Everyone has done experiments in high school laboratories, but have you ever thought about designing a satellite to explore space?
On Nov. 19, a team of students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in the US awed peers and even scientists by successfully launching a satellite.
The first satellite designed and built by high school students was sent up into space along with a record-setting. 28 other small ones on a rocket were sent from a NASA center in Virginia, CNN reported. It took the students seven years to build.
The students call their tiny satellite TJ3Sat, which is named after their school. It is just 10x10x12 centimeters and weighs only 0.89 kilograms, according to Orbital Sciences, a company which developed the rocket and supported the students’ project. It can be controlled with a smartphone.
Like most satellites, TJ3Sat can send and receive data. The small spacecraft is equipped with a voice synthesizer (合成器), which can switch text to voice and transmit those sounds back to Earth over radio waves, said Orbital officials. In this case, anyone can give it a try via the project’s website (school website) by submitting (提交) a text. The texts that get approved will be sent to the satellite, changed to voice and then broadcast back to Earth via radio waves.
“I can say ‘Go Colonials’ on our ground station and when it is on the other side of the world, in India, someone can hear ‘Go Colonials’over the radio,” the team explains on the website.
The satellite will stay in space for at least three months.
School principal Evan Glazer told The Washington Post that the project started in 2006 as an activity in the spare time. Later it became a research project for a select group of seniors.
At a time when American students are busy with SATs, the launch of the satellite shows what diligent teenagers can achieve when allowed to pursue their own curiosities, Glazer said.
“It used to be that kids growing up wanted to be an astronaut,” Andrew Petro, program executive (主管) for small spacecraft technology at NASA, said in a statement. “I think we might be seeing kids saying what they want to do is build a spacecraft. The idea here is that they really can do that.” The underlined word “awed” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ___.
| A．influenced | B．amazed | C．delighted | D．inspired |
Which of the following statements about TJ3Sat is TRUE according to the article?
| A．It took a group of students about a decade to build the satellite. |
| B．Besides TJ3Sat, 28 other small satellites were built by the students. |
| C．TJ3Sat can receive text messages that the students send into space, which it can change to voice messages and broadcast back to Earth. |
| D．TJ3Sat is expected to stay in orbit for the next year, sending out messages together with information about its position in space. |
According to the article, the launch of the satellite _______.
| A．is evidence of the advance of spacecraft technology |
| B．proves that hard-working teenagers can achieve a lot |
| C．shows the importance of extracurricular activities at school |
| D．has inspired many people to take an interest in space travel |
In this life, what did you miss?
The wife asked the husband when she was 25. Despondently, the husband replied: 'I missed a new job opportunity.' When she was 35, the husband angrily told her that he had just missed the bus. At 45, the husband sadly said: 'I missed the opportunity seeing my closed relative before his last breath.' At 55, the husband said disappointingly: 'I missed a good chance to retire.' At 65, the husband hurriedly replied: 'I missed a dental appointment.' At 75, the wife did not ask the husband anymore, the husband was kneeling in front of the very sick wife. Remembering the question the wife used to ask him, this time he asked the wife the same question. The wife, with a smile and peaceful look, replied: 'In this life, I did not miss having you!' The husband was full of tears. He always thought that they could be together forever. He was always busy with work and trifles. So much so he had never been thoughtful to his wife. The husband hugged the wife tightly and said: 'Over 50 years, how I had allowed myself to miss your deep love for me.'
In the busy city life, there are many people who are always busy with work. These people revolve their lives around their jobs, these people sacrifice all their times and health to meet the social expectations. They are unwilling to spend times on health care. They miss the opportunity to be with their children in their growing up. They neglect the loved ones who care for them, and also their health. Nobody knows what is going to happen one year from now.
Life is not permanent, so always live in the now. Express your gratitude to your loved ones in words. Show your care with actions. Treat everyday as the last episode of life. In this way, when you are gone, you loved ones would have nothing to feel sorry about.What did the husband miss when his wife was 55?
| A．he missed the bus. |
| B．he missed a dental appointment.. |
| C．he missed a good chance to retire. |
| D．he missed the opportunity seeing his closed relative. |
The underlined word “permanent” (in Para.4) is closest in meaning to “_____”.
| A．lasting | B．temporary | C．lucky | D．smooth |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．A sad love story. |
| B．Memories of a happy family. |
| C．Express your gratitude to your loved ones in words. |
| D．In this life, what did you miss. |
There was a 17% fall in the number of first year undergraduates at UK universities in the first year of higher tuition fees, official figures show.
In 2012-13 UK universities were allowed to treble their yearly fees to ￡9,000.
England saw a 12% fall in new full-time undergraduate students overall.
The government acknowledged the fall but stressed that demand for full time higher education has already "returned to record levels".
A spokesperson for Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said the figures were influenced by a higher number of students taking up places the previous year, rather than having a gap year.
"A reduction in entrants in 2012 was well documented and the numbers were affected by the significant number of students who opted not to defer their place from the year before," she said.
'Direct consequence'
The decline had not continued into the current year, she added.
"Application rates for some of the most disadvantaged young people have risen to an all time high in England and more students than ever before are being successful in securing a place at their first choice institution."
The figures, collated by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa), are official confirmation of other indications that there was a fall in the number of people going to university last year.
Previously released figures had shown declines in applications and offers of places, and the admissions body Ucas also reported a fall. What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The number of undergraduates in Uk has decreased due to the higher fees . |
| B．The government says undergraduate numbers have 'returned to record levels'. |
| C．The reduction is the direct result of the significant number of students who opted not to defer their place from the year before. |
| D．Application rates for some of the most disadvantaged young people have risen to an all time high in England |
What does the underlined word “treble” in paragragh 2 mean?
| A．make a change | B．cut down on | C．increase three times | D．bring down |
Which of the following is Not True according to the passage?
| A．The government refused to admit the decrease. |
| B．The demand for full time higher education has already "returned to record levels". |
| C．More than one media reported the same result. |
| D．The number of the students who are successful in applying for their first choice institution is the largest. |
What is the attitude of the spokesperson for Department for Business, Innovation and Skills?
| A．contradictory | B．positive | C．negative | D．indifferent |
Dyslexia（失读症）is a learning disorder, it interferes with the ability to recognise words, and for some readers to understand what they have read.
Experts say dyslexia affects about five to ten percent of the population of the United State. Researchers have long known that people with dyslexia write or read words and letters backwards in the wrong order.
But a new study shows that people with dyslexia may have trouble redirecting（重新传入） their attention between senses, from seeing something to hearing something. The study suggests something that might help dyslexic people learn more quickly - play video games.
Vanessa Harrar of Britain's University of Oxford led the study. She reported the findings in the journal Current Biology. The study suggests that dyslexic people may have trouble moving quickly from what they read to what they hear. Doctor Harrar calls this a "sluggish shifting of attention across the senses."
"So, if you are trying to read something and then trying to listen to somebody who's reading aloud and you're trying to follow along with what they are reading -- they have to switch their attention from hearing what they are saying to looking at the piece of paper and back again. So we found they have quite sluggish shifting of attention across the senses," said Harrar.
In the study, Doctor Harrar tested 17 people with dyslexia, and 19 others without reading problems. The volunteers were asked to push a button as quickly as possible when they heard a sound, saw a light or experienced both together. Doctor Harrar compared the speed of their reactions.
She found that people with dyslexia were just as fast as the others when they saw only a picture or heard only a sound. But the dyslexics had a slower reaction time when they heard a sound and saw a picture at the same time.
Doctor Harrar feels like playing action video games could help dyslexic people shift from seeing to hearing more quickly. She adds that images in video games force the eyes to move and focus quickly.
"Video game types of things pop out of here and there, they move your eyes around the screen quite quickly in response to things quite quickly, and the more you play a video game the faster you get that kind of thing. So, the video game is really training the attention system to move quickly," said Harrar.
The study also shows that dyslexic people have the most difficulty going between what they saw and what they heard, this may have an effect on how dyslexic children are taught how to read.
When children learn the alphabet，they usually see the letter first and then hear the sound, or they see and hear the letter at the same time. The study shows that dyslexics might learn more quickly if they hear the sound of a letter or word first before seeing it.What is the main idea of the passage？
| A．Video Games are good for children. |
| B．Study Suggests Video Games Might Help Dyslexics |
| C．A study about Video Games is being carried out. |
| D．Children with Dyslexics can learn better by playing video games. |
People with Dyslexia have the following problems except_________.
| A．writing or reading words and letters backwards in the wrong order. |
| B．redirecting their attention between senses, from seeing something to hearing something. |
| C．moving quickly from what they read to what they hear. |
| D．seeing a picture or hearing a sound. |
What does the underlined word“sluggish”in Paragragh 4 mean？
| A．slow | B．wrong | C．specific | D．accurate |
Why can playing video games help dyslexic people learn more quickly?
| A．While playing video games, people will train their reading and hearing. |
| B．While playing video games, people will have a good knowledge of the system. |
| C．While playing video games, people should move their eyes around the screen quite quickly train the attention system to move quickly. |
| D．Video games can arouse their interest in reading. |
What is the importance of the finding?
| A．The finding will prove video games are not necessarily bad for children. |
| B．People with Dyslexia will be cured by playing video games. |
| C．People with Dyslexia will not be made fun of by others. |
| D．The finding may have an effect on the way to teach dyslexic children how to read. |
Drinking eight cups or two litres of water a day is longstanding advice. But is there any scientific basis for it, asks Dr Chris van Tulleken.
You know those ads that remind us that even a small drop in hydration（水合作用） levels can massively affect performance so you need to keep hydrated with whatever brand of super drink they're selling?
They seem pretty scientific don't they? Man in white coat, athlete with electrodes attached and so on. And it's not a hard sell because drinking feels right - you're hot and sweating so surely replacing that fluid must be beneficial.
Well earlier this year sports scientists in Australia did an extraordinary experiment that had never been done before.This group wanted to find out what happened to performance after dehydration. So they took a group of cyclists and exercised them until they lost 3% of their total body weight in sweat.
Then their performance was assessed after rehydration with either 1) nothing, 2) enough water to bring them back to 2% dehydration or 3) after full rehydration.
So far nothing unusual, but the difference between this and almost every other study that's ever been done on hydration was that the cyclists were blind to how much water they got. The fluid was given intravenously without them knowing the volume.
This is vital because we all, and especially athletes, have such an intimate(密切的)psychological relationship with water consumption.
Remarkably, there was no performance difference between those that were fully rehydrated and those that got nothing. This study was part of a growing movement to "drink to thirst" which hopes to persuade athletes not to over hydrate with the potentially fatal consequence of diluting your sodium level, causing hyponatraemia.
Perhaps the result shouldn't be so surprising. Humans evolved doing intense exercise in extreme heat and dryness. We are able to tolerate losses in water relatively well whereas even slight over hydration can be far more dangerous. In simple terms, being too watery is as bad for you as being too concentrated. What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．There is no scientific basis for drinking eight cups of water a day |
| B．People used to drink eight cups of water a day |
| C．An experiment about whether people should drink eight cups of water. |
| D．People shouldn’t believe longstanding advice. |
what does the word“dehydration ”in paragragh 4 mean？
| A．doing exercise | B．losing water |
| C．drinking water | D．having a rest |
What is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Drinking too much water is bad for us |
| B．Sports scientists in Australia did an extraordinary experiment for the first time. |
| C．Those that were fully rehydrated and those that got nothing performed differently. |
| D．The cyclists didn’t know how much water they got. |
What can we learn from the last paragragh?
| A．Humans can bear losing water relatively well |
| B．It’s dangerous to drink water. |
| C．Athletes should drink more water than others. |
| D．This study was part of a growing movement to "drink to thirst". |
what is Dr Chris van Tulleken’s attitude towards the. longstanding advice？
| A．positive | B．doubtful | C．supportive | D．indifferent |
Climate change is making it harder than usual for scientists to figure out what the future will bring and what impact weather changes will have on society and the economy. An upsurge of severe weather events has already destroyed homes, businesses and lives. Some fairly simple changes may reduce the toll.
In a laboratory test, a house built with conventional techniques is falling apart in hurricane-force winds.
The survivor has stronger shingles, thicker roof boards, and metal straps holding floors together.
Wind tunnel tests were done by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. It says stronger construction costs a little more, but holds up much better to extreme weather.
The growing number of unusually strong storms, like Typhoon Haiyan, has convinced the Chairman of the U. S. Senate Homeland Security Committee, Tom Carper, that extreme weather is the “new norm（标准）.”
"Extreme weather events have increased in frequency over the past 50 years and are expected to become even more common, more intense, and more costly," said Carper.
Hurricane Sandy hit beachfront businesses along the U.S. East Coast, including Carper's home state. Insurance companies had to pay out huge claims. To limit such losses, the insurance industry can raise premiums（保险费） for businesses in vulnerable（易受攻击的）locations and offer discounts to clients who make their buildings more resilient with upgraded construction techniques.
Managing risks is the job of insurance brokers like Kevin Connelly of the Graham Company, who spoke to VOA via Skype.
“We are either going to price your insurance at a huge markup, or we are not going to write (sell it) it at all, which is just as bad obviously," said Connelly.
Drought is another suspected consequence of climate change, and dry ground means more wildfires in California. Current mathematical models of climate change do a poor job of predicting the economic impact of drought and other weather events, says Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Robert Pindyck, who spoke via Skype.
“I think all we can do, taking all of that into account, is come up with some very rough numbers, very rough estimates, "said Pindyck. "Consensus estimates that maybe experts provide, that give us a view of what would the catastrophic outcome look like if we don’t do anything?”
To help deal with this serious problem, Pindyck says policymakers should take actions such as imposing a tax on carbon dioxide emissions. A carbon tax would encourage companies and families to use less energy and generate fewer of the gases thought to be driving changes in the climate. But other analysts say it is unlikely a new tax will get approval in the U.S. Congress any time soon. What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．There are many severe weather events destroying homes, businesses and lives. |
| B．Stronger construction will save the expense in the long run. |
| C．Government should be totally responsible for the weather change. |
| D．Typhoon Haiyan hit Tom Carper's home state. |
What natural disasters are not mentioned in the passage?
| A．Drought | B．Hurricanes | C．earthquakes | D．wildfires |
In a laboratory test , what kind of houses can stay up?
| A．a house built with conventional techniques |
| B．A house with stronger shingles |
| C．A house with thinner roof boards |
| D．a house with metal floors . |
What won’t insurance companies do to limit such losses?
| A．pay out huge claims |
| B．raise premiums（保险费） for businesses in vulnerable（易受攻击的）locations |
| C．offer discounts to clients who make their buildings more resilient with upgraded construction techniques. |
| D．price insurance at a huge markup |
What is the attitude of other analysts towards the new tax on carbon dioxide emissions?
| A．supportive | B．doubtful | C．indifferent | D．positive |
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