【推荐1】Diners in Japan may soon be able to cut their salt intake without needing to sacrifice(牺牲)flavor. Researchers recently announced they developed electric chopsticks that increase saltiness of foods.

Co-developed by Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita and drink producer Kirin Holdings Company, Limited, the chopsticks improve tastes using electrical stimulation and a mini-computer attached to a wrist.“The device uses a weak electrical current to send sodium ions (钠离子) from food, through the chopsticks, to the mouth where they create a sense of saltiness,” said Miyashita.“As a result, the salty taste increases by 1.5 times.”

The taste-improving chopsticks may have particular relevance to the traditional diet in Japan, which tends to be high in salt. The average Japanese adult eats about 10 grams of salt each day. That is almost two times the amount suggested by the World Health Organization. High sodium intake is linked to increased cases of high blood pressure, strokes and other conditions. “To prevent these diseases, we need to reduce the amount of salt we take,” said Kirin researcher Ai Sato. Sato added that if Japanese people try to reduce salt intake in the usual ways, they will need to cut many of their favorite foods from their diet. Otherwise, they would have to eat flavorless food.

“I want to overturn the idea that low salt means no flavor,” Miyashita declared.“The chopsticks make it possible to keep enjoying the foods we love, and in a healthier way.”He was confident that the chopsticks can help people make better decisions about their diet and hoped to have them ready to sell as early as next year.

Miyashita and his research team have explored different ways that technology can interact with human senses. He has also developed a television screen that a person can lick (舔) to taste different food flavors. Meanwhile, research is also underway to develop other eating tools with special functions like electric spoons and forks using technology.

【推荐3】Mining rare-earth (稀土) elements (REEs) has long been considered a dirty business, as it can lead to water and soil pollution, but a new technology developed by Chinese scientists may change the trend, offering a greener alternative for the industry.

REEs, especially heavy ones, are an essential part of many high-tech devices, from the engines of electric cars and smartphones, to LED lights. More than 90% of the global heavy REF demand is sourced from ion-adsorption deposits (离子吸附沉积物), which form within weathering erasts (硬壳). However, conventional mining applies overmuch usage of chemical agents to recover REEs front these deposits, not only exhibiting low efficiency but also polluting the environment.

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry proposed a new approach in the journal Nature Sustainability earlier this month, showing that employing electrokinetic mining techniques to extract (提取) REEs from weathering crusts can be both clean and efficient. Using this approach, researchers generated an electric field by putting electrodes (电极) on the top and bottom of a volume of soil. The electrokinetic effect can speed up the migration of REEs, reducing the need for harmful chemical agents.

To evaluate the practicality of the new method, they carried out several experiments of different scales. Results suggested that the new method outperformed traditional mining techniques. For instance, the scaled-up experiments achieved a recovery efficiency of 96% within 67 hours by using electrokinetics. Using the conventional technique, it was only 62% at 130 hours.

The difference between the impact of the old and the new approaches was even more significant in an on-site field test: Using electrokinetics can achieve a recovery efficiency higher than 90%, an 80% decrease in polluting agent usage and a 70% reduction in impurity.

The study confirmed that this novel electrokinetic technology enabled green, efficient and selective recovery of REEs. Researchers also noted that the new method has great potential for use in the mining of other critical metals under conditions in which the metals exist in ionic states.

【推荐1】There are many ways in which a person’s body language can give you information about whether they are lying or not.

One of the biggest signs that a person is telling lies is that he avoids eye contact during conversation. He may also touch his face often, covering his mouth with his hand very often. Touching the nose is also said to be a sign of taking others’ attention to cover up lies. A person who is not telling the truth may be trying to make you focus on his actions rather than his words.

When a liar (说谎者) tells lies, his physical expression is often very stiff (僵硬的). If he is smiling as he speaks, only the mouth will move. A real smile naturally causes movement of the mouth, eyes, forehead, cheeks, and jaw.

The liar’s hand, leg and arm movements are toward his own body. He takes up little space. The person’s body language is closed off. Liars do not look relaxed, even though they may be trying to give the impression that they are.

When explaining something, a liar usually feels uncomfortable with pauses (停顿) or silences. The person may speak gently or in disordered words. A very skillful liar is able to speak directly and with confidence. In fact, some salespeople are best at this skill.

If you doubt someone is lying, change the topic of conversation suddenly. The liar will willingly change topics with you and become more relaxed. A person who is telling the truth will generally become confused by this sudden change. Another sign of someone telling a lie is yawning (哈欠) — the person may try and look as relaxed as possible, and yawing and stretching are ways of achieving this.

【推荐2】The recent heat wave that had broken temperature records across Europe broke different records when it arrived in Greenland.

On August l, the Greenland Ice Sheet experienced its biggest single-day of ice loss in recorded history. About 12. 5 billion tons of ice melted and poured into the Atlantic Ocean, satellite data showed One day earlier, over 10 billion tons of ice melted.

Every I billion tons of ice lost creates enough water to fill 400, 00 Olympic swimming pools, the Danish Meteorological Institute noted late last week. The center offered the comparison to help people try to understand just how much ice melted. One Danish scientist offered a different comparison. Climate expert Martin Stendl said the total ice that melted in Greenland on July 31 and August I could cover all of Germany with seven centimeters of water.

Greenland saw its most expansive ice melt on record in July 2012. That month, over 90 percent of the Greenland Ice Sheet was at least partly melting, scientists say. By late July 2012, about 250 billion tons of ice had melted and Greenland's 2019 melt season could end up breaking the record set in2012.

The recent extreme melting in Greenland was caused by the same burst of hot air that hit Europe in late July. Places across Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Britain broke hot temperature records. Heat waves have always happened, notes Mike Sparrow, an expert. But he says extreme heat waves are happening 10 times more often now than they were a century ago. Mike said that such heat waves are weather events that can happen naturally. "But, "he said, "Studies have shown that the frequency and intensity（强度）. . have increased due to global warming. ?

【推荐1】The Great Wall in China is one of the greatest wonders of the world and also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Different sections of the Great Wall have distinctive landscapes, and in this flower-blooming season, which one would you prefer to take a tour of?

Badaling Great Wall

The Badaling Great Wall is located in the northwest suburb of Beijing. It extends in all directions and therefore got its name as Badaling. Due to the strategic importance of Badaling, it was the place where the military fought in the past.

Mutianyu Great Wall

The Mutianyu Great Wall, 70 kilometers from urban Beijing, is known as the best part of the Great Wall. With a unique architectural style, it expresses the essence of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644). The ancient architecture and the beauty of nature is blended into one harmonious whole, giving rise to Mutianyu’s reputation as having the most unique beauty anywhere along the ten-thousand-mile-long Great Wall.

Simatai Great Wall

For anyone intent on experiencing a section of the Great Wall that keeps a more antiquated air, the Great Wall at Simatai remains one of the best options. It is also the only section of the Great Wall that provides a night tour for tourists. It is said that since the Ming Dynasty, there has been a tradition that people holding palace lanterns visit this section.

Jiankou Great Wall

The Jiankou section is one of the most dangerous parts and mountain hikers usually call it “the wild Great Wall”. With a total length of 7,952 meters, the Jiankou Great Wall was built during the Ming Dynasty and was neglected, becoming damaged over time. It is much preferred by photographers due to its primitive appearance.

【推荐2】On January 20th 2017, Donald Trump became the new US president. He and his family moved into the White House. The White House is the official home of the president and his first family. The president's office is also there. It is Washington, DC, the capital city of the US. The White House is an American symbol.

The "Gold" Office.

US presidents work in the Oval Office. Each new president makes changes to the White House and his office. President Trump likes bright gold and yellow. He makes something gold in his office as he likes. For example, he put gold carpets and gold curtains in his office.

What's in the White House?

The White House has three floors. There are 132 rooms and 35 bathrooms. The first family sleep and eat on the second and third floor. The first lady is the hostess here. Sometimes she throws parties with the help of other workers. There are about 96 workers in the White House.

Easter Fun.

Every year, the White House holds many interesting activities. The president and the first family invite many kids to the White House for an Easter celebration. There is a race called the Easter Egg Roll on the grassland. The activity started in 1878.

Vegetable Garden.

The White House has a big vegetable garden on the lawn. The White House kitchen uses the vegetables from the garden to cook for the first family. The White House also gives vegetables to a charity organization.