For many blind people, computers are inaccessible. It can cost $1,000 to purchase “screen reader” software, but two blind computer programmers from Australia have solved this problem.

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) graduate James Teh and business partner Michael Curran developed a free, open-source program, called NVDA, which provides a voice to read the words on a computer screen as the cursor(光标) moves over them. NVDA won the blind inventors an award in the grand final program of the ABC’s New Inventors, which aired on September 23. They took home the award for an invention that “might make a real difference to people’s lives or the environment.”

“A sighted person takes for granted that they can sit down at any computer and use it,” Mr Teh said. “We really are in the information age — everything is online these days. So access to computers for the blind is very important, which is why we wanted our software to be free.”

Mr Teh, who majored in software engineering at QUT, said blind students typically didn’t have the money to purchase “screen reader” technology, at the time in their life when they most needed it. Now NVDA could be downloaded on to anyone’s personal computer free of charge.

“It can also be copied to a USB stick, which can be used on any PC at school or university, with no installation required,” he said.

Mr Teh and Mr Curran have drawn on their own experience as blind computer users to develop a product which has some unique features. For example, as the mouse moves up and down the screen, a sound becomes higher and lower to let you know where the cursor is located.

NVDA has been translated into 27 languages, thanks to volunteer translators. To date, there have been over 50,000 downloads.

Mr Teh and Mr Curran have been working on the project since 2006. They worked on their product without any pay for two years. When Mozilla offered some funding in 2008, Mr Teh was able to quit his day job and work full-time developing NVDA.

1.NVDA won an award in the program of the ABC’s New Inventors because it _____.

A．causes no harm to the environment         B．influences people’ s lives

C．is aiming at blind people                  D．is easy to use

2.Why did James Teh and Michael Curran want their software to be free?

A．They got funding from Mozilla.

B．They belonged to a volunteer group.

C．They wanted to help the blind.

D．They wanted people to give up “screen reader” software.

3.What do we know about Teh and Curran?

A．They are studying at QUT.                 B．They are good at translating.

C．They know how the blind feel.              D．They began to develop NVDA in 2008.

 

On April 10, 1815, Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted with great force. Fifty cubic kilometers of magma (岩浆) flew from its peak (山顶) and a blanket of ash as thick as one centimeter fell over more than 500,000 square kilometers of Indonesia and the Java Sea. The eruption destroyed Tambora’s peak and formed a hole six by seven kilometers wide. The eruption and resulting tsunamis killed 10,000 people. The agricultural loss and disease brought about by the thick ash caused the deaths of 82,000 more.

Indonesia was rocked again in 1883. On August 26, a small volcano on an uninhabited island between Sumatra and Java, erupted. The eruption produced an ash cloud 80 kilometers high and was heard in Australia—4,800 kilometers away. The eruption also caused a tsunami, which pounded (击打) the shores of Java and Sumatra—killing 36,000 people.

In 1902, St. Pierre was a thriving (兴盛的) community and the largest town on the French colony of Martinique in the Caribbean Sea. Mont Pelee cast a shadow over the town from where it stood, eight kilometers to the north. The townspeople were used to the light continuous sounds of the mountain, but in May, 1902 Pelee started to get really unstable. Clouds of steam and ash poured from the volcano and on May 8, Pelee erupted. Superheated gas and steaming volcanic ash flew out, pouring down the mountain at high speed. Within seconds, the deadly gas cloud had destroyed the town of St. Pierre and incinerated everyone in it — except one prisoner in a basement cell. It was the worst volcano disaster of the 20th century.

1.How many people died because of the eruption on April 10, 1815 ?

A．About 10,000.	B．More than 82,000.
C．About 36,000.	D．More than 92,000.

2.The underlined word “incinerated” in the last paragraph can be replaced by “_____”.

A．brought up

B．burned up

C．woke up

D．shut up

3.Only one prisoner survived the volcano eruption of Mont Pelee on May 8 because _____.

A．he was on a ship then

B．he was kept underground

C．he stayed in the water

D．he was hidden in a well

4. We can know from this article that _____.

A．no measures can be taken to protect people from a volcano eruption

B．volcanoes usually caused a series of earthquakes

C．sometimes a volcano can completely destroy a city

D．volcanoes are much more violent than the earthquakes

 

Imagine someone has crossed the seas joining five continents by swimming. It is a major success for anyone. But it is an even greater success for Philippe Croizon, who has no arms, and no legs! His achievements show that we can all achieve great things—no matter who we are.

Philippe Croizon was 26 years old when he had an accident. The doctors had to remove both of his arms and legs. “When they cut off my last leg I wanted to die. I suffered great depression and my spirit was as low as you can get. But you have to choose—and I chose to live!” said Croizon.

While he was recovering in hospital, Croizon saw a television programme about a woman who had been swimming across the English Channel. After watching the programme Croizon decided to do it. He began to exercise every day to make him strong and it took him two years to prepare.

Finally in 2010, Croizon was ready. He entered the cold, grey sea of the English Channel. He was now 42 years old. It took him from early morning until night to swim the distance. He felt a lot of pain. But he had become the first person without arms and legs to swim between France and England. Croizon had achieved his dream, but he did not stop there. He looked for a new goal.

Early in 2012 he planned to swim across the seas that join five major continents. During the next few months he swam between the four continents of Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe and finally in the cold waters of the Bering Strait between the continents of Asia and the Americas.

“We want to show people something. If disabled people have courage and a lot of training they can do the same things as those who are not disabled,” said Croizon.

1.According to the passage, Philippe Croizon _____.

A. was born with disability                      

B. suffered a lot from the accident

C. chose to live because of a TV programme        

D. was fond of swimming since he was young

2.What do we know about Philippe Croizon’s swimming across the English Channel?

A. It took him two years to finish it.            

B. He was the first person to achieve it.

C. It was easy for him to finish the swim.        

D. He spent a lot of time preparing for it.

3.Philippe Croizon’s crossing the seas joining five continents______.

A. lasted a month                             

B. ended in the Bering Strait

C. happened when he was 42 years old       

D. was inspired by a television programme

4.Which of the following can best describe Philippe Croizon’s story?

A. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.           

B. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

C. Actions speak louder than words.          

D. The finest diamond must be cut.

5.What’s the best title for the passage?

A. Hope in the corner                        

B. A disabled man’s dream

C. Challenges to Philippe Croizon              

D. Philippe Croizon’s amazing swim

 

Come and see the Indian elephants and the new tigers from America. The bears are waiting to meet you, and the monkeys from China are waiting to throw things at you. The lovely dogs from Australia are waiting to laugh at you, and the giraffes from Zambia are waiting to look down on You.

Tickets   Grown-ups：＄2.00

Children：Over 12 ＄1.00 Under 12 Free

Opening time:9:00 a.m.— 4:00 p.m.  Except Friday 10:00 a.m. — 3 :00 p.m.

Keep the zoo clean！Do not touch，give food or go near the animals.

1.How many kinds of animals are talked about in the passage？

A．Four

B．Five

C．Six

D．Seven

2.Now Mr. Smith is in the zoo with his two sons, one aged 14 and the other 10, how much are the tickets together？

A．$4.00

B．$2.00

C．$3.00

D．$1.00

3.Which of the following is the visiting time？

A．8:30 a.m. Monday

B．9:30 a.m. Friday

C．3:00 p.m. Sunday

D．5:00 p.m. Tuesday

4.From the passage we can guess the animal “giraffe” must be very _______.

A．fat

B．long

C．strong

D．tall

5.Which of the following can we do in the zoo？

A．To give some food to the dogs.	B．To touch the monkey on the head.
C．To throw things everywhere.	D．To take a few nice photos.