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.
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. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】In recent times, with the coming of electric cars, the idea to fuel them with solar energy gained momentum (势头). Electric cars — even though they run on electricity and don’t use fossil fuels — are still NOT GREEN! People suffer from the misconception that not using fossil fuels means “green” which is kind of absurd, considering the electricity we use is produced by burning the very same fuels!
However, what if your car had solar panels that could charge it? Now that would indeed be a green machine! Though we would like to incorporate (使并入) this energy source into our car, the efficiency of the currently used solar panels is subject to the fulfillment of different criteria.
Firstly, solar panels take up a large amount of area. An average car has an area of 10-25 square feet on the roof, which can produce between 50-150W under ideal conditions. This is hardly enough power to make a light bulb function normally! Also, the moderate sunny temperature is ideal, as extremely high temperatures can reduce the efficiency of the solar panels. Cars must work in all weather conditions, so if a solar panel limits the car’s function, it will become practically useless. More importantly, the cost of the panels and development required to power the electronics using the sun’s energy outweighs the benefits that solar panels provide.
Most cars today that have solar roofs use solar energy to power only a few basic functions of the car. While there is still time before we will be able to drive cars fully powered by solar energy, there are some alternatives (可供选择的事物), such as solar power stations, which are being designed to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels for electricity.
Solar-powered vehicles are surely the future, but not the near future. As the cost of solar panels continues to fall and their efficiency increases, things will begin to look much “brighter” for this alternative and sustainable option!
1. Why aren’t electric cars environmentally friendly?| A．They are not powered by solar energy. | B．They cause more pollution to the world. |
| C．They won’t work as well as the common cars. | D．They run on electricity produced by burning fuels. |
| A．Powering the electronics costs little. |
| B．Temperatures have little effect on solar panels. |
| C．A car’s roof generates enough power to light a bulb. |
| D．The performance of current solar panels depends on various factors. |
| A．They have already been in use. |
| B．They will be available in the near future. |
| C．They will be powered from solar-power stations soon. |
| D．They can use solar energy to power all functions of the car at present. |
| A．What do solar cars look like? | B．How do solar cars work? |
| C．Could solar cars replace the electric cars? | D．Why don’t we power the car with solar energy? |
【推荐2】Want to get your package delivered via robots? Now there’s an app for that. If you live in Washington D. C. , or Redwood, you may have glimpsed a small, boxy robot rolling along a local sidewalk, minding its own business, but attracting the attention of many curious onlookers.
The autonomous machines were part of a pilot program last year by Starship Technologies focusing on delivering meals from local restaurants in dozens of cities around the world. This week, the company unveiled plans to broaden its delivery service beyond food to include package, a move that led it to declare itself “the world’s first robot package delivery service”. The next time you order food, this cute robot might roll up to deliver it. The package delivery service is not available to everyone yet.
The wheeled robots have a top speed of 4mph and can detect obstacles from 30 feet away. “The robot can operate through anything,” Nick Handrick, head of operations for Starship’s D.C. office, said. “ If you had something in the way — a stick — it’s able to climb sticks.”
To sign up for the service, which costs a little more than $ 10 per month, customers need to download the company’s app. Customers then create a “Starship Delivery Address”, a unique address inside a Starship facility, where they can have package sent from places such as Amazon.com. Once a package is delivered to the Starship address, customers receive a text notification that allows them to schedule a home delivery via robot. The robots are opened by customers via a mobile phone code.
Barriers exist for robotic ground delivery, with many states requiring that humans be in control of delivery robots. Those regulations haven’t stopped Starship Technologies from accumulating experience on streets around the globe ahead of the company’s latest launch. The company says its robots have covered more than 125,000 miles in more than 100 cities in 20 countries.
1. What can we know about the robotic delivery?| A．It is part of a trial project by Starship Technologies. |
| B．You can use the service free of charge via smart phones. |
| C．The robots are opened by customers with a text notification. |
| D．The robotic delivery is available to everyone at present. |
| A．Revised | B．Released |
| C．Restored | D．Reset |
| A．The good news of the service. |
| B．The disadvantages of the robotic delivery. |
| C．How the robotic delivery works. |
| D．Robotic delivery develops despite challenges. |
| A．A New Robot Was Invented | B．Wheelless Robots Are on the Way |
| C．How Robots Deliver Packages | D．Packages Will Be Delivered by Robots |
【推荐3】Wherever we go, we are surrounded by history. Across the globe, cultural heritage is passed down through the generations. It is in the buildings and structures around us. It is in the arts and artifacts (手工艺品) we treasure. It lives in the languages we speak and the stories we tell. But today, it is under attack as never before. Not only are the damages of time threatening our cultural heritage, but climate change, globalization and tourism are all exacting a heavy price. Technology is now the most important weapon in the battle. Here’s how technology is preserving our cultural heritage.
As you can imagine, creating the replicas (复制品) by 2D images is extremely time-consuming. Increasingly, artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms (算法) allow millions of images to be stored in a matter of hours. AI will also make restoration and preservation of existing cultural heritage far easier and better than previous methods.
Virtual reality (VR) technology will play a leading role in preserving our cultural heritage in the coming years. Many of the most important sites and architecture are easily damaged. Human interaction with these locations is doing a great deal of harm. Wastes pile up everywhere, causing serious problems. As more cultural heritage sites and objects are digitally mapped and recorded, VR technology will increasingly become the way that people experience them. We’ll all finally be able to walk through places, look at (and touch) artifacts and works of art without ever seeing them with our own eyes.
Finally, our cultural heritage will be preserved by technology. Efforts in research, data sharing and project work will help promote and preserve the cultural heritage of countries all across the world.
1. What does the underlined word “exacting” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．demanding | B．cutting | C．receiving | D．paying |
| A．It makes preservation safer. | B．It produces 2D images. |
| C．It makes restoration easier. | D．It creates replicas in seconds. |
| A．By reducing human impact on the site. |
| B．By recycling huge amounts of waste. |
| C．By forbidding visitors from touching artifacts. |
| D．By educating people about the sites’ importance. |
| A．Ignoring. | B．Supportive. | C．Objective. | D．Disagreeing. |
【推荐1】I remember that it was on a fall morning that the orchestra (管弦乐队) teachers came into Miss Newell’s third-grade classroom. “You have hands for the viola (中提琴),” Miss Ciano told me. I was excited because my hands were finally good at something. I told my parents I wanted to play, and naturally, they agreed.
Since I first touched the viola, I haven’t been able to put it down. Ignoring the difficulty, I am pulled closer to it each day.
Classical music is truly my best friend. It is the trusted friend of every man, woman and child. Various feelings are expressed in classical music. I discovered that when I was eleven and played a cello concerto (大提琴协奏曲) of Bach in a competition, the first movement was joyful, but the second movement was mysterious and full of pain. From that piece, I learn that music expresses not only feelings, but also sudden mood changes. By listening to classical music, I know that someone else shares these feelings. Since I am lucky enough to be able to play classical music, I am comforted by it when I am upset. It gives me a way to escape from my problems. Classical music can express my joy, sadness and anger.
Now looking back on that fall day in the third grade, I realize how gullible I was for believing that anyone, even music teachers, could tell whether hands were perfect for a certain instrument. I’m certain they told me that I had “viola hands” not because they were fortune-tellers (算命师), but because there was a lack of violists in our district. Classical music is one of the best things that ever happened to mankind. If you get introduced to it in the right way, it will become your friend for life.
1. What’s the author’s purpose in writing the first and second paragraphs?| A．To introduce an interesting music class. |
| B．To show the importance of a proper guide. |
| C．To offer the evidence of the author’s gift for music. |
| D．To tell the power of support from parents. |
| A．By developing the author’s social skills. |
| B．By broadening the author’s life experience. |
| C．By improving the author’s mental health. |
| D．By improving the author’s sense of beauty. |
| A．Firmly opposed. | B．Easily tricked. |
| C．Greatly affected. | D．Secretly hidden. |
| A．Life long dream, great effort |
| B．Happy childhood, unforgettable experience |
| C．Special event, sweet memory |
| D．Classical music, endless friendship |
【推荐2】I woke at 4 a.m. in a black hostel room, my eight roommates all still sound asleep at the early hour. I stepped outside without being noticed, forced a cheese roll into my mouth, and headed to the Kaikoura dolphin-watching tour office.
With more adrenaline (肾上腺素) than I had experienced when jumping out of a plane, I put on my flippers (脚蹼) quickly and got ready for the adventure. The moment I dove off the water, I was shocked awake. No amount of coffee, tea, or sugar has ever given me such a strong wake-up. It turns out that the ocean is freezing at 5 a.m. before the sunrise. Don’t be scared off by the temperature, though, because 5 a.m. is when the dolphins are most playful!
After a little while, I was face to face with a wild dusky dolphin! At one moment, it jumped up high into the air while the next it dove deep into the water. It made strange whale noises to draw the attention of more members of the group, including a tiny baby dolphin no bigger than a cat. What impressed me most was that the baby dolphin came close up, swam around playfully and kept looking at me with those black glassy eyes, seeming most interested in this strange fish-like creature that kept getting twisted (缠绕) in her own flippers.
The sun rose, warming my back as I continued to struggle with my flippers among the most graceful animals in the ocean. It was the most beautiful sight, as the dark blue of the ocean turned light greenish-blue, brightening our swimming companions for the early hours of the morning.
The practice of swimming with wild dolphins is banned in the North Island, where the species of Hector’s dolphins are in decline. But in Kaikoura, the practice is quite common and actually helping to increase the dolphin populations.
By supporting this adventurous experience, you’re supporting dolphin protection.
1. Why was I shocked awake when diving off the water?| A．The water was freezing cold. | B．Adrenaline went up. |
| C．I had drunk a lot of strong coffee. | D．I was surprised by the playful dolphins. |
| A．A wild dolphin kept jumping beside me. |
| B．I had difficulty handling my flippers. |
| C．My strange appearance scared dolphins. |
| D．The baby dolphin swam around playfully. |
| A．Dangerous but exciting. | B．Adventurous and tiring. |
| C．Scary but unforgettable. | D．Impressive and meaningful. |
| A．Swimming with Wild Dolphins in Kaikoura. |
| B．Dolphins—My Playful Companions. |
| C．Supporting Dolphin Protection |
| D．A Deep Dive into the Ocean. |
One day when I was 12, my mother gave me an order: I was to walk to the public library, and borrow at least one book for the summer. This was one more weapon for her to defeat my strange problem— inability to read.
In the library, I found my way into the “Children’s Room.” I sat down on the floor and pulled a few books off the shelf at random. The cover of a book caught my eye. It presented a picture of a beagle. I had recently had a beagle, the first and only animal companion I ever had as a child. He was my secret sharer, but one morning, he was gone, given away to someone who had the space and the money to care for him. I never forgot my beagle. Without opening the book titled Amos, the Beagle with a Plan, I borrowed it from the library for the summer.
Under the shade of a bush, I started to read about Amos. I read very, very slowly with difficulty. Though pages were turned slowly, I got the main idea of the story about a dog who, like mine, had been separated from his family and who finally found his way back home. That dog was my dog, and I was the little boy in the book.
My mother’s call returned me to the real world. I suddenly realized something: I had read a book, and I had loved reading that book. Everyone knew I could not read. But I had read it. Books could be incredibly wonderful and I was going to read them.
I never told my mother about my “miraculous” (奇迹般地) experience that summer, but she saw a slow but remarkable improvement in my classroom performance during the next year. And years later, she was proud that her son had read thousands of books, was awarded a PhD in literature, and authored his own books, articles, poetry and fiction. The power of the words has held.
1. The author’s mother told him to borrow a book in order to_____.
| A．encourage him to do more walking |
| B．help cure him of his reading problem |
| C．let him spend a meaningful summer |
| D．make him learn more about weapons |
| A．it contained pretty pictures of animals |
| B．he found its title easy to understand |
| C．he was reminded of his own dog |
| D．he liked children’s stories very much |
| A．The author’s mother rewarded him with books. |
| B．The author’s mother read the same book. |
| C．The author has become a successful writer. |
| D．The author has had happy summers ever since. |
| A．My Passion for Reading |
| B．Mum’s Strict Order |
| C．Reunion with My Beagle |
| D．The Charm of a Book |
【推荐1】How to get tickets to The Steve Harvey Show
Do you want to check out The Steve Harvey Show? All you have to do is ask and wait.
As with many daytime talk shows, tickets to see the taping of The Steve Harvey Show are free. They're given away in order to fill the audience with fans. The catch is that the show often gives away more tickets than seats since usually some people won't show up on the taping dates.
There is good news and bad news. The good is that even if you don't get tickets, you might be able to get standby tickets. The bad is that even if you do have tickets, you're not guaranteed a seat. Be sure to show up early and your chances will improve.
Request your tickets to The Steve Harvey Show
The process for requesting tickets could not be easier. You'll simply give the show your information and the date you'd like to attend.
You may need to check back in frequently to see when they're taping. If anything is scheduled, it's often only for one or two weeks at a time.
1. Visit The Steve Harvey Show's official website.
2. You'll find a calendar with marked dates. Those are available taping dates. Select one that works best for you.
3. Fill out the online form that pops up. It's pretty straightforward-name,email,phone number,address, requested date,etc.
4. Make sure everyone attending is 18 years old or older.
Attending The Steve Harvey Show
Remember that your requested date is not guaranteed. The show will do its best to arrange the seat at your request, but it is possible you may receive tickets for a different date.
1. What's the advantage of free tickets?| A．Your seat is ensured. | B．You must get up early to get them. |
| C．Standby tickets are included. | D．Good seats are available in advance. |
| A．An elementary school student. | B．A retired teacher. |
| C．A boy aged 8. | D．A junior middle school student. |
| A．The host of the show. | B．The content of the show. |
| C．The date of your ticket. | D．The price of your ticket. |
【推荐2】Attitudes toward new technologies often fall along generational lines.That is，generally，younger people tend to outnumber older people in face of a technological shift.
It is not always the case，though.When you look at attitudes toward driverless cars，there doesn’t seem to be a clear generational divide.The public overall disagree on whether they’d like to use a driverless car.In a study last year，of all people surveyed,48 percent said they wanted to ride in one，while 50 percent did not.
The fact that attitudes toward selfdriving cars appear to be so steady across generations suggests how transformative the shift to driverless cars could be.Not everyone wants a driverless car now—and no one can get one yet—but among those who are open to them，every age group is similarly engaged.
When it comes to driverless cars，differences in attitude are obvious based on factors not related to age.College graduates，for example，are particularly interested in driverless cars compared with those who have less education：59 percent of college graduates said they would like to use a driverless car compared with 38 percent of those with a highschool diploma or less.
Where a person lives matters，too.More people who lived in cities and suburbs said they wanted to try driverless cars than those who lived in rural areas.
While there’s reason to believe that interest in selfdriving cars is going up，a person’s age will have little to do with how selfdriving cars can become mainstream.Once driverless cars are actually available for sale，the early adopters will be the people who can afford to buy them.
1. What usually happens when a new technology appears?| A．It benefits society greatly. |
| B．The old are not happy with it. |
| C．People of different ages react differently. |
| D．It will separate the old from the young. |
| A．It makes people’s life more convenient. |
| B．It can lead to fewer road accidents. |
| C．It may start a revolution in the car industry. |
| D．It does not seem to create a generational divide. |
| A．The seniors. | B．The wealthy. |
| C．The educated. | D．The car lovers. |
【推荐3】Science not always so serious
Did you know that if you attach a weighted stick to the back of a chicken, it walks like a dinosaur?
No, you did not know (or care to know) such things, but now you do! Thanks to this year’s winners of the Ig Nobel Prizes! Now in its 25th year, the Ig Nobel is the goofy younger cousin of the honored Nobel Prize. It applauds achievements in the fields of medicine, biology, physics, economics, literature, etc. Every September at Harvard University, awards are presented in 10 categories that change year to year, depending on — according to the organization — what makes the judges “laugh, then think”.
The ceremony officially begins when audience members launch paper airplanes at an assigned human target on the stage, then speakers only have 60 seconds to present their research. In previous years, the one-minute rule was imposed by a young girl — nicknamed Miss Sweetie Poo — who would go up to the platform and repeat the words: “Please stop, I’m bored,” in a sharp tone until the speaker left the stage.
Fortunately for candidates though, the Ig Informal Lectures are held afterwards on Saturday to give presenters more time to explain the crazy things they’re working on.
The research can seem more like the brainchildren of teenage boys than of respectable adults. Justin Schmidt won the physiology Ig for creating the “Sting Pain Index,” which rates the pain people feel after getting stung (蛰) by insects. Smith pressed bees against 25 different parts of his body until they stung him. Five stings a day for 38 days, Smith concluded that the most painful sting locations were the nostril (鼻孔) and the upper lip. Ouch.
As silly as they sound, not all of the Ig awards lack scientific applicability. A group of scientists from 12 different countries won in the medicine category for accurately diagnosing patients with appendicitis (阑尾炎) based on an unusual measurement: speed bumps (减速带). They found that patients are more likely to have appendicitis if they report pain during bumpy car rides.
All these weird experiments have just one thing in common. They’re improbable. It can be tempting to assume that “improbable” implies more than that — implies bad or good, worthless or valuable, trivial or important. Something improbable can be any of those, or none of them, or all of them, in different ways. And what you don’t expect can be a powerful force for not only entertaining science, but also for the boundary-pushing science we call innovation.
1. The underlined word “goofy” in Paragraph 2 probably means __________.| A．timid | B．funny |
| C．glorious | D．warm-hearted |
| A．It is held at a fixed place. |
| B．Candidates should know how to fold paper planes. |
| C．Miss Sweetie Poo is one of the hostesses. |
| D．Ig Informal Lecture gives presenters 60 seconds to finish their speeches. |
| A．celebrates the diligent work of researchers |
| B．offers another opportunity to those who miss the Nobel Prizes |
| C．serves as a platform for the creative and practical achievements |
| D．amuses the audience |
| A．A chemist who invents a chemical method to partially un-boil an egg. |
| B．A novelist who criticizes social injustice severely. |
| C．A physicist who studies the origin of the universe. |
| D．An economist who achieves a breakthrough in the study of international trade. |
4,000 years show both men and women painting their nails and wearing makeup. In 18th-century France, wealthy noblemen wore large wigs (假发) of long, white hair to make themselves attractive. Today, people continue to devote a lot of time and money to their appearance.
There is at least one good reason for the desire to be attractive: beauty is power. Studies suggest that good-looking people make more money, get called on more often in class, and are regarded as friendlier.
But what exactly is beauty? It’s difficult to describe it clearly, and yet we know it when we see it. And our awareness of it may start at a very early age. In one set of studies, six-month-old babies were shown a series of photographs. The faces on the pictures had been rated for attractiveness by a group of college students. In the studies, the babies spent more time looking at the attractive faces than the unattractive ones.
The idea that even babies can judge appearance makes perfect sense to many researchers. In studies by psychologists, men consistently showed a preference for women with larger eyes, fuller lips, and a smaller nose and chin while women prefer men with large shoulders and a narrow waist. According to scientists, the mind unconsciously tells men and women that these traits—the full lips, clear skin, strong shoulders—equal health and genetic well-being.
Not everyone thinks the same way. What is considered attractive in one culture might not be in another. Look at most Western fashion magazines: the women on the pages are thin, but is this “perfect” body type for women worldwide? Scientists’ answer is no; what is considered beautiful is subjective and varies around the world. They found native peoples in southeast Peru preferred shapes regarded overweight in Western cultures.
For better or worse, beauty plays a role in our lives. But it is extremely difficult to describe exactly what makes one person attractive to another. Although there do seem to be certain physical traits considered universally appealing, it is also true that beauty does not always keep to a single, uniform standard. Beauty really is, as the saying goes, in the eye of the beholder (观看者).
1. People’s ideas about beauty__________.| A．can be easily described |
| B．are based upon strict criteria |
| C．have existed since ancient times |
| D．have little influence on a person’s success |
| A．were rated for their appearance |
| B．showed a preference for women with larger eyes |
| C．were shown photos of a group of college students |
| D．were able to tell attractive faces from unattractive ones |
| A．the ideas of beauty vary as people grow up |
| B．the standards for beauty are based on scientific researches |
| C．the search for beauty is the power to motivate the beholder |
| D．the understanding of beauty is rooted in cultural backgrounds |
| A．The History of Beauty |
| B．The Mystery of Beauty |
| C．The Standards for Beauty |
| D．The Attitudes toward Beauty |
【推荐2】David Attenborough's Dynasties takes viewers to Antarctica to follow the emperor penguin. Why are there penguins in Antarctica and not the Arctic? The simple answer is that there are too many predators(食肉动物) in the Arctic. Animals who call the Arctic their home include the polar bear, arctic fox, grey wolf, etc. There are not many animals that could kill penguins in the Antarctic, which has allowed the species to survive there.
Different types of penguins can be found in Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, and South Africa. The only species of penguin that lives north of the equator is the Galapagos Penguin.
Penguins have lived in the South Pole for thousands of years but once actually lived in the Arctic. According to Aurora Expeditions: "During the 19th century, several research groups tried to introduce penguins into the Arctic environment. However, because of the predators, the penguins couldn’t protect the eggs in their nest and the entire population died out after a couple of years.”
A now extinct flightless bird called the great auk was the only modern species in the genus (属) Pinguinus and its natural habitat was the North Pole. Although not closely related to penguins, the great auk shared many similarities such as a physical resemblance and being flightless. The species became extinct in the middle of the 19th century due to predation by polar bears and they were also prized by hunters for their feathers and eggs.
The documentary was filmed at Atka Bay in Antarctica. 11, 000 birds gather on the newly frozen sea ice in Atka Bay every year to face the Antarctic winter. Director Miles Barton said: "I think the film will be a surprise. I don't think anyone has shown just what a huge struggle it is for emperor penguins to bring up their chicks in what must be the worst condition on earth.”
1. What can we learn about penguins?| A．They are nearly extinct in the Arctic. |
| B．They have no enemies in the Antarctic. |
| C．Some of them live in the hottest part of the earth |
| D．Many of them can easily adapt to climate change. |
| A．Hunting. | B．Lack of food. |
| C．Climate change. | D．Losing their natural habitat. |
| A．Atka Bay is the perfect habitat for emperor penguins. |
| B．Emperor penguins are more aggressive than other penguins. |
| C．The film focuses on the efforts to protect emperor penguins. |
| D．It is a challenge for emperor penguins to survive in the Antarctic. |
| A．The protection of the Antarctic. |
| B．How a film about penguins is created |
| C．Why there are no penguins in the Arctic. |
| D．The introduction of different kinds of penguins. |
【推荐3】Do you remember your very first day at school? For most of us, it was so exciting to meet a teacher for the first time. It was great fun to have new classmates and a real desk to sit at.
For children this year, it’ll still feel thrilling for the students to be in a new environment. However, the students should wear a special uniform. It might also be a little scary to be sitting at a desk surrounded by strange plastic screens as a six-year-old.
There are two Florida teachers who have figured out a way to make those plastic dividers — installed on desks to keep a safe distance during the age of COVID-19 — less nerve-wracking, and more totally, joyfully brilliant.
First-grade teachers Patricia Dovi and Kim Martin, of St. Barnabas Episcopal School in DeLand, Florida have turned coronavirus dividers into the windshields and windows of, yes, Jeeps.
“Anything that we can do to add some silliness and some creativity to get them excited is going to be really important in the longevity of this school year,” Dovi told Insider.
The school supplied the plexiglass; Dovi and Martin paid for the decorations out of their own pockets. Martin estimates that the desks took about a week to complete. Wasn’t all that work worth it? Family and friends of these two inspiring teachers helped turn the desks into colorful Jeeps with personalized license plates.
Each student arrived just yesterday, to find their very own “car” waiting for them. “We cannot praise him too much, saying ‘Hey, purple Jeep, you’re getting out of your lane,” Martin joked. “I think it will be a smart way to keep the kids engaged. We have no doubt about that.”
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?| A．Things are a little different. | B．School uniforms are a must. |
| C．Students hate sitting at the desk. | D．All the old desks are replaced. |
| A．To make the naughty boys quiet. | B．To make social distancing fun. |
| C．To draw their attention. | D．To let them love learning. |
| A．From the school. | B．From the fund-raiser. |
| C．From their family and friends. | D．From themselves. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Ridiculous. |
| C．Favorable. | D．Conservative. |
