【Part 5】
This is NEWS PlusSpecial English.
You're listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Yun Feng in Beijing.You can access our program by logging onto NEWSPlusRadio.cn. If you have anycomments or suggestions, please let us know by e-mailing us at mansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. That'smansuyingyu@cri.com.cn. Now the news continues.
Many apps claim they canhelp fight jet lag. Now mathematical formulas have suggested it's possible toadjust to new time zones a bit faster than previously thought. Mathematicians in the UnitedStates have created their own free app to help.
Doctors have long said that exposure to light is the key to fight jet lag.But how much, and when?
Researchers from the University of Michigan say if we get light in thewrong time or wrong way, it will send us the wrong direction.
A master biologicalclock, called circadian rhythm, regulates when we become sleepy and when we'remore alert. When travelling across time zones, the body clock has to resetitself.
Light is the strongestregulator of the clock. In a study partly funded by the U.S. Air Force, theMichigan team used two mathematical equations proven to predict people'scircadian rhythm. Withcomputer modeling, the team calculated different schedules of light exposurefor more than 1,000 trips.
Scientists concluded it's possible to customize a block of timeeach day when you should be in light, the brighter the better; and anotherblock of time when you should avoid it.
【Part 6】
This is NEWS PlusSpecial English.
Obsessing over calories alone has left dieters with an emptyfeeling. The calorie counting that defined dieting for so long is giving way toother considerations, like the promise of more fiber or natural ingredients.
This is chipping away atthe popularity of products like Diet Coke and Lean Cuisine, which becameweight-watching staples primarily by stripping calories from people's favoritefoods.
Part of the problem isthat "low-calorie" foods make people feel deprived. Now, people want to loseweight while still feeling satisfied. And they want to do it without foods theyconsider processed. Kelly Pill has been dieting since her son was bornin 1990. But the 54-year-old resident of California in the United States madechanges to her approach in recent years. She doesn't eat Lean Cuisine meals asoften because she doesn't find them that filling. She also switched to Greekyogurt last year to get more protein.
Pill says that regularyogurt is really thin and low in calories, but it isn't filling.
Nutrition experts sayit's not that people don't care about calories anymore; and weight loss comesdown to burning more calories than we eat.
【Part 7】
You're listening to NEWSPlus Special English. I'm Yun Feng in Beijing. The cost of keepingglobal warming in check is "relatively modest," but only if the worldacts quickly to reverse the buildup of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere.
A United Nations' expertpanel on climate change says such gases are mainly carbon dioxide from theburning of fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide rose by 2 percent on average every yearin the past decade, driven by the use of coal in the power industry.
The panel says withoutadditional measures to contain emissions, global temperatures will rise 4degrees Celsius by the end of this century compared to current levels. Expertswarn the longer we delay, the higher the cost will be.
【Part 8】
This is NEWS PlusSpecial English.
In an environment related development:
British government estate, as well as factories, supermarkets and parkinglots will be turned into "solar hubs".
A new solar strategy waspublished recently. It set out the British government's ambition to see solarpanels rolled out more widely, and the potential to support tens of thousandsof jobs with it.
According to thestrategy, there are an estimated 250,000 hectares of south-facing commercialroofs in Britain. Energy departments will clear the way for widespread use ofmid-scale solar panels on these roofs.
It will use space on topof other commercial and industrial buildings, including factories,supermarkets, warehouses and parking lots. The British government willalso use public estate such as the Ministry of Defense buildings, schools andhospitals to make sure that not one inch of suitable government roof space iswasted.
Greg Barker, minister of state for energy, says there is massivepotential to turn the large buildings into power stations; and the governmentmust seize the opportunity to boost the British economy as part of its longterm economic plan.
The minister of statesays solar not only benefits the environment, it will also create jobs. He sayssolar will deliver clean and reliable energy supplies that the country needs atthe lowest possible cost to consumers.
The British solar sectorhas undergone a huge transformation since 2010. Solar panels have now beendeployed on over half a million buildings from almost zero. In a furtherinitiative, the Department for Education is working on ways to improve energyefficiency across the 22,000 schools in England. The initiative will encouragethe deployment of solar panels on school roofs alongside promoting energyefficiency.
【Part 9】
This is NEWS PlusSpecial English.
Now, a piece of history revisited. This Tuesday, April22nd, is the international Earth Day.
The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22nd in 1970. To markthe day, events are held worldwide to increase awareness and appreciation ofthe Earth's natural environment.
The Earth Day is nowcoordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and is celebrated in more than175 countries every year. In 2009, the United Nations designated April 22nd as International Mother EarthDay.
That is the end of thisedition of NEWS Plus Special English. To freshen up your memory, I'm going toread one of the news items at normal speed. Please listen carefully.
That is the end of today's program. I'm Mark Yun Feng in Beijing. Hopeyou can join us every day at CRI NEWS Plus Radio, to learn English and learnabout the world.