Have you ever had a problem you couldn’t solve? Maybe you went to a shop to look for a solution, but came home empty-handed. More and more, when this situation appears, people are creating their own devices (设备) as the solution. It’s all part of the Maker Movement, made up of thousands of resourceful people who make and fix things, rather than buy them in shops. Makers do all kinds of hands-on projects, from building pizza oven (烤箱) to designing their own drones. For makers, the do-it-yourself way is more affordable, green and satisfying.

Thanks to technology, it’s easier than ever to turn a thought into reality. Many makers use the same tools, just in different ways. For example, Arduino allows people to do anything from creating a talking clock to studying DNA, with very easy-to-use and free hardware (硬件) and software. Raspberry Pi is another popular maker tool. It is a low cost, bank-card sized computer drone that connects to computers or TVs, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a little device that enables people of all ages to explore computing. This minicomputer is as powerful as some full-sized computers. People are using Raspberry Pi for a wide variety of uses, from creating video games to powering robots.

Another key piece of technology for makers are 3D printers, which allow a normal person to create just about anything. You can even use a 3D printer to build your own 3D printer!

The availability of these technologies encourages people to be creative, but technology is only one part of the Maker Movement. Collaboration – whether online or in person – is just as important. This is clear from the growing popularity of Maker Faires, events where people come together to experiment in the areas of art, science, engineering and technology.

So, do you have what it takes to become a maker? You need to be creative and willing to play around with some new technologies. You should also want to share your ideas with others. Perhaps most importantly, you can’t be afraid of failure. Creators hardly ever get it right on the first try. Be brave, be creative, be co-operative and have fun!

How do you let family and friends know you’re on holiday? Phone calls? 【小题1】

Postcards have a history of 170 years in the UK. By the 20th century, trains became a cheap and easy way to travel. More people went on holiday to the seaside. How could they let loved ones know they arrived safely? 【小题2】 So, they sent postcards. The front of these postcards usually was a photo of the beach, or of traditional foods like fish and chips.

Today, most postcards are local scenic（风景优美的）photos or drawings. Others may be funny, with jokes on the front.

【小题3】 Because you were away fro m home, it was common to end the message with “thinking of you” and the most famous postcard phrase is “wish you were here”.

【小题4】 They often make fun of the British weather, such as postcards showing the rain pouring（倾泻）down on a beach with nobody on it. The famous saying “wish you were here” has also been made fun of. A joke on one postcard reads:“Wish you were here—and I wasn’t!” It’s this humor（幽默）that makes postcards popular in Britain.

So, next time when you are on a holiday, you can try to send postcards to your parents or friends. 【小题5】

“天宫课堂”再开讲！有哪些精彩内容？

Do you still remember the lecture from China’s Tiangong space station last year? On March 23, astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu gave another one! 【小题1】 What fun experiments did they do this time?

Hot “ice”

Last time, the astronauts made a water ball in space. 【小题2】 Well, it’s not actually ice. It’ s supersaturated sodium acetate solution (过饱和乙酸钠溶液).

The supersaturated solution is very unstable (不稳定的). The astronauts dropped a small crystal (晶体) of sodium acetate into the ball-shaped solution. Suddenly, more sodium acetate crystals grew, making a white ball of “ice”. This “ice” is anything but cold, however. 【小题3】

A bridge of water

How do you build a “bridge” with water? It’s hard to do it on Earth. 【小题4】 In the lecture, Wang Yaping first made two water balls on two plates, then let them touch each other. Next, Wang pulled the two plates apart, and the water between them didn’t break. It became a “bridge”! This is because the surface tension (表面张力) of water is not disturbed (干扰) by gravity in space. The surface tension keeps the “skin” of the water strong so that the bridge doesn’t break.

Separate water and oil

If we mix oil and water in a bottle on Earth, they will quickly separate (分离) because they have different densities (密度). Gravity brings the water down while the oil stays on top. 【小题5】

How can we separate them, then? In the lecture, Ye Guangfu rotated (旋转) the bottle to create centrifugal force (离心力). With this man-made gravity, the heavier water is pushed to the furthest point, which brings the lighter oil closer to the center.   

TEENS