每日新闻播报（September 4）

>China preparing for travel boom
'十一'黄金周火车票开售
China is gearing up for a surge in domestic tourist trips as the COVID-19 epidemic has been mostly subdued, with high-speed train tickets to many destinations already gone for the first day of the National Day holiday on Oct 1.
随着我国新冠肺炎疫情得到有效控制，国内旅游业即将迎来大规模复苏。10月1日也就是国庆节假期第一天的火车票开售后不久，许多线路的高铁票就已售完。
According to China's railway ticket-booking website 12306.cn, high-speed train tickets for some train routes - including those from Beijing to Harbin, and Zhengzhou and Changsha - were snapped up only a few hours after the presale period began on Wednesday morning, leaving only a few regular-speed train tickets available.
根据中国铁路订票官网12306.cn的数据，9月2日上午，"十一"长假火车票预售开始仅数小时后，北京至哈尔滨、郑州、长沙等线路的高铁票就已售罄，只剩少量普速车票可售。
The robust travel demand is fueled by this year's longer holiday as the Mid-Autumn Festival, which also falls on Oct 1, will overlap with the weeklong National Day holiday, giving people an extended holiday of eight days until Oct 8.
今年的10月1日也是中秋节，中秋国庆同一天，双节重叠导致这个假期比往年更长，可以从10月1日一直休到10月8日，八天超长假期推高了民众旺盛的旅行需求。
Wu Ruoshan, a researcher at the tourism research center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said since the Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festival for family reunions, a large number of people who have been cooped up in their workplaces for months due to the coronavirus will not miss the opportunity to return home for a get-together.
中国社科院旅游研究中心特约研究员吴若山表示，中秋节是家庭团聚的传统节日，许多人因为疫情原因已经在工作地待了大半年，因此不想错过这次回家团聚的机会。

>Tsinghua University enters top 20
清华大学跻身全球20强
Tsinghua University has become the first-ever Asian university to enter the top 20 of the Times Higher Education's World University Rankings, after recording a joint 20th place in the latest edition, published on Wednesday.
9月2日，泰晤士高等教育发布2021年度世界大学排名，清华大学与其它大学并列第20位，成为首所进入该榜单20强的亚洲大学。
In the 2021 rankings, Tsinghua University moved up three places from last year's position.
在最新榜单中，清华的排名较去年上升3位。
In addition to Tsinghua, other Chinese institutions performing well included Peking University (23rd), Fudan University (joint 70th), the University of Science and Technology of China (87th), Zhejiang University (94th), and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (100th), all of which have improved their positions since last year.
除了清华大学外，还有几所中国大学也表现良好，其中包括北京大学(第23位)、复旦大学(并列第70位)、中国科技大学(第87位)、浙江大学(第94位)和上海交通大学(第100位)，这些高校较去年的排名均有提升。
This has resulted in a record number of six Chinese mainland universities being in the top 100 for the first time since the rankings began in 2011, doubling China's representation since last year.
这是自2011年该排行榜启动以来，中国大陆首次有6所大学进入百强榜单，创下新高。去年进入百强的中国大陆高校数量为3所。
"We have observed the rise of Asian universities in the world rankings for several years now, but this year marks a major milestone, as the Chinese mainland disrupts the traditional domination of Western universities at the top of the table, breaking into the top 20 for the first time, and doubling its representation in the top 100," said Phil Baty, chief knowledge officer at the Times Higher Education.
泰晤士高等教育首席知识官菲尔•巴蒂表示："近些年，我们已经观察到亚洲大学在世界大学排名中崛起，但今年是一个重要的里程碑，因为中国大陆打破了西方大学在排名顶端的传统优势地位，中国大陆首次有高校进入了前20名，而且进入百强的中国大陆高校数量增加了一倍。"
The University of Oxford, in the UK, retained the top spot for the fifth consecutive year.
英国的牛津大学连续5年蝉联该排行榜首位。

>US will not pay what it owes WHO
美国拒付世卫组织欠款
The US said on Wednesday that it will not pay some $80 million it currently owes to the Geneva-based World Health Organization and will instead redirect the money to help pay its United Nations bill in New York.
9月2日，美国表示不会支付目前仍拖欠世界卫生组织的约8000万美元，而会把这笔钱用于支付其在联合国的会费。
The US plans to leave the WHO on July 6, 2021.
美国计划在2021年7月6日退出总部位于日内瓦的世卫组织。
Under a 1948 joint resolution of the US Congress, US president had to give one-year notice of US withdrawal from the WHO and is required to pay what Washington's owes for the organization's current fiscal year.
根据美国国会1948年的一项联合决议，美国要退出世卫组织的话须提前一年告知，并支付美国对该组织当前财政年度的欠款。
Nerissa Cook, State Department Bureau of International Organization Affairs deputy assistant secretary of state, said the US currently owes the WHO some $18 million for financial year 2019 and $62 million for financial year 2020.
主管国际组织事务的副助理国务卿内里莎•库克说，美国在2019财年和2020财年分别拖欠世卫组织1800万美元和6200万美元。
"Those together are being reprogrammed to the UN to pay the regular UN assessment," said Cook, referring to money that Washington is required to pay the United Nations in New York.
库克称，将把这两笔钱一并转移至联合国款项，用于支付总部位于纽约的联合国的定期评定会费，即美国应缴纳的联合国会费。

>Flying car successfully tested
日本飞行汽车载人试飞
A Japanese company has announced the successful test drive of a flying car.
一家日本公司宣布成功完成了一款飞行汽车的试飞。
Sky Drive Inc conducted the public demonstration on Aug 25, the company said in a news release, at the Toyota Test Field, one of the largest in Japan and home to the car company's development base.
Sky Drive公司在一份新闻稿中宣称，8月25日，该公司在丰田试验场进行了飞行汽车的公开展示。丰田试验场是日本最大的汽车试验场之一，也是该公司的研发母基地。
It was the first public demonstration for a flying car in Japanese history.
这是日本有史以来第一次公开展示飞行汽车。
The car, named SD-03, manned with a pilot, took off and circled the field for about four minutes.
这款名为SD-03的汽车由飞行员驾驶起飞后绕着试验场飞行了大约四分钟。
The SD-03 is the world's smallest electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle and takes up the space of about two parked cars, according to the company.
该公司称，SD-03飞行汽车是世界上最小的垂直升降电动车，大约要占据两辆普通汽车停放的空间。
It has eight motors to ensure "safety in emergency situations."
SD-03配备了8个发动机，以保证"紧急情况下的安全"。
The company hopes to make the flying car a part of normal life and not just a commodity.
该公司希望能让飞行汽车成为正常生活的一部分，而不只是一件商品。
More test flights will occur in the future under different conditions to make sure the safety and technology of the vehicle meet industry standards.
未来他们还将在不同条件下进行更多飞行测试，以确保这款汽车的安全性和技术水平达到工业标准。

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