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. Beijing's urban rail transit system has made available contactless fare payments using overseas -issued JCB cards and both domestically and internationally -issued American Express cards.
According to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport, The new service covers all 29 subway lines, including two airport lines as well as the Suburban Railway S2 line.
Passengers can simply tap their bank cards on the fare gate sensors for instant access without purchasing tickets or downloading apps in advance.
This upgrade follows the MasterCard and Visa payment in September last year, further enhancing convenience for domestic and international travelers.
Beijing subway has now accepted UnionPay, MasterCard, Visa, JCB, and American Express.
The easier payment is one of the measures adopted to facilitate foreign nationals traveling to China.
as the country has been expanding its visa -free policy to welcome more foreign visitors.
The National Immigration Administration revealed that in 2024, international travelers made 64 .88 million cross -border trips to China, up 82 .9 % year on year.
More than 20 million of these were visa -free entries, marking a 112 .3 % increase from the previous year.
This is Special English.
China will launch a new energy vehicle consumption season in its vast county and township regions to unlock sales potential.
According to the Ministry of Commerce, the consumption season running from July through December this year will fully harness the efforts of local governments, industry associations, and enterprises.
Localities are tasked with actively implementing vehicle trade -in programs. Special zones for vehicle trade -ins should be established.
Localities should also develop innovative consumption scenarios and speed up the construction of relevant facilities such as the parking lots, charging stations, and after -sales service centers.
China's new energy vehicle production surged 45 .2 % year -on -year to nearly 5 .7 million units in the first five months of this year, with sales up by 44 % year -on -year to 5 .6 million units.
You're listening to Special English.
Released by the China Writers Association, the 2024 China Online Literature Blue Book found that readers aged 26 to 45 make up about half of the total audience.
But those born after 2000 are fueling much of the recent growth, accounting for nearly a quarter of all readers.
The report, based on data from 50 leading online literature platforms across China, estimated that the industry generated around 44 billion yuan in revenue in 2024.
By the end of last year, China's online literature catalog had grown to more than 33 million works, with 2 million new titles added that year, a 7 % increase from 2023.
High quality online works continue to emerge across a variety of genres like realism, science fiction and historical fiction, enriching the fabric of contemporary Chinese literature.
Science fiction, in particular, is shining brilliantly as a standout genre.
In 2024 alone, 180 ,000 new sci -fi titles were published as the genre continues to gain traction and moves closer to the cultural mainstream.
The creative boom is largely driven by a new generation of young writers.
Last year, roughly 2 .8 million authors registered on online platforms, including 350 ,000 who signed professional contracts.
This is Special English.
Can beauty be decoded through brainwaves?
A recent experiment at Tsinghua University studying the neuroscience behind aesthetics suggests that that day may soon be here.
The study, conducted by the University's School of Biomedical Engineering and led by the Neuroengineering Lab, aims to capture real -time neural responses during immersive artistic experiences.
The results may help to map how our brains process aesthetics, emotion and cultural resonance.
In early June, photos relating to the study went viral on the lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, garnering over 16 ,000 likes and more than 2 ,000 comments.
In them, a group of theater -goers wearing unusual headgear is pictured prior to a live dance performance at Tsinghua.
Later, the university clarified that the audience members were, in fact, student volunteers participating in the neuroscience experiment.
experiment, outfitted with non -invasive brain computer interface devices to record brain activity, they were about to watch Wing Chun, a live martial arts performance.
According to the university, it marked the first time that a neuro -aesthetic study, an emerging interdisciplinary field integrating the arts and humanities with the natural sciences, had been conducted in a live theater setting in China.
Professor Gao Xiaorong, Director of the Neural Engineering Lab, expressed hopes that this interdisciplinary exploration pushes forward new applications of neuroscience in understanding the human aesthetic experience.
and opens new pathways for art cognition research. The devices include wearable sensors that measure and record the electrical activity of the brain, allowing the team to collect neural data from multiple participants simultaneously in real time.
Brain activity during live performances was found to be significantly more dynamic than during video -based viewing.
According to Li Zexuan, a Ph .D. student in the lab, when the lights dim, the curtain rises, and the music starts, the audience enters another world.
The brain shows a broader and more intense response in such settings, closely tied to emotional engagement and immersion.
The study builds on two decades of research into neuroaesthetics at the Neuroengineering Lab.
Founded in 2004, it aims to integrate art, psychology, and biology to explore the neural mechanisms behind aesthetic experiences.
In recent years, brain -computer interface technology has experienced significant growth in China with the authorities issuing several supportive policies to encourage its development.
Looking ahead, Gao and his team plan to integrate other art forms such as music, dance, and lighting design to further explore core aesthetic concepts.
Their goal is to eventually apply these findings to practical systems that could support artistic creation, emotional regulation, and rehabilitation therapies.
You're listening to Special English.
Chinese researchers have decoded the molecular mechanism behind birds' ability to tolerate highly acidic foods, a trait that has long puzzled scientists.
Published in the journal Science, The study reveals that a key mutation in the sour taste receptor gene enables songbirds to consume acidic fruits without aversion.
According to Lai Ren, the corresponding author of the paper at the Kunming Institute of Zoology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, His team found that a single amino acid change in the gene enhances sour tolerance in songbirds, likely aiding their dietary expansion and species diversification.
The team also discovered a potential co -evolutionary link between birds' sour tolerance and sweet perception.
Lai noted that this synergy allows birds to not only withstand fruit acids but also precisely detect sugars, enhancing their ability to exploit fruit resources efficiently.
According to Lai, the study is the first to systematically uncover the molecular basis of avian sour taste perception and its evolutionary role, proposing the Songbird Sour Sweet co -evolution hypothesis, offering new theoretical insights into how complex sensory systems adapt synergistically to environmental challenges.
This is Special English.
Scientists have uncovered evidence indicating that humans extensively used fire to transform environments as early as 50 ,000 years ago.
Far earlier than previously believed, an international team led by researchers from the Institute of Oceanology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences analyzed a 300 ,000 -year -old sediment core from the East China Sea.
Their studies showed a significant increase in fire activity across East Asia approximately 50 ,000 years ago.
The findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, challenge the long -held view that large -scale fire management by humans began roughly 3 ,000 to 4 ,000 years ago.
The team detected a continent -wide surge in fires coinciding with the global dispersal of Homo sapiens.
Similar fire increases were previously documented in Europe, Southeast Asia, and Australia during the same period, suggesting a shared pattern of intensified fire use as humans migrated out of Africa.
Zhao Debo, the study's corresponding author, said that as populations grew and spread, fire became essential for cooking, protection, and survival in harsh glacial climates, adding that the widespread use of fire likely propelled cultural and technological advancements while significantly altering ecosystems and the carbon cycle.
The discovery suggests that human impact on climate and vegetation commenced far earlier than current climate models recognize.
Co -author Wang Shiming said that if early humans were already modifying the carbon cycle through fire tens of millennia ago, Scientists may need to rethink the baseline of human -environment interactions in Earth's history.
You're listening to Special English.
That's the end of this edition of Special English.
To recap, I'm going to read two of the news items again at normal speed.
Please listen carefully.
Beijing's urban rail transit system has made available contactless fare payments using overseas -issued JCB cards and both domestically and internationally -issued American Express cards.
According to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport, the new service covers all 29 subway lines, including two airport lines, as well as the suburban railway S2 line.
Passengers can simply tap their bank cards on the fare gate sensors for instant access without purchasing tickets or downloading apps in advance.
This upgrade follows the MasterCard and Visa payment in September last year, further enhancing convenience for domestic and international travelers.
Beijing Subway has now accepted UnionPay, MasterCard, Visa, JCB, and American Express.
The easier payment is one of the measures adopted to facilitate foreign nationals traveling to China, as the country has been expanding its visa -free policy to welcome more foreign visitors.
The National Immigration Administration revealed that in 2024, international travelers made 64 .88 million cross -border trips to China, up 82 .9 % year -on -year.
More than 20 million of these were visa -free entries, marking a 112 .3 % increase from the previous year.
This is Special English.
Can beauty be decoded through brainwaves?
A recent experiment at Tsinghua University studying the neuroscience behind aesthetics suggests that that day may soon be here.
The study, conducted by the university's School of Biomedical Engineering and led by the Neural Engineering Lab, aims to capture real -time neural responses during immersive artistic experiences.
The results may help to map out how our brains process aesthetics, emotion, and cultural resonance.
In early June, photos related to the study went viral on lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, garnering over 16 ,000 likes and more than 2 ,000 comments.
In them, a group of theatergoers wearing unusual headgears is pictured prior to a live dance performance at Tsinghua.
Later, the university clarified that the audience members were, in fact, student volunteers volunteers participating in the neuroscience experiment.
Outfitted with non -invasive brain computer interface devices to record brain activity, they were about to watch Wing Chun, a live martial arts performance.
According to the university, it marked the first time that a neuroaesthetic study, an emerging interdisciplinary field integrating the arts and humanities with the natural sciences, had been conducted in a live theater setting in China.
Professor Gao Xiaorong, Director of the Neural Engineering Lab, expressed hopes that this interdisciplinary exploration pushes forward new applications of neuroscience in understanding the human aesthetic experience and opens new pathways for art -cognition research. The device includes wearable sensors that measure and record the electrical activity of the brain, allowing the team to collect neural data from multiple participants simultaneously in real time.
Brain activity during live performances was found to be significantly more dynamic than during video -based viewing.
According to Li Zishuan, a Ph .D. student in the lab, when the lights dim, the curtain rises, and the music starts, the audience enters another world.
The brain shows a broader and more intense response in such settings, closely tied to emotional engagement and immersion.
The study builds on two decades of research into neuroaesthetics at the Neural Engineering Lab.
Founded in 2004, it aims to integrate art, psychology and biology to explore the neural mechanisms underlying aesthetic experiences.
In recent years, Brain -Computer Interface technology has experienced significant growth in China, with the authorities issuing several supportive policies to encourage its development.
Looking ahead, Gao and his team plan to integrate other art forms such as music, dance, and lighting design to further explore core aesthetic concepts.
Their goal is to eventually apply these findings to practical systems that could support artistic creation, emotional regulation, and rehabilitation therapies.
This is the end of today's program.
I hope you'll join us every day to learn English at a slower pace.
Thank you.
