Adult Education Courses
Computer Studies Technology is advancing at a rapid pace, and we rely more and more on computers for everything from cooking to organising our taxes. This six-week course will give you an understanding of computer fundamentals, including the use of software packages (Word, Excel and Powerpoint) and how to use the Internet. Start: May 2,2019 Time: Wed 7 pm-9pm Cost:$300 Length:6 weeks Place: Sydney College |
Woodwork Learn the basics of woodworking with simple hands-on projects to build your confidence and skills. Each lesson explores a different area of woodworking that will provide you with the skills needed for any woodworking project. Flexible learning allows you to choose only the lessons that interest you. Start: April 15,2019 Time: Mon 5 pm-7pm Cost:$30 per lesson Length:12 weeks Place: Adult Learning Centre |
Web Design Provides advanced training in software, design, and coding for the weB. Students must have already completed a recognised basic web design course or have at least 2 years' relevant work experience. Students completing the course will receive the Diploma in Advanced Web Design. Start: June 1,2019 Time: Weekdays 9 am-4pm Cost:$4,990 Length:40 weeks Place: University of Technology |
Art This practical course is intended to help established artists take their creativity further. From sketching and colour, to composition, painting and experimenting with style, you will study and explore an engaging variety of creative media and subject matter. Start: April 21,2019 Time: Thur 3 pm-6pm Cost:$750 Length:15 weeks Place: City Art |
Daphne Soares, a biologist, makes an amazing discovery about alligators. The first time she got really close to an alligator (短吻鳄) was when she was helping to bold down an eight-foot American alligator. It was then that she noticed is face was covered with little black spots. This led to the discovery of the little black dots.
She started her study of the black dots. When she read the books and scientific journals, she learned that people had noticed the dots, but no one really knew what the dots were for.
To find out the secret she placed electrodes (电极) on nerves coming from some of the dots. When the nerves fired, they sent a message to the brain and created a tiny electric current. Just then she heard a small sound over a loudspeaker. She tired to see if the dots acted like eyes and temperature sensors, but nothing worked.
One day she was careless with dropping a tool into an alligator's tank. When she put her hand in the tank to get the tool out, she made small waves in the water. When they reached the alligator's face, she heard a noise over the speaker. She then realized that the dots must be sensitive to the changes in pressure when hit by waves of water.
After that, she is now studying blind cavefish. She is trying to learn whether they are blind from birth or lose their sight as they grow up. She is also doing more research on crocodilians (鳄目). She wants to find out how the genes of alligators with pressure sensors only on their faces differ from the genes of crocodilians that have pressure sensors all over their body.
The Silk Road is arguably the most famous long-distance trade route of the ancient world. This passage connected Europe in the West with China in the East, and allowed the exchange of goods, technology, and ideas between the two civilizations. Although merchants could make huge profits travelling the road, it was not without risk.
The main Silk Road started in Chang'an (known today as Xi'an), the early Han capital. Travelers commencing their journey from this city could take a northern route that would take them across China's northwestern provinces. After this, they would face the Gobi Desert, arguably the greatest danger of the Silk Road.
The Gobi Desert, the largest desert in Asia, consists mainly of rocky, hard earth. This feature made it easier for traders to travel across, compared to sandy deserts like the neighboring Taklamakan Desert. Like other deserts, the Gobi Desert is dry and hot, and therefore the biggest challenge travelers faced was obtaining enough water for themselves as well as for their camels.
So, rest stops were created along the route, allowing travelers to rest, eat and drink. These places also promoted the exchange of goods, and even ideas, amongst the travelers who stopped there. Usually, the rest stops were placed within a day's journey of each other. In this way, travelers could avoid spending too much time in the desert, which would make them targets for robbers, another danger of the Silk Road.
Once through the Gobi Desert, travelers would continue their journey into Iran, Turkey, and finally Europe. Whilst this part of the journey may have been less dangerous, it is not entirely without its perils.
Cattle manure(粪肥) has become one of the world's greatest environmental killers, but one Dutch artist is using chemistry to turn it into something that is both eco-friendly and valuable.
In recent years, scientists around the world have made great progress in their attempts to recycle cattle manure, including turning it into natural fertilizer, but Eindhoven designer Jalila Essaidi didn't think they were efficient enough to solve the global manure problem. So she started on her very own solution, one that approached animal waste as a valuable material that could be processed into useful products.
She started by separating the waste, with the dry manure used to get pure cellulose(纤维素) from the grass that cows eat. From the wet manure, she got acids used to create a natural liquid plastic which was used to make fiber that are later turned into fabric(material used for making clothes).
This new material was named Mestic, from mest, the Dutch word for manure. Essaidi claim that it has the same function as plastic from fossil fuels, but is bio-degradable(可生物降解的). Better yet, the degradability can be dealt with in the lab, making it possible to create materials that last for different periods of time depending on their purpose. "This is not the first time that scientists have been looking for ways to solve the manure problem, but it is the first time that manure is being considered as a valuable resource." the Dutch designer said.
Last year, Jalila Essaldi partnered with the city of Eindhoven to produce a fashion show using Mestic-based fabrics. Her Mestic collection was so impressive that clothing giant H&M awarded her the Global Change Award and a $1million prize. And cow manure is just the beginning of Jalila Essaldi's experiments with animal waste. "After cows, we'll deal with pigs and other animals," she said.
Do we have a movement signature?
As humans, we have several qualities that separate us from one another, such as our fingerprints.
According to a recent study, each person has a unique movement signature (鲜明特征). Depending on the person, these differences can be subtle or pronounced.
For the study, scientists attached electrodes (电极) to muscles in the legs of volunteers. The volunteer were then asked to perform activities such as walking on walking machines and riding stationary bikes (健身车), which were adjusted according to each person's physical appearance in order to make sure everyone was judged using the same standards.
Scientists fed the information to a computer along with the volunteer's name. Next, the computer was fed information without the user's name and it could identity the person correctly 99% of the time. The outcomes of the study showed that each of us does have something unique about our general movements.
Since this is just a pilot study, scientists will do more tests to see if the signature changes with age and weight changes. But with a deeper understanding of the science of movement, doctors could possibly develop more intricate prosthetics (复杂精细的假肢). Whether that's cool or frightening is up to you to decide.
A. How could this study be of use to scientists?
B. What do you think of the findings of the study?
C. Volunteers are expected to write a report on the activities.
D. Is it possible that we also have unique qualities in our movement.
E. Scientists could also program robots to copy humans' movements more exactly.
F. In this way, the computer could learn the unique movement quality of each person.
G. The study was conducted by inviting people to take part in a couple of physical activities.
I want to do the right thing by the environment, and so do you. But, let's face it: it isn't always 1.
The moment one thinks about the seriousness of the 2 we face, it is difficult not to feel profoundly hopeless. For example, in order to 3 this article, I visit The World Counts (www.theworldcounts.com), which offers all the latest 4 statistics (统计数据), and it was 5 to send me to bed for the day.
There's one thing I find 6 about trying to be 7. It is choosing between all the countless 8 on offer. Are bamboo toothbrushes better than electric ones? Do trains always cause less pollution than planes? Should one replace old but perfectly usable smart phones with 9 and high-tech versions? There is so much 10 out there to analyse. When I find myself in despair (绝望), I 11 an article by Loren Eiseley in which two men are walking along a beach covered by thousands of 12, dying starfish. One of the men 13 throwing individual starfish back into the water. The other man 14 that as there are so many starfish in trouble, his companion's actions will make no 15. But the first man 16 that it will make a difference to each starfish he manages to 17.
It is an oft-repeated story, but that doesn't make it any less 18. Someone has put it in a nutshell when he said, "it is the greatest of all 19 to do nothing because you can only do a little — do what you 20."
The annual Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival is Harbin's main tourist highlight. It is the world's biggest winter festival. The (bitter) cold winters are just right for this festival.
sets the Harbin festival apart is the scale and size of the sculptures and the (beauty) lighting. It is bigger than ones in Sapporo, Norway, and Quebec.
At first, mainly Chinese participated, but in the last decade, it (become) an international festival and (compete). As the festival grows in international participation, and as China's economy grows, the size of the snow sculptures and ice architecture exhibits keeps (grow). The work going into making those exhibits is astonishing, and their size and beauty is amazing.
The lightning (effect) on the huge ice sculptures in the Ice and Snow World are technologically complex.
Officially the festival (hold) from the end of December through February. Opening dates keep changing, and ending dates partly depends the weather.
The Sun Island Scenic Area will be opened from Dec. 21 to Feb. 28.
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2.只允许修改10处,多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Today was my father's birthday, so I decided to bake a cake for him. I didn't know how make a cake. I couldn't tell my father because of I wanted to give him a surprise. It was my firstly attempt, so I searched on the Internet and found much videos there. I choose the best one. I saw the full videos and started baking. First I collected all the things which might be needed to bake a cake. And then, I followed the steps and finally my cake was ready. Last, I decorated the cake by chocolates so that it looked more delicious. Then I gave the cake to his father and he was really surprising.
1)简述习惯不好的现象;
2)如何养成良好的生活习惯;
3)表达感受或期望。
注意:1)词数100左右;
2)可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
参考词汇:生活习惯living habits