China plans to send one to three network backup satellites for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) into space this year to improve the stability and usability of the constellation (星座), according to the 13th China Satellite Navigation Conference on Thursday, June 27,2023.
Beidou is a positioning system. It is developed by China. China is the third country in the world to have its own positioning system. With Beidou, China no longer has to depend on foreign systems. This is very important for national safety. Work on Beidou began in 1994. However, the first two Beidou satellites, were not sent into space until 2000. Currently, it has 45 satellites in orbit (轨道), including 15 for BDS-2 and 30 for BDS-3. These satellites have formed a global network.
The complete Beidou will be more powerful than any existing (现存的) positioning system all over the world. Yang Changfeng is a designer of Beidou. He says that the system can notice the sway (摇摆) of a building in strong winds. Beidou has brought many advantages to our lives. Let’s take Shanghai as example. Thousands of buses have been using Beidou. When we are waiting for a bus, we can know when it is about to come. Many smart phones have been using Beidou as well, “Many people say, let me turn on my GPS. In fact, their phones are using Beidou.” jokes a salesperson in Beijing.
China will accelerate (加快) the integration (融合) of BDS with emerging technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence and big data. It aims to build a more ubiquitous, integrated, and intelligent national spatial and temporal system by 2035.
The 3-day conference kicked off Wednesday in Beijing. More than 4,000 experts and scholars from home and abroad in the satellite navigation field attended the conference online and offline.
【小题1】How many countries developed their own positioning systems before China?| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．In 1994. | B．In 2000. | C．In 2024. | D．In 2035. |
| A．GPS can be more powerful than Beidou. | B．Beidou is very important for national safety. |
| C．Using Beidou to position buses is easy. | D．Beidou can sway buildings in strong winds. |
| A．BDS will probably have 46 to 48 satellites by 2023. |
| B．Over 4, 000 experts and scholars came to Beijing for the conference. |
| C．China began to build its Beidou positioning system in the 19th century. |
| D．The next China Satellite Navigation Conference will be held in Beijing. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
