City of Tomorrow
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news/story/0,28277,1880990,00.html
Middle school students build a winning, eco-friendly city for the future
By Vickie An
Imagine an eco-conscious city where rooftops have been transformed into fertile, green gardens. It's a place where every home is equipped with a system that recycles valuable water resources. In this town, protecting the planet is a way of life. That's how Abby Sharp, 14, Wyatt Peery, 13, and Tom Krajnak, 14, saw their city of tomorrow. The vision won the eighth-graders from Bexley, Ohio, first prize at the 2009 National Engineers Week Future City Competition.
K.R.R. PHOTOGRAPHY, LTD.This green city of the future was designed by Ohio students Abby Sharp, Wyatt Peery and Tom Krajnak. They named the city Novo Mondum, which means ew world?in Latin.
The annual design competition challenges middle school students to use engineering to tackle issues that affect the earth. This year the competition focused on water conservation. Participants had to come up with ways to improve water use in the home. Kids from 38 middle schools across the country competed in the finals. The event took place from February 17-18 in Washington, D.C. More than 30,000 students entered the competition.
A Whole New World
Abby, Wyatt and Tom call their winning city Novo Mondum. The name means "new world" in Latin. Novo Mondum sits on the coast of Iceland. The group chose the spot for its wealth of clean energy resources, such as geothermal energy and hydropower. Both sources use the power of nature to generate electricity. Geothermal energy draws heat from deep inside the Earth. Hydropower harnesses energy from flowing water. "Our city is very globally aware," Abby told TFK.
Students team up with a teacher and a volunteer engineer mentor to develop their cities. Each group creates a fictional city on SimCity 4 Deluxe, a computer game that allows players to build virtual towns. Then they construct tabletop models of the cities and write essays describing their project. The models must be made using recycled materials and cost no more than $100 to build.
"Every year we present these kids with really tough engineering issues, and they continually astound us with their knowledge, ideas and solutions for the future," says Bill Knight, Future City National Program Manager.
Future Engineers of America
Organizers hope the competition is a fun way to get kids energized about engineering. It certainly got the winning team thinking about futures in the field. "Engineers are involved in every aspect of building a city," Tom says. "We discovered how necessary they are." Wyatt adds, "The competition taught us how to think on our feet."
The grand-prize winners will receive a trip to U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. Competition sponsor Bentley Systems, Inc., will provide classroom sets of engineering software for each of the schools of the top three teams.
Astound-使震驚;使大驚
Max-The grand prize students in the competition on Engineering Week are very excellent. In this year, the competitors need to organize a city that needs to improve water use. More than 30,000 competitors entered the race, and the winning team came up with a beautiful scenery in the city. The name of the city is called Novo Mondum, which is “new world” in Latin. In the engineering picture, it consists a tall building, some weird houses, and an earth-like water works. The city sits in Iceland. I think this engineering competition can let the middle school students build our future world and our future home when they grow up.
2009/07/29
2009/07/28
Underwater Treasures
Underwater Treasures
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news/story/0,28277,1912992,00.html
Archaeologists have discovered the wrecks of five ancient ships, and their cargo is in perfect condition
By Laura Slot
Researchers have found five ancient ships on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Italy. One of the ships is more than 2,000 years old and the others are about 1,600 years old. The ships carried vases filled with wine, olive oil, fish sauce and other products for trade. Kitchen tools, bowls and glass objects were also onboard. The wrecks are a real treasure, because all their cargo is in perfect condition.
"It is like an underwater museum," said Annalisa Zarattini, who is an expert in underwater archeology in Italy. The ships were probably trying to find shelter from a storm close to Rome and Naples, but then sunk.
Hidden in the Deep
The ships still look good after thousands of years because they sank in a deep part of the sea, Zarattini said. Here, the ships were protected from strong underwater currents so they weren't damaged. The wrecks were also safe from treasure hunters, who probably couldn't dive that deep. Almost none of the vases and other goods broke, because the ships didn't turn over in the storm.
The ships sank while sailing along an ancient Roman trading route. Traders shipped goods from distant places such as Africa and Spain to Italy. Foods such as fish sauce were a delicacy in ancient Rome.
The researchers found the wrecks using sonar technology, which uses soundwaves to scan the bottom of the sea for objects. The vases, bowls and tools they found in the ships will be studied and displayed in museums in Italy. The researchers will continue to search for more shipwrecks, trying to preserve them before treasure-seeking divers plunder the wrecks and steal valuable treasures.
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news/story/0,28277,1912992,00.html
Archaeologists have discovered the wrecks of five ancient ships, and their cargo is in perfect condition
By Laura Slot
Researchers have found five ancient ships on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Italy. One of the ships is more than 2,000 years old and the others are about 1,600 years old. The ships carried vases filled with wine, olive oil, fish sauce and other products for trade. Kitchen tools, bowls and glass objects were also onboard. The wrecks are a real treasure, because all their cargo is in perfect condition.
"It is like an underwater museum," said Annalisa Zarattini, who is an expert in underwater archeology in Italy. The ships were probably trying to find shelter from a storm close to Rome and Naples, but then sunk.
Hidden in the Deep
The ships still look good after thousands of years because they sank in a deep part of the sea, Zarattini said. Here, the ships were protected from strong underwater currents so they weren't damaged. The wrecks were also safe from treasure hunters, who probably couldn't dive that deep. Almost none of the vases and other goods broke, because the ships didn't turn over in the storm.
The ships sank while sailing along an ancient Roman trading route. Traders shipped goods from distant places such as Africa and Spain to Italy. Foods such as fish sauce were a delicacy in ancient Rome.
The researchers found the wrecks using sonar technology, which uses soundwaves to scan the bottom of the sea for objects. The vases, bowls and tools they found in the ships will be studied and displayed in museums in Italy. The researchers will continue to search for more shipwrecks, trying to preserve them before treasure-seeking divers plunder the wrecks and steal valuable treasures.
Max-I think the things in the shipwreck are valuable because it is over 2000 years old and it is not been damaged! For goodness sake that the treasure hunters didn’t take the things because they can’t dive that deep. We should protect those things because they are less seen so no one can steal it.
2009/07/27
Blessing tourism for Japan guests
Blessing tourism for Japan guests
http://www.studentpost.com.tw/commentary/default.asp?sIssue=1138
日本觀光客的祈福之旅
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Approximately 79,000 Japanese tourists visited Taiwan this past April, a three percent drop over April of a year ago.
News was recently released that the Taipei City Government has invested some NT$10 million (US$300,000) in new tour promotional packages again aimed at the Japanese market.
The new promotional packages tout a list of Taipei temples, and urge people in Japan to jump on a plane and fly to Taiwan for temple hopping that will supposedly lead to good luck in life.
The promoters are waving a litany of blessings in the air that several temples are claiming to offer to their adherents. I have heard of entertainment tourism. I have heard of eco-tourism, medical tourism, and educational tourism. Why not make room now for blessing tourism?
The promotional blurbs urge Japanese travelers in need of high grades for examinations to bow heads and light incense at Taipei's Confucius Temple. The Great Teacher is waiting for an opportunity to shower rewards on scholars under stress.
Our would-be Japanese guests surely know the difference between puffery and truth. There is no need to get too worked up about this imaginative, if somewhat comically designed sales strategy. The question that remains, however, is what such sales pitches do to the image of a country I dearly love.
Max-I think the Japanese people travel here to pray by the Confucius temple because they want to travel safe and have good luck. But why blurb so much for Taipei temples? Because the Taipei temples are good and bless people. So let’s make a room for blessing tourism.
http://www.studentpost.com.tw/commentary/default.asp?sIssue=1138
日本觀光客的祈福之旅
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Approximately 79,000 Japanese tourists visited Taiwan this past April, a three percent drop over April of a year ago.
News was recently released that the Taipei City Government has invested some NT$10 million (US$300,000) in new tour promotional packages again aimed at the Japanese market.
The new promotional packages tout a list of Taipei temples, and urge people in Japan to jump on a plane and fly to Taiwan for temple hopping that will supposedly lead to good luck in life.
The promoters are waving a litany of blessings in the air that several temples are claiming to offer to their adherents. I have heard of entertainment tourism. I have heard of eco-tourism, medical tourism, and educational tourism. Why not make room now for blessing tourism?
The promotional blurbs urge Japanese travelers in need of high grades for examinations to bow heads and light incense at Taipei's Confucius Temple. The Great Teacher is waiting for an opportunity to shower rewards on scholars under stress.
Our would-be Japanese guests surely know the difference between puffery and truth. There is no need to get too worked up about this imaginative, if somewhat comically designed sales strategy. The question that remains, however, is what such sales pitches do to the image of a country I dearly love.
Max-I think the Japanese people travel here to pray by the Confucius temple because they want to travel safe and have good luck. But why blurb so much for Taipei temples? Because the Taipei temples are good and bless people. So let’s make a room for blessing tourism.
2009/07/24
Homework-Writing
July 24, 2009
P.2
One day, they went to the park to go fishing. One fisherman was very good at fishing that he caught many fish, but the other one didn’t catch any fish because he wasn’t good at it. Suddenly the fisherman caught another fish, but the other one caught a rubber tire instead of a fish.
P.24&25
A. One man was thirsty in the desert but there was no water to drink. Then a person selling ties asked the man: “Want to buy some ties?” But he didn’t want to buy because he only wanted water. He kept walking, and found another person selling ties. He still ignored him and kept walking on. Finally he found a building, and he went in. But the guard said: “To go in, you must have a tie.”
B. Hey, did you ever hear this one? A woman goes in a diner and ordered a cup of coffee. She takes a sip and screams, “This coffee tastes like mud.” The waiter said, “Well, it was ground this morning.”
P.2
One day, they went to the park to go fishing. One fisherman was very good at fishing that he caught many fish, but the other one didn’t catch any fish because he wasn’t good at it. Suddenly the fisherman caught another fish, but the other one caught a rubber tire instead of a fish.
P.24&25
A. One man was thirsty in the desert but there was no water to drink. Then a person selling ties asked the man: “Want to buy some ties?” But he didn’t want to buy because he only wanted water. He kept walking, and found another person selling ties. He still ignored him and kept walking on. Finally he found a building, and he went in. But the guard said: “To go in, you must have a tie.”
B. Hey, did you ever hear this one? A woman goes in a diner and ordered a cup of coffee. She takes a sip and screams, “This coffee tastes like mud.” The waiter said, “Well, it was ground this morning.”
2009/07/22
The Dalai Lama
July 22, 2009
The Dalai Lama
By Max
I think the Dalai Lama is a good and peaceful person because of he wants to let many people peaceful like him too. Unlike the poor, they are so peaceful but rich people are not peaceful. The Dalai Lama promotes peace, compassion, and tolerant with several ways, like looking at all situations from all angles will let you become open and knowing this earth as a home. He also gave some green tips like turn off the lights when you’re not using it, recycle garbage, and to clean beaches full of garbage (My own idea.). Doing this and other great things can let us become different, and let the world become different.
The Dalai Lama
By Max
I think the Dalai Lama is a good and peaceful person because of he wants to let many people peaceful like him too. Unlike the poor, they are so peaceful but rich people are not peaceful. The Dalai Lama promotes peace, compassion, and tolerant with several ways, like looking at all situations from all angles will let you become open and knowing this earth as a home. He also gave some green tips like turn off the lights when you’re not using it, recycle garbage, and to clean beaches full of garbage (My own idea.). Doing this and other great things can let us become different, and let the world become different.
Chomp! Meat Eating Plants
July 22, 2009
Chomp! Meat eating plants
By Max
Meat eating plants eat insects when they’re hungry. Meat eating plants like Venus flytraps, Pitchers, Cape sundews, Alice sundews, Titan butterwort, and many others, use some sweet juice to let the insect fly in and drink it, and it catches the insect. Venus flytraps just let the insect fly in the trap to drink juice, and the flytrap catches it. Pitchers let insects get stuck in the pitcher and eat it. Sundews let insects fly in to suck the juice and use their sticky leaves to tie the fly. Butterworts use their sticky leaves too to eat the insects been sticked to its leaves.
Chomp! Meat eating plants
By Max
Meat eating plants eat insects when they’re hungry. Meat eating plants like Venus flytraps, Pitchers, Cape sundews, Alice sundews, Titan butterwort, and many others, use some sweet juice to let the insect fly in and drink it, and it catches the insect. Venus flytraps just let the insect fly in the trap to drink juice, and the flytrap catches it. Pitchers let insects get stuck in the pitcher and eat it. Sundews let insects fly in to suck the juice and use their sticky leaves to tie the fly. Butterworts use their sticky leaves too to eat the insects been sticked to its leaves.
2009/07/19
The World Game's Fireworks
Sunday, July 19th, 2009
The Fireworks
By Max
Today we went to see the fireworks in the evening. At 8:00, we changed our clothes and we went out. We first went to Green Bay, and we walked there because of no bikes or motorcycles can go in. We saw a lot of people, about 20000 people. We came up the ramp, and went down the ramp to the ground. We heard a band singing there on a very big stage. I want to see the concert, but since Dad only wanted to go to eat some food, so we quickly walked away. We went in the door to the food area and got a handbill. At the food area, there are a lot of tents, and it had various kinds of food. We didn’t walk along because I don’t want to eat it. So we sat on the manhole cover. We waited and waited until the first firework happened on the back of us. We can’t watch it very clearly, because there is a building which blocked the firework. But it was still very beautiful, because it has many colors and big explosions. But at 9:00, the “real” firework finally started. The firework had even bigger bangs and a part that shoots fireworks like a fast shooter! After the firework, I think that this firework is the most beautiful, and this is the first time I had seen the firework with a short distance! After the firework, we went to see a softball game. It is Taiwan versus Japan. After we arrived, the score is tied 1-1. But at the 8th inning, that player that defenses home base didn’t catch the ball thrown from the other player and let Japan score another point and ended the game winning! I think that the player is stupid and should been replaced! After the ball game, we went home.
The Fireworks
By Max
Today we went to see the fireworks in the evening. At 8:00, we changed our clothes and we went out. We first went to Green Bay, and we walked there because of no bikes or motorcycles can go in. We saw a lot of people, about 20000 people. We came up the ramp, and went down the ramp to the ground. We heard a band singing there on a very big stage. I want to see the concert, but since Dad only wanted to go to eat some food, so we quickly walked away. We went in the door to the food area and got a handbill. At the food area, there are a lot of tents, and it had various kinds of food. We didn’t walk along because I don’t want to eat it. So we sat on the manhole cover. We waited and waited until the first firework happened on the back of us. We can’t watch it very clearly, because there is a building which blocked the firework. But it was still very beautiful, because it has many colors and big explosions. But at 9:00, the “real” firework finally started. The firework had even bigger bangs and a part that shoots fireworks like a fast shooter! After the firework, I think that this firework is the most beautiful, and this is the first time I had seen the firework with a short distance! After the firework, we went to see a softball game. It is Taiwan versus Japan. After we arrived, the score is tied 1-1. But at the 8th inning, that player that defenses home base didn’t catch the ball thrown from the other player and let Japan score another point and ended the game winning! I think that the player is stupid and should been replaced! After the ball game, we went home.
訂閱：
文章 (Atom)
