2 . Tonga is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean. On January 14th, 2022, an underwater volcano erupted near Tonga.

The volcano is located off the coast of Tonga. It first began to erupt on Friday. Even though the volcano was underwater, it sent a column of gas, ash, and stones 20 kilometers into the sky.

Saturday’s eruption was far larger. It’s believed to be the largest in over 20 years. The eruption caused a loud “sonic boom”, which could be heard even in Alaska, 10,000 kilometers away. The eruption caused a 5.8 magnitude earthquake, as well as tsunami (海啸) waves that traveled far and wide.

In Japan, Chile and Australia, people moved away from low-lying areas along the coast. The waves sunk boats in New Zealand and caused two deaths in Peru.

The event knocked out Internet services in the area. Like most island nations, Tonga gets its Internet through a cable that runs deep under the sea. The reports of injuries and deaths in Tonga related to the eruption couldn’t be known in time because of problems with communication.

In the following days, the smoke and ash from the volcano covered much of Tonga. ________ That was the biggest danger which might last for a long time.

New Zealand and Australia sent teams to Tonga to help out. Some of the teams used airplanes to get a better idea of the damage across the island nation. But at that time, the large cloud of ash high above Tonga was making it impossible to get a good picture of what was happening in the area from high in the air. The United States and the World Health Organization also sent help to Tonga.

3 . Close your eyes and picture a scientist. Does an image of a man show up in your mind?

It is hard to ignore that even in the 21st century, the “scientist equals male” stereotype （成见）is still there. In the science world, women’s voices are often unheard.

According to UNESCO, only 35 percent of global STEM（science, technology, engineering, and mathematics）students in higher education are women. In taking up science and technology careers, women are more likely to be treated unfairly because of their motherhood and skin color, noted Teen Vogue.

In November, at the 4th World Laureates Forum（世界顶尖科学家论坛）held in Shanghai, some of the world’s top female scientists announced an initiative（倡议）, encouraging universities around the world to promote gender equality in STEM areas.

“Role models of women scientists need to be better represented on important international stages and allow their voices to be heard as a way to encourage youths,” Lenore Blum, a female scientist from the US, said at the forum.

In December, Talk With Lu Jian, a Chinese TV show, launched a series of programs under the title of She Power in Tech. The show interviewed Chinese female scientists, including geneticist (遗传学家）Fu Qiaomei at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lṻ Zhi, a professor of life sciences at Peking University, and Rong Yi, a chief designer of the Long March 2F rocket.

“These female scientists share a strong passion for science,”said Lu Jian, the TV show’s host. “They are making a pathway for the next women scientists.”

Actions should also be taken to create a better environment for women working in the field of science and technology, noted Science and Technology Daily. For example, they should be given more resources, join in decision-making and gain support for their research during maternity（生育）.

4 . China’s Mars rover（火星车）Zhurong, named after the Chinese god of fire, landed safely on Mars on May 15, 2021, making China only the second behind the United States fully succeed.

The 240-kilogram, six-wheeled rover is carried with six scientific instruments, giving it the appearance of a “blue butterfly”. Unlike Perseverance, the American Mars rover, Zhurong needs sunlight to power itself. Now that Zhurong has got down successfully, it is expected to spend the next 90 days mapping the area on Mars, monitoring changes in weather such as temperature and searching for signs of water ice. Zhurong will therefore help build a more complete geological picture of the red planet’s history.

China has successfully landed on the moon three times, and has even brought back lunar rocks to Earth. But landing on Mars is even more difficult. Mars exploration is known for its high risks and difficulties, as well as the uncertainties in the long-distance interstellar（星际）flight. The landing is the most challenging part of it. Around half of Mars exploration missions（任务）failed, and most of them went wrong in the landing process. A Mars landing is often considered as “the seven minutes of terror” because the process is completely autonomous. “The distance is too far away for the spacecraft, so it has to do it all on its own.” said Chen Lan, a scientist in China’s space program. “If something goes wrong, people on earth have no way to help.”

“Mars is the planet in our solar system that we are most likely to live on in the future. That’s why we want to understand it,” Ge, another scientist, said. “The success of Zhurong’s landing will lay the foundation for future Mars missions, including a sample return mission in 2030.”

8 . Known as “China’s Mona Lisa”, the painting Along the River during Qingming Festival is kept in the Palace Museum and not often shown to the public. That’s why MaMin, a young art teacher, helped her 300 students work together to recreate this famous painting.

Ma used a special way to help her students recreate the panoramic (全景的) painting. She found a picture of the painting, divided the picture into eight parts and gave each part to a different group of students. Each student was responsible for drawing a part that was about the size of a sheet of paper.

The students had to use their imagination to fill in details (细节) that were unclear in the painting, such as small trees or eaves (屋檐). They communicated with each other and made sure that their parts matched with each other both in form and style.

The students also had to do a lot of work besides painting. They did a lot of research and made some interesting findings. Li Zixuan, 13, was asked to paint the busy streets along the river. She learned that pillars (柱子) were used to set boundaries (界限) near the river. Across this boundary, vendors (商贩) were not allowed to business and shops were not allowed to open.

The students also made a video to show their findings for other students to learn from. “This is their own artistic creation,” Ma said.

9 . People often say, “You can’t live only on air.” But Chinese scientists can now tell you: Maybe you can.

Scientists from Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences made a big breakthrough. They have turned carbon dioxide (CO₂, 二氧化碳), the “infamous” (声名狼藉的) greenhouse gas, into starch (淀粉).

Starch is the main part of the flour, rice and corn that we eat every day. It’s created by plants through photosynthesis(光合作用). But according to the team’s director Ma Yanhe, plants do this in a complex (复杂的) and inefficient (低效的) way, which takes about 60 steps. The new study, after six years of hard work, has found a simpler way to do this, with only 11 steps.

“Our study shows that creating complex compounds (化合物) like starch is possible in a lab (实验室), and there are many areas that can benefit from this technology,” Ma told China Daily.

The scientists first turned CO₂ and hydrogen gas into methanol (甲醇). Then they pieced these methanol molecules (分子) into bigger and more complex molecules. Finally the starch came out. This method makes it possible to produce food in factories, replacing traditional farming.

This will not only help make plenty of starchy crops (农作物) such as potatoes, but also save water, fertilizer (肥料) and land. It may also help recycle CO₂ to deal with climate change, according to China Daily.

The study can benefit space exploration too. Astronauts no longer need to worry about their food as they travel in space. They may simply turn the CO₂ they breathe into the food they eat!

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