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[Scientific Advancements, Earth's History, and Cultural Traditions: A Special English Summary]-[Nature reserve in China reports record number of raptors sighted]

Special English · B1 · 2024-10-06

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📋 Summary

Scientific Breakthroughs in Marine Genomics

A collaborative international research team, led by BGI Research, has achieved a significant milestone by constructing a comprehensive "Marine Micro-Biome database." By re-analyzing 240 TB of data over five years, the team identified 43,000 genomes, including over 20,000 potential "novel species." Published in the journal Nature, this database spans ecosystems from the Antarctic to the Arctic and reaches the 10,000-meter deep "Hadal zone." Key findings include the discovery of three enzymes capable of plastic degradation—one of which can degrade 55 plastic water bottles per gram—offering a sustainable path toward reducing petroleum reliance. Additionally, the team identified 36 new "gene editing systems," signaling a major advancement for translational medicine.

Deciphering Earth’s Rotational History

Researchers from China, France, Germany, and Ireland have reconstructed the Earth’s rotational history from 650 million to 240 million years ago. Their study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals a "staircase pattern" in the Earth’s deceleration. The data indicates that the Earth-Moon distance increased by 20,000 kilometers, extending the length of a day by 2.2 hours. Notably, periods of high deceleration coincided with the "Cambrian Explosion" and the largest mass extinction event, suggesting these shifts provided the environmental conditions necessary for the evolution of early marine ecosystems.

Archaeological and Ecological Discoveries in China

New archaeological evidence has emerged in Qinghai province, where an ancient rock painting site was found in the Tongtian River basin. Situated at an altitude of 4,094 meters, the site features nomadic art dating back 3,200 years, depicting human figures and animals like yaks and wolves. In the realm of ecology, the Snake Island-Laotie Mountain National Nature Reserve in Liaoning recorded a record-breaking 11,175 raptors in a single day. As a vital node on the "East Asian-Australasian Flyway" and a UNESCO World Heritage site, the reserve’s monitoring efforts are essential for assessing regional ecological health.

The Cultural Significance of the Double Ninth Festival

In Chinese tradition, the Double Ninth Festival (Chongyang Festival) is considered the most auspicious day of the year, occurring on the ninth day of the ninth month. Rooted in the Book of Changes, where nine is the highest number, the festival symbolizes "growth, prosperity, and longevity." Traditional customs include climbing hills to improve life quality, eating "Chongyang cakes," appreciating chrysanthemums—which symbolize "fidelity, optimism, and joy"—and wearing cornel (dogwood) to ward off evil. Since the 1980s, the day has evolved into "Senior Citizens' Day," emphasizing the societal virtues of "honouring, respecting, loving, and helping the elderly," a sentiment beautifully captured in the classic poem Thinking About My Brothers in Shandong on the Double Ninth Day.

🎯Key Sentences

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The world is changing fast, but you can learn it at a slower pace.
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Wait, wait—that's the wrong direction.
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all the good stuff in life.
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So the most auspicious day of a year in Chinese culture must be the Double Ninth Festival
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Well, with the number repeated twice in a row
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📝Key Phrases

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at a slower pace
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play a positive role in
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addressing plastic pollution
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reduce the reliance on
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in collaboration with
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📖 Transcript

The world is changing fast, but you can learn it at a slower pace.
Special English You're listening to Special English.
Here is the news. A team of scientists from China, Britain and Denmark has constructed a comprehensive Marine Micro -Biome database demonstrating the potential of marine micro -organisms for science research and biotechnological applications.
The research team, led by BGI Research, a Shenzhen -based life science organisation, Johnson spent five years reanalyzing nearly 240 TB of publicly available data, and built a database containing some 43 ,000 genomes and 2 .4 billion gene sequences.
More than 20 ,000 of these genomes were identified as potential novel species.
The study has been published in the journal Nature.

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