This is a home of the future, a "smart home", where technology can do almost everything. Imagine we are in the year 2050, ①the computer wakes Tom up in themorning as usual. In front of him is a to-do list of the important events for the day, and it is provided by the computer too. According to Tom's request, the computer serves a list of possible dishes. All the dishes are nice.

    As Tom eats breakfast, the computer reminds him to reply to Lucy. Before Tom finishes his next bite, Lucy's computer receives the message. Then Tom goes to the supermarket. The store's system checks his car when he drives to the pickup area and greets him by name. "Good morning, Tom! Your order is in Case4. Thank you for shopping.'' When Tom removes his order from Case 4, all trades are completed automatically(自动地)over the information superhighway. That is, the money is electronically paid into the bank. Soon after arriving at the office, Tom reads another message from Lucy, telling him that she will go to dinner with him.

    The smart home can also do many other things:

    ◆Find things like keys and mobile phones.

    ◆②        (打开或关闭)machines and lights with your voice.

    ◆Clean your home from clothes to buildings automatically.

    ◆Record everything and everyone entering and leaving the house.

    ◆Take care of each member of the family, young or old.

    ③With the development of technology, the smart home will come true in the future. It is sure to play an important part in our life.

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What are fossils?

    Fossils are the remains of plants or animals. For such remains to be considered fossils, scientists have decided they have to be over 10,000 years old. The word fossil comes from the Latin word “fossilis”, which means, “dig up”.  Fossils can be divided into “body fossils” and “trace(痕迹) fossils”. Body fossils are the remains of a plant or animal's body. Trace fossils are the remains of the activity of an animal, such as footprints, egg shells, and nests.

How are fossils formed?

    Some animals were quickly covered after their death by sediment(沉淀物) like earth, mud or sand. Over time, the parts of the animals that didn't rot (usually the harder parts like bones and teeth) were covered in the newly formed sediment. Then, a lot of chemical changes happened to the animals bodies. Water with minerals(矿物质) went into the bone and took the place of the chemicals in the bone with rock-like minerals. In the end we get a heavy, rock-like copy of the original object - a fossil. There weren't any changes in size and shape when an object changed into a fossil, but the fossil of a bone doesn't have any bone in it! It is chemically more like a rock! According to scientists, fossils have been found on every continent(大陆) on Earth.

    What do Napoleon, Clinton and Wang Nan have in common? They are all left-handed.

Today about 15% of the people are left-handed. But why are people left-handed? The answer is the way the brain (大脑) works. The brain has two halves—the right half and the left half. The right half controls (控制) the left side of the body, and the left half controls the right side of the body. So right-handed people have a strong left brain, and the left –handed people have a strong right brain.

    The two halves of the brain are about the same size. But each side controls different things. The left side controls language, Math and logic (逻辑). When you remember new words, or when you put things in order, you use your left side.

    The right side of the brain controls color and music. It is also good at recognizing (认出)faces. This does not mean that all artists are left-handed and all accountants (会计师) are right-handed. Some right-handers have a strong right brain, and some left-handers have a strong left brain.

Hello, everyone. I am Eric, a student in No. I Middle School. Now let me tell you about my favorite teacher. 

My favorite teacher is Mrs. Plath. She is my English teacher. She is my friend John's aunt, too. She is good to every student in my class. Everyone likes her. She gives us some interesting homework. It's relaxing for me to do the homework. 

Now Mrs. Plath is 40. She has many things to do. She has three classes a day. And she helps in the reading club after school. She helps children read and makes them love books. 

I think good teachers can make students love school. They have a good influence (影响) on their students. Mrs. Plath is a good teacher. I want to thank her. I want to be a teacher like her. 

Christmas for Americans is like the Spring Festival for Chinese people. It is a time when families get together and everyone is happy. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Before Christmas, everyone goes shopping to buy the gift for a family member, or a friend. Then they put the gifts under the Christmas tree. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

In the weeks before Christmas, the shops are full of wonderful things that children want.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Pets look cute, and some pets are not too expensive to buy — it is easy to buy one quickly. But before you buy a pet, you should ask yourself some important questions, such as" How long do I love this pet?"" Do I have enough time to keep it?"" Can the pet be happy in my family?"{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Because the family thinks the pets are not interesting any more, or they don't have enough time or money for the pets. So in the UK at Christmas time, you can see many signs(标牌) in pet shops:{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Think before you buy one!