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!
1.What can we infer from Paragraph 2? （ ）
A.Raspberry Pi helps realise makers’ ideas more easily than before.
B.Full-sized computers are much more powerful than Arduino.
C.People can communicate with their clocks through Arduino.
D.Many free video games can be created with Raspberry Pi.
2.The word “collaboration” in Paragraph 4 probably means “______”. （ ）
A.creating solutions B.growing quickly
C.doing experiments D.working together
3.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage? （ ）
A.Various Tools-Using B.Creative Problem-Solving
C.Development of New Technology D.Inventions with High-tech Devices
The Day People Started Talking
My journey home from school is nothing special. I usually find a seat and start reading or texting my friends, making sure, like everyone else, not to look at other people. Then, twenty minutes later, I get off.
But last Tuesday was different. I was happily looking out of the window when the train suddenly stopped. This wasn’t usual. Then after about five minutes, I noticed people were starting to get a bit upset. Fifteen minutes later, people started getting more and more upset. Then the announcement (广播) came: “We are sorry to announce that this train is delayed. A train has broken down in front of us.”
There was a loud groan (叹息) throughout the carriage but soon something unexpected happened: all the complete strangers started talking to each other. At first, everyone just complained about the trains, but then people started talking about real things. I started chatting to a couple of young tourists sitting opposite me. Next, I really surprised myself by talking to a businesswoman. Business people are a lot cooler than I thought. Then I decided to get up and go for a walk down the train. I met a woman who had been a student at my school seven years before.
People offered each other food and drink. A young woman took her guitar and soon we were singing along. While we were singing, we heard there was a sick boy in another part of the train who needed help, and the woman from my school jumped into action. It turned out she was a nurse, and when she came back she was welcomed as a hero.
Then, after two and a half hours, we started moving again. Everyone cheered and some people, complete strangers three hours before, even hugged.
I took the train again on Wednesday but none of my new “friends” were there. Although people were polite, they weren’t nearly as friendly as the people the day before had been. I’ll never forget the day the train stopped and people started talking.
1.What happened after the announcement? （ ）
A.People got upset and started texting their friends.
B.The children started playing with their phones.
C.The workers started offering food and drink.
D.People started talking to each other.
2.The woman from the writer’s school jumped into action to ______. （ ）
A.play the guitar and sing
B.help a sick boy on the train
C.go for a walk down the train
D.get off and take another train
3.The writer will never forget last Tuesday because ______. （ ）
A.strangers on the train were friendly to each other
B.a nurse saved a boy’s life on the train just in time
C.he learned something new about business people
D.it was a good opportunity to make new friends
Who do you admire most? |
Jackie, 14 Sofia Marconi, my friend Bia’s mum, is probably the most amazing person I know. She is also very brave. She is a wildlife photographer and she travels to some of the most dangerous places on Earth to take photos of the world’s most endangered animals.
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Jacob, 16 One of my heroes is Mr. Donaldson, our great music teacher. He is so creative and finds different ways to get us interested in his lessons. He is also a really amazing guitar player. He is in a band. I’m sure they are going to be famous one day. But I hope it doesn’t happen soon. I don’t want to lose my teacher!
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Alex, 15 The person I admire more than anyone is my grandmother Gwen. She is 78 and looks just amazing. Many people think she is my mother when they see us together. She is one of the nicest people I know. She always sees the good in other people. She still does volunteer work for a children’s charity (慈善机构) in India!
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Oliver, 17 The greatest person I know is my uncle Jack. I admire him not only because he is a brave policeman but also because he tries his best to look after my aunt who is in a wheelchair and their kids. Life is hard. But I have never heard him complain. He’s always so cheerful with a huge smile on his face.
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1.Who does Jackie admire most? （ ）
A.His music teacher. B.His mother.
C.His friend’s mother. D.His uncle.
2.What does Mr. Donaldson do? （ ）
A.He is a charity worker. B.He is a teacher.
C.He is a wildlife photographer. D.He is a policeman.
3.Alex admires Gwen because ______. （ ）
A.she protects wild animals B.she never complains
C.she is a nice person D.she is very creative
Family Picture
I was sitting in my favorite chair, studying for my doctoral degree, when Sarah – my five-year-old daughter – came and asked, “Daddy, do you want to see my family picture?” “Daddy’s busy. Come back in a little while, Honey.”
10 minutes later, she rushed back. “Daddy, let me___________you my picture.” The heat went up around my collar. “Sarah,” I shouted, “come back later. I’m busy now.”
Then I___________I might have hurt her feelings, so I called, “Sarah, could you come back inside a minute, please? Daddy would like to see your picture.”
She ran back happily. “Look, here is Mommy, here is me standing by Mommy, here is our dog, Katie, and here is Mike (her little brother).”
“I love your picture, Honey.” I told her. “I'll hang it on the wall so that I can see it whenever I come back home.”
She took me at my word and went outside to play. I went back to my books, but Sarah’s picture was making me _______– something was missing. I asked Sarah to come back.
“Honey…there are Mommy, Sarah, Mike and Katie in the picture. But…where is your daddy?” “You’re at the library,” she said. With that simple statement, my little princess stopped time for me. I felt I was hurt badly by her words, so I went to Barbara, my wife, for help.
“I know how much it___________you, Gary.” She said.
“Barb…I want to come home. Can I do it?”
20 seconds of___________followed. It seemed like I held my breath for an hour. “Gary,” Barb said___________, “you know, we love you very much. But you haven’t been here. I’ve felt like a single parent for years.”
The words looked cold in print, but she said them gently. It was just the___________. My life had been busy, my family was on their own, and I had a long road ahead of me if I wanted to_________ them back. And I had to. Now that the fog had lifted, it suddenly became the most important thing in my life.
1.A.draw B.award C.send D.show
2.A.considered B.realised C.imagined D.decided
3.A.uneasy B.ungrateful C.tired D.bored
4.A.wounded B.troubled C.taught D.offered
5.A.performance B.complaint C.silence D.challenge
6.A.cheerfully B.carefully C.quickly D.privately
7.A.truth B.value C.honour D.belief
8.A.lead B.keep C.win D.drive
— Do you know ______? （ ）
— Yes. He is from England.
A.where is he from B.where he is from
C.where was he from D.where he was from
We ______ dinner when you called last night.
A.were having B.had C.will have D.have
