1 . My generation — people born after 1990 — are accustomed to “all-in-platform” life, where we use mobile apps of different platforms to do almost everything in life.

For instance, I ordered a cup of coffee on Monday using an online delivery app. Then, I called a taxi by tapping on the app of a ride-booking service. Next, I bought some necessities on shopping platform Taobao. That done, I moved on to various other online destinations to get my daily fix of music, reading, social networking and so forth.

Platforms now play an increasingly important role in almost all aspects of day-to-day life, not just in economic and political processes. Consumption and social interaction are closely linked to platforms now.

But, I began to get confused recently. I thought I was being treated differently. My friend and I called a taxi at the same time on a ride-hailing platform (打车平台) and found that for the same destination, the prices were different. The price indicated on my phone was higher. One of the potential reasons could have been that I regularly use the ride-hailing platform and have a higher ranking while my friend doesn’t use it that often. So, the ride-hailing platform offers discounts to newbies like her, to attract and have such customers.

China’s latest efforts in regulating monopolistic or improper market behavior are of great significance in protecting consumers’ lawful rights.

“The essence of platform-based monopoly (垄断) is that a large number of users are gathered on only a select few platform companies, leading to uneven data gathering different platforms. But in China some platforms use their own data and traffic (流量) to expand capital in a disorderly way,” said Wang Yong, deputy director of the Institute of Economics at Tinghua University.

Data monopoly also brought another inconvenience for comumers — platforms block links to each other. For instance, link to WeChat Pay of Tencent is not available on Alibuba’s Taobao while there is no Alipay link on JD app’s payment options.

Last year, Meituan was charged with preventing customers from using Alipay as a payment option on Meituan apps and platforms.

In July, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology launched a six-month special rectification (专项治理) for the internet industry, asking platform operators to stop blocking each other’s link.

“More efforts should also be made to strike a good balance between personal information protection and interconnectivity between platforms Companies are being encouraged to further develop data encryption (加密) technology so that the data are available but not visible.”

4 . More than 20,000 drivers and front seat passengers are killed or seriously injured each year. At a speed of only 30 miles per hour it is the same as falling from a third floor window. Wearing a seat belt saves lives; it reduces your chance of death or serious injury by more than half.

Therefore drivers or front seat passengers over 14 most vehicles must wear a seat belt. If you do not, you could be fined up to $50. It will not be up to the drivers to make sure you wear your belt. But it will be the driver’s responsibility to make sure that children under 14 do not ride in the front unless they are wearing a seat belt of some kind.

However, you do not have to wear a seat belt if you are reversing(倒退) your vehicle; or you are making a local delivery or collection using a special vehicle; or if you have a valid(正当的) medical certificate(证书) which excuses you from wearing it. Make sure these cases supply to you before you decide not to wear your seat belt. Remember you may be taken to court for not doing so, and you may be fined if you cannot prove to the court you have been excused from wearing.

6 . Repair or replace? This is a difficult choice for people when appliances (家用电器) that they own, like TVs and refrigerators, break down. Too often, the only option, or at least the cheaper one, is to replace an appliance rather than get it repaired.

But now in the UK, people don’t have to do this. Manufacturers (制造商) are now legally required to make spare parts that people can buy to repair their products.

The right to repair rules are designed to deal with “built-in obsolescence” where manufacturers build appliances to break down after a certain period on purpose to encourage people to buy new ones.

These new rules should bring an end to the frustration (沮丧) of having to throw away a product because a small part is no longer working and no longer supplied. Rather than having to buy a whole new product, replacement parts must now be sold directly by the manufacturer for 10 years, whether or not they are still selling the complete product.

Some companies said the rules could make appliances more expensive. John Elliott, chairman of Ebac, said, “The rules will influence companies who have been in a race to the bottom on prices for many white goods, but it will not make much difference to my business. We don’t look to make the cheapest washing machine. We look for one that’s going to do the job and last a long time.”

The company has been manufacturing washing machines for about fifty years. “Our focus is always on quality — not just a low price,” Mr Elliott said. “The secret of a product that’s easy to repair and long-lasting is the design.”     

Rob Johnson, operations director at repair business Pacifica, said that his company was now hoping to enlarge its team of engineers because of new rules. The company already has 400 skilful engineers going into homes to fix about 6,000 appliances per week.

He said the rules “give customers real choice” about whether to repair or replace their product.

8 . The United States Congress has passed a bill which created a new requirement for carmakers: they must have systems built into new cars as early as 2026 that can keep drunk people from driving cars.

“It’s a remarkable decision.” said Alex Otte. She is president of the organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Otte added that the bill would remove “the number-one killer on America's roads”.

Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration（NHTSA）reported that an estimated 20,160 people died in car crashes in the first half of 2021. That is the highest first-half total since 2006. The agency says that fast driving, drunk driving and not wearing seatbelts are reasons for the increase. Each year, around 10,000 people in the United States are killed because of alcohol-related ear crashes. That is almost 30 percent of all traffic deaths, the NHTSA says.

Currently, some people who were charged with drunk driving in the past must use a breathalyzer device in order to start their car. A breathalyzer measures blood alcohol level. The device can turn off a car if the driver's blood alcohol level is too high.

The bill does not name a kind of technology, only saying that it must identify whether that driver may be drunk.

Sam Abuelsamid is with Guidehouse Insights, a market research company. He said the most likely system to prevent drunken driving is infrared（红外线的）cameras that look for driver behavior.

The cameras make sure a driver is watching the road, and they look for signs of being sleepy or drunk. If the system sees any signs, the car will warn the driver. If the behavior continues, the car will turn on warning lights, slow down and move to the side of the road. Such technology is already being used by some carmakers.

The bill also requires carmakers to create back-seat reminders to tell parents if a child is left in the back seat. Congress has also ordered the NHTSA to make new safety requirements for cars. Many carmakers, however, have already made those changes in their latest models.

9 . Too many deaths and injuries occur while mobile phones are being held. Tougher new laws will come into force in a further severe action on using a mobile phone behind the wheel from next year.

It is already illegal to text or make a phone call, other than in an emergency, using a hand-held device while driving. From 2022, laws will go further to ban drivers from using their phones to take photos or videos, or play games. This will mean anyone caught using their hand-held device while driving will face a fixed penalty notice and six points on their license. Drivers will still be able to continue using a device “hands-free” while driving, if it’s secured in a cradle (支架).

The government will also revise The Highway Code to explain the new measures. It will also be more precise about some facts, making it clear that hand-held mobile phone use at traffic lights or in motorway jams is illegal except in very limited circumstances.

There will be an exemption (豁免) to the new law for drivers making a contactless payment using their mobile phone. This will cover, for example, places like a drive-through restaurant or a road toll, and will only apply when payment is being made with a card reader. Anyway, it will not allow drivers to make general online payments while driving.

Mary Williams, chief executive of Brake — the road safety charity, said, “If drivers take their attention away from driving, this can be deadly. Using a hand-held phone at the wheel is never worth the risk. This important road safety decision by government, along with Road Safety Week, is very welcomed. The theme for Road Safety Week is road safety heroes — we can all be road safety heroes by giving driving our full attention.”

Chinese lawmakers have voted (投票) to pass a new law on wetlands protection, establishing the country’s first specialized law on the issue. Yang Zhaoxia,    1    ecology expert, said the significance of the new law is that it strengthens the Chinese legal system in the area of ecology, where there were some weaknesses.    2     is important that governments should protect wetlands through various campaigns. Education authorities and schools are also asked    3    (raise) students’ awareness of wetlands protection.