🌬 英文美文 · 第十六辑 🌬

Starting this September, something big will change in France. No one under 15 will be allowed to use social media. No TikTok. No Instagram. No Snapchat. France is the first country in Europe to do this. Why? Because too much screen time is hurting young people. It can make them feel anxious, keep them up at night, and even lead to serious mental health problems. The new law will start with new accounts in September, and by 2027, all existing accounts for under-15s will be closed. Some people think it is too strict. Others say it is about time. What do you think?

Can a robot feel? Until now, the answer was no. Robots could see and move, but they could not feel. That just changed. Scientists in Zhejiang have developed 'electronic skin' — a thin, soft layer that gives robots a sense of touch. It can feel pressure, temperature, and even the texture of a surface. When a robot with this skin picks up an egg, it knows to be gentle. Pick up a rock, and it grips harder. The team worked on this for twenty years. Now, the electronic skin is being made in factories — up to 1,000 units a month. Robots are learning to feel. And that changes everything.

On July 22, China's Gravity-1 rocket blasted off — not from land, but from the open sea near Shanghai. It was the first deep-sea launch for a Chinese private rocket. Gravity-1 is the world's largest solid-fuel rocket. It can carry 6.5 tons into space. This time, it sent nine satellites into orbit in one go. Why launch from the sea? It is safer — no towns below, no people at risk. And it lets the rocket fly south, which land launch sites cannot do. As China builds its satellite internet, sea launches will become more and more common. The ocean is now a launch pad.

Sometime in late August, China will launch Chang'e 7 — its most ambitious moon mission yet. The goal? To land near the moon's south pole and search for water ice. Why does water on the moon matter? Because if we find enough of it, future astronauts could drink it, use it to make oxygen, and even turn it into rocket fuel. That would make a moon base possible. Chang'e 7 will carry a lander, a rover, and even a flying robot that can hop into dark craters no wheeled vehicle can reach. China is not just visiting the moon anymore. It is preparing to stay.

Something strange is happening in the Pacific Ocean. The water near South America is getting warmer — much warmer. Scientists call this El Niño. And this year's El Niño could be the strongest in 150 years. That means extreme weather is coming. Some places will face terrible floods. Others will suffer long, hot droughts. The last super El Niño in 2015-2016 killed crops, dried up rivers, and pushed temperatures to record highs. This one could be even stronger. It is expected to last until spring next year. The ocean is sending us a message. Are we listening?

Imagine building a robot that can walk, turn, and kick a soccer ball — using only parts and code you learned in school. That is exactly what middle school students did at Beijing's first Humanoid Robot Soccer Tournament. Teams from different schools designed their own humanoid robots and made them play soccer. The robots fell. They got up. They missed the ball. They tried again. It was not about winning. It was about learning how to think like an engineer. One student said, 'I never thought I could build a robot. Now I want to build more.' The future of AI starts in classrooms like these.

What is the hottest tourist spot in Shenzhen right now? Not a temple. Not a market. A robot store. Longgang District is home to the world's first robot 6S store, where visitors can meet, touch, and even play football with humanoid robots. This summer, over 30 percent of the visitors are from other countries. They come to see robot dogs do backflips, try on AI-powered glasses, and watch drones dance in the sky. One tourist from France said, 'I came to China for the Great Wall. I am leaving with a video of a robot serving me coffee.' China's new tourist attraction has no history. It has the future.

On August 1, China's weather and health authorities issued a red alert — the highest level — for extreme heat. Temperatures in parts of Shandong, Liaoning, and Xinjiang are expected to hit dangerous levels. When the heat index is this high, being outside for too long can make you sick. Your body cannot cool itself fast enough. Heatstroke can happen in minutes. The advice is simple: stay inside during the hottest hours, drink lots of water, and check on the elderly and young children. Heat is not just uncomfortable. It is dangerous. And this summer, we all need to take it seriously.

On August 1, in the city of Yongzhou, Hunan, something funny and amazing happened. A humanoid robot walked up to a soccer ball, aimed, and kicked. On the other side stood a human goalkeeper — a real person, with real nerves. The crowd held their breath. The robot scored. It was part of the CMG Robot Challenge, where smart machines compete against humans in different tasks. The robot did not just kick. It calculated the angle, adjusted its foot, and shot. Was it a perfect goal? No. Was it unforgettable? Absolutely. Sometimes, the future starts with a penalty kick.

Football? Basketball? Those are old news. The hottest sport in China's playgrounds right now is something you may have never heard of: Heqiu. It was invented in China in 2008. The game mixes volleyball, football, and badminton — you use your hands, feet, and head. Teams are mixed: boys and girls play together. This summer, a national small-ball sports carnival kicked off in Changchun, featuring Heqiu, flag football, pickleball, and more. Thousands showed up. Heqiu's slogan is simple: 'One court, one net, everyone plays.' In a world that loves to watch sports, China is creating one. And it is catching on.

There is a new word going viral on social media: Chinamaxxing. It has over 4 billion views. It means doing things the Chinese way — drinking hot water, practicing baduanjin, watching Chinese dramas, and traveling to China. And it is not just a trend. American Gen Z spends twice as much time searching about China as older people. China travel videos have over 28 billion views. Chinese short drama apps have been downloaded 1.2 billion times. The video game Black Myth: Wukong sold over 1 billion dollars worldwide. For the first time, young Westerners are not being told what to think about China. They are seeing it with their own eyes. And they like what they see.

On August 6, DeepSeek dropped a surprise. The Chinese AI company said it would soon raise its API prices. And it warned: 'The increase will be large.' Why? Because too many people are using it. DeepSeek's latest model, V4 Flash, now handles 8 trillion tokens of text every single day. That is more than the entire traffic of over 400 models combined on another platform. Servers are struggling to keep up. In July, DeepSeek had already doubled prices during peak hours. Now it says even that is not enough. When an AI becomes this popular, being cheap is no longer an option. Great technology costs something. And the bill is coming due.

Not long ago, Chinese cars were hardly seen on European roads. Now, they are everywhere. Five Chinese car brands now hold over 12 percent of the European market. BYD sold three times as many cars as last year — and for two months in a row, it sold more than Tesla. Chery just entered the global top 10 automakers for the first time. How did this happen? Chinese electric cars are good, affordable, and arriving fast. In Germany, you can now rent a Chinese EV for less than a monthly bus pass. Europe's car industry was built over a hundred years. China's is shaking it up in just two or three.

A powerful storm is on its way. Typhoon Dolphin — the 13th typhoon of the year — is moving toward eastern China. With winds of over 150 kilometers per hour, it is a strong typhoon. It is expected to hit the coast between Zhejiang and Fujian this weekend. Heavy rain and strong winds could last for days. Ships have been called back to harbor. Fishing boats are tied down. People in coastal areas are preparing. But a typhoon is not just a coastal problem. As it moves inland, it can bring floods to places hundreds of kilometers away. The wind is coming. The rain is coming. Everyone needs to be ready.