6 . The young lead new trends in consumption market

With the post-1990 generation becoming a vibrant (充满活力的) force in society and the post-2000 generation gradually entering the workforce, the purchasing power of the new generation of consumers has been steadily growing.

    1     Growing up in the internet era, the young consumers generally have higher education levels and a broader global outlook, and come from a relatively strong economic background. As such, their consumption behavior is different from that of the earlier generations.

In terms of consumption pattern, online shopping has become the top choice for young people. Young people not only comprise a comparatively high percentage of internet users but also tend to shop online.     2     This makes them easily influenced by product promotions and influencers on social media.

And yet a trend toward rational consumption has been growing rapidly over the past few years.     3     Instead, they focus more on product quality and functionality. They tend to compare products and services, and do some research before making purchasing decisions, in order to get the best out of their purchase. According to a study conducted by the Social Survey Center of China Youth Daily, 90.1 percent of the 1,000 young respondents said their consumption decision is based on the “spending where necessary and saving where possible” principle. Besides, young consumers seek more personalized and diversified products, reflecting their emotional needs and increasing sense of self-worth.     4    

When it comes to brand cognition, young consumers seem to favor domestic products. Thanks to information online, young consumers no longer blindly pursue foreign brands and instead prefer local brands, highlighting their confidence in Chinese-made products. From Li-Ning, Anta to Warrior shoes, domestic brands in various fields are being warmly welcomed by young consumers.

7 . There is no known date for when the ancient Greeks or Romans first shared their stories about gods, monsters and heroes. But for the modern myth known as Star Wars, that date is May 25,1977, when the original movie opened in theaters and kicked off a global phenomenon that spanned films, TV shows, novels, comic books, toys, lunchboxes, bed sheets and more. Even today, Star Wars remains an enduring touchstone (检验标准) of pop culture. Critically praised or not, the movies continue to be a big hit.

And just as we know when the mythology began, we also know who invented it: writer-director George Lucas. His inspiration, he told TIME in 1977, was “all the books and films and comics that I liked when I was a child… My main reason for making it was to give young people an honest, wholesome fantasy life, the kind my generation had.”

No one could predict just how much Lucas’ creation would catch on — not even Lucas himself or the film’s star Mark Hamill, who played young hero Luke Skywalker. “I had no idea it would be as successful as it was,” Hamill said in 2017, marking the original film’s 40th anniversary. “I just thought I would be a fan of this even if I weren’t involved.”

Before Lucas created Star Wars, he had an even more ambitious goal — to blow up the ways of Old Hollywood. And he did. Star Wars introduced a new era of moviemaking, one that saw the development of amazing special effects and the tools to achieve them. After this legend, filmmakers felt free to bring their wildest ideas to life in totally realistic ways that left audiences thrilled.

Why did Star Wars become such a powerful force? Hamill credits its ability to satisfy the human need for escapism. “People value the idea of going away to some happy place,” he said, “whether it’s Oz or Narnia or Middle Earth or Hogwarts. I think it appeals to children of all ages. It doesn’t matter if you’re 6 or 60. It appeals to the optimistic young idealism that I think every person has, however buried it might be.”

Will AI allow humans to play a part?

Rebecca used to have a regular job, translating a fashion brand’s website into German. One day a big change happened. The company     1     to using machine translation. She kept the job, and it still paid the bills; however, she was now there to check and     2     whatever was produced by the computer. But there was a complaint.

“What it meant,     3    , was that we humans were training a machine,” she says. Each corrected caption for a mid-priced T-shirt, each pair of skinny jeans, was a data point for the robot that was going to replace her. With the     4     of chat programs that can imitate humans, the world is now beginning to consider what the coming of artificial intelligence means. What will it do for our jobs if many once     5     professions — law, accountancy, medicine — disappear? What does it mean to be a human when the thing that humans most       6    — intelligence — has become the cheapest product on the planet? Translators, for good and ill, don’t have to wonder. “You can take the world of translators and interpreters as a       7     of the world,” says Nicki Bone, chairwoman of the board of the Institute of Translating and Interpreting. Not all of them are adjusting. “Of course, we have our     8    ,” but she adds, “There are also opportunities, and optimists.”

The speed of change, though, has been     9    . Increasingly, says Bone, she and her colleagues are acting as editors of a machine’s first pass, rather than translators of the raw material.

For some, that’s fine. “People will say, ‘OK, instead of working at one rate for this number of words per hour, I’m working at many more words per hour, but for a much lower rate.’ Some are happy to take on. Some won’t, as a matter of principle.”

As we are     10     at ChatGPT and its great ability to imitate human writing, translators are, compared with the rest of the professions, sensitive. Anyway, this technology is here to stay.

DNA analysis reveals two waves of migration

The results of the study, published in the Science Bulletin, revealed two major migration waves in history. In this pioneering study, scientists from Fudan University     1     (dig) into the ancient DNA of individuals buried in Gansu province, revealing interesting insights into the genetic makeup of Hexi Corridor residents dating back over 12 centuries. The research employed ancient DNA data     2     (explore) human migration along the Hexi Corridor.

The Hexi Corridor, was a narrow yet crucial link     3     (connect) the heartland of ancient China to the Western Territory. Characterized by its lofty mountains and deserts, the ancient pathway was dotted with cities     4     (found) along short rivers.

Historical documents attest (证实) to the Hexi Corridor’s significance as a crossroads     5     Western and Eastern civilizations mixed through trade, religion and occasional conflicts following the establishment of the Silk Road during the Han Dynasty.

    6     technological advances in biology open new avenues for exploration, archaeologists are increasingly drawn to analyzing DNA samples. Led by Wen Shaoqing from Fudan University’s Institute of Archaeological Science, the team successfully extracted DNA data     7     the teeth and bones found at two sites near Dunhuang.

The DNA analysis pinpointed two outliers (异常样本) dating to the Wei Dynasty and the Tang. Further examination revealed one had approximately 50 percent western Eurasian ancestry and       8     30 percent, suggesting the individuals were likely descendants of unions between western Eurasian women and local men.

    9     the team concluded was that the genetic mix could be partially attributed to those migrations. Experts said the second major migration period       10     (mark) by a significant shift in the gene pool. Historical records say migration facilitated by Chinese explorer Zhang Qian’s visit to the Western Territory from 138 BC resulted in the creation of the Silk Road.