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Here is the news. A Chinese rocket start -up has successfully conducted its first -sea recovery test of a verification rocket, which descended vertically into waters off the coast of Shandong province in eastern China.
During the test the 26 .8 meter tall stainless -steel rocket which had a diameter of 4 .2 meters and weighed 57 tons at liftoff completed a 125 -second flight, reaching an altitude of approximately 2 .5 kilometres during its full -thrust ascent.
A video from the Beijing -based firm Space Epoch shows the rocket reigniting its engine during descent, hovering above the sea surface and then landing softly in a vertical orientation.
Post -flight data analysis confirmed that the rocket performed normally throughout the test, with experts declaring the sea landing recovery a success.
This is the latest effort by Chinese aerospace companies to develop reusable rockets.
In 2024 at least two domestic rockets, including one developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology completed 10 -kilometer vertical take -off and landing tests in northwest China.
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Chinese researchers have released a stream flow data set of Tian Shan Mountains watersheds, the key source region of Central Asian rivers.
The study, led by researchers from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography under the Chinese Academy of Sciences has been published in the journal Scientific Data.
The data set compiles daily stream flow data for 56 watersheds and monthly data for 89 watersheds in the Tian Shan mountains.
The researchers reconstructed stream -flow observations by integrating data from both domestic and international monitoring stations.
The study revealed an overall increasing trend in Tian Shan streamflow, which was particularly prominent between 1990 and 2019.
Spatially it showed higher stream flow in the west and south, and lower stream flow in the east and north.
Li Shui, first author of this study, said that due to scarcity of data and complex hydrological conditions, in the Tian Shan region, long -term and complete stream flow data are still lacking.
Li said that, to the best of the team's knowledge, the study is the first comprehensive and long -term streamflow modeling and data reconstruction effort at the watershed scale in the Tian Shan Mountains.
According to the study, the dataset fills the gap in the availability of comprehensive streamflow data for smaller basins in the Tian Shan mountains and provides essential data for managing water resources and assessing the impact of climate change in the region.
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AI and other smart technologies, once seen as tethering people to screens, are now pulling people out to the wild by transforming ordinary walks into interactive floral adventures.
A surge of plant identification apps is helping to drive this change.
With just a photo, users can identify flowers in a second using apps like XingSue, which supports the recognition of over 4 ,000 common plant species with an accuracy rate exceeding 98%.
On Apple's App Store in China, the app has racked up more than 530 ,000 reviews and boasts an impressive rating of 4 .9 stars out of 5.
One of the most liked comments reads that he or she wishes to learn the names of the roadside plants and the stories behind them as a child, and now this app makes that dream come true.
Flower Companion, another popular app, leverages China's plant image database and enables users to identify plants simply by photographing key features such as flowers, leaves, or fruit.
Meanwhile, several domestic AI developers are training large models using deep neural networks and millions of labeled plant images, bringing sophisticated recognition capabilities to everyday users.
As flower viewing tourism flourishes in China, many apps are going a step further.
Some apps now incorporate big data on plant distribution to recommend nearby locations.
Users can explore what's flowering nearby, view images shared by others and navigate interactive maps to check in at hotspots, making floral outings more social and intriguing.
Tech companies are also diving into plant health.
Several companies are now rolling out AI -powered plant doctors to help novice growers become confident gardeners with green fingers.
One One such tool, the AI Flower, WeChat mini program, developed by a Fujian -based tech company, named Huaiwor, has recently been launched, and gained attention from both industry professionals and gardening enthusiasts.
tests. When a plant shows signs of trouble, growers can simply snap a few photos and upload them to the mini program.
Powered by advanced image recognition and a vast plant pathology knowledge base, the AI engine quickly analyzes the issue.
Zheng Zixin, Chairman of the company, said they hope to use technology to solve long -standing challenges in traditional gardening, lower the barriers to entry and let everyone experience the joy of growing plants.
Jung revealed future plans to launch an intelligent care module that helps growers track the growth of their plants and offers smart reminders for watering and fertilization based on environmental conditions and plant health.
Technology is not replacing nature in people's daily lives.
Instead it's reconnecting people with it.
As one user commented on the social wiki in everyone's mobile phone.
Technology hasn't distanced people from nature.
It's helped everyone understand it better and love it more.
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On a typical work day in Beijing, a soft hum rises from 26 -year -old Wang Tongtong's desk, not from her phone or computer, but from a small grey creature nestled beside her keyboard. The creature is no ordinary toy – it's an A .I pet.
With plush fur, oversized, blinking eyes, and synthetic skin that radiates gentle warmth, it tilts its head towards her emitting a faint whimper and leaning into her touch like a beady kitten.
Though it doesn't move around like a live animal, it can detect people, food, and objects with a built -in camera, and respond with eye contact, sound, and gestures.
Wang explained that the pet grows grumpy if treated harshly and becomes sweet when treated gently.
This line of AI pets, named Ropet, was developed by Cute World Technologies, a Beijing -based company where Wang Tongtong is part of the design team.
The appeal of Ropet lies not only in its emotional sensitivity but also in its simplicity.
It requires no feeding, walking or litter cleaning, only occasional charging.
All user data is stored locally, ensuring privacy.
According to Zhou Yuxiu, co -founder of ROPET, the device is targeted at women aged 25 to 40, and has been gaining traction overseas.
GROPET was officially launched on overseas crowdfunding platforms in January with 1 ,400 units sold in Europe and North America.
An additional 8 ,000 units have been sold in Japan, the Republic of Korea and the regions of Hong Kong and Taiwan, with a full launch on the Chinese mainland expected next year.
Beyond emotional support, AI pets are increasingly being developed to meet the needs of individuals tools, with special needs.
In Shenyang, in northeast China's Liaoning province, a team from Shenyang Ligong University has created an electronic guide dog, designed to assist the visually impaired.
Lead developer Yang Wei explained that the AI Guide dog is built on the Robot Dog Go -to Platform, developed by Chinese firm Unitary Robotics.
It features advanced capabilities such as obstacle avoidance, object recognition and conversational interaction, and can even assist users in selecting matching clothing colours.
According to Jiang Yueqiu, a professor at the university, China has almost 20 million visually impaired people with only about 400 trained guide dogs available.
She said that electronic guide dogs can help address mobility challenges, provide emotional companionship and make daily life more accessible for a wider group of visually impaired individuals.
From desktop pets that ease loneliness, to robotic dogs that assist the visually impaired, China's AI pet sector is rapidly evolving, promising a future where companionship, care and cutting edge technology go hand in paw.
Wei Xiang, a professor at the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Science, said that as an of traditional pets, AI companions offer stickiness and sustainability adding that the annual compound growth rate of the sector exceeded 8 % in recent years.
According to the Ministry of Commerce, China's consumer goods trade -in program generated 1 .1 trillion yuan, about 153 billion USD in sales in the first five months of this year.
As of the end of May, nationwide trade -ins had fuelled a surge in transactions, including more than 4 .1 million vehicles, 77 million units of household appliances and 56 million units of digital products, such as mobile phones, among others.
According to the Ministry, the programme, part of China's broader efforts to spur domestic demand, has boosted a sustained recovery in the country's consumer spending.
In the government work report released in March, boosting consumption was listed as a top priority among this year's tasks.
Official data showed that retail sales of consumer goods, a major indicator of the country's consumption strength, rose 4 .7 % year -on -year in the first four months of this year.
Accelerating from the 4 .6 % growth recorded in the first quarter of the year.
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China's cross border interbank payment system and the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates have signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance cross -border payment cooperation.
That is according to an online statement by the People's Bank of China which administers and regulates the cross -border interbank payment system.
China's central bank states that the signing is expected to improve payment infrastructure and the efficiency of cross -border payments.
Accordingly, China's cross -border interbank Bank payment system and the central bank of the UAE will work together to develop a cross border payment connectivity programme which will provide local currency clearing services for financial institutions in the Middle East and North Africa.
The two sides will also deepen exchanges on risk management and compliance and make cross -border payment systems safer and more stable.
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That is 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.
A Chinese rocket startup has successfully conducted its first sea recovery test of a verification rocket which descended vertically into waters off the coast of Shandong province in eastern China.
During the test the 26 .8 meter tall stainless steel rocket which had a diameter of 4 .2 meters and weighed 57 tons at liftoff completed a 125 second flight reaching an altitude of approximately 2 .5 km during its full thrust ascent.
A video from the Beijing -based firm Space Epoch shows the rocket reigniting its engine during descent, hovering above the sea surface and then landing softly in a vertical orientation.
Post flight data analysis confirmed that the rocket performed normally throughout the test with experts declaring the sea landing recovery a success.
This is the latest effort by Chinese aerospace companies to develop reusable rockets.
In 2024, at least two domestic rockets including one developed by the Shanghai Academy of Space Flight Technology completed 10 kilometre vertical takeoff and landing tests in northwest China.
This is Special English.
Chinese researchers have released a stream flow data set of Tian Shan mountains watersheds, the key source region of Central Asian rivers.
The study, led by researchers from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has been published in the journal Scientific Data.
The data set compiles daily streamflow data for 56 watersheds and monthly data for 89 watersheds in the Tiancheng Mountains.
The researchers reconstructed streamflow observations by integrating data from both domestic and international monitoring stations.
The study revealed an overall increasing trend in Tiancheng's streamflow which was particularly prominent between 1990 2019.
Spatially, it showed higher streamflow in the west and south and lower streamflow in the east and north.
Li Shui, first author of this study, said that due to scarcity of data and complex hydrological conditions in the Tianxian region, long -term and complete streamflow data are still lacking.
Li said that to the best of the team's knowledge, the study is the first comprehensive and long term streamflow modelling and data reconstruction effort at the watershed scale in the Tian Shan Mountains.
According to the study, the dataset fills the gap in the availability of comprehensive streamflow data for smaller basins in the Tian Shan Mountains and provides essential data for managing water resources and assessing the impact of climate change in the region.
That is the end of today's programme.
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