【推荐2】China has completed its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (卫星导航系统), or BDS, becoming another one in the world with a global navigation network (全球导航网络), the other three being GPS of the US, GLONASS of Russia and Galileo of the European Union.

As the name suggests, the global navigation satellite system provides navigation and location services 24 hours a day. From what we have known so far, building a good satellite system costs a lot. Besides, the other systems have been set up. Why does China have a new one if there is nothing special?

The other three systems have 24 satellites in MEO. As the 24 satellites, China’s new global navigation satellite system BeiDou-3 also has three satellites in GEO and three in IGSO. What’s special about these six satellites is that they have a relatively fixed area of activity. This can improve BDS’accuracy (精准度) in China and the Asia Pacific to 5 meters, compared with a10-meter accuracy in other areas.

BDS has another advantage—the short message service. It allows users to have a two-way communication. In areas not covered by communication signals, BDS can make the short message service available in uninhabited areas, such as deserts, forests, mountainous and polar areas, With this service, users who are in danger can tell the rescue team (救援队) their location and condition.

As the most populous country in the world, it’s important for China to have its own global navigation satellite system to meet the needs of the country’s development.

In fact, BDS is also good business. According to the official report, China’s satellite industry has kept a 20% yearly growth since 2012. And BDS contributes (贡献) about 80% of it. Also, BDS has also created countless high-paying jobs. And with continuous improvement, it will have much more to offer in the future.

【推荐3】CIMON 2 is a floating computer assistant. It first appeared as a helper in the International Space Station (ISS国际空间站) on December 5th, 2019. According to the space plan, CIMON 2 will go back to Earth in 2022.

Actually, the ISS is a science lab in space. Usually astronauts stay in it for five or six months. Can you imagine how boring it is to live in a tight space with just five other people for six months? So CIMON is here.

CIMON stands for Crew Interactive Mobile(互动移动) Companion. As a product(产品) of a European airplane company, it is a robot with a round face, weighing about 5 kilograms. It has no legs or arms, but it can move where it needs to go with motors(马达) inside. Some people also describe it as “a kind of flying brain”.

CIMON keeps two jobs in mind. One is helping astronauts with tasks. The other is trying to be “someone” astronauts can talk to. Helping astronauts is easy for CIMON—it can see, hear, understand, and speak. The brain of CIMON can understand not just what people say, but also what they mean. If astronauts ask it for instructions or information, it can give answers, or use its screen to show pictures or papers, if needed.

In addition, CIMON has several cameras, which can take pictures and videos to help astronauts keep records of experiments or important actions. The more difficult part of CIMON’s job is being a companion for the astronauts. The first CIMON was able to understand 1,000 sentences, but that wasn’t enough. CIMON 1 seemed to misunderstand and become confused(困惑的) when hearing difficult sentences.

CIMON 2 has been improved so that it can find out how people are feeling. The company wants CIMON 2 to be a calm and trusted friend. This could be especially important if tension(紧张气氛) in a group of astronauts causes them to stop thinking clearly, and the astronauts don’t want to discuss with their teammates, they can turn to CIMON 2.

【推荐2】Thousands of years ago, in the south of ancient China, there lived Shennong, a man who had an ox (牛) head and human body. Seeing that local people were suffering from disease, he built ladders and houses on a high mountain to store hundreds of medical plants. To remember him, people named the place Shennongjia.

The legend (传说) makes Shennongjia in Hubei an inviting place for tourists. Traveling there is a unique experience, as you can see scenes of the four seasons from different altitudes (海拔). “When the bottom of the mountain is summer, the top is spring and while the foothill is autumn, the top is covered with ice,” local people say of the special climate of Shennongjia.

Shennongjia is also home to 5,000 species of animals and plants. Many animals in danger live there, such as the golden monkey, the clouded leopard (云豹) and the Asian black bear.

One interesting and mysterious (神秘的) thing about Shennongjia is its legend of wild men. Some people once claimed that they saw big prints or big-foot creatures. Yet so far, scientists haven’t proved it is true and some say they are just bears.

The beautiful place has recently received a newtitle. On July 17, 2016, Shennongjia Forestry District was added to UNESCO World Heritage List (联合国教科文组织世界遗产名录) as a natural site (遗址). China now has 55 world heritage sites, first in the world.

Has your mother or grandmother ever made embroidered (刺绣的) clothes for you? In the past, Chinese people often embroidered on hats, shoes and dresses to show the beauty of nature or the best wishes to others. Some girls would even embroider on a sachet (香囊) as a gift for their lovers.

Shu embroidery comes from Sichuan. It is said that Shu embroidery is the oldest kind of embroidery in China. People began to make it during the Han Dynasty (206 BC－220 AD). They sold it to other countries such as ancient Rome.

Shu embroidery takes time. It might take as long as a whole day to finish just 10 cm. Embroidery workers need to divide each silk thread into more than 10 or even 30 smaller threads. Each smaller thread is thinner than a human hair.

Meng Dezhi, who used to work at the Chengdu Shu Embroidery Factory, has been making Shu embroidery for 40 years. She loves this form of art and wants more people to try it, so she gives lessons in universities. She said, “Although the work is hard, Shu embroidery stands for thousands of years of Sichuan culture. It is a symbol of Chinese culture as well.”