US girls take top science prizes

美國中學(xué)的女生們在2019年博通大師賽上包攬了前五名。博通大師賽是一項(xiàng)面向全球中學(xué)生的競賽。

難詞探意

1. engineering /?end???n??r?/ n. 工程;工程學(xué)

2. innovator /??n?ve?t?（r）/ n. 改革者;創(chuàng)新者

3. sponsor /?sp?ns?（r）/ v. 贊助

4. structure /?str?kt??（r）/ n. 結(jié)構(gòu)

5. improvement /?m?pru?vm?nt/ n. 改進(jìn)

When it comes to US middle school science and engineering， girls rule. Girls took the top five prizes at the 2019 Broadcom MASTERS， a competition for middle school students across the country.

In first place was 14?year?old Alaina Gassler of West Grove， Pennsylvania. She designed a system to make driving safer by reducing blind spots—the areas that drivers cannot see outside their vehicle. Gassler developed the technology while in eighth grade.

“She， along with the entire Class of 2019， is taking the lead in their fields of science， technology， engineering and mathematics （STEM），” said Paula Golden， president of the Broadcom Foundation. “These young innovators give every one of us hope for the future.”

Many schools across the country have increased classes in STEM subjects. The Broadcom MASTERS was open to students in grades 6， 7 and 8 across the country. In spring， around 80，000 students competed in about 300 science fairs sponsored by the society. Only ten percent of those students then go on to compete at the finals in Washington， D.C.

This year， all the major awards in the competition went to girls. The top prize winner， Alaina Gassler， says she got the idea for her project after seeing her mother struggle with blind spots in her familys car. Blind spots lead to many accidents—about 840，000 accidents a year nationwide.

Gasslers system helps drivers see“through” the A?frame pillar—the part of the vehicle， in the front， that joins the top and front window. The A?frame pillar is important for safety， and cannot be removed. Gassler used a camera to help drivers look “through” the structure to see what is blocked. The camera sends videos to a device that shows images on the other side of the pillar. The driver then can “see” whats in the blind spot.

Gassler said that when she heard her name called as the winner， “It was so unexpected.”

The young inventor won a $25，000 prize for her invention. She told Popular Mechanics she can make improvements on her device with that money. Gassler said she wants to improve the picture—making it easy to see in any weather， or time of day. She also told the magazine she hopes to sell her idea.

Reading Check

1. What can we infer from Paula Goldens words？

A. He places great hope on the contestants.

B. He inspires more students to take part.

C. He lays great emphasis on safe driving.

D. He calls on others to learn from Gassler.

2. Where did Gassler get the idea for her device？

A. From her own experience.

B. From the lessons at school.

C. From the many road accidents.

D. From her mothers driving experience.

3. What is the sixth paragraph mainly about？

A. What a blind spot is.

B. How Gasslers device functions.

C. How the A?frame pillar is formed.

D. Why the A?frame pillar can be removed.

Language Study

Sentence for writing

She， along with the entire Class of 2019， is taking the lead in their fields of science， technology， engineering and mathematics （STEM）.

【信息提取】本句是一個(gè)簡單句。along with...意為“和……一起”，該短語在句中作狀語。含有along with的句子，謂語動(dòng)詞與它前面的主語在人稱和數(shù)上保持一致。

【句式仿寫】李白與其他著名詩人一起，在唐代創(chuàng)作了許多杰出的作品。

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