Everyone has done experiments in high school laboratories,but have you ever thought about designing a satellite to explore space? On Nov.19,a team of students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in the US awed peers and even scientists by successfully launching a satellite. The first satellite designed and built by high school students was sent up into space along with a record setting.28 other small ones on a rocket were sent from a NASA center in Virginia,CNN reported.It took the students seven years to build. The students call their tiny satellite TJ3Sat,which is named after their school.It is just 10x10x12 centimeters and weighs only 0.89 kilograms,according to Orbital Sciences,a company which developed the rocket and supported the students' project.It can be controlled with a smartphone. Like most satellites,TJ3Sat can send and receive data.The small spacecraft is equipped with a voice synthesizer ,which can switch text to voice and transmit those sounds back to Earth over radio waves,said Orbital officials.In this case,anyone can give it a try via the project's website (school website) by submitting a text.The texts that get approved will be sent to the satellite,changed to voice and then broadcast back to Earth via radio waves. "I can say 'Go Colonials'on our ground station and when it is on the other side of the world,in India,someone can hear'Go Colonials'over the radio,"the team explains on the website. The satellite will stay in space for at least three months. School principal Evan Glazer told The Washington Post that the project started in 2006 as an activity in the spare time.Later it became a research project for a select group of seniors. At a time when American students are busy with SATs,the launch of the satellite shows what diligent teenagers can achieve when allowed to pursue their own curiosities,Glazer said. "It used to be that kids growing up wanted to be an astronaut," Andrew Petro,program executive for small spacecraft technology at NASA,said in a... According to the article,the launch of the satellite _ . A) is evidence of the advance of spacecraft technology B) proves that hard working teenagers can achieve a lot C) shows the importance of extracurricular activities at school D) has inspired many people to take an interest in space travel
B
An apprenticeship is a form of on-the-job training that combines workplace experience and classroom learning. It can last anywhere from one to six years, but four years is typical for most. An apprentice spends most of the time in a workplace environment learning the practical skills of a career from a journeyman--someone who has done the job for many years. The rest of the apprentice's time is spent in a classroom environment learning the theoretical skills the career requires. Being an apprentice is a full-time undertaking. One of the advantages of apprenticeship is that it does not cost apprentices anything. The companies that hire them pay for school. What's more, it offers apprentices an "earn while you learn" opportunity. They usually start out at half the pay of a journeyman, and the pay increases gradually as they move further along in the job and studies. Near the end of the apprenticeship, their wages are usually 90 percent of what a journeyman would receive. Apprenticeship also pays off for employers. It can offer employers a pool of well-trained workers to draw from. Despite the advantages, apprentices are usually required to work during the day and attend classes at night, which leaves little time for anything else. Sometimes, they might be laid off if business for the employers is slow. Once they have completed the apprenticeship and become journeymen, they receive a nationally recognized and portable certification and their pay also increases again. Some journeymen continue employment with the companies they apprenticed with; others go onto different companies or become self-employed contractors. What is the tone of the writer in this passage? A) Positive. B) Negative. C) Objective. D) Argumentative.
C
Q: Chokwe Selassie, aged 13, is working hard to help drivers avoid potholes . The eighth-grader was inspired to kick off his creation on a recent morning, when his mother was driving him to school. Their car was damaged as it went over a huge pothole in the middle of the street in their hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. He decided to do something about the pothole problem in his city. Chokwe developed the app with his friends Rodriguez Ratliff and Emmanuel Brooks. When the app detects a pothole, it is highlighted in red. And if you get close to the pothole, your phone will warn you with a beep. Drivers can also use the app to report any potholes and 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, already stored in a database of the city's 311 call system. Through the call system, citizens dial 3-1-1 to report non-emergency problems which include potholes. Chokwe and his friends determined that focusing on the 10 busiest streets in Jackson would give them a large enough sample size to test the prototype. While developing the app, the boys took part in a Minority Male Makers Program sponsored by Verizon and held at Jackson State University. They learned 3D printing and design, and how to create apps. Through the program Chokwe and his friends received encouragement and guidance. Although the app isn't yet available for sale, Chokwe is already looking for ways to improve the app. He hopes to add more to it until it spreads all over the country. Which can be Chokwe's future target? A) Encouraging more kids to create apps. B) Taking part in more learning programs. C) Making the app available for sale online. D) Making the app include streets nationwide.
A: D
*Question*
When I was 10 years old, I tried out for the cheerleading squad. I had taken gymnastics classes for two years to prepare for these tryouts. However, I didn't make the team. It was a heavy blow to me. I cried all night. Kids today won't experience that kind of rejection. They're growing up in "everybody gets a turn" world where every child gets a chance to kick the ball, sing the song, and win the award. But that's not always such a good thing. Parents have become fearful of letting kids fail, thinking that our children are easily hurt and will never recover from anything--that's a serious problem. Last week, my 7-year-old daughter didn't get into the school play. At first, I was upset by it. How would she react? When I gave her the news, I was ready to hug her and cry with her. She looked at me, made a slight face and said, "That's too bad. What's for dinner?" It clearly wasn't the end of her world. Maybe if we let our kids experience rejection once in a while, we'd realize they are much stronger than we think. Kids need to be able to handle disappointments; doing so helps them to prepare for real life. Most importantly, rejection carries the possibility not only for growth and can also motivate kids to try harder the next time. Rejection is pain. There is no way around that. How will our kids ever discover their true talents if we don't let them? Instead of complaining, maybe we should consider rejection an opportunity. The author shared her childhood story with readers to _ . A) introduce the topic of how to let kids face rejection in life B) suggest how difficult it was for her to join a cheerleader squad C) show how her parents attached importance to her education D) explain why children are easily hurt in the process of their growth
**Answer**
A