Have you learned something about robots? There are all kinds of robots. They are in different shapes. They can do lots of work.

    Robot teachers， who are working in elementary schools now， have been very popular with pupils during a project in some South Korean school， a government report said on Thursday.

    The elementary school children get on well with the robot teachers. They like the robotic teachers more than the ordinary ones because they never get angry and always kind to the students. The Ministry of Knowledge said.

    English teaching robots were sent to three provincial schools for eight weeks starting in late December. There they teach students as teachers. More and more students like studying and the other robot teachers were also sent out. They can teach math， science and art.

    The researchers found that the English-teaching robots helped raise interest in the language and helped the students feel more confident.

    “Tele-presence” robots are controlled by an English and are equipped with a microphone and video camera. Many people think we can use these robot teachers in the village far away from the cities so that the children in these areas can also get better education.

    The government has expressed great interest in robots to give rural school children more learning chances. I think in the future we can see more and more robot teachers working with the students. But I think the robot teachers can't replace the real teachers. What's your opinion?

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    Hippos(河马) live in Africa(非洲). They are one of the world's largest land animals. Here are some interesting facts about them.

●Where are hippos born?

    Hippos often give birth in the water. The hippo babies get out of water right after birth to take their first breath.

●How quickly do hippos grow up?

    Hippo babies nurse both under water and on land for a year. Then they stop taking their mothers' milk but they are still with their mothers until they are eight years old. Then they move out.

●What do hippos love?

    Hippos love water and they spend most of the day in it to stay cool. The Hippo can breathe, see and hear when its body is under water because its nose, eyes and ears are on the top of its head.

●Do hippos swim better than people?

    Yes, they are great swimmers and they can hold(屏住) their breath for five minutes. Hippos can even walk under water along the bottom(水底) of rivers and lakes.

    Australia's Great Barrier Reef(礁) is the world's largest reef system. It is over 2,600 kilometers long. The reef is home to many animals: fish, birds, turtles, sharks and even whales. Unfortunately, the reef that all these animals call home is in danger.

    Climate(气候)change, over fishing and water pollution are damaging(毁坏)the reef every year. Coral(珊瑚)reef experts at Australian universities say that if we do nothing to stop it, the coral reef could be destroyed before the year 2030.

    Everyday things like driving cars, using electricity and running a factory give out greenhouse gases into the air. These gases make Earth warmer and warmer. This is a problem for the Great Barrier Reef and other reefs around the world.

    Coral is very fragile, and even a 2-degree increase in water temperature is enough to kill it, according to Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, reef researcher at the University of Queensland, Australia. If the water temperature doesn't go down, the coral dies.

    But it's not only the coral that's in danger. One quarter of all sea life lives on coral reefs.

    If air pollution is not slowed down or stopped, then the water will warm by at least 3 degrees in the next 20 years, according to reef experts in a report from University of Queensland. This would spell the end for the Great Barrier Reef and all its sea life.

    Smartphone apps certainly make our lives easily. However, sometimes they can also cause problems.

    Recently, the Ministry of Education(教育部) announced that teacher should not use Wechat or QQ to give homework or ask parents to grade kids's homework.

    Many teachers in China depend heavily on apps to give homework. The kids have to do their homework, stare at a phone screen. For example, Liu Yanming, a sixth-grade student in Shanghai, usually has to use his mother mobile phone to do his homework. Liu Yong, his father is afraid that apps could distract kids by encourage them to watch something unrelated(无关) to homework. "He is just 12 years old, and I do not want to buy him a cellphone," Liu told China Daily. "I also worry that my son's eyesight will be hurt because of staring at the phone for too long."

    However, Bai Yueping, president of Shanghai Tangzhen Middle School, defended (辩护) using apps for homework. Parents can understand their kids' learning situation and supervise (监督) them to finish the homework, Bai told China Daily.

    Zhang Siqi is a student from Renmin University of China.       "The use of WeChat or QQ to give homework is convenient," Zhang told China Daily. "We're living in an Internet era （时代）. It's unwise to refuse to take advantage of technology."

    Chu Zhaohui, a researcher at the National Institute of Education Sciences, believed that it is impossible to stop the use of electronic devices(设备) in the Internet era. However, students should use them when it's necessary, such as when they do listening exercises. "We don't want to stop outline education models, but they must be used carefully. Modern technologies are good... but they should not steal the show(喧宾夺主) ," he told China Daily.

    Carrots (胡萝卜) are grown on farms and in small family gardens all over the world. They are easy to plant and easy to harvest (收获). They have a good taste.

    When people think about carrots, a picture of a long, thin, orange-colored vegetable usually comes into their minds. But carrots come in many different sizes and shapes. And not all carrots are orange.

Carrots should be grown in sandy soil that does not hold water for a long time. The earth also should not be too hard. To prepare your carrot garden, dig up the earth and turn it over (翻土).

    Weather, soil, condition and time affect (影响) the taste of carrots. Warm days and cool nights are the best time to grow great delicious carrots.

    The best way to decide if a carrot is ready to be harvested is by its color. Usually, the brighter the color is, the better the taste is.

    Most people do not know that carrots can be grown during the winter months. If the winter is not cold enough to freeze the ground, you can grow and harvest carrots the same way as you do during the summer months.

Carrots are prepared and eaten in many different ways. They ate cut into thin pieces and cooked with other vegetables or meat. They are also washed and eaten just as they come out of the ground.

    Basketball, running and swimming are popular events (项目) at the Olympics. But there are also some events that are not as popular. Some are even very strange. Let's see if you have any knowledge about the following events.

	Tug-of-war     This event started in 1900 and left the Olympics in 1920. The team wins if they pull the rope past a certain point first. Interestingly, more than one team from a country can enter in this event. This makes it possible for one country to win several medals
	Rope climbing     It first appeared as an Olympic sport in 1896. The climber who spends the shortest time reaching the top is the winner. The rope used to be 15 meters long. Years later, it was shortened to 8 meters, for some reason. After 1932, there was no rope climbing in the Olympics.
	Race walking     In race walking, walkers have to win the race by walking. To make sure that they do not run, race walkers must have one foot on the ground at all times. Race walking has been an Olympic sport since 1904. Men enter in 20 kilometer and 50 kilometer races; women only race 20 kilometers.