1 . Have you noticed the waste bins in different colors on the street? Do you often put all the waste in the same bin? It’s reported by Changehun Daily that people must do waste sorting (分类) in most places in Changchun at the end of 2019. Waste sorting is a wonderful way to make good use of energy and protect the environment. But do you know how to sort the waste?

Usually, people should sort their waste into four groups: wet, recyclable, harmful and dry. Different kinds of waste should go into different bins. Wet waste means the things you don’t want but pigs can eat, mostly coming from your kitchen. Things that can be used again, such as paper, metal and glass, are recyclable waste. Harmful waste might be dangerous or cause serious pollution, like medicine and batteries (电池). And any waste that’s not wet, recyclable or harmful will go into the dry waste bin.

Different countries are trying different ways to sort the waste. A university in England has a smart bin. When people drop their waste into the bin, it can tell what kind of waste it is and sort it correctly. The bin can also compress (压缩) the waste to make it smaller in size and take up less space. In South Korea, people have to separate their food waste from other kinds of waste and pay for it. The more food waste they throw away, the more they pay. In Japan, plastic bottles and their caps should go into different bins.

3 . Aarrav Anil has had a deep interest in mechanics (机械学) since childhood. This allows the teen to represent (代表) India at more than 20 robotics competitions around the world. But Aarrav didn’t create his smart spoon to win a prize. He saw his uncle, who has Parkinson’s disease (PD) (帕金森病), struggling to feed himself. Food kept falling out of his mouth, making him look like a mess. He wanted to make a change.

More than 7 million people in India have PD. The disease influences the brain, causing patients to shake uncontrollably. As the disease progresses, it leads to difficulty in eating by oneself.

Aarrav wanted his uncle to be able to eat by himself. This encouraged the teen to look for a way to help his uncle. So he took to his room with sensors (传感器), a 3D printer and other tools. But not everything went well.

“It was disappointing not to be able to find certain parts I needed in India. I had to buy some from abroad,” Aarrav said in an interview.

Aarrav made a first model, but the spoon handle was not easy for his uncle to hold. “I’ve improved the invention. It needs to be waterproof (防水的). The spoon must be easily separated, so that it can be cleaned and replaced with a fork. And the spoon needs to be deeper to hold more food,” the teen said.

The smart spoon is now being tested at a local college. The test is expected to be completed in early 2024. Aarrav hopes that his smart spoon will be used in hospitals soon.

4 . The video “Hello! Spring Festival” by China Daily tells us what the Spring Festival is like in some foreigners’ eyes.

“Chinese New Year is the most important festival in China, and the beautiful thing I like is the way we put up ‘Fu (福)’ outside. We change the direction, and it means that Fu has already come, ” said Emma, from France. Running a French restaurant in Hangzhou, Emma seems to know everything about it. Actually Barbara, a German designer who is running a children’s wear brand in Shenyang, is full of praise for Chinese food, especially Yuanxiao (元宵). “We always prepare some handmade lanterns (灯笼) to celebrate the Lantern Festival, ” she added, “This year for Chinese New Year I gave out some special Hongbao, but the most important thing is the money inside.”

Zhang Luka from Italy is a big fan of Chinese culture. He told us what his first experience with the Spring Festival was like. “At that time, I saw everyone leaving, taking big bags and going back home. All of a sudden, all the restaurants were closed and take-out food was pretty difficult to order as well. What an unbelievable story! Luckily, after the first year, I got to meet many Chinese friends and enjoyed the holidays in a Chinese way. This was the opportunity for me to really get close to Chinese culture.”

7 . David Bennett, a 57-year-old man from the US, received the world’s first pig heart transplant (移植) on January 7th, 2022. He died two months later. It may sound like a failure, but it actually is a big step forward for xenotransplantation (异种器官移植).

Xenotransplantation has been a hot topic in medical research for many years. Doctors and scientists look for ways to solve the big problem of organ (器官) transplant waiting lists. In the US alone, over 100,000 patients are on a list waiting for new organs. Many will die before getting their chance to receive a heart, a kidney (肾) or other important organs. As a result, medical science has turned to animal organs.

There have been few successful xenotransplantation cases since the early 20th century. Usually, patients’ bodies reject (排斥) the animal organs. Bennett lived much longer than other xenotransplantation patients. That’s because the scientists removed pig genes (基因) that would cause fast rejection. Then they added human genes to help the body accept the organ.

In fact, Bennett’s case was not the only success. “A lot of new information that doctors got through other organ transplants will come out. The development of this field will benefit from it and move forward at a faster speed.” Muhammad Mohiuddin, director of the transplant program, told The Guardian.

9 . A small unsupervised (无人管理的) flower shop run (经营) by a college student (大学生) in Beijing is open. People can buy flowers and pay for them on their smart phones through WeChat or Alipay.

Wang runs the unsupervised flower shop. He loves reading books in his free time. He says he runs the shop because he doesn’t need to spend much time on it. “People may go to flower shops at any time,” he said. “If I run a common flower shop, I can’t read when they come.”

“Most young people like shopping in a free environment (环境) ,” Wang said. “And they don’t want to be disturbed (被打扰) when shopping.” But what can people do if they have questions about the kinds and names of the flowers? They can find answers through smart phone apps.

Some people asked Wang if he worried someone would take away flowers without paying. Wang said he thought about the problem at first. Though he doesn’t sell flowers in the shop himself, he goes to the shop at times. “My flower shop is small. It doesn’t cost much money, and it won’t be a big problem if there is a thief (小偷) ,” he said. And Wang also thinks most people are good.

Wang’s shop is special and popular now. Use your head, and you will find a way to be successful.

10 . More Heavy Load

China’s Long March 8 launched （发射） 22 satellites （卫星） into orbit （轨道）. It set a record for the most satellites ever launched by a Chinese rocket. Before it, the Chinese record for the most satellites launched by one rocket was the first flight of the Long March 6. The world record is held by SpaceX’s Falcon 9, which carried 143 satellites.

The Second Space Class

Astronauts in the China Space Station (CSS) hosted their second space class for youngsters （年轻人）on Earth. The educational class is a part of China’s effort to take full advantage of the CSS with an aim to encourage young minds to study science. This is the third such event the country has hosted from space and the second one from the CSS.

________

On April 9, the International Space Station (ISS) welcomed its first all-private team of astronauts. The four space travelers are on a 10-day trip to the station. Each of the passenger paid $55 million for the rocket ride, and they did hundreds of hours of training. On the trip, the team plans to carry out 25 experiments in science, education and human health.