Let' s review some of the year' s best books so far.
The Astronaut's Guide to Leaving the Planet
In this book, retired astronaut and pilot Terry Virts paints a lively picture of life aboard the International Space Station. And he describes what it takes to conduct a successful mission. Young space enthusiasts will enjoy this guide. Ambitious astronauts will treasure it.
Lasagna Means I Love You
In this touching realistic novel by Kate O' Shaughnessy, Mo and her grandma, Nan, live together. But after Nan dies, Mo' s uncle can no longer take care of her. To deal with these changes, she starts cooking, using family recipes that she collects from friends and through her food blog. There' s only one problem: She doesn' t have family recipes of her own. Hoping to define what really makes a family, Mo learns there' s no perfect recipe.
The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejia
In this fast-paced adventure by Alexandra Alessandri, 12-year-old Valentina and her brother Julian are searching for mysterious creatures. Falling into another world during an earthquake, they discover a different, magical Colombia. Valentina learns that all of the legends about her country are true. But will they be able to leave this place and return home?
Just Jerry
It' s written by Jerry Pinkney, who writes about his growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the 1940s and 1950s. He struggled with dyslexia (阅读障碍), but he always pursued his artistic calling. When he got a job at a newsstand, his boss gave him a chance to draw and sell his work. He was able to go to college to study art, and eventually built a career in publishing.
I became bald (秃头的) at two due to a condition. At school I was bullied (欺凌) for it. Sports became my escape, and I was fortunate to have born athletic ability. I would race home every day and shoot basketball for hours. I put all my time and energy into basketball to become the best player I could be.
I had a great high-school career, breaking countless school records, and received a scholarship to play in college. It was a dream come true. However, I still rarely talked about my condition. I continued to wear my wig (假发) all the time, no matter the weather or what I was doing.
In my senior year of college, I wanted to run the marathon. During that 26. 2-mile run, I felt strong, truly like Superwoman. I will never forget the feeling of crossing the finish line, and the way everyone celebrated me. I began running marathons all over the country. I loved the feeling I got from running and training. I looked forward to my runs in the morning when the rest of the world was still sleeping. This was my chance to reflect, dream big, and enjoy the sound of my feet on the pavement. The more I ran, the stronger and more confident I felt. I slowly started to talk about my condition to close friends.
Then one day, on a hot training run, I threw off my wig while tears welled up in my eyes. For the first time, I felt strong, beautiful, and brave. Getting home that day, I looked at myself in the mirror and saw someone kind, caring and full of joy. Two weeks later, I ran my first marathon wigless and was celebrated and loved during that entire race weekend. I was surrounded by such positivity and support that I didn' t even think of my wigless head. Tears welled in my eyes as I crossed that finish line in San Diego.
During the Olympics in Paris, Volocopter, a German maker of electric aircraft, will launch a flying-taxi service, with a new generation of battery-powered flying machines designed for urban transport.
The electrification of flight has often been considered a pipe dream, with batteries thought too heavy a substitute for fuel in a plane. Yet companies like Volocopter bet that electrification can unlock a demand for clean and quick aerial journeys over shorter distances. The main form of flying taxi under development, powered by batteries, is called eVTOL aircraft and looks like a super-sized drone, carrying one to four passengers, plus a pilot. Indeed, optimists hope the absence of traffic in the sky will make eVTOLs suitable for autonomous operation and for transporting goods. That vision has inspired predictions. Joby, a Silicon Valley startup, has already raised $2 billion from investors. Archer, another, hopes to have hundreds or thousands of its craft flying by the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
But the question is the cost. eVTOLs currently range in price from $1 million to $4 million. Although their cost may come down as the industry develops, they are likely to remain expensive. Brian Yutko, a maker backed by Boeing, says that flying-taxi rides will be accessible to the masses. Joby promises that its fares will be comparable to catching a taxi. Yet some studies suggest the cost could end up many times a regular taxi fare. Even without a pilot, flying taxis may remain a convenience affordable only to a lucky few.
An alternative opportunity for electrification lies with small fixed-wing planes designed to transport a few dozen passengers over distances of a few hundred kilometres, for instance, between nearby cities. Last September Eviation, an Israeli company, successfully tested a nine-seater electric plane with a range of 400 km.
According to statistics, air travel accounts for just 8% of journeys between 150 km and 800 km in America and 4% in Europe. Most such journeys are taken by car, even in Europe, where buses and trains are more available. That creates a big opportunity for environmentally friendly short-distance flights. Expect plenty more experiments with electric aircraft in the years ahead.
One of the most productive architects of the 20th century, Frank Lloyd Wright had no shortage of ideas. Throughout his life, he designed 1,171 architectural works. Many of them, like the Guggenheim Museum and Fallingwater, were eventually built. But over half—660 to be exact—never moved beyond paper. Now, thanks to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, we are finally getting a look at what his unbuilt architecture would have looked like. Working with digital artist David Romero, the organization has been building an impressive library of works that show Wright' s creative genius.
The reasons that these pieces of incredible architecture were never built vary. Wright' s homage to his adopted home state of Arizona was rejected for several reasons. While Wright considered his avant-garde (前卫的) design for the Arizona State Capitol Building to be a gift to the city, officials felt otherwise. With a price of $5 million, too costly, he was passed over for the project.
In the case of the cliffside (悬崖边) Morris House, it' s not completely clear why the family did not go with Wright' s design. But, in examining his ideas for the home, it' s clear that Wright successfully combines the architecture and nature. The design uses rounded forms that fit into the cliffs and merge the home and the natural surroundings.
In 1947, he was asked to rebuild Roy Wetmore' s service station. What Wright provided was a futuristic design that included a ramp (斜坡) allowing a car to be displayed on the roof. Unfortunately, Wetmore wished to simply remodel the existing structure rather than demolish it and start over, so the project was never done. Later, Wetmore did incorporate the car ramp on the roof.
Romero has been able to bring these ideas to life and give a new generation of architecture lovers a reminder of why Wright had such a long, influential career.
Do you enjoy playing video games? Have you ever thought about what it would be like to design them for a living? Let' s talk with Mitu Khandaker to learn about her cool career as a video game designer.
What' s it like to be a game designer?
Being a game designer is like wearing a lot of different hats at once. . Another minute, I might be solving a design problem, or creating art. The other part of the job is working with people. It' s very collaborative (协作的).
What makes a great game designer?
The best game designers are people who have a wide range of interests, because you want to bring those into games. , but you might also be someone who loves painting or writing stories, or making music, or even just listening to music. For instance, I love listening to hip-hop and rap. Whatever your interests are, there is a space for that in games to tell these amazing new stories.
?
I would love for my work to change the way people think about representation in games. I' m all about telling stories that make people feel seen. For me, growing up as a little brown girl, I didn' t see any characters who looked like me. .
What' s your advice for future game designers?
, if you want to be a game designer. If you like writing stories, or you like drawing or painting or designing board games—whatever it is—there is a place for you in games. Don' t take no for an answer. That' s how I got to where I am.
A. You might love playing games
B. How do you become a game designer
C. That' s something I really want to change
D. One minute, I might be fixing some code
E. What effect can you have as a game designer
F. What inspires you to start your own game-development company
G. I would say absolutely follow your passion and believe in yourself
I had graduated from college with a degree in education. But I still couldn' t find a(n) 1 teaching job. I waited for the phone to ring so I could 2 work as a replacement. One day I would be teaching high school science and the next day I would be 3 with kindergarteners on a playground. This time I was in a local grade school as a(n) 4 for a 5th grade teacher for the day. Determined not to let my time simply 5 , I went over the lesson plans and stayed 6 with the students, smiling and encouraging them. I was determined to 7 the great teachers I' d had when I was a boy and not the critical ones who always left me 8 bad.
At the end of the day just as they were leaving the room a girl handed me a 9 note. I waited until they were all gone before I opened it. It was a lovely drawing full of 10 wonder and a note that said: " You are the best teacher I have ever had!" My mouth fell open in 11 . It really amazed me that my kind 12 had touched that girl' s heart so deeply. I took that note home and put it in a folder. Anytime I was feeling 13 I would look at it and it always made me smile.
That experience showed me the 14 that a single kind word can have on a life. I never saw that girl again, but I 15 that her life has been full of kind words and loving people. And I continue to try my best each day to let love and kindness live through my words and my life.
It is more than six decades since the death of Lei Feng, a young soldier who showed selfless (devote) to duty, and yet the "Lei Feng Spirit" is still alive, (inspire) a new generation of Chinese people.
Ye Zigui, deputy leader of the Lei Feng Squad (班) — the current name of the military unit in the heroic soldier served—is in no doubt that this spirit should (pass) on to the next generation.
This year marks 60th Lei Feng Day, an event aimed at celebrating the life and spirit of this young soldier (annual), who devoted his spare time and money to helping the needy. He died in an accident in 1962 at the age of 22. In 1963, Chairman Mao Zedong called on the nation (learn) from Lei Feng, with posters put on display featuring Lei in his uniform and a cotton hat, he quickly became a public role model with great appeal.
In the Lei Feng Squad, the (importance) role model of Chinese people for generations can be seen everywhere; his statue, his photos and copies of his diary are displayed in the room. On the wall (be) shining red characters that read, "The former squad leader is always with us. "
1. 活动目的;
2. 活动时间参加者及内容;
3. 活动感想。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
A Celebration for the Successful Launch of Shenzhou-16 Mission
My husband Larry and I have always had our basic values in common, but our interests are far apart. I love the arts, especially opera. He' s a huge sports fan of hockey (曲棍球). His big passion is NHL hockey. He' s shared season tickets with his friends for years.
There were times when we attended the games with other couples. The rest of our group was enthusiastic about the game, even the women. They knew all the players and how to pronounce their long names. I enjoyed participating in the National Anthem, but aside from the meal, that was the only thing I enjoyed about our hockey nights. Instead of appreciating the good seats we had, I' d complain that it was too cold there. When the game started, my phone would be on my lap. Most of the time, I' d be texting or daydreaming. ometimes, my texting would be interrupted when the home team scored. I knew they scored because everyone jumped up and exchanged high-fives and shouts.
What was so exciting about a group of grown men on ice hitting something with a stick? It was beyond me. I started to wonder. Why was I the only one not enjoying myself? As I looked around at thousands of people cheering and getting increasingly excited, I decided to at least give it a try — for my husband' s sake, if not for my own.
It took a few games, but soon I learned who the goalie (守门员) was, who our latest player was, who had been traded and from where. When the other team scored, I eventually felt great disappointment with the rest of my crowd. I searched the program to see which part of the globe our players had come from.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I was surprised that I began to like the games I watched.
I felt excited when I heard that our city would have the first women' s hockey team.
