Look up in the sky. Do you see any clouds? What do they look like ?Some clouds are fluffy（绒毛状的）and white, like cotton balls. Others are dark, almost black, and make you hold an umbrella. At sunrise and sunset, clouds can look red, purple, or yellow，as if they were colored with crayons. But what are clouds anyway?

   You can't reach out and touch the clouds, but you can make your own in a bottle.

   You need :

   An adult helper

   A huge, empty glass container（容器）

   A metal strainer（滤网）

   Hot water

   Ice

   Do these:

   Step1. Have your helper fill the container with hot water ,leave it there for two minutes, then pour out most of the water, leaving just an inch or two at the bottom of the container.

   Step2. It's your turn now. Put the strainer over the mouth of the container. Fill the strainer with ice. Watch the container.

What happened?

A cloud formed in the container! Some of the hot water at the bottom of the container turned into the hot water vapor. The water vapor rose and met with cold air coming off the ice. When the water vapor condensed（凝结）,it formed a cloud. Hot air rises ad carries with it lots of water vapor. The higher the air rises, the more it cools down. Soon the cold air can't hold all the water vapor so it starts turning into tiny water drops, and becomes a cloud.

   Do you want to live another 100 years or more? Some experts say that scientific advances will one day enable humans to last tens of years beyond what is now seen as the natural limit of the human life span.

    “I think we are knocking at the door of immortality(永生),” said Michael Zeya, a Montclair State University business professor and author of two books on the future. “I think by 2075 we will see it and that's a conservative estimate(保守的估计).”

    At the conference in San Francisco, Donald Luria, a professor at New Jersey Medical School in Newark said advances in using genes as well as nanotechnology(纳米技术) make it likely that humans will live in the future beyond what has been possible in the past. “There is a great push so that people can live from 120 to 180 years,” he said. “Some have suggested that there is no limit and that people could live to 200 or 300 or 500 years.”

    However, many scientists who study in ageing are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last past about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less disease, they say failure of the brain and organs will finally lead all humans to death.

    Scientists also differ on what kind of life the super aged might live. “It remains to be seen if you pass 120, you know; could you be healthy enough to have good quality of life?” said Leonard Pooh, director of the University of Georgia Gerontology Centre. “At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all.”

    Personal planes which can take off noiselessly from the back garden will be possible within two years.

    Lilium Aviation is inventing an electric two-seater airplane which  takes just 20 hours to learn to fly and can travel at speeds of  250mph.More importantly, the small plane, which weighs just 25kg, can take off vertically which means it does not need to fly from an airport, but could be parked outside a house or in a garden. The company says the design will “open the door to a new class of simpler, quieter and environmentally friendly planes” and will be possible from 2018.

    “Our goal is to develop an airplane for use in everyday life,” said Daniel, CEO and one of the company's four founders. "We are going for a plane that can take off and land vertically and does not need the difficult and expensive infrastructure of an airport.

    Although helicopters offer a choice, they are very noisy and difficult to fly and require expensive licenses. They also have no backup if the rotor fails, making them costly to build and keep. While firstly limited to airfields, the Lilium airplane will eventually take off vertically from almost anywhere – even from back gardens – it needs only an open flat area of 50 ft. by 50ft (15 m x 15m).

    The plane is classed as a Light Sport Aircraft for two users, with the pilot's license requiring 20 hours' minimum training – almost like taking a driving license. It is intended for fun flying during daylight, in good weather conditions and in least crowded airspace up to 3 km altitude. The airplane would have to follow the same flight laws as helicopters.

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Chinese traditional art is the treasure of Chinese culture. 

Today there are all kinds of problems in the world. Population {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(增长) is the biggest one in many countries. Here are some notes from a {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(报告) called "Our growing population". 

More than 250 {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(婴儿) are born every {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(分钟) in the world. That makes over 131. 4 million {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(出生) a year. A large population {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(造成) a lot of problems, such as too much traffic and noise. China has a large population. It is about 1.41 {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(十亿). That is almost one {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(第五) of the world's population. 

Several countries in Europe already have a negative growth rate (负增长率). There may be fewer and fewer {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(工人) in these countries in the future. And the people who are working have to {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(喂养) the growing number of the old. 

There are many deserts on the earth. And here are some facts you may find interesting. 

What are deserts like?

Deserts can be hot and dry places. Rain may not fall there for months or years. Some deserts are sandy and stony (多石的). Deserts can also be very windy places. The wind can change the shape of the deserts. It moves sand around from place to place. 

Temperatures in the deserts can vary very much. During the daytime, the temperature may reach 40℃ even in the shade (阴凉处). At night, deserts can become very cold. In winter there may even be a frost(霜冻) in the early morning. 

Living in the deserts

The camel is sometimes called"the ship of the desert". It stores food in its hump (驼峰) and can go for days without water. It has large feet which help it not to fall into the soft sand. Its long eyelashes keep out the sand during sandstorms. 

An oasis is an area of the desert where water may be found. The water may be in pools or under the ground. People and animals visit an oasis to find something to eat and drink. Plants grow at an oasis. Some farmers are able to grow crops there. 

The Arabian Desert

The Arabian Desert lies between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. In some parts of the desert, it is too hot for people to live. Oil was discovered under parts of the desert. This oil has made some countries in the area very rich. Much of the money has been spent building fine cities with lovely parks and lakes, and people live a comfortable life there.