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During my teenage years, I developed a deep love for ballet (芭蕾). I would volunteer at a local dance school  was next to my home. It was a great chance for me to be part of the dance community. 

One day, there was a debate about the preferred style of ballet among the teachers. Some preferred the traditional ballet, while others  (be) more interested in exploring modern movements. I found the content of  (they) discussions interesting. 

In order to contribute to the dance world, I decided to open my own ballet school and make it  (attract). I worked hard to clean up  old building and turn it into a beautiful studio (工作室). The greenhouse nearby provided a perfect space for practice and warm-up exercises. 

Creating a suitable environment for learning and dancing was important to me. I wanted my students to feel interested.  (actual), one of my main challenges was coming up with creative ideas for each class. I wanted each topic to ignite (激发) curiosity and  (excite). 

I was excited when my first group of freshman  (dancer) joined the school. It was easy for them  (mix) up the dance steps at first, but with practice, they became more fluent in the movements  before. 

I log onto a computer at the doctor's office to say I have arrived and then wait until a voice calls me into the examination room. There, a robotic nurse1 me onto the scales and then takes my blood pressure. Some time later, in steps the doctor, who is also a robot. He notes down my 2 and gives me a prescription. I pay for my 3 using a credit card and return home without having met another human being. This is my nightmarish (噩梦般的) vision of the future, which hasn't happened 4 yet.

I should say I really do like many aspects of 5 . I am a big fan of air conditioning in summer and heaters in winter. But I am writing this because I don't want machines to6 .

When I call my dentist's office and actually get a human being on the line, I am 7 . And when I see the introduction of yet more self-service checkout station sat the grocery store, I feel like 8 , "When it comes to cashiers, make mine a(n) 9 , please!"

After all, human cashiers sometimes 10 you a store coupon (优惠券) for items you are buying. Even more than that, real-life cashiers often take an interest in particularly cute children, which can 11 young mothers' day. A cashier may also show compassion for an elderly person 12 to get that last penny out of his purse.

Machines can be 13  and cost-effective and they often get the job done just fine. 14  they lack an element so important to everyday life. 

Call it the spirit, the soul or the heart. It is 15  no machine will ever have. It is human being that encourages us to smile at others, which may be what they need at that moment. 

The History of the Automobile

The automobile, more commonly known as the car, certainly counts as one of the greatest inventions in human history. 

As to who invented the automobile, the answer is not quite so clear-cut. While some give credit to Karl Benz, who patented the first gas-powered vehicle in 1886, others give the praise to Gottlieb Daimelr. Incidentally, the two inventors' companies merge (合 并) in 1926 to form the famous Mercedes-Benz.

It was Henry Ford who designed a system of mass production that allowed him to produce cars far more cheaply, which in turn meant he could sell them at lower prices. By 1927, 15 million of Ford's famous all-black Model Ts had been produced. Mass car ownership had become a reality.

Inventors were working on electric vehicles around the same time that gas-powered ones were being developed. The first electric car was designed in 1884 by Thomas Parker, the same man who electrified the London Underground. By 1900, electric vehicles were giving gas cars a run for their money. They were quiet, did not give off emissions, and were easier to drive, especially for women. They were difficult to charge when most people's homes didn't have electricity. They were also rather expensive. In the end, Henry Ford's cheap Model T put an end to interest in electric cars which didn't become popular until the gas shortages and environmental concerns of the late 20th century.

Now, early in the 21st century, we find ourselves on the brink of yet another age in automobile history. Electric cars are set to make the gas-guzzler (油 老 虎) out of date.  Benz, Daimler and Parker would surely be amazed by how far their dreams have come. 

A. But why were early electric cars not popular?

B. However, they weren't without shortcomings.

C. They were also popular in European countries. 

D. It allows people to travel great distances quickly, safely and cheaply. 

E. And self-driving cars may soon make human drivers a thing of the past. 

F. At first, European models were far too expensive for most people to buy. 

G. Many people think of electric vehicles as a new invention, but actually that's not the case.

During the COVID-19 pandemic (大流行病), many people developed new hobbies at home. However, the 17-year-old Benjamin Choi, a high schooler in Virginia, US, began working on an invention that would quickly go beyond the scale of just a "pandemic project". He set out to design and build an affordable robotic, prosthetic (假体的) arm that could be mind-controlled without requiring any brain surgery (手术), reported Smithsonian magazine.

Choi was inspired (鼓励) by a 60-minute video he'd watched in third grade where researchers implanted (植入) tiny sensors (传感器) into a patient's brain, allowing her to move a robotic arm using her thoughts. "I was really amazed but also alarmed that they require this risky open brain surgery. "

Choi set out to design an improved version himself. With past experience in programming and robotics, he was able to independently design the first version of his robotic arm using his sister's 3D printer. This initial version worked, using brain wave data and head gestures. The brain wave interpretation algorithm (算法) he had to write from scratch, for which he's now acquired a provisional patent (临时专利权), was still to come.

In October 2020, he received a support in money from polySpectra, a company that produces durable 3 D-printed materials. They helped to produce his arm, moving it out of the prototype (原型) stage and making it working for daily use. 

After over 75 designs, Choi's mind-controlled arm is now made from engineering-grade materials (材料). It operates using the algorithm, which is driven by artificial intelligence that interprets a user's brain waves. The arm remains affordable—it costs under $300 (around 2,000 yuan) to make.

Now,the invention has earned him a spot (焦点) in the top 40 finalists (决赛选手) of one of the oldest and most prestigious science and math competitions for US high school seniors. Choi wants to continue to improve his prosthetic arm in the future. 

Plants need phosphorus(磷) to grow. At first, people used organic or natural fertilizer. In1842 English agricultural chemist John Bennet Lawes patented a process for treating phosphorus-rich bones and rocks with acid, making it easier for plants to obtain, and soon the world's first human -made fertilizer began selling.

Later scientists discovered that phosphorus was a bit tricky. The fertilizer Lawes produced contained a form of phosphorus that plants can easily use. But as soon as the phosphorus hit the soil, a large part of it reacted with soil minerals, forming substances that crops can't access. Some also got locked away in equally unavailable organic forms.

So scientists concluded farmers shouldn't cut back phosphorus. They should use more, especially as they raced to feed the world's growing populations during the 20th century. In fact, it was once soil scientist Paul Withers' job to spread the word. As a government farm advisor in the 1980s, he drove a red Volvo station wagon around the winding roads of rural England telling farmers to make sure their crops got plenty of key nutrients. This method, which Withers calls "insurance-based farming", is still widely used around the world.

But is the large amount of unused phosphorus in the soil-so-called legacy (遗漏的) phosphorus actually as difficult to obtain as scientists once thought? English crop scientist Roger Sylvester-Bradley has taken a first common sense step: They stopped adding phosphorus fertilizer to half the barley field to see how the plants would grow. Eight years later, they have only just started to observe the first signs of phosphorus shortage. Barbara Cade-Menun, who oversees similar experiments in Canada, says, "Our production isn't changing. "

"The plants can use our mistakes from the past," says Sheida Sattari, whose 2012 analysis found global soils contain enough legacy phosphorus to cut the expected demand for new fertilizer in half by 2050.

Wilberforce Tushemereirwe holds up a genetically-modified banana that took millions of dollars and 20 years to make. It contains a large amount of provitamin A, a substance that transforms into vitamin A in the body. This "super banana" was created at Uganda's National Agricultural Research Laboratories for the noblest of causes: to save the lives of thousands of children who die in Uganda every year from a lack of vitamin A.

Vitamin A shortage remains a serious global public health problem. The World Health Organization estimates that 190 million preschool children suffer from vitamin A shortage today, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. It is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children. It also inhibits children's growth and weakens their resistance to illnesses so that many die from treatable diseases such as diarrhea and measles. In Uganda, one of the world's poorest countries, it remains high on the list of health risks, which makes it urgent to find ways to deal with the condition.

The Ugandan government has tried for decades to solve the problem — with limited success. Distribution of vitamin A capsules, for example, worked well in urban areas but failed to reach those most in need in rural areas. Increasing corn and wheat flour and eatable oils with vitamin A proved more effective. But those foods are not consumed in large enough amounts to make a meaningful difference. Bananas, a main staple of the Ugandan diet, seemed to be a better option. 

Yet, one problem still remains. Fred Wanyu, a Ugandan tribal leader and linguist, says his ancestors considered the banana "the mother of society". Farmers worry that a new super banana will distort (扭曲) Ugandan banana culture dramatically. Though he respects the ancestors, Wanyu also believes that if a little piece of banana is added to a sister banana, developing into something better, "I think we will live in a better world. " "That's what many Ugandans wish for as they struggle their way out of malnutrition and extreme poverty. " "Culture is dynamic," Wanyu said. "Otherwise, we would continue writing on stones. "

International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is seen as a window into the inventions that will change our lives in the years ahead. Here are some of the best inventions making the headlines from this year's show.

The virtual fence for your wandering dog

This $1,495 GPS-enabled dog collar lets you "draw" a boundary anywhere, including your home, the houses of friends, a campsite or a park. If the dog escapes, the GPS alerts you via a mobile phone app and helps you track and find it, even in remote areas like woodland.

The robot that brings you toilet paper

Consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble's toilet paper brand, Charmin, has shown a two-wheeled robot designed to save its owner at the most important moment. The "RollBot" is ordered by a smart phone using Bluetooth and uses technology similar to a robot cleaner to navigate to its owner, carrying a precious spare roll.

Wearable camera boosting hearing aids

Hearing aids can struggle to isolate (分离) sounds, often strengthening background noise as well as a person's voice. The Hear, a wearable camera made by Israeli tech company OrCam, uses artificial intelligence to identify the person who is speaking and then employ lip reading technology to isolate the sound of their voice, making it easier for those with hearing difficulties to understand them.

Solar-powered electric tricycle

French start-up Wello has displayed a vehicle that lies somewhere between an electric car and a bicycle, showing a solar-powered electric tricycle. The vehicle is pedal-assisted, so it doesn't need a driving license and can travel in bike lanes, but can reach a top speed of 25 miles per hour.

"An everyday miracle," the radio commentator began, "is a wonderful or amazing event that occurs." That attracted my attention. Although I was anxious to hear more, I had to turn off the car radio as I was next in line to pick up fast food.

Because I stopped at the drive-through (免下车餐馆) every morning on my way to work, I knew the elderly clerk, Mary. So it wasn't a surprise when she stuck her head out of the window while handing me my Diet Coke and began talking. "The traditional holiday is coming. But my family won't have the traditional holiday dinner this year," she said sadly. "We canceled it this year. I can't afford it anymore."

I tried to say something comforting, but my mind was blank. Embarrassed, I said goodbye and began my forty-five-minute drive to work. On the way, I couldn't get Mary's depressed expression out of my mind. Then I thought about the local annual auction that I took part in every year. The activity was yearly held to raise money for the local food bank, a place where poor people could go to get free food.

I hope the food bank could help Mary. But because of the COVID-19, the food bank was struggling this year. I hoped the upcoming auction would raise much money for the food bank. When the day of the auction came, the organizers sent an e-mail to its usual participants, "Guys, take your second-hand things to be auctioned off and come!"

Two days later, I arrives at the auction site, the local park, with my "treasures". Just seeing each other was exciting. The sun came out. Everyone was laughing and talking. But when I looked around, there were only 22 people. "We won't make any money today," I whispered to my longtime friend Sandy. Always optimistic, she quickly reminded me, "Every little bit will help this year."

注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。

After we took out the second-hand objects, the auction began. 

Upon seeing me, Mary nearly jumped out the window, saying excitedly, "You won't believe it!"

注意：1. 词数80左右；2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。