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　　It's often said that the eye is the window to the soul．But in this case, the eye is the window to Windows．At least, that was the goal when EyeTech Digital Systems got the help of some BYU engineering students in creating an all－in－one eye－tracking system．

　　The idea behind the project was to create an inexpensive computer system that could be controlled completely with a person's eyes．The hope was that this system could be used by people with disabilities in parts of the world where they can't afford expensive eye－tracking systems．The students created the tablet(书写板)for their yearlong engineering project for their customer, EyeTech Digital Systems, an Arizona－based company that designs and develops eye－tracking software．

　　A separate BYU engineering team also worked with EyeTech last year to develop and improve the initial eye－tracking tephnology, but this year's focus was to put the eye tracking into a housing similar to a thick PC．The finished product runs Windows 7 and has the eye－tracking system built in．After a quick adjustment, the system can move the mouse to wherever the user is currently looking．All it takes is a blink(眨眼)to click．

　　Systems with similar abilities can cost upwards of ＄14, 000．But the students were able to find cheaper, readily available parts, pushing the cost down to under ＄1, 500．Jedediah Nieveen, the captain for this year's team, said the project was a challenge, but one that was rewarding on many levels．"A lot of times in school you just work problems out of books, " he said．"But this allowed us to take what we learned and apply it to something in real life, something that can help a lot of people, and that's really helped me．"

　　Although the primary purpose of the product is to help people with disabilities, the technology could also have broader applications in the fields of research, advertising and even gaming．

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　　Farming is moving indoors, where the sun never shines, where rainfall is irrelevant and where the climate is always right．The perfect crop field could be inside a windowless building with controlled light, temperature, wetness, air quality and nutrition．It could be in a New York high－rise or a complex in the Saudi desert．It may be an answer to the

　　The world already is having trouble feeding itself．Half the people on Earth live in cities, and nearly half of those－ about 3 billion－ are hungry or ill－fed．Food prices, currently increasing, are buffeted by dryness．Hoods and the cost of energy required to plant, harvest and transport it．And prices will only get more unstable．Climate change makes long－term crop planning uncertain．Fanners in many parts of the world already are using water available to the last drop．And the world is getting more crowded： by mid－century, the global population will grow from 6.8 billion to 9 billion．

　　To feed so many people may require expanding farmland at the expense of forests and wilderness, or finding ways to completely increase crop output．

　　Gertjan Meeuws has taken the concept of a greenhouse a step further, growing vegetables and house plants in enclosed(封闭的)and regulated environments．In their research station, water flows into the pans when needed, and the temperature is kept constant．Lights go on and off, creating similar day and night, but according to the rhythm of the plant．

　　A building of 100 square meters and layers(层)of plants could provide a daily diet of 200 grams of fresh fruit and vegetables to the entire population of Den Bosch, about 140, 000 people．Their idea isn't to grow foods that require much space, like corn or potatoes．

　　Here sunlight is not only unnecessary but can be harmful．Plants need only specific wavelengths of light to grow．Their growth rate is three times faster than under greenhouse conditions．They use about 90 percent less water than outdoors agriculture．And city fanning means producing food near the consumer, and there's no need to transport it long distances．

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　　Somewhere on the other side of the world, a small group of workers is busy with a life－or－death struggle．This battle isn't about self－protection, as admirable as that might be．By slaying to face the radiation and Fire at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station following the earthquake and then tsunami(海啸)in Japan, the 50 or so workers may have already shortened their life．They knew that would happen．

　　And yet they stay, working in near－total darkness, pumping seawater onto exposed nuclear fuel in hopes that they can prevent thousands of tons of radioactive material going into the air, and protect the health of millions of people．

　　Their task sounds like something out of a sci－fi thriller．They worked on the equipment in the complete darkness only by their flashlights, listening for explosions．They carry heavy oxygen tanks on their backs．They wear white, full－body jump suits to protect their bodies．Like Oscar said in "Armageddon"： "Scariest environment imaginable．That's all you have to say．"

　　According to news reports, some of the 50 workers volunteered to remain behind to take charge of the fire pumps with which they're spraying seawater on the exposed fuel．It's part of the job, part of the training, " an American nuclear power plant operator said．"Nobody makes a secret of the possible dangers at a place like this．If there's a problem, you don't call somebody in to fix it．It's our problem．We're the only ones who can fix it．That's just what we do．"

　　I don't know about you, but I've never really thought of nuclear power plant workers as "guardians at the gate"－those whose jobs may at any time place them in a position to protect us, perhaps at the risk of their own lives．

　　These are obviously guardians at the gate．In every case they're trained to respond to unknown possibilities．For them, it isn't a matter of courage－it's standard operating procedure．

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　　Nick Goldsmith remembers the moment he decided to become a hospice(收容所)volunteer．His mother was telling him a story about a friend who worked at a hospice, about how one day, she was walking past a patient's door when the patient cried out to her．But there was nothing wrong, he only wanted some companionship．He didn't want to be alone, so she sat with him．Goldsmith thought to himself, "There's no reason I can't do that．"

　　Not only did he do it, but he started a student volunteer program at Dowling Catholic High School to ensure the work he started at Taylor House Hospice will continue after he graduates．Last month, Iowa Health Hospice honored Goldsmith, 18, for his volunteer work with the organization by naming a ＄500 annual scholarship for him, which will be open to any student who volunteers with Iowa Health Hospice．

　　“ That was by far the least we could do to recognize Nick, " Susie Flood said．"He hasn't just given of his own time and energy, but he's encouraged others to do the same．" Goldsmith hadn't had any experience with hospice before entering the door of Taylor House．He chose it because his mother's friend, whose story had forced him to volunteer, works there．

　　"They're really excited about my being there and there's a real need for teen volunteers, " Goldsmith said．"The principal at Dowling approved my being able to offer service hours to anyone who would like to volunteer．" Students must earn a certain number of service, or community－service, hours to graduate from Dowling．

　　When Goldsmith leaves Des Moines next fall to attend college, he'll give up leading the hospice service－learning program．"I want us, as Dowling students, to keep making a difference, " he said．'It's easy to talk about things you can do to help people,, but what many teenagers don't realize is how good it can make you feel inside．"

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　　Gaudi Nanda sees a wearable computer as a handbag－ one that's built out of four－inch squares and triangles of fiber, with tiny computer chips embedded(嵌于)in it．It looks, feels and weighs like your typical leather purse．

　　That's where the similarities end： this bag can wirelessly keep track of your belongings and remind you, just as you're about to leave the house, to take your wallet．It can review the weather report and suggest that you take an umbrella．This purse can even upload your favorite songs onto your scarf．

　　Surely, a computing purse and scarf set may seem like the stuff of science fiction．But these devices, part of next generation of wearable computers, could become commonplace within a few years．Dupont created new super strong fibers that can conduct electricity and can be woven into ordinary－looking clothes．And the chipmaker developed chip packaging allowing wearable computers to be washed, even in the heavy－duty(耐磨损的)cycle．

　　As a result, these new wearable devices are different from the heavy and downright silly versions of the recent past, which often required users to be wrapped in wires and type on their stomachs．Unlike their predecessors, these new wearable computers also make economic sense．When her bag becomes commercially available in two to three years, Nanda expects it will cost around ＄ 150, which is the price of an average leather purse．

　　Here's how the bag works： You place a special radio－signal－transmitting chip onto your wallet．A similar radio in your purse picks up the signal and notifies you that you've forgotten to take your wallet．In turn, sensors on your purse's handles will notify the computer that you've picked up the purse and are ready to go．

　　Already, these new kinds of wearable devices are being adopted for use in markets like auto repair, emergency services, medical monitoring－ and even, increasingly, for consumers at large．Indeed, more people will want to cross that bridge in the coming years－making for a booming market for wearable computers that don't look like something out of science fiction．

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Hearst Castle is a palatial(宫殿式)park on the central California coast and a National Historic Landmark．It was designed by architect Julia Morgan for William Randolph Hearst from 1919 until 1947．In 1957, the Hearst Corporation donated the fortune to the state of California．Since that time it has been maintained as a state historic park where the estate and its considerable collection of art and antiques are open for public tours．In spite of its location far from any urban center, the site attracts roughly one million visitors every year．

　　Guided Tours

　　There are several tours which highlight various parts of the castle and gardens．

　　●Tour One is recommended for first time visitor．It now includes the movie, Hearst Castle Building the Dream．

　　●Tour Two gives visitors a closer look at the main house's upper floors, Mr．Hearst's private suite, the libraries, and the kitchen．

　　●Tour Three looks at the Castle's North Wing, guest rooms and guest house Casa Del Monte．

　　●Tour Four features the impressive gardens and grounds, the largest guesthouse, the wine basement, and the Hidden Terrace．

　　●The evening tour is a special tour that allows visitors to experience the Castle at night as one of the Hearst's own visitors might have．

　　Ticket Prices

　　Hearst Castle accepts VISA, MasterCard, American Express and Discover．Free day use parking is available for automobiles, motorcycles, tour buses and recreational vehicles．

　　* Children under 6 are free when accompanied by a paying adult．

　　Reservation Information

　　While tickets may be purchased at the Visitor Center upon arrival, tour reservations are strongly recommended and may be reserved online now or by calling 1－800－444－4445, see below for times．

　　Visit www．Hearst castle．org for more information．

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　　The United States is the world's largest consumer of energy．We use electricity, gas and oil to light and heat our buildings and run our cars．The demand for power is growing．But we may not need to build new power plants for or find more oil．The best way to increase our supply of energy is to be more efficient．

　　Did you know that when you leave your video－game console on, it consumes more electricity than two refrigerators? Or that those funny－looking, twisty bulbs use 75％ less power than traditional light bulbs? We have the tools to save money, reduce pollution and even help our planet, simply by wasting less energy．

　　As President, Barack Obama plans to make energy efficiency in American a major goal．He has pledged to cut 15％ of all energy used by the Federal Government．In a speech, he called for 75％ of government office buildings to be updated for better efficiency．He pointed out that energy－efficient buildings and homes will save consumers billions of dollars on energy bills．An "extra benefit", he added, will be "a cleaner, safer planet．"

　　Gas, coal and oil are called fossil fuels．Fossil fuels have been the world's main source of energy for hundreds of years．But burning them releases dirty gases, which cause pollution．

　　There are two main ways to save energy．The first is to use more efficient machines．Hybrid cars use less gas．New appliances are designed to use less electricity．Today's refrigerators are three times more efficient than those before 1973．Laptop computers consume much less energy than desktop computers．

　　The second is to use machines more productively．According to the US Department of Energy, in the average home, 75％ of the electricity used to power electronic equipment is standby power(备用电源)．That means power flowing to plugged－in appliances whether or not they are being used．

　　Homeowners can avoid wasting power by pulling the plug on appliances when they are not in use．Efficiency experts argue that today's best techniques could cut US oil and gas use in half, and reduce our electricity use by three－fourths．

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cochran, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School, did something unforgettable．On the first day of school, with permission of the school headmaster, she took all of the desks out of the classroom．

　　The kids came into the first period．They walked in, there were no desks．They looked around and said, "Ms Cochran, where's our desks? " And she said, "You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn them．”

　　They thought, "Well, maybe it's our grades．”

　　"No, " she said．

　　"Maybe it's our behavior．"

　　And she told them, "No, it's not even your behavior．"

　　Second period, the same thing．Third period…By early afternoon television news reporters had gathered in Ms．Cochran's class to find out about this crazy teacher．

　　The last period of the day, Martha Cochran gathered her class．They were at this time sitting on the ground floor around the sides of the room．"Throughout the day no one has really understood how you earn the ordinary desks in this classroom．" she said, "Now I'm going to tell you．"

　　Martha Cochran went to the door of the classroom and opened it, and as she did, twenty－seven adults, who were fathers or mothers of the kids, walked into that classroom, each one having a school desk．And they placed those school desks in rows．And by the time they had finished placing those desks; those kids for the first time in their lives understood how they earned those desks．

　　Martha said, "You don't have to earn those desks．They did it for you．They put them out there for you, but it's up to you to sit here responsibly to learn, to be good students and good citizens, because they paid a price for you to have that desk, and don't ever forget it! "

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　　Have you ever dreamed of visiting a planet in the Milky Way(银河系)? While the trip sounds exciting, it would take years and years to reach your destination．So in the future, bedtime for astronauts may be more than a few hours of regular shut eye．

　　They would have to sleep for years．

　　European researchers are now conducting hibernation experiments．The study may help them understand whether humans could ever sleep through the years it would take for a spaceflight to distant planets． “If there was an effective technology, it could make deep space travel a reality．” said Mark Ayre of the European Space Agency last month．

　　What seems like a science fiction is not completely unlikely．Researchers have been able to use chemicals to put living cells into a sleep like state where they don't age．They have now moved on to the small, nonhibernating mammals(哺乳动物)like rats．

　　A major challenge is the fact that cells can be very simple systems, whereas body organs are far more complex(复杂的)． “It's like moving from a simple Apple computer to a supercomputer,” Just like bears and frogs, the hibernation of human beings would cause a person's metabolism(新陈代谢)to lower so they would need less energy．

　　Medical research, however, is just half of a spaceflight hibernation system．There is a challenge of designing a suitable protective shelter(栖身所)．Such a shelter would provide the proper environment for hibernation, such as the proper temperature．It would also have to monitor(监控)life functions and serve the physiological needs of the hibernator．

　　According to Ayre, the six－person Human Outer Planets Exploration Mission(使命)to Jupiter's moon(木星的卫星)Callisto could be an opportunity to use human hibernation．The mission aims to send six persons on a five－year flight to Callisto, where they will spend 30 days, in 2045．

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Shopping for clothes is not the same experience for a man as it is for a woman．A man goes shopping because he needs something．His purpose is settled and decided in advance．He knows what he wants, and his objective is to find it and buy it; the price is a secondary consideration．All men simply walk into a shop and ask the assistant for what they want．If the shop has it in stock, the salesman promptly produces it, and the business of trying it on follows at once．All being well, the deal can be and often is completed in less than five minutes, with hardly any chat and to everyone's satisfaction．

　　For a man, slight problems may begin when the shop doesn't have what he wants．In that case the salesman, as the name implies, tries to sell the customer something else．He offers the nearest he can to the article required．No good salesman brings out such a substitute impolitely; he does so with skill：“I know this jacket is not the style you want, sir, but would you like to try it for size? It happens to be the color you mentioned．” Few men have patience with this treatment, and the usual response is． “This is the right color and may be the right size, but I should be wasting my time and yours by trying it on．”

　　Now how does a woman go about buying clothes? In almost every respect she does so in the opposite way．Her shopping is not often based on need．She has never fully made up her mind what she wants, and she is only “having a look round” ．She is always open to persuasion; indeed she sets great store by what the saleswoman tells her, even by what companions tell her．She will try on any number of things．Uppermost in her mind is the thought of finding something that everyone thinks suits her．Contrary to a lot of jokes, most women have an excellent sense of value when they buy clothes．They are always on the look－out for the unexpected bargain．Faced with a roomful of dresses, a woman may easily spend an hour going from one rail to another, to and fro, often retracing her steps, before selecting the dresses she wants to try on．It is a laborious process, but apparently an enjoyable one．Most dress shops provide chairs for the waiting husbands．