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You're listening to Special English Here is the news China has seen 823 million Railway passenger trips between July 1st the start of the summer travel rush, and August 23rd.
According to China State Railway Group Company.
This figure marks an increase of 6.4% from the same period last year.
During the period, the daily average number of passenger trips handled by the country's railways stood at 15.23 million.
The summer travel rush is usually a busy season for the railway network. fuelled by college students returning home, as well as increased family and tourist travels during the summer holiday.
The railway operator added, that a series of measures had been rolled out to cater to the surging demand. including boosting capacity on popular routes and during favoured time slots. while also partnering with local, cultural and tourism groups to enhance travel services.
You're listening to Special English. the country's e-commerce sector, saw steady growth. in the first seven months of this year, with online sales of a variety of products showing significant growth.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, The country's online retail sales climbed 9.2% year on year in the first seven months of this year.
The Ministry said that digital gadgets and trade-in programmes emerged as new consumption drivers of online spending. with personal computer sales rising 29.9% and smart wearables increasing 28.4% year on year.
Meanwhile, online service consumption saw rapid expansion during the period. with online sales in travel, catering and cultural entertainment rising. by 24.8%, 16.6%, and 11% respectively.
The Ministry said that strong ties between industries and e-commerce platforms have helped expand sales channels for a variety of products.
Transaction volumes for agricultural products, electronics and textiles increased by 14.5%
7.9% and 6.5% year-on-year, respectively.
The Ministry added that the Silk Road e-commerce cooperation promoted cross-border sales and mutual benefits through thematic events, partnership initiatives and and industry matchmaking.
Data shows that online sales of Egyptian essential oils and Uzbek confectionery increased 179% and 104%. respectively over the seven-month period.
Chinese authorities have begun to solicit public opinion on a draft regulation of price-related acts for internet platform companies to promote the healthy development of the sector.
The draft regulation, jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, The State Administration for Market Regulation and the Cyberspace Administration of China focuses on guiding the operators of the platform economy to set prices independently in accordance with the law, clarifying requirements for price labelling and regulating their price competition behaviour.
An official from the National Development and Reform Commission said the move aims to establish a transparent and predictable price-related regulation mechanism for the sector.
According to the draft regulation, the operators of the platform economy are required to clearly indicate the prices or charging standards for products and services on their websites. and related channels.
No fees beyond the labelled prices should be collected.
The draft regulation was formulated in accordance with the country's relevant laws and regulations. and is expected to help maintain a fair market environment. and protect the legitimate rights and interests of platform economy operators and consumers.
The draft is open to public feedback until September 31.
As dusk fell, an unusual glow bathed Fujian Mangrove Ecological Park. in Shenzhen, in South China's Guangdong province, with a hundred lamp posts emitting a soft amber light, and each effectively doubling as a bird nursery.
This unlikely transformation began in the spring of 2020.
But back then Park Ranger Rong Tsang Tsong noticed a resourceful great tit weaving dry grass into a lamp-post vent.
His team later found nests in 14 lamps. Rong explained that cavity nesting birds like the great tit and oriental magpie robin, can't excavate their own nests. adding that urban trees rarely offer natural hollows, turning lampposts into unintended refuges.
Yet this makeshift solution posed risks, as nests could collapse. while water infiltration threatened electrical systems.
Rather than evicting their feathered tenants, Rong's team embarked on a mission to co-design safe havens with both light and life in mind.
Their year-long research resulted in an ingenious, patented solution in 2023.
Replacing ordinary lamps, the park now hosts 100 custom bird's nest lights. including 40 lamp posts that feature removable nest boxes to prevent collapse.
The carefully chosen amber bulbs avoid wavelengths known to disrupt fireflies.
Rong said that 75 nests had successfully raised new life over the past five years. with hidden cameras monitoring temperature and humidity.
Even the microclimate of each avian nursery now informs future urban trends.
Habitat Designs at the Sun Yat Sen University Ecological Centre.
This urban refuge represents more than just local innovation.
It forms part of Shenzhen's wider vision as a vital hub on the East Asian coast.
Australasian Flyway. During migration season, parks dim lights by 11 p.m. for undisturbed rest.
Progress is measurable. As of March this year, 429 bird species were thriving in Shenzhen, including 15 protected species.
The city's new Wildlife Protection Blueprint notably now expressly integrates bird conservation.
The next steps involve deeper collaboration across the Greater Bay Area.
An official from Shenzhen's Planning and Natural Resources Bureau said that by constructing various wetland patches Foraging and stopover sites for water birds will be formed. creating ecological corridors for regional waterfowl and global migratory birds.
Based on a recent study of lunar samples collected as part of the Chang'e 6 mission last year, Chinese and international researchers have dated the formation of the Apollo Basin a major impact basin on the far side of the Moon. to 4.16 billion years ago.
This discovery provides key information that could help explain the apparent early impact flux during the late heavy bombardment period of the Moon and the Solar System.
The study has been published in Nature Astronomy.
The giant impact basins scattered across the lunar surface. are largely remnants of intensive bombardments by asteroids from the Solar System During the early formation stage of the moon, which is known as the late heavy bombardment, due to a lack of precise, sample-backed age data on the Moon's key impact basins,
Scientists have long debated whether the late heavy bombardment impact flux declined gradually or saw a sudden intensity peak approximately 3.8 billion to 4 billion years ago.
Last year, the Chang'e 6 probe landed and collected samples in the Apollo basin. which is located within the South Pole Aitken Basin and is the largest secondary impact structure in the region.
Scientists believe that the Apollo Basin likely formed concurrently with the onset of the late heavy bombardment. making the determination of its formation date key to unravelling this mystery.
A team from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences worked with other Chinese and international researchers. to examine three unusual clasts measuring 150 to 350 micrometres in size. which were among the lunar samples retrieved by the Chang'e 6 mission.
The three samples are impact melt fragments that formed during the formation of the Apollo Basin, meaning they can act as a geological clock for the impact event.
The research team accurately determined the age of the fragments and By integrating multiple information sources, including remote sensing images, and geochemical data determined that the Apollo Basin formed approximately 4.16 billion years ago.
These findings push back the date at which the late heavy bombardment began on the moon. by at least 100 million years.
The study has also revealed that the impact flux followed a trend of gradual decay, a fact which does not support the hypothesis of a sudden surge between 3.8 billion and 4 billion years ago.
Xu Yigang, who led the study, said that this research on the Chang'e 6 samples will continue to drive humanity's developing understanding. of the evolution of the Earth-Moon system.
Researchers in Jucheng, in East China's Shandong Province, have identified an exceptionally large Tyrannosaur femur fossil. measuring 1.21 meters in length.
After joint analysis efforts involving paleontologists from the United States and Canada, it was confirmed as the longest Tyrannosaur femur ever found in Asia.
The research team also identified a massive Tyrannosaur vertebra fossil, exceeding 28 centimetres in width.
Size comparisons show this vertebra closely matches those of Su, one of the largest known vertebrae.
Tyrannosaurus Rex specimens. Combined with the oversized femur, This indicates that Jiucheng once hosted Tyrannosaurs rivaling Su in terms of size. exceeding 12 meters long.
Chen Shujing from Jucheng's Dinosaur Culture Research Center said the latest findings provided new fossil evidence supporting the hypothesis. that Tyrannosauruses originated in Asia.
Nicknamed China's dinosaur city, Jucheng has seen more than 10 new dinosaur species named by institutions. including the Chinese Academy of Sciences According to a newly released city plan, Beijing aims to significantly enhance research into and high-tech public display of its cultural relics by 2035.
The Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau said it will prioritise applying cutting-edge tech like artificial intelligence, big data and virtual reality, within museums and heritage sites.
Key initiatives include creating a comprehensive digital database of all immovable relics using data from ongoing and past national surveys. new materials and techniques for preserving ancient wooden structures will be developed.
Museum exhibits will see major upgrades.
The plan calls for using VR augmented reality and high-resolution displays to make visits more interactive and engaging for the public. tech like the Internet of Things and AI will also strengthen artefact security and storage management to support these goals.
Beijing will encourage universities to offer interdisciplinary programs. focused on cultural heritage technology, improved incentives for converting research into practical applications are also part of this plan.
To recap, I'm going to read one of the news items again at normal speed.
Please listen carefully. As dusk fell, an unusual glow bathed Fu Tian mangrove ecological park in Shenzhen, in South China's Guangdong province, with a hundred lampposts emitting a soft amber light and each effectively doubling as a bird's nursery.
This unlikely transformation began in the spring of 2020.
Back then, park ranger Rong San Zong noticed a resourceful great tit weaving dry grass into a lamppost vent.
His team later found nests in 14 lamps. Rong explained that cavity-nesting birds like the great tit and oriental magpie robin can't excavate their own nests, adding that urban trees rarely offer natural hollows, turning lampposts into unintended refuges.
Yet this makeshift solution posed risks as nests could collapse while water infiltration threatened electrical systems.
Rather than evicting their feathered tenants, Rong's team embarked on a mission to co-design safe havens, with both light and life in mind.
Their year-long research resulted in an ingenious patented solution in 2023, replacing ordinary lamps The park now hosts 100 custom bird nest lights, including 40 lampposts that feature removable nest boxes to prevent collapse.
The carefully chosen amber bulbs avoid wavelengths known to disrupt fireflies.
Rong said that 75 nests had successfully raised new life over the past five years.
With hidden cameras monitoring temperature and humidity, Even the microclimate of each avian nursery now informs future urban habitat designs at the Sun Yat-sen University Ecological Centre.
This urban refuge represents more than just local innovation.
It forms part of Shenzhen's wider vision as a vital hub on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.
During migration season, parks dim lights by 11pm for undisturbed rest.
Progress is measurable as of March this year 429 bird species were thriving in Shenzhen, including 15 protected species.
The city's new Wildlife Protection Blueprint notably now expressly integrates bird conservation.
The next steps involve deeper collaboration across the Greater Bay Area.
An official from Shenzhen's Planning and Natural Resources Bureau said that by constructing various wetland patches, foraging and stopover sites for water birds will be formed. creating ecological corridors for regional waterfowl and global migratory birds.
That is the end of today's programme. I hope you'll join us every day to learn English at a slower pace.
