【专题】慢速英语（美音）2016-10-18

英语环球 NEWSPlus Radio

This is Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is the news.
Space scientists are developing technologies that will allow astronauts to use their thoughts to control equipment in spacecraft.
According to the China Manned Space Agency, the brain-to-computer test system will translate astronauts' brain impulses into words to communicate with ground control, and operate instruments in spacecraft.
The goal is to improve the efficiency of astronauts' interaction and coordination with machines.
The system will be tested by astronauts during a real spaceflight, making it the first such experiment in the world. The process uses astronauts' thoughts and does not require manual movements.
Mind-control technologies were first developed in the biomedicine field to help people with physical disabilities. They are now utilized in the aviation and space industries.
Aviation and space engineers around the world are exploring the technologies because they can enable pilots and astronauts to perform multiple tasks simultaneously. Mind-control systems can also be useful in unmanned aircraft operations as well as long-distance military missions.
Researchers in the United States and Europe have been researching and testing mind-controlled flight for the past several years.
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China's first National GeneBank has been put into use. The gene bank is expected to offer strong support to the development of the genetics industry.
Located in Shenzhen in Guangdong province, the billion-dollar bank is now home to more than 10 million bio-samples with a data storage capacity of 20 petabytes. One petabyte can store around 400 billion pages of word documents.
The bank is the world's fourth national-level gene bank, with the other three being in the United States, Europe and Japan.
The data in the bank will be open to the society.
China's genetic sequencing market has become the largest in the world, with an annual growth rate of more than 20 percent.
To further support the development of the industry, the National Development and Reform Commission approved the establishment of the bank in 2011.
The bank links all elements of gene-related fields, from resources and scientific research to applications in different industries, including precision medicine and agriculture.
The National GeneBank has signed cooperation agreements with international and local partners who will provide data storage service for it.
You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing.
The Yangtze Sturgeon, an endangered species, can now be aided to breed, 16 years after it was believed to have lost the ability.
The Yangtze Sturgeon, also known as the Dabry's Sturgeon, is a top class protected species in China. It was believed to have lost its ability to breed due to water pollution and overfishing.
In the experiment, four female and six male sturgeons were put into an environment simulating a natural river for two weeks. One of the females laid 32,000 eggs and at least one male was involved in the fertilization. A total of 22 baby sturgeons were bred.
An expert said although the sturgeons were artificially bred, no stimulants were used in the experiment.
Hailing the breakthrough, the expert said the experiment showed that by adjusting the environment, the secretion system of the species can be stimulated to make reproduction possible.
He said the achievement is significant for the increase of the sturgeon population as well as the maintenance of natural resources and the environment.
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China will soon finish construction of basic infrastructure for the new international airport in Beijing, which is expected to serve 45 million passengers annually starting in 2019.
The project authority said the terminal structure will be completed before the end of January next year and the building's facade will be ready before the end of next year. Around 60 percent of the terminal's concrete work has been finished.
The airport is planned for completion in May 2019 and will start trial operations late that year. The whole project costs almost 80 billion yuan, roughly 13 billion U.S. dollars.
The facility is designed to handle around 45 million passengers each year during the first five years of operation. After 2025, it is expected to be able to handle 72 million passengers and 620,000 flights annually. The government plans to expand its passenger capacity to more than 100 million per year in the future.
Airport construction began in December 2014 but the facility has not been given an official name. It is 46 kilometers south of Beijing's center.
A rapid transit rail line will be built linking northern Beijing to the new airport in the south, passing through downtown Beijing.
You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing.
The rise in number of children participating in study tours overseas is leading to conflicts between parents and organizers.
Parents are being urged to ensure that they sign contracts and take time to study all the relevant information before allowing their children to take study tours overseas.
The warnings came after a number of schools and education institutions were sued by parents dissatisfied with the services provided, the subjects taught and the food and accommodations on offer.
China's economic development has resulted in rising living standards and incomes, leading a growing number of Chinese people wanting to head overseas to study.
Last year, more than 500,000 Chinese citizens studied at undergraduate level overseas, compared with 300,000 in 2011. Meanwhile, a wide range of programs, including summer camps and non-degree study trips, are becoming increasingly popular.
A family from Beijing recently sued a private middle school after their 13-year-old son returned early from a 10-month study tour to the United States.
However, the dispute wasn't resolved as easily as the family had hoped. They didn't sign a formal contract with the school and had no evidence to prove the organizers didn't deliver what they had promised.
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 [e-mail]. That's [e-mail]. Now the news continues.
Many tag the young generation born in the 1990s as rebellious, and in some cases even selfish, yet a recent report revealed that when they become mothers, they tend to sacrifice more for their children, including their careers.
More than 70 percent of the young mothers chose to put their jobs aside to take care of their children, and they want to do it alone, without their parents' help.
By contrast, mothers born in the previous decade lean more towards the workplace. Almost half of those mothers born in the 1980s maintain a full-time job, and many have got a helping hand from their own parents.
That was the result of the 2016 National Parents-Children Relationship Report, jointly conducted by government departments and companies including the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and JD.com, a major e-commerce company.
Since April, the researchers contacted 7,500 families in different parts of China whose children are below 12 years of age.
They also found that children whose mothers have full-time jobs are more easily to get along with their families and friends, though the exact reason was unclear.
A lead researcher said the report has to some extent filled in a blank for academics that focus on young parents who have two children or plan to have a second child.
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The World Obesity Federation has predicted that Chinese youth will top the world in obesity by 2025. A report from the federation shows how the obesity rate in China has been growing.
The paper says that if the trend continues, obese children and teenagers aged between 5 and 18 in the Chinese mainland will reach 48 million by 2025, a number that surpasses the population of Spain. In India, obese youth will reach 17 million, and the United States will have almost 17 million.
The report says that inactivity and the consumption of junk food and soda drink contributes to the growing number of obese youth in the world.
Alongside the rising obesity rate among Chinese youth, millions of them are estimated to suffer from conditions including fatty liver, diabetes, and hypertension.
The State Council, China's Cabinet, released guidelines in 2011 responding to the increase of obese children in China. It aimed to prevent more children from becoming obese.
You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing.
The excavation of the Marquis of Haihun tomb in Jiangxi Province has yielded thousands of valuable historical relics.
The tomb is the best-preserved cemetery from the Western Han Dynasty 2,000 years ago, with the most integrated structure and a distinct layout.
After five years of excavation, more than 10,000 precious relics have been unearthed, including bronze, gold, silver and jade wares, bamboo slips and inscribed wooden tablets.
Archaeologists and cultural relic conservation experts are cleaning the sludge that has covered the items for over 2,000 years to obtain more historical information. They are also restoring the broken ceramics and bronzes to showcase to the public.
The tomb belongs to Liu He, who was dethroned after 27 days in power because of his debauchery and licentious lifestyle. It was the shortest reign among Western Han monarchs. He was given the title of marquis, a title that remained with his family for three generations.
The main coffin in the tomb complex has been cleaned, and Liu's remains can vaguely be seen in the inner coffin. The remains are on a gilded glass mat, with 100 pieces of gold discs under the glass mat.
So far, 480 gold artifacts have been unearthed from the tomb, the largest in China's archaeological history.
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