7.3 热门：美国一州发大闸蟹通缉令

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Crabs wanted dead or alive
美国一州发螃蟹通缉令

Maryland officials are asking anyone out on the water to keep an eye out for an invasive species known as the Chinese Mitten Crab. The animal first made an appearance in the US in the 1980s and has come and gone since then. It has also been spotted in the Cheasapeake Bay over the years. 
马里兰州的官员们要求人们下水时注意一种名为"大闸蟹"的入侵物种。美国上世纪80年代初次发现大闸蟹，此后大闸蟹在美国时有时无，近年来又有人在切萨皮克湾发现了这种动物。

The crab is known to disrupt ecosystems and eat fish eggs, proving to be a threat to other crab species. With its distinct claws that appear to be furry or covered in algae and a light brown or olive green body, they can grow up to 10 cm wide. 
大闸蟹会破坏生态系统，吃掉鱼卵，对其它螃蟹种类也构成威胁。大闸蟹的爪上有毛或藻类覆盖，身躯呈现浅褐色或茶青色，成年大闸蟹的个头能达10厘米宽。

The animals can also be found in both freshwater and saltwater. Anyone who spots one should not throw it back into the water, but put it on ice or freeze it, take photos and note the location where it was found, officials say. All sightings should be submitted to the Mitten Crab website.
它们在淡水或海水中都可能出没。官员们说，人们看见大闸蟹时不应该将其扔回水中，而要将其置于冰上冷冻，拍照，并注明发现它的地点。所有相关信息都应该提交至"大闸蟹网"。


Music boosts language skills
学乐器能提升语言能力

Giving children music lessons won't just introduce them to a world of rhythm and melody – it could also significantly improve their language skills. While numerous studies have shown that learning an instrument can impact things like language ability, it wasn't understood if this was a side effect of a general boost to cognitive skills, or something that directly affected language processing. 
让孩子上音乐课不仅会将他们引入旋律的世界，而且还会显著提升他们的语言技能。尽管已有许多研究显示，学习乐器能影响语言能力，但科学家不清楚语言能力的提高是认知能力普遍提高的附带效果，还是说学乐器能直接影响语言处理能力。

Now, we are getting closer to an answer, thanks to a study of 74 Chinese kindergarten children, led by neuroscientist Robert Desimone from MIT. "The children didn't differ in the more broad cognitive measures, but they did show some improvements in word discrimination, particularly for consonants," Desimone said. 
如今，得益于麻省理工学院的神经系统科学家罗伯特•德西蒙的一项调查研究，我们离答案又近了一步。 该研究涵盖了中国幼儿园的74名儿童。德西蒙说："学乐器的孩子和其他孩子在广义的认知能力上没有差别，但他们确实在辨字尤其是辨认声母这方面更胜一筹。

"The piano group showed the best improvement there. That's a big thing for kids in learning language: being able to hear the differences between words," Desimone said. "They really did benefit from that."
学钢琴的小孩在这方面的优势最明显。能够听出字与字之间的差别对于孩子学语言很重要。更强的辨音能力确实能让孩子受益。


Tea table flipping contest
日本举行奇葩掀桌大赛

The Japanese are no strangers to unusual competitions, so it makes sense that they've found a way to turn a rage-induced reaction like flipping a table into an annual contest. On June 16, a shopping mall in Japan's Iwata Prefecture hosted the 12th annual World Chabudai-Gaeshi Tournament, an offbeat competition where participants try to flip a small tea table as far as possible. 
日本人对各种奇葩比赛并不陌生，所以他们将发泄情绪的掀桌子变成一项年度比赛也就不奇怪了。6月16日，日本岩手县的一家商场举行了第12届年度世界掀桌大赛，在这场标新立异的比赛里，参赛者会试图将一个小茶桌掀得越远越好。

The premise is pretty simple: anyone can sign up for the competition, from young children to the elderly, and the goal is to flip the small wooden tea table as hard as possible to send the fake food on top of it flying as far as possible. 
参赛条件很简单：任何人都可以报名参赛，不论是年幼的孩子还是年迈的老人，参赛者用最大的力气将木制小茶桌掀翻，目标就是让桌子上的假食物飞得越远越好。

Most people channel their rage and frustrations, shouting all kinds of things, like "I want a job offer" or "I deserve a raise", but any emotion is acceptable. This year's winner, a member of the Iwate Big Bulls basketball team, channeled the love for his team, yelling "Go Big Bulls!" and sending the plastic fish flying 8.29 meters.
大多数人都是来宣泄自己的愤怒和沮丧情绪的，一边掀一边喊出各种各样的话，比如"我想要一份工作"或"我应该加薪"，比赛中可以宣泄各种情绪。今年的赢家——岩手县大公牛篮球队的一员——就抒发了对其篮球队的热爱，大喊"大公牛加油！"然后让塑料鱼飞了8.29米远。


SpaceX launches AI robot
国际空间站迎AI宇航员

On friday morning, SpaceX load its 15th cargo mission to the International Space Station for NASA, sending up nearly 6,000 pounds of supplies on top of its Falcon 9 rocket. 
当地时间6月29日上午，SpaceX第15次为美国宇航局执行向国际空间站运送补给的任务，利用"猎鹰9号"火箭为国际空间站送去近6000磅物资。

On board the vehicle are shipments of food and water for the six astronauts living on the ISS, as well as new science experiments and technologies to be tested out in microgravity. Within that haul the first ever AI robot "crew member" to live on the station is also included. 
除了为生活在国际空间站的6名航天员送去的食物和水以外，这次升空的还有一些需要在微重力环境下测试的新的科学实验和技术。其中包括首个将在国际空间站上生活的人工智能机器人"航天员"。

The robot's name is CIMON - for Crew Interactive Mobile Companion - and it looks a bit like a volleyball with a computer screen on one side. The screen displays a simplified cartoon face that the bot will use to interact with the humans on the ISS. 
这款机器人名为"CIMON"(航天员交互式移动伴侣)，看起来有点像一个侧面装有计算机显示屏的排球。显示屏上是一张简化了的动漫脸，机器人将利用它与国际空间站上的航天员交流。

And to maneuver around, CIMON is equipped with 14 internal fans that propel the white ball, by sucking in the station's air and expelling it to move in whatever direction it needs. Airbus developed CIMON for Germany's national space agency, and the goal is to see whether intelligent bots can cooperate with astronauts to simplify work life in space. 
为了实现自由走动，CIMON内部装了14个风扇，通过吸入空间站的空气然后再排出来，推动白球前进，从而到达它需要去的方向。CIMON是由空客公司为德国航天局开发的，目的是了解智能机器人能否与航天员合作，从而给他们在太空的工作和生活带来便利。

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