[Culture]_Reading passage
There is quite a long list of important inventions from Asian countries that help people. The Chinese invented paper, chopsticks and gun powder. The Japanese invented instant noodles and video games. In many Southeast Asian nations, agriculture is the main economic activity and pollution is a major problem. That is why there have been other important inventions to deal with these issues. Thai people, for example, have contributed to environmental protection and benefited farmers, who depend on water for their crops. Below are three significant inventions from a well respected Thai inventor, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The king’s Chaipattana Aerator was patented in 1993 and has won several international awards. This is a kind of paddle-wheel machine that helps to add oxygen to the wastewater to ‘clean’ it before it is reused for farming. In 1999 and 2003, he obtained Thai patents for his rain-making techniques. In addition to helping agriculture directly, these techniques have helped to increase the volume of water in rivers and streams and improved forest conditions. The king’s biodiesel oil project was first introduced in 2001. Its aim is to turn palm oil into biodiesel as an alternative source of energy. Biodiesel is a good choice for an alternative fuel, at a time when Thailand needs to reduce its use of fossil energy to protect the environment.