A Smoother Ride

欧小平

Chokwe Selassie， 13， stood next to a pothole （坑洼） in the street in his hometown of Jackson， Mississippi. The eighth grader was working with his friends to create an app that warns drivers about potholes.

Chokwe Selassie was on a task to help drivers avoid potholes. The eighth-grader came up with the idea on a morning， when his mother was driving him to school. Their car was damaged as it went over a huge pothole in the middle of the street in their hometown of Jackson， Mississippi. “I decided I was going to do something about the pothole problem in my city，” Chokwe， 13， told TFK. His solution： an app that warns drivers when there is a pothole ahead.

Chokwe developed the app with his friends Rodriguez Ratliff and Emmanuel Brooks. “When the app detects （检测到） a pothole， it is highlighted in red，” Chokwe says. “And if you get close to the pothole， your phone will warn you with a beep （发出嘟嘟声）.” Drivers can also use the app to report any potholes they meet with， and to look for other roads they can take to avoid the roads that have them.

To get some help in developing the app， the boys took part in a Minority Male Makers Program held at Jackson State University. The program provides nearly 1，000 African-American middle-school boys across the country with training in advanced （先进的） technology.

“The students were really excited to join and learn new things，” Valerie Bradley says. She is Chokwes headmaster at Blackburn Middle School. “They learned 3-D printing and design， and how to create apps.” Through the program， Chokwe says， he and his friends received encouragement and help.

Although the app isnt yet able to be bought， Chokwe is already looking for ways to improve it. The app remains limited to 10 streets in Jackson， but he hopes to add more， so that it includes every street in the city. And then he wants to go even farther. “I want to keep working on the app until its nationwide，” Chokwe says.

阅读选择

1. Why did Chokwe want to create the app？

A. To drive faster.

B. To avoid potholes.

C. To help his mother.

2. What happened to his mother one morning？

A. Her car was damaged.

B. She didnt send him to school.

C. She created a useful app.

3. Where did Chokwe get help to make his invention？

A. From his mother.

B. From his school.

C. From his friends.

4. Why cant the app be sold now？

A. It is limited.

B. It is too new.

C. It is too expensive.endprint