【推荐2】China plans to send one to three network backup satellites for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) into space this year to improve the stability and usability of the constellation (星座), according to the 13th China Satellite Navigation Conference on Thursday, June 27,2023.

Beidou is a positioning system. It is developed by China. China is the third country in the world to have its own positioning system. With Beidou, China no longer has to depend on foreign systems. This is very important for national safety. Work on Beidou began in 1994. However, the first two Beidou satellites, were not sent into space until 2000. Currently, it has 45 satellites in orbit (轨道), including 15 for BDS-2 and 30 for BDS-3. These satellites have formed a global network.

The complete Beidou will be more powerful than any existing (现存的) positioning system all over the world. Yang Changfeng is a designer of Beidou. He says that the system can notice the sway (摇摆) of a building in strong winds. Beidou has brought many advantages to our lives. Let’s take Shanghai as example. Thousands of buses have been using Beidou. When we are waiting for a bus, we can know when it is about to come. Many smart phones have been using Beidou as well, “Many people say, let me turn on my GPS. In fact, their phones are using Beidou.” jokes a salesperson in Beijing.

China will accelerate (加快) the integration (融合) of BDS with emerging technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence and big data. It aims to build a more ubiquitous, integrated, and intelligent national spatial and temporal system by 2035.

The 3-day conference kicked off Wednesday in Beijing. More than 4,000 experts and scholars from home and abroad in the satellite navigation field attended the conference online and offline.

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【推荐2】When your pen is broken, the battery in your toy runs out, or you have some leftover food, what do you do with these things? You will probably throw them all into one bin (垃圾箱). But actually, all of these pieces of trash need to be sorted (分类) separately.

Garbage sorting is a big issue worldwide. In recent years, some Chinese cities have been working hard on it.

Shanghai has worked with Alipay to create a “green account (账户)” service for its residents (居民). Account holds get points by correctly sorting their garbage. Through the Alipay app, they can exchange the points for milk, phone cards and other products. The city is asking all of its residents to sort their garbage into four groups: wet, recyclable (可回收的), harmful and dry.

Wet waste is also known as household waste. “They are things you don’t want but that pigs can eat.” Guangzhou Daily explained.

Paper, metal (金属), glass and other things that can be reused are recyclable waste. Harmful waste includes things like medicine, batteries and fluorescent bulbs (荧光灯泡).

Finally, any waste that is not wet, recyclable or harmful will go in the “dry waste” bin. Many other Chinese cities are also using this method to sort their garbage. For example, Shenzhen has been sorting its garbage into the same four groups since 2012. Students there also receive waste-sorting guidebooks that they must study.

China is improving its waste-sorting efforts. There is still a long way to go. But it’s never too late to learn how to sort your trash properly and protect the environment. If you don’t sort your garbage, all of it will go to a landfill and be buried together. These landfills can take up large areas of ground that could have been used for planting trees or crops. The electronic waste you throw away, such as batteries, can pollute the soil and groundwater (地下水). Other pieces of garbage like the metal part of a pen, can be used to make other things if they are properly recycled.

【推荐3】In today’s world of modern science and medicine, a more traditional treatment is once again becoming popular—animal friendship.

It is now well-known that people with problems such as heart disease or cancer live longer and get better more quickly if they have pets. Keeping pets lowers（降低）blood pressure（压力）and makes people less worried. Animals are increasingly important in treating older people who have memory loss and other brain problems. These people often feel nervous and upset. Activities with animals help them improve their physical condition and also give them joy, entertainment and loving friendship.

Here is a case that shows the benefits（好处）of animals. John was a six-year-old mute. He had no physical problems. He just refused to talk. His older cousin, Ned, had a parrot（鹦鹉）called Sally, and John used to visit it. When he arrived, Ned used to say, “Hi, John!” We all know parrots copy what they hear. After a few visits, Sally began saying, “Hi, John!” when John came into the room. Then, one day, John turned to the parrot and replied, “Hi, Sally!” Staying with the parrot encouraged John to begin talking.

Another use of animal helpers is in schools. In some cases, animals are used to help children with physical or personal problems. In other cases, they are used to teach children to get on and share with others, and even to teach them about animals.

If you want to know more about animal helper programs, you can get in touch with organizations like Riding for the Disabled or do a search under “animal treatment” on the Internet. You don’t have to be an animal trainer or a doctor to join in.