A 13-year-old American has made a cheap machine that can help blind people read.
The blind can read by using Braille – a system of small bumps (隆起物) that the blind touch to read the letters. The machine that makes these small bumps usually costs at least $2,000. It is called Braille writer. The American schoolboy, Shubham Banerjee, made a new Braille writer from a Lego tool that lets people create robots. Banerjee has called his new machine the Braigo – a combination (组合) of the words Braille and Lego. It costs just $ 350. It works by changing electronic text into Braille and then printing it using a computer or mobile machine.
Banerjee designed (设计) his Braigo last year for a school science exhibition. Since then, he has caught the interest of Silicon Valley in the USA. The big technology company Intel spent money on Banerjee’s machine last November, but they did not say how much money they put in. Banerjee also got $35, 000 from his father to help him start the project. His father works as a computer engineer (工程师) at Intel. He spoke about why he gave so much money to his son, saying:”We as parents started to be interested more, thinking that he’s on to something and this invention has to continue.” Banerjee told the AP News: “My dream would probably be having most of the blind people…using my Braigo.”
1.What is Braile in Line 2?
A. A system of bumps to help the blind read.
B. The name of a new invention.
C. A very cheap machine.
D. A Lego robot.
2.How much will one save if he buys a Braigo instead of a usual Braille writer?
A. Over $2,000. B. Less than $350.
C. Exactly $35,000. D. At least $1,650.
3.What does the Braigo change into Braille?
A. Photocopies. B. Voices.
C. Electronic text. D. Computer languages.
4.Why did Banerjee design his invention?
A. He did it as a hobby.
B. Intel told him to do it.
C. He did it for a school science project.
D. He wanted to get money from his father.
5.Banerjee’s parents wanted him to continue to _______.
A. catch Intel’s interest B. work on his invention
C. be a computer engineer D. use the new Braille writer
Language students often think they have memory problems. They worry because they can’t remember words. In fact, the problem usually isn’t with their memory. The problem is with how they study.
To remember words better, you need to understand how memory works. There are two kinds of memory: short-term and long-term. When you see, hear, or read something, it goes first into short-term memory. But short-term memory lasts for only a few seconds. You will only remember something longer if it goes into long-term memory. Your long-term memory is like a very big library with many, many books. And like a library, it’s organized (有条理的). When you put away a book – or memory – you can’t just leave it anywhere. You have to choose a place where you can find it again.
How can you do this with vocabulary? The answer is to work with the word and think about the word in new ways. You can do this by writing new sentences that include it. Even better, you can invent a little story about the word, with people or places that you know. Another way is to make a picture in your mind with the word. For example, if the word is height, you can think of the tallest person you know and try to guess his or her height. All of these activities are good ways to think about words. They make the meaning of words stronger in your long-term memory. And they give a way to find a word when you need it.
1.In the writer’s opinion, students can’t remember words because _______.
A. they have memory problems
B. they are too worried
C. they don’t use a proper way
D. they don’t like to study
2.Which is TRUE about memory according to the passage?
A. Short-term memory is seldom used.
B. What we see goes into long-term memory first.
C. We will forget a word soon if it goes into short-term memory.
D. We will never forget a word if it goes into long-term memory.
3.The underlined (划线的) part in Paragraph 2 means long-term memory _______.
A. keeps many books like a large library
B. works like a well-organized library
C. provides any book you want
D. leaves memory anywhere
4.Which is one example of “thinking about the word in new ways” in Paragraph 3?
A. Making sentences with the word.
B. Listening to some familiar stories.
C. Talking with people that you know.
D. Drawing pictures of the word on paper.
5.This passage mainly tells us about _______.
A. language students’ problems in study
B. how to make the meaning of words stronger
C. short-term and long-term memory
D. how to improve ways to remember words
