Millions of children in the United States go to summer camps. Some go to play outdoors at traditional camps in the woods, in the mountains or on lakes. But families now have many choices of special camps. These can be in the middle of nature or a big city. Special camps offer young people the chance to learn about different subjects: Anything from space exploration to business to medicine.

    In technology camps, one subject that children can learn about is video game design. They learn how to use computer programmes to create games of their own. One programme that teaches video game design is called Cybercamps. Children can learn how to design their own virtual(实际上的) worlds to set their video game in. Then, they programme their own rules and objects into the game.

    Cybercamps also offers courses in robot building and Web design. A recent story in the Washington Post described how one child made a robot that could sing a song. Another made a robot that could follow a black line drawn on a piece of cardboard. Also, children can learn how to make Web sites. One child made a site for pokeman, one of his favourite cartoon shows.

    Can animals be made to work for us? Some scientists think that one day animals may be taught to do a number of simple jobs. They say that in a film or on TV .We may see elephants, or monkeys, dogs, bears, or other animals doing a lot of things. If you watch carefully, you may find that those animals are always given something to eat in return(作为回报) for doing them. The scientists say that many different animals may be taught to do a number of simple jobs if they know they will get something to eat in return.

    Of course, as we know, dogs can be used to guard a house, and elephants can be used to do some heavy jobs. And we can also teach animals to work in factories. Apes(猿猴), for example, have been used in America to help make cars and scientists believe that these large monkeys may one day get in crops(收割庄稼) and even drive trains.

    People can use the phone to talk with others almost anywhere on the earth. But when you use the phone, you don't see the person you are talking with.

    Today some people are using a kind of telephone called the picture phone or vision phone. With it, two people who are talking can see each other.

    Picture phones can be useful when you have something to show the person you're calling. They may have other uses in the future. One day you may be able to ring up a library and ask to see a book. Then you'll be able to read the book right over your picture phone. Or you may be able to go shopping through your picture phone. If you see something in the newspaper that you think you want to buy, you'll go to the phone and call the shop. People at the shop will show you the thing you're interested in right over the phone .You'll be able to shop all over the town and never even leave your room.

    The word, "photography", was first used in 1839. It comes from the Greek words that mean "to write with light". But photography could only give people static pictures. So scientists were trying hard to find ways to make pictures that can move. They made lots of experiments, but failed again and again. It was Eadweard Muybridge who finally succeeded. He was the first photographer to try this successfully. But how did he make it? It was an interesting story.

    Back in 1872, people didn't know exactly(确切地) whether all four of a horse's hooves(蹄) left the ground at the same time when it was running. A gentleman called Leland Stanford made a bet with his friend about it. Most people believed that a horse always had one hoof on the ground, or it would fall over. But Stanford didn't think so.

    At that time, it was hard to know who could win the bet, because a horse's legs move so fast that it is impossible to tell just by looking. So they needed a way to record the movement of a running horse. Then Stanford offered $ 25,000 to the famous photographer, Muybridge, to help find the answer. In the beginning, Muybridge failed to get clear images, but he didn't give up. He continued to improve his cameras. In 1878, after many experiments, he managed to get a sequence(连续) of 12 photos. One of them clearly showed that all four of the horse's hooves were off the ground at the same time. And when the photos moved fast, people could see a horse running.

    Though Edison is usually considered as the person who created the first movie in 1889, it was the work of Eadweard Muybridge and the bet that led to Edison's invention.