D

To control the nation's growing problem with food wastage, the South Korean government has started a special initiative (倡议) —“Pay as You Trash”. According to the initiative, the South Korean government has three methods in place to charge citizens for the food thrown away. One is through an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) card — when users tap this card over a specially designed food waste bin, the lid will open. This waste is automatically weighed and recorded in the user's account. The user needs to settle this bill every month.

    The second billing method is through pre-paid garbage bags. These specially designed bags are priced based on the amount of space. For instance, in Seoul, a 10-liter garbage bag costs around 190 won (less than $1). There's also a bar code management system in place, in which residents (居民) throw food waste directly into dustbins and pay for it by buying bar code stickers attached to the bin.

    Even before the pay-by-weight system was introduced, South Koreans were still being charged for food waste — the cost was simply divided equally among the residents of each apartment block. The new system is not only fair, but is also designed to make consumers really feel the pinch of too much waste. The more food they throw out, the more they end up paying.

    Thanks to the initiative, residents like Seoul housewife Ms. Kwan are now adopting creative methods to avoid food waste. She makes sure to pour all the liquid out of leftover food before throwing it away. While preparing vegetables, she tries to use as much as the eatable parts as possible in order to reduce waste.

    Cold weather during winter months may keep many people from leaving home and running in the open air.

    However, a new study shows that the drop in temperature is a good reason to run. In fact, researchers say, running in cold weather helps improve one's performance.

    Many people say running in the winter can be difficult. Two reasons are the low temperatures and bitter winds. Yet many runners might find it easier than running in hot weather.

    That could be because lower temperatures reduce stress on the body. When you run in cold weather, your heart rate and the body's dehydration (脱水) levels are lower than in warmer conditions. The body needs less water on a cold day than in warm weather.

    This information comes from sports scientists at St. Mary's University in London. John Brewer is a professor of applied sport science at St. Mary's.

    For this study, he and other researchers put a group of people into a room they called an “environmental chamber.” The researchers then recreated summer and winter weather conditions in the room. The test subjects were asked to run 10,000 meters under both conditions. Brewer says he and his team recorded biological measurements of the runners.

    “We've got a group of subjects into the environmental chamber, we've changed the conditions to replicate the summer or winter and we've got them to run a 10km under both of those conditions and taken various measurements on each runner while they've been completing their 10km.”

    Brewer says every movement runners make produces heat. He explains that one way in which we lose heat is by sweating. The body loses heat through droplets of sweat. He says the body also loses heat by transporting the blood to the surface of the skin.

    People love cellphones, which is why nine in ten Americans own one. But does heavy use of cellphones pose a risk of cancer? This question has caused controversy for many years. A new study in rats now augments those concerns. Its data linked long-term, intense exposure to radiation from cellphones with an increased risk of cancer in the heart or brain. The results have yet to be confirmed, the authors note.

    Indeed, although the rat study found a link between cellphone radiation and cancer, it offers no clues to why such a link might exist, notes Jonathan Samet. He teaches preventative medicine and directs the Institute for Global Health at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Still, he calls the new study's findings “significant”.They could lead to studies researching how cellphone radiation might cause cancer, he says.

    Phone signals are relayed between cell towers and cellphones via radio waves. This radio frequency—or RF—radiation is a type known as non-ionizing (非电离的).Unlike X-rays, non-ionizing radiation does not deposit enough energy into cells to release electrons from atoms or molecules, producing ions. So it tends to be far less harmful than ionizing radiation, such as X-rays. But that does not mean radio waves might not cause harm.

    In very large doses (量) this radiation will heat the body and cause tissue damage. But it's not yet known what much lower RF levels might do, such as those from cellphone use. Five years ago, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer, or IARC, concluded that cellphone use “is possibly carcinogenic (致癌的)”.

    Its conclusion was based on what little research data was available at that time. But notice that IARC was not certain. It said only that phone use might “possibly” cause cancer. So scientists at the National Toxicology Program, or NTP, investigated further.

    Wanted: A Personal Assistant

    I'm a very busy woman, looking for an assistant to help me with certain important tasks. This is not your average assistant job. What I'm looking for is someone to take care of some of my more personal business so that I may focus on my true passion: grocery shopping. Please apply if and only if you are willing and able to accomplish the following tasks:

    Work I would love to have a nine-to-five job. However, I find sitting in an office all day unbearable. An ideal assistant would secure a high-paying office job and excel in that setting, even going so far as to eagerly accept every invitation to after-work drinks.

    Go on family vacations I love my family, especially when I don't have to spend time with them. Thus, I will require my employee to attend all family vacations in my place. Since I'll miss out on spending time with my nephews, a good assistant will live-stream (直播) them for me the entire time while discreetly muting the live-stream whenever they start fighting.

    Exercise I am determined to get in better shape but find working out strenuous and tiring. The right candidate will exercise for a minimum of an hour every day and allow me to reap the benefits of his or her vigorous activity.

    Eat Just kidding—I love eating!

    Date I'm looking for love but find dating tedious and intimidating. Ideally, my employee will get a drink with a potential mate so he or she can do the tiresome work of getting to know someone and deciding whether I'll like him. If the romantic candidate advances past a third date, I'd be willing to step in and proceed with the relationship from there, excluding birthdays, holidays, and other high-pressure situations.

    Have a baby I'm eager to have a child, but being pregnant and giving birth seems hard. Likewise, raising a child seems daunting. I'd prefer to spend an hour or two with my child each day while someone else tackles the incredible responsibility of childrearing. Once my child turns 18, I will happily assume all parenting duties, excluding any financial obligations.

    2019 Oscars Academy Award Nominees (提名) for Best Picture

    Black Panther

    Type: Adventure

    Running Time: 134 min.

    Release Date: February 16, 2018

    Current rank: ★★★★

    Director: Ryan Coogler

    Actors: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan

    With his father having died in Captain America: Civil War, T'Challa is the new ruler of the advanced kingdom of Wakanda. As the king, whenever a challenger for the crown announces his intentions, he must give up his powers and take them on in a physical challenge.

    The Favorite

    Type: Drama

    Running Time: 120 min.

    Release Date: November 30, 2018

    Current rank: ★★★

    Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

    Actors: Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz

    In the early 18th century, with England and France at war, a fragile Queen Anne occupies the throne as her close friend Lady Sarah Churchill governs the country in her stead, while tending to Anne's ill health and changeable temper.

    Green Book

    Type: Drama

    Running Time: 130 min.

    Release Date: November 21, 2018

    Current rank: ★★★★★

    Director: Peter Farrelly

    Actors: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali

    Tony Lip, an uneducated Italian-American who's known for using his fists to get his way, is hired to drive world-class, famous pianist Don Shirley on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South. They must rely on the “Negro Motorist Green Book” to guide them to the few settlements that were then safe for blacks.

    A Star is Born

    Type: Musical

    Running Time: 135 min.

    Release Date: October 5, 2018

    Current rank: ★★★★

    Direct: Bradley Cooper

    Actors: Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga

    When country music star Jackson Maine stops at a bar for a drink after a concert, he's both entertained and attracted by young nightclub singer Ally. He discovers that she writes songs as well as being a talented singer, but hasn't had a break because of her looks.

    What will restaurants look like in the future？What would your dinner taste like if a robot cooked it？A robot restaurant in Tianjin may give you the answers.

    Covering an area of over 400 square meters with a total of 112 seats, the X Future Restaurant is a robot restaurant opened in November 2018. The restaurant has amazed customers with its fully-automated(全自动的)technology, which covers every step of the dining experience, from ordering to cooking to serving the dishes and even taking payment.

    Entering the restaurant, one can order dishes by simply scanning(扫描)the QR codes on the table. There are over 40 choices of dishes. After taking the order, "robot cooks"prepare dishes using fixed time, temperature and ingredients designed by famous Chinese cooks.

    "As the cooking is controlled by a computer system, the taste and quality of dishes can be good, "said Li Xiaokui, manager of the X Future Restaurant.

    Robots also complete the delivery of dishes. Without following any designed route, the robot waiters serve meals thanks to automated driving technology, which helps each robot timely change its route when something is in the way.

These eye-catching technologies have received wide praise from customers. "The dishes taste surprisingly good. I couldn't believe that they were made by robots, especially dishes that were difficult to cook" one customer said. "The application of robots has increased our efficiency(效率)and cut down our costs, "Li said, "I think robot restaurants will develop fast and have a bright future. "