What will man be like in the future—in 5000 or even 50,000 years from now? We can only make guesses, of course, but we can be sure that he will be different from what he is today, for man is slowly changing all the time.

    Let us take an obvious example, Man, even five hundred years ago, was shorter than he is today. Now, on averse, men are about three inches taller. Five hundred years is a relatively short period of time, so we may assume that man will continue to grow taller. Again, in the modem world we use our brains a great deal. Even so, we still make use of only about 20% of the brain's capacity. As time goes on, however, we shall have to use our brains more and more, and eventually we shall need larger ones! This is likely to bring about a physical change too: the head, in particular the forehead, will grow larger. Nowadays our eyes are in constant use. In fact, we use them so much that very often they become weaker and we have to wear glasses. But over a very long period of time it is likely that man's eyes will grow stronger.

    On the other hand, we tend to make less use of our arms and legs. These, as a result, are likely to grow weaker. At the same time, however, our fingers will grow more sensitive because they an; a great deal in modem life.

    But what about hair? This will probably disappear from the body altogether in course of time because it does not serve a useful purpose any longer. In the future, then, both sexes are likely to be bald (光秃的).

    Perhaps all this gives the impression that future man will not be a very attractive creature to look at! This may well be true. But in spite of all these changes, future man will still have a lot in common with us. He will still be a human being, with thoughts and emotions similar to our own.

    July 16th was a bad day for Mr. Arthur Johnson. In the morning, he set out from his home in Santa Barbara, California. It was the start of his summer holidays and he decided to visit Wends at Las Vegas, then he hoped to go fishing in Lake Mead, 40 km from Las Vegas.

    Johnson's troubles started while he was driving happily across the Mojave Desert. His car went wrong and he tried to repair it. Then, to make matters worse, his attempts to start the car used up the battery (电池) and left it useless. After Johnson had waited an hour in the hot sun, a Canadian driver, John Williams, stopped and tried to help him. When both men failed, Williams promised to telephone a workshop to ask it to send a truck to pull the car away and repair its fuel pump.

    Johnson left the keys in his car and sat in the shade of a large tree. Soon he fell asleep. While he was sleeping, a repair truck arrived from San Pedro (the nearest town) and pulled his car away. Later on, Johnson woke up and thought that somebody had stolen his car. He started to walk back towards San Pedro but a police car stopped him to find out why he was walking in the desert.

    Johnson looked like a man wanted in Los Angels for robbery, so the police detained him at San Pedro for the night. The next day, Johnson telephoned his friends in Los Angeles. They drove to San Pedro and made the police believe that Johnson was a harmless salesman, so they set him free.

    Jon Hoffman was sitting at a red light when he saw a man run out of a store carrying a plastic donation jar full of cash. The Plano, Texas, detective, dressed in plain clothes but wearing his badge (徽章) and gun, caught the man and pinned him to the hood of his car. But Hoffman had trouble containing the thief, and they got into a struggle.

    "The detective has a martial arts background, and he said he thought the suspect must have a martial arts background, too, because he was able to break away so easily," a Plano police spokesperson said.

    The detective called out for help as a crowd gathered. Among those watching: Andre Harvey and Kirby Sample, two day laborers. Harvey did what has become common these days—he took out his phone and hit record. "I hate to say it, but I thought that this policeman was doing something illegal," Harvey said. "But when he asked for help, I thought, well, there won't be a shooting if I get over there in time.” Harvey jumped into action—while he was still recording the video—as did Sample.

    "Harvey caught hold of the suspect's arms, while Kirby seized his legs, and they were able to get the suspect to the ground to help Detective Hoffman put the handcuffs (手铐) on," said the police spokesperson. The 27-year-old suspect was charged with resisting arrest and other offenses. The charity jar he stole held less than $ 50.

    "I've been on the wrong side of the law several times in my life," Harvey told WFAA. "It feels good to be on the right side and do something positive."

    After the arrest, the three men got to know each other over steaks and ribs at a local steak house—Hoffman's treat, as a thank-you. But the rescuers say Hoffman deserves credit too. "It could have turned real ugly." Sample told the media "He handled himself like a real professional."

    Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 a.m. When I arrived to collect, I found the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.

    I walked to the door and knocked, "Just a minute," answered a weak, elderly voice. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.

    I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the car.

    She kept thanking me for my kindness. "It's nothing," I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated."

    "Oh, you're such a good man." She said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"

    "It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.

    "Oh, I'm in no hurry," she said. "I'm on my way to a hospice(临终医院). I don't have any family left. The doctor says I don't have very long."

    I quietly reached over and shut off the meter(计价器).

    For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

    Sometimes she'd ask me to slow down in front of a particular building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

    At dawn, she suddenly said," I'm tired. Let's go now."

    We drove in silence to the address she had given me.

    "How much do I owe you?" she asked.

    "Nothing." I said.

    "You have to make a living," she answered. "Oh, there are other passengers," I answered.

    Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto e tightly. Our hug ended with her remark, "You gave an old woman a little moment of joy."

    When French students go to school, they have to leave one of their most prized possessions at home — their smartphones. French lawmakers passed a law on July 31, 2018, banning students 15 and under from bringing smartphones and tablets to school, or at least requiring they be turned off at school. Officials in support of the new rule described the policy as a way to protect children from addictive habits and to safeguard the sanctity of the classroom.

    "We know there is a phenomenon of screen addiction," education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer said. "Our main role is to protect students. It is a fundamental role of education, and this law allows it."

    The law, however, makes exceptions for educational use, after-school activities and for students with disabilities. French high schools can choose to force a less-strict ban on Internet- connected devices.

    Even before the new policy was voted in, French law carried out in 2010 prohibited students from using their phones while class was in session. But during the 2017 French presidential election, Emmanuel Macron promised to force a school ban on phones entirely.

    This isn't the first French law designed to beat back the influences of digital technology in everyday life. In 2017 the government passed a law requiring French companies to draft rules that limited work emails and work-related technology outside the office. Referred to as the "right to disconnect," French officials said the law aimed to reduce job-related stress and prevent employee burnout.

    "Employees physically leave the office, but they do not leave their work. They remain attached by a kind of electronic tie," said Benoît Hamon, former French education minister. "The texts, the messages, the emails: they control the life of the individual to the point where he or she eventually breaks down."