Good afternoon, my fellow students. I am Li Hua, host of Voice of the Campus today.

Li Hua

5 . International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is seen as a window into the inventions that will change our lives in the years ahead. Here are some of the best inventions making the headlines from this year’s show.

This   $1,495   GPS-enabled   dog   collar   lets   you   “draw”   a   boundary   anywhere, including your home, the houses of friends, a campsite or a park. If the dog escapes, the GPS alerts you via a mobile phone app and helps you track and find it, even in remote areas like woodland.

Consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble’s toilet paper brand, Charmin, has shown a two-wheeled robot designed to save its owner at the most important moment. The “RollBot” is ordered by a smart phone using Bluetooth and uses technology similar to a robot cleaner to navigate to its owner, carrying a precious spare roll.

Hearing aids can struggle to isolate (分离) sounds,     often   strengthening background noise as well as a person’s voice. The Hear, a wearable camera made by Israeli tech company OrCam, uses artificial intelligence to identify the person who is speaking and then employ lip reading technology to isolate the sound of their voice, making it easier for those with hearing difficulties to understand them.

French start-up Wello has displayed a vehicle that lies somewhere between an electric car and a bicycle, showing a solar-powered electric tricycle. The vehicle is pedal-assisted, so it doesn’t need a driving license and can travel in bike lanes, but can reach a top speed of 25 miles per hour.

Last week I visited a small village to see the brown bears, what come to the villages at night to look at food. I waited with some tourist. As it grew dark, we see the huge black shapes of the bears. Those clever bears knew where to go for its dinner: the rubbish where there was lots of food people have thrown away. Although it’s wonderful to see the bears in the village, but it can only mean one thing: their habitat is disappearing. They would prefer to stay hiding in the mountain forests, but the trees have cut down for firewood. However, they cannot find enough food any more.

Most of us haven’t been taught how to apologize. That’s     1     it is critical to get it right. A good apology is an opportunity for us to take clear and direct responsibility for     2    (we) wrongdoing without blaming, or making excuses. It meets the moment,     3    (help) heal and transforms our relationships.

When you’re apologizing for something, it’s critical to show true sorrow and regret. It feels     4    (comfortable) to not be in control of the outcome, but it is also courageous. Keep your apology short. Over-apologizing shifts the focus away from the person who needs to be attended     5     and makes the apology about you.

Your attention when apologizing should be on the impact of your words or deeds, not on your     6    (intend). It’s not the two words “I’m sorry”     7     heal the injury. The hurt party wants to know that we really get it, and that we know their     8    (feeling) and care.

An apology isn’t the only chance you ever get to address the underlying issue. The apology is the chance you get to establish the ground for future communication. When     9    (do) with attention and care, it can be a base for     10    (great) understanding and deeper connection.

8 . Masses of ocean plastic are providing artificial habitat (栖息地) for otherwise coastal species, according to a new study published in Nature Communications. The study’s authors observed floating water bottles, old toothbrushes and waste fishing nets. The possibility exists that species may be evolving to better adapt to life on plastic.

A decade ago, marine researchers believed coastal species could not survive a trip across the inhospitable open ocean. Yet Japan’s 2011 tsunami (海啸), which sent some 300 species of Asian marine life riding floating plastic garbage onto North American shores, disproved that assumption.

Ocean plastic is “creating opportunities for coastal species’ biogeography to greatly expand beyond what we previously thought was possible”, Linsey Haram, a researcher and co-author of the study, said in a report.

The concept of species-covered plastic may sound like the story of ocean species’ victory in spite of human pollution. But that’s not quite the case, explains Juan José Alava, PhD, an expert at the University of British Columbia. In addition to transporting non-native species to new habitats where they may become invasive and destructive, the plastic is “basically an ecological trap”, says Alava. “That’s because small species on the floating structure may attract bigger animals to come for food. When these creatures enter garbage areas for food, they run a high risk of eating and/or becoming caught in plastic and dying.”

While scientists have found some types of bacteria (细菌) are able to break down plastic, thereby cleaning up garbage, it’s unlikely that the marine animals will have any such effect. “The 2021 UN report was clear that the increasing plastic pollution is putting the health of all the world’s oceans and seas at risk,” says Alava.

9 . For Wang Pengfei and Tian Xiaowei, Central Academy of Drama graduates, William Shakespeare’s works were a must-read during their college days. After graduation, they have been working together on Chinese plays with Wang as a producer and Tian as a director.

In 2020, after the coronavirus pandemic(疫情) hit, Tian considered creating a play. Since most of his works were based on classic works, Tian decided to write an original play. This turned out to be a three-hour-long play, titled Will, exploring the life story of Shakespeare.

“When we researched Shakespeare’s own life story, we found that we shared lots of experiences and emotions with him.” says Wang when asked about the inspiration. Tian agrees: “We share the passion for theater. We face problems after we left school, such as looking for job opportunities to make ends meet, and struggling between reality and dreams. We see ourselves through this play, Will.”

With four actors and actresses playing more than 30 roles, the play follows the man, Will, who, at the age of 5, entered the theater of Stratford City Hall by accident and became attached to it. Before adulthood, he went to London to seek his theater dream and launched his career, which brought him fortune and fame(名声). Then in his later years, he returned to Stratford, his hometown and stayed there until his death.

Premiered(首映) on July 22, the play was staged in Beijing and Shenzhen and was warmly received by both audiences and critics. In 2022, it will start a new round of shows in Beijing in April and July and is expected to be watched by about 13,000.

When asked about the feeling, Wang says, “Both Tian and I felt like returning to our school days when we fully devoted into creating plays and were not distracted. It felt great.”

10 . As a housewife, I had Kransky, our dog, for almost two years. One day when I was calling my mum, Kransky was sniffing a mole (痣) on my right leg with his wet nose over and over. I kept laughing and told mum about it. After hearing my explanation, her tone changed. “There’s been research on pets being able to discover illness,” she replied. “Please, book in a skin check.”

But then I just care little about it and didn’t do anything. When she followed up a couple of times though, I made an appointment with my doctor. On seeing the mole on my leg, the doctor insisted it be removed immediately. I was surprised by his seriousness and had the mole removed on the spot. A few days later, the doctor’s office told me that I had a cancerous melanoma (黑色素瘤) and gave me details of a surgeon who would remove it. I made the arrangements and quickly hung up. Tears flowed as anger filled my body. “You’ve left it too late,” I spoke angrily to myself.

My surgery was set for eight weeks’ time, and Kransky was by my side through it all. After the surgery, a doctor advised me to have regular skin checks every three months for years. Thankfully, this meant no chemotherapy (化疗) or radiation. And I often think if Kransky hadn’t found it out, my situation would have been so much worse.

Now, I’m sharing my story to remind others to get skin checks regularly. Not everyone has an angel like Kransky to point out when something’s wrong.