The skies over Latin America's largest city are set to witness a futuristic aerospace revolution after the Brazilian airline Gol reached an agreement that could see it transport regular passengers around Sao Paulo in hundreds of low-cost zero-emission electric air taxis.
Domhnal Slattery, chief executive of the Dublin-based firm Avolon, which will provide the aircraft to Gol and recently placed an order for 500 of the aircraft from their British manufacturer, admitted helicopters were the "kingdom of the wealthiest".
But the Avolon boss claimed the introduction of VA-X4 eVTOLs(垂直的) electric vertical takeoff and landing)aircraft to Sao Paulo would be a gamechanger for regular passengers once the taxis, which look like a futuristic cross between a helicopter and a glider, were delivered in late 2024 or 2025.
"Our basic estimate(估计) at the moment is that the operating cost here for this aircraft will be equal to $I per passenger over a 25-mile trip, "Slattery told the Financial Times. "Which is almost equal to an Uber ride. "
Few cities are crying out for such a revolution more than Sao Paulo, a sprawling metropolis with more than 12 million citizens and choked by a fleet of 8. 6m vehicles.
In the late 1990s, the congestion(拥塞) became so bad in what is now the world's fifth biggest city after Tokyo, Delhi, Seoul and Shanghai that authorities were forced to introduce a number plate rotation(循环) system for vehicles.
Stephen Fitzpatrick, the head of the British aerospace manufacturer that produces the aircraft, Vertical Aerospace, said the flying taxis would be ideal for Brazil's biggest city and will "transform how we travel around high population density cities that are crowded with traffic".
The Bristol-based Vertical Aerospace was founded in 2016 and promises to pioneer "a new era in vertical transport".
"We'll be looking to Asia after Sao Paulo," Avolon's chief commercial officer, Paul Geaney, told Reuters.
Matt Doogue, a 34-year-old nature photographer, had been suffering from depression when he first found his passion for taking pictures of insects and his work is now featured in National Geographic. He says that he tried to take his own life nine years ago after hitting rock bottom. "In the beginning, I was so paranoid(多疑的) and angry that I couldn't leave the house," says Doogue. "When I attempted to end my life, I knew I needed to see someone. I went to the doctors and got treatment, but I know that I needed something more and that's when I started photography. "
Now a dad of two, Doogue found that looking at insects through a camera helped him in ways he could never have imagined and it proved to be the lifeline he needed. It had a calming effect that helped him to disconnect from stress. And his astonishing images, showing insects and spiders in amazing detail against brightly colored backgrounds, caught the eye of publishers at National Geographic. "I ended up as one of their featured photographers," recalled Doogue. "It was the peak of my career. It was incredible. "
Originally from Salford, Greater Manchester, he now lives in Armadale, West Lothian, Scotland. Though he fears that Scotland is in the middle of an epidemic of male suicide, he believes that sharing his love of nature photography can help others to cope with their mental health issues as well. "I think the problem is this man-up approach; the idea that men need to be strong puts so much pressure on young males to be fine all the time," says Doogue. "This is why I try and be so open about my own experience. Whenever I am out with my camera, I don't think about my other worries. It is just me and the environment around me. You can lose yourself in a spider making its web. "
An Australian professor is developing a robot to monitor the health of grazing cattle, a development that could bring big changes to a profession that's relied largely on a low-tech approach for decades but is facing a labor shortage.
Salah Sukkarieh, a professor at the University of Sydney, sees robots as necessary given how cattlemen are aging. He is building a four-wheeled robot that will run on solar and electric power. It will use cameras and sensors to monitor the animals. A computer system will analyze the video to determine whether a cow is sick. Radio tags(标签) on the animals will measure temperature changes. The quality of grassland will be tracked by monitoring the shape, color and texture(质地) of grass. That way, cattlemen will know whether they need to move their cattle to another field for nutrition purposes.
Machines have largely taken over planting, watering and harvesting crops such as com and wheat, but the monitoring of cattle has gone through fewer changes.
For Texas cattleman Pete Bonds, it's increasingly difficult to find workers interested in watching cattle. But Bonds doesn't believe a robot is right for the job. Years of experience in the industry and failed attempts to use technology have convinced him that the best way to check cattle is with a man on a horse. Bonds, who bought his first cattle almost 50 years ago, still has each of his cowboys inspect 300 or 400 cattle daily and look for signs that an animal is getting sick.
Other cattlemen see more promise in robots. Michael Kelsey Paris, vice president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association, said a robot could be extremely useful given rising concerns about cattle theft. Cattle tend to be kept in remote places and their value has risen, making them appealing targets.
Two scientists won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing a way of editing genes(基因), which offers the promise of one day curing inherited(遗传的) diseases. Working on opposite sides of the Atlantic, French woman Emmanuelle Charpentier and American Jennifer A. Doudna came up with a method known as CRISPR-Cas9 that can be used to change the DNA of animals and plants.
It was the first time two women had won the chemistry Nobel together—adding to the small number of female winners in the sciences, where women have long received less recognition for their work than men. The scientists' work allows researchers to precisely edit specific genes to remove errors that lead to disease.
"There is great power in this genetic tool, which affects us all," said Claes Gustafsson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, "It has not only made huge progress in basic science, but also led to advances in new medical treatments. "
Charpentier, 53, spoke of the shock of winning. "Strangely enough I was told a number of times that I'd win, but when it happens you're very surprised. And I wish that this will provide a positive message to young girls who would like to follow the path of science. "
Doudna told The Associated Press, "I actually just found out I'm in shock. And my greatest hope is that it's used for good, to uncover new mysteries in biology and to benefit humankind. "
The Broad Institute at Harvard and MIT have been in a long court fight over patents(专利) on CRISPR technology, and many other scientists did important work on it, but Doudna and Charpentier have been most consistently(一致地) honored with prizes for turning it into an easily usable tool.
"Learn from failure. " This article is to make you understand some key points about learning from failure. Or, if you are new to this thing called "failure", then it will serve as a beginning to better success. Here are some tips for learning from failure:
·Take the risk and pay the price.
Think about the entrepreneurs(企业家), scientists, leaders, and businesses that took the path less trodden(踩踏的) and how they were rewarded handsomely. If you pay the price with the risk you take, the returns may surprise you. "But, what if I fail?" you ask.
No one is perfect, so failure is absolutely acceptable. The proverb that we learn from failure is true. The lessons are there for you to understand and do better next time.
·Realize experience is the best teacher.
People say experience is the best teacher. If you accept that to be true then you need to accept failure as one of the many lessons you gain from experience. It's that simple.
·Allow yourself the freedom to fail.
If you are safe all the time, then you are not giving yourself the opportunity to learn from failure. Give yourself the freedom to fail and see how the lessons of success open up for you.
A. Know it's okay to fail.
B. Nothing ventured(冒险), nothing gained.
C. Let the fear of failure help you succeed.
D. Think about failures as lessons in the journey of life.
E. Ready to learn from failure so you can find career success.
F. When you are too cautious, you do not allow yourself to take any risks.
G. Lessons you probably are very familiar with but need reminders about.
Growing up, I always heard people say work hard pays; that working hard is a virtue. I never really understood the 1 of these words until I reached the age where my parents 2 giving me my monthly allowance and asked me to 3 a job.
New Year is a season of good news either for merrymakers or for business. My childhood friend was one of the 4. Although we grew up together, Mike and I were two sides of the same coin. Therefore, while I 5 the festive season as another time of the year when people overindulge (放任),he saw it as a 6 time to make money. 7, I needed this side of him, considering my present 8.
Mike was not of the "work hard pays" school of thought,but the "work smart" school of thought. When I 9 him about my difficulty, he saw a business 10. He told me about his business idea — making New Year presents and 11 them on credit. Of course, he 12 my disbelief and lack of 13 in his idea. At this point, he told me he had 14 and realized that only one shop sold New Year presents, and the price was very 15. To make the story short, we made our New Year presents and hit the road 16.
News about our New Year presents 17 like wildfire. Within three days,we had sold about 20 New Year presents, and as they say, the rest is history.
My parents' 18 to stop my monthly allowance served to teach me the 19 of work. However, it was my business adventure with Mike that taught me that working smart is 20 than working hard.
The Chinese people take tree planting (serious). President Xi Jinping (join) local residents for tree planting in the capital's suburbs in March this year—his 10th successive (present) at the annual activity since he became China's top leader. Xi said that by joining other volunteers to plant trees, he wants to make his contribution to building green and beautiful China, and encourage society, especially the youth, (promote) ecological advancement.
When the People's Republic of China (found) in 1949, forests covered only 8. 6 percent of the country's land area. The constant use of wood for cooking and heating had denuded(使变光秃) forests and reduced the green cover, (result) in environmental deterioration and desertification. It was under such circumstances that China launched national tree-planting campaign to build forest belts. Thanks to nationwide efforts, last year, it was reported that forest cover has increased to 23 percent of the country's land territory, spread over 220 million hectares.
As a leader who in his youth toiled(辛苦工作) a farmer on the almost barren(贫瘠的) Loess Plateau for seven years, Xi knows better than many forests mean to a nation. The concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" has become a motto for China's future development.
增加： 在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除： 把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改： 在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意： 1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2．只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Nowadays, have sports is becoming more and more popular. As we know, a person who keeps on taking exercise regular will keep fit and live happy life.
My favorite sport is playing basketball. After school I usually spent half an hour on it, that not only builds up my body but also makes me refreshed. Playing basketball help me relax after a period of tired study and improves my study efficiency. Besides, because playing basketball needs cooperation, so I have learned the spirit of teamwork. It is also a good way for me to make new friend. In a word, playing basketball enriches my life and makes me more confidence.
Come on! Let's do sports together and enjoy a healthy life.
