八年级下1-4短文

Do you think you will have your own robot?In some science fiction movies,people in the future have their own robots.These ro bots are just like humans.They help with the housework and do the most unpleasa nt jobs.Some scientists believe that there will be such robots in the future.However,they ag ree it may take hundreds of years.Scientists are now trying to make robots look lik e people and do the same things as us.Japanese companies have already made r obots walk and dance.This kind of robot will also be fun to watch.But robot scientist James White disagrees.He thinks that it will be difficult for a rob ot to do the same things as a person.For example,it's easy for a child to wake up and know where the are.Mr White thinks that robots won't be able to do this.But other scientists disagree.They think that robots will be able to talk to people in 25 to 50 years.Robot scientists are not just trying to make robots look like people.For example,the re are already robots working in factories.These robots look more like huge arms.T hey do simple jobs over and over again.People would not like to do such jobs and would get bored.But robots will never get bored.In the future,there will be more robots everywhere,and humans will have less work to do.New robots will have many different shapes.Some will look like humans,and o thers might look like snakes.After an earthquake,a snake robot could help look for people under buildings.That may not seem possible now,but computers,space rocket s and even electric toothbrushes seemed impossible a hundred years ago.We neve r know what will happen in the future!Maybe you should learn to relax!Life for Cathy Taylor's three children is very busy.Their school days are busy enou gh.After school,though,Cathy takes the two boys from football to basketball.Then she has to take her daughter to piano lessons.The tired children don't get home until7 pm.They have a quick supper,and it's time for homework.The Taylors are like many American and British parents.They take their children fro m activity to activity,and try to fit as much as possible into their kid's lives.Doctors say many children are under too much pressure.Teachers complain about teaching tired kids in the classroom.Most children take part in after-school clubs.Activities include sports,language learni ng,music,and math classes.Pushy parents are nothing new,but now parents seem t o push their children a lot more.Parents see other children doing a lot of things,an d they feel their own children should do the same.Linda Miller,a mother of three in London,knows all about such pressure."In some fa milies,competition stars from a very young age,"she says."Mothers send their kids t o all kinds of classes when they are very young.And they are always comparing th em with other children.It's crazy.People shouldn't push their kids so hard."Dr Alice Green agrees.She also says that these children may find it hard to think f or themselves when they are older."Parents are trying to plan their kids' lives for th em.When these kids are adults,they might find it difficult to plan things for themselv es."Parents should learn to give their kids a bit more time to themselves.On the on e hand,children need organized activities.On the other hand,they also need time an d freedom to relax,and they need time to do things by themselfs.Do you remember what you were doing ?People often remember what they were doing when they heard the news of import ant events in history. In the United States, for example, many people remember w hat they were doing on April 4,1968. This was one of the most important events in modern American history. On this day, Dr Martin Luther King was killed in the city of Memphis in America. Although some people may not remember who murdered him, they remember what they were doing when they heard about the event.Even the most everyday activities can seem important. Robert Allen is now over 4 0. He was just a student at that time, but he remembers what he was doing when he heard the news. “It was a bright, sunny day.” Robert remembers. “We were ha ving fun in the playground when the bell rang. Our teacher asked us to stop what we were doing and listen. He told us the news: …Dr Martin Luther King died just 1 0 minutes ago!‟ We couldn‟t believe it!” School closed for the day, and Robert and his friends walked home together in silence.Dr Martin Luther King‟ s murder took place about thirty years ago, before many A mericans were born. However, in more recent times, most Americans remember wh at they were doing when the World Trade Center in New York was destroyed by t errorists. Even the date----September 11, 2001----has meaning to most Americans. Not all events in history are as terrible as this, of course. Many Americana also sa y they remember what they were doing when man first walked on the moon on Jul y 20,1969. In more recent history, most Chinese remember what they were doingwhen Yang Liwei became the first Chinese astronaut in space. Yang went into spa ce on October 15, 2003. His flight around the Earth lasted about 22 hours. When he returned, he became a national hero in China, and became famous all over the world.She said helping others changed her life.Teaching high school students in a poor mountain village in Gansu Province may not sound like fun to you.However,it changed the life of Yang Lei from Beijing.The Peking University graduate first went there as a volunteer on a one-year program.The program was started by the Ministry of Education and the Chinese Young Pioneers.Every year they send 100 volunteers to teach in China's rural areas.Life in the mountains was a new experience for Yang Lei,Her village was 2000 meters above sea level,and at first the thin air made her feel sick.The food was very simple——teachers ate porridge three times a day.Fortunately,Yang Lei's mother agreed with her daughter's decision.She said that both she and her husband thought this was a good idea."Young people today need to experience different things,"she said.Most of the pupils live in school dormitories.They work very hard. They get up at 5 am and read books until 11 pm.They love having the volunteer teachers there."There is no difference between you and them,"saya Yang Lei."They say that we are like big brothers or sisters to them,and they feel lucky."Many children may not be able to go to senior high school or college.Families are poor and there often isn't money for education."I can't do anything about that ,but I can open up my students' eyes and give them a good start in life.She said she likes being a good influence in their children's lives.Yang lei enjoyed her times as a volunteer very much.When her year was over,she said that she would return to the area after finishing her studies.She now works as a math teacher at a high school in the city of Pingliang,Gansu province.。