1、China seems to be heading toward becoming a cashless society. From supermarkets to street stalls(小摊), people pay by using the WeChat Wallet and Alipay apps on their mobile phones. Sweden is even closer to a future without paper money. Many Swedish banks no longer even have cash on hand. But there ar
2、e worries about creating cashless. Some say it is unfair to the poor and people without much education. Its not easy for them to open bank accounts(账户) or deal with mobile phones. And if all of your money is digital you may lose your money if your accounts are hacked(黑客攻击)Although paper money is in
3、a losing battle with electronic payment in some countries, its still a big thing in most parts of the world. It may take a little longer than you think to see it go away.Listen to your books耳朵“阅读”时代来了?(词数260,7分钟)With the development of technology and the internet, there is a new trend in reading aud
4、io books. More people are choosing to listen to audio books these days, according to this years national reading report. The report was released by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication(CAPP).It shows that audio books have become quite popular among most readers. One in three adult listen to
5、audio books. They mainly use popular audio sharing platf0mmS(平台) like Ximalaya. Kids have also been a main driver in the development of audio books. Ximalaya noted that the value of audio book purchases made by those aged 13 to 18 in 2018 increased by 330 percent over that of 2017, the Beijing Eveni
6、ng News reported. In addition, around 26.8 percent of children under 8 years old listen to audio books. Most of them listen at least once a week .Their favorite categories(分类)are “stories for kids” and poetry reading” One of the reasons audio books have taken off is that people want to get more use
7、out of their free time. China News Service reported. Whether theyre at the gym, on a bus, or in bed, people can enjoy reading without a heavy paper book ore-reader. Faster internet speeds mean one can download a whole book in just seconds, according to Wei Yushan, director of CAPP. Audio app content
8、 designers have invited broadcasters(播音员) and production(制作) groups to join in content production. Both the quality and number of audio books being offered have greatly improved. More people can find the audio books they like the most, the report says.Follow the subway rules在地铁上吃喝将影响个人信用(词数270,7分钟)T
9、raveling by subway can sometimes be quite an adventure, especially during rush hour. You have to fight your way into the carriage(车厢)And there are the times when you have to avoid cups of coffee that could spill on you. The smells some passengers food are very strong, too.Since April, the local gove
10、rnment of Beijing has been collecting public opinions on the revised(修订的) Beijing Metro Passenger Rules The rules say that if passengers behave in an uncivilized(不文明的) manner while on the subway, they will end up with bad credit(信用)scores or even being banned(禁止) from the subway, Beijing Youth Daily
11、 reported. Four kinds of behaviors were added to the revised rules. They include stealing others seats eating or drinking, riding without paying the fare(车票) and handing out advertisements. Whats worth mentioning is that people have different opinions regarding eating and drinking on the subway, Gua
12、ngming Daily reported. The rules state that all passengers except babies and people with certain health issues are not allowed to eat or drink on the subway. People have pointed out that the smell of food and drink can annoy other passengers. However, others question this rule, saying that drinking
13、water should be allowed, as people can get thirsty after long rides on the crowded subway. o They also think it is too harsh(严厉的)to lower some ones social credit score Just for eating or drinking.What problems will it cause if I just quietly eat some food that doesnt have any smell and old on to the
14、 packaging(包装) when Im done?”ha user named DONGCHENY wrote on Sina Weibo.Hippos move silicon河马自然界硅元素的搬运工(词数280,7分钟)Hippos look a little bit silly, dont you think? They have huge bodies, but small eyes and ears. This contrast(对比) always makes hippos look funny and cute. As it turns out, they play an
15、important role in Africa s ecosystem(生态系统) as well. Hippos have been keeping silicon, a nutrient for plants and animals, on the move throughout East Africa, Science News reported. Each day, a hippo eats about 36 kg of plants. Most of these plants are rich in silicon. The silicon cycles through their
16、 body and finally comes out in their poop. Their poop brings 0.4 tons of silicon into the Mara River, where hippos often poop, according to scientists from the University of Antwerp in Belgium. Thats about 76 percent of the rivers entire downstream silica(硅石)flow. Silicon is mostly found in sand. It
17、s role in nature is important. The element feeds the growth of a plant called the diatom(硅藻),which lives in oceans. fresh water and other wet environments. Together, these plants take in carbon dioxide(二氧化碳) from the air and change it into oxygen(氧气. It is estimated that diatoms make at least 20 per
18、cent of the oxygen on Earth, according to Live Science.Diatoms also form the base of the food chain. They are eaten by small animals like crabs and snails, which in turn feed bigger animals like otters(水獭), turtles, and even humans Without diatoms, many ecosystems would face a food shortage. But hip
19、pos are threatened(受到威胁)by hunting and habitat(栖息地)loss. Their population decreased by up to 20 percent from 1996 to 2004, Science News reported. If these animals disappear from the Mara River, the diatom population could decrease remarkably. Did you know? Silicon is the second-most abundant丰富的) ele
20、ment on Earth. Only oxygen beats it. It makes up slightly more than27 percent of the Earths crust(地壳)nature, silicon usually exists as either an oxide (氧化物) like sand or a silicate (硅酸盐)Lightingup black holes黑洞:探索一小步,人类一大步。(词数321,6分钟)There are moments in our lives when were just left in awe(敬畏地) For
21、 me, these moments include when I found out that Jupiter is 121.9 times bigger than Earth, and that Qomolangma, Earths highest mountain if thrown into the ocean upside down-wouldnt be large enough to fill the Mariana trench(马里亚纳海沟), the deepest place on Earth. But none of these moments compares to t
22、his one: when scientists revealed(公布)the first-ever picture of a black hole on April 10What you see in the picture might be merely an orange ring a blurry(模糊的) bit of orange ring even but it is in fact a black hole and is 55 million light-years from Earth. And its bigger than any thing we know of: T
23、he sun doesnt even begin to compare with it, since its mass(质量)is6.5 billion times that of our star. It got me wondering: How many more black holes are there? What lies another 100million, or 1,000 million, light-years away? And what does the size of the universe mean to us tiny beings on a tiny pla
24、net? But dont get me wrong. The news isnt supposed to be discouraging at all: After all, it is in contrast(对比) to the size of the universe that human beings can see how much theyve achieved Just think about it: We refresh-and-blood creatures, and yet we managed to extend(延伸)our sight by building tel
25、escopes hat“see” millions of light years away. These telescopes are located in eight places around the world. and scientists from 20countries worked together for two years to process all the data before finally bringing the image to us. Its true that we tend to feel awe in the face of forces that ar
26、e much bigger than us.0But perhaps we should hold ourselves in awe as well, for all that we tiny human beings have learned about the universe. Japan is working hard to improve its English signs.日本致力于纠正“日式英语”,迎接东京Youve probably seen some pretty interesting English translations. For example, it is com
27、mon to see “Chinglish” on restaurant menus and on signs in public areas in China.Japan is now working to improve its English signs so that tourists will have an easier time getting around during the 2020 Olympics.Improving public transportation signs is especially important, as tourists will take tr
28、ains and buses to get around. The Japan Tourism Agency recently carried out a two-month investigation (at) into the websites of 85 train and bus companies around the country According to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle. The agency found some rather odd(古怪的)translations. For example, one transporta
29、tion company refers to children as“dwarfs(侏儒). Other translation errors include Forgotten Center” for lost and found”, and “release place” for “ticket machine”. But does Japan have enough time to correct its English? One expert thinks its too late.Gregory Haley, a professor at Niigata University, th
30、inks it cant be done. He pointed out that many companies simply wont be able to afford to hire translators and reprint the materials. In addition, the people who originally translated the materials probably wont want to lose face by admitting to translating them incorrectly, he added. Whether it can f
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