专题14阅读理解（主旨大意题）
科技是把双刃剑一
Bacteria are an annoying problem for astronauts. The microorganisms(微生物) from our bodies grow uncontrollably on surfaces of the International Space Station, so astronauts spend hours cleaning them up each week. How is NASA overcoming this very tiny big problem? It’s turning to a bunch of high school kids. But not just any kids. It depending on NASA HUNCH high school class, like the one science teachers Gene Gordon and Donna Himmelberg lead at Fairport High School in Fairport, New York.
HUNCH is designed to connect high school classrooms with NASA engineers. For the past two years, Gordon’s students have been studying ways to kill bacteria in zero gravity, and they think they’re clo to a solution(解决方案). “We don’t give the students any breaks. They have to do it just like NASA engineers,” says Florence Gold, a project manager.
“There are no tests,” Gordon says. “There is no graded homework. There almost are no gra
des, other thanweixiao ‘Are you working towards your goal?’ Basically, it’s ‘I’ve got to produce this product and then, at the end of year, prent it to NASA.’ Engineers come and really do an in-person review, and…it’s not a very nice thing at time. It’s a hard business review of your product.”
Gordon says the HUNCH program has an impact(影响) on college admissions and practical life skills.“The kids are so absorbed in their studies that I just sit back. I don’t teach.” And that annoying bacteria? Gordon says his students are emailing daily with NASA engineers about the problem, readying a workable solution to test in space.
1.钢琴基本功 What do we know about the bacteria in the International Space Station?
A. They are hard to get rid of.
入职培训心得体会
解放的姜戈B. They lead to air pollution.
微信男头像C. They appear different forms.
D. They damage the instruments.
2. What is the purpo of the HUNCH program?
A. To strengthen teacher-student relationships.
B. To sharpen students’ communication skills.
C. To allow students to experience zero gravity.
D. To link space technology with school education.
3. What do the NASA engineers do for the students in the program?
A. Check their product. B. Guide project designs
C. Adjust work schedules. D. Grade their homework.
4. What is the best title for the text?
A. NASA: The Home of Astronauts.
B. Space: The Final Homework Frontier.
C. Nature: An Outdoor Classroom.
D. HUNCH: A College Admission Reform.
二
We’ve all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane, surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focud on their smartphones or, wor, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.
What’s the problem? It’s possible that we all have compromid conversational intelligence. It’s more likely that none of us start a conversation becau it’s awkward and challenging, or we think it’s annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourlf among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it’s an invaluable social practice that results in big benefits.
Dismissing small talk as unimportant is easy, but we can’快开学了作文t forget that deep relationships wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for casual conversation. Small talk is the grea(润滑剂) f
or social communication, says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. “Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk,” he explains. “The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them.”
In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, associate professor of psychology at UBC, invited people on their way into a coffee shop. One group was asked to ek out an interaction(互动) with its waiter; the other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that tho who chatted with their rver reported significantly higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience. “It’s not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband,” says Dunn. “But interactions with peripheral(边缘的) members of our social network matter for our well-being also.”
Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a significantly greater n of belonging, a bond with others. Carducci believes developing such a n of belonging starts with small talk. “Small talk is the basis of good manners,” 皮衣he says.
