1 . There’s a continuing controversy over whether electric vehicles should produce sounds to let the blind and other pedestrians know they’re on the scene. Some think those sounds should be standardized—like the “beep, beep, beep” of heavy machinery backing up, so you’ll think “something heavy is coming this way” when you hear it — and some think any sound will do.       

This is a serious subject. Plug-in hybrid cars (电混动力车) and battery electric vehicles are super-quiet, and a study at the University of California, Riverside concludes that people listening to recordings on headphones can hear a regular gas car coming from 28 feet away, but a hybrid in battery mode only when it’s 7 feet away.

In response, the European Union has put new rules into play: all new electric vehicle models must have a sound-producing device, which sounds like a traditional engine. Starting in 2021, all new electric vehicles of any model will need the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System or AVAS. That sound will come into play when the car is traveling backwards or when it’s traveling at less than 12 miles an hour — speeds at which cars are more likely to be mixing with pedestrians.     

That’s a nice start, say representatives for the blind, but more is needed. “We’re calling on the government to take this announcement further by requiring AVAS on all existing electric and hybrid vehicles and ensuring drivers have them switched on,” John Welsman, guide dog owner and Guide Dogs staff member, said in a statement.

Drivers in most cases have the ability to shut off the device when needed. My guess is that they will eventually be standardized so your mind will automatically register “electric car” when you hear it. And that’s probably a good thing to reduce the mayhem (混乱) on the roads.

3 . Flight security rules are changing almost daily; however, there have been two main changes which seem likely to remain.

The first change is that international passengers flying to the USA are getting a pat-down at the gate. In some places this is being taken very seriously with a thorough check, but in many places the checks are cursory (粗略的) as people don’t think it contributes much to safety.

The second change is that the USA is increasing the number of air marshals (空警) on flights to, from and within their country. Action by passengers, whether security personnel or other flyers, is now seen as the most effective improvement in flight security since 9/11.

But it is likely that moves announced in 2010 to remove the liquids carry-on restrictions will be quietly dropped for political reasons.

No matter how well prepared a traveler is before a trip, there is a chance that security rules will change at the last minute or during travel. For example, for three days over Christmas last year those flying from other countries to the USA were not allowed out of their seats for the last hour of the flight. Some people flying in August found they were unable to carry on any bags after the liquid bomb attempt.

There are things passengers can do to save trouble:

 Before heading to the airport, check the rules posted on the airline’s website.

 Reduce the amount of baggage being carried on board, and especially the items in your pockets. Fewer items mean it’s easier to pass through security-quicker bag checks, less time needed to empty pockets at the metal detector.

 Allow more time between connecting flights and before departure.

 If you’ll have trouble standing in a queue for an extended period of time then arrange with your airline in advance for wheelchair assistance.

 Pick the fast-moving security lines — normally the ones filled with business travelers move fastest.

6 . The head of the Virgin Hyperloop (超级高铁) transport system says the company aims to begin carrying passengers by 2027.

The Virgin Hyperloop system is based on a technology called magnetic levitation (磁悬浮). It uses magnetic fields to lift a vehicle off the ground a little and to push it forward.

Some high-speed trains also use this technology. But unlike trains, a Hyperloop is designed to operate within tubes containing very little air. Electric force moves vehicles, called pods, through the tubes at high speeds. The system offers nearly silent travel and reportedly releases no carbon emissions.

The system’s pods are designed to move at much higher speeds, up to 1,200 kilometers per hour. It says such a vehicle could complete a trip between New York and Washington, D.C. in 30 minutes. That would be two times as fast as a jet flight and four times faster than a high-speed train.

The pods will seat 28 passengers and could be specially designed to travel long or short distances, or to carry goods, the company said.

While the system is still in early development, it is predicted that commercial operations could start as early as 2027. Virgin Hyperloop is looking to first develop passenger systems in India, where the transport system is overcrowded, and in Saudi Arabia, which lacks infrastructure (基础设施).

It could be the first form of transportation in 100 years to revolutionize travel, as cars, trains and airplanes did before. “It starts off with two people riding a Hyperloop. It ends with hundreds of millions of people riding on a Hyperloop and that’s what the 2020s—the roaring 2020s—will be,” he added.

Virgin Hyperloop has partners that include Virgin Group founder Richard Branson and the port operations company DP World, which is owned by the Dubai government.

8 . It was the sports professionals (专业人员) among bikers, such as mountain bikers, that first used helmets (头盔) when they rode. The UCI-Union Cycliste Internationale, the ruling body of cycling, never required mandatory (强制的) helmet use.     1    . Finally, the sporting world did make it mandatory and this led to a review of the general laws around the world.

    2    . It has long been known that a motorcyclist can be killed or have his brain seriously hurt because of a road traffic accident. In the past most people thought that because cyclists were slower on the road there was less risk of being hurt. However, this has been proven to be incorrect,     3    .

    4    . In some European countries, cycle helmets have only become mandatory in the last few years.     5    . However, in some countries, there are no laws whatsoever. The United Kingdom, for example, has refused to make any law to make cycle helmets mandatory for fear that a helmet law might discourage people from taking up cycling.

9 . Backpacking Tour of China

Are you looking for an oriental adventure? Join our 9-day tour and explore China—a country famous for its delicious food, cute pandas and the longest wall in the world! Our China backpacking tour combines history and culture, exciting activities and popular sites.

Day 1—Hong Kong

•Start your adventure at the hotel

•Receive a full introduction from the tour leader

•Board a famous Chinese high-speed train to get to the mainland of China

Day 2 to 4—Chengdu

•Meet your new adventure leader

•Spend the afternoon learning some helpful Mandarin phrases at a free lesson

•Visit the lovable pandas at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding as they eat their bamboo shoots for breakfast

•Board the night train to Xi’an

Day 5 to 6—Xi’an

•Visit the unmissable Terracotta Warriors

•Cycle around the ancient city’s walls on a bike

•Explore the Bell and Drum Towers

•Experience a Chinese night out

Day 7 to 8—Hangzhou

•Head to the famous West Lake, a UNESCO Heritage Site

Take a boat to one of the islands

•Hike up to Jiuyao Mountain to see the impressive sunset

•Visit China National Tea Museum

Day 9—Macao

•Visit the historic center and spend time at the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel Travel across the sea on a high-speed ship back to Hong Kong, arriving at 20:30.

•Time to say goodbye at the hotel that you started at. Congratulations, you’ve completed your tour of China!

10 . With nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas coming from all types of transportation, can we keep ourselves off gas-powered vehicles to avoid the worst effects? As more governments push for urgent action on climate change, quite a few companies are betting their future – that millions of consumers are finally ready for electricity-powered vehicles. Modern battery-powered cars are selling fast and zero- emission ( 排放) planes are coming. These changes, both leading to a more sustainable future, are reinventing how we get from here to there.

Cars and trucks are undergoing their greatest improvement since the automobile’s (汽车) existence more than a century ago. Almost overnight, the era of the electric car has arrived. Electricity has the advantage that it works without smell and with less noise. Global annual sales of electric vehicles are expected to soar from just over 3 million today to 14 million by 2025. Just a month after Ford unveiled an electric version of the popular F-150, customers had reserved more than 100,000 of them. The price is about $10,000 above the gas-powered one, but Ford says the electric model will cost much less to maintain. Everything creating a green revolution on the ground is of limited help in the sky for the time being.

High-storage batteries are useless at present when it comes to the technological challenge of launching a few hundred people into the sky and carrying them thousands of miles. No battery yet invented can power, say, a Boeing 747 from New York to London. Promising improvements, however, do add up. Developments with zero-emission, battery-powered electric engines are already happening in commercial flight, involving trips of limited duration and distance. Airlines specializing in short journeys with small planes will lead the way to electric flight.

Our planet’s health depends on zeroing out carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, and yet, by the timetable needed to address the climate challenge, the shift away from gas-powered vehicles remains far too slow. Nevertheless, the train has left the station. Someday, electric-powered transportation will be as common as air.