At 12:30 on September 14, Sohu founder, chairman and CEO Zhang Chaoyang shared the two hot topics of Russian drone attacks on Ukraine-Polish border trains and the accelerated melting of Himalayan glaciers in both Chinese and English in the live broadcast room of Sohu Video Follower’s “Zhang Chaoyang’s English Class”. He and netizens learned English through the news and learned about the world.
The live broadcast first focused on the latest developments on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield. Zhang Chaoyang cited BBC reports that a Russian drone hit a train near the border between Ukraine and Poland. About an hour before the incident, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and a number of senior European security officials had just passed through the same station on another train. Ukrainian authorities stated that at Yahodyn station, passengers on the attacked train had evacuated 15 minutes before the attack. The drone hit the train engine, and no casualties were reported (No casualties were reported after the strike at Yahodyn, which hit the train’s engine).
According to reports, the Ukrainian Railways said that the train carrying diplomats left after a timetable change in advance due to the continued threat of Russian attack. Russia’s target was likely to be this diplomatic train. Ukraine’s foreign minister said such brutal attacks amounted to “Putin’s terror knocking directly on the door of the EU and NATO” and called for more sanctions against Moscow.
Later, Zhang Chaoyang shared a research report on the accelerated melting of Himalayan glaciers. Research shows that Himalayan glaciers are melting 65% faster than a decade ago, and only 21 of the approximately 40,000 glaciers are subject to detailed and continuous monitoring. Glacial lakes are becoming more unstable and mountainous areas face monitoring gaps.
The Himalayas are approaching a tipping point, with millions of lives and livelihoods hanging in the balance. Research points out that about one-third of glacier melt is driven by black carbon, mainly emitted from brick kilns in the Indian plains. Soot falls on snowy mountains and accelerates the absorption of heat, thus accelerating melting. Experts stress that such disasters respect no borders and require cross-border monitoring and joint investment.
During the live broadcast, Zhang Chaoyang analyzed key English words based on the news content, including monitor, aftermath, consultation, thaw, cascading hazard, brick kiln, accelerate melting, black carbon, preparedness, slope, etc. “Zhang Chaoyang’s English Class” is broadcast every Monday to Thursday at 12:30 noon on Sohu Video. Pay attention to the daily update of live broadcast slices and vocabulary summaries in the stream, and the Chinese edited version will be online through “Zhishi Video”.
