the mistakes of the past. And these mistakes will help people not to do the same wrong things. People often learn from the past to have a better future.

Whether we like the subject of history or not, we must understand the importance of the events and the people who came before us. Our ancestors' decisions have influenced our own life. Similarly, the decisions of our own generation (一代人) will finally influence those who come after us. In this only way, the world is truly connected.

History is not just a study of the past. History is the study of people, places, and events that can influence the future.

Now do you still think studying history is a sad thing? Or do you have any doubt about learning history? If you have any question, just feel free to ask.

For almost 100 years, the Winter Olympics has been a celebration of snow and ice sports around the world. It is a special event that only happens once every four years.

Although the Winter Olympics started with just five sports across nine disciplines(分项) in France in 1924, it has grown to have seven sports across 15 different disciplines and has been held in 12 countries across three continents(大陆) so far. In 2022, for the first time ever in the Olympics Games' history, Beijing will become the first city to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

China has come a long way and achieved many goals since it took part in the Winter Olympics for the first time in 1980. In this short period of time, Chinese players have won medals(奖牌) in six of the event's sports. Short track (短道) speed skating has been an area of expertise(专长) for Chinese players.

China's interest in winter sports has been growing. The Ministry of Education has set a goal of building 5,000 special schools by 2025 to improve winter sports education.

The government has also been encouraging primary and middle schools to add winter sports to their courses. Many provinces and cities have already acted on this suggestion. Classes will be set up in schools in northern China to boost interest in winter sports. In southern China, schools can work with ice rinks (溜冰场) and winter sports clubs.

Beijing has already set a good example. Nearly 840,000 students in the city have begun taking winter sports lessons, including skating and skiing lessons, China News Agency reported.

People depend on plants. We use plants for food, cloth, shelter (住处). and even the air we breathe (呼吸).

Plants keep our air anti water clean. Green plants give us oxygen. Oxygen is part of the air we breathe.

Plants are also part of the water cycle (水循环)．Most of the water that a plant takes in goes back into tile air.

Plants give us a lot of the food on the earth. Fruits, vegetables, and grains(谷物) come from plants. Without plants, we should not have bread, rice, carrots, apples, oranges, or bananas! Many people are growing plants to eat in their own gardens at home. Having your own garden helps the earth as well.

When you grow your own fruits and vegetables, you help cut down on pollution because big trucks don't need to take your food to shops. You also help reduce the amount of rubbish because you don't need to use bags for packing your food. You can just pick it nut of the ground or off a plant and put it into a basket!

Trees are an important plant resource(资源)．Trees provide wood to build homes and furniture. Trees are used to make lots of things around your home and at your school. And trees provide fruits that are good for you. Without trees, the earth would be a very different place.

Bridges are built over roads, rivers, or railways. They appeared a long time ago. Back then, they were built with stones, ropes and logs(原木). Some were very simple, like a footbridge (人行桥) made out of a big tree. . This is because we have better technology today.

Bridges are a mix of maths, physics, design, and architecture(建筑). They are designed by skilled engineers and they take years to build.

Bridges must be strong enough to support not only their own weight, but also the weight of the people and vehicles(交通工具). They must last a long time and be built in a way that protects them from earthquakes, strong winds, and freezing.

. Let's take a closer look at each one.

Arch (拱) bridges were invented a long time ago by the Romans. They were built out of stone or brick(砖).

Beam bridges are horizontal (水平的) beams supported by many columns. .  These bridges are very old as well, and people used stone and trees to build them.

Suspension bridges have a tower (索塔) on either side. The towers are connected by cables. They are more modern, with the first ones being built in the early 19th century.

The oldest bridge in the world is the Zhaozhou Bridge in China. But if you're looking for one of the most beautiful and famous bridges, it would be the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. It's a suspension bridge built in 1937. It has is 2. 78 kilometers long. If you think that's long, you should see the Danyang-kunshan Grand Bridge in China. It's over 164. 85 kilometers long!.

A. It's an arch bridge made out of stone that was built in 605A. D. (公元）

B. The three main types of bridges are arch, beam and suspension.

C. The present London Bridge is more than 100 feet wide.

D. But today, bridges are bigger, stronger and more modern.

E. The columns (柱子) take the weight of the people and vehicles passing on the beam.

F. It's the world's longest bridge

Have you ever heard of water bears? They have lived on the earth for more than 500 million years, long before dinosaurs. Though called "bears", they look completely different from bears! The largest ones are only 1. 4 mm long. Each of their eight legs ends with a claw（爪）. They also have sharp mouths! Some of the places they live may surprise you! They live deep down in the ocean. It's too dark to see well, and the weight of water from up above is very heavy. But tiny water bears can survive in such difficult environment. In space, there is no air, water or food. But water bears can live there! Astronauts took some water bears outside the space ship. Surprisingly, most of them lived. Some even laid eggs! The eggs even hatched （孵） into healthy babies!

There is no rain in dry valleys of Antarctica for two million years. But water bears can survive in such a place! How? First, they curl（蜷缩） into a ball. Then they do nothing. They can stay this way for more than 10 years! When they get wet again, they uncurl and start to move around. Sometimes wind or water moves them away when they curl up in a ball.

Besides the places mentioned above, water bears also live around us, but it's not easy to find them If we are careful and lucky enough, maybe we can find one.