【小阅读^大脑袋】0512 NO.362

In June, 2007, a group of students from eight high schools in Winnipeg, the capital of Canada’s Manitoba province, will begin test-launching a satellite the size of a Rubik’s cube.

The one-kilogram Win-Cub satellite, named for its home city and its shape, will be put into low orbit. Once in space, it can perform for a few months or up to several years, communicating information that could help find the signs of earthquakes.
There are 80 similar satellite projects worldwide, but this is the first high-school based program of its kind in Canada. 30 Manitoba high school students are having a hand in designing and building the satellite, in cooperation with aerospace experts and 10 students from the University of Manitoba, and with support from two other organizations.

The Win-Cube project is not something that goes on a piece of paper; it is real-world engineering, allowing high school students to have an opportunity to learn more about the exciting world of engineering through their participation in this challenging program. It is also taken as a wonderful example of the unique partnerships within Manitoba. Designing, building and launching a satellite with high-school participation will bring this world-class educational project into reality and Manitoba closer to space.

“These Manitoba high school students deserve congratulations for their enthusiasm, innovation , and a strong love for discovery,” said Education, Citizenship and Youth Minister Peter Bjomson. “We want to make science more relevant, interesting and attractive to high school students by showing them how classroom studies can relate to practical experience in the workplace or, in this case, in space,” Bjomson added.

The Win-Cube program is mainly named at inspiring a strong desire for discovery on the part of the students. It also shows Manitoba’s devotion to research and innovation and the development of a skilled workforce—all important drivers of knowledge-based economic growth.

CAD
答案解析：
1. According to the passage, the Win-Cube satellite is _________.
A. named after Manitoba and its shape
B. intended for international communication
C. designed like a Rubik’s cube both in shape and size
D. challenged by university students around the world
解析：C正确
根据文章，Win-Cube卫星如何？
可逐项排除，这个卫星是以它的home city,即Winnipeg，和它的形状命名的；
它的作用是communicating information that could help find the signs of earthquakes；
参与的主体是高中生，而且大学提到的只有University of Manitoba，而不是世界各地的学校。

2. According to Mr. Bjomson, ___________.
A. those Manitoba high school students are worth praising
B. the study of space can be practically made in classrooms
C. Manitoba high schools are famous for the study of space
D. scientific research is too far away from high school students
解析：A正确
根据Bjomson所说，怎么样？
Bjomson说到：These Manitoba high school students deserve congratulations for……，表扬了高中生们。
其他选项不符合原文

3. The primary purpose of the project is to _________.
A. find the early signs of earthquakes
B. relate studies to practical
C. help high school students study real-world engineering
D. inspire a strong desire for discovery among the students
解析：D正确
这个项目的主要目的是什么？
文中有原话：The Win-Cube program is mainly named at inspiring a strong desire for discovery on the part of the students.

参考译文：
2007年6月，一群来自加拿大马尼托巴省省会温尼伯市的八所高中的学生开始试发射一台形似魔方的卫星。Win-Cub卫星重1千克，以所在的城市的名字和它外形而命名。这台卫星将被发射进低轨道。一旦升入太空，它将工作几个月，或长达几年，来传达能够帮助发现地震征兆的信息。

世界上有80项类似的卫星项目，不过这个是加拿大第一个由高中主要负责的项目。30位马尼托巴省的高中生与航空航天专家和马尼托巴大学的10位大学生，在其他两家组织的支持下，参与了该卫星的设计和制造。

Win-Cube项目不是纸上谈兵，而是真实的设计工程，通过参与到这个充满挑战的项目中，使高中生有机会了解更多工程学的精彩世界。这也作为了马尼托巴省独家合作的典范。高中生参与设计，建造和发射卫星将使得这项世界级的教育项目得以实现，也使得马尼托巴省的太空研究进一步发展。

“我们为这些马尼托巴省的高中生的热情，创新和强烈的探索欲而喝彩，”教育，公民权和青少年部部长Peter Bjomson说，“我们希望通过向高中生展示教室学到的知识与工作的实际经验是如何相关的，像这个项目，与太空之间的联系，让科学与学生们产生更多的联系，对他们更具乐趣和吸引力。”

Win-Cube的实行主要是激发学生身上的探索欲。这也体现了马尼托巴省在研究与创新方面的贡献，以及一批有技能的工作者——他们都是以知识为基础的经济增长的主要推动力。

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词汇及短语：
test-launching: 试发射
aerospace : 航空航天的
world-class: n. 世界级
relevant: 有关的, 切题的
practical: 实际的, 实践的