Have you ever run out of coffee or tea? Found no eggs in the fridge? No bread for the sandwich and the nearest shop is too far away? Well, all that can change in the future.

    If all goes well, the intelligent future kitchen will soon help solve all your problems. In the future, all kitchen units will be connected to the Internet. The intelligent future kitchen will give wise advice on planning your menu for the day. Worried about your weight? — It will tell you the right diet and what is good for your health. It will even keep in mind your likes and dislikes!

    Designed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this smart kitchen promises to pay attention to all your needs. The computer's system will help keep an “eye” on the fridge. If the fridge is empty, the kitchen will automatically call and place an order at the local supermarket. So you don't have to worry about it at all.

    You get home late, and don't know what to make from the collection of ingredients (原料) in your fridge. A while back you might have ordered a take-out but now, instead of worrying about eating a collection of this and that, you're excited. You can pull out each vegetable, and pass each one in front of a web camera next to your fridge. A few moments later, a screen on your fridge would display a tasty recipe.

    After dinner, you take your plates to a box next to the sink. You don't have to clean them, your machine does. It produces new plates every time you need to eat. Later in the evening, you phone your other half, who is on a business trip half-way around the world. As you drink your cup of hot coffee, it makes your other half's cup change color on the other side of the world, another special way to keep in touch.

    Remembering names is an important social skill. Here are some ways to master it.

    Recite and repeat in conversation. When you hear a person's name, repeat it. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial.

    Ask the other person to recite and repeat. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. After you've been introduced to someone, ask that person to spell the name and pronounce it correctly for you. Most people will be pleased by the effort you're making to learn their names.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Admitting that you can't remember someone's name can actually make people relaxed. Most of them will feel sympathy if you say, "I'm working to remember names better. Yours is right on the tip of my tongue. What is it again?"

    Use associations (联想). {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. For example, you could make a mental note: "Vicki Cheng—tall, black hair." To reinforce (强迫) your associations , ,write them on a small card as soon as possible.

    Limit the number of new names you learn at one time. When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.

A. Admit you don't know.

B. Recite and repeat names.

C. Free yourself from remembering everyone.

D. You can let other people help you remember their names.

E. If you can't remember someone's name, you may tell him the truth.

F. Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips.

G. Link each person you meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual.

    Now women are free to enter any career that attracts them, and working can bring them pride, confidence and independence. Working women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, and 51 percent of professional workers, like doctors, lawyers, nurses and accountants, are female. While climbing the career ladder can be rewarding, it often comes with one big disadvantage: weight gain!

    New research published this week in the International Journal of Obesity shows that working women are more likely to be overweight, and the more you work, the more pounds you're likely to pile on. Like many women, I work... a lot! As a self-employed nutrition communications specialist, I sit at my desk, in front of a computer, for hours on end. Sitting alone is one of the worst things you can do for your health, and it's directly linked to being overweight and increased fatness, so the fact that women in the workforce gain weight isn't that surprising. If you work, you have less time to move around. Obesity researchers are revealing many other ways that employment is harmful to your diet and waistline(腰围).

    In the International Journal of Obesity study, some 9,276 Australian women aged 45-50 had their body weight and employment status monitored for two years. Results? Those who worked more than 35 hours were likely to gain weight compared to those who worked fewer hours or were out of the workforce. What's more, the more hours a woman worked in a week, the more weight she gained.

    The authors of the Australian study attribute weight gain among working women to inactivity, lack of time for food preparation, more use of prepared foods, high levels of stress, lack of sleep and consuming more alcohol. I'll also add in travel, meals eaten out and working at night as other factors that I can find to make balancing work with a healthy diet a challenge.

    Chris Mazdzer won a silver medal in a men's luge (无舵雪橇) singles event at 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, South Korea — equaling the best finish ever for any member of the US Olympic luge team. In the luge, competitors lie flat, feet first, on a small sled (雪橇). They can travel around an icy track at speeds up to 140 kilometers an hour. The riders control the sled's speed by changing the position of their feet or by moving their shoulders.

    So why did the US luge team win a medal at the Pyeongchang Olympics? Most credit must go to Chris Mazdzer himself. The American said his win was a product of 16 years of preparation and intense training. But another reason for Mazdzer's success could have been the 3-D printing technology, which his team used to make its equipment.

    The term 3-D is short for three dimensional, meaning an object with length, width and height. In 3-D printing, 3-D models are first created as files, or documents, on a computer. The printer then uses a substance (物质) like plastic or metal to create physical objects. The process involves making one layer of material at a time until the objects reach full form.

    The US luge team worked with an American company called Stratasys on the designing and manufacturing process for the sleds. First, the company made a scan, or image, of the body of every member of the luge team. Then, 3-D printing technology was used to create tools for making molds (模子) in the shape of Olympians on top of a sled. The process of designing and tooling sled parts is highly complex and can take several weeks. Officials from the US luge team say 3-D printing can greatly simplify the process, speeding up the production of parts.

    Jon Owen, says the use of 3-D printing has made the team more competitive. It helps the team “continuously adjust designs and run the sleds on the track much faster than traditional processes,” he said. He added that the technology also provides a way to perfectly fit each rider to the sled, while cutting production time and costs.

    If you need to prove who you are in China, you will usually need to use an ID card. It shows your name, date of birth, address, nationality, photo and ID number. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    On April 17, Alipay introduces its first electronic ID card. The card is an electronic version of real ID card and is recognized by Ministry of Public Security. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Users can simply select "Web ID" in the app and follow the instructions.

    The electronic ID card can now be used in Hangzhou, Suzhou and Fuzhou. People in these three cities can use the card to check into hotels, buy train tickets and do other tasks {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    About 4 million people will be able to use the service within the next year. "{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Even if they forget their ID cards, they can still get things done. Since the process is simplified, it also makes things easier for government offices and companies," Tang Feifan, mayor of Suzhou, told Zhangjie online.

It's safe to use Alipay's new service, in case you are worried that someone might steal your identity. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Then, you have to pass both a fingerprint and facial recognition scan before you can use the electronic ID card.

A. This gives people another choice.

B. The safety of the electronic ID card is the main concern.

C. They don't have to show their standard ID card anymore.

D. But not all people have welcomed the electronic ID card.

E. But now, you can prove your identity using your smartphone.

F. It's quite easy to get an electronic ID card by using the Alipay app.

G. First, you must unlock your phone, and enter your Alipay password.

    A new law came into use in Shanghai on Monday, requiring every individual, families and companies to sort (分类) their trash into different trash cans. Locals are now required to separate trash into four kinds: food waste, residual waste, harmful waste and recyclable waste. According to the new law, a 200-yuan fine can be given to individuals or families who do not follow it. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    On the first day of practice of the rules, it was found that 38.1 percent of hotels and 33.2 percent of companies didn't meet the requirements. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The success in residential (居民的) neighborhoods was a result of early practice in pilot（试点的） neighborhoods around the city, which had caused mixed feelings among the public since June.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Some people praised Shanghai for being a role model and taking active steps to solve the trash problem in big cities, while others complained about the inconvenience the rule has brought to their daily lives, and made jokes about sorting their garbage.

    The final goal of the trash sorting program is to reduce waste and increase recycling. Shanghai's 24 million residents produce 56, 000 tons of trash every day. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Actually, Shanghai is not fighting alone in the battle against trash disposal, as trash sorting has been popular nationwide. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Those cities will set up a basic system to classify and dispose of their household garbage by 2020, and by 2050, cities at the prefecture level (地级) and above should have the system in place.

A. Only 7.4 percent of the residential neighborhoods needed to be corrected.

B. Sales of trash cans on Taobao also increased before the regulation took effect.

C. On Sina Weibo, the topic of trash sorting has caused a heated discussion.

D. People in different cities have different attitudes towards sorting their trash.

E. Most of the trash ends up being buried, which wastes precious land and can pollute water and soil if not solved properly.

F. The country plans to have 46 major Chinese cities to join in it, including Beijing and Guangzhou.

G. And for companies, the fine can hit 5, 000 to 50, 000 yuan.