America??s Top Young Scientist 美国顶尖青年科学家

罗跃梅

美国加州一名14岁女孩卡拉·范，在美国一项全国性的少年科学家竞赛中，凭借着其改良的液体绷带，在数百名同龄人中脱颖而出，赢得“美国顶尖青年科学家”称号，并获得了25，000美元的奖金。

A Westview High School student Kara Fan was named “Americas Top Young Scientist” by 3M for creating a liquid bandage.

The prizes of the 3M Young Scientist Challenge included $25，000 that Kara Fan can spend however she wishes—she said it would likely be saved for college—plus a family trip to New York City.

A traditional bandage is a thin piece of cloth which you tie around a wound. But Fans new creation is liquid. She used lemon leaves， a polymer （聚合物） and silver nitrate（硝酸银） which is often used to treat wounds and burns on the skin. Silver nitrate also plays a key role in her invention： it creates a thin layer to protect a wound while killing harmful bacteria.

From around 1，000 young scientists nationwide who offered videos of their work， 3M made the top 10 finalists known publicly. The finalists traveled to Minnesota for the three?day competition finals. Fan said they first paired up to compete in a few challenges that showed how well they worked with others. On the final day， they each gave a five?minute speech， followed by a five?minute question and answer meeting on their work that was supposed to solve a global problem—drug?resistance. This is a global antibiotic （ 抗生素） problem.

Fan said her attention was drawn to these drugs a few years ago， when her grandmother became very ill and was “saved by antibiotics”.

“Our communities want science to solve the worlds hardest challenges. This years finalists have truly encouraged us to solve real?world problems，” said Denise Rutherford， senior vice?president of corporate affairs at 3M. “We believe they will do more on their continued journeys.”

Fan has a great interest in science， which Fan said she found to be“fun”. She is now interested in becoming a doctor because of her interest in biology.

Reading Check

1. When can Fans invention be used？

A. When people need clean liquid.

B. When people want to clean cloth.

C. When antibiotics need to be tested.

D. When simple medical treatment is needed.

2. What did the finalists do during the first two days in Minnesota？

A. They discussed serious global problems.

B. They gave a short talk to a group of people.

C. They entered competitions through teamwork.

D. They asked and answered questions in a meeting.

3. Which of the following excited Fans interest in antibiotics？

A. Her biology courses.

B. Science in labs.

C. Her grandmothers illness.

D. A family trip to New York City.

4. What did Rutherford express in paragraph 6？

A. Praise for the finalists achievements.

B. Strong will to solve real?world problems.

C. Worry about science communities future.

D. Support for science leaders around the world.

Language Study

檸檬叶还可以做绷带？一“读”为快！

Complete the passage using a proper word or the proper form of the given words.

A traditional bandage is a thin piece of cloth which you tie around a wound. What if you apply a liquid bandage to the wound？

A Westview High School student Kara Fan created a liquid bandage， 1.  _______  （use） lemon leaves， a polymer and silver nitrate， which is often used to treat wounds and 2.  _______（burn） on the skin. Silver nitrate also plays a key role in her 3._______  （invent）： it creates a thin layer to protect a wound while killing 4.  _______ （harm） bacteria. As a reward， she was named “Americas Top Young Scientist” by 3M.

Fan has a great interest in science， which Fan said she found to be “fun”. She is now interested in becoming a doctor because 5.            her interest in biology.