Three Hours a Week: Play Time’s over for China’s Young Video Gamers

China has forbidden under-18s from playing video games for more than three hours a week, a stringent(严苛的)social intervention that it said was needed to pull the plug on a growing addiction to     1     it once described as “spiritual opium(鸦片)”.

The new rules,     2     (publish) on Monday, are part of a major shift by Beijing to strengthen control over its society and key sectors of its economy, including tech, education and property, after years of runaway growth.

The restrictions, which apply to any devices including phones, are a body blow to a global gaming industry that caters to tens of millions of young players in the world’s most profitable market.

They limit under - 18s to     3     (play) for one hour a day - 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. - on only Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, according to the Xinhua sate news agency. They can also play for an hour, at the same time, on public holidays.

The rules from the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) regulator coincide with a broader clampdown(压制)by Beijing     4     China’s tech giants, such as Alibaba Group and Tencent Holdings.

The campaign     5     (prevent) what state media has described as the “savage growth” of some companies has wiped tens of billions of dollars off shares traded at home and abroad.

Gaming companies will be barred from providing services to minors in any form outside the stipulated(规定)hours and     6     ensure they have put real-name verification systems in place, said the regulator,     7     oversees the country’s video games market.

The new rules swiftly became one of the most discussed topics on Weibo, China’s answer to Twitter. Some users expressed support for the measures     8     others said they were surprised at how drastic(严厉的)the rules were.

“This is so fierce that I’m utterly speechless,” said one comment that received over 700 likes.     9     expressed doubt that the restrictions could be enforced. “They will just use their parent’s logins, how can they control it?” asked one.

The NPPA regulator told Xinhua it     10     (increase) the frequency and intensity of inspections for online gaming companies to ensure they were putting in place time limits and anti-addiction systems. It also said that parents and teachers played key roles in curbing gaming addiction.

Chinese scientists have created starch(淀粉) using carbon dioxide, hydrogen and electricity, according to a study     1     was published in the journal Science on Sept 24.

It's the first time in the world that synthesis(合成) of starch from CO₂     2     (achieve). Scientists believe it will have a     3     (revolution) impact on future agricultural production and bio-manufacturing.

According to Ma Yanhe,     4     author of the study, the process of plants     5     (create) carbohydrates like starch through photosynthesis(光合作用)is complex and     6     (efficient). It takes a plant about 60 steps of metabolic(新陈代谢的) reactions to turn CO₂, water and sunlight into starch. But now Chinese scientists have simplified the process from 60 steps into 11.

Creating carbohydrates more efficiently is so important for     7     (sustainable) on Earth, noted ChinaDaily. If such an approach can be scaled up(扩展) to the level of industrialization, it     8     (save) more than 90 percent of the farm land and freshwater resources, and avoid negative effects on the environment     9     pesticides and chemical fertilizers(肥料), and it will improve food     10     (secure) and promote sustainable societies, according to Cai Tao, another author of the study.

We had several monkeys on board, but Jack was the prince of them all. As he grew tame, he got more liberty, till he got the whole range of the ship, except the captain’s and the passengers’ cabins. I     1    (awaken) at an early hour by the quick steps of feet. It was Jack chasing around. He would seize the hats     2     the sailors’ heads, and threw it to the sea. He would steal their knives and other tools, which,     3     not very actively pursued, he would sometimes throw overboard. When breakfast was preparing, Jack used to sit in a corner, and when the cook’s back was turned, take something from the fire.

He sometimes burned his fingers by these tricks, and this kept him quiet for a few days. But no sooner had the pain been gone, to no one’s surprise,    4     the same thing was done again. Two days in each week, the pigs, which formed part of our livestock,     5     (allow) to run about for exercise; and then Jack was as happy as the day was long.    6     (hide) himself behind a bucket, he would suddenly spring upon the back of one of them, which then ran around in a fright.

Besides Jack, we had on board three little monkeys with red skins and blue faces. Once, Jack attracted     7     (small) one to him. Then, seizing him with one hand, with the other he took the brush and covered him with white paint from head to foot! As soon as Jack saw that he was discovered, he dropped his wet-through brother, and ran up to the main-top,     8     he stood looking at what was going on below with his nose between the bars.

Jack was afraid to come down, and only after three days passed     9     hunger force him to come down. He chose the moment when I was sitting on deck, he dropped suddenly into my feet, looking so piteously (可怜地) at me for pardon, that I not only forgive him     10    , but saved him from further punishment. Soon after this, I took another ship, and Jack and I parted, never to meet again.

Barry Jenkins: ‘When you climb the ladder, you send it back down’

“So, you saw the film?” Barry Jenkins is eager to ask the minute we are introduced. He gives good eye contact through those stylish thick-rimmed glasses – not the big-time, Oscar-winning writer-director speaking, but a nervous artist, anxious     1     the new work he is starting to screen. I love it, I tell him. If Beale Street Could Talk may be only Jenkins’ third feature-length film,     2     it has already been nominated for three Oscars (best adapted screenplay, best supporting actress, best score), just two years     3     his Moonlight walked away with the Academy Award for best film. A passionate film about race and love, it’s an     4     (add) pleasure to see black characters of such complexity on the big screen.

Adapted from James Baldwin’s 1974 novel, Beale Street tells the story in which the personal experiences of a young black couple     5     (interweave) with the big picture in 1970s Harlem. When Tish (KiKi Layne) becomes pregnant, they plan to marry – until her fiancé Fonny (Stephan James) is set up by a racist police officer for a rape he did not commit. The film explores the different reactions of their siblings (兄弟姐妹) and parents, led by Regina King in a standout performance as Tish’s mother, as they fight for Fonny’s freedom.

Baldwin has been dead for 30 years, but his depiction of the fight against a country’s powerful prejudice is a sad reminder     6     not enough has changed. Yet Jenkins turns a bleak story into a fascinating romance, as the young lovers strive     7     (regard) as human beings. With its lingering, saturated-colour photography – the director has cited Wong Kar-Wai’s In The Mood For Love as an influence – Beale Street is one of     8     (visually-arresting) films I’ve seen.

Beale Street     9     (film) on location in New York and the Dominican Republic – filling in for Puerto Rico, still devastated by 2017’s Hurricane Maria. It was shot on an Arri Alexa 65 camera. Throughout the film, as he did in Moonlight, the director lingers over often wordless scenes between his characters,     10     (present) them as a series of moving photographs.

ZHENGZHOU—Pingdingshan University in Central China’s Henan province has found more than1,000 ceramic (陶瓷) balls used in a golf-like ball game in ancient China. The university make the     1     (discover) while     2     (sort) out its ceramic collection.

The relics are related to an ancient game called “Chuiwan” in Chinese,     3     shares various features with modern golf, such as knocking balls into holes using sticks; and is     4    (wide) known as the ancient “Chinese golf”.

Most of the balls arc about 5 centimeters in diameter. The relics date back to as early as the Tang Dynasty,     5     more than l,800 such balls made in the Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties.

“This is the first time that China     6     (find) so many Chuiwan balls, providing important materials for     7     (refer) when it come to studying the origin and development of the ball game.” said Cui Lequan, a researcher.     8     (locate) between the two ancient capitals of Luoyang and Kaifeng, the Pingdingshan area boasted a highly     9     (develop) porcelain handicraft industry in ancient times.     10    was likely a large production base for Chuiwan balls, said Cui.

Pedigree Matters Less

The Exciting Offer, a reality show     1     is now well into its second season, has gained in popularity recently because it vividly portrays     2     new college graduates compete for their dream job.

Two participants in particular have attracted a great deal of attention: Wang Xiao, who graduated with a master’s degree in law from Stanford University, and Ding Hui, who     3    (not start) his law studies East China University of Political Science and Law until he turned 25.

Many Viewers imagined that Wang     4     (have) a big advantage over his opponents because of his outstanding educational qualifications. However, Wang turned out to be impatient with his fellow interns, often     5     (interrupt) them when they were sharing their opinions. Ding, on the other hand, presented determination and the attitude of a life-long learner.

You     6     be wondering, “Shouldn’t the student at the ‘better’ university automatically be the better learner and the better intern?”

Well, I hate to rain on your parade (泼冷水),    7     being able to go to a top university is nothing more than a testament to one’s hard work at a certain stage in his or her life. It does not automatically transform them into a better, smarter person     8     their making continuous efforts. Even top university graduates should always keep on working instead of resting on their laurels (不思进取).

More importantly, no amount of prestige can make up for being an arrogant know-it-all.     9    , many Harvard or Peking University degrees you hold, if you do not have regard     10     other people, you won’t earn respect from them in return.

In a word, respect is earned by becoming a worthy role model for others rather than through an excellent pedigree (历史).

Last week, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology instructed Tencent to submit its new app products as well as updated versions of its existing app products,     1    (tell) the internet giant that it cannot launch them until they     2    (approve). The company said in     3    statement it is working to upgrade its apps’ protection of users’ rights and interests.

The ministry’s technological examination of Tencent apps should be a wakeup call to the whole industry. No matter how big the companies are, they will take the responsibility     4    it, if they are found to be breaking the rules. The ministry’s action has been welcomed by the public, as their     5    (complain) about app-related misbehavior of big internet companies have finally been taken seriously. The regulation of the internet market and industry,     6     has a profound influence on almost every aspect of economic development, will become     7    (strict) so as to better protect the people’s rights and interests, and regulate the giant companies.

Strict regulations have taken effect since the ministry     8    (take) actions. So far, the ministry has examined a total of 2.44 million apps, and instructed 2,049 of     9     to fix their problems, which are related to     10    (cheat) users and misuse of users’ personal information. The app shops and other platforms through which users download apps are also being more strictly regulated by the ministry. A total of 400,000 apps were taken from their shelves before they were demanded to be examined.