For people who struggle to read text, technology can be a lifeline. Actually, assistive technology (AT) tools for reading can also be useful to students who just need some extra assistance to aid reading fluency or comprehension. These tools are inexpensive and easy to find. They open up the wonderful world of reading, making text accessible to students of all abilities. But with so many tools out there, it’s not always easy to know which ones to use.

To help, here’s a guide to some best ones.

Graphic organizers

They are visual representations, like diagrams and mind maps, of ideas and concepts. You can use graphic organizers to help with comprehension while reading. Graphic organizers can be digital or pen and paper.

Annotation aids

They let you take notes and write comments while reading. This can make it easier to keep information. Annotation aids can be part of software or apps, or they can be traditional pens, markers, and sticky notes.

Display control

It allows you to control how text is displayed. When reading on a screen, you can change the font(字体), font size, and spacing of text. You can also cover parts of the screen to lessen distractions(干扰) while reading.

Text-to-speech (TTS)

It lets you see text and hear it read aloud at the same time. To use this tool, you click on words, and you’ll hear the words read by computer-generated voices. You can even read after it and record your own voice. TTS can also be used to change any digital text files into audio files.

Optical character recognition (OCR)

It can read aloud text from images and pictures. You can use OCR by taking photos of worksheets, paper documents, and even objects like street signs. Like TTS, OCR uses computer-generated voices.

Keep in mind that using AT reading tools won’t prevent people from learning to read. For example, experts say audiobooks can actually help kids become better readers.

Louise Mallard has heart trouble, so she must be informed carefully about her husband's death. Louise's husband's friend, Richards, learned about a railroad disaster when he was in the newspaper office and saw Louise's husband, Brently, on the list of those killed. Louise begins sobbing when Josephine, her sister, tells her of Brently's death and goes upstairs to be alone in her room.

Louise sits down and looks out of an open window. She sees trees, smells approaching rain, and hears a peddler yelling out what he's selling. She hears someone singing as well as the sounds of sparrows, and there are white clouds in the sky. She is young, with lines around her eyes. Still crying, she gazes into the distance. She feels sad and tries to hold down the building emotions within her, but can't. She begins repeating the word "Free" to herself over and over again. Her heart beats quickly, and she feels very warm.

Louise knows she'll cry again when she sees Brently's body. His hands were tender, and he always looked at her lovingly. But then she imagines the years ahead, which belong only to her now, and spreads her arms out joyfully with anticipation. She will be free, on her own without anyone to oppress her. She thinks that all women and men oppress one another even if they do it out of kindness. Louise knows that she often felt love for Brently but tells herself that none of that matters anymore. She feels thrilled with her newfound sense of independence.

Josephine comes to her door, begging Louise to come out, warning her that she'll get sick if she doesn't. Louise tells her to go away. She imagines all the days and years ahead and hopes that she lives a long life. Then she opens the door, and she and Josephine start walking down the stairs, where Richards is waiting.

The front door unexpectedly opens, and Brently comes in. He hadn't been in the train accident or even aware that one had happened. Josephine screams, and Richards tries unsuccessfully to block Louise from seeing him. Doctors arrive and announce that Louise died of a heart attack brought on by happiness.

China's historic 23-day Chang'e 5 mission has not only obtained precious rock and soil samples from the moon, but has also brought back a group of seeds that traveled the furthest in the nation's agricultural and forestry histories. More than 30 kinds of seeds, including that of rice, oats etc., were placed inside the multi-module Chang'e 5 spacecraft and orbited around the moon for about 15 days.

Scientists wished to check what would happen to the seeds after being exposed to extraterrestrial (地外的) forces in lunar orbit and also hoped that they could develop beneficial mutations (突变). This mission offered good opportunities to scientists, which enabled them to deepen their studies on the effect of cosmic rays on the growth and evolution of life on Earth.

Space-based mutation breeding refers to the process of exposing seeds to forces such as microgravity, vacuums and cosmic radiation during a spaceflight and then sending them back to Earth for further observation and planting. Researchers observe and examine several generations of plants grown from space-bred seeds and investigate their mutations-some are positive and desirable while others are negative. Those with positive mutations will be kept and analyzed, and will be introduced to farmers after their certification and approval.

Space breeding can generate mutations faster and more conveniently than ground-based experiments and can bring about some desirable traits that are otherwise hard to introduce. Compared with natural or conventionally bred types of plants, space-developed versions with positive mutations usually feature higher nutritional content, greater annual yields, shorter growth periods and better resistance to diseases and insect pests.

China conducted its first space breeding experiment in 1987, using a satellite to carry seeds into space. Since then, hundreds of kinds of seeds and seedlings have traveled with dozens of Chinese spaceships. Space breeding has helped to produce more than 200 new types of mutated plants in China that have been approved for large-scale cultivation, ranging from grains to vegetables and fruits. The Chang'e 5 robotic mission returned 1,731 grams of lunar rock and soil to Earth, marking a historic accomplishment 44 years after the last lunar substances were taken back.