Today, we all know that air pollution is bad for people's health.   (1)   not all people know that noise is also a kind of pollution and is bad for humans' health. People who work and live in   (2)   conditions may go deaf. For example, many of the workers who  (3)   newspapers and books go deaf. Quite a few people living near airports also have  (4)   problems. Recently it was reported that many  (5)  in America can hear no better than 65-year-old people do, because these young people always listen to  (6)   pop music. Making a loud noise in  (7)   is also a kind of pollution. R not only disturbs (打扰)  (8)   but also is bad for people's hearing. Cars and machines also produce too much noise. Such pollution makes people feel uncomfortable and unpleasant, and it can even cause them to become   (9)  or deaf. Nowadays, many countries are trying to solve all kinds of environmental problems,   (10)   noise pollution.

The US is a very big country. It is about 3,000 miles from the east coast to the west coast, so choose  (1)   the places to see and the time to go. Bring a  (2)   because you may want to travel around.

New York and Washington DC are good places  (3)   in May or October, but in winter there is a lot of snow.

The best time to visit New England is in September. The weather gets   (4)  , and the green leaves start to turn gold, then brown. Bring your camera so you can take photos of the autumn trees.

California is   (5)   the Pacific coast, and the weather is fine all year round. Take your swimming clothes   (6)   you might want to go swimming in the sea, even in December.

 In Seattle, in the northwest, it is not very cold but it   (7)   a lot, so bring an umbrella. In Alaska, the days are long and warm in summer, but   (8)   cool in the evening. In winter, Alaska can be very cold. If you want to visit Alaska, you had better   (9)   in summer.

In Texas and the southeast, it is usually very hot and sunny   (10)   other places. There are storms from time to time in summer and autumn.

So when is the best time to visit the US? Any time you like!

Robots have been designed (设计) to do many things, such as playing music, saving people, working in a hospital, serving people in the restaurant and so on.

There are some robots working in the Jinjiang Robot Hotel in Tongren, Guizhou. One hundred customers (顾客) can have a big dinner in it together. Two of the robots serve drinks, while the other four serve the food. But not all the work in the restaurant is done by them. There are also people working there, especially in the kitchen. The cooks are humans, because the robots don’t have the skills (技术) to cook.

Our skin is like a bag that we live in. Inside the bag our bodies are mostly water. Our water is like the water in the sea. It is very salty. Also, like the ocean, we can lose our water. The wind and the sun could take it away. Our bag of skin keeps our body’s ocean from drying up.

Our skin keeps out sunshine. Too much sunshine can hurt us. Skin also keeps out dirt. That’s important because some kinds of dirt can make us sick. Our skin feels things. It feels warm things, cold things, things it touches, and things that hurt it. A campfire feels warm. A snowball thrown in our face feels cold and hurts us. A hug is the touch of another person’s skin on our own.

Our hair is a special kind of covering. It helps us keep things out of our eyes, ears and nose. Hair is also good for keeping us warm. When we get goose bumps (鸡皮疙瘩), our body hairs stand up. Then the hairs hold air close to our skin like a thick blanket (毯子). Hair keeps animals warm, too. Some animals have more hair than others, so they have a better blanket for cold weather.

Our nails (指甲) are another special skin which are very hard. They help keep our fingers from getting hurt. Our nails aren’t as strong as the nails that animals have. But they are good for picking up coins.

Imagine this. You come back from school and your robot housekeeper is already waiting for you at the door. He turns on the lights, air-conditioner and television. While you are having dinner, he cleans the floor. Before you go to sleep, he tells you the weather report, then reads you a bedtime story.

Such thoughts are not just for stories. Now they can happen in the real world, as long as you have the robot Alpha 2. Alpha 2 was a star at the 2017 World Robot Conference(大会), which was held from August 23^rd to 27^th in Beijing. More than 150 universities and companies from across the world brought their robots to the event for show and sale. Some robots work in factories. Some robots go to outer space or under water forexploration. But the highlights(亮点)of the event were service robots.

This kind of robot is the closest to our daily lives. From cleaning to teaching, music to sports, service robots have been used to do many kinds of jobs.

Teo is a popular service robot, as well as an artist and music teacher. His 53 fingers help him play the piano well. He played John Lennon’s song Imagineat the conference.

There is another service robot called Bestic. It acts as a human arm to feed people with a spoon. It can be a good helper for little kids, the elderly and those with difficulties using their hands.

The scientists believe that it may not be far when every family has at least one service robot.

Are you a positive (积极的) person? If so you are always hopeful and think of good points of a situation instead of bad ones. The power of positive thinking has been widely researched. It’s funny that some of us accept this power quickly while others are doubtful. Do you know the reason? Our opinions about positive thinking might explain its point.

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When facing a problem we weigh success or failure against the problem itself. We might think that positive thinking always leads us to expect success. Actually it’s more important to realize that positive thinking results in acceptance of our situation. If we think positively we may predict success or ways to move on when we are in difficulties. There’s a difference between blind positivity and seeing things in a positive way.

Results from positive thinking

Does research see any real value in positive thinking? Many studies show that a positive attitude leads to less stress and sadness. Physically positive thinking also leads to a longer life and quicker recovery(恢复) from sickness. Positive people with a family history of heart problems are even less likely to experience heart attacks.

Positive VS Negative(消极)

It seems strange to think that a state of mind can have such effects. But there are several reasons why a positive attitude is better than a negative one. Negative feelings are good for making us focus on tasks such as running from danger for example. However positive feelings open us up to a world of kinds of possibilities and bring us helpful ways. The more results of positive thinking naturally last longer as well.

Strategies for positivity

A positive attitude comes easier for some people than others because it’s a born character. Still anyone can try a few things to bring out the positive.

a. Rebuilding: See positives through negatives such as being glad the subway is cheap even when crowded.

b. Distance: When making a big decision act like you’re giving a friend advice.

c. Smile: Real or not smiles are shown to decrease (降低) heart rate and blood pressure.

In the end a positive attitude requires not only positive thinking but also positive action.

Computers can harm you. Most of the other injuries happen suddenly. For example, if you fall off a bike and break your arms, it happens very quickly. But computer injuries happen slowly.

You probably know how to ride a bike safely. Now learn to use a computer safely.

Your Eyes

Too much light can harm your eyes, so never sit too close to a computer screen. Your eyes should be at least 50 centimeters from the screen. Remember to look away from it sometimes. This gives your eyes a rest.

When you use a computer, the window should be on your left or on your right. If it is behind you, it will reflect the light of the screen. If the window is in front of you, the sun and the screen will both shine in your eyes.

Your Hands and Wrist(手腕)

Hand and wrist injuries can happen because the hands and wrists move in the same way for hundreds of times. If you use a keyboard for a long time, follow these three rules:1> Rest your wrists on something. 2> Keep your elbows at the same height as the keyboard. 3> Stop working all the time and exercise your hands, wrists and fingers in a different way.

Your Back

Some people sit for many hours in front of a computer. If you sit in the wrong way, you can harm your back or your neck. So you should sit with your back straight. The top part of the screen should all be in front of your eyes. Your forearms, wrists, hands and the upper part of your legs should all be parallel(平行的) to the floor. If you are sitting for a long time, get up every 30 minutes and exercise your arm, legs and necks. Enjoy your computer, but use it safely.

Have you ever heard of a famous charity called Operation Smile? We hope we can help you understand how we are trying to help children all over the world.

Operation Smile was started by a doctor and his wife. In 1982, together with some volunteers, they went to Philippines to help children who had holes in their lips (嘴唇) or inside their mouths. It was very difficult for them to eat and drink. These volunteers worked very hard. But they worried that they could not carry on with the work because they were short of money. Then they decided to start a charity so that they could help these needy children. They called it Operation Smile.

Operation Smile works in more than twenty developing countries and has cured over 10,000 children who have problems with their mouths. Operation Smile has won many prizes for its work and in 1999 they even started a special event called “The World Journey of Hope”. 5,000 children in 18 countries are cured during the event.

On the other hand, Operation Smile trains local doctors and nurses in developing countries so that they can continue to help children when Operation Smile has left. As to the children with much more serious problems, they will send them to America for further treatment.

So show your kindness and generosity (慷慨) to the needy children now. You can send your donation to Operation Smile at local banks. Many thanks from the children who can smile now will come to you.

Do you know “Golden Week Holidays”? The Spring Festival and National Day are both “Golden Week Holidays”. These years Chinese people can enjoy longer holidays. They have more time to travel. With the development of China, Chinese people are getting richer and richer. More money makes it possible to travel farther, even go abroad.  Uncle Liu is going to visit Britain during this National Day. He said, “My dream to foreign countries really comes true. It’s so exciting to travel abroad.”

 Another good news came out in 2007. The Chinese government decided to make the May Day Holiday shorter, but make Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Day as holidays. This decision makes Chinese people enjoy the three traditional festivals more.