Today there are robots working in factories. Some can help to build cars, and they do easy jobs over and over again. Few 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 people. Some robots in Japan can walk and dance. However, some scientists believe that it will be difficult to make them really think like people. For example, scientist James White thinks that robots will never be able to wake up and know where they are. But many scientists don't think so. They think that robots will even be able to talk in 25 to 50 years.

    Some scientists believe that there will be more robots in the future. These new robots will look very different. Some will look like people, and others might look like animals. In India, for example, scientists made robots that look like snakes. When 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!

    A new rubbish sorting system (垃圾分类系统) has been put into use in Fangchengyuan Community in Beijing. Local people not only sort their rubbish, but also put QR codes (二维码) on it.

    "When the rubbish is collected and the codes are scanned (扫描), I will get reward points to exchange for small gifts and even some money," one of the local people told reporters. "It's really creative and encouraging."

    This smart system has been carried out in 350 communities in Beijing. The capital of China has joined a list of cities in the country that take action to support rubbish sorting. For example, Shenzhen and Shanghai have made laws to punish people and organizations for not sorting rubbish correctly.

    China produces quite a lot of rubbish every year. Much of the rubbish is buried (填埋) in soil or burned without being sorted. Landfills (填埋场) take up a lot of land and have a risk of polluting the soil and water nearby. And burning rubbish can produce harmful gases. Through rubbish sorting, we can reduce the use of landfills and air pollution.

    What's more, rubbish sorting saves resources, which could bring economic benefits (经济利益). For example, a ton of waste paper can be reused to make about 850kg of paper, saving 17 trees and 50 percent of water. Because of their benefits, some countries have developed successfully sorting systems.

    In Australia, every family is provided with three rubbish bins—the red lid (盖子) bin for "general waste" like food and plastic bags, the yellow lid bin for "recyclable (可回收利用的) waste" like steel and glass, and the green lid bin for "green waste", such as grass and leaves. On the street, the bins are printed with pictures of the things that are allowed inside. It makes recycling quite easy.

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Grain Rain（谷雨）, at the last term in spring, generally starts on April 20th and ends on May 4th.

Grain Rain comes from an old saying, "Rain brings up the growth of hundreds of grain", which shows that this period of rainfall is very important for the growth of crops. Here's something that you may not know about the Grain Rain.

Seasonal characteristics

When the Grain Rain ends, the summer starts And the temperature rises much higher than it does in March, With dry soil and heavy winds, sandstorms may happen more often.

Customs in southern China

There is an old custom in southern China that people drink tea on the day of Grain Rain. Spring tea during Grain Rain is good for the eyes.

Traditions in northern China

People in northern China have the tradition to cat the vegetable toona sinensis（香椿） during Grain Rain. An old Chinese saying goes "toona sinensis before the rain is just like silk". The vegetable is good for the stomach and skin.

Grain Rain Festival

The Grain Rain Festival is celebrated by fishing villagers in northern China. Grain Rain marks the start of the fisherman's first voyage（航行） of the year. The custom dates back to（追溯到） more than 2000 years ago.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Today, I'm very happy. Some of my classmates come to my home for my birthday party. 

Some of them dance, and some sing. We eat delicious food. Everyone has a good time.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Many of us like candies. But if you eat too many candies, your teeth will not be healthy. So if you want to make your teeth healthy, don't eat too many candies.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}My grandpa is 85 years old, but he is very healthy. He does sports every morning. And he eats a lot of healthy food, like fruit and vegetables. He doesn't eat candies. He says candies are bad for his health.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}I'm twelve now. Of all the vegetables, I like tomatoes and potatoes best. I think they are good for my health. I don't like hamburgers. I don't think they are healthy.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}There are six people in my family. My grandparents like to drink tea. My parents like to drink milk. My sister and I like to drink fruit juice. We don't like to drink coffee. We are very healthy.

Monarch butterflies(帝王蝶) are flying through Missouri(密苏里州) on their way to Mexico. Many American people love to see these bright- colored black- and- orange butterflies, but they need our help to stay safe and healthy.

Every year, monarch butterflies travel south to Mexico in the fall and fly back next spring. As the monarchs go south, people in Missouri might start seeing more of these beautiful things. They' ve already been found in places like Kansas City, and even in smaller towns like St. Joseph.

Sadly, the number of monarchs has dropped by 80% in the past twenty years. Monarch caterpillars(毛毛虫) need to eat milkweed (乳草) to grow. Much of the milkweed in the country is gone because of the overuse of herbicides(除草剂) in farming. Without these plants, monarchs have no place to live or find food.

Monarchs plays an important role because, like bees, they can carry pollen(花粉), which help plants make seeds and fruit. Here are some things you can do to help these amazing butterflies:

Plant Milkweed:This is the only plant where monarchs lay their eggs. By planting milkweed in your garden, you can give these butterflies a place to stop and rest during their trip. You can also plant other flowers to provide food for the adult butterflies.

Take Photos: If you you see a monarch, take a photo and up load it to the Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper. You can help follow the movements of monarchs and understand where they are during the year, which is valuable information for researchers.

Help Fight Global Warming:Changes in the weather are making life harder for monarchs. Bad weather hurts milkweed and when the temperature is too high or too low, it's difficult for monarchs to grow up. By doing things to help the environment, like recycling and saving energy, you can help slow down global warming and protect the monarchs.