Several companies are racing to produce electronic paper and ink, complete with colors and moving imagines(图像). One idea would be to create a newspaper like The Daily Project in the Harry Potter books. Its pages would hold video clips of baseball games instead of just black-and-white photos.

   Electronic paper is not a new idea. A company in Massachusetts called E ink, for example, has been working for years on such a technology. Little electricity determines(决定)whether each microsphere(灌球)looks black or white at any given time. Together, microspheres make up words and imagines. The techniques seems promising for creating still imagines that can be changed when needed, but the process(进程)is too slow for good videos.

Scientists in the Netherlands now report a new type of e-paper technology. By using layers(层) of oil, the requirements. They can also make images which change fast enough to meet standard video requirements. They can also make brilliant colors. So far, however, each image is smaller than the fingernail.

For now, readingand watching TV will have to return two separate activities. Keep your eyes open, though, in the future, TV watching and reading might be part of the same work.

B

    Many children spend a lot of time watching or playing with electronic media –from televisions to video games, computers and other devices（设备）.

    So, it is natural that parents should wonder about the time children spend looking at a TV or computer screen. Americans say “screen time” when they talk about any time children spend in front of an electronic device.

    Perhaps parents can stop worrying so much about screen time, at least for older boys and girls. In October 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) listed several suggestions for parents and child care workers. Here are some of the suggestions.

●Avoid digital media use in children younger than 18 to 24 months.

●For children aged 18-24 months, avoid letting the child watch media alone. And avoid using media as a way to comfort your child.

●For children two to five years of age, allow one-hour screen time on “high-quality（质量）programming” a day and watch it with your child.

●For children aged 6 and older, don't spend too much time using media. Also, make sure that screen time does not take the place of healthy sleep, exercising, doing homework and other activities.

●Make sure to have media-free time together as a family, such as dinner or driving. Also make some areas of the home media-free. Turn off you child's electronic devices an hour before bedtime.

    Recently, a designer in Hong Kong has invented a special book that can transform (变形) into a piece of furniture. The special book is called Bookniture. It can be unfolded to become a chair or a small table. People can either carry it around for a portable (轻便的) chair or can store it in their homes to use as extra furniture.

    The book was designed by Mike Mak. He came up with the idea after never having enough seats for his friends in his home in Hong Kong.

    “I love having friends at my place, but I have never had enough seats for everyone—we would always end up with just sitting on the floor. 1 really want a seat that doesn't take up any floor space when I don't need it. One day, the empty space on my bookcase drew my attention.  Then came the new idea—Bookniture, furniture hidden in a book,” said the 30-year-old designer.

    Made from fully-recyclable kraft paper (牛皮纸) , the book measures 33 cm by 18 cm. It expands (扩大) to 14 times bigger once it's opened, and can support up 10 1,000 kg of weight.  It comes in two colors, brown and black, and can be bought for between￡55 and ￡57.

    If your pen broke at school today, what would you do? You would go to a shop and buy a new one. What if you could simply print out a real, working pen with your 3-D printer without leaving your room?

    Ten years ago people could only see 3-D printing in science fiction movies. But now 3-D printing is here and it's bringing big changes.

    Unlike normal printing that can only copy a 2-D picture with ink. 3-D printing can build almost anything made from material. The printer layers(分层) the material in different shapes to create the object you want to be copied.

    The 3-D printer has been used to make many different things. People have made cups, cars and even an airplane with it. Doctors have been using 3-D printers for several years. People's nervous systems(系统) have been printed out in 3-D form in medical research. Some body parts have been printed and used in hospital. Several months ago, doctors used a 3-D printer to rebuild the face of a person who had a bad accident. In the future, it is expected that the printer will make human organs(器官)to save more lives.

    However there are drawbacks to the printer. At the moment, printing can be quite slow and it's still rather expensive. The average(平均的) price of a household printer is around $1,700, not including the cost of the materials.

    But as the technology develops, it shouldn't be long before disadvantages are improved. Only time will tell where this new technology will take us.

    How green are you? Do you know how to be green?

    We all need a healthy environment, but we produce waste every day and it does harm to our environment. Though we are young, we can still do something to help. In fact, even the simplest everyday activities can make a real difference to the environment. Here are some ideas for you.

    Reduce

    Reduce means "use less". Don't waste things. This saves money and reduces pollution and waste going into the environment. Before we buy something new, think whether it is really necessary or maybe the old one will be just as good! When we do buy things, choose local products if possible, and try not to buy too many things from abroad.

    Reuse

    Reuse means "use again". Use things for as long as possible. When we buy things, make sure that they last a long time. We should look after them so that they will last, and we should repair them if we can instead of throwing them away and buying new ones. Don't use a paper cup of a paper bag. It's better to use a china cup and a lunch box because you can use them again.

    Recycle

    Recycle means "change things into something else". Though it takes energy to change something into something else, it's better than throwing things away or burning them. Find out what can be recycled in your neighbourhood and take part in recycling programmes. We should also buy products made from recycled materials, such as recycled paper, to help save trees.

    So please remember these three words: reduce, reuse and recycle.