Like many other five-year-olds, Jeanie Low of Houston, Texas, would use a stool (凳子) to help her reach the bathroom sink. However, the plastic step-stool she had at home was unstable and messed up the small bathroom shared by her whole family. After learning of an invention contest held by her school that year, Jeanie resolved to enter the contest by creating a stool that would be a permanent fixture in the bathroom, and yet could be kept out of the way when not in use.
Jeanie decided to make a stool attached to the bathroom cabinet door under the sink. She cut a board of wood into two pieces, each about two feet wide and one foot long. Using metal hinges (铰链), Jeanie attached one piece of the wood to the front of the cabinet door, and the second piece to the first. The first piece was set just high enough so that when it swung out horizontally from the cabinet door, the second piece would swing down from the first, just touching the ground, and so serving as a support for the first piece of the wood. This created a convenient, strong platform for any person too short to reach the sink. When not in use, the hinges allowed the two pieces of wood to fold back up tightly against the cabinet, where they were held in place by magnets (磁铁). Jeanie called her invention “the Kiddie Stool”.
Jeanie’s Kiddie Stool won first place in her school’s contest. Two years later, it was awarded first prize again at Houston’s first annual Invention Fair. As a result, Jeanie was invited to make a number of public appearances with her Kiddie Stool, and was featured on local TV as well as in newspapers. Many people found the story of the Kiddie Stool inspiring because it showed that with a pair of observant eyes, anyone can be an inventor.
【小题1】What are the characteristics of Jeanie’s Kiddie Stool?A.Permanent and foldable. | B.Fragile and disposable. |
C.Conventional and portable. | D.Convenient and recyclable. |
A.Failure is the mother of success. |
B.Necessity is the mother of invention. |
C.Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. |
D.Invention requires both disciplines and wild imagination. |
To solve a big environmental problem, chemists have been thinking small. Really small: a new mini robot with the purpose of helping clean up tiny plastic that pollutes water across the world.
The new microrobots, each of which is no bigger than the tip of a pencil, are magnetic(有磁性的)and shaped like four-pointed stars. When the sunlight shines on them, they can swim in a direction; when the sunlight disappears, they stop moving. Finding a piece of plastic, they hold onto it, produce chemical reactions and start to break it down.
The project is led by chemist Martin Pumera, a researcher who also studies ways to build microrobots at the Czech University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague. About ten years ago, he noticed the microplastic was everywhere, from the bottom of the ocean to the ice on the top of mountains. It even turned up in drinking water, both bottled and tap water. Just think about how much plastic you meet every day. It doesn’t easily degrade ( 降 解 ) which is a big problem. Therefore, Pumera chose to focus on the problem of water pollution caused by microplastic.
The researchers tested the microrobots on four types of plastic in the lab. After a week, all four began degrading, losing around 3 percent of their weight, which showed the microrobots were breaking the plastic down. The robots also turned the plastic’s smooth surface into the rough one. Finally, the scientists showed that magnets could attract the microrobots at the end of the test - along with the plastic waste.
In fact, Pumera says they still have a long way to go. These microrobots are unlikely to succeed in degrading all types of plastic. They’ll also need a lot of testing to show that they’re safe in open waterways, such as at sea. But he thinks that these challenges can be overcome. Someday, the microrobots will play a big role in a worldwide cleanup effort.
【小题1】What can be learned about the new microrobot?A.It is in the shape of a ball. | B.It is as small as a pencil. |
C.It is driven by sunlight. | D.It uses physical reactions. |
A.The microplastic pollution. | B.The ice on the mountains. |
C.The need for drinking water. | D.The development of ocean resources. |
A.Sorting it into four types. | B.Making its surface smooth. |
C.Taking in it completely. | D.Breaking it down to some degree. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Confident. | C.Regretful. | D.Uncertain. |
Steve Jobs was one of the fathers of the personal computing time and the founder of Apple. He was also one of the giants of the information age. Here are some of his greatest contributions.
Apple II Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple Computers Inc. in 1976. A year later, the Apple II was invented. This production was the world’s first personal computer. | The iMac Under Job’s leadership Apple introduced the all-in-one iMac computer in 1998. The iMac became the first machine, which offered only a CD-ROM slot (狭孔). |
The iPad By 2010, Steve Jobs was confident the world was ready to have a tablet computer that would be great for watching movies and playing games. The iPad is a great success. | iPhone 4s iPhone 4s came out on October 4, 2011, in America. It looks like iPhone 4. It has a large and wider screen and a better camera. |
A.In 1977. | B.In 1998. | C.In 2010. | D.In 2011. |
A.The Apple II. | B.The iMac. | C.The iPad. | D.The iPhone 4s. |
A.has a CD-ROM slot | B.is great for watching movies |
C.has a better camera | D.is the first personal computer |
There’s a new frontier in 3D printing that’s beginning to come into focus: food. Recent development has made possible machines that print, cook, and serve foods on a mass scale. And the industry isn’t stopping there.
Food production
With a 3D printer, a cook can print complicated chocolate sculptures and beautiful pieces for decoration on a wedding cake. Not everybody can do that — it takes years of experience, but a printer makes it easy. A restaurant in Spain uses a Foodini to “re-create forms and pieces” of food that are “exactly the same,” freeing cooks to complete other tasks. In another restaurant, all of the dishes and desserts it serves are 3D-printed,rather than farm to table.
Sustainability(可持续性)
The global population is expected to grow to 9.6 billion by 2050, and some analysts estimate that food production will need to be raised by 50 percent to maintain current levels. Sustainability is becoming a necessity. 3D food printing could probably contribute to the solution. Some experts believe printers could use hydrocolloids (水解胶体) from plentiful renewables like algae(藻类) and grass to replace the familiar ingredients(烹饪原料). 3D printing can reduce fuel use and emissions. Grocery stores of the future might stock "food" that lasts years on end, freeing up shelf space and reducing transportation and storage requirements.
Nutrition
Future 3D food printers could make processed food healthier. Hod Lipson, a professor at Columbia University, said, “Food printing could allow consumers to print food with customized nutritional content, like vitamins. So instead of eating a piece of yesterday’s bread from the supermarket, you’d eat something baked just for you on demand.”
Challenges
Despite recent advancements in 3D food printing, the industry has many challenges to overcome. Currently, most ingredients must be changed to a paste(糊状物) before a printer can use them, and the printing process is quite time-consuming, because ingredients interact with each other in very complex ways. On top of that, most of the 3D food printers now are restricted to dry ingredients, because meat and milk products may easily go bad. Some experts are skeptical about 3D food printers, believing they are better suited for fast food restaurants than homes and high-end restaurants.
【小题1】What benefit does 3D printing bring to food production?A.It helps cooks to create new dishes. |
B.It saves time and effort in cooking. |
C.It improves the cooking conditions. |
D.It contributes to restaurant decorations. |
A.It solves food shortages easily. |
B.It quickens the transportation of food. |
C.It needs no space for the storage of food. |
D.It uses renewable materials as sources of food. |
A.is more available to consumers |
B.can meet individual nutritional needs |
C.is more tasty than food in supermarkets |
D.can keep all the nutrition in raw materials |
A.The printing process is complicated. |
B.3D food printers are too expensive. |
C.Food materials have to be dry. |
D.Some experts doubt 3D food printing. |
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