| Year of invention: 2016 Producer: Hanson Robotics, US Sophia is a social robot that can talk with humans and show emotions (情绪). It was the first non-human to be given the citizenship (公民身份). |
| Year of invention: 2021 Producer: Engineered Arts, UK Ameca was trained for language learning. So it can speak with humans naturally and speak a lot of languages. It can also show many human-like facial expressions (面部表情). |
| Year of invention: 2019 Producer: Aidan Meller and Engineered Arts, UK Ai-Da can make drawings and paintings. In 2022, it spoke at the UK Parliament (议会) about the future of AI and art. |
Hi David, I have a bad-tempered classmate. She often got angry with me, even if I did nothing wrong. All the other students do not like her either. But my teacher asked me to make friends with her, just because I am her roommate. What should I do? Sherry |
Hi Sherry, It will certainly be helpful if you can be friends. So why not try and find out what she likes, talk about it and get on her good side? Once you two are connecting a bit better, you can then have a talk and see why she gets angry. Perhaps she has some problems she needs to talk about. Perhaps she needs someone to be patient with her, but also help point out her behavior (行为) and help her act better. We all need someone to listen to and guide us sometimes. Maybe you can be that person. In the end, it'll make your life easier too. Maybe you'll end up having a good friend. David |
What is your school day like? Two foreign students share their everyday school life in the following.
Amelia Gonzalez, 12, Mexico
Every morning I get up early to catch the bus. I get to school at about 7:15 am. The first class starts at 7:45. All my classes are one hour and fifteen minutes long. After the first class, it's brunch (早午餐) time! At 10, it's time for my next class. Between classes, we have a five-minute break to walk to the next class. After lunch, I have the last class. My favorite classes are singing and English. At school, we have A days and B days, with different classes in each.
Niu Hanliang, 15, US
Our classes start at 8:30. A bit after eight, we usually get together to pass out any information we need to know. Then we will head to our classrooms. Mondays through Wednesdays, we have four classes in the morning. They are about fifty minutes, with about ten minutes between classes for us to go to the next classroom. After lunch, we have two more classes. At about 3 pm, the class ends. Then you can go to any teacher if you have questions. On Thursdays and Fridays, we only have three classes in the morning. The afternoon will be for clubs then sports. We have Friday afternoons off.
Starting from January 1, 2024, students in the Netherlands (荷兰) can no longer use electronic products in school. However if the things are needed for learning, for health reasons, or for students with disabilities (残疾), they can still be used.
Scientists found that mobile phones can be bad for students as the electronic products can make it hard for students to pay attention to their lessons if they play with them. The new rule is made to protect students against this. Now, each school can decide how to follow this new rule. But if the results are not good, the government might make laws about it.
The United Nations also talked about the problem of phones in schools. Spending too much time on phones can be bad for children to control their emotions. And the UN wants to show that real learning with teachers is more important than using technology like phones or AI.
According to its research, UNESCO thought that one in four countries and regions (地区) have rules against using phones in classes. France introduced its rules in 2018, and Finland (芬兰) made a similar decision in June.
China also made a rule in 2021, saying that students can't use phones and tablets (平板) in the classroom. If they bring these things to school, learning time with them should be less than 30 percent of the total class time.
Life can be lonely when you live alone. But the step to adopt (收养) it was more difficult than I expected.
Some of them are abandoned (被弃养的) because their owners have recently had a child. Some are abandoned because their foreign owners have moved back to their home countries. And others are abandoned simply because their owners no longer want them.
Before I could adopt a cat, I had to answer many questions, including "Are you single?" and "How much money do you make each month?" It was quite a step. I still had to travel to a different part of the city to see the cat in person and talk with the agency (机构). They wanted to make sure that we would get along and that I would take good care of the cat.
And even then, the cat you want to adopt might be gone by the time you can adopt him or her. In my case, a worker who took care of the abandoned cat adopted the animal ahead of me. And in the end, I did finally find a sweet cat of my own.
A. But it didn't end there. B. I was so sad that I gave up adopting a cat. C. There are many abandoned cats in my city. D. That's why I decided to adopt a cat this year. E. But I'm just glad that these cats can find good homes. F. So, pet adoption agencies are very strict about who they allow to adopt pets. |
Amy was a little girl. She was always 1 time getting prepared to do her tasks instead of doing them at once.
In the village, Mr Thornton kept a fruit store. One morning he said to Amy, "Well, Amy, I noticed some fine 2 on Mr Green's farm today. He said that 3 was welcome to them. I will pay you 13 cents a kilogram for all you pick for me. "
Amy was 4 about the thought of making some money to help her mom, so she quickly ran home to get a basket. Then she thought she would like to know how much money she would 5 if she picked five kilograms. After finding out that she would get 65 cents, she started to dream big, "6 I should pick 12 kilograms, how much should I make then?" It took her some time to dream 7 , and then it was lunch time that she had to stay at home until the afternoon.
As soon as lunch was over, she took her basket and 8 to the farm. Some boys and girls had been there before 9 , and all the good strawberries were picked. She could not find half a kilogram to fill her basket. Then she thought of what her teacher often told her, "Do your task 10 ; then think about it. One doer is worth 100 dreamers. "
China has changed a lot in these years. And one of the developments (be) cashless payment (无现金支付). It has changed the way we live and shop.
China is hardly the (one) country to have cashless payment. There was also a long time when I used a bank card to pay for things without paper money. now I can use my phone instead. It's very easy and (convenience). One of the things I like most is that I can send and receive money directly to and from my friends.
But cashless payment has some (problem) as well. What happens if your phone gets lost or (steal)? What happens if your phone's mobile internet connection or the store's internet connection do not work. Once I went to a nearby store (buy) some snacks. But when I got there, I found that the store's cashless payments didn't work and they could only accept paper money. (lucky), I didn't have any paper money with me. In end, I had to give up and leave without any snacks.
So, you should always carry a bit paper money even though cashless payments are convenient.
A short online TV show called Escape From the British Museum was brought out on August 它因其感人的故事而广受欢迎。
The show follows the journey home of a Chinese jade teapot (玉茶壶) that has come to life. She runs away from the British Museum and comes across a Chinese reporter who helps the cultural treasures return to China. The show, created by two Chinese vloggers (视频博主), looks to draw people's attention to Chinese cultural treasures that are kept abroad. To get ready for the TV show, the two vloggers went to the UK to learn about the story of the Chinese jade teapot.
Many people have been touched by the lines in the show, such as "My family, I have been lost for a long time, " and "As long as I'm with my family, I'm safe". Also, the face of the "jade teapot" is dirty, and she is surprised by how big the reporter's house is compared to her own place — a crowded cabinet (陈列柜). This shows that the British Museum doesn't take good care of the cultural treasures.
It was also reported that more than 2, 000 cultural treasures from the British Museum were "missing, stolen or broken". This has made a hot discussion in China, calling for the return of Chinese cultural treasures.
Sophia
Ameca
Ai-Da