Charity Engine

Your computer can solve scientific puzzles and raise money for charity
電腦也可以做公益 你的電腦可以解決科學謎題，同時也能 替慈善機構募款.

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 jut 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.

The charities
Charity Engine gives 50 percent of the proceeds from renting out computing power to various charities. Each organization it supports has a good reputation for working in an area of vital importance. Most of them seek to address the underlying causes of poverty while bringing short-term relief. These include Oxfam, a network of organizations in 94 countries. 

Another is CARE International, one of the three largest international aid agencies, which works in 87 countries, Charity Engine also supports Doctors Without Borders, which supplies medical care, and WaterAid, which provides safe water and promotes hygiene in developing countries.

Another of its charities, Sightsavers, works to prevent and reverse blindness through medical treatments and provides training for the blind. Charity Engine helps many other organizations as well.

An added bonus
Charity Engine returns the other 50 percent of its earnings to the people who made it all possible. The app users are entered into draws. Chosen at random, the winners receive thousands of dollars in prizes!

Thanks to Charity Engine, computing power that would have gone to waste is fighting poverty and bringing healing and hope.


Grammar Gym:
"....but most are using just a fraction of their full capacity to process information."
'Just a fraction of ' - a very small part of ...
when you describe something that is very small portion of some else, you can say 'just a fraction of...'
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.

Vocabulary Tips:
harness - something you get to control and use it. （n）马具， 降落伞的背带。（v ）控制或使用。
*The people in this town want to harness the dam's water to generate electricity. 利用水库的水
*People started to harness wind power many years ago. 利用风力来发电。
compute - counting, calculate. 计算，运算。
*The kids spent a lot of time competing the answer to this math question.
computer (n) -电脑，计算机。
*The capacity of my new computer is twice that of my old one.
chunk - a big or thick piece of something, a mess piece of something that don't have a regular form or shape, more often we use this word on food. a chunk of beef, a chunk of meat...a chunk of cheese....
* I already finished a large chunk of my report.
*The company owns a big chunk of land outside the city.
*The cheese was cut into chunks and served with crackers.
establishment -建立，组成，创建。
establish (v)- 建立
establishment (n) - here means an organization or a business.机构，企业，组织(n)。
*This nonprofit establishment was founded by a group of moms.
*Terry works in a research establishment.
usage fee - money you pay or a fee you pay to use something.
background - something is running behind something else.
test - to prove it is true.
malaria - a kind of disease, it spread by mosquitoes.
running - is working, something is on.
puzzles- problems.
do just that - exactly they do, just what you like to do.
proceeds -proceed （复数名词）- the money making that a company through some event or other activities..获利，收入。
*The proceeds from the fair will be donated to the needy of the town.
proceed (v) (重音在`第二` ) - 前进，进行。
*Passengers of fight 229, please proceed to gate 10.
underlying - basic, maybe is not obvious see.基本的，根本的，基础的。
*The underlying problem of the company was the lack of funds.
*The riot might have stopped, but the underlying causes of it are not yet solved.
draw -抽出，抽奖。pick up something from a box without see it.
drawing -抽签，抽奖。
*When you purchase this product, you're automatically entered into our drawing.
drawing -速描（绘画）
a drawing of a ballerina. 芭蕾舞者的速描画。
random - no plan involve, no way can predict at ahead of time.随机的，任意的。
at random -随意的。事先没安排的。
*The salesperson picked a name at random to call.
*The owner of the lost dog searched the area at random.无目的，无头绪的。。
of vital important - very important.
various - many, several.
hygiene - regard of keep clean for your body that keep you stay healthy.

Language Tips:
eponym - words came from someone's name. 由人名而变成了一般的常用的字。
braille ，guillotine ，silhouette， sandwich ， silhouette - 都是人的名字，第一个字母改为小写成了特别的意思来代替这些人的特长或所发明的东西。
braille - 盲人用的点字法。
guillotine -断头台。
sandwich -三明治。
Einstein -聪明绝顶的人。
Steve is a real Einstein.- Steve是一个极其聪明绝顶的人.
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clipped word - make original word shorter that easy for people to say, use, and write.
*some words are clipped the back of the word. 去字前几字母。
app, is a clipped word, from application.应用方程式。（普遍被使用，如今已自形一单字app，要念，不能念APP.）
exam from examination. 考试
gas from gasoline.  汽油
*some word are clipped the front of the word.去字后面几字母。
plane is airplane.飞机
phone is telephone.电话
bus is omnibus.大型载客汽车
*some word clipped the front and the back.去字前几字母又去字后面几字母。
fridge is from refrigerator.电冰箱
flu is from influenza. 流感。




Notes taking of Studioclassroom