The world is changing fast but you can learn it at a slower pace.
Special English You're listening to Special English.
Here's the news. China and Canada will increase direct flights to meet demands for travel and trade between the two countries.
According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Air Canada plans to increase the frequency of its weekly round -trip flights from Vancouver to Shanghai from the current four to seven starting from December 7th.
Furthermore, Air Canada will resume the operation of its route from Vancouver to Beijing from January 15th, 9, 2025, offering seven round -trip flights per week.
Meanwhile, Chinese airlines are also expediting their application process for additional flights.
The National Civil Aviation Regulator noted that the surge in direct flights between China and Canada will help satisfy personnel exchange, economic and trade demands, and promote the further recovery of their shared air transport market.
This is Special English.
In science fiction films robots are typically formidable and unbreakable.
A recent innovation by Chinese scientists, a flexible, robotic hand is changing this rigid perception.
In a captivating demonstration video, two quivering black silicone strips resembling soft chopsticks were manipulated to gently clamp and transport a fragile dandelion puff with utmost care and delicacy.
This is the soft gripper crafted by a team from University of Science and Technology of China, which integrates a porous structure into a magnetic silicon elastomer.
According to the researchers, with some modifications, this machine manipulator is versatile enough enough to be employed in a range of applications from in vitro fertilization to wildlife rescue.
The results have been published in the journal Advanced Materials.
Rigid robotic metal fingers, which are designed to be both strong and precise, tend to be overly forceful when trying to manipulate anything fragile.
Handling soft -living objects, however, demands a delicate balance of shape adaptability and gripping force that are often at odds with each other.
In engineering, incorporating more magnetic particles can boost the gripper's clutching power, but this augmentation often leads to rigidity, which in turn hinders its ability of adapting to objects of different shapes.
The newly developed novel approach utilizes a pore -forming agent that upon heating decomposes to generate countless tiny pores.
This method ensures a high concentration of magnetic particles while bestowing the gripper with exceptional softness.
The intricate internal pores effectively absorb the shock energy from rapid grasping motions, reducing the risk of damage to fragile objects.
Additionally, the porous surface structure increases friction, which in turn improves the grip stability and reliability.
In the laboratory, this gripper successfully picked up a slippery live goldfish and a shell -less raw quail egg.
Li Mujun, lead author of the paper, said that in a small magnetic field this gripper's lifting ratio can reach 30, meaning it can lift objects that are 30 times heavier than itself.
Lee added that, considering its pinching method, this gripper's performance is impressive, but it doesn't quite match the gripping power of octopus -like wrapping techniques.
This is special English China's self -developed tunnel boring machine with the biggest diameter has rolled off the production line in Changsha in central China's Hunan province.
The machine, with a maximum excavation diameter of 16 .64 meters, was jointly developed by the China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation and China Railway 14th Bureau Group.
The heavy machine is 145 metres long, weighing some 5000 tonnes.
Its circular cutter's diameter is equivalent to a five - or six -story building.
According to Zhao Hui, Chairman of the Heavy Industry Corporation, production of the tunnel and industrialization of the 16 -meter -class domestic tunnel boring machines.
The new machine is expected to be used in the construction of a large -scale tunneling project under the Yangtze River which is intended to establish a major Trans River road link connecting Nantong City with Taishong City in East China's Jiangsu Province.
you're listening to special English.
Chinese researchers have discovered two rare species of flying squirrels in southwest China's XiZang autonomous region.
According According to the Kunming Institute of Zoology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Wutang giant flying squirrel and the Himalayan large -eared flying squirrel were observed during fieldwork in 2022 and 2023.
The Bhutan Giant Flying Squirrel is one of the largest in its family of flying squirrels and designated as a near -threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Li Quan, an associate researcher with the Kunming Institute, noted that this species was documented in China for the first time.
Li added that the Himalayan, large -eared flying squirrel, previously known to inhabit only the northwestern part of Yunnan Province and northern Myanmar, is now officially recorded in Xi Zang.
This discovery extends the known distribution range of both species and underscores the rich biodiversity of the Himalayan region.
This is Special English.
If you randomly ask any young person on the street in China what their favorite food is, the answer you're most likely to get is hotpot.
Grab a slice of lamb.
Drop it into the boiling water.
Let it simmer for a few seconds, then dip it into whatever sauce you prefer.
What a luxurious taste!
Hotpot is among the most popular get -together meals in China, especially among young people.
It is so welcomed that they even came up with a saying, there is nothing so difficult that hot pot cannot solve.
If one meal fails, then two hot pot meals will do.
What makes hot pot so charming?
hot pot was known as Gudong soup in ancient China.
It gets its name from the plopping sound that food makes when thrown into the boiling water.
What a vivid name, right?
It's recorded that Chinese people started to eat hot pot as early as the Warring States period about 2200 years ago.
According to researchers, pots made of different materials were used to enjoy the flavors of hot pot food, including bronze, iron, and pottery.
During the Qing Dynasty, some 300 years ago, hotpot became a royal meal.
Guess who was the biggest hotpot fan in the imperial family?
The answer is Emperor Qianlong.
According to archives of the royal kitchen, he once had hot pot sixty -six times in just one month.
Today, hot pot has become one of the most popular ways of eating for Chinese people.
It's totally understandable, since there is always something to love about it.
First, hot pot is super diverse.
It's called by some as a Chinese buffet.
There are dozens of ways to eat hot pot.
Whether you are a meat lover, vegetarian, a picky eater, or prefer to eat adventurously, there is always a way that will suit your taste.
If you are a fan of spicy food, Chongqing hot pot is definitely the one for you.
The heavily flavored broth and numbing hot spiciness is what Chongqing hot pot is most known for.
If you are into fresh flavors then don't miss the Beijing -style hotpot.
Ingredients are often cooked in clear water or lightly flavored broth in a copper pot with some leeks, ginger and goji berries thrown in.
Thinly sliced mutton is one of the most important ingredients on the table.
Tender and tasty meat along with fresh and leafy vegetables.
With these, you can indulge yourself in the pure tastes of the Beijing hot pot.
Another reason why hot pot is so popular among young people is that it is probably the easiest to eat and prepare.
If you want to have a meal with friends at home, Hotpot is always the top choice.
You can buy some ready made Hotpot broths and sauces at supermarkets, which can be ready on the table in minutes.
Then what you need to do is to chop up some vegetable, slice some meat, and throw them into the pot.
That's it! A hotpot dinner is ready in no time.
Above all, the best thing about hotpot is that it's super active and social.
Hot pot is a natural ice breaker.
There's always something to talk about, putting the ingredients in the boiling broth, waiting for them to simmer, discussing whether the meat is ready yet, adding some spices into the dipping sauce, or pouring some boiling water into the pot.
A hot pot night is always lively, and a relaxed environment for people to share their stories with friends.
And don't worry that the food will get cold after you share all your happiness and bitterness, because the hotpot is always there for you.
Now I just can't wait to call my friends and invite them to have a hotpot meal tonight.
English. To recap, I'm going to read two of the news items again at normal speed.
Please listen carefully.
Canada and China will increase direct flights to meet demands for travel and trade between the two countries.
According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Air Canada plans to increase the frequency of its weekly round trip flights from Vancouver to Shanghai from the current four to seven, starting from December 7th.
Furthermore, Air Canada will resume the operation of its route from Vancouver to Beijing from January 15th, 2025, offering seven round -trip flights per week.
Meanwhile, Chinese airlines are also expediting their application process for additional flights.
The National Civil Aviation Regulator noted that the surge in direct flights between China and Canada will help satisfy personnel exchange, economic and trade demands and promote the further recovery of their shared air transport market.
You're listening to Special English.
In science fiction films, robots are typically formidable and unbreakable.
A recent innovation by Chinese scientists, a flexible robotic hand, is changing this rigid perception.
In Two quivering black silicone strips resembling soft chopsticks were manipulated to gently clamp and transport a fragile dandelion puff with utmost care and delicacy.
This is the soft gripper crafted by a team from University of Science and Technology of China which integrates a porous structure into a magnetic silicone elastomer.
According to the researchers, with some modifications, this machine manipulator is versatile enough to be employed in a range of applications from in vitro fertilization to wildlife rescue.
The results have been published in the journal Advanced Materials.
Rigid robotic metal fingers which are designed to be both strong and precise tend to be overly forceful when trying to manipulate anything fragile.
Handling soft living objects, however, demands a delicate balance of shape adaptability and gripping force that are often at odds with each other.
In engineering, incorporating more magnetic particles can boost the gripper's clutching power, but this augmentation often leads to rigidity, which in turn hinders its ability of adapting to objects of different shapes.
The newly developed novel approach utilizes a pore -forming agent that, upon heating, decomposes to generate countless tiny pours.
This method ensures a high concentration of magnetic particles while bestowing the gripper with exceptional softness.
The intricate internal pores effectively absorb the shock energy from rapid grasping motions, reducing the risk of damage to fragile objects.
Additionally, the porous surface structure increases friction, which in turn improves the grip stability and reliability.
In the laboratory, this gripper successfully picked up a slippery, live goldfish and a shellless raw quail egg.
Li Mu -Jun, lead author of the paper, said that in a small magnetic field, this gripper's lifting ratio can reach 30, meaning it can lift objects that are 30 times heavier than itself.
Li added that considering its pinching method, this gripper's performance is impressive, but it doesn't quite match the gripping power of octopus -like wrapping techniques.
This is the end of today's program.
I hope you'll join us everyday to learn English at a slower pace.
Shhh, listen up. Can you hear the heartbeat of our world?
It's vibrant and pulsating with the of life itself.
From the stem of trees to the gurgle of rivers.
From the silent strength of mountains to the icy whispers of glaciers, even the solid ground beneath our feet.
And right there in the midst of all, beats the heart of humanity.
What if those other heartbeats were to stop?
Would hours keep on ticking?
