Have you learned something about robots? There are all kinds of robots. They are in different shapes. They can do lots of work.

    Robot teachers， who are working in elementary schools now， have been very popular with pupils during a project in some South Korean school， a government report said on Thursday.

    The elementary school children get on well with the robot teachers. They like the robotic teachers more than the ordinary ones because they never get angry and always kind to the students. The Ministry of Knowledge said.

    English teaching robots were sent to three provincial schools for eight weeks starting in late December. There they teach students as teachers. More and more students like studying and the other robot teachers were also sent out. They can teach math， science and art.

    The researchers found that the English-teaching robots helped raise interest in the language and helped the students feel more confident.

    “Tele-presence” robots are controlled by an English and are equipped with a microphone and video camera. Many people think we can use these robot teachers in the village far away from the cities so that the children in these areas can also get better education.

    The government has expressed great interest in robots to give rural school children more learning chances. I think in the future we can see more and more robot teachers working with the students. But I think the robot teachers can't replace the real teachers. What's your opinion?

    A recently study found people's lives are made shorter in North China. It is showed the life expectancy(平均寿命) had been cut down by 5.5 years there. Researchers think that the heavy air pollution in China should be to blame. It's really the truth. Our government has already done something. However, it doesn't seem to work so well.

    “Air pollution in China is doing harm to people's health. The harm is much more serious than we can imagine,” said Chen Yuyu of Beijing University, one of researchers of this study.

    Dirty air brings serious problems in North China. In January this year, the air pollution was worse than that in other places. That was caused by rising temperature and waste gas from coal heating.

    Chinese government should strongly fight against air pollution. They should think of more proper ways to deal with the problem. People should be encouraged to take buses, ride bicycles or walk, instead of driving cars. The factories that pollute heavily should be closed.

    “We need to improve our environment, although it might be expensive. Protecting our environment means protecting ourselves,” Li Hongbin, another researcher of the study said.

    Big data (数据) is a lot of sets of information that are put together so they can be used by a computer program. The computer program looks for different kinds of answers or patterns in the data. Big data can have different kinds of information from many sources, such as information that comes from schools, social media sites, companies, and governments. One set of data can have people's names and addresses. Another set can have what they like, where they go to school, and how much time they spend on the computer.

    Big data can be used in many ways. The government uses it to understand how many people travel on buses or trains. This information is then used to make bus or train systems better. Some schools use big data to understand which children may need extra help in class. The teacher can then give certain students more help or support so those students can succeed in school. Companies use big data, too. It helps them understand who buys their products. For example, one company uses weather data to see when people eat the most ice cream.

    Big data can be used for good reasons. Some hospitals use big data to predict if a baby who is born too early will get sick. The hospital can then take extra steps to take care of that baby so he or she does not get sick. Big data can also be used for bad reasons. It can be used to predict which kinds of people are likely to break the law or hurt others, even if they have not done anything wrong.

    How can big data be used for good and bad things? It is because the computer programs used to look at big data and understand it are written by people. People think a certain way. Because they think a certain way, they build a model of those ideas. These ideas are then used to look at the data. Sometimes, these ideas are helpful for people or businesses. Other times, bad ideas can cause problems for certain groups of people.

    What will the world of the future be like? There are plenty of people who are happy to give their opinion of what we will be doing in 2050. Here are two predictions about the world of tomorrow.

    When we dream about the future, many like to think of owning a personal flying car. The advantages are obvious. This technology would allow total freedom of movement. We could fly at 480 km per hour, avoiding traffic lights and busy roads. However, some people believe there will be problems with traffic control. If the cars become popular, there is likely to be air traffic jam. Another big problem is mechanical failure. What will happen if the cars stop working? These are problems we must expect if flying cars become a reality.

    Three-dimensional printing is another new technology with exciting possibilities. 3D printers are used to build an object with liquid plastic.

    They build the object layer by layer until it is complete. Car companies already use 3D printers to make life-size models of car parts, and medical companies use the technology to make man-made body parts. As we move into the future, 3D printing will revolutionize the way we shop, the way we manufacture and the way we treat sick people. The disadvantage is that such equipment will be extremely expensive.

    So in the future, we might be able to fly to work or print out new shoes. Although there are some problems to solve before this will be possible, we can certainly dream of a world where technology makes life easier and safer for millions of people.

The Giraffe

    The giraffe is the tallest modern land animal. It can be over 5. 5 meters tall. Its neck bone may be 1. 9 meters long. Yet the giraffe has only seven bones in its neck, the same number as in the human. Even a small bird has many more bones in its neck than in a tall giraffe. Each bone in a giraffe's neck is very long, while the bones in a human's neck are small. That makes the difference. A female giraffe gives birth to one baby at a time. The baby, called a calf, is about 1. 9 meters tall at birth. By the age of eight it is full-grown. The giraffe can live for 30 years; the giraffe is good at running; it can run 30 kilometers per hour. The giraffe likes to live together, usually 7~10 a group. The giraffe eats mostly leaves. Because it has a long neck, it can reach the leaves high up on the trees.