Part One News Listening Skills 1
News listening skill one Focusing on numbers and units 1
News listening skill two Focusing on content words 4
News listening skill three Understanding neologisms and vogue words 8
News listening skill four Understanding abbreviations 12
News listening skill five Identifying pre-modifiers 16
News listening skill six Recognizing linking 20
News listening skill seven Paying attention to tenses and passive voice 23
News listening skill eight Understanding the main idea 27
Part Two News at Home 31
Tech news 31
1.Voice messages impolite 31
2.Seniors using WeChat more 32
3.Post-00s adding value to QQ 33
4.Big data aids dorm selection 34
5.Alibaba opens AI hotel 35
6.Campus food ordering report 36
7.Weibo posts to be archived 37
8.Half of jobs at risk 39
9.Alipay begins charging commission on credit card payments 40
10.China becomes second-largest source of “unicorn companies” 41
11.China to see more smart restaurants 42
12.Palace Museum, Huawei work together to build digital museum 43
13.Facial recognition now available at Chinese smart parcel pickup stations 45
Science news 46
14.China makes degradable plastic 46
15.Xuelong slams into iceberg 47
Business news 48
16.Chilean cherries a hit 48
17.Chinese delicacies sweep NYC 50
18.Passengers can buy a 2 nd seat 51
19.“Amazon coat” is a hit 52
20.China upgrades the 5th edition of its currency 53
21.China’s emerging first-tier cities become talent magnets 55
22.New professions added to national occupation list 56
23.Consumption contributes to nearly 806372030f China’s GDP growth 57
Travel news 58
24.Travel permits get easier 58
25.HK top travel destination 60
26.China gears up for travel rush 61
27.Students’ travelling report 62
28.China’s outbound tourism ranks first in the world 63
Health news 64
29.China builds 158 Internet hospitals amid digital tide 64
30.Traditional Chinese medicine center opens in Prague 66
31.Leisure time in China falls 67
32.More Chinese dine alone 68
Education news 69
33.Web literature readers grow 69
34.Actor accused of plagiarism 70
35.Books on Chinese classics boom in 2018 72
36.China’s CNKI offers new service on academic essay writing guideline 73
37.63.8 percent of Chinese children chat online with parents 74
38.Kid’s resume goes viral 75
Social news 77
39.Marriage rate hits lowest 77
40.Palace Museum head retires 78
41.Work schedules under fire 79
42.Point system for dog owners 80
43.Stamps feature Cha’s characters 82
44.China targets poverty relief to those most in need 83
45.Giant pandas have emblem 84
Part Three News Abroad 86
Tech news 86
1.Monaco updates antennas for 5G 86
2.Happy 30th birthday, World Wide Web 87
3.Tech brings historic cities and art to life as never before 89
4.Technology informs emergency officials of floods beforehand 90
5.Samsung’s foldable Galaxy phone pre-sales have begun 92
6.This Alphabet-owned company is delivering espresso via drone in Australia 93
7.Japan tests world’s fastest bullet train 95
8.Baidu posts its first loss in 15 years 96
Science news 98
9.Mars Opportunity rover ends nearly 15 years of discovery 98
10.Historic all-female spacewalk canceled 99
11.Israeli probe crashes moments before historic moon landing 101
Business news 102
12.It cost Facebook $ 22 million to keep Mark Zuckerberg safe last year 102
13.Sweet news: Godiva to open 2,000 cafes globally in next 6 years 104
14.Amazon is spending $ 800 million to make free one-day shipping standard for Prime 105
15.India’s richest man just bought the world’s oldest toy store 107
16.Wild coffee disappearing, threatening future harvests 108
17.Amazon will no longer sell Chinese goods in China 110
18.Samsung is feeling the chill from cooling global demand for smartphones 111
19.Wynn Resorts abandons $7 billion play for Australia’s Crown Resorts 113
Health news 114
20.Indiana University is dealing with a mumps outbreak 114
21.The world is sadder and angrier than ever, major study finds 116
22.Children’s time spent on social media has “trivial” effect on happiness 117
Natural disaster news 119
23.Low-level flooding dampening tourists’ enthusiasm 119
24.Philippines rocked by deadly 6.1-magnitude earthquake 120
25.150 people feared missing after passenger boat sinks in Congo 122
26.Warm temperatures and rapidly melting snow cause flooding in Quebec 124
27.Tropical cyclone Fani 2019 125
Accident news 127
28.A pilot had to divert a red-eye flight because a passenger tried—twice—tolight a cigarette 127
29.100-year-old man dies after birds crossing the road trigger bizarre crash 128
30.Man falls 70 feet into Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano—and survives 130
31.55 killed when an overturned tanker in Niger exploded 131
News story 133
32.Singapore airlines is redefining airplane food 133
33.Durian fruit stink prompts university evacuation 134
Part Four Keys 137