7月11日午间英语新闻：广西发现我国第二处云朵石洞穴奇观

Geologists find rare ‘cave cloud’ in South China's Guangxi
广西发现我国第二个云朵石洞穴奇观

A joint Sino-French cave exploration team has discovered a rare "cave cloud" in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, according to the Institute of Karst Geology of China Geological Survey. The cave cloud covers an area of 300 square meters and is only the second such structure found in China. It is distributed in seven pools within a cave, with each pool having the shape of a pumpkin or loaf of bread, according to the team of experts. 
据中国地质调查局岩溶地质研究所消息，中法联合洞穴科考探险队在广西进行探测，其间发现一处罕见的云朵石洞穴奇观，这也是在中国发现的第二个云朵石洞穴奇观。本次科考探险队初步探明，云朵石分布于7处池水中，呈面包状、南瓜状，总面积达300平方米。

"The formation conditions of cave clouds are very harsh, and the surrounding rock of the cave is mostly dolomite, and karst caves formed by dolomite are not common,” said Zhang Yuanhai, a senior engineer with the institute. 
该研究所高级工程师张远海表示:“云朵石的形成条件非常苛刻，其洞穴围岩多为白云岩，白云岩形成的溶洞并不是很常见。”

重点词汇
1、harsh
英/ hɑːʃ /  美/ hɑːrʃ /
adj. （环境）恶劣的，艰苦的；严厉的，残酷的；刺耳的，难听的；刺眼的，耀眼的；丑陋的；刺激性强的，太强力的

2、dolomite
英/ ˈdɒləmaɪt /  美/ ˈdoʊləˌmaɪt /
n. 白云石

Shenzhen eliminates human controls requirement for fully automated vehicles
深圳：无人驾驶汽车可合法上路 8月1日起施行

Shenzhen will allow fully autonomous vehicles to drive on roads in certain areas without human controls, according to a regulation published on the official website of Shenzhen Municipal People's Congress. The first-of-its-kind regulation is scheduled to go into force on Aug 1. 
根据深圳市人大常委会网站正式公布的《深圳经济特区智能网联汽车管理条例》，深圳将允许完全自动驾驶的智能网联汽车，在限定区域内合法上路。该类汽车可以不具有人工驾驶模式和相应装置，可以不配备驾驶员。这是国内首部此类法规，将于2022年8月1日起施行。


Meanwhile, the regulation clarifies rules for liability and auto insurance coverage in the event of car accidents that involve autonomous driving, which is expected to ramp up the commercialization of self-driving solutions.
与此同时，该条例明确了涉及无人驾驶汽车的交通事故的责任规则和汽车保险范围，预计将加快自动驾驶解决方案的商业化。

重点词汇
1、fully autonomous vehicles
完全自动驾驶汽车

2、 first-of-its-kind
史无前例的；同类中的第一个

China sees over 10m new energy vehicles on roads
我国新能源汽车保有量突破1000万辆

By the end of June, China saw a total of 10.01 million new energy vehicles (NEVs) going on the road, according to statistics from the Ministry of Public Security. The country saw approximately 406 million motor vehicles on the road and 492 million drivers as of June, said the ministry. During the first half of 2022, around 2.2 million NEVs were registered, hitting a new high with an increase of more than 1.1 million year-on-year. They accounted for nearly 20 percent of all new automobile registrations. 
据公安部数据，截至2022年6月底，全国新能源汽车保有量达1001万辆。全国机动车保有量达4.06亿辆，机动车驾驶人4.92亿人。2022年上半年新注册登记新能源汽车约220万辆，与去年同期相比超过110万辆，创历史新高。新能源汽车新注册登记量约占汽车新注册登记量的20%。

Eighty-one Chinese cities hit the threshold of 1 million automobiles on the road, up seven cities year-on-year, 37 cities the threshold of 2 million, and 20 cities the 3 million threshold. In particular, automobiles in Beijing surpassed 6 million, followed by Chengdu and Chongqing, with 5 million on the road, said the ministry.
全国有81个城市汽车保有量超过100万辆，同比增加7个城市，37个城市超过200万辆，20个城市超过300万辆。其中，北京的汽车保有量超过600万辆，成都、重庆汽车保有量超过500万辆。

重点词汇
1、new energy vehicles（NEVs）
新能源汽车

2、threshold
英/ ˈθreʃhəʊld /  美/ ˈθreʃhoʊld /
n. 门槛，门口；阈，界，起始点；开端，起点，入门；机场跑道入口，跑道头

Courts look at legal standing of emoji use
法院关注表情符号使用的法律地位

If your business partner sends you an OK emoji when you ask for an opinion about a contract, how would you understand its meaning? Does it signal agreement with the contract, or just that the message was received? People may have different understandings of the emoji, which is frequently used in online chats, and misinterpretations may result in disputes and have an impact on court rulings. 
如果你的商业伙伴在你就一份合同征求意见时给你发送了一个OK的表情符号，你会如何理解它的意思？是表示同意合同，还是仅仅表示信息已收到？对于在网络聊天中被频繁使用的表情符号，每个人可能会有不同理解，误解可能会导致纠纷，并影响法院裁决。

Given that emojis may easily cause ambiguity, judicial and internet professionals suggest people use them sparingly in online chats, especially when discussing contracts or conducting transactions. Over the past five years, Chinese courts have handled 158 lawsuits involving online expressions, according to a statement recently posted by Jiangsu Provincial High People's Court on its WeChat account. It said the number of such cases rose from just eight in 2018 to 61 last year.
鉴于表情符号容易造成歧义，司法和互联网专业人士建议在网上聊天时谨慎使用表情符号，尤其是在讨论合同或进行交易时。据江苏省高级人民法院微信账号近日发布的一份声明显示，在过去五年中，我国法院处理了158起涉及网络表情的案件。该机构表示，此类案件的数量从2018年的8起上升到2021年的61起。

重点词汇
1、misinterpretation
英/ ˌmɪsɪntɜːprəˈteɪʃn /
美/ ˌmɪsɪntɜːrprəˈteɪʃn /
n. 误解；误释

2、ambiguity
英/ ˌæmbɪˈɡjuːəti; ˌæmbɪˈɡjuːɪti /
美/ ˌæmbɪˈɡjuːəti; ˌæmbɪˈɡjuːɪti /
n. 模棱两可，不明确；含混不清的语句；一语多义；暧昧，难以理解的感情（或想法）

3、sparingly
英/ ˈspeərɪŋli / 美/ ˈsperɪŋli /
adv. 一点点，俭省地