燕山大学 刘立军 编写
TRANSCRIPT
Amazon wants to get more young people to consider becoming computer engineers.
The American technology company this week launched a program that aims to teach more than 10 million students a year how to code.
Amazon says it will pay for summer camps and other costs for young people from low-income families. It also will offer teacher training at low-income schools.
The program is called Amazon Future Engineer.
Amazon hopes the programs will help bring more African-American, Hispanic and female students to the field of computer science.
Other technology companies, including Microsoft and Facebook, also have programs that bring coding to schools. There is a shortage of computer engineers. Teaching more students how to code will help strengthen the industry.
Jeff Wilke is Amazon's head of Worldwide Consumer. He said he hopes some of the students in the Amazon Future Engineer program will one day work for the company, especially in the development of voice assistant and drone technology.
Wilke said, We're pretty confident that knowing how to code will be as important as knowing how to read for the jobs of the future.
Amazon Future Engineer will provide summer camps and after-school programs for students from kindergarten through 8th grade. The programs will take place in Amazon offices around the country. Volunteer workers will lead the programs. Online classes, lessons and games will be offered by Code.org and Coding with Kids.
Amazon says it also plans to pay for online training in computer science for teachers at 2,000 low-income high schools. In addition, it will offer scholarships and internships for college students.
Amazon said some schools have already been testing the program, including Monsignor Scanlan High School in New York City. Jennifer Tulipano, a science teacher at the school, began taking online coding classes in September.
Last month, she started teaching two computer science classes on how to create games and how to make animated characters. It is the first time that the school has offered computer science classes.
So much is now online, Tulipano said. It's a skill set they (students) need moving forward if they want to go into these fields.
I'm Dorothy Gundy.
Adapted from http://www.kekenet.com/broadcast/201811/569520.shtml
VOCABULARY
1. launch v. to start an activity, especially an organized one 开始从事，发起，发动（尤指有组织的活动）。例如：
to launch an appeal/an inquiry/an investigation/a campaign开始进行上诉 / 质询 / 调查 / 一场运动
to launch an attack/invasion发起攻击；发动侵略
2. code v. (computing 计) to write a computer program by putting one system of numbers, words and symbols into another system 编程序；编码
3. Hispanic n. a person whose first language is Spanish, especially one from a Latin American country living in the US or Canada 母语为西班牙语的人（尤指住在美国或加拿大的拉丁美洲人）
4. drone technology n. 无人机技术
5. internship n. a period of time during which a student or new graduate gets practical experience in a job, for example during the summer holiday/vacation （学生或毕业生的）实习期。例如：an internship at a television station在电视台的实习期
QUESTIONS
Read the statements. Then listen to the news and check the true (ü) or false (û) statements.
1. Amazon wants to get more young people to consider becoming computer engineers.
2. Amazon launched a program that aims to teach more than 10 million students a year how to code last week.
3. Amazon will pay for summer camps and other costs for young people from low-income families.
4. Amazon will offer teacher training at low-income universities.
5. Amazon hopes the programs will help bring more Asian-American, Hispanic and female students to the field of computer science.
6. Other technology companies, including Microsoft and Facebook, also have programs that bring coding to schools.
7. Jeff Wilke hopes some of the students in the Amazon Future Engineer program will one day work for the company, especially in the development of voice assistant and drone technology.
8. According to Wilke, knowing how to code will be more important than knowing how to read for the jobs of the future.
9. Amazon Future Engineer will provide summer camps and after-school programs for students from kindergarten through 8th grade.
10. Amazon plans to pay for online training in computer science for teachers at 2,000 low-income high schools.
11. Amazon will offer scholarships and internships for high school students.
12. Amazon said some schools have already been testing the program, including Monsignor Scanlan High School in New York City.
KEY
Read the statements. Then listen to the news and check the true (ü) or false (û) statements.
ü1. Amazon wants to get more young people to consider becoming computer engineers.
û2. Amazon launched a program that aims to teach more than 10 million students a year how to code last week. (正确表达) Amazon launched a program that aims to teach more than 10 million students a year how to code this week.
ü3. Amazon will pay for summer camps and other costs for young people from low-income families.
û4. Amazon will offer teacher training at low-income universities. (正确表达) Amazon will offer teacher training at low-income schools.
û5. Amazon hopes the programs will help bring more Asian-American, Hispanic and female students to the field of computer science. (正确表达) Amazon hopes the programs will help bring more African-American, Hispanic and female students to the field of computer science.
ü6. Other technology companies, including Microsoft and Facebook, also have programs that bring coding to schools.
ü7. Jeff Wilke hopes some of the students in the Amazon Future Engineer program will one day work for the company, especially in the development of voice assistant and drone technology.
û8. According to Wilke, knowing how to code will be more important than knowing how to read for the jobs of the future. (正确表达) According to Wilke, knowing how to code will be as important as knowing how to read for the jobs of the future.
ü9. Amazon Future Engineer will provide summer camps and after-school programs for students from kindergarten through 8th grade.
ü10. Amazon plans to pay for online training in computer science for teachers at 2,000 low-income high schools.
û11. Amazon will offer scholarships and internships for high school students. (正确表达) Amazon will offer scholarships and internships for college students.
ü12. Amazon said some schools have already been testing the program, including Monsignor Scanlan High School in New York City.