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.K487: Political football: War and peace by other means at the World Cup As Iran prepares to play diplomatic arch-rivals the US in the World Cup today, AFP looks at how geopolitics have spilled onto the pitch in previous World Cups: 伊朗準備在今天的世界盃足球賽跟外交宿敵美國交手，法新社檢視過去的世足賽，看看地緣政治如何蔓延到球場上： Mussolini’s ‘Blackshirts’: France v Italy, 1938 墨索里尼的「黑衫軍」：法國對義大利，1938年 Just a year before World War II broke out, defending champions Italy arrived in France with politics taking center stage in their clash with the hosts. Championed by Italy’s then-leader, fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, the team were booed when they came onto the pitch at the stadium near Paris. Undeterred, the Italians gave the fascist salute to the crowd and played in black shirts, a nod to the uniform worn by Mussolini’s notorious “Blackshirts” militia. Italy won the clash 3-1 and went on to win the competition. 就在第二次世界大戰爆發前一年，衛冕者義大利隊抵達法國，在與主辦國的衝突中，政治佔據了中心位置。義大利隊受當時義大利領導人、法西斯獨裁者貝尼托‧墨索里尼所支持，他們在巴黎近郊的球場上場時，被喝倒采。 義大利隊沒被嚇倒，向群眾行了法西斯式的敬禮，並身穿黑衣出賽，這是向墨索里尼臭名昭著的「黑衫軍」民兵制服致敬。 義大利以3-1擊敗法國，且之後贏得了冠軍。 Maradona’s moment: England v Argentina, 1986 馬拉度納的時刻：英格蘭對阿根廷，1986年 This highly charged clash took place in Mexico four years after Argentina’s defeat to Britain in the Falklands War. To the joy of their fans, Argentina took symbolic revenge, winning the quarter-final 2-1 with Diego Maradona scoring twice. His first goal was the infamous “Hand of God” goal, in which he punched the ball past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. Then a superb solo effort dubbed the goal of the century sealed victory. “It was a final for us. It was not about winning a match, it was about eliminating the English,” Maradona said. 這場發生在墨西哥的激烈衝突，是阿根廷在福克蘭戰爭敗給英國四年後。 令阿根廷球迷欣喜的是，阿根廷隊進行了象徵性的報復，在八強賽中以2-1擊敗英格蘭，迪亞哥‧馬拉度納進了兩球。他的第一個進球便是聲名狼藉的「上帝之手」進球──他用手擊球，讓球越過英格蘭守門員彼得‧希爾頓。隨後，被稱為世紀進球的馬拉度納絕妙個人秀讓阿根廷勝券在握。 「這對我們來說就是決賽。我們不是為了贏得一場比賽，而是為了淘汰英格蘭人」，馬拉度納說。 An eagle lands: Switzerland v Serbia, 2018 老鷹降臨：瑞士對塞爾維亞，2018年 This clash caused a huge outcry in Serbia after two Swiss players of Albanian origins (Kosovo and Labnai) celebrated their goals with a two-handed eagle gesture to mimic the black eagle in Albania’s flag, considered by Serbia as a nationalist provocation. The double eagle symbol is viewed as a symbol of defiance in Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008 in a move Serbia refuses to recognize. Granit Xhaka, who was born in Kosovo, made the gesture after he scored Switzerland’s first goal, and Xherdan Shaqiri repeated it following his last-gasp winner that clinched a 2-1 victory. FIFA fined the players, although they escaped a ban. 衝突的起因，是兩名阿爾巴尼亞裔（科索沃和拉布奈）的瑞士球員在進球後，以兩手做出老鷹的手勢模仿阿爾巴尼亞國旗上的黑鷹慶祝，這在塞爾維亞引起了強烈抗議，因塞爾維亞認為這是一種民族主義挑釁。 雙鷹符號在科索沃被視為反抗的象徵，該國於2008年宣布獨立，而塞爾維亞拒絕承認科索沃的獨立。 出生在科索沃的格蘭尼特‧扎卡在為瑞士隊踢進第一球後做了這手勢，而傑爾丹‧沙奇里在他最後的致勝球以 2-1 獲勝後重複了這個手勢。 國際足總對這些球員處以罰款，雖然他們躲過了禁令。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/11/29/2003789757

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.K486: French baguettes listed as cultural heritage by UNESCO The humble baguette — the crunchy ambassador for French baking around the world — is being added to the UN’s list of intangible cultural heritage as a cherished tradition to be preserved by humanity. 不起眼的法式長棍麵包——法國烘焙聞名世界的鬆脆大使——被收錄為聯合國非物質文化遺產，列為需受人保護的珍貴傳統。 The French staple has been deemed eligible to join UNESCO’s “Intangible Cultural Heritage” list, an award given to practices or traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. It includes rituals, performing arts, traditional crafts, and specific food dishes. UNESCO, which is part of the UN, said in a statement on Wednesday last week that baguettes held cultural importance given the “artisanal know-how” needed to make them, as well as the rituals around eating them — not to mention, their “crisp crust around a fluffy center.” 這項法國主食被認可足以列入聯合國教科文組織「非物質文化遺產」名錄，這是授予代代相傳的習俗或傳統，包括儀式、表演藝術、傳統工藝和特定的食物菜餚。隸屬於聯合國的聯合國教育、科學及文化組織〔簡稱為聯合國教科文組織〕，上週三發表聲明說，長棍麵包具有文化重要性，是因其製作需要「職人技術」，以及相關的食用儀式——更別說它「包裹鬆軟內部的酥脆外皮」了。 The organization said that baguettes are special among other kinds of bread due to the “modes of consumption and social practices” around them, including daily visits to the bakery to pick one up. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his joy at the award in a tweet, describing the baguette as “250 grams of magic in our daily lives.” 該組織表示，長棍麵包跟別種麵包比起來很特別的是圍繞它的「消費模式與社會習俗」，包括每天去麵包店買一個。 法國總統伊曼紐‧馬克宏在一則推文中表達了他對獲選的喜悅，稱法式長棍麵包是「我們日常生活中的250公克魔法」。 “If there’s no baguette, you can’t have a proper meal. In the morning you can toast it, for lunch it’s a sandwich, and then it accompanies dinner.” 「如果沒有長棍麵包，你就無法好好吃一頓餐。長棍麵包早上可以用烤的當早餐，午餐用做三明治，然後晚餐用來佐餐」。 A baguette normally costs just over 90 euro cents (just over $1), seen by some as an index on the health of the French economy. 一個長棍麵包的價格通常略高於90歐分（略高於1美元），一些人將其視為法國經濟健康狀況的指標。 Although it seems like the quintessential French product, the baguette was said to have been invented by Vienna-born baker August Zang in 1839. Zang put in place France’s steam oven, making it possible to produce bread with a brittle crust yet fluffy interior. 雖然長棍麵包像是典型的法國產品，但據說它是由維也納出生的麵包師奧古斯特‧臧在一八三九年發明的。他發明了法國蒸汽烤箱，所以才有辦法生產外皮酥脆、內部蓬鬆的麵包。 The baguette joins other traditional foods on UNESCO’s list, including Ukrainian borscht, kimchi, flatbread, Belgian beer culture and Neapolitan pizza. Other “intangible” traditions to have been given the status in the past include Chinese acupuncture, dry stone walling and capoeira. 跟長棍麵包一樣也列為非物質文化遺產的傳統食物，還包括烏克蘭羅宋湯、泡菜、薄餅、比利時啤酒文化及那不勒斯披薩。其他被賦予非物質文化遺產地位的「無形」傳統還有中國針灸、乾石牆和巴西戰舞卡波耶拉。 Baguettes are not the first French food to join the list. The “gastronomic meal of the French” was awarded the honor in 2010, with UNESCO specifying that it must begin with aperitifs before dinner, followed by “at least” four courses, then liqueurs. It should also preferably include local foods, and be served with carefully paired wines and on a beautifully set table. 長棍麵包並不是第一個上榜的法國食物。「法國美食料理」於二〇一〇年獲此殊榮，聯合國教科文組織詳述它必須以晚餐前的開胃酒開始，接著「至少」要有四道菜，然後是利口酒；最好還應包括當地食物，佐以精心搭配的葡萄酒和擺設精美的餐桌。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/12/06/2003790170

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Topic: Ants have the ability to sniff out cancer in humans, study reveals Ants have the ability to sniff out cancerous cells in humans, a new study has discovered, suggesting they could be used for cancer diagnosis in future. 一項新研究發現，螞蟻能嗅出人體內的癌細胞，這表明螞蟻可用於未來對癌症的診斷。 Researchers from the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) discovered that ant species Formica fusca has a well developed sense of smell. 法國國家科學研究中心（CNRS）的研究人員發現，「黑山蟻」（學名：Formica fusca ）這種螞蟻品種，嗅覺非常發達。 It was able to differentiate cancerous cells from healthy cells in humans, thanks to their sense of smell, limited trials revealed. But more clinical tests must be carried out before they could be used in clinical settings like hospitals, the team said. 有限的實驗顯示，這種螞蟻的嗅覺超強，能夠將人體的癌細胞與健康細胞區分開來。但是該研究團隊表示，還需要進行更多臨床測試，才能將黑山蟻用於醫院等臨床環境中。 They suggest that in future, ants could turn out to be better at dogs when it comes to locating cancerous cells in humans. 他們員指出，未來在識別人體癌細胞方面，螞蟻可能會比狗做得更出色。 Next Article Topic: 科學家使用細胞再生技術讓老鼠回春 Scientists Reverse Aging In Mice Using Cell Rejuvenation Technique Researchers in the US treated healthy mice with a form of gene therapy that refreshed older cells, making the animals more youthful according to biological markers that are used to measure the effects of ageing. 美國研究人員對健康老鼠實施一種更新老化細胞的基因療法，他們透過用來衡量老化效應的生物標記法，測出這些老鼠變年輕了。 Repeating the trick in humans is far from straightforward, but the findings will fuel interest in radical new therapies that aim to slow or reverse the ageing process as a means of tackling age-related diseases such as cancer, brittle bones and Alzheimer’s. 儘管難以用同樣的方法讓人類返老還童，但這一發現將點燃人們對以延緩或逆轉衰老為目標的激進新療法的興趣，這種療法可以用來治療諸如癌症、骨質疏鬆和阿茲海默症等與年齡相關的疾病。 The scientists drew on previous work by the Japanese Nobel laureate Prof Shinya Yamanaka, who showed that a mixture of four molecules – known as Yamanaka factors – can rewind adult cells into youthful stem cells that are capable of forming almost any tissue in the body. 科學家這一療法借鑑日本諾貝爾獎得主山中伸彌教授先前的研究成果。山中伸彌向世人展示，被稱為「山中因子」的4種分子組合在一起，可以讓成人細胞逆生長為年輕的幹細胞，而幹細胞可以分化成人體的任何組織。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1506995 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1508339 Next Article Topic: World’s oldest DNA sequenced from million-year-old mammoths Teeth from mammoths buried in the Siberian permafrost for more than a million years have yielded the world’s oldest DNA ever sequenced, according to a study published on Wednesday, shining the genetic searchlight into the deep past. 據週三公布的研究，埋在西伯利亞永凍土層超過100萬年的猛獁象牙齒，提供全球最古老的去氧核醣核酸（DNA）定序，讓基因研究的探照燈指向遙遠的過去。 Researchers said the three specimens, one roughly 800,000 years old and two over a million years old, provide important insights into the giant Ice Age mammals, including the ancient heritage of the woolly mammoth. 研究人員表示，這3個樣本，一個約有80萬年歷史，另2個來自超過100萬年前，為現代人瞭解冰河時代猛獁象，包括「真長毛象」（woolly mammoth）的古老傳承，提供重要觀察角度。 The genomes far exceed the oldest previously sequenced DNA － a horse dating between 780,000 to 560,000 years ago. 此前，最古老的DNA定序來自78萬年前到56萬年前的一匹馬，而這些猛獁象基因組的年代更久遠得多。 The mammoths were originally discovered in the 1970s in Siberia and held at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. 這幾頭猛獁象起初於1970年代在西伯利亞地區被發現，由莫斯科的俄羅斯科學院保管。 Next Article Topic: Comet from edge of solar system killed the dinosaurs: study 研究：來自太陽系邊緣的彗星讓恐龍滅絕 Sixty-six million years ago, a huge celestial object struck off the coast of what is now Mexico, triggering a catastrophic "impact winter" that eventually wiped out three-quarters of life on Earth, including the dinosaurs. 6600萬年前，一個巨大星體撞上現在的墨西哥外海，引發釀成巨災的「衝擊性寒冬」，最後導致恐龍在內的地球上4分之3物種滅絕。 A pair of astronomers at Harvard say they have now resolved long standing mysteries surrounding the nature and origin of the "Chicxulub impactor." 哈佛大學2位天文學家表示，他們已經解開長久以來關於「希克蘇魯伯衝擊體」（Chicxulub impactor）的本質和來源之謎。 Their analysis suggests it was a comet that originated in a region of icy debris on the edge of the solar system, that Jupiter was responsible for it crashing into our planet, and that we can expect similar impacts every 250 million to 750 million years. 他們的分析顯示，這是源自太陽系邊緣冰冷碎片區域的一顆彗星，且木星也要為此彗星撞上地球負責。類似規模的彗星撞地球頻率為每2億5000萬年到7億5000萬年。 The duo’s paper, published in the journal Scientific Reports this week, pushes back against an older theory that claims the object was a fragment of an asteroid that came from our solar system’s Main Belt. 2人的論文本週在《科學報告》期刊發表，推翻了之前認為這個物體是來自太陽系「主小行星帶」小行星碎片的理論。 Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1435663 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1437161 Topic: Spanking may affect brain development in children Spanking may affect a child’s brain development in similar ways to more severe forms of violence, according to a new study led by Harvard researchers. 哈佛大學研究人員領導的一項新研究表明，打屁股對兒童大腦發育的影響，可能與更嚴重的暴力虐待造成的後果類似。 The research, published recently in the journal Child Development, builds on existing studies that show heightened activity 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 主題: 英語慣用語系列 – 年底感恩相關的慣用語 Thanksgiving Related Idioms 1.To be stuffed – To be full and can’t eat anymore. 撐了 Example: The meal was absolutely delicious. I’m afraid I can’t eat one morsel more. I’m stuffed. 2. To talk turkey (mainly American English) – to discuss a problem in a serious way with a real intention to solve it 講正事 Example: The politicians need to stop messing around and start talking turkey. 3. To go cold turkey – to suddenly stop a bad habit and suffer from it at the beginning. 戒斷症狀 Example: Many people who attempt to quit smoking do so by going cold turkey rather than by gradually cutting down.” 4. To count your blessings – to be grateful for the good things in your life 抱著感恩的心 Example: We have a lovely home, healthy children and each other – we should count our blessings. 5. A blessing in disguise– something that at first appears to be bad or unlucky but is actually good. 因禍得福 Example: I was really upset when I was first made redundant but when I look back now, it was a blessing in disguise. I’ve never been happier with my current work. 6. To be a mixed blessing – something that has bad effects as well as advantages 喜憂參半 Example: Being beautiful can be a mixed blessing. On the one hand, you receive a lot of attention, but on the other hand, people don’t always take you seriously. 練習時間: 請使用二到三個慣用語來分享自身小故事 Use two to three idioms to share your Thanksgiving or festive season experience.

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.K485: About US - ’Guard cat’ credited with preventing would-be robbery 68-year-old Fred Everitt from Mississippi said his pet cat Bandit helped prevent a robbery at his home, and he credits the calico with possibly saving his life. 來自密西西比的68歲弗雷德‧艾弗里特說，他的寵物貓班迪特幫忙防範家中被強盜闖入，且他可能因此保住一命，也得歸功於這隻花斑貓。 When at least two people tried to break into their home sometime between 2:30 and 3 a.m. on July 25, Bandit did everything she could to alert Everitt of the danger. 在7月25日凌晨2時30分至3時之間，當至少2名強盜試圖闖入他們家時，班迪特盡其所能警告艾弗里特危險將至。 He was first awoken by Bandit’s meows in the kitchen. Then, she raced into the bedroom, jumped onto the bed and began pulling the comforter off of him and clawing at his arms. Everitt knew something was wrong. 他先被廚房裡班迪特的喵叫聲喚醒，之後貓就跑進他的房間、跳到床上，開始拉開他的被子、抓他的手臂。艾弗里特於是察覺不對勁。 He got up to investigate and saw two young men outside his back door. One had a handgun, and the other was using a crowbar to try and pry the door open. 他起身查看，發現2名年輕男子在後門外頭，其中一人拿著手槍，另一人正用鐵橇試圖撬開門。 He said by the time he retrieved a handgun and returned to the kitchen, the would-be intruders had already fled. 他說，在他去拿手槍回到廚房前，那兩個即將成為強盜的人就逃走了。 Next Article Woman sues over ban on feeding homeless people in parks 女子針對禁止在公園提供食物給街友的法令提訟 Norma Thornton, who was arrested in March for feeding homeless people, is suing over a local ordinance that regulates food-sharing events in public parks. 3月間因提供食物給街友而遭逮捕的諾瑪‧桑頓，針對一條規範公園食物分享活動的當地法令提起訴訟。 78-year-old Thornton became the first person arrested under Bullhead City’s ordinance for distributing prepared food from a van. Criminal charges against her were eventually dropped, but she’s seeking an injunction to stop the city from enforcing the ordinance that took effect in May 2021. 78歲的桑頓是布爾海德市相關法令下首名遭逮捕的居民，她在貨車上發送準備好的食物。雖然對她的刑事控訴已被撤銷，但她正尋求法院頒布禁令，停止該市執行2021年5月生效的法令。 "The City Council passed an ordinance that makes it a crime punishable by four months imprisonment to share food in public parks for charitable purposes," said Thornton’s attorney. 桑頓的代表律師說：「市議會通過一條法令，讓出於慈善目的而在公園分享食物的行為，成為會被監禁4個月的罪行。」 Bullhead City Mayor Tom Brady said the ordinance applies only to public parks. Churches, clubs and private properties are free to serve food to the homeless without a permit. 布爾海德市市長湯姆‧布拉迪則說，該法令僅適用於公園，教會、俱樂部和私人場所都能自由向街友提供食物，毋須尋求許可。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1551932; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1553230

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.K484: About Russia - Chess robot grabs and breaks finger of seven-year-old opponent A chess-playing robot fractured the finger of its 7-year-old opponent during a tournament in Moscow. 一台下棋機器人在莫斯科錦標賽折斷它7歲對手的手指。 Video of the incident, which occurred at the Moscow Chess Open competition, went viral on social media. 這起在莫斯科西洋棋公開賽發生的意外事故影片在社群平台上竄紅。 It shows the machine reaching for and grabbing one of the boy’s chess pieces, and quickly discarding it from the board. 影片顯示這台機器伸手夾起男孩的一個棋子，然後快速地將它從棋盤上扔掉。 Before the robot’s arm retracted, the boy attempted to make another move, pushing one of his rooks into the same place as the recently removed piece. 在機器人的手臂縮回之前，這位男孩試圖做出另一步走棋，推進其中一個車棋到跟剛被去除的棋子同樣的位置。 The video then shows the robot’s mechanical claws descending back toward the board, this time grabbing the boy’s index finger instead of a chess piece. 這部影片接著顯示機器人的機械爪子下降回到棋盤，這次抓住男孩的中指，而不是棋子。 The video shows the robot holding the finger in place for at least 15 seconds before two bystanders were able to pry open the claws and release the boy. 這部影片顯示，在2位旁觀者得以撬開爪子釋放這位男孩之前，機器人在原地握著手指至少15秒。 "We will discuss additional protection and safety measures with its operators," Moscow Chess Federation chief Sergey Lazarov said. 莫斯科西洋棋聯合會主席謝爾蓋．拉扎瑞夫說，「我們會跟它的操作人員討論額外的保護和安全措施」。 Next Article Russian journalist who protested on live television escapes house arrest 在電視現場直播中抗議的俄羅斯記者從軟禁中脫逃 Marina Ovsyannikova, a Russian journalist who staged a daring protest live on state-run television, has been declared a fugitive after going on the run, Russian media reported. 之前在國營電視台現場直播中大膽抗議的俄羅斯記者瑪琳娜‧奧斯雅尼可娃逃跑了，現在已被列為逃犯，俄國媒體報導。 Ovsyannikova was placed under house arrest in August. She had been charged with disseminating false information about the Russian military. Her detention was supposed to last until Sunday. 奧斯雅尼可娃被控散布有關俄國軍方的假資訊，在8月遭到軟禁，原定被拘禁到週日。 Ovsyannikova’s ex-husband said that she had escaped house arrest with her daughter on Saturday, TASS reported. Her lawyer said he could not confirm those allegations. 「塔斯社」報導，她的前夫說，她已經在週六帶著女兒逃跑。她的律師說無法證實這些說法。 The 44-year-old journalist shot to international fame in March when, as an editor at Russia’s state-controlled Channel One television station, she stood behind an anchor and held up a sign that read “No War” during a live broadcast. 這名44歲記者3月擔任俄國政府控制的「第一頻道」電視台編輯時，在一次現場播報期間，站在主播後方舉起一張牌子，上面寫著「不要戰爭」，因而在國際上聲名大噪。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1551198 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1551839

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Summary: With the weather becoming ever more erratic, fluid intake is something we should all be concerned of. Water has long been the best form of fluid for your body, but what if the water you drink contains too little of the minerals you need? In this episode, Angel and I discuss our water drinking habits and what's in a sports drink like Fin. What is your favorite sports drink and when do you drink it? Comment down below! Vocabulary: 1. Heatstroke n. 中暑 One of the major symptoms of heatstroke is headache. 中暑其中最主要的症狀是頭痛。 2. Sports drink n. 運動飲料 Super Supau is the no.1 sports drink in Taiwan. 舒跑是台灣第一運動飲料。 3. Colorant n. / Flavorant n. 色素 / 增味劑 Major sports drink brands in the west are filled with colorant and flavorant. 國外大的運動飲料品牌都添加很多色素或增味劑。 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.K483: Rocketing Prices Of Foods Elevate Company Profits A year ago, a bag of potato chips at the grocery store cost an average of $5.05. These days, that bag costs $6.05. A dozen eggs that could have been picked up for $1.83 now average $2.90. A 2-liter bottle of soda that cost $1.78 will now set you back $2.17. 一年以前，雜貨店內一袋洋芋片平均售價為5.05美元。如今一袋是6.05美元。一打雞蛋本可以用1.83美元買到，現在平均價格為2.9美元。一瓶售價1.78美元的2公升汽水，如今要價2.17美元。 Something else is also much higher: corporate profits. 其他東西也在走高，如企業獲利。 In mid-October, PepsiCo, whose prices for its drinks and chips were up 17% in the latest quarter from year-earlier levels, reported that its third-quarter profit grew more than 20%. Likewise, Coca-Cola reported profit up 14% from a year earlier, thanks in large part to price increases. 10月中旬，百事公司公布第3季獲利成長超過20%，該季飲料和洋芋片價格較一年前上漲17%。此外，可口可樂公布的獲利年增14%，主要歸因於價格上漲。 Restaurants keep getting more expensive, too. Chipotle Mexican Grill, which said prices by the end of the year would be nearly 15% higher than a year earlier, reported $257.1 million in profit in the latest quarter, up nearly 26% from a year earlier. 上館子用餐也愈來愈貴。年底時售價將比一年前上漲近15%的墨西哥燒烤快餐公司說，該公司上季獲利2億5710億美元，較一年前成長近26%。 For years, food companies and restaurants generally raised prices in small steps, worried that big increases would frighten consumers and send them looking for cheaper options. But over the past year, as wages increased and the cost of the raw ingredients used to make treats like cookies, chips, sodas and the materials to package them soared, food companies and restaurants started passing along those expenses to customers. 多年來，食品公司和餐館通常都是小幅漲價，擔心大幅漲價會嚇到消費者，使得他們尋找更便宜的選擇。但在過去一年，隨著工資調漲，以及製作餅乾、洋芋片、汽水等食品原料跟包裝材料的價格飆升，食品公司和餐廳開始將這些費用轉嫁給顧客。 But amid growing concerns that the economy could be headed for a recession, some food companies and restaurants are continuing to raise prices even if their own inflation-driven costs have been covered. Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Chipotle did not respond to requests for comment. 但在人們日益擔心經濟可能走向衰退之際，一些食品公司和餐廳仍在繼續漲價，即便它們受通膨帶動的成本已得到彌補。可口可樂、百事可樂與墨西哥燒烤快餐等公司均未回覆記者的置評請求。 “The recent earnings calls have only reinforced the familiar and unwelcome theme that corporations did not need to raise their prices so high on struggling families,” said Kyle Herrig, the president of Accountable.US, an advocacy organization. “The calls tell us corporations have used inflation, the pandemic and supply chain challenges as an excuse to exaggerate their own costs and then nickel and dime consumers.” 倡議組織Accountable US總裁海瑞格說：「最近的財報電話會議只是強化了一個熟悉且不受歡迎的主題，也就是企業面對苦苦掙扎的家庭，沒必要把價格漲到這麼高。這些會議告訴我們，企業以通膨、疫情及供應鏈挑戰為藉口，誇大自身成本，然後一點一滴榨乾消費者。」 Over the past year, the price of food eaten at home has soared 13%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with some items spiking even higher. Cereals and bakery goods are up 16.2% from a year ago, closely followed by dairy, which has risen 15.9%. 根據美國勞工統計局數據，過去一年家用食品價格飆升13%，有些品項甚至漲更多。穀物和烘焙食品較一年前上漲16.2%，緊追在後的是漲幅15.9%的乳製品。 The cost of eating at restaurants has risen 8.5% over the same period. 同一時期，在餐廳用餐的價格漲了8.5%。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6758886

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.K482: CEOs Are Talking More About Recession Despite a surprisingly resilient labor market, talk of an economic downturn is on the lips of corporate leaders. 儘管勞動市場意外展現韌性，企業領導人仍在談論經濟衰退。 James S. Tisch, CEO of Loews, the hotel, insurance and industrial conglomerate, said on an earnings call with analysts last week that his “fearless forecast” was for recession, but not one that would be as “cataclysmic as ’08 or ’09.” 飯店、保險與工業集團Loews執行長堤許上周在財報電話會議上對分析師說，他的「大膽預測」是經濟陷入衰退，但不會像2008年或09年那樣「災難性」。 And William J. Hornbuckle, CEO of MGM Resorts International, told analysts last week that he and his executives were “not blind,” and that they “remain keenly aware of the impact of inflation” and the potential that the economy was headed for a downturn. 米高梅國際酒店集團執行長洪巴克上周告訴分析師，他跟他的主管們「沒瞎」，他們「仍敏銳地意識到通膨影響」，以及經濟走向衰退的潛在風險。 Recession has been an increasingly hot topic. It’s customary for large public companies to hold conference calls with analysts after they report their earnings. Of the 409 companies listed on the S&P 500-stock index that have held analyst calls to discuss the most recent quarter, the R-word came up as a topic 165 times, according to Sentieo, a market data provider. 經濟衰退已成為一個愈來愈熱門的話題。公布財報後，大型上市公司通常會跟分析師舉行電話會議。根據市場數據供應商Sentieo的數據，舉行分析師電話會議討論最新一季財報的標普500股指上市公司中，衰退一字被其中409家公司當成討論主題165次。 A year ago, “recession” was uttered on 42 earnings calls by S&P 500 firms for the third quarter. Discussions about a recession have been elevated throughout this year, with big year-over-year jumps in the first and second quarters as well. 一年前，標普500指數公司中有42家在第三季財報電話會議上提到「衰退」。今年以來，有關衰退的討論一直在升溫，第一季和第二季的熱度均較一年前大幅增加。 Two weeks ago, Federal Reserve officials made a fourth supersize interest rate increase in an effort to tame inflation, heightening fears of an economic slump. The Fed chair, Jerome H. Powell, said he thought there was still a window for a so-called soft landing, in which inflation dissipates but the economy does not fall into a recession. 兩周前，美國聯準會官員第四次大幅升息抑制通膨，加劇對經濟衰退的擔憂情緒。聯準會主席鮑爾說，他認為仍有實現所謂軟著陸的可能性，也就是通膨消散，但經濟不會陷入衰退。 “Has it narrowed? Yes,” Powell told reporters. “Is it still possible? Yes.” 鮑爾告訴記者：「降溫了嗎？是的。還有可能嗎？是的。」 Some economic indicators released last week seemed to back Powell’s view. Last quarter, the gross domestic product rose at a better-than-expected annual pace of 2.6%. On Friday, the government reported that employers added 261,000 jobs to their payrolls in October, which was also above expectations. 上周公布的部分經濟指標似乎支持鮑爾的觀點。美國上一季國內生產毛額年增率2.6%，優於預期。根據政府周五的報告，十月新增就業人數26萬1,000人，也超出預期。 Nonetheless, CEOs on 88 third-quarter conference calls said that the Fed’s raising of interest rates to fight inflation was either a major factor slowing their business, or that they expected it to be, according to Sentieo. Last week, Steven Roth, real estate developer and CEO of Vornado Realty Trust, told analysts that because the Fed was “deadly serious” in fighting inflation, “the economy is clearly slowing.” 儘管如此，Sentieo指出，在第三季88場電話會議上，執行長們稱聯準會升息抗通膨，不是自家業績放緩的一項主因，就是他們預期的一項因素。房地產開發商Vornado Realty Trust執行長羅斯上周告訴分析師，由於聯準會在抗通膨上「非常認真」，「經濟明顯正在走緩」。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6776445

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Topic: Apple Feels the Sting From an Oscar Slap Apple has a Will Smith problem. 蘋果有個威爾史密斯的麻煩。 Smith is the star of “Emancipation,” a film set during the Civil War era that Apple envisioned as a surefire Oscar contender when it wrapped filming earlier this year. But that was before Smith strode onto the stage at the Academy Awards in March and slapped comedian Chris Rock, who had made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. 史密斯是「解放」（暫譯）的主角，這部設定於南北戰爭期間的電影今年初拍攝殺青時，蘋果視為奧斯卡必勝參賽者，但那是在3月的奧斯卡頒獎典禮前。史密斯在典禮時走上舞台，掌摑喜劇演員克里斯洛克，因為他開了史密斯妻子、潔達蘋姬史密斯的玩笑。 Will Smith, who also won best actor that night, has since surrendered his membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and has been banned from attending any Academy-related events, including the Oscar telecast, for the next decade. 威爾史密斯那晚贏得最佳男主角獎，那之後他退回美國影藝學院會員資格，且被禁止未來十年參加所有學院相關活動，包括奧斯卡獎。 Now Apple finds itself left with a $120 million unreleased awards-style movie featuring a star no longer welcome at the biggest award show of them all and a big question: Can the film, even if it succeeds artistically, overcome the baggage that now accompanies Smith? 現在蘋果發現，它花1.2億美元拍攝這部符合奧斯卡得獎風格的未上映電影，片中明星在這個最大獎項會場卻已不再受歡迎。一個很大問題是：即使在藝術上成功了，這部電影如今能夠克服史密斯帶來的包袱嗎？ According to three people involved with the film who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the company’s planning, there have been discussions inside Apple to release “Emancipation” by the end of the year, which would make it eligible for awards consideration. Variety reported in May, however, that the film’s release would be pushed into 2023. 要求匿名談論蘋果公司計畫的三名參與電影人士說，蘋果內部曾討論在今年底前上映「解放」，好讓電影符合獎項考慮資格。然而，「綜藝」雜誌5月報導，電影上映可能推遲到2023年。 When asked for this article how and when it planned to release “Emancipation,” Apple declined to comment. 當被問到計畫如何及何時上映「解放」時，蘋果拒絕置評。 “Emancipation,” directed by Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day”) and with a script by William Collage, is based on the true story of a slave known as “Whipped Peter,”who joined the Union Army while still in the South. 「解放」由「震撼教育」導演安東尼法奎執導，編劇為比爾克爾吉，根據一名叫做「鞭傷彼得」的奴隸，在南方加入聯邦軍的真實故事改編。 Apple set up a general audience test screening of “Emancipation” in Chicago earlier this year, according to three people with knowledge of the event who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to discuss it publicly. They said it generated an overwhelmingly positive reaction, specifically for Smith’s performance, which one of the people called “volcanic.” Audience members, during the after-screening feedback, said they were not turned off by Smith’s recent public behavior. 根據三名知曉活動、但不被允許公開談論此事而匿名的人士表示，蘋果今年初在芝加哥進行一場針對一般大眾的「解放」試映。他們說，電影得到驚人的正面反應，特別是史密斯的演技，有人形容為「有如火山爆發」。在試映結束後的觀眾回饋中，有人說他們不會因為史密斯最近的公開行為而討厭他。 Smith largely disappeared from public view following the Oscars. But in July, he released a video on his YouTube channel in which he said he was “deeply remorseful” for his behavior and apologized directly to Rock and his family. 奧斯卡獎典禮後，史密斯幾乎自公眾目光中消失。但他7月在自己的YouTube頻道上傳一段影片，表示對自己的行為「深感悔恨」，並直接向洛克及其家人道歉。 Next Article Topic: Apple’s Eye-Catching New Home Disrupts Silicon Valley Things change when a spaceship comes to town. Tourists stroll by, whipping out their iPhones to get a photo. New businesses move in. And real estate prices go up even more. 當太空船來到城裡，許多事情都變了。遊客在這裡流連，迅速拿出iPhone拍照。新商家進駐。房地產價格漲得更高。 Apple’s new home in Cupertino — the centerpiece being a $5 billion, four-story, 2.8 million-square-foot ring that can be seen from space and that locals call the spaceship — is still getting some final touches, and employees have just started to trickle in. The full squadron, about 12,000 people, will arrive in several months. But the development of the headquarters, a 175-acre area officially called Apple Park, has already helped transform the surrounding area. 蘋果公司在加州古柏迪諾市的新家——核心是耗資50億美元（合台幣約1500億元），面積280萬平方英尺（約7萬9000坪）的4層樓環狀建物，能從太空中看到，當地人稱為太空船——仍處在最後裝修階段，員工才剛開始陸續遷入。總計1萬2000人將在數月內入駐。 不過，蘋果新總部修建已推動周邊地區的變化。新總部占地175英畝（約21萬坪），正式名稱是蘋果園區。 In Sunnyvale, a town just across the street, 95 development projects are in the planning stages. The city manager, Deanna J. Santana, said she had never seen such action before. In Cupertino, a Main Street Cupertino living and dining complex opened in early 2016. This downtown enclave includes the Lofts, a 120-unit apartment community opening this fall; small shops; and numerous restaurants and cafes. Other local businesses are also gearing up in anticipation. A Residence Inn at Main Street Cupertino, expected to open in September, has been slightly customized to meet the needs of Apple employees. Guests will have access to Macs and high-speed internet connections, said Mark Lynn, a partner with Sand Hill Hotel Management, which operates the hotel and consulted with Apple about what its employees need at a hotel. 在蘋果園區對街的桑尼維爾市，有95個開發案正規劃中。市經理迪安娜．桑塔納說，她未曾見過這樣的發展。在古柏迪諾，居住和餐飲綜合建築「古柏迪諾大街」在2016年初開幕。這個商業區包括有120戶公寓的社區Lofts，將於今秋推出；還有小商店、大量的餐廳和咖啡館。 其他本地企業也滿懷

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments See vs. Look vs. Watch 看見/看/觀看 See is a verb of perception, it is a sense. It is automatic and doesn't require a decision to use this sense. It is associated with things that we can't avoid. Look and Watch are action verbs that require a decision for you to use them. They never happen automatically. Look is used to suggest a direction for your eyes. Usually we use this verb when the things we look at doesn't move. Look - camera, prices, mirror, sky.Look at this picture.I like to look at the stars at night. Watch is when we talk about concentrating on something, like a movie or sports. Using watch suggests there is a movement involved, so you can use that for TV or movies. Watch - a movie, a TV program, a football match.I like to sit on the verandah and watch people walk by.I watch The Simpsons every day on TV. ExamplesI can see the mountains in the distance. 我可以看到遠處的山脈Can you see the whiteboard from your seat? 從你的位子看得到白板嗎？Look at the map to find where we are. 看地圖上找不找得到你的地點Don't look at him for the answer - I asked you! 我再問你！不要看他要答案I love to watch Game of Thrones on Sunday night. 我週日時段超愛看冰與火My husband watches the replays of the football on the weekend. 我老公超愛看體育台重播 小測驗時間 – 翻譯你從你家看得到台北101嗎？你每天都給小孩看多久電視？看看你！都弄的髒兮兮的！平日我們都愛看Netflix 影集當初你是看上你男人的哪一點？我不喜歡做功課時有人盯著！

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.K481: About Golf - Tiger Woods turned down $700-800M to play LIV Golf Tiger Woods turned down an offer worth approximately $700-$800 million to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series, according to the tour’s CEO Greg Norman. 根據利夫高球巡迴賽首席執行長格雷格．諾曼表示，老虎伍茲拒絕以約7到8億美元的報酬報價，參加這個由沙烏地阿拉伯贊助的高球系列賽。 During an interview on Fox News that aired on Monday, former world No. 1 Norman was asked by Tucker Carlson if it was true that Woods was offered $700-$800 million to join the LIV Golf series. 在福斯新聞週一播出的一段訪問中，曾是男子高球世界排名第一的諾曼被（福斯新聞主播）塔克．卡爾森問到，伍茲是否真的被以7到8億美元的報酬受邀參加利夫高球系列賽。 "That number was out there before I became CEO," Norman replied. "So, that number’s been out there, yes. Look, Tiger’s a needle mover, right? 「在我成為執行長前，就提出這個金額了，」諾曼回道。「所以，是的，這金額早就提出來了。你知道的，老虎是關鍵要人，是吧？」 "So, of course, you’re going to look at the best of the best. They had originally approached Tiger before I became CEO, so, yes, that number is somewhere in that neighborhood." 「所以，當然，你會想找強棒中的強棒。他們在我成為執行長前，一開始就接觸過老虎，所以，沒錯，金額差不多就是這樣。」 Next Article Golf balls raining down on an...airport and it’s a big problem 高爾夫球遍佈…機場，問題大了 Over the past 30 days the Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Carter County, Tennessee, has been dealing with a major safety issue：golf balls all over the runway. The problem is worrying airport officials, reports WJHL News Channel 11. 過去30天來，田納西州卡特郡的伊莉莎白市立機場一直在處理一個重大飛安議題：機場跑道上遍佈高爾夫球。這個問題讓機場官員相當擔憂，WJHL新聞11頻道報導說。 Dan Cogan, the airport manager said, "Four different occasions we found golf balls out there and the total is well over 100 golf balls." The closest golf course is seven miles away but the balls are being found on the airport’s east end runway. 該機場經理丹．寇根說，「我們在4個不同的地方發現高爾夫球，總數遠超過100個。」距離該機場最近的高爾夫球場位於7英里外，但這些高爾夫球是在該機場的東端跑道上發現的。 There have been no injuries and the balls have hit no planes, but Carter County Sheriff Chris Mathes says there could be a case for "reckless endangerment, you’re putting people’s lives in danger." 這些高爾夫球並未造成人員受傷，也沒有飛機被擊中，但卡特郡警長克里斯．馬西斯說，本案可能構 成「危害他人安全，讓其他人的生命陷於險境」。 Authorities are asking for the public’s help in finding the golfer behind this act. 當局請求大眾協助尋找此事幕後的高球手。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1548180 ; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/810601

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.K480: About School - Italy’s oldest student graduates again aged 98 Giuseppe Paterno, who is 98, has become Italy’s oldest graduate - again. 98歲的朱塞佩‧帕特諾成為義大利最年長的畢業生，這是他第二次創紀錄。 Paterno has added a masters in history and philosophy from the University of Palermo to an initial degree in the same subjects he earned there two years ago. 帕特諾2年前先在巴勒莫大學歷史與哲學系取得學士學位後，又在同系修畢碩士學位。 Paterno passed the latest degree with top marks, again, his proud family said on Facebook. 為帕特諾感到自豪的家人在「臉書」表示，他再次以高分通過最新的學位考試。 He has no plans to rest and wants to write a novel using his trusty typewriter. 他沒有休息的計畫，反而想用他那台可靠的打字機寫一部小說。 Born in 1923, Paterno grew up in a poor family in Sicily and despite his love of books and studying, he wasn’t able to go to university as a young man. 帕特諾1923年生於西西里島，在貧困家庭中長大，儘管熱愛閱讀和學習，但他年輕時無法上大學。 Instead he served in the navy during World War Two from the age of 20 and went on to be a railway worker. 相反地，他在第二次世界大戰期間服役於海軍，當時20幾歲，之後成為一名鐵路工人。（路透） Next Article Guilty! Law school sends out erroneous admissions emails 法律學院寄出錯誤的入學通知電郵 The Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts, said in a statement it’s guilty of accidentally sending acceptance emails to former and current applicants. 麻薩諸塞州波士頓的東北大學法律學院在聲明中表示，他們犯下疏失，意外寄送錄取通知書電子郵件給歷屆及當屆的申請人。 The School blamed a "technical error" for the glitch, saying the erroneous emails went to more than 200 people who applied for admission starting next fall, as well as to nearly 4,000 former applicants, some of whom are already enrolled. 該院將這個疏失歸咎於「技術性失誤」，坦言錯誤的電郵已寄給預定明年秋季入學的200多名申請人，以及近4000名歷屆申請人，其中還有人已註冊入學。 Lakisha Papoutsakis, a single mother, who received the acceptance email, said that she has dreamed of going to law school since she was a child. 收到入學通知的單親媽媽拉奇莎‧帕波薩琪斯說，她從小就憧憬進入法學院就讀。 She shared the good news with her loved ones before noticing the follow-up email. "I was like, ’Oh my God this is so amazing,’ and then it was like, ’Oh no, sorry, April Fool’s Day,’" she said. 她跟親愛的人們分享喜訊後，才注意到後續的電郵。她說：「我本來心想，『我的天啊，這太驚喜了』，然後又覺得，『喔不，真遺憾，這是愚人節吧』。」Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1546670 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1545424

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Summary: Toward the end of the year, the growing workload made Angel and I adjust the way we used to record. For the past couple months, we've been recording remotely. During this time, we noticed the changes in the way we record our sessions and the little things we care about. In this episode, Angel and I is finally back in the studio, recording face to face. Why don't you tell us how you usually prepare for your Zoom sessions? Comment down below! Vocabulary: 1. Nuance n. 細緻差別 When remote recording without video, you have to listen to the nuances in the voice. 當遠端錄音沒有影像輔助時，得聽聲音裡細微的差別。 2. Blur v. 模糊化 Most people choose to blur their background in Zoom meetings. 多數人在遠端會議時會選擇模糊化他們的背景。 3. Post-pandemic era n. 後疫情時代 In the post-pandemic era, you have to be ready for all hybrid work situations. 後疫情時代你必須準備好各種彈性工作的情境。 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.K479: Could India Help Broker Peace in Ukraine? In July, when a critical deal was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey to free up millions of pounds of desperately needed Ukrainian grain, India played an important behind-the-scenes role in helping sell the plan to Russia, which had been blockading the grain ships. 今年七月，當聯合國與土耳其斡旋達成一項關鍵協議，釋放數百萬磅急需的烏克蘭穀物時，印度在幕後扮演了重要角色，協助向俄羅斯推銷該計畫。俄羅斯一直在封鎖這些穀物船。 Two months later, when Russian forces were shelling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine, leaving the world anxious about a nuclear catastrophe, India stepped in again and asked Russia to back off. 兩個月之後，當俄軍砲轟烏克蘭札波羅熱核電廠，令世界對核災感到焦慮時，印度再次介入，要求俄羅斯後退。 Throughout the Ukraine war, India has quietly assisted during a few pivotal moments such as these. Last week, India’s foreign minister traveled to Moscow for meetings with Russian officials on economic and political issues. Diplomats and foreign-policy experts are watching closely to see if India can use its unique leverage as one of the world’s largest countries that is a friend to both East and West to press Russia to end its war in Ukraine. 整個烏克蘭戰爭期間，印度在諸如此類的幾個關鍵時刻默默提供協助。印度外長上周前往莫斯科，與俄羅斯官員就經濟和政治問題舉行會談。外交官與外交政策專家正密切關注，印度能否利用身為世界最大國家之一並跟東西方友好的獨特影響力，迫使俄羅斯結束在烏克蘭的戰爭。 Russia and Ukraine are far from negotiating with each other; Ukraine feels it has momentum on the battlefield and is in no mood to talk, and Russia is hardly relenting either. But the widespread belief is that if the fighting reaches a stalemate, and the energy crisis makes life really miserable in Ukraine and across Europe this winter, the prospect of a negotiated settlement or at least a cease-fire may arise. 俄羅斯和烏克蘭完全不談判；烏克蘭覺得自己在戰場上擁有氣勢，無心談判，俄羅斯也幾乎沒有鬆懈下來。但人們普遍認為，若戰鬥陷入僵局，能源危機讓烏克蘭跟整個歐洲今冬生活變得非常悲慘，以談判來解決或是至少停火的機會可能出現。 India’s leader, Narendra Modi, seems to enjoy a good rapport with Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, with whom he shares certain strongman characteristics. 印度領導人莫迪似乎與俄羅斯領導人普亭關係融洽，兩人都擁有某些強人特徵。 But the Ukraine crisis and the escalating tensions between Russia and the West are testing India’s tightrope act. It continues to buy Russian oil, lots of it, which angers Ukraine and the United States. And it has refused to support resolutions at the United Nations that have condemned Russia’s aggression. 但烏克蘭危機以及俄國與西方不斷升級的緊張關係，正考驗印度的走鋼索行為。該國繼續大量購買俄羅斯石油，激怒了烏克蘭跟美國。它還拒絕支持聯合國譴責俄羅斯侵略的決議。 Yuri Makarov, chief editor of the Ukrainian national broadcasting company and a popular commentator based in Kyiv, was surprised to hear that Indian officials had been contemplating peace efforts. 當得知印度官員一直在考慮和平行動時，烏克蘭國家廣播公司主編、基輔頗受歡迎的評論員馬卡洛夫感到驚訝。 “I wonder if they have their own idea of the real Ukrainian situation,” he said, adding that he had yet to meet any Indian diplomats, intellectuals or journalists in Kyiv. 他說，「我好奇他們是否對烏克蘭真實情況有自己的看法」，並稱自己還沒在基輔見到任何印度外交官、知識分子或記者。 His instinct, he said, was that Israel or Turkey would be better-informed mediators. 他表示，他的直覺是以色列或土耳其會成為消息較為靈通的調解人。 Still, Makarov said, “Russia doesn’t want Ukraine to exist.” 不過，馬卡洛夫說：「俄羅斯不希望烏克蘭存在。」 He added, “So I don’t see an option for talks, sadly.” 他接著說：「所以很遺憾，我看不到有談判的選項。」Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6776438

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.K478: Who will pay for climate ‘loss and damage’? The COP27 summit of nearly 200 countries agreed on Sunday to set up a “loss and damage” fund to support poorer countries that are being ravaged by climate impacts, overcoming decades of resistance from wealthy nations whose historic emissions have fueled climate change. 參與《聯合國氣候變化框架公約》締約方大會第27次會議（COP27）的近兩百個國家，上週日同意設立「損失與損害」基金，以援助受氣候變化衝擊、慘遭蹂躪的較貧窮國家，克服了富裕國家數十年來的抵制，這些富國過去的碳排放助長了氣候變化。 Pakistan’s climate minister Sherry Rehman, who was part of the campaign by developing nations to win the commitment at the two-week UN summit in Egypt, hailed the landmark decision as “downpayment on climate justice.” 巴基斯坦氣候部長雪莉‧雷曼，在為期兩週、在埃及舉行的聯合國峰會上為發展中國家發聲，讓大會做出此承諾，她稱讚此具有里程碑意義的決定是「氣候正義的頭期款」。 However, the text of the agreement leaves open a number of crucial details to be worked out next year and beyond, including who would contribute to the fund and who would benefit. Here is what you need to know about the agreement: 但該協議的內容有些關鍵細節並未釐清，有待明年及之後決定，包括該基金之出資者以及受益者。 以下為該協議之重點： WHAT IS ‘LOSS AND DAMAGE’? In UN climate talks, “loss and damage” refers to costs incurred from climate-fueled weather extremes or impacts, like rising sea levels. 什麼是「損失及損害」？在聯合國氣候談判中，「損失及損害」是指因受到氣候引發的極端天氣或衝擊──例如海平面上升──所影響，而產生的成本。 Climate funding so far has focused mostly on cutting carbon dioxide emissions in an effort to curb global warming, while about a third of it has gone toward projects to help communities adapt to future impacts. 氣候資金到目前主要都集中在減少二氧化碳排放以遏制全球暖化，其中約三分之一用於幫助社群適應未來衝擊的計畫。 Loss and damage funding is different, specifically covering the cost of damage that countries cannot avoid or adapt to. 損失及損害資金則不同，它特別支付國家無法避免或無法調適因應的損害成本。 But there is no agreement yet over what should count as “loss and damage” caused by climate change — which could include damaged infrastructure and property, as well as harder-to-value natural ecosystems or cultural assets. 但是，對於何者該計入氣候變化所造成的「損失及損害」，目前尚未有一致看法──這可能包括受損的基礎設施與財產，以及更難以估價的自然生態系統或文化資產之破壞。 A report by 55 vulnerable countries estimated that their combined climate-linked losses over the last two decades totaled US$525 billion, or 20 percent of their collective GDP. Some research suggests that by 2030 such losses could reach US$580 billion per year. 五十五個易受氣候變化衝擊的脆弱國家所做的一份報告估計，過去二十年他們與氣候相關的損失總計5,250億美元，佔其總GDP的20%。一些研究顯示，到了二○三○年，此類損失可能會達到每年5,800億美元。 WHO PAYS WHOM? Vulnerable countries and campaigners in the past argued that rich countries that caused the bulk of climate change with their historical greenhouse gas emissions should pay. 誰該為誰買單？ 脆弱國家及運動人士以前主張，富裕國家過去所排放的溫室氣體，是導致氣候變化的一大因素，因此富國應為此付出代價。 The US and EU had resisted the argument, fearing spiraling liabilities, but changed their position during the COP27 summit. The EU has argued that China — the world’s second-biggest economy, but classified by the UN as a developing country — should also pay into it. 美國和歐盟一直抗拒此論點，擔心會負債累累，但在COP27峰會期間改變了立場。歐盟認為，中國──世界第二大經濟體，但被聯合國列為發展中國家──也應為此付出代價。 A few governments have made relatively small but symbolic funding commitments for loss and damage: Denmark, Belgium, Germany and Scotland, plus the EU. China has not committed any payment. 一些國家的政府為損失及損害承諾了相對較小但具象徵意義的資助：丹麥、比利時、德國與蘇格蘭，以及歐盟。中國並未承諾支付任何款項。 Also remaining to be worked out are the details on which countries or disasters qualify for compensation. 仍有待確定的，是哪些國家或災害有獲賠償資格之細節。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/11/22/2003789352

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 Points to remember about initiating small talkIt’s not about gossip in the workplace 不是八卦Your response need not be exact or specific 無需太認真It’s about warming up to the other person 讓互動慢慢加溫Start from broad, generic topics down to narrow, specific topics 宏觀到微觀 大綱主題Topics: Topic : Work and location 工作或地點  So, is this your first time here?  I work in (city), and where are you based?  How often do you have to travel for work?  How long have you been working here/there?  What do you like most/least about your job? Topic : Transport for work 交通  Do you commute to work, or do you live nearby?  How long does it take you to get to work?  Do you think the public transport here is better than in (city)? Topic : Holidays 度假假期  Where do you like to go on holiday?  What is the one of the best places you've visited?  Do you prefer to fly or take the car? Topic : Free time, Hobbies, Sport 休閒活動  What do you usually do at the weekend?  Do you like to watch/play football? Topic : Education and training 教育相關  Where did you go to college/university?  What did you study at college/university?  Would you recommend that course to others?  Do you speak any other languages? Topic : Food and drinks 飲食相關  Have you tried/Do you like the food here?  Do you know any good restaurants around here?  What is your favorite type of food? 雙人對話時間Exchange dialogues: Work in pairs. Take turns to initiate small talk.

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.K477: About the UK - One in 7 Britons skipping meals in cost of living crisis One in seven people in the UK are skipping meals or going without food, according to new polling data released by the Trades Union Congress (TUC). 英國工會大會（TUC）發布的最新民調數據顯示，7分之1的英國人選擇少吃幾頓飯，甚至不吃飯。 The data from an MRP poll by Opinium reveals that more than half of British people are cutting back on heating, hot water and electricity in the cost of living squeeze, and one in 12 have missed the payment of a household bill. 英國調查機構Opinium公布的物資需求計畫（MRP）民調數據顯示，隨著生活成本不斷上漲，超過半數英國人削減取暖、熱水和用電開支，每12人中就有1人負擔不起家庭開支。 With inflation running at 10%, the polling found that one in seven people are skipping meals but that rises to one in five people in nearly 50 constituencies across the country. 在通貨膨脹率飆升至10％的情況下，民調發現，7分之1的人選擇少用餐，但在全國近50個選區中，這一比例達5分之1。 The proportion of people across the UK skipping meals is the same for people in and out of work at 14%, while about 44% say they are having to cut back on food spending. 英國各地為省錢選擇少吃飯的人，與工作不穩定的人比例相同，為14％，而大約44％的人表示他們不得不削減食品支出。 Next Article Romanian migrant becomes star in Britain 羅馬尼亞移民在英國成明星 The British media had warned of a flood of new Bulgarian and Romanian migrants arriving on January 1, but judging by this week’s coverage, they only appeared to have found one. 英國媒體之前警告1月1日將湧入大批保加利亞與羅馬尼亞新移民，但由本週的報導判斷，他們似乎只發現1人。 Victor Spirescu, a 30-year-old Romanian, has become an unexpected star after flying into Luton airport, north of London, on the day EU labour market restrictions on his nation and Bulgaria were lifted. 30歲的羅馬尼亞人史皮瑞斯庫，在歐盟對其母國與保國的勞工解除市場管制當日，飛抵北倫敦的魯頓機場後，意外成名。 He has become the face of the new arrivals, featuring in several national newspapers in Britain -- including for a double-page spread in The Times -- appearing on Sky News and has been interviewed by the Romanian media back home. 他成為新移民的代表人物，英國一些全國性報紙加以特別報導，包括泰晤士報的跨頁專題，他也在「天空新聞」露面，並接受家鄉羅國媒體採訪。 The Daily Telegraph newspaper even travelled to Romania to interview his 19-year-old fiancee, Catalina Curcean, in what it called their "ramshackle" house outside the village of Pelisor in Transylvania. 「每日電訊報」甚至走訪羅國，在外西凡尼亞佩利索村外一棟被稱為「搖搖欲墜」的房子內，訪問他的19歲未婚妻卡塔莉娜。 A gaggle of journalists had gathered to greet Spirescu’s flight on January 1, in hopes of a story about hordes of migrants arriving to seek work and possibly to abuse Britain’s welfare system. 一群喧嚷的記者1月1日齊聚迎接史皮瑞斯庫的班機，希望獲得移民成群結隊抵達找工作，並可能濫用英國福利系統的報導。 Media panic about the new influx and fears about ’benefits tourism’ had led the British government to rush through measures in December restricting access to unemployment hand-outs to new EU migrants. 媒體對新移民潮的恐慌與對「福利旅遊」的畏懼，促使英國政府急於在12月通過失業救濟不得延及歐盟新移民的措施。 But of the 140 passengers on board the 180-seat plane from Tirgu Mures in central Romania, most were already working in Britain and were returning from their Christmas holidays. 然而，來自羅馬尼亞中部特爾古穆列什的一架180人座客機中的140名乘客，大多數都已在英國就業，只是結束耶誕假期返回。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1550077 ; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/744973

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.K476: About Science - Scientists grow plants in lunar dirt, next stop moon Scientists grow plants in lunar dirt, next stop moon 科學家從月球土壤中種出植物 下一步登月種植 For the first time, scientists have grown plants in soil from the moon collected by NASA’s Apollo astronauts. 科學家從美國航太總署阿波羅登月計畫太空人收集的月球土壤中，成功種出植物，這是史上首見。 Researchers wanted to see if the moon soil could be used to grow food by the next generation of lunar explorers. The results stunned them. 研究員希望了解月球土壤能否被下一個世代的月球探索者用於栽培糧食作物，而實驗結果令他們大為驚喜。 "Holy cow. Plants actually grow in lunar stuff. Are you kidding me?" said Robert Ferl of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. 佛羅里達大學食物和農業科學研究所的羅伯特‧費爾讚嘆：「我的天啊，月球土壤居然真的長出植物，不是在說笑吧？」 Ferl and his colleagues planted thale cress in moon soil returned by Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, and other moonwalkers, and all of the seeds sprouted. 費爾和同事從阿波羅11號計畫的尼爾‧阿姆斯壯、伯茲‧艾德林和其他登月者帶回的土壤中栽種阿拉伯芥，而且所有種子都發芽了。 The downside was that after the first week, the coarseness and other properties of the lunar soil stressed the small, flowering weeds so much that they grew more slowly than seedlings planted in fake moon dirt from Earth. Most of the moon plants ended up stunted. 壞消息是，1週過後，月球土壤的粗糙和其他特性，讓這種小型開花植物承受極大壓力，其生長速度比人造月球土中的幼苗還慢，且大多數發育不良。 Next Article Do spiders sleep? Study suggests they may snooze like humans蜘蛛會睡覺嗎？研究表明牠們可能像人類一樣打盹 It’s a question that keeps some scientists awake at night: Do spiders sleep? 這是一個讓一些科學家夜不能寐的問題：蜘蛛會睡覺嗎？ Daniela Roessler and her colleagues trained cameras on baby jumping spiders at night to find out. The footage showed patterns that looked a lot like sleep cycles: The spiders’ legs twitched and parts of their eyes flickered. 丹妮拉‧羅斯勒和她的同事在夜間用相機對準跳蛛幼蛛拍攝，以找出答案。畫面顯示的模式看起來很像睡眠週期：蜘蛛的腿抽搐，部分眼睛來回轉動。 The researchers described this pattern as a “REM sleep-like state.” In humans, REM, or rapid eye movement, is an active phase of sleep when parts of the brain light up with activity and is closely linked with dreaming. 研究人員用「快速眼動睡眠狀態」形容他們觀察到的這種模式」。人類睡眠的快速眼動（REM）指的是睡眠過程中的活躍階段，大腦有一部分處於清醒活動狀態，與作夢有密切關係。 Other animals, including some birds and mammals, have been shown to experience REM sleep. But creatures like the jumping spider haven’t gotten as much attention so it wasn’t known if they got the same kind of sleep, said Roessler, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Konstanz in Germany. 其他動物，包括一些鳥類和哺乳動物，已被證明會經歷快速眼動睡眠。但德國康斯坦茨大學的進化生物學家羅斯勒說，像跳蛛這樣的生物並沒有受到太多關注，所以不知道牠們是否有同樣的睡眠。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1536258 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1538995

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Summary: As of October 13th, the CDC has eased the border controls for arrivals in Taiwan. Now that the pandemic is over, airlines are scrambling to meet the travel demands around the world. Until the airline industry returns to its glory days, the ticket prices remain high and out of reach for certain routes. In this episode, Angel shares where one can get tickets for cheap. Why don't you tell us how you usually bargain hunt for airtickets? Comment down below! Vocabulary: 1. Self-initiated disease prevention 自主防疫 As of October 13th, all arrivals must undergo self-initiated disease prevention. 從十月十三日起，入境人士都需進行自主防疫。 2. Clearance tickets 清倉促銷機票 There are Facebook pages dedicated to selling clearance tickets to the public. 臉書粉專有專門提供促銷機票的。 3. The world is your oyster 世界任你翱翔 If you happen to be between jobs, you can take the opportunity to travel and make the world your oyster. 如果你在待業中，你可以藉由這個機會讓世界任你翱翔。 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 Music makes you lose control, Missy Elliott once sang on a hit that is almost impossible to hear without bopping along. Now scientists have discovered that rats also find rhythmic beats irresistible, showing how they instinctively move in time to music. 音樂讓你情不自禁，蜜西艾莉特唱紅的一首歌，便是說聽音樂幾乎無法不跟著一起打拍子。現在科學家發現老鼠對有節奏的拍子也無法抗拒，表示老鼠是本能地配合音樂節拍擺動。 This ability was previously thought to be uniquely human and scientists say the discovery provides insights into the animal mind and the origins of music and dance. 這種能力以前被認為是人類所獨有，科學家說這一發現能讓我們對動物的頭腦以及音樂和舞蹈的起源有更深入的了解。 “Rats displayed innate — that is, without any training or prior exposure to music — beat synchronization,” said Dr Hirokazu Takahashi of the University of Tokyo. 東京大學的高橋宏知博士說：「老鼠所展現的節拍同步是天生的——也就是說，未經任何訓練，也未曾接觸過音樂」。 “Music exerts a strong appeal to the brain and has profound effects on emotion and cognition,” he added. 「音樂對大腦有很強的吸引力，對情緒和認知有深遠的影響」，他補充道。 While there have been previous demonstrations of animals dancing along to music — TikTok has a wealth of examples — the study is one of the first scientific investigations of the phenomenon. 雖然之前已經有動物隨音樂起舞的例子——抖音上有很多這樣的影片——但這項研究是對此現象的首批科學研究之一。 In the study, published in the journal Science Advances, 10 rats were fitted with wireless, miniature accelerometers to measure the slightest head movements. They were then played one-minute excerpts from Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, at four different tempos: 75 percent, 100 percent, 200 percent and 400 percent of the original speed. 20 human volunteers also participated. The scientists thought it possible that rats would prefer faster music, as their bodies, including heartbeat, work at a faster pace. By contrast, the time constant of the brain is surprisingly similar across species. 發表在期刊《科學前緣》的這項研究，將十隻老鼠戴上無線微型加速計，以測量最輕微的頭部運動。然後將節選自莫札特D大調雙鋼琴奏鳴曲的一分鐘樂段，以原始速度的75%、100%、 200%和400%等四種不同的速度播放給老鼠聽。二十名人類志願者也參加了此實驗。科學家以為老鼠可能偏好更快的音樂，因為老鼠的身體，包括心跳，是以更快的速度運作。相反地，不同物種生物的大腦時間常數卻是驚人地相似。 However, the results showed that both the rat and human participants had optimal beat synchronicity when the music was in the 120 to 140 beats per minute (bpm) range — close to the Mozart composition’s original 132bpm — suggesting we share a “sweet spot” for hitting the beat. The team also found that rats and humans jerked their heads to the beat in a similar rhythm, and that the level of head jerking decreased the more that the music was sped up. 然而，研究結果顯示，當音樂在每分鐘120-140次（bpm）範圍內時——接近莫札特原曲的132bpm，老鼠和人類受試者與節拍都最能同步。這表示我們打拍子有一個共同的「甜蜜點」。研究小組還發現，老鼠和人類會以相似的韻律對節奏搖頭晃腦，且隨著音樂加速，頭部擺動的程度會降低。 “Our results suggest that the optimal tempo for beat synchronization depends on the time constant in the brain,” said Takahashi. 「我們的結果顯示，節拍同步的最佳節奏取決於大腦中的時間常數」，高橋說。 The team now plans to investigate how other musical properties such as melody and harmony relate to the dynamics of the brain. “Also, as an engineer, I am interested in the use of music for a happy life,” said Takahashi. 該團隊現在計劃研究旋律及和聲等其他音樂屬性與大腦動態的關係。「此外，身為工程師，我對用音樂來讓生活變得幸福這件事很感興趣」，高橋表示。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/11/15/2003788908

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.K474: French Strike May Presage a Winter of Discontent Across France, a third of the gas stations are fully or partly dry, victims of a fast-widening strike that has spread to most of the country’s major oil refineries, as well as some nuclear plants and railways, offering a preview of a winter of discontent as inflation and energy shortages threaten to undercut Europe’s stability and its united front against Russia for its war in Ukraine. 在法國各地，三分之一的加油站已經完全或者快要沒油可加，它們是罷工迅速擴大的受害者，罷工已經蔓延到該國大多數主要煉油廠，以及部分核電廠和鐵路。這預示著不滿的冬天即將來臨，通膨與能源短缺將威脅歐洲穩定，以及歐洲在烏克蘭戰爭中反對俄羅斯的統一戰線。 At the very least the strike — pitting refinery workers seeking a greater share of the surging profits against oil giants TotalEnergies and Exxon Mobil — has already emerged as the first major social crisis of Emmanuel Macron’s second term as president, as calls grow for a general strike. 隨著要求舉行大罷工的呼聲日益高漲，這場罷工至少已成為馬克宏第二個總統任期內的首個重大社會危機，煉油廠工人則對上石油巨頭道達爾與埃克森美孚，希望在它們不斷飆升的獲利中爭取更多分潤。 The widening social unrest is just what European leaders fear as inflation hits its highest level in decades, driven in part by snarls in pandemic global supply chains, but also by the mounting impact of the tit-for-tat economic battle between Europe and Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. 隨著通膨達到數十年來最高水準，不斷擴大的社會動盪正讓歐洲領導人擔憂，通膨部分係因疫情導致全球供應鏈陷入混亂，也因為俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭而與歐洲以牙還牙的經濟戰，造成影響愈來愈大。 Economic anxiety is palpable across Europe, driving large protests in Prague, Britain’s biggest railway strike in three decades, as well as walkouts by bus drivers, call center employees and criminal defense lawyers, and causing many governments to introduce relief measures to cushion the blow and ward off still more turbulence. Airline workers in Spain and Germany went on strike recently, demanding wage increases to reflect the rising cost of living. 經濟焦慮在整個歐洲都很明顯，致使布拉格發生大規模抗議活動，英國發生30年來最大規模鐵路罷工，以及公車司機、客服中心員工和刑事辯護律師罷工，多國政府推出救濟措施以緩解衝擊，避免出現更多動盪。西班牙和德國航空公司員工近來也發起罷工，要求加薪來反映生活成本上漲。 Workers at half of France’s eight refineries are continuing to picket for higher wages in line with inflation, as well as a cut of the sky-high profits their companies made over recent months, as the price of gasoline has surged. 法國8家煉油廠中有4家的工人正持續爭取按照通膨率提高工資，並在公司近幾個月來因汽油價格上漲而飆升的獲利中分一杯羹。 Earlier last week, Exxon Mobil announced that it had come to an agreement with two of four unions working at its sites. But the wage increase was 1 percentage point less, and half the bonus, that Confédération Générale du Travail, or CGT, France’s second-largest union, had demanded. 埃克森美孚在上周稍早宣布，已經跟自家工廠四個工會中的兩個達成協議，但加薪幅度比法國第2大工會法國總工會（CGT）要求的少了1個百分點，獎金也少一半。 In its own news release, TotalEnergies said the company continued to aim for “fair compensation for the employees” and to ensure they benefited “from the exceptional results generated” by the company. 道達爾則在自家新聞稿說，公司持續致力於「為員工提供公平的報酬」，並確保他們從公司「創造的卓越業績」中受益。 On Friday, two unions at TotalEnergies announced they had reached a deal for a 7% wage increase and a bonus. But CGT, which has demanded a 10% hike, walked out of the negotiation and said it would continue the strike. 道達爾的兩個工會周五宣布，他們已就加薪7%與獎金達成協議，但要求加薪10%的法國總工會退出談判，並表示將繼續罷工。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6722930

留言告訴我你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Topic: About space - NASA and Tide team up to do laundry in space Tide is going to outer space. The Procter & Gamble brand is partnering with NASA to keep astronauts’ spacesuits fresh, even on Mars. 汰漬正在前往外太空。這個寶鹼公司的品牌正與美國航太總署合作，維持太空人太空服的乾淨，即便是在火星。 Company and NASA scientists have created a fully degradable detergent that will clean clothes without wasting water. 該公司與NASA科學家已經創造一款完全可自然分解的洗滌劑，不用浪費水就能潔淨衣物。 Over the next decade, they’ll be testing fabric care products, including Tide pens and wipes, at the International Space Station and on missions to the moon and Mars. 在未來10年中，他們將在國際太空站與登月、登火星的任務中，測試織物照護產品，包括汰漬的筆與濕紙巾。 The months or even years that astronauts spend away from Earth means that their spacesuits and clothes can become smelly and stained. Clothes have to be reworn several times before they are ejected with other waste into the atmosphere or sent back to Earth as trash. A crew member will receive 160 pounds of clothes per year through resupply shipments. 太空人離開地球數月，甚至數年的時間，意味著他們的太空服與衣物會變臭且染色。這些衣物與其他廢物被拋入大氣層或當成垃圾送回地球前，必須重複穿著許多次。1名組員每年將透過補給，拿到160磅重的衣物。 Next Article Topic: Russia wants to return to Venus, build reusable rocket 俄羅斯希望重返金星，打造可重複使用的火箭 The head of Russia’s space agency said Friday that Roscosmos wants to return to Venus and bring back soil samples and build spacecraft that will surpass Elon Musk’s rockets. 俄羅斯太空機構負責人週五說，俄羅斯航太太空活動國有公司（Roscosmos）想重返金星 ，帶回土壤樣本，並打造超越（太空探索科技公司）創辦人穆斯克的火箭的太空船。 "We are making a methane rocket to replace the Soyuz-2," Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said in an interview with state news agency RIA Novosti. 「我們正在打造一種甲烷火箭取代聯合2號火箭（Soyuz-2）」，俄羅斯航太總裁羅戈辛在接受國營「俄羅斯新聞社」訪問時說。 He said it will be a reusable space complex, noting that it will be possible to use its first stage at least 100 times. 他說，新火箭將是可以重複使用的太空綜合體，並強調第一節將有望重複使用至少100次。 "Of course we are looking at what our American colleagues are doing," said Rogozin. "But our engineers are trying to take a shortcut － not to repeat what our SpaceX colleagues are doing but surpass them." 「我們當然有在關注美國同業的進展」，羅戈辛說。「但我們的工程師正試圖抄近路—不是重複SpaceX在做的事，而是超越他們。」Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1457274; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/1395146 Next Article Topic: Why Tom Hanks turned down Jeff Bezos’ offer to go to space Jeff Bezos offered Tom Hanks a ride to space on his Blue Origin rocket, but it came at a price. （亞馬遜創辦人）傑夫‧貝佐斯曾邀請（好萊塢男星）湯姆‧漢克搭乘他的「藍源」火箭上太空，但要付出代價。 The actor confirmed that Bezos had asked him during an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Tuesday, saying if he accepted the offer he was expected to pay. 這名男星週二現身（電視節目）「吉米金默現場秀」時證實，貝佐斯曾邀約他（上太空），並說若他接受（邀約），應該要付錢。 "Well yeah, provided I pay," Hanks said. "It costs like $28 million or something like that. And I’m doing good, Jimmy — I’m doing good — but I ain’t paying $28 million. You know what, we could simulate the experience of going to space right now." 「是啊，若我付錢（就能上太空），」漢克說。「大概要2800萬美元左右。我算是事業有成，吉米—我混得還不錯—但我才不要付2800萬。你知道嗎，我們現在就可以模擬上太空的經驗。」 Hanks, who appeared to promote his new movie "Finch," mimicked shaking in a rocket while in his chair, saying, "I don’t need to spend 28 million bucks to do that." 上節目宣傳新片「芬奇的旅程」的漢克（語畢）便在椅子上模仿搭火箭（上太空時）身體抖動的模樣，並說「我才不要花2800萬來做這種事。」 Next Article Topic: William Shatner says Prince William is ’missing the point’ of space tourism 威廉沙特納說 威廉王子沒搞懂太空旅行的真諦 William Shatner is firing a rhetorical rocket back at Prince William after the future king criticized space tourism. 在（英國）威廉王子出言批評太空觀光後，（男星）威廉‧沙特納反唇相譏，還擊這位未來國王。 Shatner, who blasted into space on one of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ rockets, said the British royal has "got the wrong idea" by saying that solving problems on Earth should be prioritized over tourist trips to space. 搭乘亞馬遜創辦人傑夫‧貝佐斯的一艘火箭上太空的沙特納說，宣稱解決地球上的問題應優先於太空旅行的這位英國王室成員，「搞錯了」。 The 90-year-old "Star Trek" actor said that a power generating base could be constructed 250 miles above the Earth and used to supply homes and businesses below. "The prince is missing the point," he added. 這位90歲「星際爭霸戰」男演員說，距離地表250英里的上空可以蓋一座發電基地，用來供應地面住家與建築（所需）。「王子沒搞懂（太空旅行的真諦），」他補充道。 Without mentioning names, William criticized billionaires focused on space tourism in an interview Thursday with the BBC, saying they should invest more time and money in saving Earth. 威廉週四接受英國廣播公司訪問時，在未指名道姓的情況下批評億萬富豪聚焦太空觀光的現象，指稱富豪們應將更多時間與金錢投資於拯救地球。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1498987 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1499857 Next Article Topic: Ex-official: Space station ‘largely isolated’ from tensions Tensions in eastern Ukraine and heightened Western fears of a Russian invasion should not have a significant impact on the International Space Station or US-Russia cooperation in space, the former head of the National Space Council told The Associated Press. 烏克蘭東部的緊張局勢以及西方對俄羅斯入侵的擔憂加劇，不應該對國際空間站或美俄太空合作產生重大影響，國家太空委員會前負責人告訴美聯社。 That was before Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine on Thursday last week, however. 然而，

留言告訴我你對這一集的想法： 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 主題：笑與懶惰還有什麼其他說法 Other ways to say “Laugh” and “Lazy” Other ways to say: LAUGH (v.) 1. Giggle 痴笑 Stop that giggling in the back row! 2. Roar 爆笑 He threw back his head and roared with laughter. 3. Chuckle 暗笑 She was chuckling as she read the letter. 4. Grin 微笑 What are you grinning about? 5. Snigger 暗笑 They spent half the time sniggering at the clothes people were wearing. Other ways to say: LAZY 1. Bone idle 閒置 He's a very able student, he's just bone idle. 2. Passive 被動 He's very passive in the relationship. 3. Inactive 不主動 It's bad for your health to be physically inactive. 4. Shiftless 無法移動 He thought the whole family was shiftless and dishonest. 5. Workshy (British) 避免工作 Workers are often workshy because of the UK's generous benefit system. 6. Sluggish 慢速 A heavy lunch makes me sluggish in the afternoon. 分享時間:Tell a personal experience related to laugh and lazyPick 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.K473: About the US - Texas woman’s Goodwill find turns out to be 2,000-year-old Roman relic A Texas woman got a bang for her buck when her purchase of a $34.99 marble bust from a Goodwill thrift store turned out to be a relic from ancient Rome. （美國）德州1名婦女日前挖到寶，她在Goodwill二手店以34.99美元買下的一樽大理石半身像，竟是古羅馬時代的遺物。 Laura Young, who has been reselling antiques for 11 years, came across a 52lb marble bust in an Austin Goodwill in 2018. 從事古董轉賣生意11年的蘿拉．楊恩2018年在奧斯汀的1家Goodwill二手店，偶然發現這樽52磅重的大理石半身像。 "I was just looking for anything that looked interesting," Young told CNN. She added: "It was a bargain at $35 – there was no reason not to buy it." 「我當時只是在找些看起來有趣的東西，」楊恩告訴美國有線電視新聞網。她補充說，「35塊真的很划算－－沒理由不買。」 After purchasing the bust, Young reached out to various auction houses and experts to find out more about the sculpture. 楊恩買下半身像後聯繫多家拍賣公司與專家，以便更進一步瞭解該雕塑。 Sotheby’s eventually confirmed that the bust was estimated to be about 2,000 years old, and came from ancient Rome. 蘇富比拍賣行最後證實，該半身像估計有2千年歷史，而且來自古羅馬時代。 Next Article Many employers will soon have to advertise salary thanks to two new laws 多虧2項新法 許多雇主很快將得在求才廣告上揭露薪資 Job seekers will start to get a much better grasp on what many employers are willing to pay – and so will a company’s existing employees. （美國的）求職者將開始更清楚知道雇主願意付多少薪水－－該公司現有員工亦然。 While there is already a patchwork of state and local laws aimed at improving pay transparency, many companies still do not advertise what they pay up front. But two new laws that will soon take effect may have the biggest impact yet on employers and job seekers across the country. 儘管現有旨在改善薪資透明度的各種州級與地方法律，許多公司仍不願在徵才廣告上坦率寫出願意支付多少薪水。但即將生效的2項新法，或許會對全美國的雇主與求職者造成迄今最大的影響。 On November 1, New York City will require employers that have four or more people on the payroll – with at least one of them working in the city – to provide a “good faith” pay range listing the minimum and maximum base salary or hourly wage in all job advertisements. 紐約市在11月1日將要求有至少4名支薪員工－－其中至少一人任職於紐約市－－的雇主，在所有求才廣告上提供「真誠」的薪資範疇，列出最低與最高的基礎薪資或時薪。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1545580 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1549517

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.K472: About Japan - Asakusa-based gang decides to call it quits after a century An organized crime syndicate in Tokyo with roots dating to around a century ago has finally decided to call it quits, a victim of changing times and social mores, police crackdowns and a membership that is ... well past its prime. 受時代與社會習俗改變、警察鎮壓，以及幫眾人數遠不及全盛時期所苦，東京的一個起源於約一世紀前的組織犯罪集團，終於決定告一段落。 The Anegasaki-kai, based in the old downtown Asakusa district of the capital, survived primarily by scalping tickets for concerts and running stalls at summer festivals, according to investigative sources. 根據調查單位的消息人士，以首都淺草區老街為根據地的姉崎會，其生存之道主要是靠賣演唱會黃牛票以及在夏日祭典擺攤。 It notified other yakuza groups in the capital that it decided to disband on July 25, the sources said. 消息人士說，該幫派通知首都內的其他黑幫，決定在7月25日解散。 Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department said it learned that the notice was sent to the Kyokuto-kai, a designated crime syndicate, and other gangs, and is now trying to verify it. 東京都警視廳表示，已知悉（姉崎會將解散）通知送至指定暴力團極東會與其他幫派，如今正試圖核實。 Next Article Dream job: the Japanese man who gets paid to do nothing夢幻工作：一位日本人藉由無所事事賺錢 Shoji Morimoto has what some would see as a dream job: he gets paid to do pretty much nothing. 森本祥司擁有一個看似夢幻的工作：他以無所事事賺錢。 The 38-year-old Tokyo resident charges 10,000 yen per booking to accompany clients and simply exist as a companion. 這位38歲東京居民每次對預約的客戶收費一萬日圓，僅作為陪伴存在。 "Basically, I rent myself out. My job is to be wherever my clients want me to be and to do nothing in particular," Morimoto told, adding that he had handled some 4,000 sessions in the past four years. 森本說，「基本上，我把自己出租，我的工作是出現在客戶希望我出現的地方，特別是不用做任何事情」。他並補充說明，過去4年已處理4000場次。 His job has taken him to a park with a person who wanted to play on a see-saw. He has also beamed and waved through a train window at a complete stranger who wanted a send-off. 他的工作讓他陪一個想玩蹺蹺板的人去公園。他也透過火車車窗對一個想要被送行、完全不認識的人瞇眼微笑。 Before Morimoto found his true calling, he worked at a publishing company and was often chided for "doing nothing". 森本找到他真正的天職之前，在一間出版社公司工作，時常被訓斥「無所事事」。 "I started wondering what would happen if I provided my ability to ’do nothing’ as a service to clients," he said. 他說，「我開始思考，要是我將『無所事事』的能力作為一項服務提供給客戶，會發生什麼事。」Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1550844 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1549877

Summary: Since Costco introduced soft and tender USDA beef to Taiwan, the Taiwanese shoppers are now after the next best thing - Wagyu beef. Wagyu beef is now making its way to hotpot and bbq restaurants. In this episode, Angel and I talk about how we feel about Wagyu beef and steaks in general. Do you like Wagyu beef? Comment down below! Vocabulary: 1. Cost an arm and a leg idiom. 非常昂貴/近乎賣手賣腳 A5 Wagyu steak will cost you an arm and a leg. A5 和牛的價位非常昂貴。 2. Sizzle adj. 滋滋聲 When cooking steak, Gordon Ramsay always says "Listen to the sizzle". 煮牛排時，Gordon廚神都說要聽到"滋滋聲“。 3. Portion n. 份量 If you are not sure how much steak you can finish, you want to order the smaller portion on the menu. 如果你不確定你可以吃完多少牛排，可以點菜單上比較小的份量。 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] 留言告訴我你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments

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.K471: South Africa Details Plans to Fight Corruption South Africa’s president has introduced long-anticipated measures to tackle endemic corruption, subjecting even himself and his Cabinet to closer scrutiny of their personal spending and lifestyles. But some analysts question whether reforms that would help the government regain the trust of a fed-up public will ever be carried out. 南非總統推出各界期待已久的措施，以解決普遍存在的貪腐問題，連他本人跟他的內閣個人支出與生活方式都要接受更仔細的審查。這項改革意在協助政府重新取得受夠一切的大眾信任，但一些分析人士質疑是否能夠落實。 President Cyril Ramaphosa, speaking on national television Sunday evening, said his government would, among other things, establish a permanent anti-corruption unit in the national prosecutor’s office, create transparency in the granting of public contracts and increase protections for whistleblowers. 南非總統拉瑪佛沙周日晚間在國家電視台發表談話時表示，他的政府還將在國家檢察官辦公室設立一個常設的反貪腐部門，在批准公共合約方面創造透明度，並加強對舉報人的保護。 “As a country,” he said, “we are emerging from a dark and difficult period.” 他說：「作為一個國家，我們正在走出一個黑暗和困難的時期。」 But Ramaphosa deferred much of the work to root out corruption to Parliament and other government entities. He also did not say how he would tackle some of the most controversial issues closest to home, including what to do about senior officials within his government who have been accused of corruption. 但拉瑪佛沙將根除貪腐的大部分工作交給國會和其他政府機構。他也沒說自己將如何處置一些最具爭議的問題，包括如何處理他政府內遭指控貪腐的高官。 “It’s so unserious, it’s almost a joke,” William Gumede, a professor of public management at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, said of Ramaphosa’s proposals. If he wanted to show that he was serious about dealing with corruption in his orbit, Gumede added, Ramaphosa should have suspended the ministers accused of corruption. 約翰尼斯堡金山大學公共管理學教授古梅德談到拉瑪佛沙的提議時說，「太不認真了，簡直是個笑話」，並稱拉瑪佛沙若想展現自己認真看待他身邊貪腐問題，應該將遭指控貪腐的部長停職。 Ramaphosa’s proposals came in response to hundreds of recommendations by a judicial commission that spent three years hearing evidence from more than 300 witnesses about how officials had gutted public enterprises to enrich themselves and their friends. The commission, led by South Africa’s chief justice, Raymond Zondo, focused mostly on the nine years that Ramaphosa’s predecessor, Jacob Zuma, led the country. 拉瑪佛沙的提議，是回應一個司法委員會提出的數百項建議。該委員會花了三年聽取300多名證人證詞，他們講述官員如何破壞公共企業來圖利自己跟朋友。委員會由南非首席大法官桑多領導，主要聚焦在拉瑪佛沙前任朱瑪領導南非的9年。 But the current president’s reform efforts also come at a particularly fraught time, with Ramaphosa facing his own corruption scandal. 但這位現任總統的改革行動，是在一個特別令人憂心的時刻進行，因拉瑪佛沙自己也面臨貪腐醜聞。 As the country confronts a breakdown in public life, with frequent blackouts because of an overwhelmed electricity grid and increasing water outages, several investigations are underway into whether the president had sought to cover up the theft of potentially millions of dollars in cash from a game farm he owns. 隨著電網超過負載導致頻繁停電及愈來愈常停水，該國公眾生活面臨崩潰，幾項關於總統的調查也正進行中，以釐清他是否試圖掩蓋從他擁有的狩獵農場竊取數百萬美元現金。 During a news conference last week, Zuma said Ramaphosa, his staunch foe, was corrupt, while another former president, Thabo Mbeki, questioned Ramaphosa’s future as a leader amid the farm theft inquiry. 朱瑪在上周的記者會上說他的死對頭拉瑪佛沙貪腐，另一位前總統姆貝基在農場盜竊案調查中，質疑拉瑪佛沙作為領導人的前途。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6740698

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.K469: What makes a nuclear weapon ‘tactical’? From the war in Ukraine to North Korea’s recent missile testing spree, tactical nuclear weapons are being debated and developed in a way not seen since the Cold War. There is no universal definition of such weapons, and analysts note that the use of any type of nuclear device would break the “nuclear taboo” in place since the United States dropped atomic bombs on Japan in 1945, the only time they have been deployed in war. Here are the characteristics of tactical nuclear weapons and why they have drawn so much attention. 從烏克蘭戰爭到北韓最近狂熱試射飛彈，「戰術核子武器」（戰術核武）正以冷戰以來前所未有的方式進行辯論和發展。 此類武器並無一放諸四海皆準的定義，分析人士指出，使用任何類型的核裝置都將打破自一九四五年美國向日本投下原子彈以來的「核禁忌」，這是核武唯一一次用在戰爭中。 以下是戰術核武的特點，及其為何如此受關注。 WHAT IS A TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPON? Tactical nuclear weapons are often characterized by their size, their range, or their use for limited military targets. 什麼是「戰術核子武器」？ 戰術核武之特點，通常依其大小、射程，或用於較小的軍事標的來界定。 They are often referred to as “non-strategic weapons,” in contrast with strategic weapons, which the US military defines as designed to target “the enemy’s warmaking capacity and will to make war,” including manufacturing, infrastructure, transportation and communication systems, and other targets. 「戰術核子武器」通常被稱為「非戰略武器」，不同於「戰略武器」。美國軍方將「戰略武器」定義為針對「敵人的戰爭能力與發動戰爭的意願」，包括製造、基礎設施、運輸與通訊系統，以及其他攻擊目標。 Tactical weapons, by contrast, are designed to accomplish more limited and immediate military goals that win a battle. The term is often used to describe weapons with a lower “yield,” or the amount of power released during an explosion. 相較之下，戰術武器目的在攻擊範圍更小、更直接的軍事目標，而贏得一場戰鬥。「戰術武器」這術語通常是描述「威力」較小，或者說爆炸時釋放之能量較低的武器。 They are typically many times larger than conventional bombs, cause radioactive fallout and other deadly effects beyond the explosion itself, and there is no agreed upon size that defines tactical weapons. 戰術武器通常比一般的炸彈大很多倍，會導致放射性落下灰和除了爆炸本身以外的致命影響；對於戰術武器的尺寸，則並無一致的定義。 Tactical weapons are often mounted on as missiles, air-dropped bombs, or even artillery shells that have a relatively short range, far less than the huge intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) designed to travel thousands of kilometers and strike targets across oceans. However, many of these delivery systems can also deliver strategic nuclear weapons 戰術武器通常以導彈、空投炸彈甚至砲彈的形式發動，其射程相對較短，遠不及射程數千公里，旨在跨越海洋打擊目標的大型洲際彈道飛彈（ICBM）。 然而，許多這種運載系統也可以運載戰略核武。 WILL THEY BE USED? President Vladimir Putin, who rules the world’s biggest nuclear power, has repeatedly cautioned the West that any attack on Russia could provoke a nuclear response. 這些武器會被使用嗎？ 統治世界最大核武大國的俄國總統弗拉迪米爾‧普亭一再警告西方，對俄國的任何攻擊都可能引發俄國以核武反擊。 US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday last week he doubted that Putin would use a nuclear weapon, and analysts have said tactical weapons could have limited military use in the vast and dispersed battlefields in Ukraine. 美國總統喬‧拜登上週三表示，他懷疑普亭會使用核武，分析人士表示，在烏克蘭這幅員廣闊而分散的戰場，戰術武器之軍事用途可能有限。 Earlier Biden noted that the use of even small nuclear weapons could spiral out of control. “I don’t think there’s any such thing as the ability to easily (use) a tactical nuclear weapon and not end up with Armageddon,” he said last week. 拜登稍早曾指出，即便是使用小型核武，也可能會失控。「我不認為有可以輕易（使用）戰術核武，而不會導致世界末日這種事」，他上週表示。 North Korea’s pursuit of the weapons, meanwhile, could represent a dangerous change in the way North Korea deploys and plans to use nuclear weapons, analysts say. 分析人士說，與此同時，北韓對核武的追求可能意味北韓部署和計劃使用核武的方式發生了危險的變化。 It has also prompted renewed debate in South Korea over redeploying American tactical nuclear weapons, which were withdrawn from the peninsula in the 1990s, or pursuing its own nuclear program. 這也在南韓引發辯論，重新討論部署在一九九○年代撤出朝鮮半島的美國戰術核武，或是追求自己的核武計畫。 North Korea says its nuclear weapons are for self-defence. 北韓稱，其核子武器是為了自衛。

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Topic: 5.3 billion cellphones to become waste in 2022 More than 5 billion of the estimated 16 billion mobile phones possessed worldwide will likely be discarded or stashed away in 2022, experts said Thursday last week, calling for more recycling of the often hazardous materials they contain. 專家上週四表示，二〇二二年全球人口所擁有的計160億支手機中，有超過50億支可能會被丟棄或束之高閣，呼籲加強回收這些手機所含的危險物質。 Stacked flat on top of each other, that many disused phones would rise 50,000 kilometers, more than 100 times higher than the International Space Station, the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) research consortium found. 廢電子及電器設備處理指令（WEEE）研究聯盟發現，將這麼多的廢棄手機堆疊起來，會有五萬公里高，比國際太空站離地面的距離還高一百多倍。 Despite containing valuable gold, copper, silver, palladium and other recyclable components, almost all these unwanted devices will be hoarded, dumped or incinerated, causing significant health and environmental harm. 儘管這些不要的設備含有有價值的金、銅、銀、鈀及其他可回收成分，但幾乎全都會被囤積、丟棄或焚化，而對健康和環境造成重大危害。 “Smartphones are one of the electronic products of highest concern for us,” said Pascal Leroy, director-general of the WEEE Forum, a not-for-profit association representing 46 producer responsibility organizations. 「智慧手機是最令我們擔心的電子產品之一」，代表四十六個生產者責任組織的非營利協會 WEEE 論壇總幹事巴斯卡‧李若伊說。 “If we don’t recycle the rare materials they contain, we’ll have to mine them in countries like China or Congo,” Leroy told AFP. 「如果不回收這些手機裡的稀有材料，我們將不得不到中國或剛果等國家去開採」，李若伊對法新社表示。 Defunct cellphones are just the tip of the 44.48 million tonne iceberg of global electronic waste generated annually that is not recycled, according to the 2020 global e-waste monitor. 根據全球電子廢棄物監測機構二〇二〇年的數據，報廢的手機只是全球每年產生的4,448萬噸未回收電子廢棄物的冰山一角。 Many of the 5 billion phones withdrawn from circulation will be hoarded rather than dumped in the trash, according to a survey in six European countries from June to September 2022. 根據二〇二二年六月至九月在六個歐洲國家進行的一項調查，這五十億支不再使用的手機，其中有很多會被囤積起來，而不是丟進垃圾桶。 This happens when households and businesses forget cellphones in drawers, closets, cupboards or garages rather than bringing them in for repair or recycling. 家庭和企業將手機遺忘在抽屜、衣櫥、櫥櫃或車庫，而不是將它們拿去修理或回收，就是這種囤積的情況。 Up to five kilos of e-devices per person are currently hoarded in the average European family, the report found. 該報告發現，目前歐洲一般家庭中每人囤積的電子設備高達五公斤重。 According to the new findings, 46 percent of the 8,775 households surveyed considered potential future use as the main reason for hoarding small electrical and electronic equipment. 根據這項新發現，在接受調查的8,775戶家庭中，46%的家庭之所以囤積小型電器及電子設備，主要是因為覺得未來可能會用到它。 Another 15 percent stockpile their gadgets with the intention of selling them or giving them away, while 13 percent keep them due to “sentimental value”. 另有15%的人囤積他們的小裝置是為了要出售或是送人，而13%的人是因為「情感價值」而保留它。 Next Article Topic: The ‘Right to Repair’ Movement Gains Ground If you buy a product — a car, a smartphone, or even a tractor — and it breaks, should it be easier for you to fix it yourself? 如果你買了一個產品，例如一輛汽車、一部智慧型手機，甚至是一台拖拉機，結果它壞了，是不是應該讓你自己修理起來更容易些呢？ Manufacturers of a wide range of products have made it increasingly difficult over the years to repair things, for instance by limiting availability of parts or by putting prohibitions on who gets to tinker with them. It affects not only game consoles or farm equipment, but cellphones, military gear, refrigerators, automobiles and even hospital ventilators, the lifesaving devices that have proved crucial this year in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. 多年來，許多種產品的製造商都讓維修變得愈來愈困難，比如限制零件的取得，或對何人有權動手維修施加限制。受影響的產品不止於遊戲主機或農用機具，還有手機、軍用設備、冰箱、汽車，甚至包括今年對抗新冠病毒疫情發揮關鍵作用的救生設備—醫院裡的呼吸器。 Now, a movement known as “right to repair” is starting to make progress in pushing for laws that prohibit restrictions like these. 現在，一項名為「維修權」的運動在推動禁止此類限制的立法上，正取得進展。 In August, Democrats introduced a bill in Congress to block manufacturers’ limits on medical devices, spurred by the pandemic. In Europe, the European Commission announced plans in March for new right-to-repair rules that would cover phones, tablets and laptops by 2021. 今年8月，美國民主黨因防疫需要而在國會提出一項法案，旨在阻止製造商對醫療裝置設下限制。在歐洲，歐盟執行委員會3月宣布了新的維修權規定計畫，在2021年以前實施，涵蓋手機、平板電腦和筆記型電腦。 And in more than 20 statehouses nationwide, right-to-repair legislation has been introduced in recent years by both Republicans and Democrats. 近年來，在全美國20多個州的議會裡，共和黨和民主黨都提出了維修權法案。 Over the summer, the House advanced a funding bill that includes a requirement that the Federal Trade Commission complete a report on anti-competitive practices in the repair market and present its findings to Congress and the public. 今年夏天，眾議院推動了一項資助法案，其中責成聯邦貿易委員會做成一份關於維修市場反競爭行為的報告，並向國會和民眾提交調查結果。 The goal of right-to-repair rules, advocates say, is to require companies to make their parts, tools and information available to consumers and repair shops in order to keep devices from ending up in the scrap heap. They argue that the rules restrict people’s use of devices that they own and encourage a throwaway culture by making repairs too difficult. 倡議人士表示，維修權規定的目的是要求企業向消費者和維修商家提供零組件、工具及資訊，以免這些

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 跟讀挑戰 – 故宮文物與台灣KTV前十歌 National Palace Museum artifacts and top 10 KTV songs 摘取文章：https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4706552; https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4701669 National Palace Museum After confirming that three items in its archive had been damaged, the National Palace Museum has released more details about the incidents, including photos of the broken porcelain pieces. 在確認其檔案中的三件物品被損壞後，故宮博物院發布了有關該事件的更多細節，包括破碎瓷片的照片。 In a press conference, Wu said on Feb. 3, 2021 and April 7, 2022, while staff members were organizing artifacts, they discovered upon opening packages that a Ming dynasty (1368-1644) “yellow teacup with two green dragons” and a Qing dynasty (1636–1911) "yellow teacup with dragon pattern” were damaged. Additionally, on May 19, 2022, due to staff mishandling, a Qing dynasty “blue-and-white floral plate” fell and broke. 吳在新聞發布會上說，2021年2月3日和2022年4月7日，工作人員在整理文物時，打開包裝發現一個明朝（1368-1644）“黃茶杯兩青龍”和一個 清代（1636-1911）“龍紋黃茶杯”受損。此外，2022年5月19日，由於工作人員處理不當，一件清代“青花盤”摔碎。 Wu said the broken pieces were classified as “ordinary artifacts” and not “important artifacts” or “national treasure,” which was why the incidents did not warrant public announcements. The museum had been waiting to confirm liabilities before reporting that the “blue-and-white floral plate” had been broken due to mishandling. 吳說，這些碎片被歸類為“普通文物”，而不是“重要文物”或“國寶”，這就是為什麼這些事件不值得公開的原因。 博物館一直在等待確認責任，然後才報告“青花盤”因處理不當而損壞。 Top 10 KTV Mandarin songs in Taiwan While checking the latest list of the top 10 most popular KTV Mandopop songs in Taiwan, a PTT user noticed that an old Jay Chou (周杰倫) song is No. 7 on the list. The song is "Step Aside" (擱淺), which was first released in 2004. The list is based on the 10 most requested songs at Party World KTV clubs in Taiwan for Oct. 25-31. The PTT member also observed that half of the songs are by artists from China. Chinese singer Xiao Ah Qi (小阿七) seized the No. 1 spot with her song "Once upon a time" (從前說)​​​​. In second place was "Red Scarf" (如果可以) by WeiBird (韋禮安), followed by Power Station's (動力火車) "Love me true" (我很好騙), Zhang Yuan's (張遠) "Jia Bin" (嘉賓), Ren Ran's (任然) "Fei Niao He Chan" (飛鳥和蟬) rounding out the top five. In sixth place was Crowd Lu's (盧廣仲) "Your Name Engraved Herein" (刻在我心底的名字), followed by the aforementioned "Step Aside" by Jay Chou, and Jing Long's (井朧) "Bu Shan" (不刪). In ninth place was the rap song "50 Yuan Betel nut" (50元的檳榔) by Taiwanese Indigenous rapper CZ Dogg (潮州土狗), who is of Atayal and Paiwan descent. Taking the 10th spot was A Rong (阿冗) with his song "Yu Wo Wu Guan" (與我無關). 分享時間               What is your go-to song at KTVs?What’s your favorite memory of the National Palace Museum?

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.K469: Teenagers Keep Vaping Despite Crackdowns on E-Cigarettes High school students resumed taking the annual National Youth Tobacco Survey in school this year and 14% of them reported using e-cigarettes, underscoring how an upstart industry is dodging regulators’ efforts to spare a generation from nicotine addiction. 在學高中生今年恢復參加一年一度的「全國青少年吸菸行為調查」，其中14%表示曾使用電子煙，這凸顯一個新興的產業，正規避監管機構讓一代人遠離尼古丁上癮的努力。 The number shows a slight change from 11% last year, but researchers cautioned against drawing comparisons to 2021’s survey, which was conducted differently because it took place when many schools were closed during the pandemic. The latest results were released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday. 這一數字相較去年的11%略有變化，但研究人員警告勿跟2021年調查比較，那次調查以不同方式進行，因為許多學校在疫情期間關閉。美國疾病防治中心在上周四發表這項最新研究結果。 Although the age-old force of peer pressure may still be encouraging use, the percentage of high school students who reported vaping in the past 30 days was still far lower than record-high levels reached in 2019 of nearly 28%. 儘管存在已久的同儕壓力可能仍鼓勵使用電子煙，但過去30天曾吸電子煙的高中生比率，仍遠低於2019年創下的近28%歷史最高水準。 Overall, the survey found that 2.5 million middle and high school students, or about 9%, used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. That puts their overall rate of use several times higher than that of adults, which is estimated at about 3%. 整體而言，調查發現250萬初中生與高中生過去30天曾使用電子煙，約占9%。這讓他們的總體使用率比成人高出數倍。成人使用率估計約為3%。 The survey, which was conducted from January through May of this year, showed that 85% of adolescent e-cigarette users favored vapes in fruit, dessert and candy flavors. Some mentioned PuffBar, Vuse and Juul as their favorite brand among those on the survey’s list. 這項從今年1月到5月進行的調查顯示，85%青少年電子煙使用者喜歡水果、甜點與糖果口味。一些人在調查清單中提到，PuffBar、Vuse和Juul是他們最喜歡的品牌。 But many said their favored e-cigarette brand was not one of the 13 listed. That finding highlights how nimble the industry has been in stamping an array of brand names on vapes with flavors like strawberry ice cream and fresh vanilla that are largely made in China and shipped from warehouses to corner stores and into e-commerce. 但許多人表示，他們最喜歡的品牌不在名單中列出的13個裡面。這一發現凸顯該行業的靈活程度，在草莓冰淇淋和新鮮香草等口味電子煙上，印上一系列品牌名稱。這些電子煙主要在中國製造，從倉庫運往街角的商店，然後進軍電子商務。 One stark finding was that 1 in 4 of the high school students who were e-cigarette users reported vaping every day. Groups opposed to e-cigarettes and tobacco products were particularly troubled by one other result that reflected the highest frequency-of-use to date: Nearly half of the high school students who were vaping said they were doing so 20 to 30 days a month. 一項令人震驚的發現是，使用電子煙的高中生中，有四分之一天天吸。反對電子煙和菸草產品的組織，對另一個反映迄今最高使用頻率的結果感到特別困擾：近半抽電子煙的高中生表示，他們每個月有20到30天會抽。 “That’s a real signal of addiction and setting up young people for a lifetime of addiction which they don’t want, they didn’t choose and they don’t like,” said Robin Koval, president of the Truth Initiative, a nonprofit organization aimed at eliminating youth tobacco use. 旨在消除青少年菸草使用的非營利組織「真相計畫」會長科瓦說：「這是個真正的成癮訊號，誘騙年輕人終身沉迷於他們不想要、沒有選擇且不喜歡的東西。」 The full results of the survey, which will include levels of other tobacco product use, is expected out later this year. 這項調查的完整結果預計將在今年稍晚公布，將包括其他菸草產品的使用水準。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6687808

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.K468: About Philippines - Filipino athlete skips his way to second jump-rope record Filipino athlete Ryan Alonzo has set a second Guinness World Record in the high-intensity activity of jump rope, the organization said in October. 「金氏世界紀錄」組織10月說，菲律賓運動員瑞安．阿朗佐在高強度跳繩活動中，締造了第2個金氏世界紀錄。 Nicknamed "Skipman," the 35-year old completed 3,731 consecutive crossovers, which are done by crossing the arms in and out while skipping over the rope as it goes around the body. The previous record was 2,405 consecutive crossovers. 這個綽號「跳繩人」的35歲男子，完成了3731次連續交叉跳，這些動作係在繩子繞過身體時跳過的同時間完成雙臂交叉進出。先前記錄是2405次連續交叉跳。 Alonzo’s earlier record was set in 2021, when he performed 40,980 double-under skips in 12 hours. That involves the rope passing around the body twice in a single jump. 阿朗佐先前紀錄於2021年創立，當時他在12小時內完成40980次二重跳。那包括了跳1次讓繩子繞身體2圈。 Endurance was a common factor in setting the two records, he said, crediting previous marathon training with helping him prepare both physically and mentally. 他說，耐力是締造這2項紀錄的共同因素，歸功於之前馬拉松訓練幫他做好了身心準備。 Next Article Top Philippine presidential candidates oppose legalising divorce 菲律賓主要總統候選人反對離婚合法化 The Philippines looks likely to remain one of the few countries where divorce is illegal, based on a survey of the four leading presidential candidates on Sunday. 根據週日一項針對排名領先的4名總統候選人進行的調查顯示，菲律賓看起來可能仍是離婚違法的極少數國家之一。 Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senator Grace Poe, veteran mayor Rodrigo Duterte and former interior secretary Mar Roxas were asked during a presidential debate to raise their hands if they favoured legalisation of divorce. 副總統畢乃、參議員柏吾、經歷豐富的市長杜特爾特，以及前內政部長羅哈斯，在總統候選人辯論會上被要求，若支持離婚合法化則舉手。 Not one raised a hand in the brief segment. They were not given time to explain their stance. 在這簡短片段中無人舉手，他們也沒獲得時間解釋立場。 The overwhelmingly Catholic Philippines is the only country aside from the Vatican that bans divorce. 絕大多數人口為天主教徒的菲律賓，是梵蒂岡以外唯一禁止離婚的國家。 Strong pressure from the Catholic church has stymied previous attempts to pass a divorce law even though a survey last year showed that about 60 percent of adult Filipinos support such a measure. 來自天主教教會的強大壓力，阻礙了此前試圖通過離婚法的努力，即使去年一項調查顯示，約60％菲律賓成人支持這類措施亦然。 In another portion of the debate, the four candidates were asked who supported restoration of the death penalty. 在辯論會的另一部分，4名候選人被問及誰支持恢復死刑。 Poe and Duterte, who openly boasts about killing criminals, both raised their hands despite the Catholic church’s opposition to capital punishment. 公開讚揚處決罪犯的柏吾與杜特爾特舉起手，儘管天主教會反對死刑。 The death penalty was abolished in the Philippines in 2006, partly due to lobbying by the church. 2006年菲律賓廢除死刑，部分原因在於教會的遊說。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1549693 ; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/971329

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.K467: About animals - Are you kidding? Baby goat wows fans with 22-inch ears Some social media stars win their fame through their looks, others through their jokes. Simba the baby goat has won over the web with his astonishingly long ears - 22 inches (56cm) and growing. 有些社群媒體明星因長相而出名，也有人是因為很會說笑。山羊寶寶辛巴則是以牠驚人的22英吋（56公分）長耳朵，在網路上一炮而紅。 The tawny-coated kid goat has attracted thousands of followers on YouTube and other channels since he was born in Karachi, Pakistan on June 4. 這隻有著黃褐色毛皮的山羊寶寶6月4日在巴基斯坦喀拉蚩出生後，已在YouTube等平台上吸引數千名追蹤者。 When Simba was born, his ears were 48cm long. They have grown another 7 cm in just over a month and are showing no signs of stopping. 辛巴出生時耳朵就有48公分，1個月後又長了7公分，且沒有停止生長的跡象。 His breeder, Mohammad Hassan Narejo, has great plans for Simba to preserve Simba’s semen for artificial insemination. Next Article 狗不會笑 但牠們用其他方式表現開心 Dogs can’t smile or laugh - but they show happiness in other ways Some dogs just look like they’re smiling all the time - but that huge grin on their face may not actually mean they’re happy. Carolyn Menteith, a canine behaviorist, said that "unlike us, dogs don’t usually smile with their mouths." 某些狗狗看起來好像一直在笑，但牠們臉上大大的微笑並不真的表示牠們很開心。犬類行為學家凱洛琳‧曼特斯說：「狗狗和我們不同，不常用嘴巴微笑。」 When a dog smiles, their tail is relaxed but waving (or in some breeds or individuals, wagging crazily), their eyes are soft, their ears relaxed and their body is often wiggling with their happiness. 當狗狗笑時，牠們的尾巴是放鬆且晃動的（有些品種或個體則是會瘋狂搖尾巴），眼神會變得柔和，耳朵會鬆懈下來，身體通常會開心扭動。 Some dogs are noisier than others and so if they get really excited and playful, they might well bark, yip, or even huff - especially in an attempt to get another dog or a person to play - but this isn’t laughter. 有些狗狗比其他隻吵鬧，當牠們真的很興奮、玩興一來時，可能會吠叫、尖叫或噴氣，尤其是試圖邀請其他狗或人一起玩時，但這不是在笑。 Interestingly, dogs do seem to recognize laughter in humans and know that it is positive - and some dogs seem to go out of their way to encourage their owners to laugh. 有趣的是，狗狗似乎能分辨人類的笑聲，知道這是好事，而有些似乎還會想盡辦法把主人逗笑。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1549284 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1548003

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.K466: Can E-Bikes Go Mainstream? Growing up in the Netherlands, with its network of pathways, its flat landscape and its bicycle-friendly traffic laws, brothers Ties and Taco Carlier were commuting with their parents on bikes by age 4. Many families in the country didn’t own cars. 在荷蘭長大的台斯與塔可．卡利爾兄弟4歲就跟父母一起騎自行車上下班，當地車道密集、地勢平坦，且交通法規對自行車友善。許多荷蘭家庭沒有汽車。 But traveling to New York and other cities as adults, the Carliers realized that few people commuted on bikes in the same way they did back home, turned off by the sprawl, the hills and the weather. The experience planted the seed for what would become one of the world’s hottest bicycle brands. 但當他們成年後前往紐約和其他城市時，卡利爾兄弟發現，很少人像他們在家鄉那樣騎自行車通勤，因為城市的距離、丘陵地形和天氣讓人卻步。這段經歷為後來世界最熱門自行車品牌之一播下了種子。 In a bike market remade by the pandemic, VanMoof, the Dutch e-bike company started by the brothers, has been among the biggest winners. With a simple and stylish design and clever integration of technology, the company has drawn comparisons to Apple and Tesla and has attracted a loyal and fast-growing customer base among urban professionals in Europe and the United States. 在疫情重塑的自行車市場，這對兄弟創辦的荷蘭電動自行車公司VanMoof是最大贏家之一。憑著簡潔時尚的設計與巧妙的科技整合，該公司被拿來與蘋果和特斯拉相比，並在歐美城市專業人士中吸引了一批快速成長的忠實客戶。 Sales of the battery-powered bikes more than tripled during the pandemic, and the company has raised more than $150 million from venture capitalists who don’t typically bet on bicycles. 這種電池驅動的自行車在疫情期間銷量成長逾2倍，該公司跟向來不看好自行車發展的創投業者籌到超過1.5億美元。 “We wanted to change the bike in the way it functions, but also from a technology perspective,” Ties Carlier said in a video interview from the company’s headquarters in the Netherlands. 台斯．卡利爾在荷蘭公司總部接受視訊專訪時說：「我們想改變自行車的運作方式，但也想從科技角度著手。」 “Amsterdam is very small and flat, but most cities in the rest of the world are very hilly and can be really hot in the summer, and the distances are much further,” he said. “But those limitations really change completely when you have electric bikes.” 他說：「阿姆斯特丹很小，地勢平坦，但世界其他地方的多數城市地勢相當起伏，夏天真的很熱，距離也遠很多，但有了電動自行車，真的能夠完全改變這些限制。」 Once seen by consumers as unreliable, expensive and ugly, battery-powered bikes are now one of the fastest-growing forms of urban transportation. With simplified designs, new corporate and government incentive policies and more awareness about the environmental benefits of cycling versus driving, VanMoof estimates industry sales will hit $46 billion by 2026, double pre-pandemic predictions. 曾遭消費者視為不可靠、昂貴和醜陋的電動自行車，如今是成長最快的城市交通工具之一。根據VanMoof估計，隨著設計簡化、企業與政府的新獎勵政策，以及人們意識到騎車比開車更有益於環境，該產業銷售額在2026年將達460億美元，是疫情前估值的兩倍。 Changes to urban transportation prompted by the coronavirus pandemic can be seen around the world, with commuters having abandoned public transit because of COVID fears. Paris roads are crowded with cyclists taking advantage of new bike lanes and lower automobile speed limits. Berlin is building a cycling “superhighway” across the city. And in New York, home to the largest urban bike network in the nation, ridership soared so much, there was even a problem finding places to park a bicycle. 世界各地都能夠見到新冠病毒大流行所引起的城市交通變化，通勤者因擔心新冠病毒而放棄公共運輸。巴黎的道路上擠滿了騎自行車的人，他們利用新的自行車道與更低的汽車速限。柏林正在修建一條橫貫城市的自行車「超級高速公路」。在擁有全美最大城市自行車網的紐約，騎車的人激增，甚至連找地方停放自行車都成了問題。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6705349

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.K465: Why was Truss’ tenure so short - and now what? British Prime Minister Liz Truss took office last month with hopes and promises of reinvigorating the British economy and putting it on the path to long-term success. It did not go to plan. 英國首相莉茲·特拉斯上個月就任，滿懷希望與承諾要重振英國經濟，讓它邁向長久繁榮。事情並未如其所願。 Instead, Truss’ tenure was scarred by turmoil as her economic policies threatened the country’s financial stability, driving the pound to record lows, sparking chaos on bond markets and increasing mortgage costs for millions of people. 相反地，特拉斯任內風波不斷而傷痕累累，因其經濟政策威脅到英國金融的穩定、將英鎊拉至歷史低點、引發債券市場混亂，並讓數百萬人抵押貸款的成本增加。 Though Truss took office amid a cost-of-living crisis, the war in Ukraine and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, her decision to announce ￡105 billion ($US116 billion) of tax cuts and spending increases without providing details on how she would pay for it unnerved investors, who warned of soaring public debt. 特拉斯就任時雖正值物價危機、烏克蘭戰爭和COVID-19疫情揮之不去的影響，但她決定宣布減稅1,050億英鎊（1,160億美元）及增加支出，卻未詳細說明經費來源為何，這讓擔心公共債務飆升的投資人感到不安。 That undermined confidence in the government’s ability to pay its bills and raised questions about the economic credentials of a new prime minister who took office after a deeply divisive contest for leadership of the governing Conservative Party. 這削弱了人們對政府支付帳單能力的信心，並引發了對新首相經濟問題處理能力的質疑。新首相是執政的保守黨經過嚴重分歧的激烈角逐後所產生的黨魁。 The disarray surrounding the economic plan weakened Truss’ authority as prime minister, and ultimately led to her decision to resign on Thursday last week. 經濟計畫方面的混亂削弱了特拉斯作為首相的權威，並最終導致她決定在上週四辭職。 WHAT HAPPENS NOW? The party said it would select a new leader and prime minister by Oct. 28. Truss will remain prime minister until then. 現在情況如何？ 保守黨表示，將在十月二十八日前選出新黨魁，即首相。在此之前特拉斯將繼續擔任首相。 To avoid the need for a lengthy election campaign that could have left the country without an effective government for weeks, party leaders decided that lawmakers would have greater say in the choice and without weeks of hustings around the country. 為了避免需要長時間的競選活動──這可能會讓政府空轉數週──黨的領導人決定立法者在選擇方面擁有更大的決定權，且不會在全國進行數週的造勢。 Under the expedited process, challengers for the leadership had to garner the support of 100 other Conservative lawmakers — out of a total 357 — by Monday afternoon. That meant a maximum field of three for lawmakers to vote on. The last-placed candidate would then be eliminated and the top two candidates will face an online vote of the party membership. 在此快速的程序下，黨魁角逐者必須在週一下午之前，在三百五十七名保守黨議員中獲得一百位的支持。這表示每位議員最多可投票給三個人。排名最後的候選人將被淘汰，前兩名候選人將接受黨員的線上投票。 Conservative leaders are hoping that this lightning contest will produce a consensus candidate who can unite the party behind the tax and spending priorities that Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt has already outlined. 保守黨領導人希望這場閃電競賽將產生一個共識候選人，他可以團結該黨，支持財政大臣傑瑞米‧杭特已概述的稅收與支出優先事項。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/10/25/2003787644

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 age-old ritual, Mexican mayor weds alligator to secure abundance A small town Mexican mayor married his alligator bride in a colorful ceremony as traditional music rang out and revelers danced while imploring the indigenous leader to seal the nuptials with a kiss. 墨西哥一個小鎮市長在一場多采多姿的儀式中，迎娶了他的鱷魚新娘，現場演奏傳統音樂、狂歡者翩翩起舞，同時懇求這位原住民領袖用一個吻來為婚禮封印。 San Pedro Huamelula Mayor Victor Hugo Sosa obliged more than once during Thursday’s wedding, bending down to plant his lips on the small alligator’s snout, which had been tied shut presumably to avoid unwanted biting. 在週四的婚禮上，聖．佩德羅．瓦米魯拉的市長維克多．雨果．索薩不只一次答應要求，彎腰把嘴唇湊上這隻小鱷魚的鼻子，而小鱷魚的鼻子被緊緊綁住，大概是為了避免不必要的咬傷。 The ritual marriage likely dates back centuries to pre-Hispanic times among Oaxaca state’s Chontal and Huave indigenous communities, like a prayer pleading for nature’s bounty. 在墨西哥瓦哈卡州Chontal及Huave的原住民社會中，這種婚禮儀式就像是一個祈禱，祈求大自然的恩賜，可能可以追溯好幾個世紀，一直到前西班牙時代。 Oaxaca, located in Mexico’s poor south, is arguably the country’s richest in indigenous culture and home to many groups that have stubbornly maintained their languages and traditions. 瓦哈卡州位在墨西哥貧窮的南部地區，可說是墨國原住民文化最豐富的地區，也是許多堅持維護他們的語言和傳統的群體的家鄉。 Next Article Topic: In Mexico, those searching for missing relatives can vanish too 在墨西哥，尋找失蹤親友的人也會跟著消失 70-years-old Maria Herrera is scraping at the earth on a hill in the town of Huitzuco, in southern Mexico, looking for the mounds that indicate a decaying corpse. 70歲的瑪莉亞．赫雷拉在墨西哥南部威特蘇科鎮的山上四處挖掘，希望找到代表埋有腐爛屍體的土堆。 Digging in the dirt with a group of 100 other activists in the violent state of Guerrero, she wants to find her four missing son. 在暴力事件頻傳的格雷羅州，赫雷拉與100名行動人士一起挖土，想要找到4名失蹤的兒子。 More than 40,000 people are missing in Mexico, which has been swept by a wave of violence since the government declared war on the country’s powerful drug cartels in 2006. 2006年，墨西哥政府向勢力龐大的販毒集團宣戰後，這個國家就被暴力事件肆虐，目前已有逾4萬人失蹤。 At first, Herrera and her husband used the profits gained by selling household goods door to door to launch gold exchange business, which involved traveling the country to buy and sell gold. 起初，赫雷拉和丈夫用挨家挨戶賣居家用品的收入，展開黃金兌換生意，包括全國走透透買賣黃金。 They did not realize a bloody cartel turf war was just breaking out in the state. They believe a local cartel mistook the brothers, Jesus and Raul, for members of a rival group and were captured. Two more brothers started looking for them but disappeared too. 但他們沒料到，一場腥風血雨的毒梟地盤之爭已在國內爆發。他們相信，自家兒子赫塞斯和羅爾，是被一個地方販毒集團誤認為敵營的人，才被俘虜。另外2名兒子開始尋找兩人後，也下落不明。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1539233 ; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/1292410 Next Article Topic: ‘We’re Living in Hell’: Inside Mexico’s Most Terrified City The violence was already terrifying, she said, when grenades exploded outside her church in broad daylight some five years ago. Then children in town were kidnapped, disappearing without a trace. Then the bodies of the executed were dumped in city streets. 她說，大約五年前，光天化日下手榴彈在她的教會外爆炸，這種暴力已經夠嚇人了。接著鎮上的孩子被綁架，消失得無影無蹤。然後他們被處刑的屍體丟棄在城市街道上。 And then came the day last month when armed men burst into her home, dragged her 15-year-old son and two of his friends outside and shot them to death, leaving Guadalupe — who didn’t want her full name published out of fear of the men — too terrified to leave the house. 接下來是上個月的那一天，武裝男子闖進她家，將她的15歲兒子和兒子兩個友人拖出屋外射殺，讓瓜達魯佩太過驚嚇以致於不敢離開家，因為害怕那些男子，她不希望刊出全名。 “I do not want the night to come,” she said, through tears. “Living with fear is no life at all.” 「我不希望黑夜來臨」，她流著淚說，「活在恐懼中完全不是人過的日子」。 For most of the population of Fresnillo, a mining city in central Mexico, a fearful existence is the only one they know; 96% of residents say they feel unsafe, the highest percentage of any city in Mexico, according to a recent survey from Mexico’s national statistics agency. 對於弗雷斯尼約這個墨西哥中部礦城的大多數人而言，他們知道的只有一項可怕現實。根據墨西哥國家統計局最近一項調查，96%居民說他們感覺不安全，是墨西哥所有城市比率最高者。 The economy can boom and bust, presidents and parties and their promises can come and go, but for the city’s 140,000 people, as for many in Mexico, there is a growing sense that no matter what changes, the violence endures. 經濟可以暴起大落，總統和政黨以及他們的承諾來來去去，但對這座城市的14萬人來說，如同墨西哥許多城市，不論有什麼改變，暴力依舊持續，這種意見正在增加。 In 2018, during his run for president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador offered a grand vision to remake Mexico. Instead of arresting and killing traffickers as previous leaders had done, he would focus on the causes of violence: “hugs not bullets,” he called it. He was swept to victory. 2018年總統選戰期間，羅培茲提出重塑墨西哥的遠大願景，他不像歷任領導人所做的逮捕並殺掉壞蛋，而是聚焦暴力的成因，他稱之為「擁抱而非子彈」。他壓倒式勝選。 But three years after his landslide win, and with his Morena party in control of Congress, the drumbeat of death continues, suggesting that López Obrador’s approach has failed, fueling in many a paralyzing helplessness. 但在他壓倒式勝利以及他的國家復興運動黨掌控國會三年後，死亡的鼓聲持續著，暗示羅培茲的方法已經失敗，激起許多人有如麻痹的無助感。 “We’re living in hell,” said Victor Piña, who ran for mayor of Fresnillo in the June elections and watched an aide gunned down beside him during a pre-campai

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 主題: 英語慣用語系列 – 朋友相關的慣用語 Friend / Friendship related Idioms 1. Cross someone’s path This phrase originally implied that such a meeting included opposing a person or otherwise causing him trouble, but in the modern sense it doesn’t necessarily mean this. Example: Ann swore she would scream if a spider crossed her path. 2. Friends in high places This phrase means that one has friends who have important or influential positions. Example: Jim is very rude to other workers just because he has some friends in high places. 3. Be an item This is said about people who are dating, who have a romantic relationship with each other. Example: Kate and Richard began seeing each other and were an item for almost two years. 4. Birds of a feather A well-known expression which refers to people that have something in common, for example, interests, hobbies, or views about life. Example: My friend prefers the same clothes as me. Well, birds of a feather flock together. 5. Like two peas in a pod Two people or things that are very similar to each other, or go very well together. Example: Growing up with a pet dog, we were like two peas in a pod! 6. To hit it off To find yourself immediately and naturally friendly with someone Example: I totally hit it off with Peter after meeting him for the first time. 練習時間: 請使用二到三個慣用語來分享自身小故事 Use two to three idioms to share a personal story about your friendship.

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.K464: About Japan - Asahi joins other breweries to stop using ‘image girls’ in beer ads Asahi Breweries Ltd. has joined other major Japanese beer companies in halting their use of so-called “image girls” in their beer sales promotions in the wake of the pandemic and the changing times. 隨著武漢肺炎疫情大流行以及時代變遷，朝日啤酒加入其他日本主要啤酒公司的行列，停止在啤酒促銷活動上使用所謂的「形象女郎」。 “In the past two years, they were unable to do their primary activities," said an Asahi representative. "In the aftermath, we made a comprehensive evaluation and decided to pass on the hiring of (an image girl) starting next year.” 「她們（指宣傳女郎）過去2年來無法從事其主要活動，」朝日啤酒的一名代表說。「我們在這之後做了通盤評估，決定從明年起放棄聘用（宣傳女郎）。」 In the past, major beer companies hired image girls and sent them to travel across the country and participated in events to sell beer products to consumers. 以往，（日本）各大啤酒公司會聘請形象女郎，並將她們派往全國各地參加活動，將啤酒賣給消費者。 The COVID-19 pandemic hindered the image girl’s activities, and Asahi postponed new hires in 2021 and 2022. COVID-19疫情大流行阻礙形象女郎的活動，朝日啤酒在2021年與2022年延後招募新的形象女郎。 Next Article Kiko turns 56, yearns to take a stroll with daughter Mako 滿56歲的紀子妃渴望與女兒一同漫步 Crown Princess Kiko marked her 56th birthday on Sept. 11 by saying she looks forward to the day she can take a stroll with her daughter, the former Princess Mako, now known simply as Mrs. Komuro following her marriage to a commoner. （日本）皇子妃紀子9月11日歡度56歲生日時說，她期待有朝一日與因為下嫁平民、如今僅被稱為小室太太的前真子公主一同漫步。 “I cannot directly meet my daughter right now, but in the meantime I tend to the plants in our garden and want to create banksia rose arches in the hope of sauntering with her here one day,” Kiko said in a written reply to questions submitted by reporters prior to her birthday. 「我現在無法直接跟我女兒見面，但當我在花園裡拾花弄草時，我想打造一座木香花拱門，期盼有朝一日能與她在此溜達，」紀子以書面回覆記者在她壽辰前的提問時如是說。 Mako was obliged to relinquish her imperial title upon her marriage last October to her college sweetheart Kei Komuro. The couple live in New York. 真子去年10月嫁給大學男友小室圭後依規定放棄皇室頭銜。兩人如今定居紐約。 The Banksia rose was Mako’s signature mark when she was a princess and is a favorite flower of her parents, Crown Prince Fumihito and Kiko. 木香花是真子還是公主時的徽印圖案，也是其雙親文仁親王與紀子妃最喜歡的花。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1546872 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1544274

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.K463: About science - 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 Study: Cats not bothered one bit if owners are treated badly 研究：貓根本懶得理會飼主是否被欺負 A study in Japan suggests there may be something after all to the old stereotype that pet cats are generally aloof and indifferent toward their owners while dogs are fiercely protective and loyal. 日本的一份研究暗示，（以下）這種老舊的刻板印象可能還是有些道理的：寵物貓通常對飼主漠不關心又冷淡，寵物狗則非常想保護飼主與忠心。 Researchers from Kyoto University and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science wanted to understand how cats behave when their owners are being given a hard time. The same experiments using dogs seven years ago were referenced to gauge behavioral differences between the two species. 京都大學與日本學術振興會的研究人員想要了解貓在其飼主陷於困境時的行為反應，（他們）7年前以狗做過的相同實驗被當作參考，以衡量這兩種生物的行為差異。 Team members concluded that cats do not seem to care how people treat their owners, while dogs keep their distance from those who give their owners the cold shoulder. 研究小組成員得出的結論是，貓看似並不關心人們如何對待其飼主，狗則會與那些冷落怠慢其飼主的人保持距離。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1547451 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1539057

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Summary: The best way to start a conversation or make a party more interesting is by asking trivia questions. Trivial pursuit is a famous board game for people who love the world of trivia. In this episode, Angel and I talk share a few of the trivia questions we use at parties. Do you have any interesting trivia you use at parties? Comment down below! Vocabulary: 1. Trivia n. 冷知識/不重要的知識 If you don't know how to get a party going, perhaps you should try playing a game of trivia. 如果你不知道如何讓派對熱絡，可以嘗試玩個冷知識遊戲。 2. Hedgehog n. 刺蝟 Hedgehogs are becoming popular pets in Taiwan. 刺蝟現在在台灣是越來越搶手的寵物。 3. Phobia n. 恐懼症 It's best to not bring up reptile trivia if your friends have a phobia for reptiles. 如果你朋友有爬蟲恐懼症就別提爬蟲冷知識。 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.K462: Apple Feels the Sting From an Oscar Slap Apple has a Will Smith problem. 蘋果有個威爾史密斯的麻煩。 Smith is the star of “Emancipation,” a film set during the Civil War era that Apple envisioned as a surefire Oscar contender when it wrapped filming earlier this year. But that was before Smith strode onto the stage at the Academy Awards in March and slapped comedian Chris Rock, who had made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. 史密斯是「解放」（暫譯）的主角，這部設定於南北戰爭期間的電影今年初拍攝殺青時，蘋果視為奧斯卡必勝參賽者，但那是在3月的奧斯卡頒獎典禮前。史密斯在典禮時走上舞台，掌摑喜劇演員克里斯洛克，因為他開了史密斯妻子、潔達蘋姬史密斯的玩笑。 Will Smith, who also won best actor that night, has since surrendered his membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and has been banned from attending any Academy-related events, including the Oscar telecast, for the next decade. 威爾史密斯那晚贏得最佳男主角獎，那之後他退回美國影藝學院會員資格，且被禁止未來十年參加所有學院相關活動，包括奧斯卡獎。 Now Apple finds itself left with a $120 million unreleased awards-style movie featuring a star no longer welcome at the biggest award show of them all and a big question: Can the film, even if it succeeds artistically, overcome the baggage that now accompanies Smith? 現在蘋果發現，它花1.2億美元拍攝這部符合奧斯卡得獎風格的未上映電影，片中明星在這個最大獎項會場卻已不再受歡迎。一個很大問題是：即使在藝術上成功了，這部電影如今能夠克服史密斯帶來的包袱嗎？ According to three people involved with the film who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the company’s planning, there have been discussions inside Apple to release “Emancipation” by the end of the year, which would make it eligible for awards consideration. Variety reported in May, however, that the film’s release would be pushed into 2023. 要求匿名談論蘋果公司計畫的三名參與電影人士說，蘋果內部曾討論在今年底前上映「解放」，好讓電影符合獎項考慮資格。然而，「綜藝」雜誌5月報導，電影上映可能推遲到2023年。 When asked for this article how and when it planned to release “Emancipation,” Apple declined to comment. 當被問到計畫如何及何時上映「解放」時，蘋果拒絕置評。 “Emancipation,” directed by Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day”) and with a script by William Collage, is based on the true story of a slave known as “Whipped Peter,”who joined the Union Army while still in the South. 「解放」由「震撼教育」導演安東尼法奎執導，編劇為比爾克爾吉，根據一名叫做「鞭傷彼得」的奴隸，在南方加入聯邦軍的真實故事改編。 Apple set up a general audience test screening of “Emancipation” in Chicago earlier this year, according to three people with knowledge of the event who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to discuss it publicly. They said it generated an overwhelmingly positive reaction, specifically for Smith’s performance, which one of the people called “volcanic.” Audience members, during the after-screening feedback, said they were not turned off by Smith’s recent public behavior. 根據三名知曉活動、但不被允許公開談論此事而匿名的人士表示，蘋果今年初在芝加哥進行一場針對一般大眾的「解放」試映。他們說，電影得到驚人的正面反應，特別是史密斯的演技，有人形容為「有如火山爆發」。在試映結束後的觀眾回饋中，有人說他們不會因為史密斯最近的公開行為而討厭他。 Smith largely disappeared from public view following the Oscars. But in July, he released a video on his YouTube channel in which he said he was “deeply remorseful” for his behavior and apologized directly to Rock and his family. 奧斯卡獎典禮後，史密斯幾乎自公眾目光中消失。但他7月在自己的YouTube頻道上傳一段影片，表示對自己的行為「深感悔恨」，並直接向洛克及其家人道歉。

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.K457: 5.3 billion cellphones to become waste in 2022 More than 5 billion of the estimated 16 billion mobile phones possessed worldwide will likely be discarded or stashed away in 2022, experts said Thursday last week, calling for more recycling of the often hazardous materials they contain. 專家上週四表示，二〇二二年全球人口所擁有的計160億支手機中，有超過50億支可能會被丟棄或束之高閣，呼籲加強回收這些手機所含的危險物質。 Stacked flat on top of each other, that many disused phones would rise 50,000 kilometers, more than 100 times higher than the International Space Station, the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) research consortium found. 廢電子及電器設備處理指令（WEEE）研究聯盟發現，將這麼多的廢棄手機堆疊起來，會有五萬公里高，比國際太空站離地面的距離還高一百多倍。 Despite containing valuable gold, copper, silver, palladium and other recyclable components, almost all these unwanted devices will be hoarded, dumped or incinerated, causing significant health and environmental harm. 儘管這些不要的設備含有有價值的金、銅、銀、鈀及其他可回收成分，但幾乎全都會被囤積、丟棄或焚化，而對健康和環境造成重大危害。 “Smartphones are one of the electronic products of highest concern for us,” said Pascal Leroy, director-general of the WEEE Forum, a not-for-profit association representing 46 producer responsibility organizations. 「智慧手機是最令我們擔心的電子產品之一」，代表四十六個生產者責任組織的非營利協會 WEEE 論壇總幹事巴斯卡‧李若伊說。 “If we don’t recycle the rare materials they contain, we’ll have to mine them in countries like China or Congo,” Leroy told AFP. 「如果不回收這些手機裡的稀有材料，我們將不得不到中國或剛果等國家去開採」，李若伊對法新社表示。 Defunct cellphones are just the tip of the 44.48 million tonne iceberg of global electronic waste generated annually that is not recycled, according to the 2020 global e-waste monitor. 根據全球電子廢棄物監測機構二〇二〇年的數據，報廢的手機只是全球每年產生的4,448萬噸未回收電子廢棄物的冰山一角。 Many of the 5 billion phones withdrawn from circulation will be hoarded rather than dumped in the trash, according to a survey in six European countries from June to September 2022. 根據二〇二二年六月至九月在六個歐洲國家進行的一項調查，這五十億支不再使用的手機，其中有很多會被囤積起來，而不是丟進垃圾桶。 This happens when households and businesses forget cellphones in drawers, closets, cupboards or garages rather than bringing them in for repair or recycling. 家庭和企業將手機遺忘在抽屜、衣櫥、櫥櫃或車庫，而不是將它們拿去修理或回收，就是這種囤積的情況。 Up to five kilos of e-devices per person are currently hoarded in the average European family, the report found. 該報告發現，目前歐洲一般家庭中每人囤積的電子設備高達五公斤重。 According to the new findings, 46 percent of the 8,775 households surveyed considered potential future use as the main reason for hoarding small electrical and electronic equipment. 根據這項新發現，在接受調查的8,775戶家庭中，46%的家庭之所以囤積小型電器及電子設備，主要是因為覺得未來可能會用到它。 Another 15 percent stockpile their gadgets with the intention of selling them or giving them away, while 13 percent keep them due to “sentimental value”. 另有15%的人囤積他們的小裝置是為了要出售或是送人，而13%的人是因為「情感價值」而保留它。

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Topic: UK bakery banned from using sprinkles which are legal in the US The owner of a bakery in northern England has been left with a bitter taste in his mouth after authorities told him he had to stop using banned sprinkles sourced from the US. 在被當局告知必須停止使用來自美國的遭禁糖粉屑後，英格蘭北部的1家烘焙坊的老闆感到不悅。 West Yorkshire Trading Standards said the sprinkles contained an artificial coloring which isn’t approved for use in sprinkles in the UK. 西約克郡貿易標準局說，這些糖粉屑含有1種在英國未獲准可用於糖粉屑的人工色素。 But the owner of the bakery isn’t happy that his most popular product has lost out on its prize topping. 但這家烘焙坊的老闆很不滿，因為這讓他最暢銷的產品少了最完美的配料。 Rich Myers, director and founder of Get Baked bakery in Leeds, told CNN he had been using the sprinkles since opening the business in July. （位於該郡的）里茲市的Get Bake烘焙坊的執行長與創辦人瑞奇˙邁爾斯告訴美國有線電視新聞網，他打從7月開業以來就一直用這種糖粉屑。 Myers said he bought the offending sprinkles from a UK wholesaler, and said he had no idea there was any issue until West Yorkshire Trading Standards visited the business on September 30. 邁爾斯說，他向1名英國批發商買來這些違規的糖粉屑，完全不曉得會有什麼問題，直到9月30日西約克郡貿易標準局找上門來。 "I thought it was a joke at first, I thought it was someone pulling a prank," he said on Thursday. 「我一開始以為這是玩笑，我以為有人在惡搞，」他週四如是說。 Next Article Topic: Researcher defends weight-loss device after it sparks ridicule on social media 研究人員為減重裝置辯護，在它於社群媒體上引起嘲笑後 Otago University and United Kingdom researchers developed the world-first device, which uses magnets to lock the mouth almost shut, to help fight the global obesity epidemic. 奧塔戈大學與英國研究人員研發了世界首款裝置，使用磁鐵鎖住嘴巴至幾乎閉上，幫助對抗全球肥胖流行。 DentalSlim Diet Control is an intra-oral device fitted by a dental professional to the upper and lower back teeth. 「牙科瘦身飲食控制」是一種口內裝置，會由牙科專業人員安裝至上下臼齒。 The device was being widely ridiculed after being shared on social media, with Twitter users calling it "creepy" and "bizarre". 這款裝置被分享至社群媒體後，受到大量嘲笑，推特用戶稱它「令人毛骨悚然」且「怪異」。 But Dunedin researchers who developed the device are defending the invention, saying those panning the weight loss tool have misunderstood its intention. 但開發這款裝置的達尼丁研究員為這項發明辯護，表示斥責這款減重工具的人們誤解了它的本意。 Lead researcher Prof Paul Brunton said it was not intended to be used for general weight loss purposes, but instead for specific cases where there was a clinical need to lose weight quickly. 首席研究員保羅．布倫頓教授表示，它不是為了用於普通的減重目的，而是針對臨床上需要快速減重的特殊案例。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1537773 ; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/1460024 Next Article Topic: BBC apologises for ’Manchester United are rubbish’ headline on ticker The BBC has apologised to viewers after the headline "Manchester United are rubbish" appeared on its ticker during a television news broadcast on Tuesday. 英國廣播公司（BBC）在電視新聞週二播出的新聞跑馬燈上，出現「曼聯隊是垃圾」的標題後，向觀眾道歉。 The headline appeared on the bottom of the screen during a report on the French Open tennis championship. 這個標題是在報導法國網球錦標賽時，出現在螢幕底部。 TV critic and broadcaster Scott Bryan, who works for the BBC, noticed the gaffe and posted a clip on Twitter which immediately went viral. 為BBC工作的電視評論家與播報員史考特．布萊恩注意到這個烏龍，把一個影片片段張貼在推特上，結果立即爆紅。 BBC presenter Annita McVeigh later issued the apology on air and explained that the headline was written when someone was learning how to use the ticker. BBC主播安妮塔．麥克維之後在直播時發表道歉聲明，並解釋該標題是一位正在學習如何使用新聞跑馬燈的人所寫的。 "Some of you may have noticed something pretty unusual on the ticker that runs along the bottom of the screen with news making a comment about Manchester United. I hope that Manchester United fans weren’t offended by it," she said. 她說：「你們當中有些人可能已經注意到，在螢幕下方新聞跑馬燈上出現有關曼聯隊的新聞評論的不尋常狀況。我希望不會冒犯到曼聯隊球迷。」 "Let me just explain what was happening: behind the scenes someone was training to learn how to use the ticker and to put text on the ticker. So they were just writing random things, not in earnest, and that comment appeared. 「讓我解釋一下發生了什麼事：幕後有人正在學習如何使用新聞跑馬燈以及放上文字，所以他們只是隨意寫些東西，並不是認真的，而那則評論出現了。」 Next Article Topic: Amateur Fossil Hunters Make Rare Find in U.K. 業餘化石獵人在英國有了罕見發現 Millions of years before the Cotswolds, in western England, became a popular vacation destination, it was a shallow, warm sea, home to a Jurassic marine ecosystem. 在英格蘭西部科茲窩成為熱門度假勝地的數百萬年前，它是一片淺而溫暖的海域，也是侏羅紀海洋生態系的家鄉。 Over 167 million years later, two amateur paleontologists, Neville and Sally Hollingworth, uncovered fossils in a limestone quarry there, the largest find of Jurassic starfish and their relatives ever to be made in Britain. 在1.67億年後，兩名業餘古生物學家內維爾與莎莉．霍林沃斯，在石灰採石場中挖掘出化石，這是在英國發現的最大一批侏羅紀海星及其親屬。 More than 1,000 scientifically significant specimens were unearthed at an undisclosed location during a three-day excavation in June, London’s Natural History Museum said. 倫敦自然歷史博物館表示，在6月的3天挖掘中，於一處未公開地點，出土了超過1000件具有科學意義的標本。 The find by the Hollingworths, a husband-and-wife team, includes three new species and an entire ecosystem of echinoderms. Fossils of such animals are extremely rare because they have fragile skeletons that are not often preserved. 霍林沃斯夫婦團隊發現3個新物種與1個完整的棘皮動物生態系統。這類動

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 Idioms about being busy 很忙的慣用語 1. Busy as a beaver It shows that you are busy indeed. Example: I am busy as a beaver these days; I couldn’t take out time for lunch. 2. A lot on one’s plate / A lot going on It shows that you have lot of work to do. Example: Today, there are a lot of things in my plate as I am supposed to do an extra work of my colleague who is on leave. 3. Slammed It is used to convey that you are being overloaded with work. Example: Because of yesterday’s pending work, I am slammed with a lot of work today. 4. Swamped This is a slang term used for describing yourself as being overworked. Example: I can’t take more projects as I am already swamped with lot of work. Expressions for saying “No” 說不的短例句 Saying no outright直接說不"Unfortunately, I have/am_________. I can help you another time."" Sorry, I have/am _______. I hope you understand.""No, I have/am_ this week.""Sadly, I cannot help with that. I'm not qualified for that type of work." Saying no politely 有禮貌的說不"I'm flattered by your offer, but no thank you.""That sounds fun, but I have a lot going on at home.""Thank you for thinking of me, but I can’t.""I would love to join you, but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with work right now." 雙人對話時間Exchange dialogues: Work in pairs. Take turns to offer something and decline the offer.

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.K460: About Paris - The Parisian cat hotel that’s feline fairly full Much as they enjoyed their cats’company during two years of coronavirus lockdown, Parisians have enthusiastically taken up travel again if the reservation register at one Paris cat hotel is anything to go by. 如果巴黎一家貓旅館的預定登記本上有可供判斷的事情的話，那就是巴黎人又熱情擁抱旅行了，雖然冠狀病毒疫情封鎖的兩年期間，他們喜愛貓咪的陪伴。 At the Arbre a Chats (Cats’ Tree) hotel, prospective guests need to reserve well ahead, as all its 24 “contemporary and comfortable” cubicles are fully booked — although cats who know one another can double up and share a room. 在貓之樹旅館，想入住的賓客都老早預定，因為旅館所有24間「現代且舒服」的小房間都預定一空，雖然相熟的貓咪可以睡在一起，共享一間房。 “Unlike last year, this year we were fully booked for August from the end of February,” hotel owner Veronica Colson said. 「和去年不一樣的是，今年我們從2月底開始，8月份的預定就已經滿了」，旅館老闆薇蘿妮卡．柯爾森說。 With cats snoozing on couches, sitting high up in the tree-shaped wooden climbing structure in the center, or observing street life from a ledge by the window, the hotel is in full swing as cat owners rediscover the pleasure of travel. 貓咪有的在沙發上打盹，有的坐在中間的樹木形狀的木頭攀爬結構的高處，有的在窗邊的壁架上觀察街頭生活，因為貓主人們重新發現了旅遊的樂趣，這間旅館的生意正如火如荼。 Next Article Paris gets sausages and steaks 24/7 from vending machine 巴黎販賣機全天候販售香腸和牛排 With their beloved baguette already available 24 hours a day, it seems only logical that Parisians can now get the Bayonne ham and Basque pate that goes so well with the bread from the first meat vending machine installed in the French capital. 巴黎人鍾愛的棍子麵包一天24小時都有供應，而現在，和棍子麵包非常搭的巴約納火腿和Basque pate，可在巴黎首台肉品販賣機買得到，似乎也滿合理的。 In a city filled with small shops where long lunches remain a crucial part of the French "art de vivre," the gleaming red machine set up on the lively Rue de Charonne in eastern Paris seems a bit incongruous. 在一個小商店林立、午餐慢慢吃仍是法式「生活藝術」重要環節的城市，這台光鮮亮麗的紅色機器現身巴黎東區生氣勃勃的夏洪尼路，看起來有點不搭軋。 The area has at least two dozen butcher’s shops and no shortage of meat, but that didn’t deter the owners of one of those shops from investing 40,000 euros（$45,000）to set up their project, selling vacuum-packed meat from the refrigerated machine. 這個區域至少有24家肉鋪，沒有肉品短缺的問題，但其中一家店的老闆並未因此卻步，仍投入4萬歐元（約4萬5000美元）擬定計畫，從這台有冷藏功能的機器販售真空包裝肉品。 From their machine, which takes cash or credit cards, customers can also get a large choice of traditional delicatessen including duck confit and beef carpaccio. There are also faux-filet steaks on display, priced at 34 euros per kilogram. 他們的機器收現金也收信用卡，顧客也能買到許多傳統熟食，包括油封鴨和義式生牛肉，還有沙朗牛排，每公斤要價34歐元。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1547057 ; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/971715

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.K459: About Canada - 36,000km in three days $8000 car rental charge shocks Canadian woman Car rental companies have long earned a reputation for gouging customers, penny-pinching on frills and finding new and unscrupulous ways to charge for add-ons. 租車公司長期以來以向顧客敲竹槓、吝於提供額外配備，以及用新的不誠實手法超收費用出名。 But a Canadian woman says she was billed thousands in extra mileage after a rental company claimed she drove a distance nearly the circumference of the Earth over a three-day period. 但是一名加拿大女子說，租車公司聲稱她在3天內行駛幾乎可繞地球1圈的距離，為此向她收取數千元的超額里程費。 Earlier this month, Giovanna Boniface flew from Vancouver to Toronto, where she rented an SUV at the airport. Her rental receipt, posted to Twitter, shows the company levied a charge of 25 cents per kilometre – for 36,000 additional kilometres. 喬凡娜‧邦尼費斯本月稍早從溫哥華搭機到多倫多，在機場租了1輛休旅車。她在「推特」上貼出的租車費收據顯示，租車公司針對3萬6000公里超額里程，收取每公里25美分的費用。 Even if she had travelled from Mexico City to Skagway, Alaska, over the three days, driving nonstop, she would still be nearly 30,000km short of what the company claimed she had travelled – enough to traverse the entire continent of North America three more times. 即使她在那3天內從墨西哥市開到阿拉斯加州的斯卡威，中途都不停，她也會比該公司宣稱的行駛里程數還少將近3萬公里—足以再穿越整個北美大陸3趟。 Next Article In Canada, one woman takes on stereotypes as a drag king挑戰刻板印象，加拿大女性扮「變裝國王」 33-year-old Canadian Melodie Rousseau is an actress by day, but at night, she makes herself up as a virile man － and takes the stage at Montreal’s cabaret halls as a drag king. 33歲的加拿大人梅樂蒂‧盧梭，白天是女演員，晚上卻喬裝成強健的男性，以變裝國王之姿，在蒙特婁的卡巴萊舞廳登台。 Performing in drag is not only a means of artistic expression － it’s a political statement by Rousseau and others looking to step out of the formidable shadow of drag queens. 變裝表演不僅是藝術表達方式之一，對盧梭及渴望踏出變裝皇后巨大陰影的其他人而言，也是一種政治表述。 Rousseau, who performs as Rock Biere, needs two and a half hours for her transformation. She would use a make-up brush to draw the eyebrows and contours that define her alter ego. 以「搖滾比爾」之名表演的盧梭，需花2小時半完成變裝。她會用化妝刷具畫眉毛及臉部輪廓，勾勒出另一個自我。 Little by little, Rock Biere’s more masculine jawline emerges. She straps down her breasts and sticks fake hair on her chest and chin. 漸漸地，「搖滾比爾」顯現出更具男子氣概的下巴輪廓。她束縛胸部，在胸口和下巴黏上假毛及假鬍鬚。 While drag queens have entered the mainstream thanks to shows like "RuPaul’s Drag Race," drag kings are still under the radar. In Quebec province, they can be counted on one hand, according to veteran Canadian drag king Charli Deville. 當變裝皇后拜《魯保羅變裝皇后秀》等節目之賜進入主流市場，變裝國王仍沒沒無聞。加拿大資深變裝國王恰莉‧戴維爾說，魁北克省的變裝國王一隻手就數得完。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1544007 ; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/1336895

歡迎留言告訴我們你對這一集的想法： https://open.firstory.me/user/cl81kivnk00dn01wffhwxdg2s/comments Summary: 相關文章：https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63363473 Anti-cheating headgear has gone viral in the Philippines and Thailand as students show their creativity in preventing themselves and others from cheating in tests. In this episode, Angel and I talk about cheating in our school days. Have you cheated and gotten caught before? Comment down below! Vocabulary: 1. Cheating n. v. 作弊 Peeking at other people's answers is considered cheating in a test. 偷看別人的答案在考試的時候是作弊。 2. If you can't beat them, join them idiom. 贏不過就一同加入 Your classmates cheated to get high scores. If you can't beat them, join them. 你同學都靠作弊高分，如果你贏不了，就加入他們。 3. Get caught phr. v. 被抓到 It's not cheating if you don't get caught. 沒被抓到作弊就不是作弊。 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.K458: Troops at Front Offering Tanks For Launchers The Ukrainian sergeant slid the captured Russian rocket launcher into the center of a small room. He was pleased. The weapon was practically brand-new. It had been built in 2020, and its thermobaric warhead was deadly against troops and armored vehicles. 這名烏克蘭士官讓這具繳獲的俄羅斯火箭發射器滑進一個小房間中央。他很開心。這武器幾乎全新，在2020年製造，它的溫壓彈頭對軍隊跟裝甲車都是致命的。 But the sergeant, nicknamed Zmei, had no plans to fire it at advancing Russian soldiers or at a tank trying to burst through his unit’s front line in eastern Ukraine. 但這位綽號「茲梅」的士官，並不打算用它向前進的俄羅斯軍人開火，或向一輛試圖突破他所屬部隊在烏克蘭東部防線的戰車開火。 Instead, he was going to use it as a bargaining chip. 相反地，他打算用它當作討價還價的籌碼。 Within the 93rd Mechanized Brigade, Zmei was not just a lowly sergeant. He was the brigade’s point man for a wartime bartering system among Ukrainian forces. Prevalent along the front line, the exchange operates like a kind of shadow economy, soldiers say, in which units acquire weapons or equipment and trade them for supplies they need urgently. 在第93機械化旅，茲梅不只是一名階級低微的士官。他是該旅在烏克蘭軍隊間建立戰時以物易物系統的關鍵人物。軍人說，這種交易在前線普遍存在，就像一種地下經濟，各單位繳獲武器或裝備，然後用它們交換急需的物資。 Most of the bartering involves items captured from Russian troops. Ukrainian soldiers refer to them as “trophies.” 大多數以物易物的交換涉及從俄軍繳獲的物品。烏軍稱它們為「戰利品」。 “Usually, the trades are done really fast,” Zmei said last week during an interview in Ukraine’s mineral-rich Donbas region, where the 93rd is now stationed. “Let’s just call it a simplification of bureaucracy.” 茲梅上星期在烏克蘭礦產資源豐富的頓巴斯地區受訪時說：「通常交易很快就會完成。我們姑且稱之為官僚主義的簡化吧。」第93旅目前駐紮在當地。 Despite the influx of Western weapons and equipment in recent months, the Ukrainian military still relies heavily on arms and vehicles captured from their better-equipped Russian foe for the matériel needed to wage war; much of Ukraine’s aging Soviet-era arsenal is either destroyed, worn down or lacks ammunition. 儘管西方武器和裝備近幾個月大量湧入，但烏克蘭軍方仍極度仰賴從裝備更好的俄羅斯敵人繳獲的武器與車輛，來獲得戰爭所需物資。烏克蘭老舊的蘇聯時代軍備許多已被摧毀、用壞，或是缺乏彈藥。 That has left Ukrainian soldiers scrounging the battlefield for essentials as their own supply lines are strained. And the relatively small numbers of big-ticket foreign weapons, such as the U.S.-made M777 howitzer, are spread thinly on the sprawling 1,500-mile front. 這導致烏軍在戰場上四處尋找軍需品，因為他們的補給線已經吃緊。數量相對較少的高價外國武器，如美國製造的M777榴彈砲，則稀疏分散在綿延1500英里的戰線上。 “We have hopes for Kyiv,” said Fedir, one of the brigade’s supply sergeants and an understudy of Zmei, referring to military commanders in the capital. “But we rely on ourselves. We aren’t trying to just sit and wait like idiots until Kyiv sends us something.” 該旅補給士之一、茲梅的替補費德談到首都的軍事指揮官：「我們對基輔抱有希望，但我們要靠自己。我們不會像傻瓜一樣坐等基輔送東西給我們。」 The 93rd currently only possesses old Soviet-era artillery pieces that have worn out barrels and are low on ammunition. 第93旅目前只有蘇聯時代的舊火砲，砲管已經磨損，彈藥也不夠。 “I have to go and buy everything and trade things, and bring it all here,”a 28-year-old Ukrainian soldier who goes by the name of Michael said. 一個名叫麥可的28歲烏軍說：「我必須去買東西，交換東西，然後把東西都帶到這裡。」 “So what’s going on is a personal initiative,” he said. “You’re taking the risk, it’s criminal. Nobody will thank you. It’s a thankless job.” 他說道：「所以，目前情況是個人行動。你在冒險，這是犯罪。沒人會感謝你。這是吃力不討好的工作。」Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6618643