Have you ever seen a car without a driver? It sounds crazy, but these computer-driven driverless cars will soon be filling roads near you. Companies like Google and Tesla have been designing and testing these cars, and the technology is there.

    So how? The cars have sensors（感应器）all around which can find other cars and objects in the road. Road signs are read by cameras, and satellite navigation systems（卫星导航系统）are used so the car knows how to get where you want to go. All you have to do is type in the address! Finally, a central computer system takes in all the information that it receives from the sensors and cameras and works out when to speed up, stop and turn.

    Sound like your idea of heaven（天堂）? Sitting back, looking out of the windows and even watching a film or reading a book while ‘driving' would be possible with this new technology. You wouldn't have to worry about remembering directions to where you're going. In addition, computers would also drive more safely than people — they would obey the rules and have quicker action times when in dangerous situations.

However, there are many drawbacks of driverless cars. Computers would have difficulties making ethical（道德的）decisions: if a child ran into the road, would the computer choose to hit the child or turn suddenly and potentially kill the car's passengers? Moreover, I personally find driving fun –I'd miss never driving a car myself. There would also be many other decisions to be made –should children, or drunk people, be allowed in a driverless car by themselves? Or would there need to be a person with a driving license in the car at all times?

    I'm not certain I'd want a driverless car – but it's only a matter of time before they'll become more affordable and popular on our roads.

    Friendship between animals sometimes seems stronger than that between men.

    In France, a man had to move to a new job two hundred kilometers away. He had a dog and a cat, and he loved them both. But he thought that the cat would like to stay in the same house with new owners. So he moved and took only the dog.

    About three weeks later, the dog was suddenly lost. For several days, the man looked for his dog, but didn't find him. Then, seven weeks later, the dog came back but he was not alone. By his side was the cat. They were tired and hungry after their long trip. And they never left each other again.

    Another story is about goldfish. We usually think fish are cold-hearted, but sometimes we may be wrong. A friend had to work in another country. So I took her pet goldfish and put it in a bowl with mine. They two lived together for six months. When the friend came back, she took her fish home.

    Then, I found my goldfish was acting strangely, hitting against the side of the bowl. The next morning he died. Later that day, my friend phoned to say that her goldfish was also dead. I believe they died of sadness.

    In recent years, there have been many breakthroughs in the AI (人工智能) field. Here, let us see four of the most interesting developments in AI in 2017.

    The largest animal ever to live on Earth is the blue whale. It weighs about 80 tons--more than 24 big elephants. It is more than 30 metres long. A new baby whale weighs as much as a big elephant.

    Cats won't die if they fall off very high places because they can turn themselves up the right way so as to keep their bodies safe. One cat fell off 32 floors onto the street, but it was just hurt a little.

    A bear can run as fast as a horse.

    A new-born panda is smaller than a mouse and weighs about 100 grams.

    Elephants are the most careful animals in their love. A male elephant may show his lady love for up to three years until the female elephant takes his love. They often show their love by touching each other's body.

    Usually, wolves do not hurt people. For years a Canadian newspaper says that they would give anyone a lot of money if he or she could show that a wolf could hurt a person. But nobody could do that. Wolves do not usually go together though they may do this in winter and they only hurt people at an unusual time.

  First Frenchman: I once heard someone shout, "Look out." I put my head out of a window and a glass of water fell on me. It seems that "look out" may mean "Don't look out."

  Second Frenchman: I was once on a ship and heard the captain shout, “All hands on deck (甲板). I put my hands on the deck and someone walked on them.”

  Third Frenchman: I once went early in the morning to the doctor's and his nurse came to the door and said, "He's not up yet. Come back in half an hour." When I went a second time for him, she said, "He's not down yet." I had to go away again. Later I thought the doctor should be in the house in the evening, so I went there once more. "Oh, how sorry I am! He's not in! I'd better tell him to wait for you if you could come tomorrow." said the nurse.

  "Well! He's not up, he is not down, and he is not in. please tell me where he stays!" I said angrily.