Besides such ethical concerns, the legal situations the autonomous vehicle industry is likely to be confronted with have     1     heated debates. In this emerging industry, manufacturing and programming standards are not yet     2    . Moreover, the quality and safety of the technology used in self-driving cars is still being challenged. This could lead to extraordinary cases like who should be held     3     when self-driving cars are involved in accidents — should it be the driver, the software programmer or the manufacturer? Manufacturing and programming standards first have to be agreed upon to make it possible for law courts to decide who is at fault when things go wrong. As     4     in autonomous vehicle design and technology are in progress, the final agreement on laws and regulations     5     this industry remains to be seen.

3 . Since the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed in 1973, it has helped hundreds of species avoid extinction in the United States. The strong conservation policy has been used as a model in other countries. But it’s not as successful as it could be, a new study finds.

Researchers have discovered that most species are not being protected until their numbers became so small that their chance of recovery is slim.

In 1993, a study found that few species received protection under the ESA until their populations dwindled to very tiny numbers: on average, just 1,075 individuals for vertebrates (脊椎动物), 999 for invertebrates, and 120 for individuals for plant species.

For the new study, researchers repeated the methods in the earlier research to see if protections have become better since the problem was first noted. They also looked at trends in “wait times” — the amount of time between when a species is identified as potentially needing protection and when it actually receives protection under the ESA.

The researchers found that the population sizes of species when they first became protected under the ESA are not statistically different from those in the 1993 study. The findings showed that the population of vertebrates when listed is 999 individuals, invertebrates is 536, and plants is 192.

They also discovered that there are long wait times between when a species is identified as likely needing protection and when they actually receive them.

There have been several thousand species listed on the ESA over the past nearly five decades, and 99% of the listed species have avoided going extinct. But researchers point out that only 54 species — like the bald eagle and American alligator — have recovered so well that they no longer need protection.

Researchers say that the findings are timely due to the upcoming December meeting of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. The members will finalize a plan for conservation efforts globally through 2030.

Polls (民意调查) over the years have demonstrated that most Americans support a strong ESA to protect endangered (濒危的) wildlife. And the ESA has the strong policy, if used correctly, to do that.

7 . 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.

9 . 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.

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.