Big Data and You

Big data（数据） is a lot of sets of information that are put together so they can be used by a computer program. The computer program looks for different kinds of answers or patterns（模式） in the data. Big data can have different kinds of information from many sources, such as information that comes from schools, social media（媒体）sites, companies, and governments. One set of data can have people’s names and addresses. Another set can have what they like, where they go, and how much time they spend on the computer.

Big data can be used in many ways. The government uses it to understand how many people travel on buses or trains. This information is then used to make bus or train systems better. Some schools use big data to understand which children may need extra（额外的）help in class. The teachers can then give certain students more help or support so those students can succeed in school. Companies use big data, too. It helps them understand who buys their products. For example, one company uses weather data to see when people eat the most ice cream.

Big data can be used for good reasons. Some hospitals use big data to predict（预测）if a baby who was born too early will get sick. The hospital can then take extra steps to take care of that baby so he or she does not get sick. Big data can also be used for bad reasons. It can be used to predict which kinds of people are likely to break the law or hurt others, even if they have not done anything wrong.

How can big data be used for good and bad things? It is because the computer programs used to look at big data and understand it are written by people. People think in a certain way. Because they think a certain way, they build a model of those ideas. These ideas are then used to look at the data. Sometimes, these ideas are helpful for people or businesses. Other times, bad ideas can cause problems for certain groups of people.

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Disabled people now have easier ways to exercise thanks to government’s efforts to improve barrier-free facilities(无障碍设施) in the past few years and people’s increasing acceptance of those with disabilities.

A report said that by the end of 2021, the nation had spent around 19.6 billion yuan($3.1 billion) in building 2,318 comprehensive(综合性的) facilities. The disabled also have more places for exercise. It also said that by the end of 2020, there were 13,313 exercise locations built for the disabled.

Disabled people can also enjoy sports and get happiness, honors and passion(激情) from exercise and sports. The disabled can join any of the sports events with their abilities and interests like other people, and even bravely compete in some games. They may have problems in some physical functions like hearing or visual impairment(视力缺陷), but they are healthy in other physical aspects like ordinary(普通的) people.

More disabled people have taken part in cultural and sports events in the past few years. A white book released by the State Council Information Office on March 3 showed that 23.9 percent of the 85 million disabled people in China took part in sports events last year, up from 6.8 percent in 2015.

One plus one equals two. There are 60 seconds in one minute. Sixty minutes equals one hour. There are 24 hours in one day. One year includes 365 days. These are all basic facts that we know by heart. But have you ever stopped to think how numbers came into being and how they developed?

It’s safe to say that our society would have never developed without numbers. However, the development of numbers is still a puzzle to us. That’s because when ancient people developed simple ways of counting, they didn’t leave any records behind.

It’s not difficult to guess that numbers and counting began with the number “1”, though ancient people probably didn’t call it “one.” They likely counted by ones and recorded by carving lines on a bone.

The earliest evidence of this is the Ishango Bone (伊尚戈骨), which was found in 1960 in Africa. The bone is believed to be more than 20,000 years old. It has many lines on it. The lines look like what we would call “tally marks” today. Scientists think those lines show how ancient people used numbers.

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