Topic Reading-Vol.415-5/31/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Spelling bee shakeup creates buzz at nerve-wracking contest.

Spelling bee had been a competition in which contestants are asked to spell words until only seven weeks before the final contest this year. The 86 year-old contest now includes the vocabulary component, which the contestants are expected to answer the meaning of those complicated rarely used or found words. It certainly requires more knowledge.

Are the contestants ready to tackle the task?

Enjoy reading and learning about the latest update on spelling bee contest.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/28/us/spelling-bee/index.html?hpt=hp_c4

Topic Reading-Vol.414-5/30/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Angelina Jolie’s aunt dies of breast cancer days after op-ed.

Had they known the chance of getting cancer being so high a little earlier, they would surely have chosen the same way as Angelina did.

The same defective BRCA1 gene as Jolie has taken not only her mother but also her aunt life away. So, as in Topic Reading Vol. 401 posted on May 17^th, her decision to undergo the complicated surgery to remove both her breasts now seems much more sense.

One thing for sure is that the decision she made was a very difficult one.

Enjoy reading and learning about how gene analysis works these day.

http://news.yahoo.com/jolie-aunt-dies-breast-cancer-days-op-ed-002534814.html

 

Topic Reading-Vol.413-5/29/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Researchers say Western IQs dropped 14 points over last century.

Intelligence Quotient, or IQ, is a measurement of a person’s intelligence that is calculated from special test results, which mean average score of a certain age group is set to 100 and the standard deviation is to 15, meaning 95% of the population scores between 70 and 130. Some statistics show that average IQ of people with postgraduate education is 125 or higher, college is around 112 to 115, and just high school is 100.

So, why the average IQ has been found to drop as much as 14 points in a century?

Enjoy reading and learning about this eye-opening research findings. 

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/researchers-western-iqs-dropped-14-points-over-last-180634194.html

Topic Reading-Vol.412-5/28/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Flying cars: Radical concept design aims high.

Would you like to drive and fly on a same vehicle to your destination, using electric power to drive on the road, hydrocarbon combustion engine to lift off (not take off as it goes up vertically like a helicopter) and gas to cruise at 300 km in the air?

It may sound dreaming or confusing to you but some researchers are ready to fly the idea.

Enjoy reading and learning about this all-in-one vehicle for near future, possibly. 

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130523-radical-flying-car-model-unveiled

Topic Reading-Vol.411-5/27/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Xi-Obama meeting crucial in Sino-US ties: Kissinger.

Their initial announcement was that their leader would visit Latin America and meet Obama on his way, just like a drop-by on the way to a big party or something. In this article, they put more emphasis on how important their meeting could be for bilateral, regional and international community by referring to the quote by legendary former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger.

Enjoy reading and learning how China expresses its important diplomatic effort to its counter part. 

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-05/22/content_16519873.htm

Topic Reading-Vol.410-5/26/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Ten species named after famous people.

How many new species do you think are discovered every year?

Roughly, 20,000 new species are identified. So the question is how they are named?

Some are named after famous people such as movie stars, politicians or historical heroes.

Enjoy reading and seeing some of the interesting or weird names of newly discovered species.   

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130521-animals-named-after-famous-people

Topic Reading-Vol.409-5/25/2013

Dear MEL School’s Topic Readers,

Samsung Galaxy S4 named top smartphone by Consumer Reports.

Manufactures put their the latest version of their smartphones roughly every quarter while consumers have to stick with the same model at least 24 months because of the subscription contract. They are competing in the fastest growing and most prospective market that seems to be taking place for some of the PC market. Users should be able to enjoy the benefits of those technologies and features as they use, not only the time when they get a new one in every 24 months. When will such a gap be dissolved?

Enjoy reading and learning about the latest and most appraised smartphone. 

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/20/tech/mobile/galaxy-s4-top-smartphone/index.html?hpt=hp_c5