【推荐1】Honey is not only a good source of natural sugar; it is also delicious. Most people and many animals like eating it. Unless people build beehives, however, the only way for them to get honey is to find a wild bees’ nest and take the honey from it. Often, these nests are high up in trees, and it is difficult to find them. In parts of Africa, though, people and animals looking for honey have a strange and unexpected helper - a little bird called a honey guide.

The honey guide does not actually like honey, but it does like the wax in the bees’ honeycomb. The little bird cannot reach this wax, which is deep inside the bees’ nest. So when it finds a suitable nest, it looks for someone to help it. The honey guide gives a loud cry that attracts the attention of both passing animals and people. Once it has their attention, it flies through the forest, constantly waiting for the curious animal or person as it leads them to the nest. When they finally arrive at the nest, the follower reaches in to get at the delicious honey as the bird patiently waits and watches. Some of the honey and the wax always falls to the ground, and this is when the honey guide takes its share.

Scientists do not know how the honey guide digests the wax, but it is very determined in its efforts to get it. The birds seem to be able to smell wax from a long distance away. They will quickly arrive whenever a local beekeeper is taking honey from his beehives.

If a person follows a honey guide to a nest, the bird is especially sure of getting a good share. Tribesmen in Africa are very grateful to the honey guide for leading them to good sources of honey, but they are also afraid of the little bird. They believe that if they do not open a bees’ nest and leave some honeycomb for the honey guide, the next time the bird cries to them through the forest, it will lead them to a snake in revenge. So they should consider the share of the honey guide seriously.

【推荐1】The 2023 China-Germany Automobile Conference was held in Jilin, Henan and Zhejiang recently. At the conference, people discussed plans for new energy vehicles (NEVs) and collaboration between Germany and China.

China has established a competitive edge in NEVs. In 2022, China’s market share of NEVs accounted for more than 65 percent of the global total, maintaining its position as the world’s leading NEV market for eight years, China Daily reported.

Reflecting on the journey of leading Chinese electric car manufacturer (制造商) BYD, Chairman Wang Chuanfu recalled about 2003 when BYD entered into the NEV industry amid doubts and mockery, as few people back then believed in the future of NEVs. Surprisingly, within a few years, China’s NEV exports increased greatly. In 2022, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers reported an impressive total export volume of 679,000 NEVs.

In the European market, Chinese brands, such as BYD and Hongqi, have entered the top 50 best-selling motor companies across Europe, The Times reported. Shu Youxing, general manager of BYD International Cooperation Division and the European Automobile Sales Division, said that the company’s pure electric buses have now hit the roads of more than 100 major European cities such as Amsterdam, London and Copenhagen, helping Europeans cut carbon emissions by over 200,000 tons.

NEVs made in China are also popular in Mexico. One local, Israel Aguilar, is deeply impressed. After nearly a year of trying out a Chinese NEV, Aguilar said he may never go back to driving his traditional petrol car, stating that the NEV offers better comfort.

“Technology is truly very important in these times, especially for a vehicle. And it has been truly extraordinary for me to handle these technologies that come from China,” Aguilar told Xinhua.

The thriving global expansion of Chinese NEVs is primarily thanks to the efforts of companies to improve their capability for innovation. One major example of this is China’s drive to become the global leader in making EV batteries, fueled by an advantage in the supply chain and raw materials such as lithium (锂) and cobalt (钴).

The views of the Crimean coast from the top of 1,234-metre high Ai-Petri Mount are amazing. The hanging bridges built in recent years can reach the top of the mount. If just walking across the bridges is not dangerous enough, it also happens to be one of the windiest places in the world. It is said that the bridges blow from side to side as wind speeds reach 170 kilometres per hour for 125 days of the year. It’s also very foggy, so you may not be able to see clearly!

This five-metre-high, 1.2-kilometre wooden footbridge does not look as dangerous as the others, but do not be fooled. It was built in the 1850s and it’s certainly feeling its age! Some of the old wood is not as strong as it used to be. It is easy to lose your footing. Although there is no handrail (栏杆), large numbers of tourists cross it every day. When the tourists arrive in the evening to watch the beautiful sunset, this bridge could become the most dangerous of them all!

At 100 metres high and 170 metres long, this is one of the highest bridges in the world. Built in 2004, the bridge is hidden among the high Swiss Alps. You wouldn’t have wanted to walk across the bridge before its repair in 2009. But if you have the courage to cross this bridge, you’d better do it quickly!

In the mountainous area of Northern Pakistan, the Hussaini Hanging Bridge helps travelers cross the Borit Lake. However, you will not feel too confident when you get close to this bridge. It’s one of the oldest bridges in Pakistan and many locals use it every day to travel to work and school — imagine losing your homework over the side of this bridge! It’s made from rope, with a few pieces of wood that have large gaps (空隙) between them. Step carefully!