小羊英文报摘

Viral videos(病毒式传播视频；网络热传视频) of the World Humanoid Robot Games(世界人形机器人运动会) show sprinting(短跑的；冲刺的) robots beating the human 100-meter record held by Usain Bolt(尤塞恩·博尔特，牙买加短跑名将，男子100米世界纪录保持者)—but also feature running robots crashing into(撞上；冲撞) barriers(障碍物；栏杆) and falling down because they cannot readily(容易地；毫不费力地) stop running. A few fallen robots even break at the waist(在腰部折断) in a shower of sparks(火花四溅；火花如雨) or catch on fire(着火；起火). That demonstration of both robotic prowess(卓越技能；非凡本领) and limitations(局限性；限制) came from the second edition(第二届) of the World Humanoid Robot Games hosted in Beijing from August 22–26. Like the inaugural event(首届赛事；开幕赛) held in 2025, this year's event challenged humanoid robots to run fast, perform kung fu(功夫；中国武术) or dance moves, fight one another in kickboxing(踢拳；自由搏击), and play soccer or table tennis. This year's games also tested robots in more humdrum(单调乏味的；枯燥的) practical scenarios(实际场景；实战场景) like washing and hanging laundry(洗衣服；晾衣服), where they appeared to lag behind(落后于；进度滞后于) typical human working speeds. That suggests the event organizers(赛事组织者；主办方), including Chinese state media(中国官方媒体；中国国家媒体) and the Beijing city government(北京市政府), are keen to(渴望；热衷于) showcase(展示；彰显) the commercial potential(商业潜力) of humanoid robots at a time when China's robotics industry(机器人产业；机器人行业) is rapidly developing and testing such robots. Read full article Comments

Fashionistas(时尚达人；时尚界人士) of a certain age no doubt remember the late(已故的) designer Stephen Sprouse(斯蒂芬·斯普劳斯，美国时装设计师), who gave Blondie's(金发女郎乐队) Debbie Harry(黛比·哈里，乐队主唱) her distinctive(独特的；与众不同的) Bowery(包厢街，纽约下东区一条街道，曾为朋克文化聚集地) punk style. Sprouse's first collections(系列作品；时装系列) in the mid-1980s made a major splash(轰动一时；大获成功), melding(融合；混合) graffiti prints(涂鸦印花), a playful '60s aesthetic(审美风格；美学风貌), and bright Day-Glo colors(日光荧光色；一种高饱和度荧光颜料品牌，常泛指荧光色) that won admirers(仰慕者；欣赏者) such as Andy Warhol(安迪·沃霍尔，波普艺术大师). Several examples of Sprouse's work are preserved in the textiles collection(纺织品收藏) of the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields(印第安纳波利斯艺术博物馆), where conservationists(文物保护专家；修复师) are trying to learn more about the phosphorescent(磷光的；持久发光的) and fluorescent(荧光的) pigments(颜料；色素) the designer used in his creations in order to keep the colors from dulling(变暗；褪色) over time. They described recent advances in that research at a meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS)(美国化学学会) held this week in Chicago. Scientists began describing minerals that glowed in the dark as phosphors(荧光体；磷光体) in the Middle Ages(中世纪). Typically, such materials take on a charge(获得电荷；被激发) when exposed to light, storing the absorbed energy and releasing it gradually as re-emitted light(再发射光；再辐射光). Henri Becquerel(亨利·贝克勒尔，法国物理学家，放射性发现者) discovered radioactive decay(放射性衰变) in 1896 because of his work with phosphorescent uranium salts(磷光铀盐): He left the salts in a closed drawer with photographic plates(感光底片；照相干板), which fogged up(变模糊；感光雾化) even without a light source. DayGlo paints and similar materials exploit(利用；开发利用) the related phenomenon of fluorescence(荧光现象). DayGlo pigments fluoresce(发荧光；呈现荧光) in daylight by essentially converting UV light(紫外线) into visible light(可见光) to produce brighter, more vibrant colors(鲜艳的色彩；生动的色彩).