Bexley Middle School eighth-graders won the grand prize at the 2009 National Engineers Week Future City Competition (TM) on Feb. 18 in Washington, D.C. They competed with 37 other schools across the country.
The students qualified for the national competition by winning a regional competition on Jan. 17 in Columbus. By winning the national event, the students earned an all-expenses paid trip to Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., according to a Bexley school district news report.
Future City aims to stir (激发) interest in science, technology, engineering and math among young people. Bexley team members were Tom Krajnak, Abby Sharp, Wyatt Peery, Elizabeth Maher, Aaron Hutchinson and Truman Haycock. They work in teams under the guidance of a teacher, Margaret Englehardt, and a volunteer engineer, Mark Sherman, design and build a city of tomorrow. Mayor John Brennan presented the students during a recent Bexley City Council meeting. Each team in the Future City competition plans its city using Sim City software and creates a model to show a physical representation of one section of the city. Team members must write both an essay about the yearly theme and an abstract about their city. They also must make a presentation to judges.
Focusing on eco-responsibility, the Bexley team built “Novo-Mondum,” an Icelandic city in the year 2171. Krajnak said the team’s project included a new water system for each resident unit and a 500-word essay on using bacteria to purify water. “We used our essay and abstract (摘要) to build a model,” he said. “It was hard to organize which building would go where, what each building does and how to make it look good.”
Englehardt said her students did a good job answering impromptu (即席) questions during the regional competition. “They can think on their feet,” she said. Principal Harley Williams said the school is very proud of the students’ performance.
【小题1】.. From the passage we can learn that the grand prize winners will _________.

A．receive scholarship for further studies

B．get a free trip to Space Camp in Huntsville

C．earn a large sum of money for their designs

D．be admitted to universities without exams

A．always stand still in the competition

B．react very quickly to the questions

C．prepare for the questions in advance

D．take pride in the advisers’ performance

International Studies (BA)

       Key features

       ● Recognizes the “global community”（国际社会）

       ● Has close connections with practical research

       ● Much of the teaching is done in small discussion groups

       About the course

       The course gives you chances to know great power polities between nation states. It will provide more space to study particular issues such as relationship among countries in the European Union, third world debt, local and international disagreement, and the work of such international bodies as the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, and the World Bank.

       The course puts theories into the working of the international system with close attention to particular countries. You will also have a better knowledge of methods of solving the international problems.

       Related courses

       BA (Hons) Community Management

       BA (Hons) Public Policy and Management

       Employment possibilities

       International organizations

       International business

Earth Science (BSc)

       Key features

       ● Based on key courses and the latest research findings

       ● Pays much attention to practical skills

       ● Offers chances for fieldwork（实地考察）

       About the course

       The demand for natural resources is becoming an increasingly serious problem for the future of mankind. Graduates in Earth Science will play an important role in meeting this demand, and in knowing the meaning of using the natural resources.

       The course covers geography and geology. You will carry out fieldwork in the UK and possibly overseas, and a research in an area of interest to you in the final year.

       Related courses

       BSc (Hons) Geograhpy

       BSc (Hons) Geology

       Employment possibilities

       Mineral, oil, water or other related engineering industries

International Studies is a course in ________.

       A. international polities       B. international business

       C. international systems        D. international bodies

After taking the course of International Studies, the students will _______.

       A. become practical and open-minded

       B. have a greater ability to discuss theories

       C. know how to settle international problems

       D. have good jobs in any international organizations

Earth Science, as described in the second text, ________.

       A. is attractive because of the chances for fieldwork

       B. pays more attention to practical skills than theories

       C. is built on important courses and the results of recent studies

       D. encourages students to play a role in using natural resources

It can be inferred that the above two texts are written for the students who _______.

       A. enjoy research work         B. plan to choose courses

       C. study in the UK               D. are interested in overseas fieldwork

The word “conservation” has a thrifty meaning. To conserve is to save and protect, to leave what we ourselves enjoy in such a good condition that others may also share the enjoyment. Our forefathers had no idea that human population would increase faster than the supplies of raw materials: most of them, even until very recently, had the foolish idea that the treasures were “limitless” and could “last forever”. Most of the citizens of earlier generations knew little or nothing about the complicated and delicate system that runs all through nature, and which means that, as in a living body, an unhealthy condition of one part will sooner or later be harmful to all the others.

Fifty years ago, nature study was not part of school work; scientific forestry was a new idea; wood was still cheap because it could be brought in any quantity from distant woodlands; soil destruction and river floods were not national problems; nobody had yet studied long-term climatic cycles in relation to proper land use; even the word “conservation” had nothing of the meaning that it has for us today.

For the sake of ourselves and those who will come after us, we must now set about correcting the mistakes of our forefathers. Conservation should be made part of everybody's daily life. To know about the water table (水位) in ground is just as important to us as a knowledge of the basic math formulas. We need to know why all watersheds (上游集水区) need the protection of plant life and why the running current of streams and rivers must be made to give their full benefit to the soil before they finally escape to the sea. We need to be taught the duty of planting trees as well as of cutting them. We need to know the importance of big, grown trees, because living space for most of man's fellow creatures on this planet is figured not only in square measure of surface but also in cubic（立方体的） volume above the earth. In a word, it should be our goal to restore as much of the original beauty of nature as we can.

1.The author's attitude towards the use of natural resources is_________.

A. positive         B. uninterested         C. optimistic        D. critical

2.According to the author, the greatest mistake of our forefathers was that________.

A. they had no idea about scientific forestry

B. they had little or no sense of environmental protection

C. they were not aware of the importance of nature study

D. they had no idea of how to make good use of raw materials

3.To avoid repeating the mistakes of our forefathers, the author suggests that ________.

A. we plant more trees

B. natural sciences be taught to everybody

C. environmental education be given to everybody

D. we return to nature

4.How can you understand the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?

A. Our living space on the earth is getting smaller and smaller.

B. Our living space should be measured in cubic volume.

C. We need to take some measures to protect space.

D. We must preserve good living condition for both birds and animals.

International Studies (BA)

       Key features

       ● Recognizes the “global community”（国际社会）

       ● Has close connections with practical research

       ● Much of the teaching is done in small discussion groups

       About the course

       The course gives you chances to know great power polities between nation states. It will provide more space to study particular issues such as relationship among countries in the European Union, third world debt, local and international disagreement, and the work of such international bodies as the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, and the World Bank.

       The course puts theories into the working of the international system with close attention to particular countries. You will also have a better knowledge of methods of solving the international problems.

       Related（相关的）courses

       BA (Hons) Community Management

       BA (Hons) Public Policy and Management

       Employment possibilities

       International organizations

       International business

       Earth Science (BSc)

       Key features

       ● Based on key courses and the latest research findings

       ● Pays much attention to practical skills

       ● Offers chances for fieldwork（实地考察）

       About the course

       The demand for natural resources is becoming an increasingly serious problem for the future of mankind. Graduates in Earth Science will play an important role in meeting this demand, and in knowing the meaning of using the natural resources.

       The course covers geography and geology. You will carry out fieldwork in the UK and possibly overseas, and a research in an area of interest to you in the final year.

       Related courses

       BSc (Hons) Geograhpy

       BSc (Hons) Geology

       Employment possibilities

       Mineral, oil, water or other related engineering industries

International Studies is a course in ________.

       A. international polities          B. international business

       C. international systems         D. international bodies

After taking the course of International Studies, the students will _______.

       A. become practical and open-minded

       B. have a greater ability to discuss theories

       C. know how to settle international problems

       D. have good jobs in any international organizations

Earth Science, as described in the second text, ________.

       A. is attractive because of the chances for fieldwork

       B. pays more attention to practical skills than theories

       C. is built on important courses and the results of recent studies

       D. encourages students to play a role in using natural resources

It can be inferred that the above two texts are written for the students who _______.

       A. enjoy research work        B. plan to choose courses

       C. study in the UK            D. are interested in overseas fieldwork

Why should mankind explore space? Why should money, time and effort be spent exploring and researching something with so few apparent benefits? Why should resources be spent on space rather than on conditions and people on Earth? These are questions that, understandably, are very often asked.
Perhaps the best answer lies in our genetic makeup(基因构成) as human beings. What drove our ancestors to move from the trees into the plains, and on into all possible areas and environments? The wider the spread of a species, the better its chance of survival. Perhaps the best reason for exploring space is this genetic tendency to expand wherever possible.
Nearly every successful civilization has explored, because by doing so, any dangers in surrounding areas can be identified and prepared for. Without knowledge, we may be completely destroyed by the danger. With knowledge, we can lessen its effects.
Exploration also allows minerals and other potential (潜在的) resources to be found. Even if we have no immediate need of them, they will perhaps be useful later. Resources may be more than physical possessions. Knowledge or techniques have been acquired through exploration. The techniques may have medical applications which can improve the length or quality of our lives. We have already benefited from other spin-offs including improvements in earthquake prediction, in satellites for weather forecasting and in communications systems. Even non-stick pans and mirrored sunglasses are by-products (副产品)  of technological developments in the space.
While many resources are spent on what seems a small return, the exploration of space allows creative, brave and intelligent members of our species to focus on what may serve to save us. While space may hold many wonders and explanations of how the universe was formed or how it works, it also holds dangers. The danger exists, but knowledge can help human being to survive. Without the ability to reach out across space, the chance to save ourselves might not exist.
While Earth is the only planet known to support life, surely the adaptive ability of humans would allow us to live on other planets. It is true that the lifestyle would be different, but human life and cultures have adapted in the past and surely could in the future.
【小题1】Why does the author mention the questions in Paragraph 1?