When you need to find a solution to a design problem, you could ask yourself, “What animals or plants face a similar problem in their lives, and how do they handle it?”【小题1】 Termites (白蚁) in Africa control the temperature and air currents in their nests by having thick walls and air spaces in the top part. The Eastgate Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe was designed in a similar way, with thick overhangs shading the windows, and all the offices connected to a big chimney letting hot air escape. This allows it to stay cool while using much less air-conditioning.【小题2】

Engineer Nakatsu also asked himself the same question.【小题3】 A keen birdwatcher, Nakatsu realised that kingfishers also experience an abrupt pressure change when diving into the water, but their beaks allow them to pierce through the water smoothly. His team found that putting a long, pointed nose on the train greatly reduced the loud booms in the tunnel and allowed it to run faster.

Having a big picture of the world we live in also helps us understand how technology can be used to protect instead of destroy it.【小题4】 On the other hand, plastic packaging creates a lot of waste and pollution. One company has come up with an alternative material made of com husk waste and some big companies are starting to use it.

【小题5】 Nakatsu worries that children today do not have the opportunity to touch and feel nature. He advises that students in university should study more than one narrow field so that they do not just have one fixed way of thinking.

If you're a traditional pasta lover, then you know the noodles come in all sorts of different shapes. There are flat noodles, round noodles, shells, tubes with stripes, and many more. Some of these pastas pack easily into a small box or package. But others require much larger boxes or bags because their hard 3D shapes take up a much greater amount of space.

Now a team of scientists at Carnegie Mellon University(CMU) has figured out a way that pasta can be packed flat in a package, and still form fancy 3D shapes once its cooked in the water. The team hopes that the new pasta will be easier on the environment.

The team was inspired by “flat-pack furniture”. Flat-pack furniture comes tightly packed in a box and is easy to store because it takes up so little space. Sending flat-pack furniture is also much easier on the environment because there's very little wasted space in the delivery vehicles.

To bring the flat-pack idea to the pasta world, scientists used 3D printers to create flat sheets made with semolina flour and water, which look normal, but actually involve some clever engineering. When cooked in water, the flat sheets have been designed in such a way that they instantly transform into different 3D shapes, including traditional pasta forms.

The team, led by Lining Yao, has even experimented with other shapes to see how creative they could get. He can make flat pasta like beads of caviar, and when the pasta is placed in hot soup, they can turn into smaller noodles.

Aside from being visually impressive, the project could prove to be especially interesting for the shipping industry and food trader, as it could allow for more food to be shipped and stored than ever before. For the consumers, all that would then be required is to put the pasta in water and watch it transform into the desired shape.

The $380,000 aircraft, called the "Speeder", will be able to reach at least 150 miles per hour and have a 45-mile range and fly as high as 15,000 feet when it is on sale next year, according to David Mayman, CEO of JetPack Aviation, one of the companies that create and sell flying vehicles. This motorcycle can take off vertically (垂直地) from the grassland or a street and land on the other side of the city in a similar position. This idea has always been treated like science fiction.

At some point, the Speeder could be adapted to use electric energy, which is more environmentally friendly, but for now, Mayman said, no battery cells come close to the speed and potential power created by jet engines. Besides, like other developing similar craft, currently the Speeder will only be used for recreation and sport until laws and regulations begin to change in America.

Mayman argued that there was a large role for the Speeder to play in both civilian and military life. He said his company has been working for several years to develop a jet pack that could be used by Special Forces soldiers. As their cost continued to increase, he said, engineers began designing a personal aircraft that eventually turned into the Speeder.

Mayman said that the aircraft could be used to transport heavy loads or move soldiers on and off the battlefield, especially in areas too dangerous for helicopters. Unlike other flying vehicles, the craft is small enough to sit on the back of a boat or can be easily delivered by a common fighting vehicle.