Could you imagine being in a car driven by a computer, not a human? Recently, China has made a big step toward self-driving cars.

Since August, driverless taxis can run on roads in Wuhan, Chongqing and Shenzhen. Self-driving cars bring us many benefits. They use computers to sense the things around them and make better use of space. This means fewer traffic jams and better parking of cars. For disabled or blind people, self-driving cars can also help them get around more easily.

According to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1.35 million people are killed on roads around the world every year. Many more are injured. Self-driving cars could reduce road accidents by 90 percent and save governments a lot of money, said the website TechDim. The main cause of car accidents is human mistakes. By using computers, self-driving cars don’t make poor decisions or lose attention like humans do.

But self-driving cars aren’t perfect. If something unexpected on the road happens, self-driving cars can’t react as fast as a human driver could. Also, during weather events like heavy snow, self-driving car s would struggle (费力) to see the lines on the road. It might lead to an accident. The car’s computer system could also get hacked (非法入侵) by someone, causing it to crash or change its destination (目的地).

It’s clear that there is a lot of work to do to make self-driving cars a common and safe sight on our roads.And China is taking the lead in making this happen.

【推荐3】Hands-on basketball

The boy was only nine years old when he designed a “hands-on basketball”. Chris Haas had the idea when he saw his friends miss lots of baskets. His basketball has painted hands on it. The hands show you where to put your hands when you throw the ball. Today people use his invention around the world.

Wristies

At age 10, Kathryn Gregory was playing outside one day in the cold. Her wrists (手腕) began to hurt from the cold so she decided to find a way to keep both her hands and wrists warm during the winter. In 1994, she invented Wristies: fuzzy sleeves (毛绒袖子) that can be worn underneath gloves to protect your wrists from the cold. She worked with her mom to get the idea off the ground and now the product is sold worldwide.

Makin’ Bacon

Abbey Fleck was 8 years old when she noticed how much time her parents spent soaking up bacon fat (吸干培根油脂) after cooking. She realized that it might be easier to hang bacon while it cooks. That way you wouldn’t need paper towels and it would even make the bacon healthier. She then worked with her father to design a dish that hangs bacon while it cooks. Now people can see her invention in many supermarkets.

Braille

Louis Braille had an accident when he was three. The accident left him blind. At that time, it was hard for blind children to read. They had to touch raised letters. But it was difficult to tell a Q from an O, an R from a B, and so on. When he was fifteen, Louis invented an alphabet (字母表) that used raised dots. The Braille alphabet was a big success!

【推荐1】If you would like to share your knowledge about life at Monash and make a positive impact on others, becoming an education peer mentor (导师) is the perfect choice for you.

What are the benefits of Education Peer Mentoring?

 Receive priority access to professional development opportunities.

 Join our community of high-achieving Monash students.

 Develop your leadership, communication and teamwork skills.

 Meet and network with senior Monash staff and like-minded student leaders.

 Record this experience on your Australian Higher Education Graduate Statement.

 Gain rich experience for your resume (简历).

Who can apply?

 You have a desire to help new students get started and succeed at Monash.

 You are willing to talk about your own university experience.

 You should have strong interpersonal and communication skills.

 You have the ability to work with a variety of people from different backgrounds,

What are the requirements?

 You must be a student at an Australian campus for part-time or full-time learning.   

 You must be at least in your second year of study or above.

 You should be able to commit to supporting up to 20 fresh students through personal interactions.

 You should be able to commit at least 20 hours volunteering throughout the program in one semester.

How to apply?

 As a new peer mentor, send a written application through the new mentor application button.

 As a current peer mentor applying for this position again, send a written application through the returning mentor application button.

Once you’ve applied, we’ll be in touch to let you know the outcome of your application.

【推荐2】The following best books were chosen by Shea Ernshaw, who is the award-winning author of the best-selling young adult novels The Wicked Deep and Winterwood.

The Need by Helen Phillips(2019). This book is somehow both horrifying and beautiful, Molly is a paleobotanist (古植物学家) who unearths strange artifacts at the dig site where she works. Soon, she finds her life drive upside down, with a stranger in her house and reasons to question her own identity. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read before: fascinating, tragic, and unforgettable.

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton(2014). Burton has a way of spinning tales so effortlessly that you hardly feel yourself deeply attracted until you’ve lost several hours swallowing half of a book. Set in 17th-century Amsterdam, The Miniaturist is magical and charming, and a perfect escape from our modern age.

The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler(2015). The story of a librarian who receives an old book on his doorstep. The Book of Speculation is filled with mysteries, magic, and tales of circus mermaids (美人鱼) who always die from drowning on the same day-July 24. Family curses and a seaside setting make this a perfect autumn read.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey(2012). Perhaps you’ve never heard of this book, but I hope now that you would find a copy for yourself and read it on a cold winter evening. Set in 1920 on the Alaska frontier, it’s a story of folktales and hardship, both heart-broken and hope-filled. Eowyn Ivey is a master storyteller, and this jewel of a book should be on everyone’s shelf.

【推荐3】Ice climbing is a winter sport that combines excitement, skill and determination. It is featured as a cultural event at the Winter Olympics for the first time in Sochi, Russia and is popular around the world. If you are interested in this sport, here are some of the world’s best places that you shouldn’t miss.

Shuangqiao Valley, Sichuan, China

China has a lot of ice walls, which are located in different mountains in the northern and western parts of the country. Among them, Sichuan province’s Shuangqiao Valley in Mount Siguniang has some of the finest climbs. The ice climbing in the area usually starts from mid-December and lasts until February. Climbers can enjoy climbing as well as a clean and quiet environment.

The Ouray Ice Park, Colorado, the US

The Ouray Ice Park offers climbers more than 100 man-made ice and mixed climbs, and entrance to it is free. The park also provides professional aid and services for beginners. It usually hosts one of the biggest ice climbing celebrations in the world, the Ouray Ice Festival every January.

Valdez, Alaska, the US

Alaska’s surprising Valdez area has been attracting world-class climbers. Each year, climbers go there to follow classic routes (路线). Others explore the area by themselves, hoping to find the next classic site on their adventures. The climbers can find glacier hiking, skiing and sled (雪橇) trips there.