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用声音，在一起

用声音，在一起

用声音，在一起

2017-02-28 Special English
This is Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is the news.
China has started to build a new-generation supercomputer that is expected to be 10 times faster than the current world champion.
This year, China is aiming for breakthroughs in high-performance processors and other key technologies to build the world&`&s first prototype "exascale supercomputer", the Tianhe-3. The prototype is expected to be completed early next year.
"Exascale" means it will be capable of making a quintillion calculations per second. One quintillion is written as 1 followed by 18 zeros. That is at least 10 times faster than the world&`&s current speed champ, the Sunway Taihu-Light, China&`&s first supercomputer to use domestically designed processors.
The new computer will be available for public use and can help tackle some of the world&`&s toughest scientific challenges with greater speed, as well as better precision and scope.
Tianhe-3 will be made entirely in China, from processors to the operating system. It will be stationed in Tianjin and will be fully operational by 2020, earlier than the same product planned in the United States.
The exascale supercomputer will be able to analyze smog distribution on a national level, while current models can only handle information from one region at a time.
This is Special English.
China will test how its largest solar drone performs near-space flight this year.
The rainbow series drone has a wingspan of more than 40 meters, bigger than of Boeing 737 passenger air craft. The drone has just passed its first full-scale test flight.
This is one of the largest solar-powered drones in the world, second only to a model by NASA in the United States. A chief engineer says its performance index and technological capacity are among the most advanced in the world.
The drone is capable of flying at an extremely high altitude for a long period of time and its maintenance is easy and simple. It can travel to an altitude of 30 kilometers, with an maximum speed of 200 kilometers per hour.
The unmanned aerial vehicle will be used mostly for airborne early warning, aerial reconnaissance and disaster monitoring.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing.
A drug to treat cancer manufactured in China has hit the market. The release has ended an almost decade-long monopoly by a similar product developed in Britain and introduced to China in 2005.
This is a generic targeted drug, meaning this pharmaceutical is equivalent in dosage, effects and quality to the original product manufactured by its developer. Generic drugs often become available after the patent protection on the original drug expires.
This drug&`&s product name is Yiruike. It is a much-needed first line medicine used in targeted therapies against non-small-cell lung cancer, which accounts for around 80 percent of lung cancer cases in China.
Lung cancer kills more people than any other cancer in China. Almost 600,000 people die from lung cancer in the country every year, with more than 700,000 new cases being seen annually.
With the price of less than 2,000 yuan per pack, the new drug is a fraction of the one previously used, meaning that more people in need can be helped.
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A Chinese health alliance has agreed to promote the use of peak flow charts on both physical paper and smartphone apps to monitor the breath for children suffering from asthma.
The alliance is joined by the State Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, the Beijing Children&`&s Hospital, and the Chinese Pediatric Society under Chinese Medical Association.
One professor on respiratory diseases says parents&`& knowledge, compliance with medicine instructions, and regular monitoring remain key factors to control childhood asthma.
Asthma is one of the most common chronic respiratory conditions for children. China has more than 6 million children with asthma. Almost 30 percent of them do not seek treatment in time and more than two thirds have reported asthma attacks.
Some people have benefited from regular peak expiratory flow monitoring but find the process is a hassle.
A professor recommended using newly-developed smartphone apps that only require the user to breathe into an accessory connected to the phone. It automatically records the reading and produces a chart. Better still, the results can be shared via a smartphone with the family and the doctor.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing.
Search engine Baidu will take the lead with the first national lab on deep learning as China strives to rise up in the ranks of artificial intelligence research.
The National Development and Reform Commission, the country&`&s top economic regulator, has appointed Baidu to lead the national lab on deep learning technologies and applications. The move comes as Beijing prioritizes artificial intelligence development through policy and financial support.
The company will team up with China&`&s leading institutions including Tsinghua University and Beihang University in areas including deep learning, interactive technologies and standardized services.
Baidu will also share its rich resources on computing and big data, which are crucial to beef up fundamental research in artificial intelligence.
Deep learning is a leading algorithm that aims to improve search results and computing tasks by training computers to work more like the human brain.
China is betting on the technology to advance high-end manufacturing as it shifts from an export-driven economy to one that is higher up the value chain.
Fueling the trend is a three-year initiative to boost the industry through to 2018. China aims to make breakthroughs in core artificial intelligence technologies and stay in line with global standards on fundamental research on the application front.
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A Chinese scientist has participated in the human gene editing committee based in the United States.
Chinese scientist Pei Duan-qing has been admitted in making recommendations for human gene editing that cover basic laboratory research and heritable genome editing.
According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Pei, a researcher from Guangzhou, is participating in the study.
The committee who has released a report, is calling for transparency, fairness and transnational cooperation in human gene editing.
Human gene editing policies were set up by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Medicine, following the International Summit on Human Gene Editing held in Washington D.C. in December 2015.
Pei is the only Chinese scholar in the committee, which consists of 22 scholars from countries including the United States, Britain and France.
Though a promising disease treatment method, human gene editing is controversial in many countries due to ethical considerations.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to crienglish.com. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. Now the news continues.
China had 770 million 4G users at the end of last year, double the number from a year earlier.
Data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shows that more than 58 percent of China&`&s mobile phone users were 4G subscribers.
China has the world&`&s largest 4G network and is aiming to add 2 million 4G base stations, mainly for townships and villages, by 2018.
The country is also researching and testing 5G technology with a goal to commercialize it by 2020.
The research and development has entered the second phase. International cooperation in the process will be strengthened.
5G is much faster than 4G. It is more reliable and can be used to support virtual reality technology, ultra-high definition video transmission, autopilot and smart manufacturing.
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Tsinghua University has denied suggestions the university&`&s new system of admission for international applicants has made it easier for foreign students to get a chance to study in the university.
A heated debate was triggered following media reports that an updated procedure had been adopted for the university&`&s international student recruitment.
According to the new rules regarding undergraduate programs, one will be admitted by the university if the applicant passes two hurdles: an "Online Application" and a "Comprehensive Evaluation", which includes an application review and interview.
Outstanding applicants recognized by Tsinghua University may have the interview waived and get an offer directly.
One of the main differences from the previous rules is that applicants don&`&t have to take an academic test.
Critics say this has made it much easier for foreigners to get into Tsinghua University, especially those who are originally Chinese citizens.
In response, the university has said the new rules do not lower standards for international applicants.
Applicants are required to provide a National and Regional Graduation Examination certificate, or a Matriculation Examination Certificate.
If applicants don&`&t have that certificate, they have to provide the Grade Point Average and the academic ranking certification from their high school.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing.
Car-sharing services provided by a number of companies in Beijing are striving for a place in China&`&s burgeoning sharing economy. But they will encounter disappointment unless they avoid or remove the costly speed bumps ahead.
Some of these services are Gofun Chuxing launched by Beijing Shouqi Group and Car2go under the automobile giant Daimler AG.
The sharing cars, mostly powered by electricity are in good condition, and can be ready for first-time users in minutes once they finish the required registration via the service app.
In some cases they cost less than taking a cab. One of the companies offers services for a refundable deposit of 700 yuan, roughly 100 U.S. Dollars. Following that, a passenger has to pay only 1 yuan per kilometer and 0.1 yuan per minute for a ride.
However, like their bike-sharing counterparts such as Mobike, the car-sharing apps are struggling to keep illegal parking in check and bring unruly users out of the dark. There are also worries that traffic accidents involving these vehicles become more complicated issues.
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Archaeologists have discovered a cluster of tombs with boat-shaped coffins that are 2,200 years old.
The tombs were found in southwest China&`&s Sichuan Province. A total of 60 tombs are scattered in an area of 10,000 square meters.
The boat-shaped coffins are made of nanmu, a precious wood for making furniture and coffins.
Archeological diggings have been finished on 47 of the tombs.
Archaeologists say the site was the graveyard of an ancient indigenous tribe called Shu, which was part of the Shu Kingdom.
The discoveries include more than 300 pieces of pottery, bronze, iron and bamboo items as well as weapons, coins and a dozen marking seals.
In one of the tombs, ten bamboo baskets of well-preserved grain were found, as well as a string of crystal beads surrounding the waist of the occupant. Scientists say the delicate crystals indicate that the occupant was a wealthy person and the crystals had probably been imported from other countries via the Silk Road.
As the area is surrounded by ruins of ancient salt wells, experts say the occupant was possibly a salt administration official.
This is not the first time that boat-shaped coffins are found in the area.
The local government is planning to build a theme museum to display the findings.
This is the end of this edition of Special English. To freshen up your memory, I&`&m going to read one of the news items again at normal speed. Please listen carefully.
（全文见周日微信。）

2017-02-27 Special English
This is Special English. I&`&m Mark Griffiths in Beijing. Here is the news.
New kinds of vaccines for the H7N9 strain of bird flu virus have been approved for clinical trials by China&`&s top drug regulator.
The Beijing Food and Drug Administration said it will continue to provide assistance and guidance for clinical trials of the vaccines so they can enter the market as soon as possible.
The vaccines have been developed by a state-owned enterprise in Beijing.
There are currently no vaccines for the H7N9 strain of bird flu available on the market in China or overseas. The flu is most active in winter and spring.
Two human cases of H7N9 have been reported in Beijing this year, with both patients suspected of having been exposed to live poultry. Both are in critical condition.
One woman died after being infected with the bird flu in southwest China&`&s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
The central government has intensified measures to control the spread of the flu, including shutting down live poultry markets.
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The World Health Organization says the shortsightedness rate among Chinese juveniles ranks first in the world, with 70 percent of high school and college students being shortsighted. The rate is almost 40 percent in primary school students, while it is only 10 percent for their peers in the United States.
A World Health Organization research report says the number of shortsighted people in China has reached 600 million, approaching half of the country&`&s total population.
Experts attribute the soaring shortsightedness rate in China to the unhealthy lifestyles and learning styles which parents impose on their children.
On the one hand, to achieve high scores in exams, children spend too much time studying indoors and don&`&t enough time outside in the sunlight. On the other hand, a growing number of high-tech products, including smart phones and tablet PCs, make children focus their eyes and attention on fluorescent screens for long periods of time, resulting in excessive eye fatigue.
Experts suggest that youngsters maintain a proper balance between study and rest so as to protect their eyesight, and parents should play a correspondingly active role in the process.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Mark Griffiths in Beijing.
China will launch its most advanced communications satellite in April. The new satellite will be part of a huge network to expand the nation&`&s Wi-Fi access.
The satellite and its large capacity network will enable passengers on planes and high-speed trains to access the internet.
The satellite weighs around 5 metric tons. It will stay in a geostationary orbit around 36,000 kilometers above Earth for 15 years.
This is the most powerful communications satellite China has ever developed. Its transmission capacity will double that of the current ones, allowing more television channels and clearer signals to be transmitted; and internet user costs will be reduced.
China plans to establish a constellation of advanced communications satellites by 2025. After the plan is fulfilled, users will be able to access high-quality Wi-Fi services anywhere and anytime, including on bullet trains and planes.
Scientists say China still needs to catch up with the top developers in the United States and Europe, when it comes to satellite technology and capacity.
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China&`&s deep-sea manned submarine "Jiaolong" has departed its home port in Qingdao in eastern China to start its longest mission to date, a 124-day expedition.
The submarine is scheduled to explore northwest part of the Indian Ocean, the South China Sea and the Mariana Trench in the Western Pacific during this oceanic exploration mission. The trip is set to conclude on June 9.
Organized by the National Deep Sea Center, the mission will be carried out by more than 150 researchers from around 20 scientific research institutions nationwide.
The expedition will cover the widest range of investigation area with diversified tasks. The submarine will dive 31 times, including seven times below 6,000 meters.
The submarine holds China&`&s manned diving record. It reached a depth of 7,062 meters in the Mariana Trench in 2012.
According to the mission plan, it will perform a task in the northwest Indian Ocean polymetallic sulfides zone for the first time.
The Qingdao-based National Deep Sea Center is a supportive station for deep sea facilities. It is one of the five such deep sea centers in the world.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Mark Griffiths in Beijing.
Beijing and its neighboring city Tianjin are planning a monthly pass for high-speed intercity trains linking the two cities. The two sides are also considering canceling expressway toll fees.
The mayor of Tianjin says the move will facilitate the integrated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province. The outline was given in 2015 to improve transportation links in the area. It also includes moving some of Beijing&`&s low-end industries to neighboring areas.
The high-speed intercity trains aim to build a modern transportation system. A unified smart prepaid traffic card has been used in 12 cities in the region, and more cities will be included by the end of the year.
In addition, a network of high-speed trains covering the whole region has been approved; and another intercity railway linking Beijing and Tianjin&`&s Binhai New Area is expected to be completed by 2020.
The Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway was the first of its kind in China. With a maximum speed of 350 kilometers per hour, a single trip between the two cities will be kept within 40 minutes. The trains will depart and arrive every 10 to 15 minutes.
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In 2015, every student at China&`&s almost 3,000 universities spent an average of 1,100 yuan, roughly 160 U.S. dollars, on online purchases. Each of them received 16 parcels on average last year, making university campuses key areas of competition for express delivery companies.
The volume of deliveries and on-campus management of the companies&`& operations pose problems for college administrators.
Two years ago, parcels delivered to university campuses accounted for 5 percent of the national total, which helped to create 70,000 jobs.
A report says that without unified and centralized distribution terminals, the "last kilometer transport" to campuses remains chaotic in many universities.
More than 65 percent of express companies in Guangdong Province conduct their on-campus business via a "stall model". Parcels are scattered on the ground in the care of a courier who waits to pass them on to the recipients. Different companies&`& stalls open at different times and in random locations. This means that many students do not receive their parcels on time.
The report says that the situation is the same in Beijing, which has the largest overall campus delivery business in China.
The report suggests that on campus courier stations should be designated as public welfare facilities and should be part of the campus infrastructure serving teachers and students.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Mark Griffiths in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to crienglish.com. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. Now the news continues.
Pakistan is to start exporting seafood to China&`&s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, using a land route that China will also use to ship oil and natural gas from the Middle East.
The journey is around 1,500 kilometers. Frozen seafood will depart Pakistan&`&s Gwadar Port on the shores of the Arabian Sea in container trucks and enter China via the Khunjerab Pass, a land port in southern Xinjiang&`&s Kashgar prefecture.
Regular shipments are to start on April 1, after a successful trial last month.
Normally, it takes more than 30 days to transport seafood by sea from Pakistan to ports in South China&`&s Guangdong province. Now it takes only around 10 days for the seafood to be transported and cleared by customs on the land route.
The wholesale price of those seafood products will drop by 10 to 20 percent after the shipments become regular.
China is Pakistan&`&s biggest seafood importer, with around 75 percent of the country&`&s shrimp products sold to China.
China will provide 1 billion U.S. dollars in loans for three new road projects, to further enhance the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor along the land route.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Mark Griffiths in Beijing.
Despite winds and deep winter chills, snow-covered areas in north China have seen quick growth in tourism during the Spring Festival holiday.
The China National Tourism Administration reported a record 340 million domestic visits paid by mainland travelers during the seven-day holiday which started on January 27th. This marks an increase of 14 percent compared with last year. Total tourism revenue reached 420 billion yuan, roughly 62 billion U.S. dollars.
The administration said ice-and-snow tourism is gaining in popularity as Beijing gears up to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. For example, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region received 15 million travelers in the seven days, an increase of 20 percent, compared with last year. The total tourism revenue reached 1.6 billion yuan, up almost 22 percent. Xinjiang shares a common border with countries including Russia, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan.
In northeast China, a national forest park in Heilongjiang province, known sometimes as the Snow Town, received more than 20,000 tourists in a single day on Jan 31.
China has invested heavily in the development of winter sports and recreation. There are over 200 skating rinks and 500 ski resorts spreading across 25 provinces. Around 30 million people have participated in winter sports and related activities in these areas.
China plans to build a total of 650 skating rinks and 800 ski resorts by 2022.
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After three days of searching, an injured finless porpoise has finally been found in central China&`&s Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in the country.
Volunteers discovered the injured animal through a long-focus lens. It was seen to have a large fishhook in its back. But it was soon out of sight and disappeared before people could offer any help.
The authorities and scientists conducted a search for the animal in an area of the lake which was 400-meter in diameter and 20 meters under the water.
The finless porpoise is a mammal similar to the dolphin. It is an endangered species with a total population of around 1,000, fewer than the giant panda. Around 450 of them are found in Poyang Lake.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Mark Griffiths in Beijing.
East China&`&s Zhejiang Province used to be a "Jurassic Park", with a great number of dinosaurs some 100 million years ago.
According to a six-year research project, 82 dinosaur fossil sites have been found in the area. The fossils came from a dozen species, eight of them new in China.
The research covered an area of 11,000 square kilometers in the province. Various study techniques were adopted in the research, making it one of the most comprehensive in China.
The study shows that there were many dinosaurs in the area during the Cretaceous Period around 100 million years ago. Zhejiang has the largest number of dinosaur fossils among other southeastern provinces.
Scientists say the discoveries also support the idea that a comet or asteroid was the cause for the extinction of the dinosaurs.
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More than 100 plant seed grains dating back 2,000 years have been unearthed at an ancient tomb in northern China&`&s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
According to the regional institute of archaeology, the discovery was made during the excavation of a civilian tomb in western Inner Mongolia.
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2017-02-21 Special English
This is Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is the news.
A senior health official has called on governments at all levels to help relieve the burden on families wanting to have a second child.
A senior official from the National Health and Family Planning Commission has said that an array of departments need to introduce measures to help resolve issues that have arisen with the introduction of the second-child policy in January last year.
Health authorities have been rolling out policies nationwide since family planning rules were relaxed, including improvements to maternal care facilities.
However, the official warned that families will need help from other government departments to handle some of the problems, including increased expenses, maternity leave and a shortage of nurseries.
Almost 19 million babies were born in China last year, up 11 percent from 2015, with 45 percent born to women who already had a child.
Over the same period, the maternal mortality rate fell from 201 per 1 million births to 199, despite the fact that half of the 90 million women who became eligible to have a second child are over 40 years old, putting them at a higher risk of complications during pregnancy.
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Beijing has banned high-emission vehicles from its urban areas.
Starting from Feb. 15, light-duty gasoline-powered cars that fail to meet the "National Emission Standard 3" were banned from entering Beijing&`&s fifth ring road on weekdays.
Violators will be fined 100 yuan, roughly 15 U.S. dollars, for every four hours that they drive on the road. Substandard vehicles will also be taken off the road through annual inspections or spot checks.
Beijing currently requires new cars to comply with the "Beijing 6" emission standard, which is higher than the widely-used "National Emission Standard 5" and equivalent to the "Euro 6" standard, the strictest in China.
The "National Emission Standard 1" was introduced in 1999 and the "National Emission Standard 2" followed in 2004.
Higher-polluting gasoline vehicles account for less than 10 percent of vehicles on the road, but discharge over 30 percent of nitrogen oxide and 25 percent of volatile organic compounds.
Beijing&`&s 6 million vehicles produce 500,000 tonnes of various pollutants annually and account for 30 percent of locally-generated PM 2.5, a particulate matter associated with hazardous smog, making this the prime source for PM2.5.
Plagued by smog over the past decade, Beijing has initiated a series of regulations to improve its air quality.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing.
Last year, 1,600 foreigners became permanent Chinese residents, an increase of 160 percent on the previous year.
China has made huge progress in easing its residence and entry policies for foreigners since 2015, which has helped attract more talent from overseas and boost international exchanges and the economy.
Foreigners with permanent residence can enjoy the same rights as Chinese citizens do, including investment, housing purchases and schooling.
One year after new measures were implemented, Shanghai saw a year-on-year increase of six times the number of permanent residence applications from foreigners and their families.
The number of such applications in Beijing last year increased 430 percent from 2015.
Foreigners made over 57 million trips to China last year, up almost 10 percent from 2015.
At present, 15 Chinese cities allow a 72-hour visa-free entry for nationals of certain countries. Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang offer 144-hour visa-free stays for international transit passengers from certain countries.
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The Chinese government has issued a five-year action plan for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
The government has vowed to make the utmost effort to find HIV-infected personnel and AIDS sufferers. It is also aimed at reducing infections through drug needles, blood transfusion and mother-to-newborn infections. Efforts will be made to minimize the fatality rate and improve patients&`& quality of life.
The plan was made for the period between 2016 and 2020. It has set multiple targets including reducing AIDS-related activities in people by at least 10 percent and keep mother-to-infant infection rate to within 4 percent.
According to the plan, more than 90 percent of the infected people and AIDS sufferers should receive anti-virus treatment, and more than 90 percent of the cases of such treatment should be successful.
International cooperation on HIV/AIDES research will be strengthened to enhance the prevention and treatment of the disease.
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Scientists say China should draft national standards on pesticides to reduce the amount of residue that is left on agricultural products, preventing damage to the environment.
Scientists with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences say national standards on pesticides are badly needed as the country faces mounting pressure of protecting the ecological environment in rural areas. The standards should cover the levels of the maximum amount of residue allowed on a piece of farmland, and user instructions.
The scientists say improper usage of pesticides is a matter of grave concern. Chemicals in pesticides leach into the environment, wasting resources, and posing a serious risk to the whole eco system.
Overuse of pesticides also threatens aquatic life, animals and the long-term growth of crops. To prevent the damage and enable rational use of pesticides among farmers, scientists have developed a device that can verify how much of the chemicals need to be used on farmland.
A test kit containing color-coded test cards can help users determine the quality of their sprays and calculate droplet density.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to newsplusradio.cn. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know by e-mailing us at [email protected]. That&`&s [email protected]. Now the news continues.
A record 6 million trips were made by mainland tourists to overseas destinations during the seven-day Spring Festival holiday, which ended on February 2.
That is an increase of 7 percent compared with last year&`&s Spring Festival period. More than 370,000 trips were organized by travel agencies, up 3 percent from last year.
The tourism administration has reported growth from individual and high-end travelers.
Meanwhile, Chinese tourists&`& travel itineraries and preferred destinations have been different from before.
For example, "Shopping sprees" among Chinese tourists in Japan was a catchword in 2015. But this year, many people traveled to Japan for physical checkups besides sighting seeing.
One owner of a tourism agency in Tokyo says his agency arranged more than 200 physical checkups and medical treatments this year, up 50 percent from last year.
A tourism agency specializing in receiving Chinese tourists in Kenya says the country was a seldom choice for Chinese tourists in 2005. But, since 2010, more Chinese tourists have chosen the African country as a destination to experience its different biodiversity environment.
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People&`&s preference for dog breeds is changing. Since 2012, when a Tibetan mastiff pup sold for 20 million yuan, roughly 3 million U.S. dollars, in Shandong province, the country has become obsessed with another breed, the brown toy poodles.
A pet dog center in Beijing says the brown toy poodle has been popular in recent years because they think it is cute, small and smart.
The center says small dogs are ideal pets for many people with small apartments, adding that poodles are one of the smartest breeds.
The toy like breed is nicknamed "teddy" in China. According to Beijing Kennel Club, Beijing had around 950,000 registered dogs in 2015. More than 13 percent of them were toy poodles. It even outnumbers other breeds including the bichon frise, the golden retriever and the Welsh corgi.
Since keeping a pet was legalized in 1993, the pet market has grown quickly. Many breeds have had their moment, including the Pekingese, the Tibetan mastiff and the Labrador.
Experts say the cycle of favor for one breed is around seven years, and now the price of a brown toy poodle is dropping, meaning fewer people are buying them.
There are many reasons behind the popularity, including fashion trends and scarcity.
Insiders say that with the market becoming more mature, pet owners are becoming more likely to choose a breed based on their own demands, instead of following the crowd.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing.
A joint Canadian-Chinese research has found that the biochemical reactions that cause Alzheimer&`&s disease could begin during fetus period or soon after birth if the fetus or newborn does not get enough vitamin-A.
The study also showed that vitamin-A supplements given to newborns could be effective in slowing the degenerative brain disease.
The findings are based on studies of genetically-engineered mice. The research was announced recently by the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in western Canada.
The study shows that even as early as in pregnancy, marginal deficiency of vitamin-A has a detrimental effect on brain development. It has long-lasting effect that may facilitate Alzheimer&`&s disease later in life.
The findings were the result of a five-year research project that built on previous studies that linked low levels of vitamin-A with cognitive impairments.
The researchers studied 300 elderly people in China and found that 75 percent of those with vitamin-A deficiency had cognitive impairment, compared to the 47 percent of those with normal vitamin-A levels.
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Australian researchers have solved a long-standing puzzle on the origin of stardust recovered from meteorites.
The international team of scientists, led by Melbourne&`&s Monash University, identified the effect of a nuclear reaction within the dust grains for the first time.
The researchers say the solar system was born out of a nebula where rock-forming elements were locked inside dust grains. Some of the dust was made around stars, being effectively tiny condensed pieces of stars.
A small fraction of stardust survived the destruction process, while most of the original dust was destroyed to make up new dust, rocks and planets, including Earth.
Using special dust found on meteorites, the researchers were able to trace the evolution of the nebula from which planets were born. It also enabled them to understand physical processes inside stars where the grains were formed.
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Scientists have discovered a tiny creature that dates back to 500 million years and believe it may be the oldest known ancestor of a vast group of species, including humans.
The research was conducted by China&`&s Northwest University, Cambridge University, and other institutions. The finding has been published by "Nature" online.
The animal is probably the oldest example of a category of creatures that includes vertebrates.
The tiny creature, around one millimeter in size, was found in the Cambrian fossils from northwest China&`&s Shaanxi Province. Its bag-like body has a prominent mouth, and several lateral openings to expel water. One key step in its evolution was when the openings became gills.
One lead researcher of the study said the creature evolved from their even smaller ancestors 520 million years ago. Then they became primitive fish, and eventually humans.
That is the end of this edition of Special English. To freshen up your memory, I&`&m going to read one of the news items again at normal speed. Please listen carefully.
（全文见周日微信。）

2017-02-20 Special English
This is Special English. I&`&m Mark Griffiths in Beijing. Here is the news.
Australia&`&s University of Newcastle has announced the establishment of a scholarship program supported by China&`&s Jack Ma Foundation.
The Jack Ma Foundation will give 20 million U.S. dollars, roughly 26 million Australian dollars, to fund a scholarship program at the University of Newcastle. The fund is the first of its kind and it marks the largest philanthropic commitment in the university&`&s history. This is the Foundation&`&s first philanthropic contribution in Australia.
In its initial year, "The Ma and Morley Scholarship Program" will create 30 new scholarships and support a series of other scholarship programs at the university.
When the program reaches full capacity, it will support 90 students per year.
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A system developed by e-commerce giant Alibaba for China&`&s Ministry of Public Security last year helped to find more than 600 missing children.
The system is called "Tuanyuan", or reunion. It is a pop-up platform that has been applied to multiple websites and apps, including AutoNavi and Alipay.
Since its launch last year, over 70 billion pop-ups have been made, sharing the information of 650 missing children. Six hundred and ten of them have been found.
Alibaba says most of these children were reported lost or had run away from home, but 4 percent were rescued from child traffickers.
Apart from updating lost and found information for children, the system also helps to refute fake information.
More Internet companies across China will join the network this year.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Mark Griffiths in Beijing.
Beijing will intensify the battle against air pollution, as the city mayor has promised to take "extra" anti-smog measures in 2017.
Beijing mayor Cai Qi said at a media conference that the municipal government will continue to decrease coal use by helping residents in villages use clean energy.
Beijing will try to basically realize zero coal use in six major districts and in Beijing&`&s southern plain areas this year. The city will eliminate coal-fired boilers that can each produce up to 10 tonnes of steam per hour.
The mayor said the city will slash coal use by 30 percent to less than 7 million tonnes this year.
Meanwhile, Beijing will kick 300,000 old vehicles off the roads this year and promote new energy cars instead.
Cai said it is an important task for Beijing and its neighboring areas to work together and improve air quality in the region.
The average density of PM 2.5 in the Chinese capital was 73 micrograms per cubic meter last year, down 10 percent from the previous year.
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The Chinese government has issued a five-year action plan for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
The government has vowed to make the utmost effort to find HIV-infected people and AIDS sufferers. It is also aimed at reducing infections through drug needles, blood transfusions and mother-to-newborn infections. Efforts will be made to minimize the fatality rate and improve patients&`& quality of life.
The plan was made for the period between 2016 and 2020. It has set multiple targets including reducing AIDS-related activities in people by at least 10 percent and keeping mother-to-infant infection rates to within 4 percent.
According to the plan, more than 90 percent of the infected people and AIDS sufferers should receive anti-viral treatment, and more than 90 percent of the cases of such treatment should be successful.
International cooperation on HIV/AIDES research will be strengthened to enhance the prevention and treatment of the disease.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Mark Griffiths in Beijing.
Scientists say China should draft national standards on pesticides to reduce the amount of residue that is left on agricultural products, preventing damage to the environment.
Scientists with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences say national standards on pesticides are badly needed as the country faces mounting pressure of protecting the ecological environment in rural areas. The standards should cover the levels of the maximum amount of residue allowed on a piece of farmland, and user instructions.
The scientists say improper usage of pesticides is a matter of grave concern. Chemicals in pesticides leach into the environment, wasting resources, and posing a serious risk to the whole eco system.
Overuse of pesticides also threatens aquatic life, animals and the long-term growth of crops. To prevent the damage and enable rational use of pesticides by farmers, scientists have developed a device that can verify how much of the chemicals need to be used on the farmland.
A test kit containing color-coded test cards can help users determine the quality of their sprays and calculate droplet density.
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China plans to build a next-generation synchrotron radiation facility in Beijing.
One researcher from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, one of the country&`&s top research institutes, says construction of the project is expected to start in Nov next year. It will be completed within six years, with a total investment of 5 billion yuan, roughly 700 million U.S. dollars.
The facility has been nicknamed Beijing Light Source. It will meet national security demands and create aerospace materials among other products. It will provide high-resolution methods of finding out more about substantial structures.
The facility will be a new generation light source developed based on previous ones.
The Light Source will create the brightest X-rays in the world. It will be 70 times brighter than the United States&`& National Synchrotron Light Source II. It will also be 10 times brighter than Sweden&`&s MAX IV, the strongest of its kind in the world so far.
Bright X-rays could help measure the atomic structure of various substances, and the higher brightness will help researchers to see more detail in those substances.
Around the world, there are more than 50 such facilities providing support in many research fields. The light source plays an important role in the medical field, helping researchers discover mechanisms of tumors and understand cerebrovascular diseases better.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Mark Griffiths in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to newsplusradio.cn. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know by e-mailing us at [email protected]. That&`&s [email protected]. Now the news continues.
A record 6 million trips were made by mainland tourists to overseas destinations during the seven-day Spring Festival holiday, which ended on February 2.
That is an increase of 7 percent compared with last year&`&s Spring Festival period. More than 370,000 trips were organized by travel agencies, a 3 percent increase.
The tourism administration has reported growth from individual and high-end travelers. In addition to first-tier and coastal cities, inland cities including those in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, became important source markets for China&`&s out-bound tourism industry.
Meanwhile, Chinese tourists&`& travel itineraries and preferred destinations are different than they were before.
For example, the phrase "Shopping spree" is a catchword among Chinese tourists visiting Japan in 2015. But this year, many people traveled to Japan for physical checkups as well as sighting seeing.
One owner of a tourism agency in Tokyo said his agency arranged more than 200 physical checkups and medical treatments this year, up 50 percent from last year.
A tourism agency specializing in receiving Chinese tourists in Kenya says the country was a rare choice for Chinese tourists in 2005. But, since 2010, more Chinese tourists have chosen this African country as a destination to experience its different biodiversity environment.
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People&`&s preference for dog breeds is changing. Since 2012, when a Tibetan mastiff pup sold for 20 million yuan, roughly 3 million U.S. dollars, in Shandong province, the country has become obsessed with another breed, the brown toy poodle.
A pet dog center in Beijing says the brown toy poodle has become popular in recent years because people think they are cute, small and smart.
The center says small dogs make ideal pets for many people with small apartments, adding that poodles are one of the smartest breeds.
The toy like breed has been nicknamed "the teddy" in China. According to Beijing Kennel Club, Beijing had around 950,000 registered dogs in 2015. More than 13 percent of them were toy poodles. This outnumbers other breeds including the bichon frise, the golden retriever and the Welsh corgi.
Since keeping a pet was legalized in 1993, the pet market has grown quickly. Many breeds have had their moment, including the Pekingese, the Tibetan mastiff and the Labrador.
There are many reasons behind the popularity of the breed, including fashion trends and scarcity.
Experts say the cycle of favor for one breed is around seven years, and now the price of brown toy poodles is dropping, meaning fewer people are buying them.
Insiders say that with the market becoming more mature, pet owners are becoming more likely to choose a breed based on their own demands, instead of following the crowd.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Mark Griffiths in Beijing.
Joint Canadian-Chinese research has found that biochemical reactions that cause Alzheimer&`&s disease could begin during the fetal period or soon after birth if the fetus or newborn does not get enough vitamin-A.
The study also showed that vitamin-A supplements given to newborns could be effective in slowing the degenerative brain disease.
The findings are based on studies of genetically-engineered mice. The research was announced recently by the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in western Canada.
The study shows that even as early as in pregnancy, a marginal deficiency of vitamin-A has a detrimental effect on brain development. It has a long-lasting effect that may facilitate Alzheimer&`&s disease in later life.
The findings were the result of a five-year research project that built on previous studies that linked low levels of vitamin-A with cognitive impairment.
The researchers studied 300 elderly people in China and found that 75 percent of those with vitamin-A deficiency had cognitive impairment, compared to 47 percent of those with normal vitamin-A levels.
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Australian researchers have solved a long-standing puzzle on the origin of stardust recovered from meteorites.
The international team of scientists, led by Melbourne&`&s Monash University, identified the effect of a nuclear reaction within the dust grains for the first time.
The researchers say the solar system was born out of a nebula where the rock-forming elements were locked inside dust grains. Some of the dust was made around stars, being effectively tiny condensed pieces of stars.
A small fraction of stardust survived the destruction process, while most of the original dust was destroyed to make up new dust, rocks and planets, including the Earth.
Using special dust found on meteorites, the researchers were able to trace the evolution of the nebula from which planets were born. It also enabled them to understand physical processes inside stars where the grains were formed.
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Scientists have discovered a tiny creature that dates back 500 million years and they believe it may be the oldest known ancestor of a vast group of species, including humans.
The research was conducted by China&`&s Northwest University, Cambridge University, and other institutions. The finding has been published by "Nature" online.
The animal is probably the oldest example of a category of creatures that includes vertebrates.
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This is Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is the news.
China plans to launch another lunar probe at the end of November.
The mission will mark China&`&s first automated moon surface sampling and moon take-off, as well as China&`&s first unmanned docking in a lunar orbit around 400,000 kilometers from earth. It will also see China&`&s first return flight in a speed close to second cosmic velocity.
With a weight of 8 tonnes, the lunar probe has four parts, namely, an orbiter, a returner, an ascender and a lander.
The whole process goes like this. The lander collects moon samples and transfers them into the ascender. The ascender then takes off from the moon, in a journey to dock with the orbiter which is traveling around the moon with the returner. After loading the samples, the returner heads back to earth. It separates from the orbiter before landing on the earth.
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The number of births in China reached 17 million last year, the largest annual growth since 2000, thanks to the adoption of the second-child policy early last year.
According to the top health authority, at least 45 percent of the newborns were not the only child in the family last year, compared to 30 percent in 2013. In some places, mostly large cities in eastern China, more than 50 percent of the newborns were a second child.
The authority attributes the increase to the one-year-old universal second-child policy. A baby boom triggered by the new policy will continue in the next two years. It is expected that by 2020, the number of births will climb to 20 million each year.
The health authority plans to add 140,000 more maternity health workers in the coming years.
Top decision-makers intensified efforts in late 2013 to adjust the family control policies that were in place for three decades. The old policies allowed most couples to have just one child.
The policy change aims to address major demographic challenges including an aging population and a looming labor shortage.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing.
A Chinese language exam is likely to be introduced in Russian schools from next year.
According to a national-level education department in Russia, there is a plan to introduce the Chinese language test to the Basic State Exam next year and to the Unified State Exam in 2020.
Russia&`&s Basic State Exam is a series of obligatory examinations for ninth grade students and the Unified State Exam for 11th grade students necessary to qualify for university education.
Takers of the two exams currently have a choice of English, German, French and Spanish as part of the exam&`&s foreign language component.
The Chinese language is taught in 120 educational institutions across Russia. The total number of student learners exceeds 17,000.
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China has released a short list of eight names for the country&`&s first Mars spacecraft, which is scheduled to launch by 2020.
The eight names were the top ones chosen from over 14,500 entries by people worldwide. The names are mandarin phrases, with top scorers meaning "phoenix" and "Mars" in English.
China plans to launch its first Mars spacecraft by 2020, which will orbit, land and explore the Red Planet.
Selection work started in August last year. The eight finals were decided via online polls and a jury review.
The final choice will be announced around Space Day, on April 24.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing.
The week-long Spring Festival holiday witnessed 400 million passenger trips in China, up 2 percent year on year.
Between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2, the number of road trips totaled 330 million, a slight increase from last year. Train trips reached 52 million with an annual increase of 9 percent.
A total of around 3 billion trips are expected to be made during this year&`&s Spring Festival travel rush between Jan. 13 and Feb. 21. The lunar New Year is seen as the biggest human migration on earth.
The average distance traveled was 260 kilometers per person; and around 90 percent of the trips were within a range of 500 kilometers. Around 90 percent of the trips are made for family reunions.
The Guangzhou South Railway Station was the most used transportation hub during the migration, followed by Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station and Beijing West Railway Station. All the three spots are seated in major cities with significant populations of migrant workers.
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China has seen an increase of so-called empty-nest youth, or young people who live alone, which experts believe is a cause for public concern.
The National Bureau of Statistics reveals that 13 percent of households were inhabited by one person in 2015. The figure in 2008 was 8 percent. The Xinhua News Agency reports that specifically, of this "empty-nest" population, young people are especially common. The term "empty-nest" used to refer to elderly people living alone after their children are grown up and out of the home.
A report on "empty-nest youth" found that this group tends to feel lonelier than their peers, and their personal lives are largely kept within their rented apartments. As they typically live far from work to seek cheaper rent, these young people spend hours commuting, leaving them exhausted in the evenings.
Even so, this population chooses to live in big cities, attracted by opportunities for a better career. Some 21 percent of the group have no savings or are slightly in debt.
Experts say the emergence of empty-nest youth is a result of imbalanced social and economic development between big cities and smaller towns. It is also a natural result of China&`&s ongoing urbanization.
Still, the experts warned that the growing size of this group could bring more problems, affecting the population&`&s psychology and marital aspirations. Some recommended that the youth get in engaged in community activities.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to newsplusradio.cn. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know by e-mailing us at [email protected]. That&`&s [email protected]. Now the news continues.
Super Bowl advertisers are treading carefully this year to avoid alienating customers as a divisive political climate takes some of the buzz away from what is usually the biggest spectacle on TV.
Ad critic Barbara Lippert says that while "people need an escape", like the Super Bowl, this year&`&s matchup on the field feels "so much less important than what&`&s going on politically."
To get the attention back, some advertisers are turning to nostalgia, celebrities and marketing stunts. P&G is sexing up Mr. Clean, Honda is featuring nine celebrities and Snickers is running a live ad.
Others are touching on social issues, without being too blunt about it. Budweiser won the pre-game buzz with sweeping cinematic ad showcasing founder Adolphus Busch&`&s 1857 immigration from Germany to St. Louis. Although it has been in the works since May, the ad felt topical, as it was released online just days after President Donald Trump&`&s travel ban against people from seven Muslim-majority countries. The ad got more than 8 million views on YouTube in just four days.
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U.S. President Donald Trump says movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger "tried hard" to make "Celebrity Apprentice" a success, but has failed.
In an early morning Twitter post recently, the president kept alive a theme he brought up a day earlier during his first appearance at the National Prayer Breakfast.
Trump, who once hosted the NBC reality TV show, took a pot shot there at Schwarzenegger, the current host and former California governor, over a ratings nosedive for the show.
Trump said in his tweet that Schwarzenegger did a bad job as Governor of California and even worse on the Apprentice, but at least he tried hard.
Schwarzenegger responded quickly to the remarks in a video on his verified Twitter account, suggesting that he and Donald Trump switch jobs.
His response to the dig from Trump came later in the day in the form of a tweeted link to a 2006 article from the Los Angeles Daily News reporting that he, then the governor, had released his tax records. Trump, as a candidate and now as president, has refused to release his own tax records.
Schwarzenegger had no further comment beyond the linked article, but his representative said the article "speaks for itself".
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing.
Nordstrom says it will stop selling Ivanka Trump clothing and accessories, creating some questions about the future of the brand elsewhere.
The Seattle-based department store chain said the decision was based on the sales performance of the first daughter&`&s brand. Neiman Marcus may be the next one to pull back on the label, as the branded jewelry is nowhere to be seen on the upscale retailer&`&s website as of Friday.
Nordstrom said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press that it makes buying decisions based on performance; and they have got thousands of brands, more than 2,000 offered on the site alone. Reviewing their merit and making edits is part of the regular rhythm of Nordstrom&`&s business.
The move by Nordstrom comes amid a social media campaign called "Grab Your Wallet", urging a boycott of stores that stock Ivanka Trump or Donald Trump products.
Ivanka Trump announced earlier this month that she would take a leave of absence from her clothing and accessories business as well as the Trump organization.
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Norwegian zoologists have found around 30 plastic bags and other plastic waste in the stomach of a beaked whale that had beached on a southwestern Norway coast.
The visibly sick, 2-ton goose-beaked whale has been euthanized.
One zoologist from Bergen University says the whale&`&s stomach was full of plastic, adding that its intestine "had no food, only some remnants of a squid&`&s head in addition to a thin fat layer".
The scientists say the non-biodegradable waste was "probably the reason" why the whale repeatedly beached in shallow waters off Sotra, an island west of Bergen, 200 kilometers northwest of the capital of Oslo.
It size, around 6 meters, showed that the whale was an adult.
The United Nations estimates that 8 million tons of plastic trash is dumped into the world&`&s oceans each year.
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Fossils of a newly discovered otter species dating back around 6 million years have been found in southwest China&`&s Yunnan Province.
The well-preserved fossil has an almost complete cranium and mandible and a partial skeleton.
The otter weighed around 50 kilograms, around the same as a wolf, and measured up to two meters in length, almost double the size of a modern otter.
Computed tomography restoration of the skull revealed a combination of otter-like and badger-like skulls and tooth characteristics.
One scientist at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County says the species belonged to an extinct group of otters in East Asia.
Otters are semi-aquatic predators. Modern otters have worldwide distribution, but their fossil record is poor.
The new species outlined the migration paths of otters moving from Southeast Asia to China. It can help scientists better understand the evolution of the animals.
This is the end of this edition of Special English. To freshen up your memory, I&`&m going to read one of the news items again at normal speed. Please listen carefully.
This is the end of today&`&s program. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing, and I hope you can join us every day, to learn English and learn about the world.