Director: Connie Walker
cwalker@noao.edu
The Teen Astronomy Café program is an out-of-school program that offers high school students opportunities to interact with scientists who work at the forefront of astronomy. The program will be from 9:30 a.m. till noon on one morning each month from October through May (except for January).
Students explore the birth and death of stars, killer asteroids (行星), the structure of the universe, dark energy, dark matter, and more. A hands-on activity related to the short presentation will follow as part of the Teen Astronomy Cafés experience—either as a state-of-the-art computer lab activity, a movie, a deeper discussion, or an exploration of the topic with a 3-D printer. The students will use the actual computer programs and data that the scientists use!
The Teen Astronomy Cafés are open to all high school students at no cost. The program aims to improve student achievement, and fuel (激发) their desire to go to college and pursue a career in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) in the future.
If students are interested in attending any or all of the Teen Astronomy Cafés, please have them register at http://www.teenastronomycafé.org. Dates for the Teen Astronomy Cafés next coming academic year (学年) are:
1. Students taking part in the program will ______.
| A．use real scientific data |
| B．work for the astronomers |
| C．research the birth of the universe |
| D．develop computer program on astronomy |
| A．To offer free education. |
| B．To train future astronomers. |
| C．To solve the problems of astronomy. |
| D．To encourage further study of STEM. |
| A．January 6th | B．May 1st | C．October 3rd | D．November 7th |
2 . Guanmei, a 65-year-old woman of the Dong ethnic group, is the inheritor of the Grand Song of Dong (侗族大歌), a national intangible cultural heritage in China. Her hometown Zaidai Village in Guizhou, southwestern China, is home to the Grand Song of the Dong ethnic group.
The Grand Song of Dong dates from more than 2,500 years ago. The way Dong singers use their vocal cords (声带) is different from how formally trained singers do. It is a folk chorus with multi-parts, no conductor, and no accompaniment. Organically growing from their natural surroundings, it is recognized internationally as “the sound of Nature.”
Before the Dong people had a writing system in 1958, the Dong culture, their history and stories were all recorded by means of songs. As a Dong saying goes, “Rice feeds the body and songs enrich the soul”. The Dong people sing right from their childhood. While not singing, they all work in their rice field.
Guanmei has been singing the Grand Song of Dong all her life, making her a famous singing teacher in her hometown and nearby areas. “The songs are our means of passing on wisdom, knowledge and life experiences to others. I will not exist in this world 100 years later, but Grand songs will. I’m honored to do this job, ” Guanmei said.
Kind-hearted, Guanmei has been volunteering to teach the Grand Song of Dong to the Dong children for over 30 years. Now she has more than 300 students. Guanmei is pleased to see the village children come to her house willingly when they have free time.
“Nowadays, more and more young people leave the village and settle in cities. Decades later, the Dong children out of the village might know nothing about Grand songs. We should do something just now. It’s our mission. What is once lost might be lost forever,” added Guanmei.
1. What makes the Grand Song of Dong known as “the sound of Nature”?| A．The outstanding conductor. |
| B．The special musical instrument. |
| C．The attractive natural environment. |
| D．The inspiration from nature. |
| A．The Dong singers are professionals. |
| B．The Dong culture before 1958 has been largely lost. |
| C．Singing is of vital importance to the Dong people. |
| D．They have a written language with a history of over 2,500 years. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Sympathetic. |
| C．Optimistic. | D．Satisfied. |
| A．To call on young people to return to the Dong village. |
| B．To guide the Dong children to learn the Grand Song of Dong. |
| C．To show a woman’s efforts to keep the Dong culture alive. |
| D．To instruct people to appreciate the Grand Song of Dong. |
Wind is one of our cleanest and most abundant power sources. Europe is leading the way in wind power. Nearly 75% of all turbines(风力发电机)
