【NEWS】2018年4月2日

TiangongI to re-enter the atmosphere this morning

“天宫一号”今日将再入大气层烧毁

难度：四级单词

China's Tiangong I space lab is expected to re-enter the atmosphere between 8:11and 9:33 am, the China Manned Space Agency saidin a latest statement published on its websiteearly Monday morning.

Tiangong I orbited at an average altitude of167.6 kilometers on Sunday.

The space lab will mostly be burnt up in the atmosphere and it's highly unlikely to cause any damage on the ground,according to an article published by CMSEO recently.

With a weight of about eight tons, Tiangong I is much smallerthan the 80-ton Skylab and 140-ton Mir, and is unlikely to affect aviation activities or cause damage on the ground, the article said.

The re-entry process is usually divided into three phases. During the first phase, theatmospheric drag will rip solar arrays, antennas, and other external parts off aspacecraft at an altitude of about 100 kilometers.

As it continues to fall, the main structureof the spacecraft will be burnt or explode from increasing heat and friction.It normally disintegrates at an altitude of about 80 kilometers.

The fragments will keep burning and most ofthem will be dissipated in the air. Only a small amount of debris will reachthe ground, and will float down at a very slowspeed due to their small mass.

Tiangong I was launched on Sept 29, 2011 andended service in March 2016 after completing itsmission.

It has docked with Shenzhou-8, Shenzhou IX,and Shenzhou X spacecraft and undertaken a series of tasks, making importantcontributions to China's manned space cause.

【生词】

be expected to 预计

Chins Manned Space Agency 中国载人航天局

latest statement 最新声明

be burnt up 被烧完，燃烧殆尽

highly unlikely ……的可能性微乎其微

with a weight of ……有多重

aviation activities 航天活动

be divided into 被分成

atmospheric drag 大气阻力

solar arrays 太阳能组

the main structure of the spacecraft 航天器的主体部分

at an alttitude of 在……的海拔处

be dissipated in 在……消散

a small amount of 很少的

reach the ground 到达地面

float down 飘落

small mass 质量很小

dock with 与……完成对接

a series of 一系列的

China's manned space cause 中国载人航天事业

make contribute to 对...做出贡献

 

InspiringWomen Share Their Advice For The Next Generation

难度：高考单词

Intro: Nicole Kidman, Gabby Sidibe, DrewBarrymore and more share their advice to the nextgeneration of women.

(If you can’t watch this video, please updateyour APP to the latest version.)

I get what I want and if you are a no, I'mjust gonna climb over you and find my yes.

The best advice that I would have to pass tothe next generation of women, and as I'm still learning it myself, is to trustyour gut and your light and don't dim your light foranybody.

And no matter how many nos you get, you lookin the mirror and you tell yourself, yes I can.

And you continue to pushforward no matter what.

- That's what I have to say. - Absolutely.

Pay no attention to no.

I pay no attention to no at all.

In fact, if you let me tell it, I've neverheard no.

I've never heard no.

To not let anyone break your spirit.

To try to remove the self doubt as early asyou can.

To support other women, to surround yourselfwith mentors, to seek out the smartest people inthe room to be your mentors.

Umm... To listen, to learn, to stay hungry,and to take every opportunity you can.

To believe that you can do it.

To... And not do it ever in an angry way.

Don't be a woman trying to be a man in aman's world.

Like, be a sister, lift your other fellowgirls up.

Be all about girl power, and just believe inyourself.

Resist, resist, and your voice does matter.

As someone once told me when I got my job onThe Today Show, he said, today you could be drinking the wine, tomorrow youcould be picking the grapes.

I think success comesand goes and you have high points and low points in your career, and Ithink it's really important how you treat people.

Because the same people who help you up aregoing to catch you when you fall.

Kindness and compassion should go hand in hand with ambition and drive.

To trust yourself.

To get grounded in your beliefs.

And to not doubt yourself.

Believe in yourself to go forward and to tryto bring your belief system to the world.

I wish someone had said to me, don't settlefor less.

Or if they said that to me, I wish I wouldhave believed it.

Because it's true.

【生词】Don’t settle for less. 不要将就/退而求其次。

 

SoybeanAcres to Exceed Corn for the First Time in 35 Years

难度：雅思/托福/专四单词

FILE - Judy Barrett combines corn on her farmin Dallas Center, Iowa, Nov. 10, 2014.

DES MOINES, IOWA —

Corn has been dethroned as the king of cropsas farmers report they intend to plant more soybeansthan corn for the first time in 35 years.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says in its annual prospective plantingreport released Thursday that farmers intend to plant 89 million acres (36 million hectares) in soybeans and 88 millionacres (35.6 million hectares) in corn.

The primary reason is profitability.Corn costs much more to plant because of required demands for pest and diseasecontrol and fertilizer. When the profitability of both crops is close, farmersbet on soybeans for a better return.

The only year that soybean acres beat corn inrecent memory was 1983, when the government pushed farmers to plant fewer acresto boost prices in the midst of the nation's worst farm crisis.

Iowa is the top corn-producing state, followedby Illinois, Nebraska and Minnesota. Top soybean states are Illinois, Iowa,Minnesota and North Dakota.

【背景资料】

让社会分担分散个体的风险 一个特别有意思的例子是：美国的农业保险。2012年的夏天，美国遭受了自1956年以来最严重的旱灾，玉米是受灾最严重的作物，中西部有的地方甚至颗粒无收。这要放在古代的中国，我们会看到大批的农民马上就陷入绝境，一个不小心就可能“民不聊生，流寇四起”了。 但令人庆幸的是，美国的农业保险特别地发达，它是这么一个机制：全国所有的农户都缴纳一定的保费，一旦参保的农户发生问题，这些资金就会被用来补偿他们的损失。因为有了农业保险，所以在2012年这次罕见的天灾中，种玉米的农民发现，他们的收入不但没有下降，反而上升了。 为什么呢？因为当年受灾，玉米减产，市场上玉米的收购价就会上涨，当时上涨了60%，而保险赔偿金额是按照历史产量乘以市场价格来共同计算的，所以一个农民在受灾前一公顷玉米的收入大概是在1000美金左右，现在因为整个市场的玉米收购价格上去了，所以他最后拿到的赔偿金额居然能够达到1280美金。这么一算下来，因为有了这么一个保险机制，农民可以完美地对冲天灾的风险，然后获得了特别大的人生安全感。 所以说，保险这种风险共担的功能，让我们人类获得了很大的自由。对自然的依赖减小了，我们个体承受的风险也被分散到了社会群体中间。

【生词】

be dethroned as the king of crops庄稼|被废除

profitability收益

pest害虫

fertilizer肥料

the primary reason：主要原因

bet on：打赌 ; 为某事打赌 ; 赌注押在

a better return：更好的回报

boost price：提高价格

in the midst of：在…之中

farm crisis：农业危机

 

PeteWentz finally gets to wear a Tesco hat

难度：雅思/托福/专四单词

As far as gig-wear goes a Tesco hat probablyisn't high on the list for many rock stars.

But, Fall Out Boy's bassist, Pete Wentz, woreone on stage on Wednesday night during the Cardiff leg of their UK tour.

He'd expressed a desire for one of thesupermarket's beanies during an earlier promo-trip to the UK and one of hisfans was determined to make it happen.

"I got one, careful what you wishfor," Pete told Newsbeat.

Report

The 38-year-old emo musician explained thatthe supermarket and its uniform is a cultural reference that not many Americanswould understand.

"If you said something about Tesco to anAmerican there's like 'I don't really know what that is' unless you're in aband," he says.

It turns out that many artists on the roadfirst get to know the brand because their tour buses use the supermarket's carparks.

"Bands used to park under the Tesco[sic], because the bus parking was there. So, I got a Tesco hat I guess,"Pete went on.

Report

Fall Out Boy are currently promoting theiralbum MANIA and a very dedicated fan wanted to make Pete's dreams come true.

He threw the hat on stage along withpersonalised name badges for the other band members.

Report

Pete wore the hat while performing a fewsongs and gave the fan a crew t-shirt in return.

He told Newsbeat he enjoyed wearing thebeanie, but in terms of making Tesco happen in America: "I don't know, I'mnot the man for that I don't think."

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45every weekday on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra - if you miss us you can listen backhere.

【生词】

as far as 就……而言

gig-wear演出服

High on热衷于，喜爱

be high on the list 名列榜首

leg:一段路程，行程;这里指“巡演的一站

make it 成功

cultural reference文化参照，文化指引

on  theroad在旅途中，到处奔走

bassist低音歌手

turn out 结果是

dedicated专注的，献身的

personalised个性化的，拟人化

beanie小便帽

Tesco hat 乐购帽子

in terms of按照

【Fall Out Boy】翻闹小子是来自美国芝加哥的一个摇滚乐队，组建于2001年，曾入围格莱美。充满年轻活力朝气，畅快将庞克的不羁气焰完全释放，些许EMO风格夹带流畅声线。

【Tesco】【乐购】乐购是全球三大零售企业之一---英国TESCO集团在中国运营的大卖场的名称。自2004年进入中国市场以来，截止2013年2月初，TESCO在中国已拥有115家乐购大卖场、1家乐购天地超级大卖场、8家人乐都汇购物中心以及14家试验阶段的便捷店，会员总数超过七百万。

 

LynnBowles leaves BBC Radio 2 - with a Land Rover

难度：四级单词

Bowles was surprised with a Land Rover usedin the recent Peter Rabbit film

Long-standing BBC Radio 2 travel presenter Lynn Bowles hasleft the network, with an honorary degree and a Land Rover from Chris Evans.

Bowles announced earlier this month she wouldbe leaving the station after 18 years of providing traffic news for Evans, KenBruce and other presenters.

Listeners to Evans's show heard Bowlesreceive an honorary degree from Coventry University, her alma mater.

Her final BBC Radio 2 appearance was onBruce's show later on Thursday.

Other gifts she received during Evans'sbreakfast programme included a cake shaped like a 4x4 poised on a rocky roadmade of chocolate.

Yet Evans topped that by presenting her witha set of keys to an actual Land Rover parked outside BBC Radio 2's Wogan Househeadquarters.

"The thing is Lynn, it was quite niceworking with you," said Evans, telling her "the door was alwaysopen" to a future return.

There were more farewellslater from Ken Bruce, who "said goodbye properly" to Bowleswith an audio compilation of her "best bits".

"We're going to miss you terribly,"said Bruce, who worked with Bowles for the full 18 years of her tenure.

The presenter tearfully signed off by saying she was "very very gratefulto everyone I've worked with and to everyone who's listened".

Cardiff-born Bowles will continue to presenther Sunday afternoon programme on BBC Radio Wales.

 

Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter@BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion,email.

【生词】

long standing长期存在的

presenter 主持人

farewell 告别欢送会

best bit 最好的一点

sign off 停止广播

 

LindsayLohan loses GTA V privacy case appeal

难度：雅思/托福/专四单词

The character Lacey Jones appeared on GTA V'sbox art, but plays a relatively minor role inthe game

The actress Lindsay Lohan has failed in herlatest attempt to sue the maker of the video game Grand Theft Auto V.

Six judges at NewYork state's Court of Appeals unanimouslyrejected her privacy case after dismissing a claim that one of the title'scharacters was based on her.

Instead, the judges said, the in-game"actress slash singer" merely resembled a generic young woman.

The case dates backto 2014 when Ms Lohan first sued Rockstar Games.

She claimed at the time that the character ofLacey Jones not only looked like her, but also had a similar sounding voice andwore clothes that resembled her own clothing line.

Neither Ms Lohan nor Rockstar's owner,Take-Two Interactive, has commented following the latest ruling.

'Invasion of privacy'

 

More than 275 million copies of the GrandTheft Auto video game have been sold since its launch in September 2013.

Despite being more than four years old, thetitle topped the UK games sales charts for the 15th time earlier this month, thanks to its enduring appeal and the continuedrelease of new content.

Lindsay Lohan recently appeared in a Sky TVcomedy series

By contrast, over the same period, Ms Lohan's own career has waned. A recurring role in the British TV series SickNote was one of her highest profile recent jobs, and earlier this month sheannounced she had become a spokeswoman for a law website.

The appeal judges had accepted her claim thata computer game character could constitute a "portrait", whichsupported her invasion of privacy claim.

However, they decided that in this case thelikeness was not strong enough.

"[The] artistic renderings areindistinct, satirical representations of the style, look and persona of amodern, beach-going young woman... that is not recognisable as plaintiff,"Judge Eugene Fahey wrote in his ruling.

The court also rejected a claim that anotherGTA V character was based on the reality TV star Karen Gravano on similargrounds.

【生词】

invade 入侵，侵略 v. invasion 侵犯，侵略

resemble 相似，相像 & assemble 聚集，集会

 

TeslaSays Vehicle in Deadly Crash Was on Autopilot

难度：四级单词

FILE - In this March 23, 2018, photo providedby KTVU, emergency personnel work a the scene where a Tesla electric SUV crashed into a barrier on U.S. Highway 101 in MountainView, Calif. Tesla said on March 31, that the vehicle was operating onAutopilot. It was the latest accident to involve self-driving technology.

NEW YORK —

A vehicle in a fatalcrash last week in California was operating on Autopilot,making it the latest accident to involve a self-driving vehicle, Tesla hasconfirmed.

The electric car maker said the driver, whowas killed in the accident, did not have his hands on the steering wheel forsix seconds before the crash, despite several warnings from the vehicle. TeslaInc. tells drivers that its Autopilot system, which can maintain speed, changelanes and self-park, requires drivers to keep theireyes on the road and hands on the wheel in order to take control of the vehicle to avoid accidents.

Tesla said its vehicle logs show the driver took no action to stop the Model X SUV from crashinginto a concrete lane divider. Photographs of the SUV show that the front of thevehicle was demolished, its hood was ripped off and its front wheels were scattered on the freeway.

The vehicle also caught fire, though Teslasaid no one was in the vehicle when that happened. The company said the crashwas made worse by a missing or damaged safety shield on the end of the freewaybarrier that is supposed to reduce the impact into the concrete lane divider.

The crash happened in Mountain View, inCalifornia's Silicon Valley. The driver was Walter Huang, 38, a softwareengineer for Apple.

"None of this changes how devastating anevent like this is or how much we feel for our customer's family and friends,''Tesla said on its website late Friday.

Earlier this month, a self-driving Volvo SUVbeing tested by ride-hailing service Uber struck and killed a pedestrian inArizona.

Tesla Inc. defended its Autopilot feature,saying that while it doesn't prevent all accidents, it makes them less likelyto occur than is the case for vehicles without it.

Federal investigators are looking into lastweek's crash, as well a separate crash in January of a Tesla Model S that mayhave been operating under the Autopilot system.

【生词】

ane 行车道

keep one's eyes on 关注，留神

take control of控制

take no action to没有采取措施

concrete水泥，混凝土

demolish毁坏，粉碎

rip off 扯掉

scattered分散的，稀疏的

devastating毁灭性的，令人震惊的

look into调查

 

CaliforniaJudge Rules Coffee Needs Cancer Warning

难度：四级单词

In this photo taken Friday, Sept. 22, 2017, abarista pours steamed milk in a coffee at a cafein Los Angeles. In a long-running court caseplaying out in a Los Angeles courtroom, a nonprofit has been presentingevidence to show that coffee companies should post ominouswarning labels about a cancer-causing chemical in every cup. (AP Photo/RichardVogel)

A judge has ruled that coffee sellers inCalifornia must warn people that coffee may contain a substance linked tocancer.

The Council for Education and Research onToxics brought a case against dozens of coffee companies in 2010. The not-for-profit group wanted the coffee industry toeither remove the chemical acrylamide from itsprocessing, or warn buyers about it.

Acrylamide has been identified as a possible cancer-causing substance. The chemical is naturally producedduring cooking at high temperatures, including during the roasting of coffeebeans.

California state law requires warnings to bewritten on products containing chemicals identified as possible causes ofcancer or birth defects.

The coffee industry had argued that theamount of acrylamide resulting from the coffee-making process is not enough tocause harm. Starbucks and other major producers have cited studies suggestingthat coffee provides several health benefits.

But Los Angeles Judge Elihu Berle ruledWednesday the companies had failed to prove that acrylamide levels in coffee donot cause harmful effects.

Coffee companies have resisted calls toremove acrylamide from their products, saying it would change the taste of thedrinks.

In a statement, the National CoffeeAssociation criticized the ruling and said it was considering an appeal andother possible legal actions.

“Cancer warning labels on coffee wouldbe misleading,” the statement said. “The U.S. government’s own Dietary Guidelinesstate that coffee can be part of a healthy lifestyle.”

In this Sept. 22, 2017, file photo, acustomer pours milk into coffee near a posted Proposition 65 warning sign at aStarbucks coffee shop in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

In this Sept. 22, 2017, file photo, acustomer pours milk into coffee near a posted Proposition 65 warning sign at aStarbucks coffee shop in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Many coffee stores already have put upwarnings saying acrylamide is a cancer-causing chemical found in coffee. Butsuch signs are often put in places not easily seen by buyers.

The lawsuit also seeks civil punishments aslarge as $2,500 per person for every incident of exposure to acrylamide atCalifornia coffee stores since 2002. Those punishments could reach huge amountsin California, which has a population of nearly 40 million.

The ruling does not become final until April10, giving coffee companies the chance to dispute the decision and seek anappeal.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn adapted this story, based onreports from the Associated Press and Reuters. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

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Words in This Story

 

roast – v. to cook or dry with heat

defect – n. a problem or fault that makes someone or somethingnot perfect

label – n. small piece of paper or other material providinginformation about the thing it is attached to

misleading – adj. not necessarily true

lawsuit – n. process by which a court of law makes a decisionto end a disagreement between people or organizations

exposure – n. the state of coming into contact with something