介绍:
This is Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is the news.
China has experienced an increase in cases of online data leaks in the past few years due to the development of the "cyber black market". That&`&s according to a report by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences&`& Institute of Information.
The report is entitled "The Annual Report on Development of Cyberspace Security in China". It says cases relating to information leaks have become more frequent since last year, including the high-profile case involving Gfan, China&`&s largest online platform for Android systems. In the case, data of the platform&`&s more than 23 million users, including their names, passwords and email addresses, were made public on the internet.
An estimated 560,000 people were engaged in the industry in the first six months of this year.
From June last year to June this year, economic losses resulting from text message spam, online scams and information leaks totaled 91 billion yuan, roughly 13 billion U.S. dollars.
Such losses were attributed to the cyber black market, a commercial chain where participants including hackers and network operators gain profits illegally. The industry is a growing multi-billion-US dollar economy.
Experts say the most effective way of addressing the problem is to pass legislation on protecting information and clarify governmental departments&`& obligation on law enforcement and supervision.
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Northeast China has seen a population loss of more than 1 million people in the last ten years. Among them, many are high income earners and well-educated who are seeking better jobs and lifestyles outside the region.
The National Development and Reform Commission released the information to counter earlier reports that northeast China was losing a population of one million people each year.
Northeast China refers to the three provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. It had long been one of China&`&s industrial heartlands. But in recent decades, northeast China is seeing a slower economic growth, which is a major concern of the regional governments.
Wage levels for college graduates are similarly uncompetitive due to a relatively poor economy. The average salary levels in the region are one of the lowest in the country.
The National Development and Reform Commission says many talents in the region have turned to companies elsewhere in China which offer better terms and conditions of employment.
But some commentators suggested that it is not all about money; and the system has long applied restrains to the development of individuals.
A low birth rate has also in contributed to the downward trend in the population growth in northeast China.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing.
Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei said he heard mysterious knocks during his trip in space.
Yang recalled his experience in space during a recent interview with China Central Television. He said the unusual situation he was met with in space were non-causal knocks that appeared from time to time during his travel in the spaceship more than ten years ago.
He explained the noise often suddenly appeared without any rhyme or reason. "It neither came from outside nor inside the spaceship, but it sounded like someone was knocking on the spaceship, as if someone was using a wooden hammer to hit an iron bucket."
Those were Yang&`&s words when he was talking about how he was nervous at first, and how he moved close to the porthole to try to find out what the noise was. However, nothing out of the ordinary appeared on both the inside and outside of the spaceship.
After returning to earth, he told technicians about the noise, and tried to imitate it with some instruments so as to solve the mystery. But upon reflection, Yang has said he has never heard the exact noise again.
But the same noise was heard by astronauts onboard other spaceships including the Shenzhou 6 and Shenzhou 7 space crafts.
In October 2003, Yang returned to earth in his re-entry module after a 21-hour trip in space. After his trip, Yang became the world&`&s 241st human being to visit outer space.
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Public facilities across Beijing will soon have their own QR codes so that the public can access the "identity information" and interact with the city management.
From things like dustbins to street signs and even bus stop boards, all facilities in Beijing will have their own QR code displayed on them before 2018.
Currently, 50 streets including Beijing&`&s central thoroughfare, the Chang&`&an Avenue, have major public facilities with QR codes on them. When scanned, the code opens an information page on the smart device. The information tells people whom to contact to report any damage to public facilities or whoever is responsible for maintenance and repair.
People can also use the social-networking app WeChat to report any issues to the management or search for the nearest metro stations or public restrooms.
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China&`&s top economic planner has approved a plan to build an intercity railway network linking Beijing and neighboring city Tianjin as well as Hebei province.
The blueprint targets the year 2020 as its initial phase. The whole system consists of nine rail lines with a total length of 1,100 kilometers. The National Development and Reform Commission estimated the total investment to be 250 billion yuan. That&`&s roughly 36 billion U.S. dollars.
The network is a major infrastructure project of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei integrated development plan.
Three major lines will connect Beijing, Tianjin and the capital of Hebei Province with high-speed trains traveling at up to 350 kilometers per hour. The commuting time between any pair of the three cities will be cut down to less than an hour.
Last year, China passed the Outline of Collaborative Development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province. The outline proposed removing some of Beijing&`&s noncapital functions to neighboring areas to control pollution and improve transport conditions.
Experts say the new railway network will greatly boost real estate development in the area.
The preparatory work of certain lines, including that from Beijing to Tangshan city, has already started.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing. You can access the program by logging on to newsplusradio.cn. You can also find us on our Apple Podcast. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know by e-mailing us at mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. That&`&s mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. Now the news continues.
Plans are in the pipeline for an animated movie featuring the prehistoric Sanxingdui Ruins in southwest China&`&s Sichuan Province.
The film, "The Golden Mask", tells the story of a golden mask found during the excavation of some mysterious ruins.
The movie features fantasy, adventure and also time travel. It is said to be produced and screened on 3D and IMAX screens and will be released in 2019.
With an investment of 20 million U.S. dollars, the movie has secured copyright certificates from China and the United States. The crew includes a director, an art designer and a composer from Hollywood.
A spokesperson said in a recent news release that the movie aims to spread the mysterious culture that surrounds Sanxingdui Ruins.
The ruins are located some 40 kilometers from Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan. They are believed to be remnants of the ancient Shu Kingdom that disappeared for unknown reasons some 3,000 years ago.
Sprawling over an area of 12 square kilometers, the ruins are listed among China&`&s top 10 archaeological findings of the 20th century, and are seen as representing the origins of ancient Chinese civilization.
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Gripping tiny slices of sheer rock and hoisting himself up 3,000 feet with only his strength, Adam Ondra quietly inched his way up one of the world&`&s most challenging rock walls and into the record books.
Ondra, a 23-year-old from the Czech Republic, took eight days to finish the free-climb up the Dawn Wall of the famed El Capitan in California&`&s Yosemite National Park.
Ondra&`&s recent accomplishment was the second-ever free assent of the wall.
Nearly two years ago, U.S. climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson were first to chart and conquer the route, a feat that took the pair 19 days.
Jorgeson said it&`&s like being a proud parent, in a way, because he feels honored that Ondra was drawn to the challenge. He said that is the point: To raise the bar so someone else can do the same thing and stand on your shoulders.
Unlike climbers who need more elaborate equipment, free-climbers use their strength and ability to grasp tiny cracks and lips in the granite rock with their fingertips and toes. They use ropes and harnesses only for safety to catch if they fall.
Throughout the climb, Ondra took to social media to post about the cold, soaking rain and the pain from the granite wearing down the skin on his fingers. He also celebrated victories.
He wrote on Instagram as he neared the top that it was hard to find the words to describe how he felt. One of his posts said that he had made it up the Wino Tower and had no more hard pitches to guard his way to the top. He said this made him feel that he could not ask for a better day.
You&`&re listening to Special English. I&`&m Ryan Price in Beijing.
Stone helmets, armor and animal remains are among the latest archaeological finds at Emperor Qinshihuang&`&s mausoleum in Xi&`&an in northwest China.
The items have been found in the celebrated site, which is home to China&`&s iconic Terracotta Warriors.
During a recent excavation, archaeologists have found out about the mausoleum&`&s general structure, which was previously unknown.
A large number of new pits have been discovered. Among them, more than 400 were located within the mausoleum and dozens of small tombs were found near the site.
Experts believe the stone helmets and armor were not for wearing, but their real functions remained unknown. The finds also include several thousand pieces of animal remains and other animal-related objects, making it the largest number of animal-related discoveries ever found in a single site.
One of the most commonly seen animals unearthed at the site were horses. Horse images can be found on pottery and copper wares. Other animals include some very rare bird species and beasts.
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A total of 160 items originally received by public servants as business gifts went up for auction recently in central China&`&s Hubei Province.
The gift items were turned in by staff from almost 30 government organs, public institutions and state-owned enterprises in the past two years in Wuhan, the provincial capital.
China does not allow public servants to receive gifts. Those who take business gifts must hand them in and register them within one month. The auction was seen by many as showing the local government&`&s determination to fight corruption.
Jewelry, paintings, watches and electronic devices were among the items for the auction. The initial bidding price of all items totaled almost 600,000 yuan, roughly 86,000 U.S. dollars.
Around 200 people showed up at the event and almost the auctions were successful.
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