I remember my mother as a strong woman. She came to America when she was 12—old enough to remember her language, she achieved scores and grades high enough to be admitted to Duke University. With a degree in computer science, she finally became the manager of a company in New York. My mother could give fluent speeches, say “wolves” correctly.

    It was my mother who always stressed the importance of language. From the time I was born, I was read to. I would fall asleep to the sounds of my parents' voices, whether it was my dad's softly accented, or my mother's clear English. The flow of language was unbroken, and whether in Chinese or English, the stream of communication flowed through our house.

    One October morning in sixth grade, after my mother had left to catch the train to the city, I left the house for the bus stop. I was surprised when I saw our car, the door hanging open. As I drew closer, I saw my mother lying on the ground.

    In the hospital, it was hard to believe that the lady who lay before me was my mom. My mother could not remember my name. As the leaves changed colors, it became clear that the stroke had created a wall between my mothers mind and mouth: her mind was not any less dear, but the words she spoke were not what she meant.

    The battle my mother faced taught me the importance of language. Without it, identity does not exist; relationships cannot be formed; stories cannot be told; directions cannot be given, and knowing anything about anyone is impossible. Without language, communication cannot take place. Without language, one cannot express the beauty of a sunset or the kindness of a stranger. The world would pass us by in silence.

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    What if you arrived home to find it delicious hot meal waiting for you, prepared by your very own kitchen robot? It might sound like science fiction. but professors at the university of Tokyo  have  taken  the first steps toward making that  scenario a reality. The team recently introduced a humanoid kitchen robot that can pour and other drinks into cups and serve the m to guests. When teating is over, the robot can also wash the dishes and put them away.

    In California, another interesting kitchen robot has been developed, called Readybot. It can pick up objects and either store them in  cabinets (橱柜）or put them in the trash. It also carries a separate floor-cleaning robot that can operate by itself. Unlike the Japanese robot, Readybot just looks more like a large box with arms and wheels.

    Readybot was created by engineers and designers who established a club called the Readybot  Challlenge. They believe that in the future millions of robots will be needed in homes to perform ordinary household tasks. Readybot is just the first step in their plan to create a robot that can do jobs not  only  in  kitchens but  in other rooms of homes and in offices as well.

    Clearly there are technological difficulties to solve before robots can cook a Complete dinner, and there arc also many safety concerns (忧虑） .Not everyone (especially parents) would be comfortable with the idea of robots in their house, manipulating hot pans and sharp knives. The European Commission recently funded(资助） a project to study these concerns. According to lead researcher Professor Chris Melhuish,“ Enabling  robots to work  safely with humans is a key need for the future development of robotics.”

    Adding math talk to story time at home is a winning factor for children's math achievement, according to a new research from a university. The study from psychologists Sian Beilock and Susan Levine shows a marked increase in math achievement among children whose families used Bedtime Math, an iPad app that delivers engaging math story problems for parents and children to solve together.

    Even children who used the app with their parents as little as once a week saw gains in math achievement by the end of the school year. The app's effect was especially strong for children whose parents tend to be anxious or uncomfortable with math.

    Previous research from this group has demonstrated the importance of adults' attitudes about math for children's math success. For example, a recent study found that math-anxious parents who help their children with math homework actually weaken their children's math achievement.

    The new findings demonstrate that structured, positive interactions around math at home can cut the link between parents' uneasiness about math and children's low math achievement.

     “Many people experience high levels of anxiety when they have to solve a math problem, with a majority of adults feeling at least some worries about math,” said Beilock, professor in Psychology and author of Choke, a book about stress and performance. “These math-anxious parents are probably less likely to talk about math at home, which affects how competent their children are in math. Bedtime Math encourages a dialogue between parents and kids about math, and offers a way to engage in high-quality math interactions in a low-effort, high-impact way.”

    Study participants included 587 first-grade students and their parents. Families were given an iPad installed with a version of the Bedtime Math app, with which parents and their children read stories and answer questions involving math, including topics like counting, shapes and problem-solving. A control group received a reading app that had similar stories without the math content and questions related to reading comprehension instead. Children's math achievement was assessed at the beginning and end of the school year. Parents completed a questionnaire about their nervousness with math.

    The more times parents and children in the math group used the app, the higher children's achievement on a math assessment at the end of the school year. Indeed, children who frequently used the math app with their parents outperformed similar students in the reading group in math achievement at year's end.

    I got into the teaching profession purely by choice. I was then in 9th grade when my mathematics teacher asked me to take a class for a few students to whom the subject seemed difficult. And believe me, I enjoyed the entire teaching session. I never knew teaching would be so interesting. I loved my freshmen and was delighted to teach my so-called students who came up with lots of good questions.

    After my post-graduation, I worked as a software developer with a public sector(部门) in Bangalore for a few years. But I realized that no job could provide me with the satisfaction that I experienced while teaching and training. I always wanted to connect with a wider group of people. In fact, I felt it was a timely realization for me to choose the teaching profession. I applied to a few colleges, and finally I was chosen as a lecturer, and I had to lecture graduate and post-graduate students in a college.

On the first day, I was nervous thinking that I had to teach the senior classes. But now I can say that giving lectures was one of the best experiences of my life. I was a Computer Science and Information Technology lecturer, but I tried to help my students with subjects that were not within my domain(范围). It was a new feeling to me every morning before I went to the classes. I used to feel energized and excited thinking that the class would be lit up with bright faces to greet me, "Good morning, Madam."

    To me each day was a new beginning, with new feelings, new experiences and new queries(疑问). I loved to explore their young minds and read their inquisitive faces when a particular topic seemed tough. It was extremely challenging to motivate them to participate, think critically, question and also respect others' points of view. Though few things never seemed easy, it was extremely exciting to assure them that they really can. That is the reason I love to teach.

    Big Ben is not the name of a man. It is the name of a huge(庞大的)clock in London. London is the capital of England. This clock has four faces. So，no matter where you stand, you can read the time on the face of Big Ben. Each face is the size of a double decker(层)bus. The hands are about four metres long. It is about the size of two people standing on top of each other. If you go to London, you may want to visit the Houses of Parliament(国会大厦). There you will find Big Ben sits at the top of the clock tower(塔)in the Houses of Parliament. Maybe you will hear it as well as see it. The huge clock makes such a loud noise. "Ding dong, ding dong, "it goes every quarter of an hour.

    The clock was named after a big man. He was Sir Benjamin Hall. This man did much building work in London many years ago.

    When to go: The Magic Kingdom, which was opened in 1971, was the first theme park at Walt Disney World. All Disney World theme parks are opened 365 days a year, although opening and closing time for each park changes from day to day. If you plan to make a trip to the Magic Kingdom without kids, try to visit on a school day to avoid the largest crowds. If you need to visit during a school vacation, try at least to avoid the week between Christmas and New Year's Day and the fourth of July.

    If you are not staying at a Disney World hotel, avoid visiting the Magic Kingdom on its Extra Magic Hours days, as Disney's hotel guests get into the park early on those days, and visitors who arrive at the Magic Kingdom's normal opening time have to wait for a long time.

    Before you go：Buy your Walt Disney World tickets online at Disney World's website. For advice on picking the right ticket, see our guide to Disney World tickets.

    You will also need to call in advance to make lunch or dinner reservations. Disney accepts reservations(预订)up to 180 days in advance, but you need to contact 1-407-WDW-DINE.

    When you get there: Plan to arrive at the Magic Kingdom's front gate before the park opens in the morning. Keep in mind that to reach the Magic Kingdom, you must park at Disney World's Transportation and Ticket Centre parking lot, ride a tram (有轨电车)to the TTC, then take a ferry boat across the Seven Seas Lagoon to the Magic Kingdom. It makes a fantastic approach, but takes extra time. Give yourself an extra hour in the summer and half an hour during the school year.