Charity Engine (1)

Your computer can solve scientific puzzles and raise money for charity

Millions of personal computers across the world are running at this moment, but most are using just a fraction of their full capacity to process information. Imagine what could happen. If the spare power of these millions of machines were harnessed to solve global problems. The organization Charity Engine attempts to do just that. It enables researchers and companies to use the extra computing power of thousands of personal computers. These companies pay a usage fee that goes to carefully selected charities.

The computers 
Charity Engine offers a free app that has the user's computer do research as a background task. The program runs automatically, without direction from the user. Each computer works on a small chunk of a larger project and sends back its results. The results are combined to answer the researchers' questions.

The researchers
Charity Engine mostly uses its computing power for companies doing scientific, medical or commercial research. For example, Rosetta@home attempts to help find cures for serious diseases by discovering the shapes of proteins. Another project, Einstein@home, tests scientific theories. And another helps establishments in Africa such as universities search for ways to fight the spread of malaria.

Grammar Gym
just a fraction of = a very small part of
- ...but most are using just a fraction of their full capacity to process information.
- This assignment was very easy and only took a fraction of our time.
- Ned's new apartment is huge; his belongings take up only a fraction of the space.


Info Cloud 
eponym n.名字命名
1. a word based on or derived from a person's name. Einstein
愛因斯坦是廿世紀著名的物理學家，是一位聰明絕頂的人，所以Einstein成為聰明絕頂的人的代名詞
- Steve is a real Einstein.
Steve是一位智多星
2.A person whose name is or is thought to be the source of the name of something.
braille盲人點字
diesel柴油引擎
guillotine斷頭台
sandwich三明治

Language Lab
harness v.控制、使用 n.馬具降落傘背帶
- The people in this town want to harness the dam's water to generate electricity.
這個鎮的人民想利用水庫的水發電
- People started to harness wind power many years ago.
人們許多年前就開始使用風力

compute v.計算、運算 computer n.計算機、電腦
- The kids spent a lot of time computing the answer to this math question.
孩子們花很多時間要解這個數學題
- The capacity of my new computer is twice that of my old one.
我的新電腦容量是舊的兩倍

chunk n.部分、大塊
- The company owns a big chunk of land outside the city.
這家公司擁有市區外的一大塊土地
- I already finished a large chunk of my report.
我已經完成我的報告的一大部分
- The cheese was cut out into chunks and served with crackers.
起司被切成厚塊和脆餅一起使用

establishment n.機構、企業
- This nonprofit establishment was founded by a group of moms.
這個非營利組織是由一群媽媽所創立的
- Terry works in a research establishment.
Terry在一家研究機構工作


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