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. A group of Chinese scientists have unveiled a brain -inspired complementary vision chip endowed with a human -like visual perception capability.
The AI -driven visual perception is laying the groundwork for a transformative tech revolution, – particularly in the realm of unmanned systems like autonomous driving.
However, it remains a formidable challenge to achieve efficient, accurate, and resilient visual perception in environments that are dynamic, varied, and unpredictable.
The researchers from Qinghua University drew inspiration from the principles of the human visual system and crafted a vision -sensing technology that breaks down visual information into primitive -based visual representations.
By integrating these primitives, the technology emulates the features of the human visual system, establishing two complementary visual perception pathways, namely a cognition oriented funded pathway for accurate cognition and an action -oriented pathway for rapid response.
That is according to the study published as a cover story in the journal Nature utilizing Realizing the chip, the researchers designed high performance software and algorithms and validated the systems on a vehicle -mounted platform operating in diverse open environments.
The system has exhibited low -latency and high -performance real -time perception capabilities, highlighting its immense potential for deployment in the field of intelligent unmanned systems.
Zhao Rong, one of the papers' corresponding authors, said that the chip paves a new path for pivotal applications such as autonomous driving and embodied intelligence.
This is Special English.
Amid the sprawling desert in northwest China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, Chinese scientists are harnessing advanced greenhouse technologies to unleash the agricultural potential of the otherwise infertile land.
Within the greenhouses that stretch 10 ,000 acres in Khotam in southern Xinjiang, scientists from the Institute of Urban Agriculture under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences have recently harvested the first batch of rice grown in the desert.
According to Yang Chi -Chang, the chief scientist of the institute, the rice is cultivated on three layer frames along with precise environment control in desert greenhouses rather than conventional methods which nearly halves the growth cycle, harvesting in just two months.
This achievement was built upon the earlier successes in the plant factory in Chengdu, in southwest China's Sichuan Province, where Yang's team halved the growth period for the first time through speed breeding technology in 2021.
In Yang's view, the harsh climate in the Ho Tham Desert provides an opportunity rather than a hindrance.
This region's unique geographical features, including long hours of sunshine and a large difference in temperature between day and night provide an ideal condition for crop cultivation.
Xu Da Hui, an assistant researcher with the Institute of Urban Agriculture, noted that that by utilizing advantages of the desert climate, the potential for protected agriculture becomes increasingly promising, paving the way for sustainable food production in Xinjiang.
Yang noted that the construction cost of energy -saving desert greenhouses is 350 yuan, about 48 US dollars per square meter, around one -third that of Dutch glasshouses, which are recognized as one of the top examples of facility -based agriculture.
Meanwhile, its operation cost is about 25 % of Dutch glasshouses.
Young and his research team have also explored key technologies for speed breeding of staple crops such as soybean, maize and wheat as well as rapeseed, cotton and alfalfa in the desert greenhouse.
You're listening to special English Lin Guo -dong's trip from Shanghai to Yunqiang in North China's Shanshi Province over the May Day holiday this year was his third visit to the region known for ancient buildings.
29 -year -old Lyn believes that compared to reading books, a study trip offers a multidimensional experience allowing him to feel history up close and systematically enrich his knowledge.
data from the National Cultural Heritage Administration of China shows that there are some 28 ,000 ancient buildings in Shanxi, including Three Tong Dynasty wooden structures and the world's tallest wooden pagoda.
The province also boasts over 300 Yuan dynasty wooden structures accounting for over 80 percent of such buildings in China.
In recent years, an An increasing number of young people like Lin have flocked to Shanxi to explore its treasure of ancient buildings, sharing their experiences and travel tips on social media platforms, such as Weibo and Xiaohongsu.
Yang Jie, an ancient building enthusiast, founded a research and study center in 2017, which specializes in in -depth educational tours focused on history and culture.
Starting with no participants on the first tour, Yang's team now receive nearly 5 ,000 visitors a year, 31 % of whom are under 30.
It indicates that an increasing number of young people are interested in ancient buildings, and the demand for professional guides is also growing.
The rising enthusiasm for ancient buildings is fueled by the revival of traditional Chinese culture.
As more people seek to understand Chinese history and civilization through these historical sites.
The movement for ancient building conservation is also gaining strength.
Wang Kai, an ancient building enthusiast working at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences believes that ancient buildings are crucial carriers of traditional Chinese culture with their sculptures, murals and inscriptions being significant elements.
After visiting many buildings, Wang and other enthusiasts established a volunteer service center for cultural heritage protection, where they plan to organize voluntary patrols and introductions at ancient buildings.
things. Here, listening to special English.
It's always a lot of fun for tourists to visit places in China where they can see some traditional Chinese architecture, where they would often exclaim about the beautiful designs and exquisite craftsmanship of the buildings.
They are mostly composed of wood, bricks, or stones, which convey a sense of antiquity, mystery, and gracefulness as well.
One of their features Another's worth noticing is the elegant eaves on top of each building, which look unique and distinct from many other western -style structures.
What's more, the eaves always curve upward, more or less at their corners, to which the The Chinese people give a vivid name called fai yin or the flying eave since it looks like a bird stretching its wings and ready to fly.
But have you ever noticed the difference between these eaves on traditional Chinese structures between the north and the south of China.
If you observe carefully enough, you'll find that those in southern China usually curve at a much greater angle than those in the north.
Why the difference?
To answer this question, Let's start from the very beginning.
As in most traditional Chinese buildings, wood was generally used for pillars and beams to form a framed structure that could withstand the weight of the roof, which claims a history of thousands of years.
Many famous ancient buildings that have been well preserved to the present can be found throughout China.
One prime example is the Fo Guang Temple in Wutai Mountain of North China's Shanxi province that was constructed in 857 A .D.
and is still intact today.
However, the disadvantage of using a wooden frame for buildings is decay.
To remedy this problem, Chinese ancestors thought of wrapping thicker walls on the outer side of the surrounding pillars, which not only prevented wind, rain, cold currents and solar heat from entering the room, but also prevented the beams and columns from tilting due to wind pressure and affecting the safety of the entire house.
Although the walls made of clay were coded, they still couldn't withstand long -term wind and rain erosion.
Therefore, the eaves were pushed out to better protect the surrounding walls.
As the size of the house increases, its walls become taller, and its eaves protrude longer.
The long eaves protect the walls, but also hinder the light that shines in.
In addition, in order to facilitate the removal of rain from the roof, the roof must be built with a very steep slope.
However, the steep roof will cause the rainwater to splash very high, which could prove detrimental to the foot of the walls and the column foundation over time.
So what is the ideal design?
Hence the flying eaves.
The curved eaves corners not only improve the indoor lighting, but also facilitate drainage and buffering so as to protect the feet or the foundation of the building.
As a result, roofs with flying eaves have become a distinctive feature for ancient Chinese architecture, which makes it look both beautiful and solemn.
So now that I've shared this background, let's revisit the initial question on the difference between the eaves of the north and the south.
In southern China, where climate is more more humid, with more rainfall, the flying eaves look more curved, with some even rising up directly toward the sky.
The reason is quite simple.
With such a deep curve, the rain on the roof can be thrown as far as possible to reduce its damage to the foundation of the building.
Meanwhile, the craftsmanship of the curved eaves looks relatively free and more creative.
and the shape of flying eaves aesthetically conveys a sense of delicateness to people.
While in North China, the curve of the eaves is not as big as those in the south since there is less rainfall.
Yet as more snow appears in Northern China, the relatively straight corners of the eaves could reduce damage to tiles on the roof in snowy weather with less snow accumulation.
Relatively straight as they are, the eave corners lack the delicate design of the curved ones in the south.
However, the raised parts of the eaves in the north usually appear more prominent with the application of another architectural technique called multiline double eaves, which is applied to increase the magnificence of the roof and make it look more three -dimensional.
That's why when people love the architectural delicateness of southern China, they would also explain about the solemnity and simplicity of those in the North.
So next time when you happen to visit a traditional Chinese architecture, don't forget to take Take a look at the corners of its eaves and apply what you've learned here to detect which part of the country it's from.
This is Special English.
That's the end of this edition of Special English.
To recap, I'm going to read one of the news items again at normal speed.
please listen carefully.
A group of Chinese scientists have unveiled a brain -inspired, complementary vision chip endowing machines with a human -like visual perception capability.
The AI -driven visual perception is laying the groundwork for a transformative tech revolution, particularly in the realm of unmanned systems like autonomous driving.
However, it remains a formidable challenge to achieve efficient, accurate and resilient visual perception in environments that are dynamic, varied, and unpredictable.
The researchers from Tsinghua University drew inspiration from the principles of the human visual system and crafted a vision -sensing technology that breaks down visual information into primitive -based visual representations.
By integrating these primitives, the technology emulates the features of the human visual system establishing two complementary visual perception pathways, namely a cognition -oriented pathway for accurate cognition and an action -oriented pathway for rapid response.
That is according to the study published as a cover story in the journal Nature.
Utilizing the CHIP, the researchers designed high -performance software and algorithms and validated the system on a vehicle -mounted platform operating in diverse open environments.
The system has exhibited low latency and high performance real -time perception capabilities.
Highlighting its immense potential for deployment in the field of intelligent unmanned systems.
Zhao Rong, one of the paper's corresponding authors said that the chip paves a new path for pivotal applications, such as autonomous driving and embodied intelligence.
This is the end of today's program.
I hope you'll join us every day to learn English at a slower pace.
