时文阅读

    America's Space Agency

    本篇生词：

    agency  n. 代理处，机构 aerodynamics n. 空气动力学 experimental adj. 试验的，试验性的 vehicle n. 车辆

    America's Space Agency has begun operating a new modern computer system at its research center in California. Space Agency officials say the system is the world's fastest and most powerful super-computer. The new system is known as NAS. It is able to work with 250 million pieces of information in just one second. That is the amount of work normally done by 50,000 small personal computers.

    The Space Agency spent about 100 million dollars to develop the NAS supercomputer system. The Agency scientists say it will be used in many different areas of research. For example, the super-computer system is being used in aerodynamics, the study of the flow of air around moving objects. The system produces the pictures and movies that show air flowing past experimental vehicles. Scientists say this could lead to design changes in airplanes that would save hundreds of millions of dollars in fuel costs.

    Space Agency officials said 300 researchers in industry, government and education will be permitted to use the system, which is also linked to 27 American universities and other research centers.