B

    Around the world, there are about 7,000 National Parks. Most of them cover huge areas of land where nobody lives. However, the National Parks in England include places where people live and work, as well as wild areas where there are few human activities.

    The National Parks in England are called “England's Breathing Spaces” because they are places where people can go to be in the open air, away from the dirt and noise of cities. They provide wonderful scenes of mountains, woods, grasslands and wetlands. And there are plenty of activities to do in all of the National Parks in England. Visitors can walk or ride bikes for fun. Many of the parks put on activities for families.

    Every year there are about 110 million visitors to the parks, bringing many benefits(益处) to the areas. At the same time, it creates problems too. First, life can be difficult for local people. Car parks and roads are too crowded. Gift shops and cafes take the place of many everyday shops. Even house prices in some areas can become too high. Besides, country roads can be damaged, for too many people walk, cycle or ride horses on them. Roads can be rebuilt, but then they look less natural. Another big problem to the National Parks is litter. In the parks it is a danger to wild animals. Broken glass can also cause fires by focusing the rays of the sun. Such fires in wild places can be out of control.

    ▲   ? All National Parks in England are making more rules, which tell people how to take good care of their environment. If these rules are followed, the National Parks will be well kept and continue to give pleasure to many people for a very long time.

A

    Welcome to Nature Park ! You will see the world's smallest penguins （企鹅）coming from the ocean and crossing the beach（海滩） to their home in line . Remember that they are wild（野生的） . You are visitors to their home .

Things to remember :

※The Penguins Parade （企鹅列队）will last fifty minutes .

※Wear warmer clothes for you will watch the Penguins Parade on the beach .

It's better to get to the beach at least 15 minutes before the Penguins Parade begin .

Protecting the penguins :

※You can't take photos during the Parade . Put your camera in your bag before you walk down the beach . You can buy photos in the gift shops in our park.

※You can't smoke anywhere . It's not good for the environment .

Don't touch the penguins because they are wild animals .

    Anyone who has had a long-term illness knows that recovering at home can be boring. This can be especially true for children. They may feel cut off from their friends and classmates. Now, these children may have a high-tech friend to help feel less lonely. That friend is a robot.

    The robot is called Avatarl (AV1). It takes their place at school. Through the robot, the children can hear their teachers and friends. They can also take part in classes from wherever they are recovering. And the children's school friends must help. They carry the robot between classes and place the robot in the classroom.

    A Norwegian(挪威的) company called “No Isolation” created the robot. There are another two co-founders, Karen Dolva and Marious Aabel. Dolva explains how the robot works. She says from home the child uses an iPad or a phone to start it, control the robot's movements with touch and talk through it. The child can take part in classroom activities. The robot is equipped with speakers, microphones and cameras that make communication easy. So it's the eyes, the ears and the voice of the child at school. Inside AV1 there is a small computer connected to a 4G network.

    AV1 is designed to be tough. It won't allow water to pass through it and can take a fall from a desk without damage. AV1 is large and looks like a human for a reason. Dolva says it can't be just a tiny camera because the other kids can't pick it up and take it with them. This is important because the robot is supposed to be a friend to the children. Hopefully AV1 will help some children feel less lonely while they were absent from class.

    What can 3-D printers*make? They can make lots of things, such as toys and car parts. But what about a house? In the Netherland 3-D printed houses will soon come into life, according to The Guardian

The Netherlands is the first country to have this technology*.

    Scientists plan to build five houses with 3-D printers. The first house will be finished by the end of 2019. It will be a house with three bedrooms. For the first house, only the walls will be 3-D printed. A 3-D printer will print it with a special cement. The printer will print it layer upon layer to build the walls. After that, workers will make the wall stronger.

    By the time they start working on the fifth house, the scientists hope that most parts of the house will be made with 3-D printing. Even the windows can be made with a 3-D printer.

    The 3-D printed houses have many advantages. For example, they use less cement than traditional houses. It can help save a lot of money. Also, 3-D printing can make buildings in almost any shape*. Traditionally-built homes usually come in just a few shapes

    Do you want to know what our life will be like in the future? Let's have a look. You may get a surprise.

    You will go to the kitchen when you are hungry. You will give orders to the kitchen robot. The robot will find a special food for you in a few minutes. Then it will bring it to you.

    In the kitchen you will find a special food machine. The food machine will tell you what your body needs. It will help you eat healthily. The food machine will be connected with (连接) the kitchen robot. The robot can get messages from the food machine.

    After having a meal, you can go to your home office. You will work at home and you don't need to go out to work anymore. You will have a special information screen. When you receive a message from a friend in America, your information screen will be turned on automatically(自动地). Your friend's face appears on the screen. Then you can talk to your friend easily.

    Scientists think that there has been life on earth for millions of years. However, we haven't found life on other planets yet. The earth is a planet and it goes around the sun. And there are seven other planets that also go around the sun. The sun and its planets are called the solar system. The solar system is a small part of the universe.

    Scientists have launched many spaceships to explore other planets in the solar system. Some spaceships have gone beyond the solar system. However, no one has discovered any life in space yet.

    Why has no one from other planets sent us a message? Have they tried to send information to us? With so many stars in space, are we alone, or is there life on other planets in space?