Chokwe Selassie, an eighth-grader at Blackburn Middle School, was inspired to create an app on a recent morning, when his mother was driving him to school. Their car was damaged as it went over a huge pothole (坑洞) in the middle of the street in their hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. “I wanted to do something about the pothole problem in my city,” Chokwe, 13, told TFK.
Chokwe developed the app with his friends Rodriguez Ratliff and Emmanuel Brooks. “When the app detects a pothole, it is highlighted in red,” Chokwe says. “And if you get close to the pothole, your phone will warn you with a beep sound.” Drivers can also use the app to report any potholes they come across, and to look for other routes they can take to avoid roads that have them.
The app relies on current available information about the streets of Jackson, according to Chokwe. “It works by using the city’s 311 call system, so it uses information already stored in a database,” he says. Through the call system, citizens dial 311 to report non-emergency problems — which include potholes.
To get some help in developing the app, the boys took part in a Minority Male Makers Program sponsored by Verizon (an American broadband and telecommunications company) and held at Jackson State University. The program provides nearly 1,000 American middle school boys across the country with training in advanced technology.
“The students were really excited to participate and learn new things,” says Valerie Bradley, Chokwe’s principal at Blackburn Middle School. Through the program, Chokwe says, he and his friends received encouragement and guidance.
Although the app isn’t yet available for sale, Chokwe is already looking for ways to improve it. The prototype (雏形) remains limited to 10 streets in Jackson, but he hopes to add more, so that it includes every street in the city. And then he wants to go even farther. “I want to keep working on the app until it’s nationwide,” Chokwe says.
【小题1】What is the app designed by Chokwe aimed at?| A．Perfecting the city’s 311 call system. |
| B．Planning the best routes for drivers. |
| C．Measuring the streets in Jackson. |
| D．Helping drivers avoid potholes. |
| A．How Chokwe’s app works. |
| B．What Chokwe’s app relies on. |
| C．Where Chokwe’s app can be used. |
| D．Whom Chokwe’s app is designed for. |
| A．Students at Jackson State University. |
| B．Teachers at Blackburn Middle School. |
| C．Boys who are interested in technology. |
| D．Males like driving and repairing vehicles. |
| A．Proud. | B．Honest. |
| C．Ambitious. | D．Independent. |
