Hitchbot

    Have you ever seen a hitchhiker(搭便车的旅行者）standing by the side of a road? Now drivers in Canada might see{#blank#}1{#/blank#}unusual hitchhiker; a hitchhiking robot.

    One of its inventors, David Harris Smith, has hitched across Canada three times. Smith and a friend, Frauke Zeller, have built Hitchbot because they wanted{#blank#}2{#/blank#}(see) if people would stop and give the robot a lift and talk to it. The robot can chat about things it has learned, and about{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(it) trip. You might think it's a joke,{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Smith and Zeller's experiment has a serious point: can robots and people get along?

    Hitchbot{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(begin) its journey in Nova Scotia in July. It has already completed a third of its 6,000-mile trip to Victoria. More than 57,000 people are following its journey{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(close) on Facebook and Twitter, and travelers have posted lots of{#blank#}7{#/blank#}(photo) on the websites. Hitchbot has also done some shopping, eaten motor oil, and had fun with travelers. Nobody knows{#blank#}8{#/blank#}it will finish its journey. It might be{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(long) than expected, but Zeller and Smith want Hitch to get{#blank#}10{#/blank#}many rides as it can. It hasn't been in a self-driving car yet, but anything is possible!

    Crocodiles (鳄鱼) lay their eggs and leave them under leaves or sand. Baby crocodiles use their teeth {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (break) their way out of the shells.

    Crocodiles are {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (find) in Australia {#blank#}3{#/blank#}  America. They spend most of their time {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (lie) around in the rivers. The crocodile's long tail is used when the animal is swimming. It is {#blank#}5{#/blank#}  excellent weapon(武器). It can be used to strike(打击) the enemies. One blow will knock down a man or even a big animal at once. The crocodile has a hard neck. It cannot turn {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(it) head from side to side, so it can only see something in front of itself. The crocodile has its teeth {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(clean) by the crocodile bird. For its food this bird takes the bits in the crocodile's mouth. This helps the crocodile a lot, {#blank#}8{#/blank#} it cannot move its tongue up and down. With its terrible {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (tooth) it catches its food. The food may be a fish, an animal, or even a {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (careful) man.

Why Short Stories Are Best for English Learning

    You get more time to focus on words. When a text is short, you can have more time to learn how every single word is used and what importance it has in{#blank#}1{#/blank#}text. This is more useful for those{#blank#}2{#/blank#}are beginners of English.

    You can read a whole story at a time. Attention length is very important for learning. And the ability to finish story gives you more time{#blank#}3{#/blank#}(understand) it. Short stories are written to give you{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(much) information with less effort.

    It is best for consistency (一致性). It is much easier to read one story every day than trying to read a big novel that never{#blank#}5{#/blank#}(seem) to end.

    You can share them easily in a group. Since short stories can{#blank#}6{#/blank#}(read) in any place, they are perfect for book clubs and learning circles. Most of the time these groups do not work because members have no time to read. Short stories are perfect way for them.

    You can focus more on ideas. Language is less about {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(word) and more about the meanings behind them. If you spend all your time {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(learn) vocabulary and grammar, you will never be able to speak a language {#blank#}9{#/blank#}(smooth) because you will have little to talk about. Short stories give you the chance to understand big ideas in a short text.

In a word, short stories will not only improve your English reading comprehension (理解力){#blank#}10{#/blank#} also open your mind to different worlds.