Every vehicle needs tires, but eventually they wear out. Roads wear out too, and they often need repairing. But new research by a pair of teens suggests the rubber from worn-out tires could lengthen the lifetime of asphalt pavement. Also roads made with this material might need fewer patches . The young researchers presented their findings in May, 2014, as finalists at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). The 64th annual Intel ISEF shows some of the best high school science projects from around the globe. Many roads are made with asphalt, which requires much petroleum. But Jordan is a country that has very few oil wells or other sources of petroleum, notes Mohammad Salameh, who is a 10th-grader at the International School in Amman, Jordan. For Jordan, having to import most of the country's petroleum adds greatly to its cost, the teen notes. The extra expense means that there's less money to build and maintain roads. That has resulted in poorer quality roads. As a result, those roads need to be patched almost constantly. Therefore, 16-year-old Mohammad and his research partner, 15-year-old classmate Adam Belaid, came up with the idea of adding rubber to asphalt. But that rubber can come from old tires. Even a worn-out tire contains much rubber, which means the material should be plentiful, says Mohammad. Drivers in Jordan replaced 9 million tons of tires between 2006 and 2010, and only 0.3% of that rubber was recycled. That leaves much rubber that could possibly go into road construction. But first the teens had to show adding rubber to asphalt resulted in better roads. To test their idea, they created several different asphalt-rubber recipes. They also tried out different temperatures at which the mix was heated. And their tests suggested that when the surfacing material includes 8% rubber, it should hold up for 10 to 15 years of traffic instead of the normal 5 years. And their recipe should reduce the need for patching worn areas from once a year, to maybe once every 5~7 years... What made the two teenagers think of carrying out the research? A) Frequent road repairs in Jordan. B) Their interest in recycling old tires. C) The slowdown in the Jordanian economy. D) Their desire to replace petroleum with something.
A
Scientists are making new studies of color and its effects on our health. They have known for a long time that the color of a room or the color of the light in it can affect our feelings and emotions. Many prisons and hospitals have at least one room that is painted pink. Officials have found that light and color can produce physical changes in our bodies. Professor Falfan worked with a group of 9 disabled children at school in Albert. Two of the children were blind. The other seven had normal sight. The scientists changed the color of the school room, then looked for changes in blood pressure, heart beat and breathing rate. The effects of color changes were the same for the blind children as for those with normal sight. Their blood pressure dropped from about 120 to 100. Similar changes were reported in heart-beat and the breathing. The children also were calmer and less excited. Then the colors of the room were returned to orange and white. Blood pressure, heart-beat and breathing rate went up and the children became excited again. Professor Falfan said different colors produce different levels of light energy. He said the differences seem to affect chemicals in the brain that carry messages from nerve to nerve and from nerve to muscle. After reading the passage we can conclude that _ . A) blind people can be affected by colors, too B) one's heart will beat fast in a colorful room than in a white room C) the chemicals in the brain change with feelings and emotions D) if one's blood pressure drops, his breathing will get slower and slower
A
Q: Have you seen a historical film recently? Do you think it was accurate? Some say that there is no such thing as a historical film. In many cases, Hollywood film-makers simply change the facts. Just look at these supposedly "historical" films. 1. The Patriot The film was released in 2000 and was directed by Ronald Emmerish and starred Mel Gibson. It is set near Charleston, South Carolina, during the American Revolutionary War(1775--1783) and follows the story of Benjamin Martin and his fight for American freedom against the British. The film was criticized for inventing and exaggerating British cruelty. The most criticized scene was one showing the burning of a church containing people of the town, of which there is no historical record. Another historical inaccuracy was the description of American-owned slaves being freed to serve with the American forces. In reality, many slaves ran away from their American owners and fought with the British against the Americans. 2. Brave Heart The film(1995) starred Mel Gibson was directed by Toby Reisz. It is based on the life of Scottish national hero William Wallace and his fight against English rule in Scotland during the 13th century. The film includes an affair between William Wallace and Princess Isabella (based on Isabella of France). The film implies she is a mother-to-be when William Wallace will be killed. However, historically, the real Isabella was a child of nine still living in France at this time, never having met Wallace. The film also caused controversy because of its anti-English nature. Apparently, when the film was shown in Glasgow, there was a loud noise made by happy American audience. 3. U-571 This 2000 film was directed by Jonathan Mostow and starred Mathew MacConaughey, Havey Keitel and Jon Bon Jovi. It took place during the Second World War(1939--1945). In the film, a German submarine(warship underwater) is boarded in 1942 by American soldiers who made themselves up as Germans. They took away the German submarine's code-language machine, which,... This article mainly _ . A) praises four "historical" films B) shares with us four great movies C) tells the readers about the inaccuracy of four "historical" films D) expresses the writer's positive attitude towards the "historical" films
A: C
During the next several weeks I went completely to the wolves. I took a tiny tent and set it up on the shore of bay. The big telescope was set up in the mouth of the tent in such a way that I could observe the wolves by day or night. Quite by accident I had pitched (set up) my tent within ten yards of one of the major paths used by the wolves. Shortly after I had taken up residence one of the wolves came back and discovered me and my tent, but he did not stop or hesitate in his pace. Later, one or more wolves used the track past my tent and never did they show the slightest interest in me. I felt uncomfortable at being so totally ignored. The next day I noticed a male wolf make boundary markers by passing water on the rounds of his family lands. Once I had become aware of the strong feeling of property rights which existed among the wolves, I decided to use this knowledge to make them at least recognize my existence. One evening, after they had gone off for their regular nightly hunt I staked out a property of my own, including a long section of the wolves' path. In order to ensure that my claim would not be overlooked, I made a property mark on stones, dumps of moss, and patches of vegetation with a lot of tea. Before the hunters came back, task was done, and I retired, somewhat exhausted, to observe results. A few minutes later, the leading male appeared. As usual he did not bother to glance at the tent, but when he reached the point where my property line intersected (cut across) the trail , he stopped as suddenly as if he had run into an invisible wall. Cautiously, he extended his nose and sniffed at one of my marked bushes. After a minute of hesitation he backed away a few yards and sat down. Then, he looked directly at the tent and at me. His glare seemed to become more fierce as I attempted to stare him down. The situation was becoming intolerable. To break the impasse I turned my back on the wolf. Then quickly and with an air of decision, he turned his attention away from me and began a... Which is TRUE according to the passage? A) The author likes staring matches especially with wolves. B) Staking the land was very easy. C) Wolves can see the estate boundaries clearly with their eyes. D) The author managed to know why the wolves ignore his presence.
D