通勤學英語 15Mins Today

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K549: Google Launches Artificial Intelligence Tool Bard to Compete with ChatGPT Google has announced the release of Bard, a new artificial intelligence tool that directly competes with ChatGPT. Initially, access to Bard will be limited to residents in the United States and the United Kingdom, but the company plans to expand access to more countries and languages over time, according to a blog post authored by Google and Bard. Until now, Bard was only available to "trusted testers." 谷歌宣布推出 Bard，這是一個與 ChatGPT 正面競爭的新人工智慧工具。根據由谷歌和 Bard 共同撰寫的部落格文章，最初，Bard 的使用權將僅限於美國和英國的用戶，但該公司計劃隨著時間的推移擴大使用權的範圍至更多的國家和語言。目前為止，Bard 只開放給「可信任的測試人員」使用。 Powered by a large language model, Bard will be updated with newer and more capable models as time goes on. To achieve this, Google is seeking feedback from more users, following earlier testing. While exciting, the blog's authors note that these models are not without their flaws. Bard 由一個大型語言模型提供支持，隨著時間的推移，它將進化為更新且更多功能的模型。為了實現這一點，谷歌正在尋求更多用戶的反饋，跟進早期的測試。儘管令人興奮，部落格的作者指出這些模型並非沒有缺陷。 "Because they learn from a wide range of information that reflects real-world biases and stereotypes, those sometimes show up in their outputs. And they can provide inaccurate, misleading or false information while presenting it confidently," according to Google. 「因為它們從反映現實世界偏見和刻板印象的各種信息中學習，這些問題有時會顯示在它們的輸出中。它們可能會充滿自信的提供不準確、具誤導性或錯誤的信息。」谷歌表示。 Bard is intended to make visiting Google Search simpler, with users able to click "Google it" to see query suggestions in a new tab. Google has hinted at deeper integration of these models into Search. "Our work on Bard is guided by our AI Principles, and we continue to focus on quality and safety. We’re using human feedback and evaluation to improve our systems, and we’ve also built in guardrails, like capping the number of exchanges in a dialogue, to try to keep interactions helpful and on topic," it said. "Bard is an experiment." Bard 旨在讓使用谷歌搜索更加簡單，用戶可以點擊「Google it」在新標籤中查看查詢建議。谷歌暗示將更深入地將這些模型整合到搜索中。「我們的 Bard 工作是根據我們的 AI 原則指導的，我們繼續關注質量和安全性。我們使用人類反饋和評估來改善我們的系統，並且我們還建立了保護措施，比如在對話交流的次數中設定上限，來試圖讓互動更有幫助且更符合討論主題。」它說。 “Bard是一場實驗。” Reference article: https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/google-opens-access-chatgpt-rival-bard

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K548: Taiwan Ranks Second-Happiest in East Asia According to UN Report Taiwan has been ranked the second-happiest country in East Asia and the fourth-happiest in Asia, according to the World Happiness Report released by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The report surveyed more than 150 countries and territories over a three-year period to evaluate happiness levels based on six factors: social support, income, health, freedom, generosity, and absence of corruption. 根據聯合國永續發展方法網路公布的《世界幸福報告》，台灣是在東亞地區排名第二，並在整個亞洲地區排名第四幸福的國家。報告在三年內對150多個國家和地區進行調查，評估了六項因素：社會支持、收入、健康、自由、慷慨和反貪腐，以評估全球各國的幸福水平。 While Israel ranked 4th globally, Singapore ranked 25th, and the United Arab Emirates ranked 26th, Taiwan was able to secure the 27th place worldwide. Although Taiwan was outperformed by Singapore in the East Asia grouping, the country was able to rank ahead of Japan, which ranked 47th globally. In the previous report, Taiwan was ranked first in East Asia and fourth in the broader Asia grouping. 以全球排名來看，以色列排名第4，新加坡排名第25，阿聯酋排名第26，而台灣排名第27。雖然在東亞地區台灣的表現不如新加坡，但它在全球排名中勝過了第47的日本。在前一次報告中，台灣在東亞地區排名第一，在更廣泛的亞洲地區排名第四。 Finland retained its title as the world's happiest country for the sixth year in a row. The Nordic country's welfare system, equality, and trust in government are factors that contribute to its top ranking. Denmark, Iceland, Israel, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and New Zealand followed as the top 10 happiest countries. 芬蘭連續第六年蟬聯全球最幸福國家。這個北歐國家的福利制度、平等和公民對政府的信任是其排名最高的因素。丹麥、冰島、以色列、荷蘭、瑞典、挪威、瑞士、盧森堡和紐西蘭緊隨其後，排名前十最幸福的國家。 The report highlighted that Nordic countries score high for both happiness and equality, which can be attributed to their high levels of personal and institutional trust. The United States was ranked 15th, while China and Hong Kong ranked 64th and 82nd, respectively. Ukraine's ranking rose to 92nd, up from 98th the previous year, despite being invaded by Russia. Afghanistan remained at the bottom of the report. 報告強調北歐國家在幸福和平等方面得分很高，這是由於他們對機關組織以及個人的高度信任。美國排名第15名，而中國和香港分別排名第64和第82名。儘管遭到俄羅斯入侵，烏克蘭的排名從前一年的98名升至第92名。阿富汗在此份報告中則蟬聯排名最不幸福的國家。 Taiwan's high ranking can be attributed to its effective handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been praised globally. The country's low number of COVID-19 cases, effective vaccine distribution, and low fatality rate have contributed to its happiness ranking. Additionally, Taiwan's stable political environment, freedom of speech, and personal safety are factors that contribute to its high happiness levels. 台灣的高名次可以歸功於其在COVID-19疫情期間的有效應對廣受世界讚譽。台灣相對低的COVID-19確診數量、有效的疫苗分配和低死亡率促成了其幸福排名。此外，台灣穩定的政治環境、言論自由和個人安全等因素也是其高幸福水平的原因。 The World Happiness Report serves as a reminder that happiness is not just about financial wealth. While economic factors play a role in happiness levels, social support, health, and trust in government are equally important. Taiwan's high ranking is a testament to its society's resilience and ability to cope with challenges. 《世界幸福報告》提醒人們幸福不僅僅與財富有關。雖然經濟因素對幸福水平起著作用，但社會支持、健康和對政府的信任同樣重要。台灣的高排名證明了其社會的韌性和應對挑戰的能力。Reference article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2023/03/22/2003796538

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K547: German ice cream parlor offers cricket-flavored scoops A German ice cream store is selling an unusual flavor of ice cream that has crickets in it. The store is located in Rottenburg am Neckar, in southern Germany. The owner of the store, Thomas Micolino, likes to create different flavors of ice cream that are not the typical ones like chocolate or strawberry. In the past, he has made ice cream with liver sausage and Gorgonzola cheese, and even gold-plated ice cream that costs €4 ($4.25) per scoop. 德國一家冰淇淋店正在出售一種不尋常的口味，其中包含了蟋蟀。這家店位於德國南部的Rottenburg am Neckar。店主Thomas Micolino喜歡創造不同於典型口味如巧克力或草莓的冰淇淋。過去，他曾製作過肝腸膶味和戈爾貢佐拉奶酪味的冰淇淋，甚至還有每球售價4歐元（4.25美元）的鍍金冰淇淋。 Micolino wanted to try something new and different, so he decided to make ice cream with crickets. He used cricket flour, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and honey to make the ice cream, and put dried whole crickets on top. He said that the ice cream has a yummy taste, but some people are disgusted by the idea of eating insects. Micolino想試試新奇的東西，於是他決定做蟋蟀口味的冰淇淋。他使用了蟋蟀粉、重奶油、香草精和蜂蜜製成冰淇淋，還在上面放了干的整隻蟋蟀。他說，這種冰淇淋口味美味，但有些人對食用昆蟲的想法感到厭惡。 The reason that Micolino can make ice cream with crickets is because of a law in the European Union that allows people to use insects in food. The law says that crickets can be frozen, dried, or used as a powder. The European Union has already approved using migratory locusts and flour beetle larvae in food. Micolino之所以能做蟋蟀口味的冰淇淋，是因為歐盟有一項法律允許人們在食物中使用昆蟲。法律規定，蟋蟀可以被冷凍、晾乾或用作粉末。歐盟已經批准在食物中使用遷移性蝗蟲和麵粉蟲幼蟲。 Some customers like the new flavor of ice cream and say that it is delicious. Konstantin Dick, one of Micolino's customers, said that the ice cream is very tasty and edible. Another customer, Johann Peter Schwarze, liked the creamy consistency of the ice cream but said that he could still taste the cricket in it. 一些顧客喜歡這種新口味的冰淇淋，並表示它很美味。其中一位Micolino的客戶Konstantin Dick表示，這種冰淇淋非常美味可口。另一位客戶Johann Peter Schwarze則喜歡冰淇淋的奶油質地，但說他仍能品嘗到蟋蟀的味道。 Micolino's cricket-flavored ice cream is a unique and adventurous flavor that not everyone will like, but some customers are enjoying it. Micolino likes to try new things and make different kinds of ice cream, so it's possible that he will create more interesting flavors in the future. Micolino的蟋蟀口味冰淇淋是一種獨特和具冒險精神的口味，並不是每個人都會喜歡，但一些顧客正在享受它。Micolino喜歡嘗試新事物，製作不同種類的冰淇淋，因此未來他可能會創造更有趣的口味。Reference article: https://apnews.com/article/germany-cricket-flavored-ice-cream-30ec8248ff14db3d842316e7b8e68bf7

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K546: Universal Parks & Resorts Unveils New Name: Get Ready to Explore the Universal Destinations & Experiences! Universal Parks & Resorts, the parent company of popular theme parks like The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, is rebranding itself with a new name - Universal Destinations & Experiences. The rebranding comes as a way to better reflect the vast array of experiences and attractions that the company offers in multiple locations, including Florida, Southern California, Japan, and China. 環球主題樂園度假區是知名主題樂園，例如哈利波特的巫師世界和蜘蛛人的驚奇冒險，現在以新名稱重新定位自己 - 環球目的地與體驗（Universal Destinations & Experiences）。這次重新定位是為了更好地反映該公司在多個地點（包括佛羅里達、南加州、日本和中國）提供的多樣化體驗和景點。 The rebranding announcement comes after Universal Parks & Resorts announced two new projects - a children's park in Frisco, Texas, and an immersive horror entertainment experience based on Universal's classic horror films in Las Vegas. The new name is seen as a way for the company to more effectively communicate the range of offerings that are available to guests. 環球主題樂園度假區宣布兩個新項目之後，即位於德克薩斯州弗里斯科的兒童樂園，以及基於環球經典恐怖電影的沉浸式恐怖娛樂體驗在拉斯維加斯推出。新名稱被認為是該公司更有效地傳達給遊客可用的各種選擇的一種方式。 According to Mark Woodbury, the chairman and CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences, the new name is a reflection of the company's desire to be the "destination of choice" for visitors in existing and future markets. The new name represents a commitment to providing guests with unparalleled experiences that they won't find anywhere else. 根據環球目的地與體驗的董事長兼首席執行官Mark Woodbury所說，新名稱反映了該公司希望成為現有和未來市場遊客的“首選目的地”的願望。新名稱代表著該公司致力於為遊客提供他們在其他地方找不到的卓越體驗。 Universal Destinations & Experiences offers an array of attractions and experiences that cater to a diverse range of interests, from thrilling roller coasters and interactive rides to immersive experiences based on popular franchises like Harry Potter and Jurassic Park. With the rebranding, the company hopes to continue to be a leader in the theme park industry and offer visitors an unforgettable experience at any of its global locations. 環球目的地與體驗提供一系列的景點和體驗，迎合了各種不同的興趣，從刺激的過山車和互動遊戲到基於流行品牌如哈利波特和侏羅紀公園的沉浸式體驗。通過重新定位，該公司希望繼續成為主題樂園行業的領導者，並在其全球各地的任何地方為遊客提供難忘的體驗。Reference article: https://apnews.com/article/universal-theme-park-name-change-e97a3ab13a9083d5111ecb9615656a15

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Topic: In Race for Tuition-Free College, New Mexico Stakes a Claim As universities across the United States face steep enrollment declines, New Mexico’s government is embarking on a pioneering experiment to fight that trend: tuition-free higher education for all state residents. 隨著美國各地大學入學人數急劇下滑，新墨西哥州政府正著手進行一項開創性實驗來應對這一趨勢：為全州居民提供免學費高等教育。 + Sure? After President Joe Biden’s plan for universal free community college failed to gain traction in Congress, New Mexico, one of the nation’s poorest states, has emerged with perhaps the most ambitious plans as states scramble to come up with their own initiatives. 在美國總統拜登的全民免費社區大學計畫未能獲得國會支持後，美國最窮的州之一新墨西哥州提出的計畫，可能是各州爭相提出行動倡議中最具雄心的一個。 A new state law approved in a rare show of bipartisanship allocates almost 1% of the state’s budget toward covering tuition and fees at public colleges and universities, community colleges and tribal colleges. All state residents from new high school graduates to adults enrolling part-time will be eligible regardless of family income. The program is also open to immigrants regardless of their immigration status. 一項新的州法在兩黨罕見合作下通過，將州預算的1%用於支付公立大學、社區大學與部落學院的學費。所有州民，從剛畢業的高中生到參加兼職教育的成人都有資格參加，無論家庭收入。該計畫也向移民開放，無論他們的移民身分如何。 Some legislators and other critics question whether there should have been income caps and whether the state, newly flush with oil and gas revenue, can secure long-term funding to support the program beyond its first year. The legislation, which seeks to treat college as a public resource similar to primary and secondary education, takes effect in July. 一些議員和其他批評人士質疑是否應設所得限制，以及剛獲大量石油與天然氣收入的該州是否能在計畫實施第一年後，獲得長期資金支持。這項立法將於7月生效，旨在將大學視為與中小學教育類似的公共資源。 Although nearly half the states have embraced similar initiatives that seek to cover at least some tuition expenses for some students, New Mexico’s law goes further by covering tuition and fees before other scholarships and sources of financial aid are applied, enabling students to use those other funds for expenses such as lodging, food or child care. 儘管近半的州已採取類似舉措，想幫一些學生支付至少部分學費和雜費，新墨西哥州法律更進一步，在申請其他獎學金和學費補助前，先支付學雜費，讓學生能使用其他資金，支付如住宿、食物或兒童照顧等費用。 “The New Mexico program is very close to ideal,” said Michael Dannenberg, vice president of strategic initiatives and higher education policy at the nonprofit advocacy group Education Reform Now. Considering the state’s income levels and available resources, he added that New Mexico’s program is among the most generous in the country. 非營利倡議組織Education Reform Now策略倡議暨高教政策副總裁丹能貝格說：「新墨西哥的計畫非常貼近理想。」他表示，考量收入水準與可用資源，新墨西哥州的計畫是全美最慷慨的。 Dannenberg emphasized that New Mexico is going beyond what larger, more prosperous states like Washington and Tennessee have already done. Programs in other states often limit tuition assistance to community colleges, exclude some residents because of family income or impose conditions requiring students to work part time. 丹能貝格強調，新墨西哥州正超越華盛頓和田納西這些更大、更繁榮的州所做的事。其他州通常限制對社區大學的學費補助，因家庭收入排除一些州民，或要求學生兼職。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6329103 Next Article Topic: Colleges Slash Budgets in the Pandemic,With ‘Nothing Off-Limits’ Ohio Wesleyan University is eliminating 18 majors. The University of Florida’s trustees last month took the first steps toward letting the school furlough faculty. The University of California, Berkeley, has paused admissions to its doctoral programs in anthropology, sociology and art history. 美國俄亥俄衛斯理大學取消了18個科系。佛州大學董事會9月採取初步措施，目標是讓校方有權放教師無薪假。柏克萊加州大學則暫停招收人類學、社會學和藝術史的博士班學生。 As it resurges across the country, the coronavirus is forcing universities large and small to make deep and possibly lasting cuts to close widening budget shortfalls. By one estimate, the pandemic has cost colleges at least $120 billion, with even Harvard University, despite its $41.9 billion endowment, reporting a $10 million deficit that has prompted belt tightening. 由於全美各地新冠肺炎疫情再度惡化，美國各大學不論規模大小，都被迫大砍支出，以彌補逐漸擴大的預算缺口，刪減的支出可能長期都不會恢復。有人估計，疫情至少使美國各大學合計損失1200億美元，就連坐擁419億美元辦學基金的哈佛大學也出現1000萬美元預算赤字，被迫勒緊褲帶。 The persistence of the economic downturn is taking a devastating financial toll, pushing many to lay off or furlough employees, delay graduate admissions and even cut or consolidate core programs like liberal arts departments. 經濟持續疲軟造成極其嚴重的財務災情，迫使許多大學裁員或放無薪假，推遲研究所學生入學，甚至取消或合併文科等核心學程。 The University of South Florida announced last month that its College of Education would become a graduate school only, phasing out undergraduate education degrees to help close a $6.8 million budget gap. In Ohio, the University of Akron, citing the coronavirus, successfully invoked a clause in its collective-bargaining agreement in September to supersede tenure rules and lay off 97 unionized faculty members. 南佛州大學上個月宣布，其教育學院將只留下研究所，分階段取消大學部，以彌補680萬美元的預算缺口。在俄亥俄州，艾克朗大學以疫情為由，在9月成功援用團體協約一項條款取代任期規則，裁掉97名加入工會的教師。 “We haven’t seen a budget crisis like this in a generation,” said Robert Kelchen, a Seton Hall University associate professor of higher education who has been tr

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 即刻加入15Mins通勤學英語直播室，每週一9pm等你來說英文 : https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/46hm8k Starting 起頭 The thing about… is… What I find most interesting about… is… Abbreviating 簡述 In a nutshell, To cut a long story short… Sequencers 順序詞 First of all, To begin with, First and foremost, Secondly, Finally, Last but not least, And to top it all off, Addition 增加 What’s more, On top of that, Besides that, Apart from that, Another thing to consider is… We shouldn’t forget that… It’s also worth bearing in mind that… Contrast/Comparison 對比/比較 On the one hand, on the other hand, But actually… But in actual fact… However Whereas/while Conclusion 結論 So to sum up, So in summary, So to wrap up, So as I was saying, All in all, Example Pitch: Pitch 1: Starting with our latest mobile app, TechSecure, I'd like to highlight its innovative features. First and foremost, it provides top-notch security for your data. On top of that, it's extremely user-friendly. In a nutshell, TechSecure is the ultimate solution for keeping your personal information safe and secure. Pitch 2: To begin with, our new electric bike, the E-Commuter, is revolutionizing urban transportation. What I find most interesting about the E-Commuter is its impressive range and speed. Besides that, it's also environmentally friendly. So to wrap up, the E-Commuter will change the way you travel, making your daily commute more enjoyable and sustainable. 分享時間： 利用以上的簡報單字，選以下的主題做個30秒電梯簡報Modern cinema ; Tourism in your city ; The ideal holiday ; The perfect weekend ; The most useful thing you own

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K545: Growing Space Debris Prompts Action from Government and Investors As the number of commercial satellites launched into orbit increases rapidly, the risk of collisions and hazardous debris also rises. In response, the US government is setting new space hygiene norms, while private companies are investing in ways to tackle the messy orbital environment. Billions of dollars of assets are at stake, including the orbital devices crucial to navigation and communication used by industries and people globally. 隨著商業衛星進入軌道的數量迅速增加，碰撞和危險垃圾的風險也在上升。為此，美國政府正在設定新的太空衛生標準，而私人公司正在投資於解決混亂的軌道環境的方式。涉及數十億美元的資產，包括全球工業和人們使用的導航和通訊關鍵的軌道設備。 U.S. Space Command recently released a report that includes a section on space debris, urging space players to dispose of their defunct satellites safely and notify other operators if any problems with their spacecraft might pose a debris hazard. The report also aims to steer military norms in orbit to prevent potential space weapon attacks that could generate more debris. 美國太空司令部最近發布了一份報告，其中包括有關太空垃圾的部分，敦促太空玩家安全處理其不再使用的衛星，並通知其他運營商，如果他們的航天器存在可能構成垃圾危害的問題。該報告還旨在引導軌道上的軍事規範，以防止潛在的太空武器攻擊可能產生更多的垃圾。 Astroscale, a Tokyo-based company, is testing a debris removal device called ELSA, designed to latch onto defunct satellites and drag them toward Earth's atmosphere for fiery disposal. The company recently closed a $76 million funding round, which included Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa as an investor. 總部位於東京的Astroscale正在測試一種名為ELSA的垃圾清理裝置，旨在鉤住不再使用的衛星並將它們拖向地球大氣層進行火化處理。該公司最近完成了一輪7600萬美元的融資，其中包括日本億萬富翁前澤友作。 Astroscale is one of several companies developing in-space satellite servicing to extend the lifespan of broken or fuel-spent spacecraft. The mission extension concepts have sprouted a patchwork of other companies looking to build on the momentum. Astroscale是幾家正在開發太空衛星服務以延長損壞或燃料用盡航天器壽命的公司之一。任務擴展概念已經催生了一系列其他公司，希望借此機會發展壯大。 While governments try to tackle international rules, the immediate response to the littering of orbit is coming in large part from the private sector. Industry-specific policies for space behavior similar to the norms proposed by U.S. Space Command are urgently needed before a catastrophic collision occurs that could lead to burdensome regulations. 雖然各國政府試圖解決國際規則問題，但對軌道垃圾的即時響應很大程度上來自私人部門。在發生可能導致繁重法規的災難性碰撞之前，急需制定類似於美國太空司令部提出的針對太空行為的產業特定政策。 Experts say that ensuring a sustainable space domain is essential for the growth of the space economy. Governments and private companies must work together to solve the debris problem and mitigate it to an acceptable level. By doing so, the space domain can grow while keeping the environment sustainable. 專家表示，確保可持續的太空領域對於太空經濟的增長至關重要。政府和私人公司必須攜手解決垃圾問題，並將其降至可接受的水平。這樣做可以實現太空領域的增長，同時保持環境的可持續性。Reference article: https://www.xm.com/tw/research/markets/allNews/reuters/as-space-junk-threat-grows-government-and-investors-seek-solutions-53492700

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K544: Study Links Erythritol, a Popular Sugar Substitute, to Increased Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke Erythritol, a type of sugar substitute, has been linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, according to a new study. The substance is often used to sweeten low-sugar products such as stevia, monkfruit and keto foods. People with existing risk factors for heart disease, such as diabetes, were found to be twice as likely to experience a heart attack or stroke if they had high levels of erythritol in their blood. The study also found that erythritol causes blood platelets to clot more easily, which can lead to heart attacks or strokes. 一項新研究指出，一種流行的糖替代品——赤藓糖醇與心臟病發作和中風風險增加有關。這種物質常被用來為低糖產品添加甜味，例如甜菊萃取物、羅漢果及生酮飲食。研究發現，如果患有糖尿病等心臟病風險因素的人血液中赤藓糖醇水平高，他們發生心臟病發作或中風的風險會增加一倍。此外，赤藓糖醇會導致血小板更容易凝結，進而引發心臟病發作或中風。 Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that is naturally found in many fruits and vegetables. It is used as a zero-calorie sugar substitute because it has about 70% of the sweetness of sugar. The substance has become very popular in the food industry as an additive to low-carb and diabetes-labeled products. It is also a key ingredient in many natural stevia and monkfruit products, which are several hundred times sweeter than sugar, so only a small amount of erythritol is needed to make up the bulk of the product. 赤藓糖醇是一種糖類醇，天然存在於許多水果和蔬菜中。它被用作零熱量糖替代品，因為其甜度約為糖的70%。由於其添加於低碳水化合物和糖尿病標籤產品中的效果明顯，因此赤藓糖醇在食品工業中變得非常受歡迎。它也是許多天然甜菊萃取物和羅漢果產品的主要成分，這些產品比糖甜數百倍，因此只需少量的赤藓糖醇即可構成產品的大部分。 The study was conducted by the Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Prevention at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute. The researchers analyzed 1,157 blood samples from people at risk for heart disease collected between 2004 and 2011. They found that higher levels of erythritol were connected to a greater risk of heart attack, stroke or death within three years. The researchers believe that the substance causes blood platelets to clot more easily, which can lead to cardiovascular problems. However, more research is needed to confirm these findings. In the meantime, people with existing risk factors for heart disease may want to limit their intake of erythritol. 這項研究是由克利夫蘭診所蓋纳研究所心血管診斷和預防中心進行的。研究人員分析了2004年至2011年間收集的1,157份心臟病風險人群的血液樣本。他們發現，較高的赤藓糖醇水平與三年內心臟病發作、中風或死亡的風險增加有關。研究人員認為，赤藓糖醇會導致血小板更容易凝結，進而引發心血管問題。但需要進一步研究來確認這些發現。在此期間，具有心臟病風險因素的人可能需要限制其攝取。Article referenced from: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/27/health/zero-calorie-sweetener-heart-attack-stroke-wellness

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K543: TikTok Develops Parental Control Tool to Block Inappropriate Content TikTok, the Chinese-owned social media app, has announced that it is developing a new tool that will allow parents to block certain content containing specific words or hashtags. The tool is still in its early stages, and TikTok has said it will consult with parenting and youth organisations to design it. The move comes as the app continues to face scrutiny globally over concerns around data protection and its links to the Chinese government. 中國所有的社交媒體應用程式TikTok宣布正在開發一種新工具，讓家長可以封鎖特定字詞或標籤的內容。該工具仍處於初期階段，TikTok表示將與家長和青年組織進行協商以進行設計。此舉是因為TikTok在全球範圍內仍然面臨著關於數據保護和與中國政府的聯繫等問題而受到關注。 TikTok has become popular with younger users, but its reputation has been damaged by accusations that it has not done enough to protect children from inappropriate content. Governments around the world have banned the app from government-owned phones over security concerns. Recently, the European Parliament has told staff to remove TikTok from their work devices due to data protection concerns. TikTok已成為年輕用戶的熱門應用，但其聲譽因被指控未能保護兒童免受不當內容而受損。各國政府基於安全顧慮已禁止政府擁有的手機使用該應用。最近，歐洲議會因數據保護問題告訴員工刪除在其工作設備上的TikTok應用。 In addition to the parental control feature, TikTok has also announced other measures aimed at protecting young users, such as time limits on usage. Users under 18 will be limited to one hour per day, and those who exceed this limit will receive a prompt encouraging them to set time limits. Parents will be able to set custom time limits depending on the day of the week. TikTok has said that it will continue to work on improving its safety features for young users. 除了家長控制功能外，TikTok還宣布了其他旨在保護年輕用戶的措施，例如使用時間限制。18歲以下的用戶每天只能使用一個小時，超過此限制的用戶將收到提示，鼓勵他們設置時間限制。家長可以根據每週的日期設置自定義時間限制。TikTok表示將繼續努力改進其針對年輕用戶的安全功能。Article referenced from: https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2023/0301/1359676-tiktok-to-develop-parental-control-tool/

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K542: In a California Town, Farmworkers Start From Scratch After Surprise Flood Until the floodwaters came, until they rushed in and destroyed nearly everything, the little white house had been Cecilia Birrueta’s dream. 在洪水來臨、衝進屋內並幾乎摧毀一切以前，這棟小白房是西西莉亞．畢魯耶塔的夢想結晶。 She and her husband bought the two-bedroom fixer-upper 13 years ago, their reward for decades of working minimum-wage jobs, first cleaning houses in Los Angeles and now milking cows and harvesting pistachios in California’s Central Valley. 她與丈夫13年前買下這棟待翻新的兩房老屋，是兩人數十年來從事最低工資工作的回報，起初在洛杉磯當家務清潔人員，如今在加州中央谷地擔任牛奶工人和收割開心果。 The couple replaced the weathered wooden floors, installed a new stove and kitchen sink, and repainted the living room walls a warm burgundy. Here, they raised their three children, the oldest now at the University of California, Davis. 兩人把殘破的木地板換新、增添了新爐灶及廚房流理台，並將客廳牆面重新粉刷成溫暖的酒紅色。他們在這裡養育三個孩子，老大如今已是戴維斯加州大學學生。 Birrueta and her husband felt content. Until last month. Until the floodwaters came. 畢魯耶塔和丈夫感到很滿足。直到上月。直到洪水來臨。 A brutal set of atmospheric rivers in California unleashed a disaster in Planada, an agricultural community of 4,000 residents in the flatlands about an hour west of Yosemite National Park. During one storm in early January, a creek just outside of town busted through old farm levees and sent muddy water gushing into the streets. 一連串猛烈大氣河流肆虐加州，在普拉那達造成一場災難。這是一個4000人口的農業社區，位於優勝美地國家公園以西約一小時車程的平地上。一月稍早一場暴雨讓鎮外一條小溪暴漲，溪水衝潰老舊的農場堤防，泥流湧進街道。 For several days, the entire town looked like a lagoon. Weeks after record-breaking storms wreaked havoc across California and killed at least 21 people, some of the hardest-hit communities are still struggling to recover. 有好幾天，整個小鎮看起來就像一座潟湖。在破紀錄大雨肆虐整個加州導致至少21人喪生的數周後，一些受創最嚴重的社區仍在努力恢復。 The flood ruined the two cars owned by Birrueta and her family and destroyed most of their clothes. The walls with the burgundy paint that she had picked out had rotted through. 洪水毀了畢魯耶塔與家人的兩輛汽車，並破壞他們的大部分衣物。她挑選的酒紅色漆粉刷的牆面，也被洪水泡爛。 Birrueta, her husband and their 14-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter had to move into a camp that typically houses migrant farmworkers, who arrive each spring with few belongings and the hope of building a life like the Birruetas had. There, 41 families from Planada are staying in long beige cabins and relying on space heaters for warmth because the camps lack furnaces. 畢魯耶塔和她丈夫以及他們的14歲兒子與10歲女兒，不得不住進通常容納農場移工的營地，這些農工每年春天會來，帶著為數不多的行李，期待建立如畢魯耶塔曾經擁有的生活。在那裡，41個來自普拉那達的家庭住在淺褐色長型小棚屋裡，在沒有暖氣爐的營地倚賴移動式電暖器取暖。 “We came as immigrants, we started with nothing,” said Birrueta, 40, who was born in Mexico. “We bought a place of our own that we thought would be safe for our kids, and then we lost it. We lost everything.” 「我們以移民身分到來，白手起家」，出生於墨西哥、今年40歲的畢魯耶塔說，「我們買下一塊自己的地方，以為能讓孩子們安全，然後我們失去了它。我們失去了所有。」 The recent floods dealt a painful blow to a community in which more than one-third of households are impoverished. Roughly one-fourth of residents are estimated to be undocumented immigrants, making them ineligible for some forms of disaster relief. 最近的洪水對這個逾三分之一家庭為貧困戶的社區造成了慘痛打擊。根據估計，此地約四分之一居民為無證移民，讓他們無法領取某些形式的災害津貼。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/7023972

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K541: A heart-Shaped Potato Chip Worth $120K Accidentally Eaten by Woman in England A woman from Oswestry, Shropshire, in England, unknowingly ate a valuable heart-shaped potato chip that could have earned her a massive cash prize in the "Heart Shaped Crisp Hunt" contest hosted by Walkers. Dawn Sagar found the chip, which was worth over $120,000, in a bag of Walkers, but was not aware of the competition at the time. After taking a photo of the chip and sharing it with friends, Sagar ate it before realizing its value. 一名英國Shropshire的Oswestry女子無意間吃掉了一片價值超過12萬美元的有價值的心形馬鈴薯片，該片本可以在Walkers主辦的“心形薯片狩獵”比賽中贏得巨額獎金。Dawn Sagar在一袋Walkers薯片中發現了這片薯片，但當時不知道比賽的存在。在拍下這片薯片的照片並與朋友分享後，Sagar才發現自己已經將它吃掉，也沒有意識到其價值。 Walkers announced in a press release that they are giving away £100,000 to whoever finds the "best heart shaped crisp" in their Walkers packet of crisps. The winner must find a symmetrical heart-shaped chip to be eligible for the prize. Sagar's chip could have been a perfect match, but since she ate it before submitting it to the competition, she is not eligible for the prize. Walkers在一份新聞稿中宣布，他們將向在Walkers薯片包中找到“最佳心形薯片”的人贈送10萬英鎊。贏家必須找到一塊對稱的心形薯片才有資格獲得獎金。Sagar的薯片可能是完美的匹配，但由於她在提交之前就吃掉了它，所以她沒有資格獲得獎金。 Despite Sagar's unfortunate incident, the competition is still ongoing, and the lucky winner has a chance to earn the hefty prize money. Walkers is encouraging people to find "big hearts, small hearts, bubbly hearts, crispy hearts - we want to see them all!" and submit their findings to the competition. 儘管Sagar遺憾失敗，但比賽仍在進行中，幸運的贏家仍有機會獲得巨額獎金。Walkers鼓勵人們尋找“大心形、小心形、泡泡心形、酥脆心形——我們想看到所有的心形薯片！”並將其提交到比賽中。 Sagar is not the only person to miss out on the cash prize; an Englishman shared a TikTok video last month documenting "What I Eat In A Day," and can be seen eating a heart-shaped chip. He then asked TikTok users to tag Walkers in hopes to "sort the situation out." A Walkers representative told the BBC that the competition is still ongoing, and "all is not lost." Love comes in many forms, and so can heart-shaped crisps! Sagar不是唯一錯過獎金的人；上個月，一名英國人在TikTok上分享了他的“一日飲食”，其中可以看到他吃掉了一片心形薯片。然後，他要求TikTok用戶標記Walkers，希望“解決這個問題”。Walkers的代表告訴BBC，比賽仍在進行中，“一切還沒有失去”。愛有很多形式，心形薯片也是如此！Reference article: https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/woman-accidentally-eats-heart-shaped-potato-chip-worth-120k-i-didnt-realize

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Topic: Junk food habit affects sleep quality French fries and hamburgers are popular with teenagers. Everyone knows that these high-calorie foods can lead to chronic illnesses such as heart disease and high blood pressure, but, according to a report published by Medical Xpress, a study led by the University of Queensland in Australia has found that eating too much junk food can also have an impact on teenagers’ sleep quality. 薯條、漢堡等速食及飲料很受青少年喜愛。眾所皆知這些高熱量食物會導致慢性疾病，如心臟病和高血壓等。不過，「醫療快訊」報導，澳洲昆士蘭大學帶領的一項研究發現，吃過多的垃圾食品還會影響青少年的睡眠品質。 According to the research results, teenagers who drink more than three soft drinks per day were 55 percent more likely to report sleep disturbance than those who only drink one cup per day. Males who ate fast foods on more than four days per week were 55 percent more likely to report sleep disturbance than those who ate them only once a week, while females were 49 percent more likely to do so. 根據研究結果，每天喝三杯以上飲料的青少年自稱有睡眠障礙的機率，比每天只喝一杯軟飲料的青少年高百分之五十五。每週吃四天以上速食的男性自稱有睡眠障礙的機率，比那些每週只吃一次速食的男性高百分之五十五，而女性的機率高出百分之四十九。 This global study examined unhealthy diets and stress-related sleep disturbance in high school students from 64 countries. The study found that 7.5 percent of adolescents reported having stress-related sleep disturbance, which was more common among females than males and increased with more frequent consumption of carbonated soft drinks, as did the occurrence of sleep problems. Because carbonated drinks often contain caffeine and large amounts of sugar, while fast foods are high in energy but poor in nutrients, long-term consumption can cause nutritional imbalances. 這是一項針對全球不健康飲食和與壓力有關的睡眠障礙研究，涉及來自六十四個國家的高中生。研究表明，百分之七點五的青少年自稱有壓力相關的睡眠障礙，其中女性比男性更常見，且隨著碳酸飲料的頻繁飲用而增加，睡眠障礙的比率也愈高。因為碳酸飲料通常含有咖啡因和高糖分，而快餐食品高熱量但較缺乏營養，長期攝取會營養不均衡。 These data were collected from global health surveys conducted by the WHO between 2009 and 2016, which included about 170,000 students aged 12 to 15 years from 64 low, middle and high-income countries in Southeast Asia, Africa, South America and the eastern Mediterranean. 這些數據收集自二○○九年至二○一六年世界衛生組織的全球健康調查，其中包括來自東南亞、非洲、南美部分地區和地中東海東部地區的六十四個低、中、高收入國家的約十七萬名十二至十五歲的學生。 The research team said that frequent intake of soft drinks and eating of fast foods is closely associated with sleep problems in teenagers, and that this phenomenon is particularly clear in high-income countries. The research team said that these findings are worrying because poor-quality sleep has an adverse impact on adolescent health and cognitive development. They suggested that policies should be formulated that target these unhealthy behaviors. 研究團隊表示，青少年經常喝飲料、吃速食與睡眠障礙之間關聯密切，這現象尤其在高收入國家特別明顯。研究團隊指出，這些發現令人擔憂，因為睡眠品質差會對青少年的健康和認知發展產生不利影響。他們建議應針對這些不健康的行為制定相關政策，使青少年能健康成長。 Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2021/01/05/2003749938 Next Article Topic: Cognitive decline linked to ultraprocessed food, study finds Too many daily calories from highly processed foods like lunch meats, frozen dinners, and packaged cookies may speed up cognitive decline, a new study suggests. 一項新的研究表明，每天從午餐肉、冷凍晚餐和包裝餅乾等高度加工食品攝入過多卡路里，可能會加速認知能力下降。 In the study, researchers examined the diets and cognitive function test results of more than 8,000 adults in Brazil. At the start of the study, participants consumed an average of about 2,850 calories a day. About 28 percent of their daily calories came from highly processed foods. 在這項研究中，研究人員檢視巴西8000多名成年人的飲食和認知功能測試結果。在研究開始時，參與者平均每天消耗約2850卡路里的熱量。他們每天有約28％的卡路里來自高度加工食物。 After about nine years of follow-up, cognitive test scores for memory and executive function declined the most for participants who ate the most highly processed foods. 經過約9年追蹤，吃加工食品最多的參與者，其記憶力和執行功能的認知測試分數下降幅度最大。 Ultraprocessed foods are defined as “industrial formulations of food substances (oils, fats, sugars, starch, and protein isolates) that contain little or no whole foods and typically include flavorings, colorings, emulsifiers, and other cosmetic additives,” according to the study. 根據這項研究，超加工食品被定義為「食品物質（油、脂肪、糖、澱粉和蛋白質分離物）的工業配方，含極少或不含全天然食品，通常包括調味劑、色素、乳化劑和其他化妝品添加劑」。 Next Article Topic: Taiwan gourmets shocked at Pizza Hut’s newest cilantro, century egg-flavored delight 必勝客最近傳出將推出「香菜皮蛋豬血糕比薩」，交雜台式料理讓最勇猛的台灣人都震驚。 Pizza Hut is about to release a new “cilantro, century egg pig’s blood cake pizza” (香菜皮蛋豬血糕比薩) whose chaotic combination of flavors is poised to shock even the most daring Taiwanese gourmet. 據網友所述，此比薩將結合台灣各式道地美食，而這個消息也引來熱議。 According to social media users, the new pizza will combine many well-known traditional Taiwanese street foods, and the announcement sparked intense discussions online. 許多人表示當每道口味都那麼重的時候就不會那麼美味，也有人開玩笑的問必勝客「到底有多討厭義大利」。 Many thought that the flavors were too strong and would clash. Social media users even teased Pizza Hut, commenting “how much do you hate Italy?” 必勝客之前也已推出過眾多奇特的口味，其中包括臭豆腐、麻辣鍋、拉麵、榴槤和湯圓等。 Pizza Hut had launched many unusual pizza flavors in the past, including stinky tofu, spicy hot pot, ram

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 即刻加入15Mins通勤學英語直播室，每週一9pm等你來說英文 : https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/46hm8k Other ways to say: FAMOUS Well-known 聞名/眾所周知 She's most well-known for her TV work. Notable 顯著/值得注意 1998 was notable because British teams performed badly. Renowned 著名/大名鼎鼎 The coast is renowned for its beautiful beaches. High-profile 受關注/高調 The club has signed several high-profile players over the summer. Prominent 傑出/有名 Vincente's family was prominent in the wine trade. Other ways to say: RICH Wealthy 富裕 A lot of wealthy people have their own personal trainer. Prosperous 繁榮 The town is increasingly prosperous. Affluent 富裕的 Cigarette smoking used to be commoner among affluent people. Well-off (informal) 小康 My family was quite well-off. Loaded (slang) 砵滿盆滿 His new girlfriend's absolutely loaded. 分享時間:Tell a personal experience related to something / experience that is about the rich and famousPick 4 words and make sentences

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K540: Snakes, Lizards and Desserts Meet in Malaysia's First Reptile Café Malaysian reptile enthusiast Yap Ming Yang has opened Malaysia's first reptile cafe, hoping to encourage visitors to appreciate snakes and lizards as much as they do furry animals such as dogs and cats. The cafe, located on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, features bearded dragons, leopard geckos, and corn snakes, which are commonly bred in the country. Customers can hold and pet the scaly animals while ordering drinks and food, including desserts. 馬來西亞爬蟲類愛好者Yap Ming Yang開設了馬來西亞第一家爬蟲咖啡館，希望鼓勵遊客像喜歡狗和貓一樣喜歡蛇和蜥蜴。這家咖啡館位於吉隆坡市郊，設有常見的鬍鬚龍、豹紋壁虎和玉米蛇等品種，這些動物在該國繁殖普遍。顧客在點飲料和食物，包括甜點時可以撫摸這些有鱗片的動物。 Yap, who has a background in environmental science and is part of a community of Malaysians interested in herpetology, believes that reptiles and snakes are often overlooked in favor of furry animals. He hopes that by showing the public how interesting and unique these animals are, they will develop a better outlook on reptiles and less-loved animals. Children are among the customers who visit the cafe, providing an opportunity to educate them about the importance of wildlife conservation. 擁有環境科學背景並且是一群熱愛爬蟲學的馬來西亞人社區的一員，Yap認為爬蟲類和蛇往往被忽視，而更受人喜愛的是毛茸茸的動物。他希望透過向公眾展示這些動物有多麼有趣和獨特，讓人們對爬蟲類和其他不受歡迎的動物有更好的看法。許多小孩也是咖啡館的顧客，這提供了一個教育他們野生動物保護重要性的機會。 Although Malaysia is rich in biodiversity, it is also a major source for illegally trafficked wildlife. By showcasing these animals in a pet-friendly and educational setting, the reptile cafe may help promote responsible pet ownership and discourage the illegal trade of wildlife. Yap's cafe is an innovative way to raise awareness and appreciation for reptiles and to promote their conservation. 雖然馬來西亞生物多樣性豐富，但也是非法走私野生動物的主要來源國。透過在一個寵物友善和教育性的環境中展示這些動物，爬蟲咖啡館可能有助於促進負責任的寵物飼養方式，並遏制野生動物非法貿易。Yap的咖啡館是提高人們對爬蟲類的認識和欣賞，促進其保護的創新方式。Article referenced from: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/snakes-lizards-desserts-meet-malaysias-first-reptile-cafe-2023-02-27/

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K537: Beyond Meat's Upbeat 2023 Revenue Forecast and Cost Controls Boost Shares Despite Inflation Concerns Beyond Meat's Upbeat 2023 Revenue Forecast and Cost Controls Boost Shares Despite Inflation Concerns Beyond Meat, the plant-based meat producer, announced a revenue forecast for 2023 that is slightly higher than analysts' predictions. Despite concerns about high inflation and slow growth, the company expects to generate between $375 million and $415 million in revenue next year. Beyond Meat's shares rose by more than 13% after the announcement, as investors were encouraged by the company's plans to double down on cost controls. However, analysts caution that Beyond Meat has had to lower its guidance multiple times in the past few years, and increased competition and consumers trading down to cheaper products may hurt growth. Beyond Meat發表了2023年的收益預測，略高於分析師的預測。儘管存在高通脹和經濟增長放緩的問題，該公司預計明年將創造3.75至4.15億萬美元的收入。在公司計劃加倍控制成本的鼓舞下，Beyond Meat的股價上漲了逾13％。然而，分析師提醒稱，Beyond Meat在過去幾年中不得不多次降低預測，且增加的競爭和消費者轉向更便宜的產品可能會損害公司的增長。 Beyond Meat expects to reduce operating expenses by 22% in 2023, compared to a 9% increase in 2022. The company's net revenue fell 21% to $79.9 million in Q4 2022 compared to the previous year, but still beat analysts' expectations. The net loss for the company narrowed to $66.9 million, or $1.05 per share, in Q4 2022, which was better than analysts' estimates. Beyond Meat had previously announced that it was targeting cash flow positive operations in the second half of 2023. Beyond Meat預計在2023年將運營開支降低22％，而2022年則增加了9％。該公司2022年第四季度的凈收入與去年同期相比下降了21％，但仍超出了分析師的預期。公司的凈虧損在2022年第四季度縮小至6690萬美元，每股虧損1.05美元，優於分析師的預估。Beyond Meat之前已宣布，公司將在2023年下半年實現正現金流。 Despite concerns about inflation and competition, Beyond Meat's cost control measures and optimistic revenue forecast have encouraged investors. However, analysts caution that the company has had to lower its guidance multiple times in the past few years, and competition and cost pressures may impact future growth. 儘管存在通脹和競爭的問題，Beyond Meat的成本控制措施和樂觀的收益預測鼓舞了投資者。然而，分析師提醒稱，公司在過去幾年中曾多次降低預測，競爭和成本壓力可能會影響未來的增長。Article referenced from: https://www.agriculture.com/markets/newswire/update-3-beyond-meats-upbeat-2023-revenue-forecast-cost-controls-lift-shares

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 1. To make hay while the sun shines （打鐵趁熱） Hay（乾草）是農場、牧場重要的動物飼料。乾草的組成包含麥草、豆類植物的莖和葉，苜蓿芽等等，要取得乾草，必須在植物開花前，就進行收割，而且據說乾草的保存並不容易，天氣如果太乾燥或太炎熱，有時候容易造成乾草堆起火，造成農場火災；如果太潮濕，乾草容易滋生細菌，其中的營養價值也會降低。 這句諺語形容，當農夫收割新鮮的草後，他們會把握陽光普照的日子，在太陽底下將乾草曬乾，以利後續製作成乾草堆，因此延伸出打鐵趁熱之意。 The idiom "make hay while the sun shines" means to take advantage of an opportunity while it is available or to make use of favorable conditions while they last. The phrase originated from the practice of farmers harvesting hay on dry, sunny days when the hay is more likely to dry quickly and prevent it from rotting. Thus, the phrase is often used to encourage people to act quickly and make the most of a good situation before it passes or becomes less advantageous Example Sentences: "I know you're tired, but we should finish this project while we have the chance. Let's make hay while the sun shines." "The stock market is doing well right now, so it's a good time to invest. You should make hay while the sun shines." "We're going on vacation next week, so let's finish all our work before we go. We need to make hay while the sun shines." 2. Once in a blue moon （鮮少地、罕見地） Blue moon不是字面上的藍月，而是形容同一個月分當中，出現的第二個滿月。按照慣例，我們每個月都會見到一次滿月，由於我們在日期上只有一天一天，沒有所謂0.5天這種數字，再加上有些月份30天、有些31天，按照精準計算，滿月大約每 29 天發生一次，因此偶爾一個月會有兩次滿月。根據NASA計算，大約每隔兩年半會發生一個月內出現兩個滿月。據說今年2023年，8月底有機會出現Blue moon！ 也因為每兩年半左右，才會出現一次這樣的現象，所以才衍伸出了Once in a blue moon這樣的用法，有點類似成語「鐵樹開花」，形容少見、難得一見的現象。 The idiom "once in a blue moon" means something that happens very rarely, almost never, or very infrequently. It refers to the occurrence of a second full moon within the same calendar month, which is a relatively rare event. A blue moon is not actually blue in color, but rather a term used to describe the rare phenomenon of two full moons appearing in a single month. This idiom is often used to describe an event that is unusual, unexpected, or happens only very occasionally Example Sentences: "I only see my old college friends once in a blue moon, since we all live in different parts of the country now." "I don't usually go out to eat at fancy restaurants, but I decided to treat myself once in a blue moon." "The last time we had a snowstorm like this was once in a blue moon, over a decade ago." 3. Written in the stars （命中注定） 這則諺語的來源不可考，不過這讓我想到，中世紀人們開始流行觀星、占卜等神秘學，「寫在星星裡」讓人聯想到所謂的觀星象，窺探命運的感覺。 講到星星，就不得不提家喻戶曉的兒歌小星星，小星星的歌詞是一位英國女詩人，Jane taylor於1806年所發表，描述他眼裡看到的星星。雖然是一首來自英國的兒歌，但它的旋律卻是來自18世紀的一首法國童謠，同樣的旋律也被應用在了Alphabet Song。 The phrase "written in the stars" refers to the idea that fate or destiny has already predetermined a certain outcome or event. It suggests that something is inevitable or unavoidable, as if it has been written in the heavens. The origin of the phrase can be traced back to ancient beliefs about astrology and the idea that the positions and movements of the stars can influence human affairs. In modern usage, the phrase is often used to describe the feeling that something is meant to be, or that a certain outcome is inevitable, even if the reasons for that feeling are unclear or unexplainable Example Sentences: "Even though we come from different backgrounds and have faced many obstacles, I know that our love is written in the stars." "The success of their business seemed to be written in the stars, as every decision they made seemed to lead them closer to their goals." When they first met, it was like they were destined to be together - their connection was written in the stars. "Some people believe that their life path is predetermined and written in the stars, while others believe that they have the power to shape their own destiny."

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K537: In Town Where Train Derailed, Lawyers Are Signing Up Clients in Droves In the four weeks since a freight train derailed in East Palestine and released more than 100,000 gallons of toxic chemicals, lawyers have poured into the little town, signing up clients, gathering evidence and already filing more than a dozen lawsuits in federal court on behalf of local residents. 美國一列貨運火車在俄亥俄州東巴勒斯坦鎮脫軌，釋放超過十萬加侖有毒化學物質。事發四周內，律師湧入小鎮與客戶簽約、蒐證，並已代表當地居民在聯邦法院提出超過十二起訴訟。 Their message overall has been one of warning: It may be months, years or possibly even decades before the derailment’s ultimate effect on people’s health, property values or the soil and water becomes clear. 他們的訊息總體而言是警訊之一：火車脫軌對當地居民健康、財產價值和土壤及水源的最終影響，可能要經過數月、數年甚至數十年才會變得清楚。 Further, the lawyers say, early moves by Norfolk Southern, the operator of the train, suggest that getting comprehensive answers from the company will not be easy. 此外，代表當地居民提出訴訟的律師們表示，脫軌列車營運商諾福克南方鐵路公司在事故發生初期的舉措顯示，要從該公司得到全面的答覆並不容易。 Among a public that is deeply skeptical of official test results — Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, and other state and federal officials say they have not shown anything alarming so far — or camera-friendly efforts at reassurance, these warnings have resonated. 共和黨籍俄亥俄州州長狄懷恩和其他州與聯邦官員都說，目前為止官方測試結果都沒有令人憂心的情況，但對官方測試或在鏡頭前發表的安撫言論深感懷疑的大眾而言，這些警訊已經引發了共鳴。 “They get what’s happening,” Rene Rocha, a lawyer with personal injury firm Morgan & Morgan, said during a state hearing about the derailment Thursday in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, just across the border from East Palestine. 在與東巴勒斯坦接壤的賓州比佛郡一場關於脫軌事件的州聽證會上，「摩根與摩根」律師事務所人身傷害律師羅查周四表示：「他們明白發生了什麼事。」 Referring to residents there who had spoken at the hearing about headaches, coughs and other classic symptoms of chemical exposure, he added: “They see they’re not getting the truth from the politicians and the company. That leaves the lawyers.” 羅查提到居民們在聽證會上說，他們出現頭痛、咳嗽和其他暴露在化學物質的典型症狀，他表示：「他們認為自己沒有從政治人物和公司那得到真相。那就讓律師來做。」 The huge scale of the chemical burn-off and the harrowing images of the fire, as well as the intense politicization of it all, have made the derailment in East Palestine among the most high-profile environmental disasters in the country in years. 大規模化學物質燃燒和可怕的火災畫面，加上這一切強烈政治化，已使東巴勒斯坦脫軌事件成為美國近年來最引人注目的環境災難。 The legal machinations are in their early stages. Cases might ultimately be consolidated as class-action or multidistrict litigation; most of the suits will almost surely end up bundled before one or several federal judges in an Ohio courtroom. 法律方面的勾心鬥角還處於早期階段。案件最終可能合併為集體訴訟和多地區訴訟，大多數訴訟幾乎肯定最終會由俄亥俄州法庭一名或多名聯邦法官一併處理。 Norfolk Southern may offer some sort of resolution voluntarily, whether by setting up a compensation fund with an independent administrator or establishing a court-supervised medical monitoring program, where people could come for free testing related to possible health effects. 諾福克南方鐵路公司可能會自願提供某些解決方案，不管是設立有獨立管理人的賠償基金，或建立由法院監管的醫療監測計畫，民眾能就可能發生的健康影響接受免費檢測。 The company has already been paying $1,000 in “inconvenience compensation” to people who had to evacuate. Although Norfolk Southern insists that the payments do not curtail anyone’s right to sue, many are skeptical. 諾福克南方鐵路公司已向被撤離的民眾支付一千美元的「不便補償金」。儘管該公司堅稱，付補償金不會限制任何人提出訴訟的權利，但許多人持懷疑態度。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/7008051

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K537: UK’s Sunak tries to win over skeptics to his Brexit deal UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak traveled to Belfast on Tuesday last week to sell his landmark agreement with the European Union to its toughest audience: Unionist politicians who fear post-Brexit trade rules are weakening Northern Ireland’s place in the United Kingdom. 英國首相里希．蘇納克上週二前往北愛爾蘭首府貝爾法斯特，向最嚴苛的聽眾──擔心英國脫歐後的貿易規則削弱北愛爾蘭在英國之地位的北愛民主聯盟黨政客──推銷他與歐盟達成的具里程碑意義的協議。 The UK and the 27-nation EU announced Monday that they had struck a deal to resolve a dispute over Northern Ireland trade that has vexed relations since the UK left the bloc in 2020. The agreement will ease customs checks and other hurdles for goods moving to Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK that were imposed after Brexit to maintain an open border between the north and its EU neighbor, the Republic of Ireland. 英國與歐盟27國上週一宣布，他們已達成協議，解決自2020年英國脫歐以來一直困擾兩方關係的北愛爾蘭貿易爭端。該協議將放寬英國脫歐後強加於北愛爾蘭與英國其他地區之間的海關檢查，以及其他貨物轉運之障礙，以維持北愛與其歐盟鄰國愛爾蘭共和國之間的開放邊界。 The deal, dubbed the “Windsor Framework,” was hailed by London and Brussels as a breakthrough. But Northern Ireland’s British unionist politicians have yet to give it their blessing. Their support is key to restoring Northern Ireland’s semi-autonomous government, which has been toppled by the trade feud, leaving 1.9 million people without a functioning administration. 這稱為「溫莎框架」的協議，被倫敦及布魯塞爾譽為一項突破。但北愛爾蘭主張與英國統一的政客尚未表態支持。他們的背書是重啟北愛爾蘭半自治政府的關鍵，該政府已因貿易爭端被癱瘓，導致有190萬人口的北愛爾蘭沒有政府正常運作。 Sunak told the BBC the deal was “a huge step forward for the people of Northern Ireland” and he was confident politicians there would support it. 蘇納克對BBC表示，該協議是「北愛爾蘭人民向前邁出的一大步」，他相信北愛的政界會支持它。 The Democratic Unionist Party, which had governed alongside Irish nationalists Sinn Fein in the power-sharing administration, walked out of the government a year ago to protest the trade rules and has refused to return until they are scrapped or substantially rewritten. Under Northern Ireland’s political system, power is shared between Irish nationalists and British unionists, and neither side can govern without the other. 在權力分享政府中與愛爾蘭民族主義派的新芬黨共同執政的民主統一黨（DUP），一年前為抗議貿易規則而退出執政，並表示除非該貿易規則被廢除或大幅改寫，他們不會重返政府。在北愛爾蘭的政治體制下，權力由愛爾蘭民族主義派與英國統一派共享，任何一方都不能缺席執政。 DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said Tuesday last week that the party would “take our time” to pore over the details of the deal before delivering its verdict. DUP領導人杰弗瑞．唐納森上週二表示，該黨將在做出裁決前「花時間」仔細研究該協議的細節。 Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a border with an EU member. When the UK left the bloc, the two sides agreed to keep the Irish border free of customs posts and other checks because an open border is a key pillar of Northern Ireland’s peace process. 北愛爾蘭是英國唯一與歐盟成員國接壤的地區。英國離開歐盟時，雙方同意讓愛爾蘭邊境免於海關檢查和其他檢查，因為開放的邊界是北愛爾蘭和平進程的重要支柱。 Instead, there are checks on some goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. That angered British unionist politicians in Belfast, who say the new trade border in the Irish Sea undermined Northern Ireland’s place in the UK. 但取而代之的，是對從英國其他地區進入北愛爾蘭的一些商品進行檢查。這激怒了貝爾法斯特的親英統派政客，說愛爾蘭海的新貿易邊界破壞了北愛爾蘭在英國的地位。 Sunak said the new Windsor Framework “removes any sense of an Irish Sea border,” removing checks on the vast majority of goods. It also gives Northern Ireland politicians a mechanism to challenge new EU trade rules that could apply in the region — a key unionist demand. 蘇納克表示，溫莎框架「消除了愛爾蘭海的任何邊界感覺」，取消了對絕大多數商品的檢查。它還為北愛爾蘭政客提供一個機制來挑戰可能適用於該地區的新歐盟貿易規則——這是親英統派的一個關鍵要求。 Business groups largely welcomed the deal, saying it would ease the burdens faced by companies and give Northern Ireland customers access to goods such as English sausages that were blocked under the original post-Brexit rules. 商業團體對這筆交易多表歡迎，稱這將減輕公司的負擔，並讓北愛爾蘭客戶能夠獲得英國脫歐後最初被禁的商品，例如英國香腸。 Some hard-line pro-Brexit politicians in Sunak’s governing Conservatives also were surprisingly positive about the deal. One key figure has yet to weigh in — former UK prime minister Boris Johnson, who negotiated the original Brexit divorce deal that Sunak has now rewritten. 蘇納克執政的保守黨中一些支持脫歐的強硬派政客對這項協議也出乎意料地持積極態度。 只有一位關鍵人物尚未發表意見——前首相鮑里斯．強森，他談判了最初的脫歐協議，蘇納克現在已經改寫了該協議。 The agreement was also welcomed by the White House, which said it was “grateful” the two sides could resolve the dispute. 該協議也受到白宮的歡迎，稱「感謝」雙方能夠解決爭端。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2023/03/07/2003795599

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Topic: The Magazine Business, From the Coolest Place to the Coldest One I miss magazines. It’s a strange ache, because they are still sort of with us: staring out from the racks at supermarket checkout lines; fanned wanly around the table in hotel lobbies; showing up in your mailbox long after the subscription was canceled, like an ex who refuses to accept the breakup. 我懷念雜誌，這是一種奇怪的痛，因為它們在某種程度上仍與我們同在。超市排隊結帳時，它們從架上盯著我們；在飯店大廳桌子周圍憔悴晃動；取消訂閱很久後還會出現在信箱，像是拒絕接受分手的舊愛。 But they’re also disappearing. This accelerating erosion has not been big news during a time of pandemic, war and actual erosion, and yet the absence of magazines authoritatively documenting such events, or distracting from them, as they used to do with measured regularity, is keenly felt. 但它們也在消失。在疫情、戰爭與雜誌真的衰微的時期，這種加速衰微並不是什麼大新聞，但人們敏銳地感覺到，缺乏權威性雜誌來記錄這些事件，或像過去那樣定期的讓注意力從這些事情轉移。 Time marches on, or limps, but Life is gone. There’s no more Money. The print editions of their former sister publications Entertainment Weekly and InStyle, which once frothed with profit, stopped publishing in February. It’s been au revoir to Saveur and Marie Claire; shrouds for Playboy, Paper and O. (As I type this, people are tweeting about The Believer being bought by a sex-toy site.) 「時代」雜誌還在前進，或說蹣跚前行，但「生活」雜誌已經逝去。「金錢」雜誌沒了。它們以前的姊妹刊物「娛樂周刊」和「InStyle」印刷版曾獲利豐厚，但已在2月停止出版。大家向「Saveur」和「美麗佳人」告別，也讓「花花公子」、「紙」與O雜誌穿上壽衣。（就在我撰寫此文時，人們在推特上說「The Believer」被一個情趣用品網站收購了。) Two recent books — “Dilettante,” by Dana Brown, a longtime editor at Vanity Fair, and a new biography of Anna Wintour, by Amy Odell, formerly of cosmopolitan.com — are graveyards of dead or zombie titles that were once glowing hives of human whim. 最近出版的兩本書，「浮華世界」資深編輯達納．布朗的「Dilettante」及柯夢波丹前成員艾咪．歐德爾的安娜溫圖新傳記，有如亡者的墓地，或曾是人類奇想的光輝巢穴冠上了殭屍名號。 “There were so many magazines in 1994,” Brown writes. “So many new magazines, and so many great magazines. All the young talent of the moment was eschewing other industries and flocking to the business. It was the coolest place to be.” 布朗寫道：「1994年有很多雜誌。很多新雜誌，很多很棒的雜誌。當時所有年輕人才避開了其他行業，湧向這個行業。那是最酷的。」 Then suddenly the coldest. On the big fancy cruise ship that Brown had just boarded — Vanity Fair, where he’d been beckoned by Graydon Carter while a barback at the restaurant 44 — he and so many others then could only see the tip of an enormous iceberg they were about to hit: the internet. Smartphones, little self-edited monster magazines that will not rest until their owners die, were on the horizon. These may have looked like life rafts, but they were torpedo boats. 然後突然變成最冰冷的地方。布朗在44號餐廳吧檯用餐時，被總編輯卡特招攬，剛登上有如大型豪華郵輪的「浮華世界」，但他跟其他許多人只能看到他們即將撞上的巨大冰山一角：網路。智慧手機這種自我編輯、直到擁有者死去才會停止的小怪物雜誌也即將來臨。這些東西可能看起來像是救生艇，但它們其實是魚雷艦。 Every year, the American Society of Magazine Editors issues a handsome award, a brutalist-looking elephant called the Ellie, modeled after an Alexander Calder elephant sculpture. Any writer would be proud to have it on the mantelpiece. 每年，美國雜誌編輯協會都會頒發一項大獎，這是一頭野獸派風格、名叫「艾利」的大象獎座，模仿考爾德大象雕塑設計而成。作家都以把它放在壁爐上為榮。 The history of modern American literature is braided together with its magazines. The future can feel like a lot of loose threads, waving in the wind. 現代美國文學史與它的雜誌彼此交織在一起。未來就像是許多鬆散的線，在風中飄揚。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6379678 Next Article Topic: The Not-So-Glossy Future of Magazines One evening in mid-September, a gaggle of writers and bon vivant editors gathered by the outdoor fireplace and ivy-covered trellis of a West Village tavern. Steak was served, and the toasts lasted late into the night, the revelry trickling out to the nearby sidewalk. 九月中旬的一個夜晚，在西村的一家小酒館，一群作家和喜歡享受生活的編輯們聚集在一個室外壁爐和常春藤覆蓋的格狀架子旁。牛排上桌後，眾人杯觥交錯直到深夜，歡鬧聲流瀉到鄰近的人行道上。 It could have been a scene from the Jazz Age heyday of the Manhattan magazine set — or even the 1990s, when glossy monthlies still soaked up millions of dollars in advertising revenue, and editors in chauffeured town cars told the nation what to wear, what to watch and who to read. 這幕場景可能來自爵士時代曼哈坦雜誌業全盛時期，甚至是90年代，以亮光紙印刷的月刊還是廣告收入淹腳目，編輯們坐在司機駕駛的豪華轎車內，告訴全國該穿些什麼、欣賞什麼、閱讀什麼人的年頭。 This night, however, had an elegiac tinge. The staff of Vanity Fair was saluting the magazine’s longtime editor, Graydon Carter, who had announced that he was departing after a 25-year run. In the back garden of Carter’s restaurant, the Waverly Inn, star writers like James Wolcott and Marie Brenner spoke of their gratitude and grief. 不過，這一晚透著一種悲傷的況味。《浮華世界》的員工正向雜誌的長期總編輯葛雷登．卡特致敬。卡特在任職25年後，宣布即將離職。在卡特自家餐廳「韋佛利餐廳」的後花園中，一些明星作家如詹姆士．沃科特、瑪麗．布倫納都表達了他們的謝意和感傷。 Carter has always had a knack for trends. Within two weeks, three other prominent editors — from Time, Elle and Glamour — announced that they, too, would be stepping down. Another titan of the industry, Jann S. Wenner, said he planned to sell his controlling stake in Rolling Stone after a half-century. 卡特一向走在趨勢前端。不出兩星期，又有3位知名雜誌總編，分別是《時代》、《ELLE她》、《魅力》的總編也宣布準備下台。另一個業界巨頭，《滾石》創刊人詹恩．溫納則表示，打算出售他在《滾石》已保有半個世紀的控制性持股。 Suddenly, it seemed, long-standing predictions about t

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 即刻加入15Mins通勤學英語直播室，每週一9pm等你來說英文 : https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/46hm8k 摘取文章： https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4832353; https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4818874 ChatGPT launches boom in AI-written e-books on Amazon Using the AI software, which can generate blocks of text from simple prompts, Schickler created a 30-page illustrated children’s e-book in a matter of hours, offering it for sale in January through Amazon.com Inc's AMZN.O self-publishing unit. 使用可以從簡單提示產生文本塊的人工智慧軟件，Schickler在幾個小時內創作了一本30頁的插圖兒童電子書，並於一月份通過亞馬遜公司的自助出版單位出售。 In the edition, Sammy the Squirrel, crudely rendered also using AI, learns from his forest friends about saving money after happening upon a gold coin. He crafts an acorn-shaped piggy bank, invests in an acorn trading business and hopes to one day buy an acorn grinding stone. 在這個繪本中，使用AI繪圖的Sammy松鼠，在遇到一枚金幣後向他的森林朋友學習儲蓄。他製作了一個橡子形狀的存錢罐，投資於橡子交易業務，希望有一天能買下一個橡子研磨石。 "The Wise Little Squirrel: A Tale of Saving and Investing," available in the Amazon Kindle store for $2.99 - or $9.99 for a printed version - has netted Schickler less than $100, he said. While that may not sound like much, it is enough to inspire him to compose other books using the software. 他表示，“聰明小松鼠：關於儲蓄和投資的故事”在亞馬遜Kindle商店售價為2.99美元，印刷版本售價為9.99美元，他所獲得的收益不到100美元。儘管這聽起來不算多，但這已足以激發他使用這種軟件創作其他書籍的靈感。 Taiwan defeats the Netherlands 9-5 at the World Baseball Classic The Dutch team established an early lead, but Taiwan took the score to 1-1, CNAreported. From there, Taiwan fortified its position and never looked back, reaching 5-1 by the bottom of the second inning. 荷蘭隊一開始取得領先優勢，但根據中央社報導，台灣追平比數為1比1。從那時起，台灣就鞏固了自己的位置，並且在第二局下半場以5比1領先。 The Netherlands clawed back to 5-2 at the top of the third inning but soon faced a renewed effort by Team Taiwan, with the inning ending at 7-2 in favor of the hosts. Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) took the team’s lead up to 8-2 in the fourth inning. 荷蘭隊在第三局上半場反撲至5比2，但隨即面臨台灣隊的再度努力，最終以7比2結束該局，主場優勢明顯。陳傑憲在第四局將台灣隊的領先優勢擴大至8比2。 The score did not change again until the eighth inning, when Juremi Profar and Wladimir Balentien helped the Dutch team reach 8-4. However, before the end of the inning, Taiwan’s Lin Li (林立) added a point, with the Dutch making a last desperate effort to reach 9-5. 比數一直保持不變，直到第八局，Juremi Profar和Wladimir Balentien幫助荷蘭隊追至8比4。然而，在該局結束前，台灣的林立加入了一分，荷蘭隊最後拼盡全力，以9比5落敗。 The Dutch team had come out on top of Pool A by beating Cuba 4-2 and Panama 3-1, while Taiwan lost to Panama 12-5 before defeating Italy 11-7, holding second place in the pool tied with the Italian team. 荷蘭隊通過以4比2擊敗古巴和以3比1擊敗巴拿馬，脫穎而出成為A組的領頭羊，而台灣隊在以12比5輸給巴拿馬之後，以11比7擊敗義大利，與義大利隊並列小組第二。

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K536: About Germany - Germany wants to reuse data centers’heat. No one is buying it Germany wants to force its power-hungry data centers to harness excess heat for warming residential homes — an effort which the industry warns is likely to fall flat. 德國希望強制能源用量大的數據中心，善用其多餘熱能為住宅提供暖氣，但產業界警告，這項努力可能失敗。 While in theory an innovative way to reduce the industry’s immense carbon footprint, experts have pointed to a flaw in the government’s proposal: potential recipients of waste heat are not being compelled to take it. 儘管在理論上這是減少產業龐大碳足跡的創新方法，但專家指出，政府這項提案有瑕疵：多餘熱能的潛在接受者並非一定得採用。 “The challenge here is finding someone who can use that heat economically, ”according to Ralph Hintemann, senior researcher at the data center lobby group Borderstep. 根據數據中心遊說團體「邊境組織」高級研究員拉夫‧興特曼說法，「此事的挑戰在於，找到能節約使用這些熱能的人」。 The energy efficiency law being prepared by the government aims to save some 500 terawatt-hours of energy by 2030. 政府正在籌備的這項能源效率法，目標是要在2030年前省下約500兆瓦時的能源。 Next Article German ballet director suspended over feces attack on critic 德國芭蕾舞導演因糞便攻擊評論家而被停職 A German newspaper critic had animal feces smeared on her face in the city of Hannover by a ballet director who apparently took offense at a review she wrote. 一名德國報紙評論家在漢諾威市被一名芭蕾舞導演用動物糞便塗抹在她的臉上，該芭蕾舞導演顯然對她寫的評論感到生氣。 The Hannover state opera house apologized for the incident and said Monday that it was suspending ballet director Marco Goecke with immediate effect. 漢諾威國家歌劇院為此事件道歉，並於週一表示，將立即解除芭蕾舞團導演馬爾科·戈克的職務。 The daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that a furious Goecke approached its dance critic, Wiebke Huester, during the interval of a premiere at Hannover’s opera house on Saturday and asked what she was doing there. It said that the two didn’t know each other personally. 《法蘭克福廣訊報》日報報導說，週六在漢諾威歌劇院舉行的首演中場休息時段，憤怒的戈克走近了該報舞蹈評論家維布克·休斯特，問她在那裡做什麼。據說兩人彼此不認識。 He then pulled out a paper bag with animal feces and smeared her face with the contents before making off through a packed theater foyer, the newspaper said. Huester identified the substance as dog feces and said she had filed a criminal complaint, German news agency dpa reported. 該報稱，他隨後拿出一個裝有動物糞便的紙袋，將裡面的東西塗在她臉上，然後穿過擁擠的劇院門廳離開。據《德新社》 報導，休斯特鑑定該物質為狗糞，並表示她已提起刑事訴訟。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1568485 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1568054

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K535: About the US - Seattle schools sue tech giants over social media harm The public school district in Seattle has filed a novel lawsuit against the tech giants behind TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat, seeking to hold them accountable for the mental health crisis among youth. 西雅圖的公立學區對TikTok、Instagram、臉書（Facebook）、YouTube和Snapchat背後的科技巨頭提出一項新的訴訟，試圖讓它們對青少年的心理健康危機負責。 Seattle Public Schools filed the lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court. The 91-page complaint says the social media companies have created a public nuisance by targeting their products to children. 西雅圖公立學校週五在美國地方法院提起訴訟。這份長達91頁的訴狀指稱，這些社群媒體公司將旗下產品鎖定兒少，已造成公害。 It blames them for worsening mental health and behavioral disorders including anxiety, depression, disordered eating and cyberbullying; making it more difficult to educate students; and forcing schools to take steps such as hiring additional mental health professionals, developing lesson plans about the effects of social media, and providing additional training to teachers. 訴狀指控它們導致（兒少）心理健康和行為障礙惡化，包括焦慮、憂鬱、飲食失調和網路霸凌，使得教育學生變得更加困難，迫使學校採取相關措施，例如雇用更多心理健康專業人員、制定有關社群媒體影響的課程計畫，以及為教師提供額外培訓。 Next Article Massachusetts woman accused of assaulting officers with swarm of angry bees （釋放狂暴蜜蜂襲警 麻薩諸塞州女子挨告） Rorie Woods, a 55-year-old professional beekeeper from Massachusetts, stands accused of using a swarm of bees as a dangerous weapon while deputies were trying to serve an eviction notice. 麻薩諸塞州55歲專業蜂農羅莉‧伍茲，在縣警準備執行驅逐令時，把一大群蜜蜂當成對付警察的危險武器，因而遭到控罪。 The incident unfolded when Woods drove a SUV to the home in Longmeadow, towing a stack of beehives. At arriving, she exited the vehicle and tried to open the lids to unleash the bees. 這起事件發生在伍茲開著一台休旅車、後頭拖著一堆蜂箱前往朗梅多的一戶住宅時。抵達後，她下車試圖打開蓋子放出蜜蜂。 A sheriff’s deputy tried to stop her, but as the bees started getting out and circling the area, he pulled back. Woods then smashed the lid of one hive, agitating the bees. They swarmed the area, stinging several officers and bystanders who were nearby. 一名縣警試圖阻止她，但因蜜蜂開始飛出並四處盤旋，他不敢上前。伍茲之後砸開其中一個蜂箱的蓋子，激怒這些蜜蜂，一大群蜜蜂衝出，叮咬多名警員和附近的路人。 Meanwhile Woods put on a professional beekeeper suit to protect herself. 與此同時，伍茲穿上專業的蜂農服裝保護自己。 The residence belonged to a man who had been litigating against his removal for years, garnering support of anti-eviction activists, including Woods. 這個住所住著一名多年來持續就驅逐令進行爭訟的男子，此事受到反驅逐志工的支持，包括伍茲。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1571057

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Summary: 討論文章: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4825377 For the past few months, Taiwan is struggling with it egg shortage that's now crossed over to chicken wings. Due to the culling policy of Avian Flu, chicken are being culled at an alarming rate and chicks are not grown fast enough. In this episode, Angel and I talk about what is driving the netizens in Taiwan crazy. 留言告訴麥當勞剔除的餐點裡，有那個是你最不能接受的! Comment down below! Vocabulary: 1. Remove v. 去除/拿走/剔除 Mcdonald's Taiwan removed some of their menu items. 麥當勞台灣剔除了菜單上部分品項。 2. Discontinue v. 停產/停止 Companies would discontinue their product or services when they can't turn a profit anymore. 當企業無法賺取利潤通常他們會停產或停止提供服務。 3. Urban myth n. 都市傳說 It's an urban myth that Evian mineral water would make your hair fall off. Evian礦泉水會讓你掉頭髮是個都市傳說。 更多Vocab Podcast節目: https://www.15mins.today/vocab 歡迎主題投稿/意見回覆 : [email protected] 商業合作/贊助來信：[email protected]

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K534: Earthquakes Destroy. People Rebuild. She wanted to retrieve her medicine, and if memory serves all these years later, also a hairbrush and a photograph from her apartment. 她想拿回她的藥，若經過這麼多年沒記錯的話，還想拿回一把梳子跟她公寓裡的一張照片。 It was in 2009, a couple of days after an earthquake flattened L’Aquila, the capital of Abruzzo, in central Italy. Authorities had closed the city to residents, but the woman and her sister had sneaked in. I found her leaning on a cane in a broken, empty plaza staring up at a midcentury building that the quake had somehow sheared horizontally so that it looked like a pot with its lid askew. 那是在2009年，義大利中部阿布魯佐大區首府拉奎拉遭地震夷成平地的幾天後。當局已禁止居民進入該城，但這位婦女跟她妹妹偷溜進去。我發現，她站在一個破敗、空曠的廣場上，拄著一根拐杖盯著一座上世紀中葉的建築物，地震不知以何種方式水平橫切該建築物，看起來就像一個蓋子歪掉的鍋子。 She asked for help. 她尋求援助。 From afar, we measure catastrophes like the calamity in Turkey and Syria by totaling the numbers of dead and buildings destroyed. Reports describe a spectacularly wide disaster zone, recovery efforts that are too slow, leaving untold hundreds and possibly thousands of victims still buried, alive and dead, under the rubble — and hundreds of thousands more in the cold without homes, food, drinking water or medical supplies. 從遠處看，我們透過罹難人數和建築物被摧毀總數，衡量像土耳其和敘利亞的災難。有報導描述一個驚人的廣大災區，復原工作過於緩慢，數百名甚至數千名受害者恐仍被埋在廢墟下，生死未卜，還有數十萬人在寒冷環境中生活，沒有房子、食物、飲用水或醫療用品。 It is too much to process, the loss of lives and history. The tiny Jewish community in Antakya, in central Turkey, dates back 2,500 years. The head of the community and his wife both died in the quake. The city’s synagogue is now gone. 生命和歷史的逝去讓人難以接受。土耳其中部安塔基亞的小猶太社區可追溯至2500年前。社區負責人和他的妻子都在地震中喪生。這座城市的猶太教堂現已不復存在。 The Habibi Neccar Mosque collapsed, too. The earthquake’s destruction was ecumenical. The mosque dates back to 638. It was a church and a mosque, depending on who ruled the city. Over the centuries, authority passed from the caliphs to the Byzantines, who succumbed to Seljuks, who were ousted by the Crusaders, who ceded to Mamluks, who were replaced by Ottomans, and eventually Antakya was annexed by Turkey. The quake erased whole swathes of history. 哈比卜內卡清真寺也倒塌了。地震造成廣泛破壞。這座清真寺的歷史可追溯至公元638年。它是一座教堂，也是座清真寺，取決於誰統治這座城市。數個世紀以來，權力從哈里發傳到屈服於塞爾柱人的拜占庭，十字軍驅逐塞爾柱人後將城市割讓給馬木留克人，馬木留克人則被鄂圖曼人取代，最終安塔基亞被土耳其併吞。地震則抹去了整個歷史。 The biblical city of Antioch, Antakya is also where the word “Christian” was supposedly first used. The Apostle Peter led the church there before establishing a church in Rome. Paul preached in Antioch. The quake collapsed the St. Paul Orthodox Church, as well. 安塔基亞是聖經中的安提阿城，據說也是「基督徒」一詞首次被使用的地方。使徒彼得建立羅馬教會以前，曾在當地帶領基督教。保羅也在安提阿傳道。地震也使得聖保羅東正教教堂倒塌。 L’Aquila, like Antakya, lies in a notorious earthquake zone. A quake in L’Aquila in 1349 killed 800 residents; another in 1703 killed more than 3,000, prompting Pope Clement XI to send priests and nuns freed of their celibacy to repopulate the city. 拉奎拉和安塔基亞一樣，位在惡名昭彰的地震帶上。拉奎拉1349年的一場地震，造成800個居民喪生，1703年的另一場地震導致3000多人死亡，促使教宗克勉十一世派遣不再守貞的神父和修女，提供這座城市新生命。 You may rightly ask about the logic of rebuilding time and again in these risky places. But logic is not the point. 你可能會問，在這些危險地方一次又一次重建的邏輯為何，但邏輯並不是重點。 Cities are only nominally bricks and mortar, after all. To residents they are repositories of a hairbrush and a photograph — collective threads of a social fabric that, over time, weave together a life, a family, a history, a neighborhood, a community. 城市畢竟只是表面上的實體建築。對居民來說，它們是一把梳子和一張照片的倉庫，一個社會結構的集體線索，將一個生活、一個家庭、一段歷史、一個鄰居和一個社區逐漸編織在一起。 The city was still a shambles. But it was home. 這座城市仍然一片狼藉，但它是家。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6994223

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K533: At the Oscar Nominees Luncheon, a Crowd in Cruise Control For the privileged few embarking on an Oscar campaign, the path to a nomination asks you to hobnob with so many of the same people that over the course of many months, your competitors can begin to feel like classmates. 對於有幸出席奧斯卡活動的佼佼者來說，入圍之路得先與數不清的同行打交道，數個月下來，原本的競爭者可能開始感覺像同學了。 But on Monday afternoon, at a luncheon held in Beverly Hills, California, for this year’s Oscar nominees, the arrival of a new student caused quite a stir. 但周一下午在加州比佛利希爾頓酒店為今年奧斯卡入圍者舉行的午宴上，一名前來報到的新生引發轟動。 That would be Tom Cruise, nominated this year as a producer of the megahit best picture contender “Top Gun: Maverick.” He was among the first notable names to walk into the ballroom of the Beverly Hilton. The 60-year-old star had sat out both the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards this season, so many of his fellow nominees were encountering him for the first time. Before long, the ballroom had turned into a massive meet-and-greet. 他是湯姆克魯斯，入圍今年最佳影片的熱門大片「捍衛戰士：獨行俠」製片人之一。他是最先踏入比佛利希爾頓會場的幾位名人之一。這名60歲巨星缺席了本季的金球獎及美國影評人獎，很多一起入圍的人是首次見到他。午宴不久後就變成一場大型見面會。 “I love you, I love you, oh, my God!” said “Everything Everywhere All at Once” star Ke Huy Quan, who hopped in place, exclaiming, “I want a picture with this man!” before seizing a selfie with Cruise. Director Guillermo del Toro went over for an embrace, as did nominated actors Brendan Fraser, Angela Bassett and Michelle Williams. Cruise even posed for pictures with Steven Spielberg, a once-frequent collaborator whom the star has not been publicly photographed with in over a decade. 「我愛你，我愛你，喔我的天！」「媽的多重宇宙」演員關繼威興奮得跳不停，大喊「我要跟這男人合照」然後與湯姆克魯斯自拍。導演吉勒摩戴托羅跑去跟湯姆克魯斯擁抱，入圍演員獎項的布蘭登費雪、安琪拉貝瑟、蜜雪兒威廉絲也一樣。湯姆克魯斯甚至與過去常合作、但已逾十年未公開同框的導演史蒂芬史匹柏合影。 The nominees luncheon is supposed to be an egalitarian affair where big stars and behind-the-scenes technicians are on equal footing, but there was no mistaking Cruise as the ballroom’s top dog: He had the gravitational pull of the sun and its burnt-orange countenance, too. 奧斯卡入圍午宴本該是一場幕前明星與幕後技術人員以平等身分相見的聚會，但湯姆克魯斯無疑是宴會廳裡的頭號人物：他自帶太陽般的引力，也擁有如烈日煥發的焦橙臉龐。 Still, simply making it to Cruise took some time: In the schmoozy hour before lunch was served, he was so mobbed by his fellow nominees that he was hardly able to move more than a few feet. I watched for a while as “Elvis” star Austin Butler drifted with slow, inexorable determination toward Cruise, who finally pulled the younger man toward him by clamping a hand on his shoulder like a stapler. For several minutes, they were locked in such a tight bro-embrace that it was impossible to discern what they were talking about. 單單要接近湯姆克魯斯就得花上不少時間：在用餐前的交流時間，入圍者們將他團團圍住，他幾乎無法移動幾步。我看著飾演「貓王」的明星奧斯汀巴特勒緩慢卻堅定地朝他一步步走去，而湯姆克魯斯最終伸出手，像支釘書機一樣一把按在這年輕人的臂膀上，將他拉向自己。有好幾分鐘時間，他們像兄弟一般緊緊擁抱，兩人到底說了些什麼，其他人根本不可能得知。 So instead, I made my way to “Top Gun: Maverick” producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who observed the scene serenely just a few feet away. “It’s my first time at the luncheon,” said the newly nominated producer, who’s better known for making explosive action movies than Oscar fare. “After 50 years in the business, I finally get here.” 我見狀後移動到「捍衛戰士：獨行俠」另一製片傑瑞布洛克海默身邊，他在幾英尺外平靜的看著這一幕。「這是我第一次參加奧斯卡午宴」，這位剛入圍的製片主要以激烈的動作片聞名，而非奧斯卡電影，「在這一行打滾五十年後，我終於來到這兒了」。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/7008044

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Topic: Sellout Culture Is a Problem for Pro Golf Even if you don’t play or follow golf — which I don’t — you’re probably aware of the controversy now engulfing the game. A number of the world’s top-ranked pro players, notably Phil Mickelson, made extremely lucrative deals to play in a new tour, the LIV Golf International Series, sponsored by Saudi Arabia. The PGA Tour, which has traditionally dominated the sport, responded by suspending 17 of these players. 即便不打或不追高球新聞—我也沒追—你也可能知道現在這項運動捲入爭議。一些世界頂級職業球員，尤其是米克森，達成極其有利可圖的交易參加沙烏地阿拉伯贊助的新巡迴賽，即LIV高球國際系列賽。傳統上主導這項運動的職業高球美巡賽（PGA Tour）對此做出回應，將其中17名球員禁賽。 The Saudis are obviously engaged in reputation-laundering — greenswashing? — in an attempt to make people forget about the atrocities their regime has perpetrated. It’s less clear what motivated the PGA. Did it consider the LIV series flawed, not a proper golf tour? Was it attempting to squash competition? Or was the problem with the LIV series’ sponsors? 沙國顯然在清洗名聲—是在「漂白」嗎？試圖讓人們忘記他們政權所犯下的暴行。目前還不太清楚什麼原因驅使PGA這樣做。它是否認為LIV系列賽有缺陷，不是個像樣的高球巡迴賽？它會不會是在試圖壓制競爭嗎？或是LIV系列賽贊助者的問題？ PGA attendees surveyed by ProGolf weekly were in no doubt: An overwhelming majority attributed Mickelson’s exclusion to “media/cancel culture.” And I hope they’re right. I mean, if getting paid big bucks to provide favorable PR to a regime that deals with critical journalists by killing them and dismembering them with a bone saw doesn’t warrant cancellation, what does? And yet Mickelson and others were willing to provide that PR. 接受《ProGolf》周刊調查的PGA與會者均無疑問，絕大多數將米克森遭剔除歸因於「媒體/取消文化」。我希望他們是對的。我的意思是，拿大錢幫一個政權提供公關服務，而這個政權把批評他們的記者殺掉還肢解，如果這不是一個取消的正當理由，那什麼才是？而米克森和其他人卻願意提供這種公關服務。 So if you ask me, the real story here isn’t that the PGA may (or may not) have found a line it won’t cross. It is that so many members of the American elite evidently have no such lines. 所以，若你問我，情況並非PGA可能（或可能沒有）找到一條不會跨越的線，而是這個美國菁英組織許多成員明顯沒有這樣的界線。 What explains the rise of sellout culture? Tax cuts may have played a role: Selling your soul becomes more attractive when you get to keep more of the proceeds. Soaring income inequality may inspire envy, a desire to keep up with the super-elite. And there is surely a process of normalization: Everyone else is selling out, so why shouldn’t I join the party? 如何解釋出賣文化興起？減稅可能起到一定作用：當你能保留更多收益時，出賣你的靈魂就變得更有吸引力。日益嚴重的收入不平等可能會引發嫉妒，讓人渴望跟超級菁英攀比。當然，這是一個正常過程：其他人都在出賣，那我為何不入群呢？ Kids used to look up to public figures, sports stars in particular, as role models. Do they still? Can they, given what public figures will do if the checks are big enough? 以前孩子們常把受人尊敬的公眾人物作為榜樣，尤其是體育明星。他們還會嗎？考慮到支票夠大時公眾人物竟然這樣做，他們還能嗎？Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6413966 Next Article Topic: Why Are There More Successful Older Golfers Today? From the 18th fairway in the final group of the British Open in 2009, Tom Watson, the five-time Open champion, hit a shot that flew right at the pin. For a moment, it looked like Watson, then age 59, would win the tournament for a record sixth time and become the oldest player to win a major championship. 2009年英國公開賽最後一組第18洞的球道上，五屆冠軍華森一揮直飛旗桿。一時間，當時59歲的華森似乎將贏得創紀錄的第六座英國公開賽冠軍，並成為最年長的四大賽冠軍。 A firm bounce sent the ball off the back of the green, and Watson needed three more shots to get the ball into the hole. That dropped him into a tie for first. In the four-hole playoff, he ran out of gas and lost by six shots. 小白球強力彈跳後滾出果嶺後方，華森又花了三桿才把球送進洞裡。這使他落到並列領先。四洞延長賽，他精力耗盡，最後輸六桿。 A decade ago, the idea of an older golfer contending in, let alone winning, a major championship was something few considered. That was still the time when most golfers petered out in their mid-40s and kicked around the golf world before having a brief resurgence on the Champions Tour when they turned 50. 10年前，很少人料想得到年長的高球選手會參加四大賽，遑論拿冠軍。當時，大多數高球選手在45歲左右開始淡出，到滿50歲參加「冠軍」（譯註：長春）巡迴賽散發短暫餘暉前，其間在高球界四處晃晃。 Leading these middle-age mavericks is Phil Mickelson, 51, won the PGA Championship in May. He beat Brooks Koepka, a four-time major winner, and Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, who are both in their 30s. 這些不服老的中年高球選手領導人物是剛滿51歲的米克森，他在今年5月贏得PGA錦標賽冠軍。擊敗了都是30多歲的四屆四大賽冠軍得主科普卡與2010年英國公開賽冠軍歐蘇森。 “All these guys have taken a new approach,” said Dave Phillips, co-founder of the Titleist Performance Institute, which focuses on golf and fitness. “There’s a lot of money out there. They realize they can still compete with the younger guys, but they need to spend more time on their body and what they fuel their body with.” 高球與健身專門機構「冠軍競技表現研究所」共同創辦人戴維．菲利普斯說：「這些人都採取一種新方法。比賽獎金很高。他們意識到自己仍可跟年輕人競爭，只是需要花更多時間在身體及強化身體的物質上面。」 Phillips said what Mickelson and the others were doing provided lessons for older golfers. “It’s not strength, but the recovery and the downtime that matter,” he said. “It’s letting your body recover. Everyone wants to get fitter, stronger, faster. They’re upset when they don’t see the results. But what they’re doing is fatiguing to the body more so than a round of golf.” 菲利普斯說，米克森和其他人的作為，幫年

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 即刻加入15Mins通勤學英語直播室，每週一9pm等你來說英文 : https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/46hm8k 1. Acid test– 酸值測試 Meaning: A decisive test where the findings show the worth or quality of something. Example: “This beta test will be the acid test needed for our project to receive funding.” 2. The problem is between the keyboard and the chair- 問題是在鍵盤與椅子中間 Meaning: The problem was caused by the fault of the user. Also seen as the acronym PICNIC: Problem In Chair Not In Computer Example: “The glitch in that game seems to be a problem between the keyboard and the chair.” 3. Fire on all cylinders- 點燃全汽缸 Meaning: The system is working as well as it can. Example: “Our network is firing on all cylinders after the update.” 4. Get your wires crossed- 線打結了 Meaning: People misunderstanding each other when making plans or giving directions. Example: “We must have gotten our wires crossed the other day because he wasn’t at the meeting at noon as planned.” 5. Pull the plug- 拔插頭 Meaning: To end a project. Example: “It looks like time to pull the plug on this coding class.” 練習時間: 請使用二到三個慣用語來分享自身小故事 Please think of two to three scenarios where you can use these idioms or share a story using the idioms.

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K532: About Animals - Dogs in costumes take over at Rio Carnival street party As Rio de Janeiro kicked off its Carnival on Saturday, about 100 dogs barked and wagged their tails to the tune of samba music as they paraded in front of pet lovers in a canine costume competition. 里約熱內盧週六揭開狂歡節序幕，將近100隻狗兒在犬類服裝比賽的寵物愛好者面前遊行，隨著森巴音樂曲調吠叫和搖尾巴。 The “Blocao” — a mixture of “bloco” which refers to Carnival street parties and “cao,” or dog in Portuguese — brought about 300 people to Rio’s Barra da Tijuca. Dog costumes ranged from fairies, and superheroes to clowns and cartoon characters. 「狗狗狂歡節街頭派對」（Blocao）——「bloco」（指狂歡節街頭派對）和「cao」（葡萄牙語的狗）的混合體——把將近300人帶到了里約熱內盧的巴拉達蒂茹卡。狗狗的服裝從仙女、超級英雄到小丑和卡通人物都有。 Edson Chianca, 36, brought his 12-year-old Saori to the parade in a Minnie Mouse costume. He dressed the same way so the pair matched. 36歲的埃德森．奇安卡帶著他12歲的「沙織」穿著米妮老鼠的服裝參加了遊行。他穿得一樣，所以這對很匹配。 Marco Antonio Vieira, the organizer of Blocao, said he has no intention of humanizing pets with the pet parade and the contest that picks the top five best dressed dogs. 「狗狗狂歡節街頭派對」組織者馬爾科．安東尼奧．維埃拉表示，他無意藉由寵物遊行和比賽選出前五名最佳穿著狗狗，來使寵物人性化。 “Thirty years ago they lived in our backyard, now they live on our beds. It is good for them to be with the owner. When the dog sees the owner happy, he is happy too,” Vieira said. 維埃拉說，「30年前牠們住在我們的後院，現在牠們在我們的床上生活。和主人在一起，對牠們有好處。當狗看到主人開心時，牠也會開心。」 Next Article Herd the news? Wild boar piglet adopted by cows 你「豬」道嗎？小野豬被牛群收養 A cow herd in the central German community of Brevoerde has adopted a lone wild boar piglet. 德國中部布雷弗爾德村的一個牛群，收養了一隻落單的野豬幼崽。 Farmer Friedrich Stapel told the dpa news agency that it had likely lost its group when they crossed a nearby river. 農夫弗里德里希‧斯塔佩爾向「德新社」表示，這隻小野豬可能是在橫渡附近一條溪流時，和其他野豬失散。 Stapel said while he knows what extensive damage wild boars can cause, he can’t bring himself to chase the animal away. 斯塔佩爾說，雖然他知道野豬可能帶來的巨大損害，但他不忍心把牠趕走。 The local hunter has been told not to shoot the piglet — nicknamed Frieda — and in winter Stapel plans to put it in the shed with the mother cows. 當地獵人已被告知不要射殺這隻暱稱弗里達的小豬，斯塔佩爾還準備在冬天來的時候，讓小豬和牛媽媽們一起待在牛棚。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1568956 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1568602

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K531: About Tech - Crab and lobster shells could be used to make renewable batteries The researchers in Maryland have developed batteries that use a product derived from crustacean shells to store energy. 美國馬里蘭州科學家已經開發出一種電池，它是從甲殼動物的殼提取用於儲存能源的物質製成。 As the world transitions towards deploying green energy solutions and electric vehicles, the batteries being used for such technology also need to be eco-friendly. 當世界向使用綠色能源解決方案和電動汽車過渡時，這種科技使用的電池也必須是環保的。 Crustaceans have exoskeletons made of cells that contain chitin, a kind of polysaccharide that makes their shells hard. 甲殼類動物的外骨骼由含有甲殼素的細胞組成，這是一種讓牠們外殼堅硬的多醣。 Through chemical processing and adding acetic acid aqueous solution, chitin can ultimately be synthesised into a firm gel membrane and used as an electrolyte for a battery. 透過化學加工並加入醋酸水溶液，甲殼素最終可以被合成凝膠膜，作為電池的電解質。 By combining this chitosan electrolyte with zinc, a naturally occurring metal increasingly used to make batteries that are cheap and safe, scientists were able to create a renewable battery. 藉由將這種甲殼素電解質和鋅混和，科學家得以製造再生電池。鋅是一種日漸用於製作電池使之便宜且安全的天然金屬。 Next Article New stick-on ‘sonar’ device lets you watch your own heart beat 新黏貼聲納裝置讓你監測自己的心跳 Imagine having a watch that could live-stream your heart as it beats in your chest. 想像當心臟在胸口跳動時，擁有一支可以直播心跳的手錶。 Researchers just unveiled a wearable ultrasound patch — something like a Band-Aid with sonar. 研究人員剛推出一個穿戴式的超音波貼片，它就像是有著聲納的OK蹦。 This stick-on device offers a flexible way to see deep inside the body. Ultrasound maps tissues and fluids by recording how sound waves bounce off of them. 這個黏貼裝置提供一個探測身體深處的彈性方法。超音波透過紀錄聲波如何從組織和血液上反彈，來繪製它們。 The new patch can work for up to 48 hours straight — even while you’re moving around a lot, like when you play a sport. 這款新貼片可以連續使用長達48小時，即便是在遊走移動的情況下，例如運動。 In many poorer countries, access to hospitals — and their high-power imaging machines — can be limited. 在許多較貧困的國家，就醫並取得高功率成像機器的機會可能有限。 But the new device “has a huge potential” to aid people in these parts of the world, Aparna Singh, a biomedical engineer at Columbia University said. 但是哥倫比亞大學生物醫學工程師阿帕娜．辛格表示，這個新的裝置擁有巨大的潛能，能夠幫助世界上這些地區的民眾。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1569161 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1566618

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Summary: 討論文章: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4769567 Taiwan's Pizzahut is well known for its odd, fusion, seasonal menus in the recent years. In this episode, Angel and I go through the ingredients and take on the naming challenge for each new pizza flavors. Tell us down below, which ones you have tried!歡迎投稿有趣的主題給醬老師與Angel老師 Comment down below! Vocabulary: 1. Red rice yeast n. 紅糟 Red rice yeast ba-wan is a famous dish from Hsinchu. 紅糟肉圓是來自新竹的名菜。 2. Filthy rich idiom. 非常富有 People who buys luxury goods all the time are filthy rich. 常買精品的人都是非常有錢。 3. CCR (Cross-Culture Romance) n. 跨文化戀情 The fusion of east and west in a pizza is like CCR. 東西合璧的比薩就像跨文化戀情一樣。 更多Vocab Podcast節目: https://www.15mins.today/vocab 歡迎主題投稿/意見回覆 : [email protected] 商業合作/贊助來信：[email protected]

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K530: After Gutting Youth Services, Can U.K. Cut Youth Crime? The Marcus Lipton Youth Club is the last dedicated youth center still standing in its pocket of south London. 馬可斯．利普頓青年俱樂部是倫敦南部最後一個專門的青年中心，至今仍屹立。 But it is teetering. Nearly half of London’s youth centers have closed in the past decade as Britain has cut money for youth services, as well as for welfare, schools and drug and alcohol treatment, according to the most recent available data. Marcus Lipton used to count on hundreds of thousands of pounds a year in government funding. Now, it gets nearly zero. 但它正搖搖欲墜。根據最新數據，由於英國削減青年服務，以及福利、學校和毒品與酒精治療的資金，過去十年倫敦有將近一半青年中心關閉。馬可斯．利普頓過去仰賴政府每年數十萬英鎊補助，如今幾乎為零。 “Just look around you,” said Ira Campbell, 55, the manager of the club, which offers counseling, warm meals and sports for young people. “This place is a safe haven.” 該俱樂部為青年提供諮詢、熱騰騰餐點跟運動，55歲經理坎伯說：「看看你周圍，這是一個安全避風港。」 Marcus Lipton lies in the shadow of the Loughborough Estate public housing project, where two of the Conservative government’s longtime priorities — fighting crime and trying to reduce the budget deficit — collide. 馬可斯．利普頓俱樂部正籠罩在拉夫堡莊園公共住宅計畫的陰影下，保守黨政府長期兩大優先施政項目—打擊犯罪跟試圖減少預算赤字，在該計畫有所衝突。 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is building new prisons and recruiting more police officers as part of his party’s pledge to be tough on crime. He has also proposed a budget that would make deep spending reductions in the coming years, forcing officials to find savings in programs that have already been whittled to the bone during a decade of austerity. 英國首相蘇納克正建造新的監獄，並招募更多警察，這是他的政黨嚴厲打擊犯罪承諾的部分行動。他還提出一項預算計畫，未來幾年將大幅削減支出，迫使官員們在十年撙節政策期間已被嚴重削減的項目再設法省錢。 Budget cuts during that decade, instituted in response to the global financial crisis of 2008, hit the poorest neighborhoods of Britain’s capital particularly hard, according to the Institute for Government, an independent research group in London. Those neighborhoods are also where serious youth violence, like homicide, has risen or remained disproportionately high after austerity, data from the office of London Mayor Sadiq Khan shows. 倫敦獨立研究機構政府研究所指出，為因應2008年全球金融危機，這十年間實施的預算刪減對英國首都最窮困社區的打擊尤為嚴重。根據倫敦市長卡恩辦公室的數據，這些社區也是在撙節開支政策實施後，凶殺案之類嚴重青年暴力事件有所上升或依舊居高不下的地方。 Annual knife violence involving teenage victims in the city increased by nearly 40% to 5,332 in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic began, from 3,809 in 2012, according to police figures obtained by The New York Times. (There was later a dip in serious youth violence during virus-related lockdowns, most likely because of reduced social contact.) 紐約時報從警方獲得的數據顯示，在新冠病毒大流行開始前的2019年，倫敦市涉及受害者為青少年的持刀暴力事件，從2012年的3809件增加近40%至5332件。（後來在與病毒有關的防疫封鎖期間，嚴重青年暴力事件有所減少，很可能是因為社會接觸減少。） Residents of the Loughborough Estate, already frustrated by sharply rising utility bills and food costs, say that the government would rather pay to lock up young people than spend money on projects that might provide them with positive activities or help their parents to make ends meet. 已對急劇上漲水電費與食物價格感到沮喪的拉夫堡莊園居民們說，政府寧願花錢把年輕人關起來，也不願資助可為他們提供正面活動的計畫，或幫助他們的父母維持生計。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6978804

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K529: Combating Disinformation Wanes at Social Media Giants YouTube, like other social media platforms, spent years expanding its efforts to tackle misinformation after the 2016 election. It hired policy experts and content moderators and invested in more technology to limit the reach of false narratives. Not anymore. 2016年美國大選後，YouTube和其他社群平台一樣，花數年時間擴大其處理錯誤訊息的努力。該公司聘請政策專家與內容審核員，並投資更多技術來限制假論述的傳播。現在沒有了。 Last month, the company, owned by Google, quietly reduced its small team of policy experts in charge of handling misinformation, according to three people with knowledge of the decision. The cuts, part of the reduction of 12,000 employees by Google’s parent company, Alphabet, left only one person in charge of misinformation policy worldwide, one of the people said. 三名知情人士透露，谷歌旗下的這家公司悄悄減少負責處理錯誤訊息的政策專家小組。其中一人表示，這次裁員是谷歌母公司字母削減1.2萬名員工行動的一部分，只留下一個人負責全球錯誤訊息政策。 The cuts reflect a trend across the industry that threatens to undo many of the safeguards that social media platforms put in place in recent years to ban or tamp down on disinformation — like false claims about the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian war in Ukraine or the integrity of elections around the world. Twitter, under its new owner, Elon Musk, has slashed its staff, while Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has shifted its focus and resources to the immersive world of the metaverse. 裁員反映了整個產業的一種趨勢，恐破壞社群媒體平台近年為禁止或遏制假訊息所實施的許多防護措施，例如有關新冠疫情大流行、俄烏戰爭或世界各地選舉公正性的虛假說法。推特在新老闆馬斯克領導下大幅裁員，擁有臉書、Instagram和WhatsApp的Meta，則將重點和資源轉移至沉浸式的元宇宙世界。 Faced with economic headwinds and political and legal pressure, the social media giants have shown signs that fighting false information online is no longer as high a priority, raising fears among experts who track the issue that it will further erode trust online. 遭逢經濟逆風及政治與司法壓力的這些社群媒體巨頭，已表明打擊網路虛假消息不再是當務之急，讓追蹤此議題的專家擔心，這將進一步削弱網路上的信任。 “I wouldn’t say the war is over, but I think we’ve lost key battles,” said Angelo Carusone, the president of the liberal media watchdog Media Matters for America. After years of efforts, he described a mounting sense of fatigue in the struggle. “I do think we, as a society, have lost the appetite to keep battling. And that means we will lose the war.” 自由派媒體監督機構「美國媒體事務」的卡魯桑表示：「我不會說戰爭結束了，但我認為我們輸掉關鍵戰役。」經過多年努力，他描述這場抗爭中愈來愈強烈的疲勞感。「我的確認為，我們整個社會已失去繼續戰鬥的興趣。這意味我們將輸掉這場戰爭。」 The companies maintain they remain diligent, but the efforts to combat false and misleading information online — which arguably peaked during the COVID pandemic and the 2020 presidential election — have waned at a time when the problem of misinformation remains as pernicious as ever with a proliferation of alternative sites competing for users. 這些公司堅稱他們仍很勤奮，但打擊網路虛假及誤導資訊的行動已有所減弱，這些假訊息在新冠疫情大流行與2020年總統大選期間達到巔峰，隨著替代網站激增且競相爭奪用戶，假訊息問題仍像以往那樣有害。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6994226

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Topic: Russia's Villages, and Their Culture, Are 'Melting Away' With its winding dirt lanes framed by lilacs, quaint wooden houses and graceful onion-domed church, the tiny farming hamlet of Baruta was once a postcard of Russian bucolic bliss. 俄國西北部普斯科夫區域的巴魯塔小農村曾是俄國田園的幸福象徵，蜿蜒的土路旁盡是丁香、古雅的木屋和優美的洋蔥圓頂教堂。 No longer. More people lie in the tightly packed church cemetery than inhabit the village. Agriculture is slowly withering, too. 此景不再。在擁擠不堪的教堂墓地安息的人，比住在村裡的多。農業也逐步衰退。 With Russia's natural population growth entering an extended period of decline, villages like Baruta are disappearing from across the country’s continental expanse. 由於俄國人口的自然增長進入長期衰退期，像巴魯塔這樣的村落正從廣袤的俄國大陸各地消失。 "We have not had a wedding or a baptism for quite some time — we mostly have funerals," said a resident, Alexander Fyodorov, 59, one of just 17 men left in what was a thriving collective of some 500 farmers. 59歲居民費奧多羅夫說：「我們好一段時間沒有婚禮或洗禮了——多半是喪禮。」他曾是一個約有500農民、蓬勃發展的集體農場的一分子，如今農場只剩下17個男人，他是其中之一。 President Vladimir Putin frequently cites hardy population growth as a pillar of restoring Russia's place atop the global order. There is a pronounced gap, however, between the positive terms in which Putin and his advisers habitually discuss demographic trends and the reality of the numbers. 俄國總統普亭常說，強勁的人口成長是讓俄國重居新全球之首的基礎。不過，普亭與顧問們討論人口趨勢時慣常使用的正面詞語，和真實人口數目差距甚大。 Russians are dying faster than they are being born, demographers said. Given the general hostility toward immigration, the question is to what degree the population of 146 million, including annexed Crimea, might shrink. 人口學者說，俄國人死亡的速度比出生快。在俄國人普遍對移民懷有敵意的情況下，俄國總數1億4600萬（包括兼併來的克里米亞）的人口勢將減少，問題只在減幅的大小。 The number of deaths exceeded the number of births in 2016 by a few thousand, and the prognosis for the years ahead is poor. From 2013-2015, extremely modest natural growth peaked in 2015 with just 32,038 more births than deaths. 去年俄國死亡人數超越出生人數幾千人，未來幾年前景也不樂觀。2013到2015年極微小的人口自然增長在2015年達到高峰，出生數只比死亡數多3萬2038人。 "The statistics and the propaganda are very different things," said Natalya V. Zubarevich, an expert in social and political geography at Moscow State University. 莫斯科國立大學社會與政治地理學專家祖巴列維奇說：「統計數字和宣傳大不相同。」 In terms of population loss, Pskov, which borders Latvia and parts of Estonia, is among the worst hit regions in Russia. The population peaked at around 1.8 million in the 1920s, said Andrei Manakov, a demographer at Pskov State University. It is down to 642,000, and projected to drop to about 513,000 by 2033. 普斯科夫與拉脫維亞和愛沙尼亞部分地區接壤，是俄國人口減少最嚴重的區域之一。普斯科夫國立大學人口學者馬納科夫說，1920年代這裡的人口達到高峰，約180萬。現在降到64萬2千人，料將在2033年前降到大約51萬3千人。 Researchers estimate that out of 8,300 area villages in 1910, 2,000 no longer have permanent residents. 研究人員估計，1910年這裡的8300個地區村落中，2000個不再有常住居民。 Under the most optimistic projections by demographers, Russia’s population by 2050 will stay the same, about 146 million, if immigration from Central Asia — which has also been dropping — balances out low birthrates. Less optimistic figures put the population around 130 million by 2050, and the most pessimistic say fewer than 100 million. 人口學者最樂觀的預測是，如果來自中亞的移民（也正在逐漸減少）能彌補俄國的低出生率，2050年俄國人口會跟現在一樣，大約1億4600萬。較不樂觀的數據是2050年人口約為1億3000萬，最悲觀的是不到1億。Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/318780/web/ Topic: Russia reaches out to OPEC as Riyadh opens oil taps The COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in China and its rapid spread has taken its toll on the global economy, driving down demand for oil in the first weeks of 2020. 在中國爆發的武漢肺炎冠狀病毒迅速蔓延，讓全球經濟遭受巨大損失，對石油的需求在二〇二〇年開年數週便降低了。 In response, in the scheduled meeting on March 5-6 in Vienna, Saudi Arabia and other OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) states called for OPEC+ to a make drastic cut of 1.5 million barrels per day to reduce supply by a total of 3.6 million barells per day — insisting on a non-OPEC agreement. However, Russia rejected the plan. When the OPEC+ talks collapsed, the OPEC oil cartel scrapped all output limits. A dispute then broke out. 因應此情況，沙烏地阿拉伯與其他石油輸出國組織（OPEC）國家三月五日至六日在維也納所舉行的例行會議中，便要求OPEC+國家每日大幅減產一百五十萬桶，讓石油每日供應總量減少三百六十萬桶，並堅持非屬OPEC之產油國也須共同遵守此協議。但俄羅斯拒絕了此計畫，談判破裂，OPEC這石油壟斷利益集團便取消了所有產量限制，爭端於焉爆發。 Russian oil companies had opposed such cuts, fearing loss of market share and of competitiveness against US shale production. They had previously in December agreed on a milder production cut of 500,000 barrels in 2020, and Russia wanted this to continue. 俄羅斯的石油公司曾對這種減產措施加以反對，擔心會失去市佔率，也會失去對美國頁岩油的競爭力。他們去年十二月曾同意一項較溫和的減產計畫，將在二〇二〇年減產五十萬桶，俄羅斯希望維持此計畫。 Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude exporter, responded on March 8 by announcing unilateral price cuts with its biggest price cut in 20 years in a bid to win market share. This prompted the oil price to plummet and fueled huge drops on stock markets the following day. 三月八日星期日，世界最大的原油出口國沙烏地阿拉伯對此做出回應，單方面宣佈降低油品價格，以贏得市佔率，此為二十年來最大降幅。這使得油價暴跌，並引發了三月九日星期一的股市大跌。 By March 9, oil had fallen to as low as US$31 from about US$66 at the end of 2019 as Riyadh said i

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 即刻加入15Mins通勤學英語直播室，每週一9pm等你來說英文 : https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/46hm8k Types of questions to ask to communicate effectively 啟動型問題The kickstart question: A good opening question is key, and asking a kickstarter like this will begin the conversation quickly and effectively—no need for useless banter. This question gets right down to business without being too aggressive or pointed. Example: What’s on your mind? What are your thoughts? What do you think of the issue? 專注型問題The focus question: So that you can really hone in on an issue, first find out directly from the source exactly what it is—before you’ve jumped in to help with something that isn’t the real problem. Example: What’s the real challenge here? What are the key issues? Do we know what the main problem is? 根本型問題The foundation question: Find out what your team member wants. It’s as simple as that. They might want something small or big, and thanks to this question, you’ll learn which—while leaving them feeling empowered. Example: What do you need? What kind of help do you want? What exactly do we need to solve this? 策略型問題The strategic question: Everyone needs a little help prioritizing now and then. This question will help the other person understand that they can drop a task to make room for something more important, so they don’t feel as though they are constantly taking on more without there being any room for relief. Example: If you’re saying yes to this, what are you saying no to? 分享時間               What was the one issue you helped a co-worker clarify/ resolve?What are other important tips for effective listening and questions?

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K529: About Iceland - Why it’s perfectly normal to see baby puffins thrown off cliffs in Iceland each year Watching thousands of baby puffins being tossed off a cliff is perfectly normal for the people of Iceland’s Westman Islands. The chicks of Atlantic puffins hatch in burrows on high sea cliffs. 對冰島威斯特曼群島居民來說，看見數千隻小海鸚被丟下懸崖相當平常。大西洋海鸚幼鳥在海邊懸崖高處的洞穴裡孵化。 When they’re ready to fledge, they fly from their colony and spend several years at sea until they return to land to breed. Pufflings have historically found the ocean by following the light of the moon. 當牠們羽翼豐滿準備展翅飛翔時，就會離開巢穴，花費數年待在海上直到返回陸地繁殖。歷史上，海鸚能跟隨月光找到海洋。 Many residents of the Westman Islands spend a few weeks in August and September collecting wayward pufflings that have crashed into town after mistaking human lights for the moon. 威斯特曼群島上許多居民會在8月和9月間花費數週把偏離方向的海鸚集中起來，在牠們把人為燈光誤認為月亮，墜入城鎮後。 Releasing the fledglings at the cliffs the following day sets them on the correct path. 隔天在懸崖邊釋放幼鳥，使牠們走上正確的道路。 Next Article Iceland recommends hugging trees instead of people 冰島建議人們用抱樹取代抱人 With countries imposing lockdown to block the spread of the virus, the Icelandic Forestry Service has taken a weird approach to the situation. 隨著各國實施封鎖措施防堵病毒傳播，冰島林業局採取一個奇怪的方法處理這種情況。 The Icelandic Forestry Service has asked citizens to hug trees and plants while maintaining social distancing. Forest rangers at Hallormsstaður National Forest in East Iceland are cleaning up the snow from roads so locals can go and hug trees. 冰島林業局讓公民去抱樹與植物，同時保持社交距離。冰島東部Hallormsstaður國家森林的森林保育員，正在清理路上的積雪，以便當地人可以去抱樹。 "When you hug [a tree], you feel it first in your toes and then up your legs and into your chest and then up into your head," forest ranger Þór Þorfinnsson tells the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service. "It’s such a wonderful feeling of relaxation and then you’re ready for a new day and new challenges." 「當你抱住（一棵樹），你會感覺到它先是出現在你的腳趾，接著上到你的小腿，並且進入你的胸膛，進入你的頭」，森林保育員索芬森告訴冰島國家廣播公司，「這是一個奇妙的放鬆感受，然後你就會準備好面對新的一天與新的挑戰」。 Þorfinnsson recommends that not everyone should embrace the first tree they see; potential huggers should venture deeper into the forest. 索芬森建議，不是每個人都應該擁抱看見的第一棵樹，有潛力的擁抱者應該冒險進入森林深處。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1567879; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1367430

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K528: About furniture - Website offers $1,000 to a couple willing to build IKEA furniture Financial advice website FinanceBuzz is seeking a couple willing to test the strength of their bond by assembling IKEA furniture together this Valentine’s season. 在這個情人節，美國理財資訊網站FinanceBuzz正尋求一對願意藉由一起組裝宜家家居家具，測試兩人親密程度的伴侶。 The website said it is searching for an "IKEA DIY Duo" who would be given $1,000 IKEA Gift Card to purchase a bedroom set. 該網站表示，他們正在尋求一對「宜家家居自己動手做伴侶」，將給予兩人1000美元的宜家家居禮物卡，讓他們購買一整套臥室組合。 The couple would then be asked to assemble the furniture together and document the experience. 這對伴侶將被要求一起組裝家具，並記錄整個過程。 "Just you and your significant other, a wordless instruction manual and a hex key," the site said. 網站上說：「就只有你和你至關重要的另一半、一份沒有文字說明的示範手冊和一把內六角扳手。」 The winning couple will be awarded $1,000 for completing the task. 這對伴侶完成任務、拿下勝利後，將獲頒1000美元。 Next Article Chinese retailers hijack the Ikea experience 中國零售商攔截宜家家居的品牌經驗 Nestled in a southern district of Kunming city in southwest China, is a 10,000 square meter, four-story building that could make Swedish furniture giant Ikea uneasy. 位於中國西南部昆明市南區的一棟面積達1萬平方公尺的4層樓建築物，很可能讓瑞典的家具業龍頭「宜家家居」感到不安。 11 Furniture, as the store is known, copies Ikea’s blue and yellow color scheme, mock-up rooms, miniature pencils, signage and even its rocking chair designs. 這間名為「11家具」的家具店直接拷貝宜家的藍黃兩色設計、模型房間、迷你鉛筆與標誌，甚至連宜家的搖椅設計也照抄不誤。 This knock-off Ikea store is emblematic of a new wave of piracy sweeping through China. Increasingly sophisticated counterfeiters no longer just pump out fake luxury handbags, DVDs and sports shoes but replicate the look, feel and service of successful Western retail concepts -- in essence, pirating the entire brand experience. 這間山寨版宜家家具店正象徵著中國目前掀起的全新仿冒風潮。手法愈來愈精緻的仿冒者不再只是迅速生產出假的名牌手提包、DVD和運動鞋，而是要全面複製西方成功零售業概念的外觀、風格與服務，基本上就是抄襲整個品牌經驗。 Many of the most successful consumer companies have invested millions in promoting and building brands which encapsulate ideals, values and aspirations, creating valuable and loyal customer bases that sometimes border on cults. 大多數成功的消費企業都已投注數百萬美元在推銷與建立品牌上，這些品牌可精簡傳達出企業理想、價值與未來遠景，創造出極有價值的忠實顧客基礎，有時甚至可能形成對品牌的崇拜。 The presence of the fake stores in Kunming highlights China’s seemingly insatiable appetite for western brands in some consumer segments that have not been tapped, particularly in smaller cities far from the affluent eastern seaboard. 昆明出現這些山寨商店，則凸顯出中國某些消費市場對西方品牌的胃口無法得到滿足，卻未獲有效開發，尤其是遠離富裕東部沿海地區的較小型城市。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1566042 ; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/514527

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Summary: 討論文章: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/japan-never-traveler-culture-cmb/index.html The latest post-pandemic era phenomenon in Japan is the rise of the never travelers. They don't feel enticed to travel abroad, nor the need to spend big dollars on travel and seeing the world. In this episode, Angel and I discuss if we have the potential of becoming never travelers one day. Why don't you comment and tell us if you are a never traveler!歡迎投稿有趣的主題給醬老師與Angel老師 Comment down below! Vocabulary: 1. Tap your heels three times 綠野仙蹤裡，桃樂絲得到魔法鞋後，回家時必須做的 Dorothy tapped her heels three times and said "there's no place like home". 桃樂絲敲了腳跟三下並說“沒有一個地方如家一樣”。 2. Phenomenon n. 現象 The latest phenomenon in Japan is the rise of the never travelers. 日本最新現象是「從不旅行者」的崛起。 3. Convenience n. 便利性 Convenience in a country like Taiwan and Japan are what most travelers miss most. 便利性在台灣跟日本是多數旅客最懷念的。 更多Vocab Podcast節目: https://www.15mins.today/vocab 歡迎主題投稿/意見回覆 : [email protected] 商業合作/贊助來信：[email protected]

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K527: Why was the Turkey-Syria earthquake so bad? The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday last week is likely to be one of the deadliest this decade, seismologists said, with a more than 100km rupture between the Anatolian and Arabian plates. 地震學家表示，上週一襲擊土耳其和敘利亞的7.8級地震，可能是十年來傷亡最慘重的地震之一，安納托利亞和阿拉伯板塊之間斷裂了超過100公里。 Here is what scientists said happened beneath the Earth’s surface and what to expect in the aftermath: 以下是科學家所描述地表下所發生的事，以及預期後果： WHERE DID THE EARTHQUAKE ORIGINATE? 震源位於何處？ The epicenter was about 26km east of the Turkish city of Nurdagi at a depth of about 18km on the East Anatolian Fault. The quake radiated towards the northeast, bringing devastation to central Turkey and Syria. 震央位於土耳其城市努爾達伊以東約26公里處，深度約18公里，處於東安納托利亞斷層上。地震朝東北方向發散出去，蹂躪土耳其中部及敘利亞。 During the 20th Century, the East Anatolian Fault yielded little major seismic activity. “If we were going simply by (major) earthquakes that were recorded by seismometers, it would look more or less blank,” said Roger Musson, an honorary research associate at the British Geological Survey. 東安納托利亞斷層在二十世紀幾乎沒有重大地震活動。「如果我們只根據地震儀記錄的（大）地震來判斷，它看來多少是空白的」，英國地質調查局名譽研究員羅傑．穆森說。 Only three earthquakes have registered above 6.0 on the Richter Scale since 1970 in the area, according to the US Geological Survey. But in 1822, a 7.0 quake hit the region, killing an estimated 20,000 people. 根據美國地質調查局的資料，自1970年以來，該地區僅發生過三次芮氏6.0級以上的地震。但在1822年，一場7.0級地震襲擊了該地區，估計有兩萬人喪生。 HOW BAD WAS THIS EARTHQUAKE? 這次地震有多嚴重？ On average, there are fewer than 20 quakes over 7.0 magnitude in any year, making last Monday’s event severe. 平均來說，每年超過7.0級的地震只有不到20次，這讓上週一的地震變得非常嚴重。 Compared with the 6.2 earthquake that hit central Italy in 2016 and killed some 300 people, the Turkey-Syria earthquake released 250 times as much energy, according to Joanna Faure Walker, head of the University College London Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction. 倫敦大學學院風險與減災研究所所長喬安娜‧佛爾‧沃克表示，與2016年發生在義大利中部、造成約300人死亡的6.2級地震相比，土耳其—敘利亞地震所釋放的能量，是義大利地震的250倍。 Only two of the deadliest earthquakes from 2013 to 2022 were of the same magnitude as last Monday’s quake. 2013年至2022年傷亡最嚴重的地震中，只有兩次與上週一的地震震度相同。 WHY WAS IT SO SEVERE? 為何如此慘烈？ The East Anatolian Fault is a strike-slip fault. 東安納托利亞斷層屬於橫移斷層 In those, solid rock plates are pushing up against each other across a vertical fault line, building stress until one finally slips in a horizontal motion, releasing a tremendous amount of strain that can trigger an earthquake. 在橫移斷層中，堅硬的岩石板塊在垂直斷層線上相互推擠，不斷增加壓力，最後造成一塊岩石板塊水平滑動，釋放出可引發地震的巨大壓力。 The San Andreas Fault in California is perhaps the world’s most famous strike-slip fault, with scientists warning that a catastrophic quake is long overdue. 加州的聖安德列斯斷層或許是最著名的橫移斷層，科學家警告說，一場災難性的地震早該發生了。 The initial rupture for the Turkey-Syria earthquake kicked off at a relatively shallow depth. “The shaking at the ground surface will have been more severe than for a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude at source,” David Rothery, a planetary geoscientist at the Open University in Britain, said. 土耳其—敘利亞地震的斷裂是從深度較淺的地方開始。英國空中大學的行星地質學家大衛．羅瑟里表示：「相同的震級，若發生在地表，其震度將比震源更深的地震更加嚴重」。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2023/02/14/2003794282

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K526: 疫情讓學生損失三分之一學年 Third of School Year Lost, Study of Pandemic Finds Children experienced learning deficits during the COVID pandemic that amounted to about one-third of a school year’s worth of knowledge and skills, according to a new global analysis, and had not recovered from those losses more than two years later. 一項新的全球研究指出，新冠疫情期間，學童經歷學習損失，相當於大約三分之一學年的知識與技能，且兩年多後的現在，仍無法彌補這些損失。 Learning delays and regressions were most severe in developing countries and among students from low-income backgrounds, researchers said, worsening existing disparities and threatening to follow children into higher education and the workforce. 研究人員指，來自發展中國家與低收入家庭學生，面臨最嚴重學習落後與損失問題，導致現存社會不平等加劇，且恐持續影響這些學生至高等教育甚至職場階段。 The analysis, published in the journal Nature Human Behavior and drawing on data from 15 countries, provided the most comprehensive account to date of the academic hardships wrought by the pandemic. The findings suggest that the challenges of remote learning — coupled with other stressors that plagued children and families throughout the pandemic — were not rectified when school doors reopened. 這項分析研究刊登於「自然人類行為」科學期刊，依據15個國家的資料，為疫情造成的學習困境提供至今最全面的報告。研究顯示，遠距學習的挑戰，加上疫情期間孩子與家庭蒙受的其他壓力，導致的學習損失在校門重開之後也無法彌補。 “In order to recover what was lost, we have to be doing more than just getting back to normal,” said Bastian Betthäuser, a researcher at the Center for Research on Social Inequalities at Sciences Po in Paris, who was a co-author on the review. He urged officials worldwide to provide intensive summer programs and tutoring initiatives that target poorer students who fell furthest behind. 研究主要作者之一、法國「巴黎政治學院」社會不平等研究中心研究員貝特豪瑟說：「若要彌補損失，我們需做得比回歸正常更多。」他籲各國針對學習落後狀況最嚴重的貧窮學生提供暑期密集課程，制定輔導計畫。 In the United States, one study showed that the average public elementary or middle school student lost the equivalent of a half-year of learning in math, and 6% of students were in districts that lost more than a full year. Standardized math test scores in 2022, when compared with those in 2019, showed the largest drop ever recorded in the three decades since the exam was first administered. 在美國，一項研究顯示，一般的公立小學或中學學生在數學領域損失了約半年的學習量，而6%學生所處的學區讓他們損失超過一整年的學習量。學生在2022年的數學普考成績大幅低於2019年的成績，是該考試舉辦30年來的最大退步幅度。 The findings challenge the perceptions of many parents, almost half of whom said in 2022 surveys that they did not believe their children had suffered any achievement loss during the pandemic, and only 9% of whom expressed concern about whether their children would catch up. 這項發現顛覆了許多家長的認知，根據2022年民調，近半數受訪家長不認為孩子的學習因疫情受到損失，只有9%的家長擔心他們的小孩是否能趕上。 A separate review of test scores from 2.1 million students in the United States highlighted the impacts of economic disparity. Students at schools in communities with high poverty levels spent more of the 2020-21 school year learning remotely than those at schools in wealthier communities did, and students in poorer schools experienced steeper declines in performance when they were remote. 另一份研究針對210萬名美國學生的考試成績分析，發現了貧富不均造成的影響。2020至2021學年，在較高貧窮率社區的學校，學生比較富裕社區的學校接受了更長時間遠端授課，且較窮學校學生的學業表現在遠端授課期間也出現了更顯著的退步。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6964365

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Topic: In Amsterdam, Floating Homes That Only Look Like Ships When Karen Bosma first moved her boat to the Borneokade, northeast of Amsterdam’s bustling city center, in 1999, the neighborhood was barely more than a cluster of commercial docks and underused warehouses. 凱倫．博斯馬1999年剛把她的船移到荷蘭首都阿姆斯特丹熱鬧市中心東北方的波諾卡德時，這一帶幾乎只有成排商船船席和不常使用的倉庫。 “It was for poor people — a lot of artists lived on boats,” she said, sitting in her neat, cozy living room just below the waterline. 博斯馬坐在她整潔舒適的客廳裡回憶說：「當時這是窮人聚居區，很多藝術家住在船上。」客廳就在吃水線下方。 In the quarter century since, Bosma, a 62-year-old social worker, and her husband have raised two sons on the Distel, a 1912 82-foot freighter, which — stripped of its engine, fuel tanks and cargo hold — is one of Amsterdam’s iconic houseboats, with a seagoing hull, wheelhouse and curtained windows. 此後的四分之一個世紀，現年62歲的社工博斯馬和先生，在這艘船上把兩個兒子帶大。這艘船名叫「迪斯特爾」，是1912年打造的貨船，長25公尺，引擎、燃料槽和貨艙都已去除，是阿姆斯特丹著名船屋之一，具備遠洋船船體、舵手室和裝上窗簾的窗子。 Three boats down lies the B18, an elegant 131-foot, 2 1/2-story floating mansion (with more than 3,000 square feet of interior space) that shows just how perfectly the soul of a luxury yacht combines with open-space living and elegant living quarters. 三艘船以外停泊著B18，是雅緻的兩層半水上豪宅，長40公尺，室內面積超過279平方公尺（約84坪），顯示奢華遊艇的精髓如何與室外生活和優美的室內起居空間完美結合。 “It has to be a ship on the outside and a house on the inside,” said Gijs Haverkate, 53, who created the vessel and lives on it with his family. 53歲的哈福卡特造了B18，並與家人住在船上，他說：「B18必須外觀是艘船，內部是個家。」 In the Dutch capital, houseboats have gone upmarket. The new owners are wealthy and discerning, interested in new designs, upgraded comfort and sustainability. 在阿姆斯特丹，船屋已變得高檔了。新一批船屋主人富裕且有品味，對新設計、更高的舒適感和永續性都很感興趣。 Haverkate, a designer by trade, hopes his boat will inspire others to build on the water. He runs UrbanShips, a company that builds customized houseboats designed to look like ships. 哈福卡特以設計為業，希望他的船能激勵別人在水上蓋房子。他經營「都市船」公司，依照客戶需求打造看來像船隻的船屋。 After years of serving as a relatively cheap place to live in an expensive city, Amsterdam’s houseboats — or rather the spaces they float — have become popular and expensive, with prices increasing 30% to 40% over the past five years alone, according to Jon Kok, one of the city’s best known houseboat real estate agents. 阿姆斯特丹的船屋（更確切地說，是承載船屋的水面），原本的功用是在這昂貴的城市中作為相對廉價的住所，多年下來卻變得大受歡迎且價格高漲，阿姆斯特丹最知名船屋仲介公司之一「約翰科克」資料顯示，單單這五年來，船屋價格就漲了三到四成。 The whale’s share of the price increase comes from the value of the berth, not the ship. 船屋價格上漲，主要是因為船席變得更值錢，而不是船體本身。 A typical Amsterdam canal berth might be worth close to a half-million dollars, depending on its location and how big a ship it will allow; some of the older, unrenovated ships in those berths might be worth only $20,000 (building a new ship, of course, is much more expensive). 一個典型的阿姆斯特丹運河船席，可能就要近50萬美元，視地點和可容下多大船隻而定。停在這種船席上的一些老舊未翻新船隻，可能只值兩萬美元。（當然，造新船貴得多。） But in this gentrification debate, the cost of new berths is less important than the architecture of the ship — and whether they ever served as actual commercial ships. 不過，在討論船屋愈來愈高級的話題時，新船席的價格並不如船隻的設計美感和是否曾作為真正的商船來得重要。 Once populated by converted working boats, the canal now holds an increasing number of floating houses designed to look like oceangoing vessels but with hardly any of the working features of a real boat. 阿姆斯特丹的運河曾經滿是工作船改造後的船屋，現在有愈來愈多的水上房屋，設計成外觀像遠洋船，但實際上幾乎不具備真正船隻的功能。 Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/348587/web/#2L-16188816L Next Article Topic: Japan has so many vacant homes it’s giving them away Four years ago, Naoko and Takayuki Ida were given a house in the small town of Okutama, in Tokyo prefecture. For free. 4年前，井田直子與孝之得到一棟位於東京都小鎮奧多摩的房子。不用錢。 A free house may sound like a scam. But Japan faces an unusual property problem： it has more homes than people to live in them. 免費的房子聽起來像是騙局。但日本正面臨一項不尋常的房地產問題：房屋數量多於入住人數。 In 2013, there were 61 million houses and 52 million households, according to the Japan Policy Forum. And the situation is poised to get worse. 「日本政策論壇」指出，2013年時有6100萬間房子與5200萬戶家庭。而且，這種情況還會日益惡化。 Japan’s population is expected to decline from 127 million to about 88 million by 2065, according to the National Institute of Population and Social Security, meaning even fewer people will need houses. As young people leave rural areas for city jobs, Japan’s countryside has become haunted by deserted "ghost houses." 根據（日本）「國立社會保障、人口問題研究所」，預料日本人口到了2065年，會從1億2700萬減至約8800萬，意味需要房屋的人會更少。隨著年輕人為了在都市工作離開鄉間，日本鄉間已充斥遭棄置的「鬼屋」。 It’s predicted that by 2040, nearly 900 towns and villages across Japan will no longer exist － and Okutama is one of them. In that context, giving away property is a bid for survival. 預料到了2040年，全日本將近900座小鎮與村莊將不復存在—奧多摩便是其中之一。在此情況下，贈送房地產便成為一種求生之道。 Next Article Topic: Part Office Building , Part Homeless Shelter A year ago, when Amazon let a homeless shelter for families move into a former motel it owned, it was viewed as a nice but fleeting gesture. The motel was on a chunk of downtown property where Amazon pl

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Other ways to say: VERY GOOD Top-notch 頂尖的 That restaurant's really top-notch. Great 很棒 You looked great in that outfit. Splendid 輝煌/燦爛 She is a splendid painter. Terrific 非常/了不得 I feel terrific today. Excellent 出色/很棒 Her car is in excellent condition. Wonderful 精彩/雄偉 We had a wonderful time in Italy last summer. Other ways to say: VERY MUCH Deeply 深深的 The comment had offended him deeply. Greatly 大大的 Your support is greatly appreciated. Immensely 非常/廣大的 The visitors had enjoyed the game immensely. Thoroughly 徹底/好好的 The children thoroughly enjoyed the show. Extremely 非常/極端 He knows the area extremely well. Badly 非常 Anne was missing him badly. 分享時間:Tell a personal experience related to something / experience that was very good or very muchPick 4 words and make sentences

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K525: About odd news - San Antonio Zoo will let you name a cockroach after an ex and feed it to an animal The San Antonio Zoo is offering a special Valentine’s Day greeting for exes who just won’t bug off. （美國德州）聖安東尼奧動物園正為那些死纏爛打的前任，提供特別的西洋情人節祝福。 For $10, the zoo will name a cockroach after your not-so-special someone and feed it to an animal – a cold, but direct message that you’re no longer interested. 只要10美元，該動物園就會以你已經不那麼在意的意中人的名字，為1隻蟑螂命名，並將牠餵給動物（吃掉）—此為（向你的前任傳達）你對他（再也）沒興趣的冷酷但直接的訊息。 Those not into bugs can choose a vegetable for $5 or a rodent for $25 instead. 不喜歡蟲子的人可以改選5美元的蔬菜，或25美元的囓齒動物。 All donors will receive a digital Valentine’s Day Card showing their support for the zoo. They can also opt to send their ex-boo a digital Valentine’s Day Card informing them that a cockroach, rodent, or veggie was named after them and fed to an animal. 所有捐款人都將收到1張顯示其對該動物園之支持的數位西洋情人節賀卡，也可選擇發送數位西洋情人節賀卡給其前任，告知對方有蟑螂、囓齒動物或蔬菜以他們命名，並餵給動物吃掉。 Next Article Stolen hot dog statue returned to WVa restaurant owner 遭竊的熱狗塑像回歸西維吉尼亞州餐廳老闆 The owner of a West Virginia restaurant that was heavily damaged by fire has his coveted hot dog statue back. 西維吉尼亞州一間遭逢融祝肆虐的餐廳老闆拿回了他備受覬覦的熱狗塑像。 The “Wienerman” statue was stolen from the Dairy Winkle in Campbells Creek during a break-in sometime after the Jan. 11 fire, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. 卡諾瓦郡治安官辦公室在一份新聞稿中說，「懷厄曼」塑像於1月11日火災後某時間點發生的坎貝爾斯河鎮闖空門事件，從海螺乳品場失竊。 A tip led deputies to a location where the statue was found undamaged. It was returned to restaurant owner Kerry Ellison, the statement said. 該聲明說，在一條線索指引下，警方於一處地點發現毫無損傷的該塑像。該聲明說，它已物歸餐廳老闆克里．埃里森。 Investigators have not identified a suspect and are seeking information about the theft. 調查人員尚未確定嫌疑人，正在找這起竊案的相關資訊。 The short statue depicts a hot dog licking its lips and holding a bottle of mustard while pouring a bottle of ketchup on its head. 這座矮小塑像描繪著一根熱狗舔著嘴唇並拿著一瓶芥末，同時把一瓶番茄醬倒到它頭上。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1565012 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1564146

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K524: About Japan -Fans flood Gifu for historical parade led by Takuya Kimura Fans poured into this central Japan city to catch a glimpse of popular actor Takuya Kimura dressed as a renowned feudal lord from the 16th century in a traditional festival held Nov. 6. 粉絲湧入這座日本中部城市，一睹人氣男星木村拓哉在（2022年）11月6日的一場傳統慶典中，裝扮成一名16世紀知名封建領主的風采。 Kimura posed as Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) in the Gifu Nobunaga festival, along with fellow actor Hideaki Ito, both on horseback. 木村在「岐阜信長祭」上扮演織田信長（1534-1582），與他一道的還有同劇演員伊藤英明，兩人都騎著馬。 Nearly 1 million people applied for spots to view Kimura leading the parade. 近100萬人申請佔位觀看這場由木村引領的遊行。 Loud cheers and applause erupted when Kimura, looking stern and raising his right hand with a folding fan, shouted, “Everyone, time to go into battle.” 當木村一臉嚴肅、高舉持扇右手呼喊：「諸君，出征」，（現場）爆出巨大歡呼聲與掌聲。 The two actors led the procession for about 1 kilometer along Kinkabashi-dori street in central Gifu. 兩名男星帶領遊行隊伍沿著岐阜市中心的金華橋大道走了約一公里。 Next Article Japan leads world in childless middle-aged women 中年無子女婦女比例，日本全球居冠 Japan has the highest share of childless 50-year-old women among developed countries, the most recent data shows, underscoring the challenges the nation faces in averting its looming population crisis. 最新資料顯示，日本50歲無子女女性的比例，在已開發國家中最高，凸顯這個國家在避免其迫在眉睫的人口危機上面臨的挑戰。 In Japan, 27% of women born in 1970 have not experienced any live births by the time they were 50 years of age, according to statistics from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. This is by far the biggest share among 17 countries with comparable data, the closest being Finland at 20.7%. 經濟合作暨發展組織（OECD）的統計顯示，在日本，1970年出生的女性中，有27％在50歲之前沒有任何活產經驗。在可比較數據的17國中，這是迄今最大的佔比，最接近的是20.7％的芬蘭。 Austria and Spain ranked third and fourth, respectively. The OECD data does not include Germany, but the country’s official statistics show that 21% of women born in 1969 remain childless. 澳洲與西班牙分別排名第三與第四。OECD數據沒有包含德國，但德國官方數據顯示，1969年出生無子女女性佔比21％。 There are 24 countries with comparable data for women born in 1965. Among that group, Japan once again takes the lead on childless women, at 22.1%. 有24個國家擁有1965年出生女性的可比較數據。在該群體中，日本以22.1％的比例，再度在無子女女性上取得領先。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1562421 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1564434

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 諺語1：Going Down the Rabbit Hole （著迷於新事物；陷入困惑） 兔年來個跟兔子有關的諺語，野兔會挖洞，保護自己有安全感，遮風避雨，睡覺 諺語出自於英國作家路易斯卡羅在1865 年寫的小說《愛麗絲夢遊仙境》( Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ) 小女孩愛麗絲原本在樹底下與姊姊一起在看書，結果看到遠方有一隻白兔手拿著懷錶，甚至還開口講人話，趨於好奇就追了上去，結果一不小心掉進了兔子洞，展開了一連串的奇幻冒險。 Example sentence: - Don't start watching Netflix. You don't want to go down that rabbit hole. - Whenever I try a new mobile game, I fall into the rabbit hole and it take a long time for me to get out. 諺語2：Cat got your tongue （無言以對） 有兩種說法 1. 與古埃及人的貓崇拜有關。當時，說謊者和褻瀆神明的人會因口出不合、作假見證以及發表反對政府或既定宗教的言論而受到嚴厲懲罰。當局會割掉人們的舌頭作為對他們罪行的報復。然後他們將這些舌頭餵給附近的貓。埃及的神話哩，有貓臉人身的女神，叫做芭絲特 殺貓者處以死刑，即使誤殺也是一樣。祭司會讓貓自由進出神廟，讓人不忘貓神芭絲泰特。 2. 英國海軍以前體罰，有一種刑具叫做九尾鞭，或稱九尾貓，由於鞭刑打的受刑人皮開肉綻，且行刑是由海軍軍人輪流執行，因此衍伸出這句諺語，用來形容執行的人，嚇到開不了口。 Example sentence: - What? Cat got your tongue? 諺語3：bark is worse than his bite （刀子嘴豆腐心） Bark is worse than one's bite這個表達在 1600 年代中期開始使用，指的是一隻狂吠的狗忙於狂吠而無法真正咬你。狗行為學家說，吠叫的狗害怕，而願意咬人的狗不害怕；他很有攻擊性，會咆哮，而不是吠叫。 Example Sentence: - Nevermind my dog, his bark is worse than his bite. - Ms. Angel looks very tough, but she is very nice. Some say her bark is worse than her bite.

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K522: What 70 Years of War Can Tell Us About the Russia-Ukraine Conflict Any Russian invasion of Ukraine was long expected to play out as a kind of postmodern war, defined by 21st-century weapons like media manipulation, battlefield-clouding disinformation, cyberattacks, false flag operations and unmarked fighters. 俄國對烏克蘭的任何入侵早已被認為會是一場後現代戰爭，由21世紀武器界定，如媒體操縱、戰場假消息戰、網路攻擊、栽贓行動以及無名戰士。 Such elements have featured in this war. But it is traditional 20th-century dynamics that have instead dominated: shifting battle lines of tanks and troops; urban assaults; struggles over air supremacy and over supply lines; and mass mobilization of troops and of weapons production. 這些的確是這場戰爭的特點。但主導局面的仍是20世紀的傳統動能：戰車與部隊不斷變化的戰線、城市攻防、爭奪制空權和補給線，大規模動員軍隊與生產武器。 The war’s contours, now nearly a year into the fighting, resemble not so much those of any future war but rather those of a certain sort of conflict from decades past: namely, wars fought between nations in which one does not outright conquer the other. 這場持續近一年戰爭的輪廓，不太像任何未來的戰爭，較像是數十年前的某種衝突，也就是一方未完全征服另一方的國與國戰爭。 Such conflicts have grown rarer in the period since 1945, an era often associated more with civil wars, insurgencies and American invasions that have quickly shifted to occupation. 自1945年以來，這類衝突愈來愈少，這一時代往往較常跟內戰、叛亂及美國入侵後迅速轉變成占領的有關。 But wars between nations have continued: between Israel and Arab states, Iran and Iraq, Armenia and Azerbaijan, India and Pakistan, Ethiopia and Eritrea. These are the conflicts that military historians and analysts, when asked to draw parallels with the Russian war in Ukraine, tend to cite. 但國與國間的戰爭仍繼續上演：以色列和阿拉伯國家、伊朗和伊拉克、亞美尼亞和亞塞拜然、印度和巴基斯坦、衣索比亞和厄利垂亞。當被問到能跟俄國在烏克蘭戰爭相提並論之事時，軍事史學家跟分析人士往往會引用這些衝突。 “You have these big commonalities. In Korea, for example,” said Sergey Radchenko, a Johns Hopkins University historian, referring to the Korean War. “Big conventional battles. Bombardment of infrastructure.” 約翰霍普金斯大學歷史學家拉德琴科在談到韓戰時說：「這些有很大的共同點，像是在韓國，大型傳統戰鬥、轟炸基礎設施。」 Every war is unique. But certain trends that have played out across this subset of conflicts, including in Ukraine, may help to shed light on what drives week-to-week fighting, what tends to determine victory or failure and how such wars typically end — or don’t. 每場戰爭都獨一無二，但包括烏克蘭在內的這類衝突中出現的某些趨勢，可能有助於闡明何者導致一周又一周的戰鬥，以及決定勝利或失敗的因素是什麼，還有這類戰爭通常如何結束，或是不會結束。 One after another, Radchenko said, such wars have started over fundamental territorial disputes that date back to the warring countries’ founding and are therefore baked into both sides’ very conception of their national identities. This makes the underlying conflict so difficult to resolve that fighting often recurs repeatedly over many decades. 拉德琴科表示，這樣的戰爭一場接一場，起因可追溯到交戰雙方建國時期重大領土爭端，因此已深植於雙方各自國家認同之中。這造成潛在衝突難以解決，戰爭經常在數十年間反覆發生。 Those wars have often turned, perhaps more than any other factor, on industrial attrition, as each side strains to maintain the flow of materiel like tanks and anti-aircraft munitions that keep it in the fight. 也許比其他任何因素還重要的是，這些戰爭往往轉向工業消耗，因為雙方為了繼續戰鬥下去，都在努力維持戰車和防空彈藥等物資的產出。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6948318

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K522: 養小孩的方式不同於往、更加不易 How Parenting Today Is Different, and Harder American parents are finding the job much harder than they expected, found a large new survey by Pew Research Center. And it’s not just how they feel — parenting is more demanding than it used to be, research has found. 美國民調機構「皮尤研究中心」一份新的大型民調發現，美國爸媽覺得養小孩遠比想像中困難。研究證實，這不僅是感覺，養小孩確實比過去來得更困難。 Eight in 10 parents of children younger than 18 find it to be enjoyable and rewarding most or all of the time, according to the new survey of 3,757 U.S. parents in that group. But two-thirds also say it’s harder than they thought it would be — including about one-third of mothers who say it’s a lot harder than they expected. 民調訪問了3757名家長。在小孩年齡低於十八歲的受訪家長中，八成表示養小孩大多時候或總是讓人感到愉快又有成就感，但其中三分之二也說，養小孩遠比想像中還要困難，包括近三分之一的媽媽們說，養小孩遠比預期困難非常多。 The findings reflect and build on other research. Today’s parents spend more time and money on their children than previous generations and feel more pressure to be hands-on. 這些發現是根據且反映了其他研究。現在的家長比過去幾代付出更多時間與金錢在小孩身上，且感受到更多壓力必須親自教養小孩。 The survey helps describe some of the particular ways in which parenting has become more demanding and stressful (one-third of respondents said it was that way all or most of the time). 這項民調有助描述某些特殊樣貌，讓養小孩更費力且壓力更大（三分之一的受訪者表示他們多半或總是有此感受）。 For one, mothers feel increasingly torn between their various roles. They have more options beyond motherhood, yet they still feel societal pressure to meet certain standards as mothers. 正因為如此，許多媽媽們在不同角色間感受到更強烈的拉扯。除了扮演媽媽，她們其實還有更多角色選項，但她們還是感受到社會壓力，必需符合某些當媽媽的標準。 In the Pew survey, just one-third of mothers said being a mother was the most important aspect of who they were as a person. Yet they also said they felt judged for their parenting, more than fathers were, and spent significantly more time than fathers on the physical and emotional labor of parenting. 皮尤研究指出，僅三分之一的媽媽表示，當媽媽是她們人生最重要的一個層面。但她們同時也覺得，在養小孩上，自己比爸爸們受到更多評判，因此也比爸爸們付出明顯更多的時間、體力與精神養小孩。 Low-income parents, and those who are Black or Hispanic, were most likely to say that being a parent was the most important thing about them. They were also more likely to say that parenting was enjoyable or rewarding most of the time. 低收入父母，以及非裔或西班牙裔，最有可能表示為人父母對他們而言是最重要的事。他們也最有可能表示養小孩大多時候很愉快且有成就感。 Also, research has found, today’s parents feel intense pressure to constantly teach and interact with their children, 另外，研究也發現，經常教導孩子以及與孩子互動讓現在的家長感到巨大壓力。 Often, Pew found, this means more emotional engagement. Nearly half said they were raising their children differently than they had been raised by their own parents. That meant less yelling, and more verbal affirmations, outward displays of affection and honest conversations about hard topics. 皮尤研究指出，這大多是因為他們在其中付出了更多心力。近半數受訪者表示，他們養小孩的方式與父母養育他們的方式不同：他們較少大吼，較常口頭鼓勵並表現出對孩子的愛，也更常與孩子誠實討論嚴肅的話題。 Another way parenting has become harder, according to the survey, is a new set of concerns about children’s well-being. Three-quarters of parents said they were worried their children would struggle with anxiety or depression, or face bullying. 根據這項研究，父母對孩子身心健全的一些新擔憂，也讓養小孩變難。四分之三受訪家長表示，他們擔心孩子出現焦慮、憂鬱等問題，或遭遇霸凌。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6964380

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 主題: 跟讀挑戰 – 台灣燈會在台北與日本壽司郎事件Taiwan Lantern Festival and Sushiro incident 摘取文章：https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4808035; https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4807840 Topic: Over 1 million visitors attend Taiwan Lantern Festival in a single day As the Taiwan Lantern Festival in Taipei counts down to its conclusion, visitors have increased and surpassed 1 million in a single day on Saturday (Feb. 11). 隨著台北的臺灣燈會逐漸圓滿結束，遊客人數逐漸增加，在星期六（2月11日）一天之內已經超過100萬人。 According to the department, despite the large crowd, traffic flowed smoothly and without accidents. This was thanks to flexible traffic control policies such as closing road sections for pedestrians’ use, as well as nearly 500 police officers and volunteer traffic wardens. 根據市府部門的說法，儘管人群眾多，交通順暢且沒有發生事故。這要歸功於靈活的交通管制政策，例如關閉道路區域供行人使用，以及近500名警察和志願交通管制員。 Additionally, Taipei Metro arranged for every other MRT train to pass by the Sun Yet-sen Memorial Hall station without stopping to increase efficiency. The station’s exits were also under traffic control, while Ministry of Transportation and Communications staff members and volunteers, working with the innovative Skeleton-Print Technology that analyzes people’s postures and actions, monitored the crowd’s movements. 此外，台北捷運安排每隔一列捷運車經過國父紀念館站而不停靠以提高效率。該站的出口也在交通管制之下，交通部工作人員和志願者與創新的骨架印刷技術合作，分析人們的姿勢和行為以監控人群的動向。 Topic: Taiwan restaurant bans Tiktok use following Japan's Sushiro incident A restaurant in Kaohsiung’s decision to ban the use of TikTok on its premises has generated controversy on social media. 高雄一家餐廳禁止在其餐廳內使用TikTok的決定在社交媒體上引起了爭議。 On Tuesday (Feb. 7), “Fishers’ Diner” (釣客食堂) wrote in a Facebook post, “Considering the previous incident where someone unhygienically licked public utensils at a large chain restaurant for a TikTok video, we have specially printed 300 stickers to gift to our friends! We also announce that starting today, any TikTok video-making is banned at our restaurant, and TikTok influencers are banned from entering! This is to avoid thoughtless licking.” 星期二（2月7日），「釣客食堂」（Fishers' Diner）在Facebook上發布了一則貼文：「考慮到以前有人在大型連鎖餐廳為了TikTok視頻而不衛生的舔公共餐具的事件，我們特別印製了300張貼紙送給我們的朋友！我們還宣布，從今天開始，任何TikTok影片製作都在我們的餐廳被禁止，TikTok創作者也被禁止進入！這是為了避免無腦的行為。」 分享時間               Have you seen the Taiwan Lantern Festival in Taipei? What is your favorite part of the Lantern Festival?Should social media challenges be banned? Why and why not?

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K521: About Thailand - Thai hotel sets Guinness world record with largest Negroni cocktail A hotel in the Thai capital set a Guinness World Record by stirring up the world’s largest Negroni cocktail, with more than 630 litres (1,109 pints) of the bitter Italian drink. 泰國首都一家飯店創下金氏世界紀錄，調製出世界最大杯的義大利苦口飲料尼格羅尼雞尾酒，總量超過630公升（1109品脫）。 Mixologists at the Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok Hotel poured dozens of bottles of the key ingredients - gin, vermouth, and Campari - into an iced acrylic container which is 1.7m tall and weighing about 400 kg. 曼谷金普頓馬瀨飯店的調酒師將數十瓶琴酒、苦艾酒和金巴利酒等主要材料，倒入一個1.7公尺高、約400公斤重的冰鎮壓克力容器中。 The previous record was 504 litres, said Guinness adjudicator Kazuyoshi Kirimura, who added that the hotel was required to bottle and distribute the entire concoction within the next couple of months. 金氏世界紀錄認證官桐村和義（音譯）表示，先前的紀錄是504公升。他也補充道，該飯店必須在接下來數月內將所有雞尾酒裝瓶及分送。 Next Article ’CIA’-like street food vendors first on scene to feed Thai protesters 「如中情局般」的小吃攤販率先抵達現場餵飽泰國示威者 With an intelligence network so good they have been compared to the CIA, Thai street vendors are often first on the scene at "guerilla" democracy protests in Bangkok, where they hawk sour pork and fishballs to a democracy-hungry crowd. 靠著一套厲害到被拿來與美國中央情報局相提並論的情報網，街頭小吃攤通常是率先抵達曼谷民主示威「游擊戰」現場的一群，向渴望民主的群眾兜售酸肉、魚丸。 After a government crackdown last week, protest groups have begun keeping the venues for their demonstrations secret until the last minute, in a bid to outsmart authorities. 經過上週政府鎮壓後，抗爭團體為了智取當局，開始將他們的示威活動地點保密到最後一刻。 But protesters have quickly noticed that they are often second on the scene, behind food vendors setting up their carts and readying themselves for a busy night of brisk sales. 但是示威者很快就發現，小吃攤常比他們搶先一步到那裡設攤，準備迎接生意火熱的一夜。 Meatball seller Rattapol Sukpa says he stays ahead of the curve by monitoring Facebook for hints of the latest locations, and is in constant contact with other vendors who tip each other off. 賣肉丸的拉塔波說，他觀察臉書上最新示威地點線索，與其他互相通報消息的小販保持聯繫，領先示威者一步。Source article: https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/1564829 ; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/1414951

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K520: About Tech - Robot that stocks drinks is newest thing at the corner store A small robot with a clip-like hand and enough smarts to know which drinks are popular is to make convenience stores even more convenient. 一組體型小巧、手掌像剪刀，且聰明到能夠分辨哪一種飲料受歡迎的機器人，將讓便利商店更加便利。 On a recent day in Tokyo, the robot named TX SCARA slid back and forth behind the refrigerated shelves in the back of a FamilyMart store. 近期在東京的某一天，這組名叫TX SCARA的機器人在一家全家便利商店備貨區的冷藏架後方來回滑動。 The hand on the end of its mechanical arm grasped a bottle or can from the stacks, then the robot slithered to the right spot and placed the drink on the shelf — in a place chosen after its artificial intelligence and tiny cameras matched the kind of beverage to what’s running short. 它機械手臂尾端的手掌，從貨物堆中抓起一個瓶子或罐子，接著滑行到正確的位置，把飲料放到架上。它是在利用人工智慧和迷你攝影機比對缺貨中的飲品後，選擇要移動到哪一個位置。 The beverage shelves in the back are farthest from the cash register, keeping workers running back and forth. And the beverage space is refrigerated, uncomfortably cold for people to stay there too many hours. 商店後方的飲料架距離櫃台最遠，員工得來回奔走，而且飲料區為冷藏空間，人待在裡頭好幾小時會冷到不舒服。 Next Article A new supercomputer just set a world record for speed一台新的超級電腦速度刷新世界紀錄 A new supercomputer just passed a major milestone. 一台新的超級電腦剛越過一個重大里程碑。 It is the first to officially reach the “exascale.” That means it can perform at least a quintillion calculations per second. 它是第一台正式達到百億億次級計算的電腦。這表示它每秒執行計算的次數可達到至少一百京。 The new computer is called Frontier. 這台新電腦名為邊界。 That’s a ranking of the world’s speediest supercomputers updated twice each year. 那是一個世界上最快速的超級電腦的排名，每年更新兩次。 Such fast computing could help research in physics, medicine and many other fields. Scientists in those fields often need to make complex calculations which would take too long to do with a normal computer. 如此快速的計算有助於物理、醫學和很多其他領域的研究。這些領域的科學家時常需要操作複雜的計算，使用一般電腦會費時許久。 But a machine like Frontier manage it. 但是像邊界這樣的機器能夠順利完成。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1562314 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1565338

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Summary: 討論文章: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4788498 Netflix, Disney+, and KKTV streaming services are releasing original TV series and drama in droves. The TV generation is accustomed to scheduled programmes that is aired at specific time slots during the day. Growing up with TV series and drama, Angel and I discuss our favorite dramas and what we remember of them. Tell us down below which TV series or drama is your favorite!歡迎投稿有趣的主題給醬老師與Angel老師 Comment down below! Vocabulary: 1. Adaptation n. 改編 The TV series Meteor Garden is an adaptation of the manga, Boys over flowers. 電視劇流星花園是漫畫花樣男子改編的。 2. Award-winning tv series n. 得獎影集 Light the night and Gold leaf are popular and award-winning tv series. 華燈初上與茶金是熱門得獎影集。 3. Binge-watch v. 追劇 Thanks to Netflix, we now binge-watch TV series around the world. 多虧了Netflix，我們現在可以追國際不同的影劇。 更多Vocab Podcast節目: https://www.15mins.today/vocab 歡迎主題投稿/意見回覆 : [email protected] 商業合作/贊助來信：[email protected]