Do you know Laszlo Biro? Maybe you do not, but you probably use his invention every day, and you may even have it in your hand right now!

Biro (1899-1985) was the inventor of the ballpoint pen. He was born in Budapest (布达佩斯), Hungary (匈牙利). In the 1930s, when he worked as a newspaper editor, he used a fountain pen almost every day. However,be had to refill it all the time. The ink also did not dry easily, and it sometimes made a mess on the paper. Biro wanted a better pen. His brother, George, helped him develop a special ink. The ink dried easily. Then they developed a new type of pen.

There was a tiny ball at the tip of the pen. The ball rolled ink onto paper as it moved. They called it the “ballpoint” pen.

The ballpoint pen was a great success. Everyone loved it. Now millions of people use it all over the world every day.

People will always remember Biro for his invention. Today in many English-speaking countries, people still use the word “biro” to refer to any kind of ballpoint pen.

Ever since the 19th century, people’s search for improved ways of producing electricity has never stopped. Now a UK company has developed a new kind of floor. It is very special. There is a system that can produce a certain amount of electricity very cheaply using the energy from footsteps. When people step on this special floor, electricity is produced.

The inventor of the floor came up with the idea when he was a student and worked in an energy business. The business asked him to find ways to power up street lights in the city center using the energy from the sun, but it soon became clear that this might not work because many city centers don’t get enough sunlight because of tall buildings. Then he thought of a better plan.

Why not use the energy produced by people who walk past the street instead? The right technology could be used to convert this energy into electricity — right under people’s feet.

The floor could actually be very efficient (效率高的). This is especially true when it is used in very busy areas. And the reason is that a lot of energy is produced simply because of large numbers of people walking across the floor.

The floor can have other uses too, such as recording how many people visit a particular (特定的) place at particular times. This kind of information is very useful for certain people. For example, shop owners near the place would be interested in knowing what time of the day they have the highest customer numbers.

The technology was created out of a hope of making energy that is untouchable closer to people. The business also said it tried to find a way for people to further their understanding of problems of climate change and sustainability (可持续性).

Astronauts on the International Space Station will soon test a new oven for making chocolate chip cookies. A spaceship carrying the cooking equipment and other supplies was launched on Saturday from the Wallops Flight Facility in the United States. The shipment, weighing 3,700 kilograms, reached the space station on Monday. His goal is to explore the possibility of making freshly baked cookies for space travelers. American company Nanoracks designed and built the oven and helped with organizing the flight to the space station. Hilton Double Tree hotels supplied the cookie dough the astronauts will use.

In the past, space station crews have created their own pizzas using a thin, flat piece of bread known as flatbread. Astronauts have tried other creative ways to make food, such as creating salads from vegetables grown in the space station. Results have been mixed.

The cookie baking will be a slow process. The oven can heat just one cookie at a time. The test could take weeks before the astronauts have chance to try out freshly baked cookies.

Five unbaked cookies have been in a space station freezer for several weeks. Each is in its own individual clear bag made out of silicone. The oven can heat foods to temperatures as high as 177 degrees Celsius. That is twice the temperature of the U. S. and Russian food warmers on the space station. The oven uses electric heating elements.

Mary Murphy is with Nanoracks. Murphy says she expects a baking time of 15 to 20 minutes for each cookie when the oven is heated to about 163 degrees Celsius. She adds that the smell of baking cookies should fill the space station each time a cookie comes out of the oven.

The oven’s first use will be the real test. Without the force of gravity, the astronauts do not know exactly how the cookie will look. Three of the space—baked cookies are to be returned to Earth for testing.