When I looked at the grade on my math paper my jaw (下巴) almost dropped to the ground: a big “65” in bright red ink. I had never received such a terrible grade before.

    I was so ashamed that when I got home that afternoon I lied to my dad. I told him I got 85 and that the report wouldn't come until the end of the month. Dad smiled. His daughter would never lie about her grade, so he didn't doubt the unusual delay (延迟) of my report.

    A month later, Dad casually (随意地) asked me again about the report at the dinner table. He looked right into my eyes and asked for an answer. Having no choice. I told him that I had in fact got just 65 in my math final. I had lied because I didn't want to let him down.

    For a moment, he just looked at me. I would have preferred a telling off (斥责) than that silence. Finally, Dad said, m a hurt voice, “You have already let me down, with your lie. I am not disappointed at your math score. That is no big deal-on one can be perfect all the time. But I am very disappointed in you. If you can't be honest with your dad. who can you be honest with? It's much easier to achieve a better grade than rebuild someone else's trust in you.”

    Dad's words touched my heart. I couldn't forgive (原谅) myself for having hurt his feelings I took out the report that I had been hiding for weeks, handed to him and apologized, sincerely I realized that my honesty is not only important to me personally, but to those around me that truly care .about my well-being (幸福).

    In one of Shakespeare's plays a character says: “No legacy (遗产) is so rich as honesty.” After the crisis between Dad and me, I began to understand those words.

    Earthquake rescue robots have experienced their final tests in Beijing. Their designers say that with these robots, rescue workers will be able to have more time to save more lives during an earthquake.

    This robot looking like a helicopter（直升机）, is called the detector-bot . It's about 4 meters long, and it took about 4 years to develop the model. Its main functions（作用）are to collect information from the air, and send goods of up to 30kilos, to people stuck in an earthquake.

    This robot has a high quality 360 degree panoramic camera. It can work day and night and will also be able to send the latest pictures from the quake area. Dr. Qi Juntong, Chinese Academy of Science, said, "Unlike other automatic machines, the most important feature of this robot is that it doesn't need a distant control. We just set the information of the earthquake-struck area on it, and then it takes off, and lands by itself. It flies as high as 3,000 meters, and as fast as 100 kilometers per hour. "

This robot has a different function — it can change as the environment changes. Its main job is to search for any signs of life in places where human rescuers are unable to go.

    As well as a detector（探测器）that finds victims（遇难者）and detects poisonous gas, a camera is placed in the 40 centimeter long robot, which can work in the dark.

    Another use for the rescuers is the supply bot, with its 10-meter-long pipe. People who are caught in the ruins will be able to get supplies including oxygen and liquids.

    Experts have said that the robots will enter production, and serve as part of the national earth- quake rescue team as soon as next year.

    British writer John Donne once said: “No man is an island; every book is a world.” As an enthusiastic reader, I can't agree with the latter part of the sentence more. Every summer, I endeavor to find some peaceful places where I can attack some classics without being disturbed. Thomas Hardy wants to live far from the madding crowd. I am no friend to chaos, either.

    I read George Orwell's 1984 in a New England beachside cottage with no locks on the doors, no telephones or televisions in the rooms. 1984 is a good book that needs deep reflection. Attempting Sound and Fury lying on the bed of a poorly-occupied motel, however, was less fruitful: I made it through one and a quarter volumes, but then my eyelids were so heavy that I couldn't keep them open.

    But this summer I find myself at a loss. I'm not quite interested in J.D.Salinger, say, or Frankenstein. There's always War and Peace which I've covered some distance several times, only to get bogged down in the “War” part, set it aside for a while, and realize that I have to start over from the beginning again, having forgotten everyone's name and social rank. How appealing to simply fall back on a favorite—once more into The Call of the Wild or Alice in the Wonderland, which feels almost like cheating, too exciting and too much fun to properly belong to serious literature.

    And then there's John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. This title does not amaze but confuse. We're never short of sour grapes, but we've never heard of angry grapes. Anyway grapes are my favorite fruit of summer. These stone fruits can always make me feel cheerful and peaceful all at once.

    When the weather is good, most children would like to play outside. So we asked some kids and their parents whether the following toys kept them happy.

    All Surface Swingball, $35.99

    Played by Martin, nine, and five-year-old Alex in Crewe, Cheshire.

    Mother Jennifer says, "The boys thought the toy was excellent and really wanted to play with it. It can be played with alone or with another child. It's for the right age range but I believe the toy can be played with by all ages and is suitable for the whole family."

    Rubberwood Quoits Set, $13.99

    Played by Jessica, four.

    Mother Lucy Hayburst, 37, in Chichester, West Sussex, says, "Jessica played with this toy for a few minutes but quickly stopped playing with it. Since we bought this toy for her, she only played several times. The quality is very good. It can be played with by one child or more. Besides, I believe it's more suitable for older kids."

    Wooden Animal Skittles, $14.99

    Played by Matthew, two.

    Father Richard Lee, 36, from Dartford, Kent, says, "Matthew was very interested in the toys and liked to play with them, but that only lasted for around five minutes. The skittles were fun at first but that feeling soon disappeared. Two or more children can play with the toy together. And I think they are most suitable for kids aged between three and seven. Our youngest son, Ethan, just kept trying to eat the lion's head."

    First Tailball Net Set, $22

    Played by James, five.

    Mother Sarah Schwar, 39, from Grays, Essex, says, "James loved the toy." He enjoyed balls so it was perfect for him. We used it in the summer as it was easy to take on trips. It is suitable for kids over five years old. I think the price is fair and your children deserve it."

    Sales of Apple's new iPhone 11 in China began on Friday, but were met with a cooler reception from consumers than in previous years. Unlike in previous years, no long lines were seen outside Chinese shops on Friday for the new iPhone, and the product release only made the headlines in a few media outlets.

    Huawei unveiled(公布)its Mate 30 smartphone series on Thursday night. Its new devices have won consumers' hearts at home and abroad. Many compared it with Apple's new iPhone 11, saying that beats the new iPhone in terms of innovation and quality. One customer surnamed Zhao, an IT specialist who pre-ordered a Mate 30 Pro on Friday, said that he chose Mate 30 without hesitation. Zhao said, "It's obvious that Huawei's new phone with its advanced 5G mode would lead the future global telecommunication market, and its new innovative features in gesture and side control attracted my attention, too."

    In contrast with iPhone 11's lukewarm(冷淡的)sales, Chinese netizens have engaged in discussions on Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro. An online poll on the Mate 30 and iPhone 11 on Weibo on Friday showed that more than 60 percent of netizens chose the Mate 30, while less than 20 percent chose the iPhone 11. Many chose Huawei not out of patriotism (爱国主义)but for its technology.

    Overseas consumers also engaged in active discussions on Huawei's new flagship devices on technology sites and social media platforms. On Twitter, many netizens said "nice", "best phone ever" and "my favorite one" on Huawei's Twitter account. Some netizens in countries like the UK, the Netherlands and Argentina asked when Huawei's new devices would be released in their countries.

An Edinburgh inventor has created a fully biodegradable bottle that is made from paper and a secret combination of plant materials, and it could help save the planet's oceans from plastic pollution and can also be eaten by sea creatures.

The Edinburgh-based Durham University chemistry graduate James Longcroft started a non-profit bottled water company two years ago. He wanted to put all his profits into a charity that provided clean drinking water to countries in Africa.

However, after concerns about the environmental impact of plastic bottles, Mr. Longcroft decided the Edinburgh and London-based company, Choose Water, should go plastic-free. So he came up with a new type of water bottle—a waterproof paper bottle.

"The outside is made from recycled paper, but the inside has to be waterproof, and provides strength so the bottle would keep its structure, and keep the water fresh," Mr. Longcroft said.

When the bottle is thrown in the ocean the degrading process begins within hours leaving the bottle totally degraded (分解)within weeks. The steel cap breaks down within a year.

Mr. Longcroft now believes these novel bottles could revolutionise the industry and says the cost of producing the bottle is around 5 pence more than one made from single-use plastic.

"The main difficulty we face is breaking into a saturated (饱和的)market and competing with an old industry," he said. "Changing an industry will be a big uphill battle, but with the support from the public, we will change the way we look at bottled water."

Researchers warn that eight million tonnes of plastics currently find their way into the ocean every year which will stay in the environment for centuries.

"We really want to get our bottles on shelves and into people's hands as soon as possible—if we can stop even one plastic bottle ending up in the environment it will be worth it," said Mr Longcroft.