通勤學英語 15Mins Today
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Ep 1917每日英語跟讀 Ep.K429: 倫敦人回公司上班比在家划算
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K429: Londoners are better off returning to the office as bills soar City of London workers looking to save money may want to embrace the office over winter as the cost of working from home soars alongside energy bills. 在家工作的成本隨著能源費用的飆升一起上漲,因此到了冬天,想要省錢的倫敦城上班族可能會希望進辦公室上班。 Those prepared to go into the office every day could save about €50 (US$60) per week in January 2023 if they can walk, run or cycle into their workplace. That’s thanks to the money they’ve saved by not heating a home for the whole day, according to estimates by price comparison site Uswitch. 公室的人若可以走路、跑步或騎自行車到工作地點的話,在二○二三年一月,每週可節省約五十英鎊(六十美元)。根據價格比較網站Uswitch的估計,他們之所以省下這些錢,是因為家裡整天都不開暖氣。 Those working from home in January could expect to pay around €175 a week in energy costs and other incidentals included in Bloomberg’s calculations such as buying in your own coffee, a freebie in many offices. The combined cost of energy bills — factoring in the lower consumption expected — and five return trips on the Tube from London’s Zone 4 would be about €160 a week in January 2023, a €15 saving. 一月份在家工作的人預計每週要支付大約一百七十五英鎊的能源費用,以及彭博社所計算出的其他雜費,例如自費買咖啡——很多辦公室會免費供應咖啡。二○二三年一月能源帳單的總成本(以預期較低的花費計算),加上由倫敦第四區坐地鐵來上班來回五次,每週將花費約一百六十英鎊,因此跟在家工作相比,到辦公室上班節省了十五英鎊。 For those taking the bus, the total cost is about €140, a €35 weekly saving. In both cases, any rise in the cost of the commute will eat into those savings. 坐公車上班的人,總花費則約為一百四十英鎊,每週可節省三十五英鎊。在坐地鐵和公車這兩種情況下,任何通勤成本的增加都會消耗所省下的錢。 Uswitch estimates that the average monthly energy bill could hit €683 in January for home workers, compared to €492 for those heading to the office. It assumes remote workers use 25 percent more electricity and 75 percent more gas per day including from central heating. Uswitch估計,在家工作的人,一月份的平均能源費用可能會達到六百八十三英鎊,而到辦公室上班的人則為四百九十二英鎊。這是假設遠距上班的人每天多使用百分之二十五的電力,以及多百分之七十五的瓦斯,包括用於中央暖氣。 Coping Mechanism “People are going to be really struggling to heat their own homes and they are going to look for warmth in other places — we know that is a coping mechanism that people use, whether that is going to a public space, such as a library or a church maybe, or whether it’s going to work when you usually would work from home” Matt Copeland, policy officer at National Energy Action said. “Those are the options people will consider and people will take to actually find warmth.” 因應機制 「要把自己家裡變暖將是難以負擔的窘境,所以人們會到其他地方取暖——我們知道這是一種因應機制,無論是去公共場所,比如圖書館或教堂,或是在你通常在家工作的時候到辦公室上班」,國家能源行動組織政策主管馬特‧科普蘭表示。「人們會考慮和採用這些選項,而實際上找到暖源」。 The incentive to come into the office is likely to be welcomed by some in the City of London, where finance bosses have been pushing for a return to the office. Right now less than half of workers in the UK’s banking sector go into the office on an average day, and just 18 percent of insurance sector employees do so, according to a survey by consultancy Advanced Workplace Associates.準備每天去辦 對於這進辦公室的動機,倫敦城某些人可能會樂見其成。這些金融業老闆一直在推動員工重返辦公室。根據諮詢公司Advanced Workplace Associates的一項調查,目前英國銀行業平均只有不到一半的員工進辦公室上班,而保險業只有百分之十八的員工這麼做。source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/08/23/2003783959

Ep 1916回顧星期天LBS - 西班牙相關時事趣聞 All about Spain
Topic: Spain Turns to Corruption Rehab for Officials Who Can’t Stop Stealing Carlos Alburquerque isn’t your typical rehab candidate. He’s a 75-year-old grandfather living in Córdoba, a city in southern Spain. He was a town notary before he retired in 2015. He hasn’t touched drugs or alcohol in years. 卡洛斯‧阿布奎基不是常人眼中該進勒戒所的人。他住在西班牙南部哥多華市,是個75歲的祖父。2015年退休前他是市鎮公證人。他已多年沒碰毒品和酒。 But his isn’t your typical rehab program: It’s an 11-month boot camp to reform corrupt Spanish officials and “reinsert” them into mainstream society. 但他接受的並非一般勒戒計畫,而是為期11個月的訓練營,目的是改造西班牙的貪官汙吏,並將他們「重新注入」主流社會。 “Repairing the damage is what is left for me in this life,” said Alburquerque, who is serving a four-year prison sentence for stealing around 400,000 euros (nearly $500,000) in his work drawing up contracts and deeds. 阿布奎基說:「這一生只求彌補過錯。」他在草擬合約和地契時私吞約40萬歐元(近50萬美元),被判入獄4年。 Over the course of 32 sessions in an austere conference room in Córdoba’s penitentiary, Alburquerque will be monitored by a team of psychiatrists. He will sit for group therapy sessions with titles like “personal abilities” and “values.” He is, in some ways, the guinea pig of an experiment meant to answer an age-old question: Buried deep in the soul of a swindler like Alburquerque, might there be an honest man? 在哥多華監獄一間簡樸的會議室內進行32次療程期間,阿布奎基將受到一組精神科醫生監控。他將參加「個人能力」和「價值」等團體治療課程。某種程度上,他是一個實驗的白老鼠,實驗旨在回答一個老問題:像阿布奎基這種騙子的心靈深處,會有個誠實的自我嗎? That such a program exists in Spain may say much about the country’s belief in second chances as it does about how corruption has captured the public imagination here. Flip open a newspaper or turn on the radio: You will hear of schemes, scandals and skulduggery. 西班牙有此計畫,說明該國相信第二次機會,以及貪腐問題受公眾注視。翻開報紙或打開收音機,你會聽到陰謀、醜聞與詐欺。 Ángel Luis Ortiz, a former judge who now runs Spain’s prisons, said the boom-bust cycles of Spain’s economy had led it to a long history of fraudsters and betrayals of public trust. 曾任法官、現在主管西班牙監獄的安赫爾‧路易斯‧歐提茲說,西班牙經濟的盛衰循環,造就了詐欺和背叛公眾信任的悠久歷史。 But at least, corruption rates in Spain were no worse than in other European nations, Ortiz said, just 5% of all crimes.It was Spain’s will to rehabilitate the offenders that set it apart from the rest, Ortiz said. 歐提茲表示,西班牙貪瀆率並不比其他歐洲國家高,僅占所有刑事案件的5%。西班牙想讓罪犯自新,才是它有別於他國之處。 Nine prisons are running programs so far, which began in March. Prisoners don’t get reduced sentences for joining, but officials say participating is looked on favorably when it comes time to request parole. 目前已有9所監獄實施這項從3月開始的計畫。囚犯不會因為加入而獲減刑,但參加者申請假釋時會加分。 Yet for all the volunteers, Ortiz still thinks his biggest challenge may be convincing Spain’s corrupt officials that there actually might be something wrong with them. 雖有不少人自願參加,歐提茲仍認為,最大挑戰可能在於讓西班牙的貪腐官員相信,他們可能真的有問題。 For that, the government turned to Sergio Ruiz, a prison psychiatrist who helped design the program. Ruiz said that in addition to getting participants to recognize their flaws in group therapy, inmates would eventually be asked to participate in “restorative justice” sessions where they would ask for forgiveness from their victims. 政府為此求助於監獄精神科醫生塞吉奧‧魯伊茲,他幫忙設計了這個計畫。他表示除了讓參加者在團體治療中認識到自身缺陷外,最終還會要求他們參加「修復式正義」的課程,請求受害者饒恕。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/5495283 Next Article Topic: ’Best birthday present ever!’ says Spanish diver after saving trapped whale In a gripping underwater rescue, Spanish divers have freed a 12-metre long humpback whale entangled in an illegal drift net off the Balearic island of Mallorca. 在一起扣人心弦的水下營救中,西班牙潛水夫在巴利亞利的馬約卡島外海釋放了一隻纏繞在非法流刺網中的12公尺長的座頭鯨。 One of the divers, 32-year-old marine biologist Gigi Torras, said last Friday’s rescue and a little gesture of appreciation from the giant mammal were also a birthday present for her - the ’best ever’ in her words. 其中一名潛水夫,32歲的海洋生物學家吉吉.托利斯說,上週五的營救和來自這隻巨大哺乳類的一些謝意表現,也是給她的生日禮物-用她的話說就是「歷來最棒」。 The weakened whale had been spotted by a ship about three miles off the eastern coast of Mallorca, prompting Palma de Mallorca’s Aquarium marine rescue centre into action. 一艘船隻在馬約卡東岸外海3英里處瞥見這頭衰弱的鯨魚,促使馬約卡島的水族館海洋營救中心投入行動。 After initial attempts to cut the net from a boat failed, divers plunged into the sea to remove the mesh with their knives in a daring 45-minute operation. 在最初從船上切斷漁網的嘗試失敗後,潛水夫潛入海中,在45分鐘的大膽行動中,用他們的刀子移除漁網。 Nicknamed "walls of death" for the quantity of other sea life they catch in addition to the fish they are set for, drift nets were banned by the United Nations 30 years ago. 流刺網有「死亡之牆」的綽號,30年前就遭到聯合國禁用,因為它們除了捕撈目標魚類之外,還能捕撈其他大量海洋生物。 Next Article Spanish engineers extract drinking water from thin air 西班牙工程師從稀薄空氣中取水 A Spanish company has devised a system to extract drinking water from thin air to supply arid regions where people are in desperate need. 一家西班牙公司設計出一套系統,可從稀薄空氣中提取出飲用水,供應乾旱地區民眾急需的用水。 "The goal is to help people," said Enrique Veiga, the 82-year-old engineer who invented the machine during a harsh drought in southern Spain in the 1990s. "The goal is to get to places like refugee camps that don’t have drinking water." 82歲工程師安立奎‧韋加表示:「我的目標就是幫助別人。」他在1990年代西班牙南部大旱期間,發明這部機器,「目標就是供水給難民營這類缺乏

Ep 191515Mins Live Podcast - 常用混淆詞 – Rise / Raise / Arise 動詞大不同
體驗無限英文學習雜誌的閱讀 以及 9/12的15Mins Live Special 快參加Pubu飽讀電子書體驗: 點我填表格 Rise / Rose 上升;升高;升起 If you remember rise with sun, it will be easier for you to distinguish rise from the other two verbs that are going to show up here. For example, keeping with the sun topic, in the sentence: The sun rises in the east. Rise can also be used to indicate that something abstract is going up, as for example in Gas prices are rising again! This sense can convey a positive meaning when we are speaking, for instance, of moods or expectations. My expectations rose when the pretty blonde girl at the bar looked at me. Raise / Raised 舉起;提起 ; 增加;提高 You should be able to easily distinguish raise from rise if you just remember raise is transitive, which means it will be followed by a direct object (a WHAT). The student raised his hand to answer the question. Raise can be a noun, too, especially talking about salaries, as in the following example: I hate Pete. He's been given yet another (pay) raise. Arise / Arose 發生;出現 ; 起身 Last but not least, we have a third verb: arise. And its meaning? While it's true that it can replace rise, meaning "to get up from sitting, lying, or kneeling", this usage is fairly outdated and only used in very formal contexts. "Arise, Lord Snow!" - Said Queen Daenerys after Jon Snow had bent his knee. When do we use arise, then? Mainly when we want to convey the meaning of something coming into being, originating or occurring. The opportunity arose for Rick to purchase a 1554 Spanish shipwreck gold bar. 分享時間: Tell a personal experience related to rise / raise / arise Make sentences from the words

Ep 1912每日英語跟讀 Ep.K428: About dogs - 在搜救犬變網紅與狗狗個性
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K428: About dogs - In Rio, rescue dog watches out for his rescuer In Rio de Janeiro, one rescue dog has turned local mascot and budding online influencer after joining his rescuer’s ranks. 在里約熱內盧,一隻搜救犬在成為拯救他的警察的一份子後,已變成地方的吉祥物和新進網紅。 Corporal Oliveira, a dog with short brown hair thought to be around four years old, turned up one morning in 2019 at a police station on Rio’s Governador Island, injured and weak. 奧利維拉下士是隻有著棕色短毛的狗狗,年齡約4歲。牠在2019年的一個早晨,出現在里約戈韋納多島一間警察局外,當時身上有傷且虛弱。 "I gave him food, water. It took a while for him to get used to me," said Cpl. Cristiano Oliveira. But within a few days, Corporal Oliveira - the furry animal - started following his new master around the precinct. 克里斯提亞諾.奧利維拉下士說:「我給了牠食物和飲水,牠花了一陣子才習慣我。」幾天後,這隻毛茸茸的狗狗奧利維拉下士,開始跟著牠的新主人巡邏轄區。 Corporal Oliveira has his own Instagram profile with more than 45,000 followers, always hungry for more photos and videos of their mascot in his trademark police uniform, standing on top of police vehicles and motorcycles. 狗狗奧利維拉下士有自己的Instagram帳號,追蹤者超過4萬5000人,且這些粉絲總是熱切期待看到這隻吉祥物的更多照片,包括穿著標誌性的警察制服站在警車和摩托車上。 He even has a miniature toy firearm. 牠甚至配戴迷你版的玩具手槍。 Next Article Your dog’s personality may have little to do with its breed 你家狗狗的個性可能和品種沒什麼關聯 A new study published in the journal Science confirms what dog lovers know - every pup is truly an individual. 一份刊登於《科學》期刊的新研究,證實了愛狗人士都知道的一件事:每隻狗狗確實都是獨立個體。 The researchers surveyed more than 18,000 dog owners and analyzed the genomes of about 2,150 of their dogs to look for patterns. 研究人員訪查逾1萬8000名狗主人,並分析他們所養的2150隻狗狗的基因組,找尋其中是否有規律。 They found that some behaviors, such as howling, pointing and showing friendliness to human strangers, do have at least some genetic basis. But that inheritance isn’t strictly passed down along breed lines. 他們發現,吼叫、鎖定陌生人並示好之類的行為,的確至少有某種基因依據,但並未完全在各品種間遺傳下來。 For example, they found golden retrievers that don’t retrieve, said co-author Kathryn Lord. Some breeds, such as huskies and beagles, may show a greater tendency to howl. But many of these dogs don’t. 例如,研究共同作者凱瑟琳.羅德說,他們發現有不會狩獵的黃金獵犬。像是哈士奇和米格魯之類的品種,可能具有吼叫的癖性,但其中也有許多不會吼叫的。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1532395 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1534990

Ep 1911每日英語跟讀 Ep.K427: About Japan - 兩屆奧運冠軍羽生退休與老翁再次橫跨太平洋
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K427: About Japan - 2-time Olympic champion Hanyu rings down the curtain on career Two-time Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu announced on July 19 that he was hanging up his skates and retiring from competition after a glorious career that saw his popularity soar worldwide. 兩屆奧運金牌得主羽生結弦7月19日宣布,他在締造享譽全球的輝煌職業生涯後高掛冰刀溜冰鞋,不再出賽。 Hanyu, 27, held a news conference in Tokyo to announce his retirement. 27歲的羽生在東京的記者會上宣布退役。 He won gold medals at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014 and the Pyeongchang Games four years later, becoming the first repeat Olympic champion in men’s figure skating in 66 years. 他在2014年的索契冬奧與4年後的平昌冬奧拿下金牌,為男子花式滑冰界66年來首位衛冕奧運冠軍的選手。 Hanyu also won the world championships in 2014 and 2017 as well as four straight Grand Prix Finals from 2013. He also won six All-Japan Championships. 羽生還在2014年與2017年的世錦賽中奪冠,以及自2013年起連續4度在國際滑冰總會花式滑冰大獎賽總決賽中封王。他還6度稱霸全日本花式滑冰錦標賽。 He tried to become the first male figure skater in 94 years to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals, but finished off the podium in fourth at the Beijing Winter Olympics this year. 他曾企圖成為94年來首位連續拿下3面奧運金牌的男子花式滑冰選手,但最後在今年北京冬奧中以第4名作收。 Next Article 日本人在83歲成為獨自航越太平洋的最高齡人士 At 83, Japanese becomes oldest to sail solo across Pacific An 83-year-old Japanese adventurer returned home Saturday after successfully completing his solo, nonstop voyage across the Pacific, becoming the oldest person to reach the milestone. 一位83歲的日本冒險家成功完成他獨自一人馬不停蹄的跨太平洋之旅後,於週六返家,成為達到此里程碑的最高齡人士。 Kenichi Horie arrived in the Kii Strait off Japan’s western coast, completing his trans-Pacific voyage in 69 days after leaving a yacht harbor in San Francisco in March. 3月離開舊金山一處遊艇港以後,堀江謙一用69天完成他的跨太平洋旅程,抵達日本西岸外的紀伊水道。 It was the latest achievement for the octogenarian adventurer, who in 1962 became the first person in the world to successfully complete a solo nonstop voyage across the Pacific from Japan to San Francisco. 這是這名8旬冒險家的最新成就,他在1962年成為成功完成由日本單獨馬不停蹄橫越太平洋前往舊金山之旅的全球第一人。 Horie has also achieved a number of other long distance solo voyages, including sailing around the world in 1974. His latest expedition was the first since his 2008 solo non-stop voyage on a wave-powered boat from Hawaii to the Kii Strait. 掘江也完成過其他許多長程獨旅,包括1974年環航世界。其最新遠征是他2008年以波浪動力船從夏威夷航向紀伊水道以來,第一趟隻身馬不停蹄之旅。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1529966 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1523550

Ep 1914精選詞彙播客 Vocab Ep.134: 亞馬遜掃地機器人 Do you need a Roomba or Zoomba?
精選詞彙播客 Vocab Ep.133: 亞馬遜掃地機器人 Do you need a Roomba or Zoomba? Summary: Amazon acquired the Roomba recently with the hopes of creating a fully integrated IoT ecosystem for the home. Most people dread house chores because they are boring and tedious. In this episode, Angel and I chat about vacuum cleaners and robots for the home. What's your experience with vacuum robots? Comment down below! Vocabulary: Vacuum cleaner 吸塵器 One of the most popular vacuum cleaner brands on the market is Dyson. 市場上其中最熱門的吸塵器品牌之一是戴森。 Anniversary sale 百貨週年慶 Department store anniversary sale is the best time to buy home appliances. 百貨週年慶是最好買家電的時機。 House chores 家事 Smart home appliances can help people with their house chores. 智慧家電可以幫助人們處理家事。 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]

Ep 1910每日英語跟讀 Ep.K426: 巴黎砍樹抗暖化踢到鐵板
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K426: Plans to Fight Global Warming Face an Obstacle in Paris: Trees Long a favorite spot for picnics and sunbathing, the lawns surrounding the Eiffel Tower have recently become the scene of furious protests. First came a social media campaign. Then a rally by dozens of local residents. Before long, a protester had hunkered down in a nearby plane tree for a hunger strike. 巴黎艾菲爾鐵塔周圍的草坪向來是野餐和日光浴首選地點,最近成了憤怒示威的場景。首先是社群媒體發起的活動,接著是數十名當地居民集會。不久之後,一名示威者待在附近一棵法國梧桐下絕食抗議。 The source of their anger? A plan to cut down more than 20 trees, some more than 100 years old, around the tower as part of an effort to build a huge garden and ease tourist congestion. 他們為何生氣?有人計畫砍掉鐵塔周遭20多棵樹,其中有些樹齡超過百年,以便闢建一座大花園並紓解遊客擁擠問題。 The controversy is just the latest in a series that has engulfed Paris City Hall as it tries to green the city, a task that appears all the more urgent as scorching temperatures bear down on the French capital, and on the rest of Europe. 這只是巴黎市政府企圖綠化這座城市之際,捲入的系列爭議最新一起。隨著灼熱高溫襲向這座法國首都和歐洲其餘地方,綠化巴黎的工作更顯迫切。 Local authorities are redesigning Paris’ urban landscape to make it more climate-friendly, but a growing number of residents say the widespread cutting of trees around the capital is paradoxically undermining the city’s environmental ambitions. 地方政府正在重新規畫巴黎市區景觀,好讓巴黎對氣候更為友善,不過愈來愈多居民說,首都到處都有樹被砍,自相矛盾地削弱這城市的環保雄心。 Trees are considered some of the best defenses against the radiation that contributes to the heat waves that are on the rise everywhere because of global warming. 樹木被認為最能防止熱輻射。熱輻射促成因全球暖化而在各處日益頻發的熱浪。 “Without the trees, the city is an unbearable furnace,” said Tangui Le Dantec, an urban planner and co-founder of Aux Arbres Citoyens, a group protesting the felling of trees in Paris. 抗議巴黎樹木被砍的團體「公民樹」共同創辦人、都市規劃師勒丹泰克說:「要是沒有樹,這座城市就成了無法忍受的火爐。」 In recent months, small protests have sprouted across Paris, with residents and activists rallying around trees condemned by the sprawling urban development projects that have at times turned the capital into a giant construction site. 最近數月,巴黎各地湧現小規模抗議,居民和社運人士在樹木周遭集會,這些樹被雜亂擴張的都市發展工程包夾,這些工程不時將巴黎變為巨大的工地。 In April, they filmed the felling of 76 plane trees, most of them decades old, at the Porte de Montreuil on Paris’ northern outskirts. City Hall wants to turn the site into a huge square, part of a project by the mayor, Anne Hidalgo, to create “a green belt” around the capital. 今年四月,他們拍攝巴黎北郊蒙特勒伊門76棵法國梧桐被砍伐的實況,樹齡多半有幾十年。市府想把這個地點改為超大廣場,這是市長安妮.伊達戈在巴黎各處創造「綠帶」計畫的一部分。 “Ms. Hidalgo please stop the massacre,” said Thomas Brail, the founder of the National Group for the Surveillance of Trees, as machines chopped up trees behind him, in a video he shot in April. Brail later staged an 11-day hunger strike in a plane tree near the Eiffel Tower. 「全國看守樹木團體」創辦人布海爾在他4月拍的一支影片中,趁機器在身後砍樹時說:「伊達戈女士,請停止屠殺。」布海爾後來在艾菲爾鐵塔附近一棵法國梧桐下,發動11天絕食抗議。 Yves Contassot, a former deputy mayor of Paris in charge of the environment and a member of the Green party, said cutting down trees had become “a very sensitive question that causes a bit of a scandal at a time when we talk about fighting global warming in big cities.” 曾是負責環境的巴黎副市長、現為綠黨成員康塔索說,砍樹已成了「非常敏感的問題,在我們談論大城市對抗全球暖化時,引發相當的騷動」。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6498712

Ep 1913每日英語跟讀 Ep.K425: 俄國逼迫烏克蘭人接受俄式生活
Pubu飽讀電子書 通勤家族獨家優惠:點此享有訂閱優惠 Pubu 「飽讀電子書方案」,英語學習雜誌的Netflix!只要每日不到3塊錢就可以讓你把書店裡的熱門英文雜誌像CNN互動英文、空中美語、長春藤、LiveABC等都讀到飽!無限暢讀,把你的學習一站隨身帶著走~ Pubu平台重點特色: 熱門雜誌、暢銷書籍應有盡有 書籍類別保括英語學習、財經、新聞、時尚、親子 語音功能能將電子書變成有聲書 一個帳號可以登入七個裝置 馬上把學習一站隨身帶著走:點此享有通勤學英語 X Pubu飽讀優惠 即日起到2022/09/30 申辦半年或年方案,Pubu會加碼送: 福利1: 送購書金$50,購書即可立享折扣!! 福利2: 申辦年方案, 可以再抽五台P47 耳罩式藍牙耳機。 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K425: How the Kremlin Is Forcing Ukrainians to Adopt Russian Life They have handed out Russian passports, cellphone numbers and set-top boxes for watching Russian television. They have replaced Ukrainian currency with the ruble, rerouted the internet through Russian servers and arrested hundreds who have resisted assimilation. 他們發出俄國護照、手機門號和觀看俄國電視用的機上盒。他們已用盧布取代烏克蘭貨幣,把網路經由俄國伺服器傳送,並逮捕數百名抵抗同化的人。 In ways big and small, the occupying authorities on territory won by Moscow’s forces are using fear and indoctrination to compel Ukrainians to adopt a Russian way of life. “We are one people,” blue-white-and-red billboards say. “We are with Russia.” 透過各種大大小小的方式,莫斯科部隊占領區的執政當局,正利用恐懼和洗腦,壓迫烏克蘭人接受俄國生活方式。「我們是同一個民族」,藍白紅三色的看板寫道,「我們與俄國同在」。 Now comes the next act in President Vladimir Putin’s 21st-century version of a war of conquest: the grassroots “referendum.” 如今俄國總統普亭的21世紀征服戰願景準備進行下一步:草根式「公投」。 Russia-appointed administrators in cities like Kherson in Ukraine’s south are setting the stage for a vote as early as September that the Kremlin will present as a popular desire to become part of Russia. They are recruiting pro-Russia locals for new “election commissions” and promoting to Ukrainian civilians the putative benefits of joining their country. 俄國在烏克蘭南部刻松等城市指派的官員,正安排一場最快9月舉行的投票,克里姆林宮將此包裝成大眾渴望成為俄國一分子。他們召募親俄的當地人,成立新的「選舉委員會」,並向烏克蘭平民宣傳加入他們國家的潛在好處。 Any referendum would be totally illegitimate, Ukrainian and Western officials say, but it would carry ominous consequences. Analysts in Moscow and Ukraine expect that it would serve as a prelude to Putin’s officially declaring the conquered area to be Russian territory, protected by Russian nuclear weapons — making future attempts by Ukraine to drive out Russian forces potentially much more costly. 烏克蘭和西方官員說,任何公投都是完全不合法,會帶來不良後果。莫斯科和烏克蘭的分析家預估,這會是普亭正式宣布將征服地區納入俄國領土的序幕,在俄國核武保護下,未來烏克蘭要趕走俄軍代價可能會更加慘烈。 Kherson is one of four regions in which officials are signaling planned referendums, along with Zaporizhzhia in the south and Luhansk and Donetsk in the east. While the Kremlin says it will be up to the area’s residents to “determine their own future,” 刻松是官員預告計畫舉辦公投的四個地區之一,其他包括南部的札波羅熱,以及東部的盧甘斯克和頓內次克。雖然克宮說,這些地區的居民「將決定他們自己的未來」。 As a result, a scramble to mobilize the residents of Russian-occupied territories for a referendum is increasingly visible on the ground. 正因如此,匆忙動員俄國占領區居民參加公投的行動,在當地已愈來愈明顯。 The Russian-appointed authorities of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, for instance, announced that they were forming “election commissions” to prepare for referendums, which one official said could happen Sept. 11 — a day when local and regional elections are scheduled to be held across Russia. 例如,札波羅熱和刻松地區的俄國指派當局宣布,他們正籌組「選舉委員會」,為公投作準備,一名官員說可能於9月11日舉行,這天是俄國預定全國舉行地方及區域選舉日。 “Russia is beginning to roll out a version of what you could call an annexation playbook,” John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council, said last month. 美國國家安全會議發言人柯比上月表示,「俄國開始大量鋪陳一個你可稱之為併吞劇本的版本」。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6533747

Ep 1909回顧星期天LBS - 美國相關時事趣聞 All about the United States
Topic: 74% of NYC Voters Say Crime Is a Serious Problem in the City, an All-Time High As much as 74 percent of voters in New York City say crime is a very serious problem in the city, reaching the highest level since the topic was included in the Quinnipiac University Poll in 1999. 紐約市多達74%的選民表示,犯罪是該市一個非常嚴重的問題,這是自1999年昆尼皮亞克大學民意調查納入該主題以來的最高紀錄。 Crime ranks as the most urgent issue facing New York City, according to the survey. As much as 46 percent of respondents say crime is the most urgent issue facing the mega city making it the top issue while affordable housing and homelessness issues have 14 percent and 9 percent in favor, respectively. 根據這項調查,犯罪是紐約市面臨的最緊迫問題。多達46%的受訪者表示,犯罪是這座巨型城市面臨的最緊迫問題,使其成為首要問題,而負擔得起的住房和無家可歸問題,分別有14% 和9% 的受訪者表示認同。 Meanwhile, 43 percent of voters say New York City is less safe compared with other big cities, which is the highest level since the question was first asked by Quinnipiac in 2003. 與此同時,43%的選民表示,相較於其他大城市,紐約市更不安全,這是自2003年昆尼皮亞克大學提出這項問題以來的最高紀錄。 Next Article Topic: 堪薩斯州女子在傳統鬆餅賽贏了英格蘭 Kansas woman wins traditional pancake race against England A woman from Liberal, Kansas, is this year’s champion of the traditional Pancake Day Race against women in Olney, England. 一名來自堪薩斯州利伯勒爾的女性,在傳統「鬆餅日大賽」力抗英格蘭奧爾尼女子組,是今年的冠軍。 Whitney Hay won the U.S. leg of the race in Liberal on Tuesday with a time of 1:07. That beat Katie Godof of Olney, England, who ran her race in 1:10. 惠特尼.海伊週二以1分7秒的時間,在利伯勒爾舉行的美國賽程中獲勝。這擊敗了英格蘭奧爾尼的凱蒂.戈多夫,她以1分10秒完賽。 The race returned after a hiatus in 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. 這場比賽在2021年因武漢肺炎大流行喊卡之後重新回歸。 Contestants must carry a pancake in a frying pan and flip it at the beginning and end of the 380-meter race. The event began in Olney in the 15th century. In 1950, Liberal challenged Olney to an international competition. 參賽者必須在煎鍋中攜帶煎餅,並在380米比賽的開始和結束時翻轉。該事件始於15世紀的奧爾尼。1950年,Liberal鎮向奧爾尼鎮發起了國際競爭。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1504336 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1503943 Next Article Topic: Oklahoma sixth-grader praised for heroism twice in one day An Oklahoma sixth-grader was honored by law enforcement and school officials for his heroic actions not just once, but twice in the same day. 因為一天之內不僅一次,而是兩次的英勇行為,奧克拉荷馬州一名六年級學生受到執法單位與學校官員的表揚。 Earlier this month, Davyon Johnson used the Heimlich maneuver on a classmate who was choking on a bottle cap at his school in Muskogee. Later that same day, he helped a woman escape from a burning house, the Muskogee Phoenix reported. 馬斯科吉鳳凰報報導,本月稍早,戴維恩.強森在位於馬斯科吉的學校內使用哈姆立克法幫助一名被瓶蓋噎到的同學。當天稍後,他幫助一名婦女逃出起火的屋子。 Last week, Davyon was named an honorary member of the police and sheriff’s departments at the Muskogee Board of Education meeting, the newspaper reported. 上週,戴維恩在馬斯科吉教育委員會會議上,被任命為警察與治安官部門的榮譽成員,據該報報導。 Principal Latricia Dawkins called Davyon a “dual hero” and said the recognition couldn’t have happened to a better person. 校長拉翠夏.道金斯稱讚戴維恩是「雙重英雄」,並說此一褒揚不可能發生在更好的人身上。 Davyon’s mother, LaToya Johnson, said she’s not surprised he behaved the way he did. She said her brother, Wendell Johnson, is an emergency medical technician. 戴維恩的母親拉托雅.強森說,她對兒子的行為不感意外。她說,他的哥哥溫戴爾.強森,就是一位緊急醫療技術員。 Next Article Topic: Why the Empire State Building, and New York, May Never Be the Same 為何帝國大廈與紐約市可能不再跟以前一樣 It once symbolized an urban way of working, and the city’s resilience. In the pandemic’s second year, the future of the world’s most famous skyscraper is in doubt. 它一度象徵一種都會的工作方式與這座城市的韌性。值此疫情大流行第2年,這座全球最知名的摩天大樓的未來仍在未定之天。 The Empire State Building, like the city it inhabits, relies on a steady stream of tourists, thriving retail businesses and companies willing to lease its vast amount of office space. (美國紐約市)帝國大廈一如其所棲息的城市,仰賴穩定的觀光客流、興旺的零售業,以及願意租賃其大量辦公室空間的公司行號。 The coronavirus pandemic emptied out the attractions, shops and offices, in both the building and the city, for months. 但新冠病毒大流行清空這幢大樓與紐約市的觀光景點、商店與辦公室(的人潮)達數月之久。 Like other tourist attractions around New York City, the famous observatories on the Empire State Building’s 86th and 102nd floors sat nearly empty for months. 一如紐約市各地其他的觀光景點,位於帝國大廈86樓與102樓的知名觀景台,已有數月幾乎空無一人。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1491796 Next Article Topic: Biden’s right-to-repair order is good news for people who always break their phones After years of petitions and proposals, momentum is building in government to give consumers broader rights to repair products they own ranging from farm tractors to mobile phones. 在多年的請願與提案後,政府正在推動給予消費者更大的權利去維修他們擁有的產品,範疇從農場的曳引機到手機。 The right-to-repair issue has brought farmers in league with electronic and computer enthusiasts, who for years have groused at the thought that they merely licensed software, didn’t own it, and weren’t able to modify it to their liking. 維修權問題讓農民與電子產品及電腦的愛好者結盟,他們多年來一直抱怨自己只獲授權使用軟體,並未擁有它,也無法根據自身喜好調整它。 In a press briefing yesterday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden will issue an executive order directing the US Department of Agriculture to issue rules that "g

Ep 190815Mins Live Podcast - 職場系列 – 面對抱怨與衝突高頻句 Expressions for complaints and conflict
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 Expressions for handling complaints 處理抱怨 Apologize 道歉 I appreciate your letting me know about that. I'm sorry for any inconvenience. Please accept our apologies. I'll let my manager know. I understand your frustration. Resolving the inconvenience 解決對方的不滿 Here's a coupon to make up for your trouble. We'll sort that out for you right away. I'm going to see how we can make this better for you. Expressions for resolving conflict 解決衝突 Identify disagreement 點出雙方意見不合 I think you may have misinterpreted that. I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I don't think we have all the information. Please don't take that the wrong way. I understand where you're coming from. Moving forward 促進下一步溝通 I think we can work this out. I think we can find a compromise. Should we get a third opinion? I'm sure we can reach an agreement. We should revisit this at another time. 雙人對話時間: Complaint : The supplier sent you the right product, but of the wrong size. Complaint : The iPhone you purchased did not come with charging cables as advertised Conflict : Your colleagues accused you of spreading rumours about them.

Ep 1906每日英語跟讀 Ep.K424: About India - 孟買向推特請求掌握洪水與立百病
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K424: About India - Mumbai turns to Twitter for help mapping India’s monsoon floods When monsoon rains sweep into Mumbai each year, residents of India’s financial hub find their social media feeds awash with flood memes - from Venetian gondolas plying the city’s deluged streets to office workers commuting on inflatable dinghies. 當季風雨水每年橫掃孟買的同時,印度金融中心居民發現社群媒體充斥洪水梗圖:威尼斯貢多拉遊船在城市被雨水淹沒的街道上行駛、上班族利用充氣橡皮艇通勤。 This year, a research institute hopes social media can play a more practical role - asking residents to tweet details about floods in their neighbourhoods and using the data to issue geographically specific flood alerts in real-time. 今年,一個研究機構希望社群媒體能夠發揮更實際的功用──要求居民在推特上描述住家附近地區洪水的詳細情況,並利用這些資料即時發布特定地區洪水警報。 "Since we cannot monitor flooding across the city ourselves, we thought of taking the help of the community," said Subimal Ghosh, head of the Climate Studies department at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, which is behind the initiative. 孟買印度理工學院氣候研究部門領導人蘇比墨爾.高許說,「由於我們無法單靠自己監測整座城市的洪水,於是想到可以利用群眾的協助」。該部門正是此倡議的幕後推手。 Around the world in countries including Australia and Indonesia, climate researchers are increasingly using data gathered via social media to help monitor weather events such as floods. 包含澳洲和印尼等世界各國,氣候研究學家們越來越頻繁地利用透過社群媒體上蒐集得到的資料來協助監控諸如洪水等天氣事件。 Next Article Nipah Virus, Dangerous and Little Known, Spreads in India-危險但鮮為人知的立百病毒在印度擴散 A rare, brain-damaging virus has broken out in the state of Kerala, India, for the first time, infecting at least 18 people and killing 17 of them, according to the World Health Organization. 一種罕見、傷害腦部的病毒首度在印度喀拉拉邦爆發,感染至少18人,其中17人死亡,世界衛生組織指出。 The Nipah virus naturally resides in fruit bats across South and Southeast Asia, and can spread to humans through contact with the animals’ bodily fluids. There is no vaccine and no cure. 立百病毒自然寄宿於南亞與東南亞的狐蝠,並可透過接觸該動物的體液而傳播給人類。沒有疫苗,也沒有藥物可以對治。 The virus is listed by the W.H.O. as a high priority for research. Current treatment measures are insufficient, according to Dr. Stuart Nichol, the head of the viral special pathogens branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 該病毒被世衛組織列入高優先研究名單。當前的治療措施不足,美國疾病管制與預防中心病毒特殊病原體部門主任尼科爾博士說。 "There’s a market failure for protecting people from this," said Dr. Steve Luby, an epidemiologist at Stanford University. "It’s not like treating baldness or breast cancer, where wealthy people will pay for your product. There’s no big customer here, no incentive, until it escalates." 「保護人們免於該病毒感染的市場失靈」,史丹福大學流行病學家魯比博士說。「這不像治療禿頭或乳癌,有錢人會花錢買你的產品。在這裡沒有大客戶、沒有誘因,直到疫情愈演愈烈為止。」 The Nipah infection produces flulike symptoms, including fevers, body aches and vomiting, which often progress to acute respiratory syndrome and encephalitis. Some survivors show persistent neurological effects, including personality changes. 感染立百病毒會產生類似流感的症狀,包括發燒、身體疼痛與嘔吐,並常發展成急性肺炎症候群與腦炎。有些倖存者出現持續性的神經性影響,包括性格改變。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1534206; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/1210313

Ep 1905每日英語跟讀 Ep.K423: About soccer - 禁止向球員索討球衣教宗方濟各的新玩具
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K423: About soccer - Ajax ban signs asking players for their shirts Ajax Amsterdam have banned fans from bringing signs into Johan Cruyff Arena asking players for their shirts after matches, Dutch media reported on Tuesday. 荷蘭媒體週二報導,阿姆斯特丹阿賈克斯足球俱樂部已經禁止球迷在比賽結束後,攜帶標語進入約翰.克魯伊夫足球場,向球員索討球衣。 The club have told the Ajax supporters association that they had noticed an increasing number of such signs at games, mostly being held by children. 該俱樂部告訴阿賈克斯支持者協會,他們已經注意到在比賽中出現越來越多的標語,大多數是由兒童持有。 It was no longer possible for the players to fulfil all the requests and when players walked by without handing over a shirt they were often criticised as arrogant, the club said. 該俱樂部說,球員不再可能滿足所有的要求,當球員走過球場而沒有遞出球衣時,他們常被批評為傲慢。 The cardboard being used also posed a fire hazard, the club said, and several signs were confiscated on Saturday when the stadium hosted the season-opening Super Cup match between Ajax and PSV Eindhoven. 該俱樂部說,使用的這些紙牌也構成火災隱患,週六當該體育場舉辦當季開幕的超級杯阿賈克斯與埃因霍溫的比賽時,有多個標語遭到沒收。 Next Article Soccer-loving Pope Francis gets a new toy: a foosball table 熱愛足球的教宗方濟各獲得新玩具 Pope Francis has received dozens of soccer jerseys and game balls during his eight-year pontificate and he got a new football-themed toy lately: his very own foosball table. 天主教教宗方濟各在任8年來收到許多足球衣和比賽用球,近來還獲得一組足球主題的新玩具:屬於他的手足球台。 Francis played a round on the table that was presented to him at the end of his general audience by representatives of a table football association, Sport Toscana Calcio Balilla in Altopascio, Tuscany. 這個手足球台是在教宗進行「公開接見」時,由托斯卡尼大區阿爾托帕肖市的托斯卡納手足球運動協會代表人所贈送,方濟各還玩了一局。 The mayor of Altopascio, Sara D’Ambrosio, wrote on Facebook that the table was designed to be inclusive and work well for people with physical disabilities to encourage their participation in sport. 阿爾托帕肖市市長莎拉.迪安布羅修在臉書寫道,這組手足球台設計上具有包容性,方便身體不便的人使用,鼓勵他們參與運動。 The Argentine-born pope is a well-known lover of soccer. He has long promoted sport as a way to promote solidarity and inclusion, especially for young people. 阿根廷出生的教宗是知名的足球愛好者。他長期推崇把運動當作促進團結和包容的方式,尤其對年輕人而言。

Ep 1907精選詞彙播客 Vocab Ep.133: 你有用語音轉文字嗎?The ubiquitous VTT and TTV tech
Pubu x 通勤學英語 飽讀電子書活動 愛看英語學習雜誌的你不需看預算只買一兩本了!John老師今天來跟大家推薦一個能夠解決你困擾的強大電子書平台 Pubu Pubu 「飽讀電子書方案」,我認為就是英語學習雜誌的Netflix!只要每日不到3塊錢就可以讓你把書店裡的熱門英文雜誌像CNN互動英文、空中美語、長春藤、LiveABC等都讀到飽!無限暢讀,把你的學習一站隨身帶著走~ Pubu平台重點特色: 熱門雜誌、暢銷書籍應有盡有 書籍類別保括英語學習、財經、新聞、時尚、親子 語音功能能將電子書變成有聲書 一個帳號可以登入七個裝置 Pubu X 通勤學英語 飽讀電子書優惠:點此訂閱 半年方案(原價$894 )打59折,只要$529 - 每日不到四元 一年方案(原價$1,788 )打55折,只要$999 - 每日不到三元 即日起到2022/08/30 申辦半年或年方案,Pubu會加碼送: 福利1: 送購書金$50,購書即可立享折扣!! 福利2: 申辦年方案, 可以再抽五台P47 耳罩式藍牙耳機。 精選詞彙播客 Vocab Ep.133: 你有用語音轉文字嗎?The ubiquitous VTT and TTV tech Summary: With Siri and Google assistant accompanying our everyday lives, do you know what is the tech behind recognizing your voice? Voice-to-text (VTT) and Text-to-voice (TTV) is the foundation to all the fancy cloud processing systems we have today. Text search and processing have come a long way in the development of technology. In this episode, Angel and I chat about the possible copyright issues for voice actors and users of social media platforms. Have you ever had your data / voice / video stolen? Comment down below! Vocabulary: Voice assistant 語音助理 Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant are popular voice assistants in the world today. Alex、Siri、與Google是現在世界熱門的語音助理。 Voice-to-text (VTT) technology 語音轉文字技術 All voice assistants uses VTT to process voice commands. 所有的語音助理都是使用VTT來處理聲音命令。 Text-to-voice (TTV) technology 文字轉語音技術 Pubu offers TTV to help you turn an e-book into an audiobook. Pubu電子書平台提供TTV技術讓你可以把電子書變成有聲書。 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]

Ep 1904每日英語跟讀 Ep.K422: 脫貧之道可能在於從小結交富友
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K422: Wealthy Friends May Be Ticket Out of Poverty Over the last four decades, the financial circumstances into which children have been born have increasingly determined where they have ended up as adults. But an expansive new study, based on billions of social media connections, has uncovered a powerful exception to that pattern that helps explain why certain places offer a path out of poverty. 過去40年,小孩出生時的經濟環境,對他們成年後的結局日益具有決定性,但一項基於數十億社群媒體聯繫的廣泛新研究,發現了這種模式的一個強大例外,這有助於解釋為什麼某些地方提供擺脫貧困的途徑。 For poor children, living in an area where people have more friendships that cut across class lines significantly increases how much they earn in adulthood, the new research found. 新的研究發現,對貧困兒童來說,生活在一個較能跨越階級界線交朋友的地區,會大大增加他們成年後的收入。 The study, published in Nature, analyzed the Facebook friendships of 72 million people, amounting to 84% of U.S. adults ages 25 to 44. 這項發表在《自然》雜誌上的研究,分析7,200萬人在臉書上的交友情形,這一數字占全美25至44歲成人的84%。 The new analysis — the biggest of its kind — found the degree to which the rich and poor were connected explained why a neighborhood’s children did better later in life, more than any other factor. 這項同類研究中規模最大的新分析發現,富人與窮人的聯繫程度,解釋了為何一個社區的小孩日後生活過得較好,影響超過其他任何因素。 The effect was profound. The study found that if poor children grew up in neighborhoods where 70% of their friends were wealthy — the typical rate for higher-income children — it would increase their future incomes by 20%, on average. 這種影響是深遠的。研究發現,若貧困兒童成長於70%朋友是富人的社區中-這是高收入兒童典型的比率-他們未來收入平均會增加20%。 These cross-class friendships — what the researchers called economic connectedness — had a stronger impact than school quality, family structure, job availability or a community’s racial composition. The people you know, the study suggests, open up opportunities, and the growing class divide in the United States closes them off. 這些跨階級的友誼被研究人員稱為經濟關聯性,比學校素質、家庭結構、就業機會或社區種族構成影響更大。研究顯示,你認識的人開創了機會,而美國日益擴大的階級鴻溝卻將其關閉。 “Growing up in a community connected across class lines improves kids’ outcomes and gives them a better shot at rising out of poverty,” said Raj Chetty, an economist at Harvard University and the director of Opportunity Insights, which studies the roots of inequality and the contributors to economic mobility. He was one of the study’s four principal authors. 哈佛大學研究機構「機會洞察」主任、經濟學家切堤說:「在一個跨越階級界線的社區中長大,會改善小孩的結局,他們擺脫貧窮的機會更大。」該機構研究不平等根源及經濟流動性的成因。他是上述研究四位主要作者之一。 Jimarielle Bowie grew up in a lower-middle-class family. Her parents divorced, lost jobs and lost homes. So when she made friends in high school with girls who lived on the rich side of town, their lifestyles intrigued her. Their houses were bigger; they ate different foods; and their parents — doctors, lawyers and pastors — had different goals and plans for their children, including applying for college. 吉馬里爾.鮑伊在一個中下階級家庭中成長。她的父母離異,失業且失去住處。因此,當她在高中結識了一些住在城市富人區的女孩時,她們的生活方式引起她的興趣。她們住在更大的房子,吃不同的食物,她們的父母是醫生、律師和牧師,對孩子有不同的目標和計畫,包括申請大學。 Bowie became the first person in her family to get a postgraduate degree. She’s now a criminal defense lawyer — a job she found through a friend of one of those high school friends. 鮑伊成為家中第一個獲得碩士學位的人。她現在是個刑事辯護律師,這是她透過一個高中朋友的朋友找到的工作。 “My experience meeting people who were more affluent, I got to get in those circles, understand how those people think,” she said. “I absolutely think it made a significant difference.” 她說:「我跟較富有的人接觸的經歷,讓我進入那些圈子,了解他們的想法。我絕對認為這產生了重大影響。」Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6533747

Ep 1903每日英語跟讀 Ep.K421: 英格蘭女足歐錦賽奪冠
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K421: Women’s soccer energizes England in a league of their own England beat Germany 2-1 in the final of the European Championship after extra time on Sunday last week to win its first major women’s soccer title. The final, which was played before a sellout crowd of more than 87,000 at historic Wembley Stadium, is seen as a watershed moment for women’s sports in England. Although the game, known here as football, is a national passion, female players have often been scoffed at and were once banned from top-level facilities. Now the women’s team did something the men haven’t done since 1966: Win a major international tournament. 上週日舉行的歐洲錦標賽決賽中,英格蘭隊在加時賽以二比一擊敗了德國隊,贏得其史上首座女足大賽冠軍。這場決賽被視為英格蘭女子運動的分水嶺,在歷史悠久的溫布利球場舉行,門票銷售一空,觀眾超過八萬七千人。儘管足球這項運動在英國被視為國球,但女性足球員常受到嘲弄,甚至曾被禁止進入頂級球場。現在,女子隊做到了自一九六六年以來男性從未做到的事:在國際大賽中奪冠。 Hope Powell played 66 times for England and coached the team from 1998 to 2013. “I think we have to give thanks to the people that worked really hard before us, that went through all of that, being banned, fighting for the right to play,” Powell told the BBC. “I think we have to remember what came before is what got us to the point we are today.” 霍普‧鮑威爾為英格蘭隊出賽過六十六次,並於一九九八至二○一三年擔任該隊教練,她對BBC﹝英國廣播公司﹞說道:「我認為我們必須感謝那些在過去付出許多努力的人,他們經歷了被禁賽、為比賽權利而奮鬥等種種磨難」。「我想我們必須記住,過去所經歷的,也就是讓我們能夠達到今天這成就的來時路」。 But it’s not just the victories that are attracting fans. It is how the team is winning. With money from sponsorship deals and a new TV contract supporting full-time professional players, there is more flash and polish than many expected. While they don’t play like the men’s team, that’s not a bad thing. There are fewer players flopping to the ground to draw fouls, less rolling around on the turf dramatically clutching purportedly injured knees or ankles and little shouting at the referees. Instead there is teamwork, artful passes and stunning goals like Stanway’s 20m screamer in the quarterfinal victory over Spain and the backheel from Alessia Russo in England’s 4-0 semifinal win against Sweden. And here’s the thing: People like it. 但吸引球迷的不僅僅是勝利,而是球隊獲勝的方式。有了贊助商金援和資助全職職業球員的新電視合約,賽事的盛況超乎預期。雖然她們的球風跟男子隊不同,但這並不是件壞事。倒地製造犯規的球員比較少,也比較少人在草地上翻滾、戲劇性地緊抓膝蓋或腳踝說受了傷,也很少有對裁判大聲吼叫的情況。取而代之的是團隊合作、巧妙的傳球和令人驚嘆的進球,例如史妲維在半準決賽勝西班牙的二十公尺(二十二碼)精采進球,以及英格蘭4-0勝瑞典的準決賽中,阿萊西亞‧魯索的腳跟射門進球。而且重點是,大家愛看。 Coach Sarina Wiegman has made a point of noting that there’s more at stake than victory alone. “We want to inspire the nation.” Women’s football has a long and sometimes controversial history in England. The women’s game flourished during and for a few years after World War I, when teams like Dick, Kerr Ladies Football Club filled the sporting gap created as top men’s players went off to the trenches to fight. Women’s teams, many organized at munitions plants, attracted large crowds and raised money for charity. One match in 1920 attracted 53,000 spectators. 教練莎琳娜‧魏格曼特別指出,此戰不光是為了勝利,「我們想激勵這個國家」。 女子足球在英格蘭的歷史悠久且有時頗具爭議。女子足球在第一次世界大戰期間及之後的數年中蓬勃發展,當時像「迪克科爾女子足球俱樂部」這樣的球隊填補了因頂尖男子球員參戰而在體育界留下的空白。許多在軍火廠組成的女子隊吸引了大批觀眾,並為慈善事業募款。一九二○年的一場比賽吸引了五萬三千名觀眾。 But that popularity triggered a backlash from the men who ran the Football Association, the sport’s governing body in England. In 1921, the FA banned women’s teams from using its facilities, saying “the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged.” The ban remained in place for the next 50 years. 但這種受歡迎程度卻招致英格蘭足球管理機構足球總會男性主管的強烈反對。一九二一年,英足總禁止女子球隊使用其設施,稱「足球運動非常不適合女性,不應鼓勵」。該禁令在之後的五十年一直存在。 Women organized their own football association in 1969, and soon after the FA ended its ban on women. The FA took over responsibility for the women’s game in 1993, beginning the slow process of improving funding and facilities. 一九六九年,女性組織了自己的足球協會,不久後英足總取消了對女性的禁令。英足總於一九九三年接管了女子比賽,開始了改善資金與設施的緩慢過程 。 Things accelerated after the 2012 London Olympics, when authorities began to recognize there was a global audience for the women’s game, said Gail Newsham, author of In a League of Their Own! that tells the story of Dick, Kerr Ladies. 二○一二年倫敦奧運之後,當局開始了解女子比賽的觀眾遍及全球,因而事情加速發展,《在她們自己的聯賽!》一書作者蓋爾‧紐沙姆說道。該書講述迪克科爾女子足球俱樂部的故事。 Last year, the FA signed a three-year deal for broadcast rights to the Women’s Super League, increasing funding and exposure for the game. Sky Sports will broadcast a minimum of 35 games a year on its pay TV channels, and the BBC will carry another 22 on its free-to-view network. 去年,英足總簽署了一項為期三年的女子超級聯賽轉播權協議,增加了比賽的資金和曝光率。天空體育台每年將在其付費電視頻道上轉播至少三十五場比賽,而BBC將在其免費收看的電視網另轉播二十二場比賽。 “It’s not that long ago that girls, you know, top players, were paying for their own travel to get to matches and then having to get up to go to work the next day. So all of this is helping,” Newsham said of the funding. “You can see the difference now in the professionalism of the girls playing football.” 「不久之前,女性頂尖球員還需要自付旅費去參加比賽,然後第二天必須起床去上班。所以這些都是有所助益的」,紐沙姆談到這些資金時說道。「現在這些女性足球員的專業水準不可同日而語,大家有目共睹」。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/08/09/2003783186

Ep 1902回顧星期天LBS - 紐西蘭相關時事趣聞 All about New Zealand
Nice try but no potato for New Zealand couple’s giant find A New Zealand couple who believed they had dug up the world’s largest potato in the garden of their small farm near Hamilton have had their dreams turned to mash after Guinness World Records wrote to say that scientific testing had found it wasn’t, in fact, a potato after all. 紐西蘭一對夫婦相信,他們在漢密頓附近自家小農場的菜園中,挖到世界上最大顆馬鈴薯,但金氏世界紀錄寫信告知他們,科學檢測發現這玩意兒完全不是馬鈴薯後,他們的幻想破滅了。 Colin Craig-Brown, who first hit the tuber of a gourd with a hoe last August when gardening with his wife Donna, said it sure looked and tasted like a potato. 去年8月,科林‧克雷格—布朗和太太多娜一起做園藝時,率先用鋤頭挖到葫蘆塊莖,並認為這看起來且嚐起來絕對就是馬鈴薯。 After months of submitting photos and paperwork, the couple got the bad news from Guinness in an email. 在提交照片和文件數月後,這對夫婦收到金氏世界紀錄用電子郵件寄送的壞消息。 "Dear Colin," the email begins, going on to say "sadly the specimen is not a potato and is in fact the tuber of a type of gourd. For this reason we do unfortunately have to disqualify the application." 信件以「親愛的科林」起頭後接下去說:「很遺憾,這個樣本不是馬鈴薯,實際上是某種葫蘆的塊莖。因此,很不幸的,我們必須撤銷這次的申請。」 Next Article New Zealand announces measures to keep out omicron variant 紐西蘭宣布防範Omicron變種病毒株的措施 New Zealand will shorten the gap between second COVID-19 vaccine doses and boosters and push back the phased reopening of its borders in measures announced Tuesday to keep the omicron variant at bay. 紐西蘭週二宣布遏制Omicron變種病毒株的措施,將縮短接種新冠病毒疫苗第二劑以及加強劑的間隔時間,並延後逐步重新開放邊境的時間。 COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkin told reporters the government has agreed to a ``suite of precautionary measures’’ in light of the threat posed by the omicron strain of the coronavirus. 新冠病毒疫情因應事務部長希普金向記者說,鑑於新冠病毒Omicron病毒株構成的威脅,政府已經同意「一套預防措施」。 The gap between a second vaccine dose and a booster will be shortened from six to four months, meaning 82 percent of vaccinated New Zealanders will be due for a booster by February. 第二劑和加強劑疫苗的施打間隔,將從6個月縮短為4個月,這表示82%已接種疫苗的紐西蘭人,將在2月前接種一劑加強針。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1531064 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1495418 Next Article New Zealand announces measures to keep out omicron variant New Zealand will shorten the gap between second COVID-19 vaccine doses and boosters and push back the phased reopening of its borders in measures announced Tuesday to keep the omicron variant at bay. 紐西蘭週二宣布遏制Omicron變種病毒株的措施,將縮短接種新冠病毒疫苗第二劑以及加強劑的間隔時間,並延後逐步重新開放邊境的時間。 COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkin told reporters the government has agreed to a "suite of precautionary measures’’ in light of the threat posed by the omicron strain of the coronavirus. 新冠病毒疫情因應事務部長希普金向記者說,鑑於新冠病毒Omicron病毒株構成的威脅,政府已經同意「一套預防措施」。 The gap between a second vaccine dose and a booster will be shortened from six to four months, meaning 82 percent of vaccinated New Zealanders will be due for a booster by February. 第二劑和加強劑疫苗的施打間隔,將從6個月縮短為4個月,這表示82%已接種疫苗的紐西蘭人,將在2月前接種一劑加強針。 Next Article Middle Earth beckons in Air New Zealand safety video 中土在紐航飛安影片中召喚影迷 Fight a hobbit for an aisle seat? Get life jacket instructions from a beautiful female elf? Only on a plane to Middle Earth - or in an Air New Zealand safety video. 跟哈比人爭奪走道旁座位?由美麗的女精靈解說救生衣使用方式?這種事只會發生在飛往中土的飛機上,或者在紐西蘭航空的飛安宣導影片裡。 The company’s latest in a series of variations on the usual dull pre-flight safety instructions has lifted a page from J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic "The Hobbit" in the run-up to the world premiere of the film later this month, a bid to attract visitors to the nation where much of the film was shot. 紐航曾數度讓這種通常枯燥乏味的起飛前安全說明影片面目一新,而最新的一段影片則取自作家托爾金名著「哈比人歷險記」中的段落,並且趕在本月底由這部小說所改編的電影全球首映前推出,企圖吸引遊客前往電影拍攝地點紐西蘭觀光。 "An Unexpected Briefing," a play on the movie’s title of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," features crew members explaining flight safety to passengers embarking on a pilgrimage to Middle Earth, Tolkien’s land of treasure, dragons and magic rings. 這段影片名為「意外的簡報」,不但片名仿效電影「哈比人:意外旅程」,片中的機組人員更向準備前往中土,也就是托爾金作品裡充滿寶藏、惡龍和魔戒之地朝聖的乘客解釋飛安說明。 Director Sir Peter Jackson, who received Academy Awards for the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, makes a cameo appearance in the four-minute video, playing a passenger among the Orcs, pointy-eared elves and furry-footed hobbits that otherwise pack the seats. 曾因「魔戒」三部曲獲奧斯卡獎的導演傑克森也在這段四分鐘的影片中客串一角,坐在擠滿了半獸人、尖耳朵精靈和毛毛腳哈比人的機艙裡。 Die-hard Tolkien fans have flocked to the town of Matamata in the country’s North Island, which earlier this year began tours to the set of Hobbiton, the town from which the story’s hero, Bilbo Baggins, starts his journey. 托爾金的死忠書迷早已湧向紐國北島的馬塔馬塔市,當地於今年初開始推出哈比城場景的旅遊行程,哈比城則是故事主角巴金斯展開探險旅程的出發地。 Wellington, where Jackson and his Weta Workshop and studios are based, also has been cranking up the publicity machine before it rolls out the red carpet later this month. 傑克森及其威塔工作室所在地威靈頓同樣也在本月底電影正式上片前,全力發起宣傳活動。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1495418; https://monyear.pixnet.net/blog/post/66206828 Next Article Mittens the cat could become New Zealander of the Year Mittens, a famous feline from Wellington, is in the running to be voted New Zealand

Ep 190115Mins Live Podcast - 我要跟我想還有什麼其他說法 Other ways to say “Want” and “Think”
Other ways to say: WANT Wish 需求/希望 I wish to make a complaint. Feel like 想要/感覺 I feel like having a nice cool glass of lemonade. Need 需要/必要 I badly need a rest from all this. Desire 想要/欲求 The hotel had everything you could possibly desire. Fancy (informal) 想要 Do you fancy a drink this evening? Hope 想要/期望 I just hope she's pleasant to him on his birthday. Crave 想要滿足/口慾 Many young children crave attention. Long 期望/長而深遠 She longed to see him again. Other ways to say: THINK Suppose 以為 I suppose we could afford a new car. Reckon 認為 I think it'll work. What do you reckon? Guess 猜 'So you won't be going there again?I guess not. Consider 考慮 He's considering buying a used car. Believe 相信 There is no reason to believe that he is not telling the truth. Deem 視作 The principal will take whatever action she deems appropriate in this case. 分享時間: Tell a personal experience related to want and think Pick 4 words and make sentences

Ep 1899每日英語跟讀 Ep.K420: About New Zealand - 巨大物體不是馬鈴薯與縮短疫苗間隔
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K420: About New Zealand - Nice try but no potato for New Zealand couple’s giant find A New Zealand couple who believed they had dug up the world’s largest potato in the garden of their small farm near Hamilton have had their dreams turned to mash after Guinness World Records wrote to say that scientific testing had found it wasn’t, in fact, a potato after all. 紐西蘭一對夫婦相信,他們在漢密頓附近自家小農場的菜園中,挖到世界上最大顆馬鈴薯,但金氏世界紀錄寫信告知他們,科學檢測發現這玩意兒完全不是馬鈴薯後,他們的幻想破滅了。 Colin Craig-Brown, who first hit the tuber of a gourd with a hoe last August when gardening with his wife Donna, said it sure looked and tasted like a potato. 去年8月,科林‧克雷格—布朗和太太多娜一起做園藝時,率先用鋤頭挖到葫蘆塊莖,並認為這看起來且嚐起來絕對就是馬鈴薯。 After months of submitting photos and paperwork, the couple got the bad news from Guinness in an email. 在提交照片和文件數月後,這對夫婦收到金氏世界紀錄用電子郵件寄送的壞消息。 "Dear Colin," the email begins, going on to say "sadly the specimen is not a potato and is in fact the tuber of a type of gourd. For this reason we do unfortunately have to disqualify the application." 信件以「親愛的科林」起頭後接下去說:「很遺憾,這個樣本不是馬鈴薯,實際上是某種葫蘆的塊莖。因此,很不幸的,我們必須撤銷這次的申請。」 Next Article New Zealand announces measures to keep out omicron variant 紐西蘭宣布防範Omicron變種病毒株的措施 New Zealand will shorten the gap between second COVID-19 vaccine doses and boosters and push back the phased reopening of its borders in measures announced Tuesday to keep the omicron variant at bay. 紐西蘭週二宣布遏制Omicron變種病毒株的措施,將縮短接種新冠病毒疫苗第二劑以及加強劑的間隔時間,並延後逐步重新開放邊境的時間。 COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkin told reporters the government has agreed to a ``suite of precautionary measures’’ in light of the threat posed by the omicron strain of the coronavirus. 新冠病毒疫情因應事務部長希普金向記者說,鑑於新冠病毒Omicron病毒株構成的威脅,政府已經同意「一套預防措施」。 The gap between a second vaccine dose and a booster will be shortened from six to four months, meaning 82 percent of vaccinated New Zealanders will be due for a booster by February. 第二劑和加強劑疫苗的施打間隔,將從6個月縮短為4個月,這表示82%已接種疫苗的紐西蘭人,將在2月前接種一劑加強針。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1531064 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1495418

Ep 1898每日英語跟讀 Ep.K419: About Japan - 東京最嚴重熱浪與企鵝被餵食較便宜的魚
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K419: About Japan - Tokyo June heatwave worst since 1875 as power supply creaks under strain Japan baked under scorching temperatures for a fourth successive day on Tuesday, as the capital’s heat broke nearly 150-year-old records for June and authorities warned power supply remained tight enough to raise the spectre of cuts. 日本週二連續第4天受炙熱高溫所苦,首善之地打破將近150年來的6月高溫紀錄,政府警告電力供應依然吃緊,增加斷電之虞。 Temperatures in Tokyo hit 35.1 C by 1 p.m local time on Tuesday. For a second day, authorities asked consumers in the Tokyo area to conserve electricity to avoid a looming power cut - but in moderation. 東京氣溫在週二下午1點達到攝氏35.1度。政府連續第二天要求東京地區用戶節約用電—但是適度地—以避免可能的斷電。 "Apparently there are some elderly people who have turned off their air conditioners because we are asking people to save energy, but please - it’s this hot - don’t hesitate about cooling off," trade and industry minister Koichi Hagiuda told a news conference. 經濟產業大臣萩生田光一在記者會上說,「顯然有一些老人因為我們要求民眾節約能源而關掉空調,但是,拜託,天氣這麼熱,請不要猶豫涼快一下」。 Next Article Penguins at a Japanese aquarium are being fed cheaper fish - and they aren’t happy 日本水族館的企鵝被餵食較便宜的魚—牠們不開心 An aquarium employee waves a mackerel near a penguin - but there’s no reaction. When she moves the fish closer to its beak, the penguin turns away haughtily. An otter sniffs the fish, then runs away. 一名水族館員工拿著鯖魚在一隻企鵝身邊揮舞,但是企鵝沒反應。當她把魚靠近企鵝嘴邊,這隻企鵝倨傲地別過頭。一隻水獺聞了聞這隻鯖魚,然後游走。 Before, the Hakone-en Aquarium offered penguins and otters "aji," or Japanese horse mackerel, which the animals readily ate. 箱根園水族館之前給企鵝和水獺吃日本竹筴魚,牠們很樂意吃。 The price of aji has increased by 20% to 30% since last year, the aquarium said. So to cut costs, in May the aquarium switched to a cheaper alternative - "saba," or mackerel. 水族館說,自去年以來,竹夾魚價格已經上漲20%到30%。因此,為了削減成本,館方五月改用較便宜的替代品:鯖魚。 It has not been well received. The aquarium says penguins and otters have their preferred type of fish and the aquarium tries its best to accommodate their needs. 但是此舉並不很受到歡迎。水族館說,企鵝和水獺都有牠們偏好的魚種,館方設法盡量滿足他們的需要。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1530996 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1532193

Ep 1900精選詞彙播客 Vocab Ep.132: 對雙胞胎的好奇心 Why do we have twins?
Summary: We have been fascinated by celebrity twins of different generations. Twinz, By2, the Olsen twins just to name a few. In this episode, Angel and I talk about the twin celebrities that we grew up with and the types of twins out there. Comment down below if you have identical or non-identical twin friends! Vocabulary: Girl band 女孩音樂團體 One of the famous twin girl bands in Asia is By2. 在亞洲出名的其中之一雙胞胎團體是By2。 Identical twin 同卵雙胞胎 Identical twins usually look alike and are of the same sex. 同卵雙胞胎通常長得很像並且是同一個性別。 In-vitro fertilization (IVF) n. 人工受孕 IVF is a common procedure for couples facing fertility issues. 當家庭面對生育問題時IVF是現下普遍的治療方式。 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]

Ep 1897每日英語跟讀 Ep.K418: 大型科技業者為何要砸錢爭直播運動賽事
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K418: Why Big Tech Is Making a Big Play for Live Sports More than a decade after Apple disrupted the music industry and Amazon upended retail, the tech heavyweights have set their sights on a new arena ripe for change: live sports. 在蘋果擾亂音樂產業和亞馬遜顛覆零售業十多年後,這兩大重量級科技公司眼光投向一個成熟到可以改變的新領域:體育賽事直播。 Emboldened by their deep pockets and eager to boost viewership of their streaming-subscription services, Apple and Amazon have thrust themselves into negotiations for media rights held by the NFL, MLB, Formula One racing and college conferences. 蘋果和亞馬遜自恃財力雄厚,且渴望增加自家串流訂閱服務觀眾,於是全力投入談判,向職業美式足球聯盟(NFL)、美國職棒大聯盟、一級方程式賽車和大專院校體育聯盟爭取轉播權。 They are competing to replace DirecTV for the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket, a package the league wants to sell for more than $2.5 billion annually, about $1 billion more than it currently costs, according to five people familiar with the process. Eager not to miss out, Google has also offered a bid from YouTube for the rights beginning in 2023, two people familiar with the offer said. 根據五名知情人士說法,這兩家公司爭的是取代美國AT&T旗下串流平台DirecTV,取得「NFL周日賽」套餐的轉播權,NFL希望這個套餐每年能賣到超過25億美元,比目前售價貴10億美元左右。兩名消息人士透露,Google不想錯過,也以旗下串流媒體YouTube名義競標2023年起的賽季轉播權。 The NFL Sunday Ticket package — which shows out-of-market Sunday NFL games that aren’t being shown on local television — is available because DirecTV chose not to bid. It has been losing as much as $500 million annually on the package, though it has also benefited from a reliable base of about 2 million subscribers. NFL周日賽套餐,播放的是觀眾居住地電視台無法放映的NFL周日賽事。這個套餐能供人爭取,是因為DirecTV選擇不再競標。DirecTV每年因為這個套餐損失多達5億美元,即使能從大約200萬名可靠訂戶獲利。 Apple is considered the front-runner, according to a dozen people in the sports, media and tech industries. But a final deal has been delayed by negotiations over a concurrent sale of NFL media assets, including the NFL Network, RedZone channel and NFL+, a new subscription service that provides access to live games on mobile devices. 根據體育、媒體與科技業12名消息人士說法,蘋果被認為取得領先。不過,最終協議因為NFL同時出售媒體資產的談判而延後,媒體資產包括NFL電視網、紅區體育頻道和在行動裝置上直播賽事的新訂閱服務NFL+。 Apple has made winning the package a priority. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, has met with league officials and influential team owners, according to three people familiar with the process. Apple declined to comment. 蘋果把贏得套餐視為優先要務。根據三名知情人士說法,蘋果執行長庫克已跟NFL高層和具影響力的球隊老闆見過面。蘋果拒絕對此置評。 Still, Amazon, ESPN+ and YouTube, which explored a bid for the rights in 2014, remain in the hunt, some of these people said. Brian Rolapp, the NFL’s chief media and business officer, said in a statement that the league expects to finalize a deal in the coming months. 不過,部分知情人士說,亞馬遜、迪士尼旗下體育串流平台ESPN+和曾在2014年企圖買下NFL周日賽事轉播權的YouTube仍在爭取。NFL媒體與業務長羅拉普發表聲明說,NFL預計在未來數月內敲定協議。 Fans will still be able to access all the games on Sundays, regardless of who wins the rights, but they will probably pay a premium to add the service to their Apple, Amazon, ESPN+ or YouTube service, some of the dozen people said. It is not yet clear if that premium would be more or less than the $294 that DirecTV charges for a year, they added. 這12人中有幾人說,不論是誰贏得轉播權,觀眾都能看到周日所有比賽,但可能要加價,才能把這個服務加到自己的蘋果、亞馬遜、ESPN+或YouTube平台。他們說,還不清楚加價部分會比DirecTV年費294美元高或低。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6516297

Ep 1896每日英語跟讀 Ep.K417: 芭比娃娃母公司開壓箱寶重振品牌
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K417: Mattel Opens Its Vault to Revitalize Dormant Brands Barbie is about to reunite with some old friends. Mattel, the maker of the popular fashion doll, is dusting off three dormant lines that have not been on toy shelves in decades: Major Matt Mason, Big Jim and Pulsar. 芭比娃娃即將跟一些老朋友團聚了。廣受歡迎的時尚玩偶製造商美泰兒,正重新推出三款沉寂已久、數十年未出現在玩具貨架上的系列:馬特.梅森少校、大吉姆及Pulsar。 The reappearance of three action heroes is part of a strategy hatched by Ynon Kreiz, Mattel’s chief executive, to capitalize on the company’s intellectual property by reviving old brands for new generations. 三個動作英雄重現,是美泰兒執行長克雷茲規劃策略的一部分。克雷茲希望利用公司的智慧財產權,為新世代重振老品牌。 Mattel will reintroduce the toy lines under an umbrella label called Back in Action this week at Comic-Con International, the pop-culture fan fest in San Diego. 美泰兒將在本周使用名為「重出江湖」的主題標籤,在聖地牙哥國際動漫節上重新推出這些玩具系列。 “This is our toe in the water,” said PJ Lewis, vice president of global marketing at Mattel. “Back in Action helps us maintain the validity of our IP and decide what’s next.” 美泰兒全球行銷副總裁劉易士說:「這是我們的嘗試。『重出江湖』幫我們保持智財權的有效性,然後再決定下一步。」 Kreiz’s strategy has helped Mattel turn around its sagging fortunes since he took over in 2018. The company reported a 19% jump in sales in 2021, to $5.5 billion, and despite supply-chain bottlenecks and the rising costs of raw materials, it has forecast growth of 8% to 10% this year. 克雷茲2018年接掌美泰兒以來,他的策略幫美泰兒扭轉每下愈況的命運。據該公司財報,2021年銷售額成長19%至55億美元。儘管供應鏈出現瓶頸,原物料成本不斷上漲,但該公司預測今年成長幅度將達8%至10%。 Part of the toymaker’s recent success derives from the expansion of legacy brands. Barbie will feature in a live-action movie starring Margot Robbie, one of a dozen films in the works for various Mattel brands, including a live-action Hot Wheels movie produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot production company and one for Masters of the Universe, in partnership with Netflix. Other brands headed to the big screen include Thomas the Tank Engine, Magic Eight Ball and Polly Pocket. 這家玩具製造商近來的成功,部分源於傳統品牌的擴張。芭比娃娃將成為真人電影主角,由瑪格羅比主演,這是美泰兒各個品牌正在製作的十多部電影之一,其中包括由J.J.亞伯拉罕的「壞機器人」製作公司製作的真人電影「風火輪」,以及跟Netflix合作的「太空超人:啟示錄」。其他被搬上大銀幕的品牌還包括湯瑪士小火車、神奇八號球以及口袋波莉。 But how will Mattel generate interest in brands that have been off toy shelves for decades? 但美泰兒如何讓人們對消失在玩具貨架上數十年的品牌產生興趣呢? Major Matt Mason, an astronaut action figure, was introduced in 1967 and saw success until children began to lose interest in space exploration. He resurfaced in pop culture in 2019 when Tom Hanks signed on to produce and star in a forthcoming movie about the spaceman. Big Jim arrived in 1971, followed by Pulsar in 1976, but they too have been out of the public eye for decades. 馬特.梅森少校是1967年推出的太空人可動玩偶,在孩子們開始對太空探索失去興趣前取得成功。他2019年於流行文化中再次亮相,當時湯姆漢克簽約製作並演出這部即將上映、關於這位太空人的電影。大吉姆在1971年問世,緊接著是1976年的Pulsar,但它們都已離開公眾視野數十年了。 Mattel’s strategy for reviving a dormant brand is to engage hard-core fans first, said Richard Dickson, the company’s president and chief operating officer. If they take to it, the next step is to come up with tie-in content and create a toy line for children. 美泰兒總裁兼營運長迪克森說,該公司重振沉寂品牌的策略是先吸引鐵桿粉絲。如果他們接受,下一步就是想出搭配內容,為孩子們創造一個玩具系列。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6498720

Ep 1895回顧星期天LBS - 南韓相關時事趣聞 All about South Korea
Topic: Chip shortage hitting Korean carmakers The continued automotive semiconductor shortage is hitting Korean carmakers, with General Motors Korea announcing plans to halve its vehicle production at its plant here. 隨著「韓國通用汽車」宣布旗下車廠減半其汽車產量的計畫,車用半導體持續短缺,正衝擊南韓車商。 GMK said Thursday it decided to halve production at its Bupyeong 2 plant for February. The plant has a daily production capacity of 480 vehicles ― the cut will lead it to monthly production of around 5,000. 韓國通用汽車週四決定其(仁川)「富平2廠」的產量減半。該廠每日產能480輛─此一減產將致使其每月產量為約5000輛。 Analysts say it is tough to say exactly how long the automotive chip shortage could last, while UBS investment bank said it was expecting the supply-demand mismatch will improve sometime in the third quarter. 分析師說,很難講車用晶片荒究竟可能會延續多久。瑞銀投資銀行則表示,其預計供需失衡的情況將在第三季某個時刻得到改善。 Next Article Biden’s focus on rebuilding allies to impact Korea-US relations 拜登聚焦重建與盟邦關係 將影響韓美關係 President Joe Biden’s attention to "repairing alliances" has raised hopes that things between South Korea and U.S. will be different under the new U.S. leader. (美國)總統拜登關注「修補同盟」,已提高韓美間的情況將在這位美國新領袖下有所不同的希望。 "This will involve reaching an agreement on Special Measures Agreement negotiations fairly quickly, taking South Korea’s views on North Korea into consideration even if Seoul’s and Washington’s positions are different, cooperation in multilateral issues such as climate change or trade, and trying to get the Moon Jae-in government on board his administration’s position on China," Ramon Pacheco Pardo, who serves as associate professor of international relations at King’s College London. 倫敦國王學院國際關係副教授拉蒙‧巴奇可‧帕爾多說,「這將包括很快會就(分攤駐韓美軍經費的)『特別措施協定』達成協議。即使首爾與華府的立場不同,仍將南韓對北韓的看法納入考量。在氣候變遷或貿易之類的多邊議題上合作。還有試著使(南韓總統)文在寅政府加入拜登政府對中國的立場」。 "I would also expect Biden to support South Korea becoming part of an expanded G7 or similar forum, and supporting a more vocal Seoul in international relations," added Pardo. 帕爾多還說,「我也預料拜登將支持南韓躋身一個擴大的『七大工業國』或類似論壇的成員,並支持一個在國際關係上更勇於發聲的首爾」。 Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1430611 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1422097 Next Article Topic: Internet Explorer gravestone goes viral in South Korea For Jung Ki-young, a South Korean software engineer, Microsoft Corp’s decision to retire its Internet Explorer web browser marked the end of a quarter-century love-hate relationship with the technology. 對南韓軟體工程師鄭其永(譯音)來說,微軟公司讓它的「網際網路探險家(IE)」網路瀏覽器退休的決定,代表著與這項科技愛恨交織四分之一個世紀的關係的結束。 To commemorate its demise, he spent a month and 430,000 won designing and ordering a headstone with Explorer’s "e" logo and the English epitaph: "He was a good tool to download other browsers." 為了紀念IE的隕落,他花了一個月和43萬韓元設計並訂製一個墓碑,上面有IE的「e」的商標,以及英文的墓誌銘:「他是個用來下載其他瀏覽器的好工具」。 After the memorial went on show at a cafe run by his brother in the southern city of Gyeongju, a photo of the tombstone went viral. 這個紀念碑在南方城市慶州由他的兄弟所經營的一家咖啡館展出後,墓碑的照片在網路上爆紅。 Jung said the memorial showed his mixed feelings for the older software, which had played such a big part in his working life. 鄭其永說,這個紀念碑顯示出他對這款在他的工作生活中發揮了重大作用的古老軟體的複雜感情。 "It was a pain in the ass, but I would call it a love-hate relationship because Explorer itself once dominated an era," he told Reuters. 他告訴路透:「它是個令人厭煩的東西,但我會稱之為愛恨交織的關係,因為探險家一度主導一個時代」。 Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1528843 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/595260 Next Article Topic: South Korean toilet turns excrement into power and digital currency Cho Jae-weon, an urban and environmental engineering professor at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST), has designed an eco-friendly toilet connected to a laboratory that uses excrement to produce biogas and manure. 南韓國立蔚山科學技術研究院的都市和環境工程教授趙宰元(譯音),設計出一種環境友善的馬桶,可透過與一間實驗室連線,將糞便製造成生物沼氣和肥料。 The BeeVi toilet - a portmanteau of the words bee and vision - uses a vacuum pump to send faeces into an underground tank, reducing water use. There, microorganisms break down the waste to methane, which becomes a source of energy for the building, powering a gas stove, hot-water boiler and solid oxide fuel cell. 這個馬桶名為BeeVi,為蜜蜂和視野的英文字詞的混成詞。它用真空幫浦將排泄物送至地下儲存槽,以減少用水。槽內的微生物將排泄物分解成沼氣,進而為大樓提供電力,點燃瓦斯爐、熱水器,以及做為固態氧化物燃料電池的燃料。 An average person defecates about 500g a day, which can be converted to 50 litres of methane gas. This gas can generate 0.5kWh of electricity or be used to drive a car for about 1.2km. 每人每天平均排便500公克,可轉換成50升沼氣,進而產生0.5千瓦時的電力,使汽車行進約1.2公里。 Next Article Why Koreans could soon become a year younger 為什麼韓國人可能即將年輕1歲 "How old are you"? It’s a simple question with a clear answer. But for those in South Korea, answering this question is anything but straightforward. 「你幾歲?」這是答案很清楚的簡單問題,但是對南韓人來說,回答這個問題一點也不簡單。 In South Korea, when a baby is born they are considered a year old. Come New Year’s Day, they gain another year. This means a baby born in December would be considered to be two years old in just a few weeks. 在南韓,寶寶一出生就被認為已經1歲。到了新年,他們又多了1歲。這意味著,12月出生的寶寶,僅僅幾週就會被認為已經2歲大。 But this "Korean age" met

Ep 189415Mins Live Podcast - 2022高雄熱氣球節與文章隨堂考 KH Balloon Festival and quiz
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: 跟讀挑戰 – 2022高雄熱氣球節與文章隨堂考 KH Balloon Festival and quiz 摘取文章: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4615508 The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau will be running tethered hot air balloon rides in September in the 2022 Kaohsiung Balloon Festival, while tickets will go on sale from 5 p.m. on Friday (Aug. 5), the bureau announced Wednesday (Aug. 3). There will be 23 sessions of tethered hot air balloon rides at Moon World in Tienliao District and 10 sessions at the Love River in the downtown area, the bureau said. Under fair weather conditions, the entire event can provide rides for 5,000 people. According to the bureau, the morning session will run approximately from 6-8 a.m., and the afternoon session will take place approximately from 4-6 p.m. as exact times will vary slightly, depending on the weather conditions as well as the sunrise and sunset times each day. Tickets can be purchased via the ibon ticketing system at 7-Eleven convenience stores across the country or other online ticketing systems from 5 p.m. on Friday. Tickets can also be purchased on-site during the activity period. A ticket sells for NT$500 (US$16.50). 隨堂考Quiz What does “tethered” mean How many sessions of hot air balloon rides are available in Kaohsiung? What kind of weather conditions are “fair weather”? Where can you get the tickets and how much are they?

Ep 1892每日英語跟讀 Ep.K416: About Spain - 西班牙免費提供火車旅行與訓馬諮詢
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K416: About Spain - Spain to make some train journeys free from September Public transport prices on state-owned service across Spain have already been slashed in half in response to rapidly rising energy and inflation rates. Now the government has announced further 100% discounts. 為因應能源價格和通膨率飆升,西班牙各地的國營公共運輸價格已經下調一半,如今近西班牙政府更宣布新的100%減價方案。 As of September, passengers will be able to travel across various trains operated by public train network Renfe for absolutely nothing. 今年9月起,乘客將可完全免費乘坐由西班牙國家鐵路公司(Renfe)營運的多種列車。 Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced that multi-journey tickets for trains operated by the network’s public services Cercanías, Rodalies and Media Distance (equivalent to local and medium-distance journeys) are to be free of charge from September 1 up until the end of the year. 西班牙總理桑切斯宣布,從9月1日到今年年底,西班牙國家鐵路公司將免費提供Cercanías、Rodalies和Media Distance營運的火車聯程車票(相當於本地與中距離旅程)。 The measure excludes single-journey tickets, or long-distance travels, according to public broadcaster TVE. Multi-journey tickets include a minimum of 10 return trips. 西班牙國家電視台報導,聯程票包含至少10次往返旅程,但排除單程票和長途票。 Next Article Spain horse whisperer’s animals mirror stress sufferers’ state of mind 西班牙馴馬師的動物反映了壓力患者的心理狀態 In the Guadalix mountains outside Madrid, Argentine horse whisperer Fernando Noailles uses his animals to help people suffering from stress and anxiety. 在馬德里外圍的瓜達利斯山裡,阿根廷馴馬師費爾南多.諾瓦耶斯出動他的動物,來幫助蒙受壓力與焦慮的民眾。 The 57-year-old, who spent many years in the Patagonian wilderness living with horses, uses the animals as a way for patients to interpret and control their emotions. 這位曾在巴塔哥尼亞原野與馬兒生活多年的57歲男子,用這些動物做為病人解讀與控制自身情緒的一種方法。 People who come to his sessions spend time with the horses and learn through the movement of the animal what mental state they themselves are in, says Noailles, who charges up to 120 euros per session. 每堂課收費高達120歐元的諾瓦耶斯說,來到他課堂的民眾和馬兒共度時光,並透過馬兒的動作,來認識自身當下的心理狀態。 "The horse is a mirror," he says. "They are gregarious creatures, born to live in herds." 他說,「馬是面鏡子。」「牠們是群居動物,天生活在馬群裡。」 The therapy consists in monitoring how the horse responds to the client’s moods. From watching the horse’s reaction, the client learns how to identify and control emotions, he says. 這種療法在於監測馬兒如何呼應客戶心情。他說,從觀察馬的反應,客戶學會如何辨識和控制情緒。 "People in the first session, when they are in a difficult state of mind, see a horse that doesn’t stop, that moves, that even gallops. The horse is showing you a mind that doesn’t stop, that is tormented," he says. 他說:「處於困難心理狀態之中時,民眾上第一堂課,看著一匹動不停、甚至狂奔的馬兒。這匹馬對你顯示了一顆受到折磨的不停歇的心。」Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1530547 ; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/1205649

Ep 1891每日英語跟讀 Ep.K415: About Munich - 啤酒換葵花籽油與海軍司令對普廷評論
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K415: About Munich - Beer for sunflower oil? Munich pub finds way to beat frying crunch A Munich brewpub has found a novel way to beat Europe’s cooking oil shortages - letting customers pay for their beer with sunflower oil to ensure plentiful stocks for frying schnitzels. 慕尼黑一家啤酒館找出一種創新的方法來擊退歐洲的食用油短缺問題 - 讓顧客用葵花籽油來支付他們的啤酒,藉此確保炸肉排的油有充足的庫存。 With Ukraine and Russia accounting for about 80% of global exports of sunflower seed oil, many European countries including Germany have seen supplies dwindle since Russia invaded its neighbour in February. 烏克蘭和俄羅斯的葵花籽油出口量佔全球約80%,自2月俄羅斯入侵這個鄰國以來,包括德國在內的許多歐洲國家都出現葵花籽油供應不足的現象。 Managers at the Giesinger Brewery, a brewhouse and pub in the southern city of Munich, think they may have the answer, offering beer lovers a litre of their favourite brew for the same quantity of sunflower oil. 在南方城市慕尼黑的這家啤酒廠兼酒館「吉辛格啤酒廠」的經理人,認為他們可能有了解答,提供啤酒愛好者一公升他們最愛的啤酒,來換取同樣數量的葵花籽油。 "The whole thing came up because we simply ran out of oil in the kitchen and that’s why we have to be inventive," the pub manager, Erik Hoffmann, told Reuters TV. 酒館經理艾瑞克.霍夫曼告訴路透電視,「這整件事情會發生,純粹是因為我們廚房的油用完了,那就是為什麼我們必須要別出心裁」。 While a litre of beer costs about 7 euros in German pubs, a one-litre bottle of sunflower oil retails for about 4.5 euros - making the offer tempting for many customers. 一公升的啤酒在德國酒館要價約7歐元,而一公升瓶裝的葵花籽油零售價則約為4.5歐元,因此這個提案對許多顧客充滿誘惑力。 Next Article German government distances itself from navy chief’s comments on Putin 德國政府撇清與海軍司令對普廷評論的關係 The German government distanced itself from comments made by its navy chief after video footage emerged in which the vice-admiral said Russian President Vladimir Putin deserved respect and that Kyiv would never win back annexed Crimea from Moscow. 德國政府在海軍司令談話影片曝光後撇清關係;影片中這名中將說,俄羅斯總統普廷值得受到尊重,基輔將永遠無法從莫斯科手中奪回被兼併的克里米亞。 German Navy Chief Kay-Achim Schoenbach apologized for his "rash" comments, published on YouTube and widely circulated on German media, and called them a mistake. 德國海軍司令凱—阿希姆‧薛恩巴赫為他的「輕率」談話道歉,聲稱那些評論是個錯誤。這些談話在YouTube上被公開,並且在德國媒體廣為流傳。 In the video, Schoenbach, speaking in English, says Putin seeks to be treated at eye level by the West. "What he (Putin) really wants is respect," Schoenbach says. 在那段影片中,以英語發言的薛恩巴赫說,普廷尋求被西方平等對待。「他(普廷)真正想要的是尊重」,薛恩巴赫說。

Ep 1893精選詞彙播客 Vocab Ep.131: 中元節期間13大禁忌 Taboos in the Ghost month
Summary: Every summer season, there's a special festival that people celebrate in Taiwan. Although called the "Ghost month", it is actually a day that people pay tribute to those before them. In this episode, Angel and I talk about the taboos of the Ghost month. Comment down below what your family traditions are for the Ghost Festival! Vocabulary: Taboo n. 禁忌 There are many taboos to watch out for during the Ghost month. 在鬼月有需多禁忌需要注意的。 Pay tribute to 向...致敬 Chinese cultures pay tribute to elders, ancestors, and those before them through festivals. 中華文化是透過節慶來向長輩,祖先與先人致敬。 Offering n. 供品 The best offering are the food and snacks that you would want to have. 最好的供品就是自己想吃的。 更多Vocab Podcast節目: https://www.15mins.today/vocab 歡迎主題投稿/意見回覆 : [email protected] 商業合作/贊助來信:[email protected]

Ep 1890每日英語跟讀 Ep.K414: 氣候變化如何使熱浪、野火席捲歐洲
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K414: How climate change drives heatwaves and wildfires in Europe Europe is in the grip of a record-breaking heatwave and wildfires are raging across the Mediterranean. Here’s how climate change drives these events. HOTTER, MORE FREQUENT HEATWAVES Climate change makes heatwaves hotter and more frequent. This is the case for most land regions, and has been confirmed by the UN’s global panel of climate scientists (IPCC). Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities have heated the planet by about 1.2°C since pre-industrial times. That warmer baseline means higher temperatures can be reached during extreme heat events. But other conditions affect heatwaves too. In Europe, atmospheric circulation is an important factor. FINGERPRINTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE To find out exactly how much climate change affected a specific heatwave, scientists conduct “attribution studies”. Since 2004, more than 400 such studies have been done for extreme weather events, including heat, floods and drought — calculating how much of a role climate change played in each. This involves simulating the modern climate hundreds of times and comparing it to simulations of a climate without human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. For example, scientists with World Weather Attribution determined that a record-breaking heatwave in western Europe in June 2019 was 100 times more likely to occur now in France and the Netherlands than if humans had not changed the climate. HEATWAVES WILL STILL GET WORSE The global average temperature is around 1.2°C warmer than in pre-industrial times. That is already driving extreme heat events. Temperatures will only cease rising if humans stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Until then, heatwaves are set to worsen. A failure to tackle climate change would see heat extremes escalate even more dangerously. Countries agreed under the global 2015 Paris Agreement to cut emissions fast enough to limit global warming to 2°C and aim for 1.5°C, to avoid its most dangerous impacts. Current policies would not cut emissions fast enough to meet either goal. CLIMATE CHANGE DRIVES WILDFIRES Climate change increases hot and dry conditions that help fires spread faster, burn longer and rage more intensely. Hotter weather also saps moisture from vegetation, turning it into dry fuel that helps fires to spread. CLIMATE CHANGE ISN’T THE ONLY FACTOR IN FIRES Forest management and ignition sources are also important factors. In Europe, more than nine out of 10 fires are ignited by human activities, like arson, disposable barbeques, electricity lines, or littered glass, according to EU data. Countries, including Spain, face the challenge of shrinking populations in rural areas, as people move to cities, leaving smaller workforces to clear vegetation and avoid “fuel” for forest fires building up. Some actions can help to limit severe blazes, such as setting controlled fires that mimic the low-intensity fires in natural ecosystem cycles, or introducing gaps within forests to stop blazes rapidly spreading over large areas. But scientists concur that without steep cuts to the greenhouse gases causing climate change, heatwaves, wildfires, flooding and drought will significantly worsen. 歐洲正受破紀錄熱浪的侵襲,地中海地區野火肆虐。氣候變化如何造成這些事件,說明如下。 更熱、更頻繁的熱浪 氣候變化使熱浪變得更熱、更頻繁。大部分陸地區皆然,此業經聯合國政府間氣候變化專門委員會(IPCC)證實。 人類活動所排放的溫室氣體,使地球溫度較前工業時期升高了約攝氏一點二度。較暖的基線表示極端高溫事件所達到的溫度可以更高。 但其他條件也會影響熱浪。在歐洲,大氣環流是個重要因素。 氣候變化的指紋 為準確了解氣候變化對一個熱浪的影響程度,科學家進行了「歸因研究」。自二○○四年以來,已有逾四百項針對高溫、洪水及乾旱等極端天氣事件的此類研究──計算氣候變化在各事件中之作用。 其研究方式為模擬現代氣候數百次,並將之與無人為溫室氣體排放的模擬氣候進行比較。 例如,科學家及世界氣候歸因組織確定,二○一九年六月西歐破紀錄的熱浪,現今在法國及荷蘭發生的可能性較人類未改變氣候時高一百倍。 熱浪仍將加劇 全球平均氣溫比前工業化時期高攝氏一點二度左右。這已在造成極端高溫事件。 只有人類停止在大氣中增加溫室氣體,溫度才會停止上升,否則熱浪勢必將惡化。若無法抑止氣候變化,極端高溫將會升高到更危險的地步。 根據二○一五年全球《巴黎協定》,各國同意以足夠快的速度減少排放,以將全球暖化限制在 2°C,並以 1.5°C 為目標,以避免其衝擊達到最危險的地步。目前的政策減少排放的速度不夠快,這兩個目標都無法達到。 氣候變化造成野火 氣候變化讓炎熱及乾燥加劇,這樣的條件助長了火勢,讓其蔓延速度更快、燃燒時間更長、肆虐得更猛烈。 更熱的天氣也會吸乾植被中的水分,把它變成助長火勢蔓延的乾燥燃料。 氣候變化並非火災之唯一因素 森林管理和火源也是重要因素。根據歐盟資料,在歐洲,十分之九的火災是人類活動所引發,例如縱火、拋棄式烤肉架、電線或亂丟的玻璃。 包括西班牙在內的國家面臨農村人口減少的挑戰,因為住民移居城市,讓勞動力變少,不足以清理植被,避免其成為森林大火的「燃料」。 一些行動對抑制嚴重的火災有所幫助,例如進行計畫火災,模仿自然生態系統循環中的低強度火災,或是在森林中導入空隙,以防止火災迅速蔓延至大區域。 但科學家一致認為,若不大幅減少導致氣候變化的溫室氣體,熱浪、野火、洪水及乾旱將會大幅惡化。

Ep 1889每日英語跟讀 Ep.K413: 英國首相強生從壓倒性大勝到政權內爆
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K413: The Delightful Implosion of Boris Johnson There isn’t much good news in the world these days, so it’s worth taking time to appreciate the delightful implosion of soon-to-be former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. 最近世界上沒有多少好消息,所以即將成為英國前首相的強生政權令人愉悅的內爆,值得花時間欣賞一下。 His 2019 landslide victory against the hapless Jeremy Corbyn of the Labour Party seemed to be ushering in a long period of right-wing dominance. Johnson, said The Economist, “is well placed to become one of the most powerful prime ministers in modern times.” Less than three years later, undone by scandal, incompetence and the rebellion of his own party, he’s announced plans to step aside once a new conservative leader can be found. 強生2019年壓倒性大勝時運不濟的工黨黨魁柯賓,似開啟一段長期由右翼主導的時期。經濟學人雜誌說,強生「有優越條件可成為現代權力最大的首相之一」。不到三年,被醜聞、無能和黨內叛變摧毀的他,宣布只要保守黨選出新黨魁就下台。 Johnson, a nationalist demagogue and mendacious blowhard, has often been compared to Donald Trump, right down to the poufy yellow hair. Their political careers have certain parallels. 強生是個民族主義煽動家和撒謊的吹牛專家,常被拿來與美國前總統川普相提並論,包括那蓬鬆的金髮。他們的政治生涯有些相似。 The shocking success of the Brexit referendum, the cause Johnson eventually rode to power, presaged Trump’s even more shocking presidential victory. Both shared a contempt for truth and the norms of their respective governments. 英國脫歐公投令人震驚的成功,是強生最終躍居權力頂峰的原因,也預示川普更教人驚駭的總統大選勝利。兩人都藐視真相和他們各自政府的規範。 But, of course, Britain and the United States are very different countries. British people are still evidently capable of being shocked by officials’ sexual harassment and shameless untruths, even when those officials are on their side. Their country is not heavily armed and does not have a powerful faction that regularly threatens violence. Britain still appears to have some minimal social agreement about acceptable political behavior. 不過,英美兩國當然非常不同。英國人顯然還會因為官員性騷擾和無恥謊言而震驚,即便那些官員屬於他們支持的政黨。他們的國家並未全副武裝,也沒有一個經常威脅動用暴力的有力派系。英國對於可以接受的政治行為,似乎仍有某種最低限度的社會共識。 That was partly because Britain’s lockdown was much stricter than ours and applied to the whole country; unlike Trump’s partying in 2020, Johnson’s violated rules his government was imposing on others. Still, to be really furious at hypocrisy, you have to have some expectation that people in power will follow the rules. And to be shamed by the revelation of hypocrisy, as the Tories seemed to be, you have to accept that the standards applied to others also apply to you. 那種情況部分是因為英國的防疫封鎖比我們美國嚴格很多,而且適用於全國;不像川普2020年的狂歡派對,強生的派對違反他的政府施加於別人的規則。不過,要對虛偽由衷憤怒,你得抱持某種期待,冀望掌權者遵守規則。要對虛偽情事被揭發感到丟臉,就像保守黨員看來那樣,你得相信適用於別人的標準同樣適用於你。 Johnson’s career is ending, at least for now, the way Trump’s should have ended — with public revulsion leading his own party to oust him. Like Trump, Johnson initially wanted to cling to power when it was no longer feasible; unlike with Trump, there was never a prospect of him summoning an armed mob. Watching Johnson’s fall after living through Trump is like chasing a slasher film with a cozy mystery. Both may be murder stories, but only one has a reassuring order to it. 強生的政治生涯結束了,至少目前如此,因大眾的厭惡引發他自己的黨推翻他。川普的政治生涯也該這樣結束。跟川普一樣,強生大勢已去時一開始也曾想緊抓權力;不像川普的是,強生完全沒機會召集武裝暴民。經歷過整個川普時期再來看強生下台,就像看一部帶有安逸推理小說味道的血腥恐怖片。兩者可能都是謀殺劇,但只有一個有令人寬慰的秩序。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6481604

Ep 1888回顧星期天LBS - 澳洲相關時事趣聞 All about Australia
Topic: World’s biggest plant discovered off Australian coast The largest known plant on Earth - a seagrass roughly three times the size of Manhattan - has been discovered off the coast of Australia. 地球上已知的最大植物-大約是曼哈頓面積3倍大的一種海草-已在澳洲海岸外被發現。 Using genetic testing, scientists have determined a large underwater meadow in Western Australia is in fact one plant. 使用基因測定,科學家已判定在西澳洲的一片大型水下草甸其實是一棵植物。 It is believed to have spread from a single seed over at least 4,500 years. The seagrass covers about 200 sq km , researchers from the University of Western Australia said. 據信這片草甸從一顆種子擴散而成,歷時至少4500年。西澳洲大學的研究人員說,這棵海草覆蓋的面積約200平方公里。 The team stumbled upon the discovery by accident at Shark Bay, about 800km north of Perth. They had set out to understand the genetic diversity of the species - also known as ribbon weed - which is commonly found along parts of Australia’s coast. 研究團隊在伯斯北方約800公里的鯊魚灣意外找到這發現。他們先是著手了解這些常在澳洲部份海岸被發現的物種-也被稱為絲帶海草-的基因多樣性。 Researchers collected shoots from across the bay and examined 18,000 genetic markers to create a "fingerprint" from each sample. They had aimed to discover how many plants made up the meadow. 研究人員從整個鯊魚灣蒐集幼芽,並且檢視了1萬8000個基因標記來為每個樣本製造「指紋」。他們原本目標是要找出有多少棵植物構成這片草甸。 "The answer blew us away - there was just one!" said Jane Edgeloe, the study’s lead author. 該研究主要作者珍.艾吉羅說:「這個答案讓我們大吃一驚,居然只有一棵!」 Next Article Topic: Not a square to spare: Australian shops ration toilet paper amid coronavirus panic 一張都不分:澳洲商店在冠狀病毒恐慌中限購衛生紙 Australia’s major grocers put strict limits on purchases of toilet paper on Wednesday, after shoppers stripped shelves in a rush of panic buying spurred by fears over a coronavirus. 在購物者因冠狀病毒掀起的恐慌而倉皇大肆搶購,將貨架上商品一掃而空後,澳洲大型零售商店週三對購買衛生紙祭出嚴格限制。 The demand for toilet paper, in particular, has sparked the trending hashtags #toiletpapergate and #toiletpapercrisis on Twitter, along with photographs of overloaded shopping trolleys, and calls for calm from baffled officials. 尤其,對衛生紙的需求已經在「推特」掀起「衛生紙門」和「衛生紙危機」熱門話題標籤,以及一張張堆到爆滿的購物車照片,和對此難以理解的官員喊話呼籲冷靜。 The biggest grocery chain, Woolworths Group Ltd, limited sales to four packs a shopper, to keep up stock levels while suppliers ramp up production. 在供應商加速生產的同時,最大連鎖零售商Woolworths集團為了維持存貨量,限制每人最多購買4袋。 Shoppers have swooped on other products also. Costco has put limits on purchases of milk, eggs, rice, disinfectants and soap. 購物者也搶購其他商品。好市多限制牛奶、雞蛋、米、消毒殺菌品和肥皂的購買量。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1523717 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1361291?fbclid=IwAR3kVmMFa5gdommS4R4Ftm8HzoQ7DeQzQ5yjoI0jTvkQDeAtMfTFjDfgQCI Next Article Topic: Australian prison to be evacuated after mice move in A plague of mice that has ravaged vast swathes of eastern Australia has forced the evacuation of a prison while authorities repair gnawed electrical wiring and clear dead and decaying mice from walls and ceilings. 一場蹂躪澳洲東部廣泛地區的鼠疫,已迫使一間監獄全員撤離,好讓當局修復被啃咬的電線,以及清除牆壁和天花板裡死亡發臭的老鼠。 Around 200 staff and 420 inmates will be transferred from the Wellington Correctional Center in rural New South Wales state to other prisons in the region. 新南威爾斯州鄉下的威靈頓矯正所,將撤離約200名職員和420名受刑人到區內其他監獄。 Millions of mice have caused havoc in the grain-growing region of Australia’s most populous state for months, devouring crops and haystacks as well as invading homes, businesses, schools, hospitals and prisons. 數月來,上百萬隻老鼠在澳洲人口最稠密的穀物栽植地區大肆破壞,吃光作物和乾草,還入侵住家、商店、學校、醫院和監獄。 The most common complaint about the plague is an ever-present stench of mice urine and decaying flesh. People report being bitten by mice in bed. Mouse carcasses and excrement in roof guttering are polluting farmers’ water tanks and causing sickness. 對鼠疫最常見的抱怨,是前所未聞的老鼠尿液和腐敗屍體的惡臭。有人通報躺在床上時被老鼠咬。屋頂排水系統內的鼠屍和鼠便,也污染農夫的儲水槽,並帶來疾病。 Next Article Australian ute whizzes across seven lanes of traffic unscathed澳洲休旅車呼嘯穿越七車道而毫髮無傷 Australian police captured dramatic footage of a white truck speeding unscathed across seven lanes of traffic in a once-in-a-lifetime incident. 在一起難得一見的事件中,澳洲警方拍攝到一輛白色卡車加速橫越七車道卻毫髮無傷的戲劇性影片。 Though a mere five seconds, the riveting video shows a Toyota Hilux truck in Australia’s Northern Territories drive over a sandy median, narrowly avoid a collision with another car in three lanes of moving vehicles, thread through two lanes of stationary cars, bounce across two empty lanes and then hurtle toward a line of storefronts. 雖然僅有五秒,這段精彩影片顯示,澳洲北領地的一輛豐田Hilux卡車駛過一個沙地分隔島,在三個車輛行駛中的車道上差點就撞上另一輛車,接著越過兩線車輛靜止的車道,再彈越過兩個空車車道,衝向一排店面。 The driver of the utility vehicle, or ute as the vehicle is commonly known in Australia, was heading towards the city of Darwin when she allegedly lost control, failed to negotiate a turn, and crashed into a business, according to the police in a post on social media. 根據警方在社群媒體上的貼文,這輛運動型休旅車(在澳洲常被稱為ute )的駕駛在駛向達爾文市時,據說她失控,過彎失敗,最後撞入一個店家。 "It is incredibly lucky no one else was injured in this incident," said Superintendent Daniel Shean of the Northern Territory Police, reminding people to always drive with due care and attention. 北領地警局警司丹尼爾.辛恩說,這起事故沒有其他人受傷真是不可思議,提醒人們開車應該要小心謹慎,注

Ep 188615Mins Live Podcast - 英語慣用語系列 – 夏天相關慣用語 Summer related Idioms
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 – 夏天相關慣用語 Summer related Idioms A fish out of water 不自在/難適應 Meaning: Someone who feels awkward or unhappy because they are not in their usual environment Example: Since he had no experience swimming in the ocean, he swam like a fish out of water. Ray of Sunshine 一縷陽光 Meaning: A happy person who makes the people around them feel happy too Example: Mary is a ray of sunshine who always makes people laugh. A drop in the ocean 杯水車薪 Meaning: An amount so small that it doesn’t really make a difference Example: For those who have lost their jobs during the pandemic, the NTD5,000 consumption vouchers are like a drop in the ocean. Make hay while the sun shines 打鐵趁熱 Meaning: To take advantage of a good situation while it lasts Example: We have two months of summer holiday, so let’s make hay while the sun shines and go travelling. Travel on a shoestring 少預算的旅行 Meaning: To travel on a tight budget Example: I’m planning a trip across Europe this summer, but due to budgets I’m having to travel on a shoe string. 練習時間: 請使用二到三個慣用語來分享自身夏天小故事 Use two to three idioms to share a story about your summer vacation.

Ep 1885每日英語跟讀 Ep.K412: About woman - 手指長度可能決定多強壯與危險自拍
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K412: About woman - A woman’s finger length may determine how strong they are, study says Researchers found that women who have an index finger that’s shorter than their ring finger could actually have more strength. 研究人員發現,食指比無名指短的女性力氣可能更大。 The Austrian study looked specifically at handgrip strength and people’s 2D:4D ratios. 奧地利這項研究特別分析手掌握力與人們第2和第4根手指長度的比率關係。 The 2D:4D ratio is the most studied digit ratio and is calculated by dividing the length of the index finger of a given hand by the length of the ring finger of the same hand. 2D:4D比值是最常被研究的數字比值之一,它的計算方法是將某隻手的食指長度除以同一隻手的無名指長度。 Published in Proceedings of the Royal Society, Biological Sciences, the experts found women with a lower 2D:4D ratio had higher strength grip than those with a higher ratio. 專家發現,2D:4D比例較低的女性往往力氣更大。研究結果發表在《英國皇家學會生物學分會學報》。 Next Article 女子站在船的圍欄上自拍 遭郵輪公司終身禁搭 Woman who stood on ship’s railing for selfie barred for life from cruise line A woman was removed from a cruise ship and banned for life by the cruise company after she climbed onto her room’s balcony railing to pose for a dangerous photo shoot over the ocean. 一名爬上郵輪客房陽台圍欄擺姿勢拍攝危險的海上照片的女子,被帶離郵輪與被船公司下令終身禁搭。 The incident happened on board the Royal Caribbean ship Allure of the Seas as it was approaching Labadee, Haiti. 此事發生在「皇家加勒比海」郵輪公司的「海洋魅麗號」上,當時該郵輪正接近海地的拉巴地。 The unnamed woman was spotted by a fellow passenger, Peter Blosic, who alerted the crew. 這位不知其名的女子(的危險動作),被同船乘客彼得.波斯洛奇發現,並且通報船上工作人員。 "While on my balcony, I saw the woman climb on her railing. It happened so quickly. Not knowing what her intentions were, I alerted the crew. If I said nothing, and she was going to jump, that would be horrible," he told CNN. 「我在我的陽台上看到這個女的爬上她的(客房陽台的)圍欄。事情發生得很快,我不知道她要幹嘛,就通報工作人員。要是我不作聲,然後她跳海,那就糟了,」他告訴美國有線電視新聞網(CNN)。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1494975 ; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/1438047

Ep 1884每日英語跟讀 Ep.K411: About Philippines - 沙龍老闆用頭髮創作肖像畫與反對離婚合法化
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K411: About Philippines - Filipino salon owner uses own hair to create portraits Every few months when Jesstoni Garcia takes electric clippers to his head, he’s not just giving himself a haircut, he’s also harvesting art materials. 每隔數月,當傑斯托尼‧賈西亞拿電剪推自己的頭時,不僅在為自己理髮,也在收集藝術材料。 Using a thin brush and clear, sticky resin, the co-owner of a Manila hair salon sprinkles these strands and clippings on a blank canvas, taking two to five hours to arrange them into striking images of musicians and actors. 這名馬尼拉一家美髮沙龍的共同老闆,用細刷子和透明、富黏性的樹脂,把剪下來的髮絲刷在空白的畫布上,再花2至5小時調整成惹人注目的音樂家和演員肖像。 The 32-year-old’s main job as a seaman involves spending up to eight months a year on cruise ships, and lacking adequate art supplies like paint and sketchpads at sea, Garcia in 2021 turned to using his own hair to create images. He started with self-portraits and eventually moved on to depicting celebrities. 32歲的賈西亞本職是航海員,一年有多達8個月在遊輪上,航海期間欠缺顏料和畫板等藝術材料,所以在2021年轉而用自己的頭髮創作肖像。他從自畫像著手,逐漸開始描繪名人。 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/1529737 ; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/971329

Ep 1887精選詞彙播客 Vocab Ep.130: 睡多還是睡少好? What is sleep to you?
Summary: Sleep means different things to different people. If you are not aware of your sleeping patterns, it may hinder your mental and physical health. In this episode, Angel and I talk about what sleep means to us and how we put ourselves to sleep. Vocabulary: Refreshed adj. 恢復了精力 Doctors recommend 8 hours of sleep to stay refreshed. 醫生推薦八小時睡眠來保持精力。 Binge (watch) v. 狂做的事/無節制的進行的事 People binge watch Netflix and lose a lot of sleep. 許多人都狂看網飛影集然後喪失了很多睡眠。 Chores n. 家事 I do most of my chores at night to rest my mind. 晚上是我做多數家事的時候,用來讓我大腦休息。 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]

Ep 1883每日英語跟讀 Ep.K410: 新冠Omicron變異株BA.5 恐帶來新一波疫情
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K410: What is the BA.5 variant and why does it seem to be reinfecting so many people with COVID-19? BA.5, part of the Omicron family, is the latest coronavirus variant to cause widespread waves of infection globally. BA.5是最新的冠狀病毒變種,屬Omicron的一支,可在全球廣泛引起一波波感染。 According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) most recent report, it was behind 52 percent of cases sequenced in late June, up from 37 percent in one week. In the US, it is estimated to be causing around 65 percent of infections. 根據世界衛生組織的最新報告,在六月下旬所定序的病例,有百分之五十二為BA.5,高於一週前的百分之三十七。據估計,美國百分之六十五的病例皆是感染BA.5。 RISING CASE NUMBERS 病例數上升 BA.5 is not new. First identified in January, it has been tracked by the WHO since April. It is a sister variant of the Omicron strain that has been dominant worldwide since the end of 2021, and has already caused spikes in case rates — even with reduced testing — in countries including South Africa, where it was first found, as well as the UK, parts of Europe, and Australia. Coronavirus cases worldwide have now been rising for four weeks in a row, WHO data showed. BA.5並非新病毒。它最早在一月被發現,自四月起世衛組織便開始追蹤它。它是Omicron病毒株的姊妹變種,Omicron自二○二一年底以來在各國都是主要病毒,且在南非(首次發現Omicron病例的國家)、英國、歐洲部分地區及澳洲等國家造成染疫人數飆升──即便篩檢人數有所減少。世衛組織的數據顯示,全球冠狀病毒病例數現已連續上升四週。 WHY IT IS SPREADING 病毒為何傳播 Like its closely related sibling, BA.4, BA.5 is particularly good at evading the immune protection afforded either by vaccination or prior infection. BA.5與相近的手足BA.4一樣,免疫逃脫能力特別強,無論是藉由疫苗接種或之前感染所得到的免疫力。 For this reason, “BA.5 has a growth advantage over the other sublineages of Omicron that are circulating,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19, told a news briefing on Tuesday last week. 由於此原因,「BA.5比正在流行的Omicron的其他亞型變種病毒更具傳播優勢」,世衛組織COVID-19技術主管瑪麗亞‧范科霍芙在上週二的記者會中表示。 For many people, this means that they are getting re-infected, often even a short time after having COVID-19. Van Kerkhove said the WHO is assessing reports of re-infections. 對許多人而言,這表示他們會再度染疫,甚至常是在感染COVID-19後很短的時間內。范科霍芙說,世衛正在評估有關重複染疫的報告。 “We have ample evidence that people who’ve been infected with Omicron are getting infected with BA.5. No question about it,” said Gregory Poland, a virologist and vaccine researcher with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. If that seems particularly common now, it could be simply because so many people got Omicron, researchers have suggested. 「我們有充分證據顯示,感染過Omicron的人正被BA.5感染。這毫無疑問」,美國明尼蘇達州羅徹斯特市梅奧診所病毒學家及疫苗研究員古格里‧波蘭表示。 研究人員表示,如果現在這看來特別稀鬆平常,那可能只是因為有很多人感染了Omicron。 NO MORE SEVERE 不再是重症 While rising cases have caused more hospitalizations in some countries, deaths have not gone up dramatically. 雖然染疫人數增加在某些國家造成住院人數的增加,但死亡人數並未大幅上升。 This is largely because vaccines continue to protect against severe illness and death, if not infection, and manufacturers and regulators are also looking at tweaked vaccines that directly target the newer Omicron variants. 這主要是因為疫苗若無法避免感染,仍能繼續防止重症及死亡,製造商與監管機構也在研究直接針對Omicron新變種的調整疫苗。 There is also no evidence that BA.5 is more dangerous than any of the other Omicron variants, the WHO’s Van Kerkhove stressed, although spikes in cases can put health services under pressure and risk more people getting long COVID. 世衛組織的范科霍芙強調,也沒有證據顯示BA.5比任何其他Omicron變異株更危險,雖然病例激增可能會給醫療系統帶來壓力,並使更多人面臨新冠後遺症的風險。 The WHO and other experts have also said that the ongoing pandemic — prolonged by vaccine inequity and the desire in many countries to “move beyond” COVID-19 — would only lead to more new and unpredictable variants. 世界衛生組織及其他專家還表示,疫情的持續不斷──由於疫苗分配不均及許多國家想要「擺脫」COVID-19而拖很久──只會導致更多新的、無法預測的變種。 Scientists are already drawing attention to BA.2.75, first identified in India, which has a large number of mutations and is spreading fast. 科學家已開始關注BA.2.75,它首次發現是在印度,有大量的突變,且正迅速傳播。 The WHO said on Tuesday last week that the pandemic remained a global health emergency, and countries should consider public health measures like masking and social distancing when cases surge, alongside vaccinations. 世衛組織上週二表示,疫情仍是全球衛生緊急事件,各國應在病例激增時考慮採取公共衛生措施,例如戴口罩和保持社交距離,以及接種疫苗。 “What people fundamentally don’t understand is that when there is this high level of community transmission, this will mutate,” Poland said. “Who knows what’s going to come next. We are playing with fire.” 「大家根本不知道,當社區感染程度如此之高,病毒會產生變異」,波蘭表示。「誰知道接下來會發生什麼。我們在玩火自焚」。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/07/19/2003781976

Ep 1882每日英語跟讀 Ep.K409: 網球再度遭到政治干擾
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K409: Once Again, Tennis Is Disrupted by Politics If he had it to do over, Brad Gilbert would never have played a professional tennis tournament in South Africa while the country was embroiled in apartheid. 假如美國職業網球選手吉爾伯特能夠重來,他不會在南非還實施種族隔離制度時,參加那裡的職業網球錦標賽。 Martina Navratilova has never regretted challenging Czechoslovakia’s Communist government by defecting to the United States in 1975, but she wishes she had been able to persuade her parents and younger sister to come with her. 捷克職業網球選手娜拉提洛娃,從不後悔在一九七五年藉由叛逃到美國,挑戰捷克斯洛伐克共產黨政府,不過她希望當年能說服雙親和妹妹跟著她來。 And Cliff Drysdale, the first president of the ATP, the men’s pro players association, is still in awe of his fellow pros for agreeing to boycott Wimbledon in 1973 when Croatian player Nikola Pilic was suspended by his native Yugoslav Tennis Federation, which said he refused to play for Yugoslavia in the Davis Cup in New Zealand. 職業男網選手協會「職業網球聯合會」首任主席德萊斯代爾,仍然敬佩他的同輩職網球員同意在一九七三年抵制溫布頓網球錦標賽,當時克羅埃西亞選手皮里奇被他出身的南斯拉夫網球聯盟暫停溫網參賽資格,聯盟說,皮里奇拒絕代表南斯拉夫參加在紐西蘭舉行的台維斯盃。 Tennis and politics have long had a craggy relationship. This year alone, the sport has been embroiled in three international incidents: Novak Djokovic’s deportation from Australia on the eve of the Australian Open because he did not have a COVID-19 vaccination, the Women’s Tennis Association canceling all tournaments in China after accusations by Peng Shuai that she was sexually assaulted by a high-ranking government official, and Wimbledon banning Russian and Belarusian players because of the war in Ukraine. The WTA and the ATP subsequently stripped this year’s Wimbledon of all ranking points. 網球與政治的關係一直崎嶇不平。單是今年,這項運動就捲入三個國際事件:塞爾維亞名將約克維奇因為沒接種新冠疫苗,在澳洲網球公開賽前夕被逐出澳洲;中國大陸女將彭帥指控一名政府高官性侵她後,國際女子網球協會取消在中國大陸所有錦標賽;以及溫網因烏克蘭戰爭禁止俄國和白俄羅斯選手參賽。國際女子網球協會和職業網球聯合會隨後取消今年溫網所有排名積分。 As this tournament begins, five male players ranked in the world’s top 50, including No. 1 Daniil Medvedev and No. 8 Andrey Rublev, both Russians, will be absent because of the Wimbledon ban. Also banned are Russians Karen Khachanov, ranked No. 22, and Aslan Karatsev, No. 43; and Belarusian Ilya Ivashka, No. 40. 這場錦標賽開始之際,世界排名前50的選手中,五名男選手將因這道溫布頓禁令缺席,包括排名第一的梅德維夫和第八的羅布雷夫,都是俄國人。被禁的還有兩名俄國人,排名第22的卡查諾夫和第43的克拉特塞夫,以及排名第40的白俄人伊華舒卡。 For the women, 13 players who would have qualified are not allowed to play, including Russians Daria Kasatkina, ranked No. 13, No. 22 Veronika Kudermetova and No. 83 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 2021 French Open runner-up; and Belarusians Aryna Sabalenka, No. 6 and a semifinalist last year at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and No. 20 Victoria Azarenka, a former world No. 1. 在女選手方面,13名符合資格者不准參賽,包括三名俄國人,排名第13的卡薩金娜、第22的庫德梅托娃和第83、2021年法國網球公開賽亞軍帕莉歐申可娃,以及兩名白俄人,排名第六、打入去年溫網和美國網球公開賽準決賽的莎芭蓮卡,還有前世界球后、目前第20的艾薩蘭卡。 The U.S. Tennis Association has already announced that players from Russia and Belarus will be allowed to compete at the U.S. Open in August, although not under their nations’ flags. 美國網球協會已宣布,俄國和白俄選手將獲准參加8月美網公開賽,但不能代表他們自己的國家。 “Our sport is always going to be subjected to political forces,” said Drysdale, an ESPN commentator since the network’s inception in 1979. “There’s always something coming around the corner and rearing its head.” 從ESPN電視台1979年創立後就擔任其評論員的德萊斯代爾說:「我們的運動總會承受政治力,總有些事情很快就會冒出來。」Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6447714

Ep 1881回顧星期天LBS - 高爾夫相關時事趣聞 All about golf
Topic: Sellout Culture Is a Problem for Pro Golf Even if you don’t play or follow golf — which I don’t — you’re probably aware of the controversy now engulfing the game. A number of the world’s top-ranked pro players, notably Phil Mickelson, made extremely lucrative deals to play in a new tour, the LIV Golf International Series, sponsored by Saudi Arabia. The PGA Tour, which has traditionally dominated the sport, responded by suspending 17 of these players. 即便不打或不追高球新聞—我也沒追—你也可能知道現在這項運動捲入爭議。一些世界頂級職業球員,尤其是米克森,達成極其有利可圖的交易參加沙烏地阿拉伯贊助的新巡迴賽,即LIV高球國際系列賽。傳統上主導這項運動的職業高球美巡賽(PGA Tour)對此做出回應,將其中17名球員禁賽。 The Saudis are obviously engaged in reputation-laundering — greenswashing? — in an attempt to make people forget about the atrocities their regime has perpetrated. It’s less clear what motivated the PGA. Did it consider the LIV series flawed, not a proper golf tour? Was it attempting to squash competition? Or was the problem with the LIV series’ sponsors? 沙國顯然在清洗名聲—是在「漂白」嗎?試圖讓人們忘記他們政權所犯下的暴行。目前還不太清楚什麼原因驅使PGA這樣做。它是否認為LIV系列賽有缺陷,不是個像樣的高球巡迴賽?它會不會是在試圖壓制競爭嗎?或是LIV系列賽贊助者的問題? PGA attendees surveyed by ProGolf weekly were in no doubt: An overwhelming majority attributed Mickelson’s exclusion to “media/cancel culture.” And I hope they’re right. I mean, if getting paid big bucks to provide favorable PR to a regime that deals with critical journalists by killing them and dismembering them with a bone saw doesn’t warrant cancellation, what does? And yet Mickelson and others were willing to provide that PR. 接受《ProGolf》周刊調查的PGA與會者均無疑問,絕大多數將米克森遭剔除歸因於「媒體/取消文化」。我希望他們是對的。我的意思是,拿大錢幫一個政權提供公關服務,而這個政權把批評他們的記者殺掉還肢解,如果這不是一個取消的正當理由,那什麼才是?而米克森和其他人卻願意提供這種公關服務。 So if you ask me, the real story here isn’t that the PGA may (or may not) have found a line it won’t cross. It is that so many members of the American elite evidently have no such lines. 所以,若你問我,情況並非PGA可能(或可能沒有)找到一條不會跨越的線,而是這個美國菁英組織許多成員明顯沒有這樣的界線。 What explains the rise of sellout culture? Tax cuts may have played a role: Selling your soul becomes more attractive when you get to keep more of the proceeds. Soaring income inequality may inspire envy, a desire to keep up with the super-elite. And there is surely a process of normalization: Everyone else is selling out, so why shouldn’t I join the party? 如何解釋出賣文化興起?減稅可能起到一定作用:當你能保留更多收益時,出賣你的靈魂就變得更有吸引力。日益嚴重的收入不平等可能會引發嫉妒,讓人渴望跟超級菁英攀比。當然,這是一個正常過程:其他人都在出賣,那我為何不入群呢? Kids used to look up to public figures, sports stars in particular, as role models. Do they still? Can they, given what public figures will do if the checks are big enough? 以前孩子們常把受人尊敬的公眾人物作為榜樣,尤其是體育明星。他們還會嗎?考慮到支票夠大時公眾人物竟然這樣做,他們還能嗎?Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6413966 Next Article Topic: Why Are There More Successful Older Golfers Today? From the 18th fairway in the final group of the British Open in 2009, Tom Watson, the five-time Open champion, hit a shot that flew right at the pin. For a moment, it looked like Watson, then age 59, would win the tournament for a record sixth time and become the oldest player to win a major championship. 2009年英國公開賽最後一組第18洞的球道上,五屆冠軍華森一揮直飛旗桿。一時間,當時59歲的華森似乎將贏得創紀錄的第六座英國公開賽冠軍,並成為最年長的四大賽冠軍。 A firm bounce sent the ball off the back of the green, and Watson needed three more shots to get the ball into the hole. That dropped him into a tie for first. In the four-hole playoff, he ran out of gas and lost by six shots. 小白球強力彈跳後滾出果嶺後方,華森又花了三桿才把球送進洞裡。這使他落到並列領先。四洞延長賽,他精力耗盡,最後輸六桿。 A decade ago, the idea of an older golfer contending in, let alone winning, a major championship was something few considered. That was still the time when most golfers petered out in their mid-40s and kicked around the golf world before having a brief resurgence on the Champions Tour when they turned 50. 10年前,很少人料想得到年長的高球選手會參加四大賽,遑論拿冠軍。當時,大多數高球選手在45歲左右開始淡出,到滿50歲參加「冠軍」(譯註:長春)巡迴賽散發短暫餘暉前,其間在高球界四處晃晃。 Leading these middle-age mavericks is Phil Mickelson, 51, won the PGA Championship in May. He beat Brooks Koepka, a four-time major winner, and Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, who are both in their 30s. 這些不服老的中年高球選手領導人物是剛滿51歲的米克森,他在今年5月贏得PGA錦標賽冠軍。擊敗了都是30多歲的四屆四大賽冠軍得主科普卡與2010年英國公開賽冠軍歐蘇森。 “All these guys have taken a new approach,” said Dave Phillips, co-founder of the Titleist Performance Institute, which focuses on golf and fitness. “There’s a lot of money out there. They realize they can still compete with the younger guys, but they need to spend more time on their body and what they fuel their body with.” 高球與健身專門機構「冠軍競技表現研究所」共同創辦人戴維.菲利普斯說:「這些人都採取一種新方法。比賽獎金很高。他們意識到自己仍可跟年輕人競爭,只是需要花更多時間在身體及強化身體的物質上面。」 Phillips said what Mickelson and the others were doing provided lessons for older golfers. “It’s not strength, but the recovery and the downtime that matter,” he said. “It’s letting your body recover. Everyone wants to get fitter, stronger, faster. They’re upset when they don’t see the results. But what they’re doing is fatiguing to the body more so than a round of golf.” 菲利普斯說,米克森和其他人的作為,幫年長高球選手上了一課。「重要的不是力量,而是恢復與休息,讓你的身體恢復。每個人都想變得更健康、更強壯、更快。他們沒看到成果時會沮喪,但他們所做的事會讓身體遠比打一輪高球

Ep 188015Mins Live Podcast -職場自我銷售語句Expressions for talking about you and your work
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 Expressions About Work Responsibilities 工作權責相關語句 Here are some great expressions to talk about you responsibilities and skills. I’m in charge of ________ I’m responsible for ________ If you want to talk about your skills and what you are good at, you can say, My forte is _____ I excel at _____ Expressions for Selling Yourself 自我推銷語句 To say that you are the right person for the job, you can say, I think I am a good fit for this job I think I am a good match for this job I think this job ties in with my future plans In order to show your enthusiasm and also show you want to help the company be successful, you can say, I am excited to showcase my skills I am eager to make a contribution I am sure I can bring a lot to this job Expressions about Changing Jobs 換工作/職業語句 Here are some phrases to talk about your desire to change job. It’s time to move on It’s time to move on to a new challenge I want to make a career change You can use these phrases below to give a reason why you want to change. I’m not realising my potential I’ve got untapped potential

Ep 1878每日英語跟讀 Ep.K408: About aviation - 最快噴射超音速客機與少年跳機大難不死
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K408: About aviation - World’s fastest passenger jet goes supersonic in tests The race to resume supersonic passenger flights nearly two decades after the retirement of Concorde was offered a glimmer of excitement on Monday when plane manufacturer Bombardier revealed high speed achievements while confirming the launch of its new business jet. 飛機製造商龐巴迪週一揭露其最新商務噴射客機達到的高速度成果,同時證實上市時間,為協和號退役將近20年後,重拾超音速載客飛行的競賽,注入一絲興奮。 The Canadian company said the in-development Global 8000 will be "the world’s fastest and longest-range purpose-built business jet." 這家加拿大公司說,這款開發中的「環球8000型」客機,將是「全世界最快、最長程的特製商用噴射機」。 The news comes after a Global 7500 test vehicle broke the sound barrier during a demonstration flight last May, achieving speeds of more than Mach 1.015. 在發布這項消息前,一架環球7500型測試機,在去年5月一次試飛中突破音障,達到超過1.015馬赫的速度。 "The Global 8000 aircraft leverages the outstanding attributes of the Global 7500 aircraft, providing our customers with a flagship aircraft of a new era," Éric Martel, president and CEO for Bombardier, said. 龐巴迪總裁兼執行長馬泰爾說,「環球8000飛機利用環球7500型的優異特性,提供我們顧客一架新年代飛機的佼佼者」。 Next Article Teen survives flight in aircraft wheel in Nigeria 奈及利亞青少年躲起落架搭機 大難不死 A young teenager dashed across a runway at a Nigerian airport, hid in the wheel well of a jet and survived a 35-minute domestic flight, the airline and aviation authorities said Sunday. 航空公司和奈及利亞聯邦航空局週日表示,1名青少年橫衝機場跑道,躲進飛機起落架艙,飛了35分鐘的國內線航程。 Passengers and crew had alerted the pilots that a boy was seen running to the plane as it was taxiing to take off Saturday from southern Benin City, Arik Airline spokesman Ola Adebanji said. 阿里克航空公司發言人艾德班吉表示,這架班機週六從南部貝南市滑行準備起飛時,乘客和機組員看到1名青少年跑向飛機,並警告機師。 Despite the possible presence of the boy, the pilots opted to continue with their takeoff, Federal Aviation Agency of Nigeria spokesman Yakubu Dati said. 奈及利亞聯邦航空局發言人達蒂表示,儘管男孩可能在機上,機師仍選擇繼續起飛。 When the plane arrived in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, a boy aged 13 or 14 jumped to the ground from the wheel and was detained by Arik personnel, Adebanji said. He said the teenager probably survived because the flight was short and the plane probably didn’t rise above 7,620 meters. 艾德班吉表示,飛機抵達奈吉利亞商業大城拉哥斯時,1名年約13或14歲的男孩從起落架跳到地面,被地勤人員抓住。發言人說,男孩大難不死可能是因為飛行距離不長、飛行高度沒有超過7620公尺。 Most stowaways don’t survive. The body of a suspected stowaway fell from an Air France plane over Niger, also in West Africa, in July and was discovered lifeless in a western suburb of the capital, Niamey, officials said. 這類偷渡客大都不會生還。官員表示,7月間,法國航空公司1架班機飛經同樣也在西非的尼日時,1具疑似偷渡客的屍體從上空墜地,陳屍在首都尼阿美西部郊區。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1526935 ; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/710523

Ep 1877每日英語跟讀 Ep.K407: About SKorea - 糞便變成電力和數位貨幣與南韓國人少一歲
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K407: About SKorea - South Korean toilet turns excrement into power and digital currency Cho Jae-weon, an urban and environmental engineering professor at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST), has designed an eco-friendly toilet connected to a laboratory that uses excrement to produce biogas and manure. 南韓國立蔚山科學技術研究院的都市和環境工程教授趙宰元(譯音),設計出一種環境友善的馬桶,可透過與一間實驗室連線,將糞便製造成生物沼氣和肥料。 The BeeVi toilet - a portmanteau of the words bee and vision - uses a vacuum pump to send faeces into an underground tank, reducing water use. There, microorganisms break down the waste to methane, which becomes a source of energy for the building, powering a gas stove, hot-water boiler and solid oxide fuel cell. 這個馬桶名為BeeVi,為蜜蜂和視野的英文字詞的混成詞。它用真空幫浦將排泄物送至地下儲存槽,以減少用水。槽內的微生物將排泄物分解成沼氣,進而為大樓提供電力,點燃瓦斯爐、熱水器,以及做為固態氧化物燃料電池的燃料。 An average person defecates about 500g a day, which can be converted to 50 litres of methane gas. This gas can generate 0.5kWh of electricity or be used to drive a car for about 1.2km. 每人每天平均排便500公克,可轉換成50升沼氣,進而產生0.5千瓦時的電力,使汽車行進約1.2公里。 Next Article Why Koreans could soon become a year younger 為什麼韓國人可能即將年輕1歲 "How old are you"? It’s a simple question with a clear answer. But for those in South Korea, answering this question is anything but straightforward. 「你幾歲?」這是答案很清楚的簡單問題,但是對南韓人來說,回答這個問題一點也不簡單。 In South Korea, when a baby is born they are considered a year old. Come New Year’s Day, they gain another year. This means a baby born in December would be considered to be two years old in just a few weeks. 在南韓,寶寶一出生就被認為已經1歲。到了新年,他們又多了1歲。這意味著,12月出生的寶寶,僅僅幾週就會被認為已經2歲大。 But this "Korean age" method may soon change as the country’s president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is pushing for this centuries-old method of counting to be abolished. 不過,這種「韓國年紀」算法或許即將改變,因為該國總統當選人尹錫悅正推動廢除這種已有幾世紀之久的年齡計算法。 Lee Yong-ho, the chief of the president-elect’s transition committee, said the incoming administration was looking to standardise the way age is counted in order to bring South Korea in line with the rest of the world. 總統當選人交接委員會主席李勇浩說,即將上任的新政府正準備將計算年齡方式標準化,讓南韓與世界其他地方一致。Soure article: https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/1485239 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1517919

Ep 1879精選詞彙播客 Vocab Ep.129: 華語流行歌王回來了?Is the King of Mandopop back?
Summary: It's been a while since Jay Chou released any music. This week, Jay chou released his new single, paying tribute to the greats in history. It is reported that Jay Chou spent NTD13m on this new music video. In this episode, Angel and I talk about the first time we listened to Jay and his musical influence. Vocabulary: King of Mandopop 華語流行歌王 Jay Chou has been named the King of Mandopop for many years. 周杰倫被稱為華語流行歌王許多年。 Genre n. 類別/類型 Although Jay's music is categorized as the pop genre, his music is uniquely different to other pop music. 雖然周董的音樂被歸類為流行音樂,他的音樂相較其他流行音樂還是與眾不同的。 Lyrics n. 歌詞 Most of the hit lyrics are written by Jay Chou's partner - Vincent Fang. 多數熱門歌的歌詞都是由周杰倫的夥伴- 方文山所寫。 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]

Ep 1876每日英語跟讀 Ep.K406: 歐美嚴管科技企業時代已來臨
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K406: The Hands-Off Tech Era Is Over It’s clear more than ever that governments will no longer leave technology alone. 情況比過去明顯,政府不會再對科技業放手不管了。 Europe mandated standard phone chargers for portable electronics while Texas passed a contested law to restrain social media companies’ policing of online speech. Tech companies can count on more changes like those as government minders wade into how they do business and how we use their products. 歐洲要求手持電子產品配備標準手機充電器,德州則通過一項有爭議的法律,限制社交媒體公司對網路言論的監管。隨著政府監管人員介入科技企業經營及我們使用其產品的方式,科技公司可以預期會有更多類似的變革。 That most likely means new technologies like driverless cars and facial recognition systems will take longer to spread into the world than they might have. For many tech proponents, more deliberation and oversight will slow invention. For others, that’s exactly the point. 這很可能意味著,像無人駕駛汽車與臉部識別系統這樣的新技術,將需要更長時間才能普及到世界各地。對於許多科技支持者來說,更多審查和監督將減緩發明的速度,但對其他人來說,這正是重點。 It’s easy to be overwhelmed by (or tune out) all the attempted government regulation. In just the past few weeks, journalists have written about pending congressional bills involving data privacy and tech antitrust; the employment classification of drivers for companies like Uber; multiple countries setting standards about how data can and cannot move around the globe. 這些政府試圖實施的監管,很容易讓人不知所措或者無視。就在過去幾周,記者們報導了國會審議中的法案涉及數據隱私與科技反壟斷;Uber等公司對司機的雇傭分類;多個國家制定數據能夠與不能在全球移動的標準。 Those are all the result of a still-evolving rethinking of what had been a relatively laissez-faire approach to tech since the 1990s. With exceptions, the prevailing attitude was that new internet technologies, including digital advertising, e-commerce, social media and gig employment through apps, were too novel, fringe and useful for governments to constrain them with many rules. 1990年代以來科技一直受到相對自由放任的對待,這些監管就是仍在演變中的反思結果。除了少數例外,主流態度是,包括數位廣告、電子商務、社交媒體與透過應用程式提供零工工作等新的網路技術,太過新穎、邊緣和有用,政府無法用許多規則來約束他們。 Just one example: A decade ago, Facebook said U.S. rules that require TV and radio to disclose who is paying for election-related ads shouldn’t apply to that company. The Federal Election Commission “should not stand in the way of innovation.” a Facebook lawyer said at the time. 就舉一例來說,十年前臉書表示,美國要求電視和廣播揭露誰是選舉相關廣告金主的規定,不應適用於該公司。臉書的一名律師當時說,聯邦選舉委員會「不應阻礙創新」。 Those ad disclosures aren’t always effective, but after Russia-backed propagandists spread social media ads and free posts to inflame American political divisions in 2016, Facebook voluntarily started to provide more transparency about political ads. 這些廣告的揭露不一定有效果,但俄羅斯支持的宣傳人員2016年散布社群媒體廣告與免費貼文,煽動美國政治分歧之後,臉書自願開始提供更多關於政治廣告的透明訊息。 Better laws or ad disclosures probably wouldn’t have prevented hostile foreign actors from abusing Facebook to wage information wars in the United States or other countries. But the hands-off conventional wisdom most likely contributed to a sense that people in charge of tech should be left alone to do what they wished. 更好的法律或廣告揭露,可能不會阻止敵國行動者濫用臉書在美國或其他國家發動資訊戰,但「放手」的傳統想法很可能助長一種觀念,亦即管理科技的人應不受干擾做自己想做的事。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6464843

Ep 1875每日英語跟讀 Ep.K405: 日本任期最長首相安倍晉三
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K405: Shinzo Abe - Japan’s longest-serving prime minister Shinzo Abe smashed records as Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, championing ambitious economic reform and forging key diplomatic relationships while weathering scandals. 安倍晉三打破了日本首相任期的最長紀錄,他支持雄心勃勃的經濟改革,並在經歷醜聞的同時建立了關鍵的外交關係。 Nearly two years after poor health forced him to leave office, the 67-year-old was shot during a campaign event in the western region of Nara on Friday last week. 在他因健康狀況不佳而被迫下台後兩年,六十七歲的他上週五在奈良西部地區一場競選活動中被槍殺。 Abe was a sprightly 52 when he first became prime minister in 2006, the youngest person to occupy the job in the postwar era. 安倍在二○○六年首次擔任首相時年僅五十二歲,是戰後日本最年輕的首相。 He was seen as a symbol of change and youth, but also brought the pedigree of a third-generation politician groomed from birth by an elite, conservative family. Abe’s first term was turbulent, plagued by scandals and discord, and capped by an abrupt resignation. 他被視為變革與年輕的象徵,但他也是出身精英保守家庭的政治家族第三代。 安倍的第一個任期動盪不安,飽受醜聞與不和的紛擾,並以突然辭職告終。 - They called it ‘Abenomics’ - He ran again, and Japan’s revolving prime ministerial door brought him back to office in 2012. It ended a turbulent period in which prime ministers sometimes changed at a rate of one a year. With Japan still staggering from the effects of the 2011 tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster at Fukushima — and a brief opposition government lashed for flip-flopping and incompetence — Abe offered a seemingly safe pair of hands. 他再次參選,日本的首相旋轉門讓他在二○一二年再度擔任首相。 這終結了日本首相更替頻繁(有時只做了一年便下台)的動盪時期。 當時日本仍因二○一一年海嘯及之後福島核災的影響而步履蹣跚,以及短暫執政、被批評為政策出爾反爾及無能的反對黨政府——在此情況下,安倍看來是穩健的選擇。 And he had a plan: Abenomics. The scheme to revive Japan’s economy — the world’s third-biggest, but more than two decades into stagnation — involved vast government spending, massive monetary easing and cutting red tape. Abe also sought to boost the country’s flagging birth rate by making workplaces more friendly to parents, particularly mothers. 而且他有個計畫:「安倍經濟學」。 重振日本——這世界第三大經濟體,但已陷入停滯二十多年——經濟的計畫,有賴大量政府支出、大規模貨幣寬鬆,以及削減繁文縟節。 He pushed through controversial consumption tax hikes to help finance nurseries and plug gaps in Japan’s overstretched social security system. While there was some progress with reform, the economy’s bigger structural problems remained. Deflation proved stubborn and the economy was in recession even before the coronavirus struck in 2020. Abe’s star waned further during the pandemic, with his approach criticized as confused and slow, driving his approval ratings down to some of the lowest of his tenure. 安倍還試圖營造對父母,尤其是對母親更友善的工作環境,來提高日本不斷下降的出生率。 他推動調高消費稅這具爭議性的政策,以資助托兒所並補強日本負擔過重的社會福利系統。 雖然改革取得了一些進展,但更大的經濟結構性問題依然存在。 事實證明,通貨緊縮很頑強,甚至在二○二○年冠狀病毒來襲之前,經濟就已陷入衰退。 安倍的光環在疫情期間變得更加黯淡,他的做法被批評為混亂及緩慢,讓他的支持率降至任期內最低。 - Political storms - - 政治風暴 - On the international stage, Abe took a hard line on North Korea, but sought a peacemaker role between the US and Iran. He prioritized a close personal relationship with Donald Trump in a bid to protect Japan’s key alliance from the then-US president’s “America First” mantra, and tried to mend ties with Russia and China. 在國際舞台上,安倍對北韓採取強硬立場,但又想在美國和伊朗之間扮演和平推手的角色。 他優先考慮跟美國總統唐納‧川普建立密切的個人關係,以保護日本的關鍵同盟免受當時川普口號「美國優先」的影響,並試圖修補與俄國及中國的關係。 But the results were mixed: Trump remained eager to force Japan to pay more for US troops stationed in the country, a deal with Russia on disputed northern islands stayed elusive, and a plan to invite Xi Jinping for a state visit fell by the wayside. Abe also pursued a hard line with South Korea over unresolved wartime disputes and continued to float plans to revise Japan’s pacifist constitution. 但結果好壞參半:川普仍急於迫使日本為駐紮在日本的美軍支付更多費用,日本與俄國對北部島嶼主權之糾紛仍難以達成協議,邀請習近平進行國事訪問的計畫也被擱置。 日本與南韓間懸而未決的戰時爭端,安倍也採強硬立場,並繼續提出修改日本和平憲法的計畫。 Throughout his tenure, he weathered political storms including cronyism allegations that dented approval ratings but did little to affect his power, in part thanks to the weakness of the opposition. Abe had been due to stay on until late 2021, giving him an opportunity to see out one final event in his historic tenure — the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games.But in a shock announcement, he stepped down in August 2020, with a recurrence of ulcerative colitis ending his second term, too. 在他整個任期內,他經受住了政治風暴,包括裙帶關係的指控,這些指控讓他的支持率降低,但對他的權力幾乎沒有影響,部分原因是反對派的軟弱。安倍原定留任至二○二一年底,讓他有機會在史上最長任期內看見最後一件大事——延期的二○二○年東京奧運。 然而,他令人震驚地宣布在二○二○年八月下台,潰瘍性結腸炎的復發也結束了他的第二個任期。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/07/12/2003781569

Ep 1874回顧星期天LBS - 雜誌相關時事趣聞 All about magazines
Topic: The Magazine Business, From the Coolest Place to the Coldest One I miss magazines. It’s a strange ache, because they are still sort of with us: staring out from the racks at supermarket checkout lines; fanned wanly around the table in hotel lobbies; showing up in your mailbox long after the subscription was canceled, like an ex who refuses to accept the breakup. 我懷念雜誌,這是一種奇怪的痛,因為它們在某種程度上仍與我們同在。超市排隊結帳時,它們從架上盯著我們;在飯店大廳桌子周圍憔悴晃動;取消訂閱很久後還會出現在信箱,像是拒絕接受分手的舊愛。 But they’re also disappearing. This accelerating erosion has not been big news during a time of pandemic, war and actual erosion, and yet the absence of magazines authoritatively documenting such events, or distracting from them, as they used to do with measured regularity, is keenly felt. 但它們也在消失。在疫情、戰爭與雜誌真的衰微的時期,這種加速衰微並不是什麼大新聞,但人們敏銳地感覺到,缺乏權威性雜誌來記錄這些事件,或像過去那樣定期的讓注意力從這些事情轉移。 Time marches on, or limps, but Life is gone. There’s no more Money. The print editions of their former sister publications Entertainment Weekly and InStyle, which once frothed with profit, stopped publishing in February. It’s been au revoir to Saveur and Marie Claire; shrouds for Playboy, Paper and O. (As I type this, people are tweeting about The Believer being bought by a sex-toy site.) 「時代」雜誌還在前進,或說蹣跚前行,但「生活」雜誌已經逝去。「金錢」雜誌沒了。它們以前的姊妹刊物「娛樂周刊」和「InStyle」印刷版曾獲利豐厚,但已在2月停止出版。大家向「Saveur」和「美麗佳人」告別,也讓「花花公子」、「紙」與O雜誌穿上壽衣。(就在我撰寫此文時,人們在推特上說「The Believer」被一個情趣用品網站收購了。) Two recent books — “Dilettante,” by Dana Brown, a longtime editor at Vanity Fair, and a new biography of Anna Wintour, by Amy Odell, formerly of cosmopolitan.com — are graveyards of dead or zombie titles that were once glowing hives of human whim. 最近出版的兩本書,「浮華世界」資深編輯達納.布朗的「Dilettante」及柯夢波丹前成員艾咪.歐德爾的安娜溫圖新傳記,有如亡者的墓地,或曾是人類奇想的光輝巢穴冠上了殭屍名號。 “There were so many magazines in 1994,” Brown writes. “So many new magazines, and so many great magazines. All the young talent of the moment was eschewing other industries and flocking to the business. It was the coolest place to be.” 布朗寫道:「1994年有很多雜誌。很多新雜誌,很多很棒的雜誌。當時所有年輕人才避開了其他行業,湧向這個行業。那是最酷的。」 Then suddenly the coldest. On the big fancy cruise ship that Brown had just boarded — Vanity Fair, where he’d been beckoned by Graydon Carter while a barback at the restaurant 44 — he and so many others then could only see the tip of an enormous iceberg they were about to hit: the internet. Smartphones, little self-edited monster magazines that will not rest until their owners die, were on the horizon. These may have looked like life rafts, but they were torpedo boats. 然後突然變成最冰冷的地方。布朗在44號餐廳吧檯用餐時,被總編輯卡特招攬,剛登上有如大型豪華郵輪的「浮華世界」,但他跟其他許多人只能看到他們即將撞上的巨大冰山一角:網路。智慧手機這種自我編輯、直到擁有者死去才會停止的小怪物雜誌也即將來臨。這些東西可能看起來像是救生艇,但它們其實是魚雷艦。 Every year, the American Society of Magazine Editors issues a handsome award, a brutalist-looking elephant called the Ellie, modeled after an Alexander Calder elephant sculpture. Any writer would be proud to have it on the mantelpiece. 每年,美國雜誌編輯協會都會頒發一項大獎,這是一頭野獸派風格、名叫「艾利」的大象獎座,模仿考爾德大象雕塑設計而成。作家都以把它放在壁爐上為榮。 The history of modern American literature is braided together with its magazines. The future can feel like a lot of loose threads, waving in the wind. 現代美國文學史與它的雜誌彼此交織在一起。未來就像是許多鬆散的線,在風中飄揚。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6379678 Next Article Topic: The Not-So-Glossy Future of Magazines One evening in mid-September, a gaggle of writers and bon vivant editors gathered by the outdoor fireplace and ivy-covered trellis of a West Village tavern. Steak was served, and the toasts lasted late into the night, the revelry trickling out to the nearby sidewalk. 九月中旬的一個夜晚,在西村的一家小酒館,一群作家和喜歡享受生活的編輯們聚集在一個室外壁爐和常春藤覆蓋的格狀架子旁。牛排上桌後,眾人杯觥交錯直到深夜,歡鬧聲流瀉到鄰近的人行道上。 It could have been a scene from the Jazz Age heyday of the Manhattan magazine set — or even the 1990s, when glossy monthlies still soaked up millions of dollars in advertising revenue, and editors in chauffeured town cars told the nation what to wear, what to watch and who to read. 這幕場景可能來自爵士時代曼哈坦雜誌業全盛時期,甚至是90年代,以亮光紙印刷的月刊還是廣告收入淹腳目,編輯們坐在司機駕駛的豪華轎車內,告訴全國該穿些什麼、欣賞什麼、閱讀什麼人的年頭。 This night, however, had an elegiac tinge. The staff of Vanity Fair was saluting the magazine’s longtime editor, Graydon Carter, who had announced that he was departing after a 25-year run. In the back garden of Carter’s restaurant, the Waverly Inn, star writers like James Wolcott and Marie Brenner spoke of their gratitude and grief. 不過,這一晚透著一種悲傷的況味。《浮華世界》的員工正向雜誌的長期總編輯葛雷登.卡特致敬。卡特在任職25年後,宣布即將離職。在卡特自家餐廳「韋佛利餐廳」的後花園中,一些明星作家如詹姆士.沃科特、瑪麗.布倫納都表達了他們的謝意和感傷。 Carter has always had a knack for trends. Within two weeks, three other prominent editors — from Time, Elle and Glamour — announced that they, too, would be stepping down. Another titan of the industry, Jann S. Wenner, said he planned to sell his controlling stake in Rolling Stone after a half-century. 卡特一向走在趨勢前端。不出兩星期,又有3位知名雜誌總編,分別是《時代》、《ELLE她》、《魅力》的總編也宣布準備下台。另一個業界巨頭,《滾石》創刊人詹恩.溫納則表示,打算出售他在《滾石》已保有半個世紀的控制性持股。 Suddenly, it seemed, long-standing predictions about the collapse of magazines had come to pass. 突然之間,長久來有關雜誌業終將崩潰的預言,似乎成真了。 Magazines ha

Ep 187315Mins Live Podcast - 換句話說系列 – 緊張跟平靜還有什麼其他說法Other ways to say “Nervous” and “Calm”
Other ways to say: NERVOUS Tense 緊繃 There was a tense silence as everyone waited for his reaction. Uneasy 不安 He looks distinctly uneasy in interview situations. Shaky 動搖的 The news left me feeling a little shaky. Jittery 緊張不安 I always become jittery the morning before an exam. Agitated 激動 She became so agitated as the interview proceeded. Edgy 煩躁 She acted kinda edgy. Uptight 緊張 Don't get uptight about the exam - just do your best. Jumpy 神經敏感 My mother gets very jumpy when she's alone in the house. Other ways to say: CALM Cool 冷靜 He was very cool when we broke the window. Relaxed 放鬆的 She seemed relaxed and in control of the situation. Peaceful 安靜的 We had a peaceful afternoon with the family. Composed 沈著 She looked remarkably composed throughout the funeral. Chilled (informal) 冷靜 I'm feeling pretty chilled. Easygoing 隨和 It's very easy to see him as the easy-going weld/tad. Carefree 無憂無慮 I remember my carefree student days. 分享時間: Tell a personal experience related to "nervous" and "calm". Pick 4 words and make sentences.

Ep 1872每日英語跟讀 Ep.K404: About software - 微軟IE瀏覽器墓碑與虛擬記號App
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K404: About software - Internet Explorer gravestone goes viral in South Korea For Jung Ki-young, a South Korean software engineer, Microsoft Corp’s decision to retire its Internet Explorer web browser marked the end of a quarter-century love-hate relationship with the technology. 對南韓軟體工程師鄭其永(譯音)來說,微軟公司讓它的「網際網路探險家(IE)」網路瀏覽器退休的決定,代表著與這項科技愛恨交織四分之一個世紀的關係的結束。 To commemorate its demise, he spent a month and 430,000 won designing and ordering a headstone with Explorer’s "e" logo and the English epitaph: "He was a good tool to download other browsers." 為了紀念IE的隕落,他花了一個月和43萬韓元設計並訂製一個墓碑,上面有IE的「e」的商標,以及英文的墓誌銘:「他是個用來下載其他瀏覽器的好工具」。 After the memorial went on show at a cafe run by his brother in the southern city of Gyeongju, a photo of the tombstone went viral. 這個紀念碑在南方城市慶州由他的兄弟所經營的一家咖啡館展出後,墓碑的照片在網路上爆紅。 Jung said the memorial showed his mixed feelings for the older software, which had played such a big part in his working life. 鄭其永說,這個紀念碑顯示出他對這款在他的工作生活中發揮了重大作用的古老軟體的複雜感情。 "It was a pain in the ass, but I would call it a love-hate relationship because Explorer itself once dominated an era," he told Reuters. 他告訴路透:「它是個令人厭煩的東西,但我會稱之為愛恨交織的關係,因為探險家一度主導一個時代」。 Next Article App for leaving your virtual mark at physical places 讓你在實際地點留下虛擬記號的App Imagine standing at the Eiffel Tower and being able to see messages and videos overlaid through your smartphone from all visitors who have come before you. A new app called Wallit combines augmented reality, a virtual view of the real world that can be extended with graphics and other content, with a social experience. 想像自己站在艾菲爾鐵塔前,可以看到在你之前來的所有旅客所留的訊息與影片,撲天蓋地的出現在你的智慧型手機上。新應用程式Wallit能將擴增實境,也就是透過圖片等內容擴展的真實世界虛擬影像,與社交經驗相結合。 It allows users to post and view content at virtual walls in popular places, tourist attractions such as the Eiffel Tower, stadiums and stores. Wallit讓使用者在艾菲爾鐵塔、體育場或商店等熱門地點或景點的虛擬塗鴉牆上,張貼及觀看內容。 "Think of a virtual wall on the face of the Golden Gate Bridge from one end to the other where people can leave sentiments, photos, movies and even audio that are persistent at that location, even though the people who generate the content constantly keep changing," said Veysel Berk, the founder of Wallit. Wallit創辦人柏克表示:「想像一下金門大橋的一端到另一端有面虛擬塗鴉牆。民眾可以在上面留下會一直留在那裡的感想、照片、影片甚至是音檔,即便是內容提供者會一直改變。」 The goal, he said, is to record a cumulative, human experience at a location that exhibits the character of a place over time. 他表示,目標是記錄1個地點的累計人類體驗,展現1個地方經年累月的特性。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1528843 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/595260

Ep 1871每日英語跟讀 Ep.K403: About heat waves - 海洋生物集體死於熱浪與北極熱浪
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K403: About heat waves - Heat Wave Killed Marine Wildlife en Masse An early estimate points to a huge die-off along the Pacific Coast, and scientists say rivers farther inland are warming to levels that could be lethal for some kinds of salmon. 一項初步估計顯示,(美國)太平洋沿岸海洋生物大量死亡;科學家則說,更內陸的河川的水溫,正升高到恐令某些鮭魚致命的程度。 Dead mussels and clams coated rocks in the Pacific Northwest, their shells gaping open as if they’d been boiled. Sea stars were baked to death. Sockeye salmon swam sluggishly in an overheated Washington river, prompting wildlife officials to truck them to cooler areas. 死掉的淡菜與蛤蜊佈滿西北太平洋沿岸地區的岩石上,牠們的殼有如被煮熟似地張開。海星被活活烤死。紅鉤吻鮭在過熱的華盛頓河中緩慢游動,促使野生動物官員將之載運到較涼爽的區域。 The combination of extraordinary heat and drought that hit the Western United States and Canada over the past two weeks has killed hundreds of millions of marine animals and continues to threaten untold species in freshwater, according to a preliminary estimate and interviews with scientists. 根據一項初步估計以及對科學家所進行的訪談,美加西部過去兩週來慘遭異常高溫與乾旱襲擊,導致數以億計的海洋生物死亡,並持續威脅無數淡水物種。 Next Article Arctic heatwave could break records 北極熱浪恐破紀錄 Temperatures at the North Pole could be up to 20 degrees higher than average this Christmas Eve. Temperatures are forecast to peak on Christmas Eve around the North Pole - at near-freezing. Climate scientists say these unseasonably warm weather patterns in the Arctic region are directly linked to man-made climate change. 今年耶誕夜的北極氣溫,恐將高出平均溫度達20度。氣溫預報顯示,北極周邊耶誕夜的溫度將升達高峰—接近冰點。氣象科學家說,北極地區這些不合時令的溫暖天氣模式,直接與人為造成的氣候變遷有關。 Temperatures throughout November and December were 5C higher than average. It follows a summer during which Arctic sea ice reached the second-lowest extent ever recorded by satellites. 整個11月與12月的溫度,要比同期平均溫度高出攝氏5度。而在夏季期間,北極海冰的規模達到衛星紀錄以來的第二低程度。 Dr Friederike Otto, a senior researcher at Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute said that in pre-industrial times "a heatwave like this would have been extremely rare - we would expect it to occur about every 1,000 years". 牛津大學環境變遷研究所資深研究員奧圖博士說,在工業化前時代「諸如此類的熱浪極為罕見—我們認為大概每1000年才發生一次。」 Dr Otto added that scientists are "very confident" that the weather patterns were linked to anthropogenic climate change. 奧圖博士補充說,科學家「非常確信」該氣溫模式與人為造成的氣候變遷有關。 "We have used several different climate modelling approaches," she said. "And in all our methods, we find the same thing; we cannot model a heatwave like this without the anthropogenic signal." 「我們使用好幾個不同的氣候模型途徑,」她說。「然而在我們的方法中,我們發現相同之處:在缺少人為導因下,我們無法形塑出如此的熱浪。」Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1527294 ; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/1066371

Ep 1870精選詞彙播客 Vocab Ep.128: 語音助理選男還選女 Are selecting voice assistants a sexist act?
Summary: 主題文章:https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220614-why-your-voice-assistant-might-be-sexist GPS navigation systems are becoming more and more ubiquitous in our daily lives. Now bundled with AI, the use case for voice assistants are also becoming more diverse. In certain countries and cultures, male voices are preferred, however, it seems like female voices are more widespread. In this episode, Angel and I discuss whether it can be considered sexist to prefer a male or female voice. What do you think? Let us know down below! Vocabulary: 1. GPS Navigation system n. 衛星導航系統 All cars now have GPS navigation systems as a standard package. 現在所有的汽車的標配都有衛星導航系統。 2. Voice packs n. 語音包 Power users usually knows how to overwrite the voice packs on their navigation devices. 高級用戶通常都知道如何覆蓋他們導航儀器上面的語音包。 3. Announcer n. 播音員 Announcers for major events are mostly male. 大型活動播音員多數是男生。 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]

Ep 1869每日英語跟讀 Ep.K402: 為何墮胎在美國是如此分歧的政治議題?
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K402: How abortion became a divisive issue in US politics The US Supreme Court has ruled there is no constitutional right to abortion in the US, upending the landmark Roe v Wade case from nearly 50 years ago in a rare reversal of long-settled law that will fracture reproductive rights in America. 美國最高法院裁定,墮胎權不受美國憲法保障,推翻了近五十年前具里程碑意義的「羅訴韋德案」,這逆轉制定已久法律的罕見之舉,將破壞美國的生殖權利。 Since the US Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion nationwide in 1973, the issue has become one of the defining fault lines in US politics, with Democratic politicians firmly supporting abortion rights and Republican lawmakers lining up in opposition. 自一九七三年美國最高法院對羅訴韋德案的裁決將墮胎在全美合法化以來,墮胎議題已成為美國政治的決定性斷層線之一,民主黨政客堅定支持墮胎權,而共和黨議員則是加入反對的行列。 In 1973 the lines were more blurred. Republican and Democratic voters were equally likely to say abortion should be legal, while it was easy to find Republican officials who supported abortion rights and Democrats who opposed the procedure. So what changed? 在一九七三年,這條分界線是模糊得多的。共和黨及民主黨的選民同樣可能認為墮胎應該合法,也很容易找到支持墮胎權的共和黨官員以及反對墮胎手術的民主黨人。那麼是發生了什麼變化? NOT A PARTISAN ISSUE AT FIRST Abortion on demand was legal in four states in the early 1970s, while 14 more allowed it under some circumstances. While the Catholic Church opposed abortion, the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest evangelical denomination, was on record saying it should be allowed in many circumstances. Neither party viewed abortion as a defining issue. Voters also did not see the issue along partisan lines. The General Social Survey opinion poll found in 1977 that 39 percent of Republicans said abortion should be allowed for any reason, compared to 35 percent of Democrats. 起初非關黨派 一九七○年代初期,應要求而墮胎在四個州是合法的,且還有十四州允許在某些情況下墮胎。 雖然天主教會反對墮胎,但最大的福音教派美南浸信會卻公開表示,墮胎在許多情況下都應被允許。 兩黨皆未將墮胎視為決定性的問題。 選民也沒有把此議題看做是黨派路線。一九七七年的美國社會概況調查發現,百分之三十九的共和黨員認為出於任何原因的墮胎皆應被允許,民主黨員持此觀點的比例為百分之三十五。 A CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT MOBILIZES In the years that followed, conservative activists like Phyllis Schlafly seized on the issue as a threat to traditional values and enlisted evangelical churches, which had shown a new interest in politics following a series of court rulings that limited prayer in public settings. These groups portrayed abortion as a threat to the family structure, along with broader social developments like gay rights, rising divorce rates, and women working outside of the home. For pastors and parishioners, abortion became a proxy issue for concerns about a liberalizing society, said Mary Ziegler, a legal historian at University of California-Davis. “For many evangelicals, this was more about family and women and sex,” she said. In 1980, the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution opposing abortion, reversing its earlier position. 保守陣營動員起來 在隨後的幾年裡,像菲利斯‧斯拉夫萊這樣的保守派活動家抓住此議題,將之視為對傳統價值觀的威脅,並串聯了福音派教會,這些教會在法院一連串裁決限制在公共場合禱告後,對政治顯出新的興趣。 這些團體將墮胎與同性戀權利、離婚率上升、女性外出工作等更廣泛的社會發展,描述為對家庭結構的威脅。加州大學戴維斯分校法律史學家瑪麗‧齊格勒表示,對於牧師和教區居民來說,墮胎成為一個代罪問題,概括了對社會日益自由化的擔憂。「對於許多福音派人士來說,它實為攸關家庭、女性和性的問題」,她說。一九八○年,美南浸信會通過了一項決議,反對墮胎,一反先前之立場。 POLITICIANS PICK SIDES - VOTERS FOLLOW In the years that followed, the dividing lines became more apparent as political candidates found it increasingly necessary to align with activists who were becoming more influential within their parties. Since 1989, abortion-rights groups have donated US$32 million to Democrats and US$3 million to Republican candidates who support keeping abortion legal, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks money in politics. Groups that opposed abortion have given US$14 million to Republicans and only US$372,000 to Democrats over that time period. Partisan differences widened in the following years, however, as the issue became a staple of TV attack ads fundraising appeals and mass rallies by interest groups. Other opinion polls have consistently shown that most Americans support some restrictions on abortion but oppose an outright ban. At the same time, Democrats have grown more absolute in their support for abortion rights. 政治選邊站 選民隨之起舞 在隨後幾年,政治候選人愈發覺得有必要跟在黨內影響力日漸增大的活動家口徑一致,此分界線也隨之變得更加明顯。 根據追蹤政治獻金的組織OpenSecrets的資料,自一九八九年以來,墮胎權利組織已捐贈民主黨三千兩百萬美元,向支持墮胎維持合法的共和黨候選人捐獻了三百萬美元。與此同時,反墮胎團體捐獻了一千四百萬美元給共和黨,而捐給民主黨的金額僅有三十七萬兩千美元。然而,之後幾年墮胎議題成為電視廣告攻擊、募款與利益團體大型集會的主題,黨派分歧也隨之擴大。 其他民調皆顯示,大多數美國人支持對墮胎採取一些限制,但反對徹底禁止。與此同時,民主黨員對墮胎權的支持變得更加絕對。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/07/05/2003781133

Ep 1868每日英語跟讀 Ep.K401: 加速凋零中的雜誌產業
每日英語跟讀 Ep.K401: The Magazine Business, From the Coolest Place to the Coldest One I miss magazines. It’s a strange ache, because they are still sort of with us: staring out from the racks at supermarket checkout lines; fanned wanly around the table in hotel lobbies; showing up in your mailbox long after the subscription was canceled, like an ex who refuses to accept the breakup. 我懷念雜誌,這是一種奇怪的痛,因為它們在某種程度上仍與我們同在。超市排隊結帳時,它們從架上盯著我們;在飯店大廳桌子周圍憔悴晃動;取消訂閱很久後還會出現在信箱,像是拒絕接受分手的舊愛。 But they’re also disappearing. This accelerating erosion has not been big news during a time of pandemic, war and actual erosion, and yet the absence of magazines authoritatively documenting such events, or distracting from them, as they used to do with measured regularity, is keenly felt. 但它們也在消失。在疫情、戰爭與雜誌真的衰微的時期,這種加速衰微並不是什麼大新聞,但人們敏銳地感覺到,缺乏權威性雜誌來記錄這些事件,或像過去那樣定期的讓注意力從這些事情轉移。 Time marches on, or limps, but Life is gone. There’s no more Money. The print editions of their former sister publications Entertainment Weekly and InStyle, which once frothed with profit, stopped publishing in February. It’s been au revoir to Saveur and Marie Claire; shrouds for Playboy, Paper and O. (As I type this, people are tweeting about The Believer being bought by a sex-toy site.) 「時代」雜誌還在前進,或說蹣跚前行,但「生活」雜誌已經逝去。「金錢」雜誌沒了。它們以前的姊妹刊物「娛樂周刊」和「InStyle」印刷版曾獲利豐厚,但已在2月停止出版。大家向「Saveur」和「美麗佳人」告別,也讓「花花公子」、「紙」與O雜誌穿上壽衣。(就在我撰寫此文時,人們在推特上說「The Believer」被一個情趣用品網站收購了。) Two recent books — “Dilettante,” by Dana Brown, a longtime editor at Vanity Fair, and a new biography of Anna Wintour, by Amy Odell, formerly of cosmopolitan.com — are graveyards of dead or zombie titles that were once glowing hives of human whim. 最近出版的兩本書,「浮華世界」資深編輯達納.布朗的「Dilettante」及柯夢波丹前成員艾咪.歐德爾的安娜溫圖新傳記,有如亡者的墓地,或曾是人類奇想的光輝巢穴冠上了殭屍名號。 “There were so many magazines in 1994,” Brown writes. “So many new magazines, and so many great magazines. All the young talent of the moment was eschewing other industries and flocking to the business. It was the coolest place to be.” 布朗寫道:「1994年有很多雜誌。很多新雜誌,很多很棒的雜誌。當時所有年輕人才避開了其他行業,湧向這個行業。那是最酷的。」 Then suddenly the coldest. On the big fancy cruise ship that Brown had just boarded — Vanity Fair, where he’d been beckoned by Graydon Carter while a barback at the restaurant 44 — he and so many others then could only see the tip of an enormous iceberg they were about to hit: the internet. Smartphones, little self-edited monster magazines that will not rest until their owners die, were on the horizon. These may have looked like life rafts, but they were torpedo boats. 然後突然變成最冰冷的地方。布朗在44號餐廳吧檯用餐時,被總編輯卡特招攬,剛登上有如大型豪華郵輪的「浮華世界」,但他跟其他許多人只能看到他們即將撞上的巨大冰山一角:網路。智慧手機這種自我編輯、直到擁有者死去才會停止的小怪物雜誌也即將來臨。這些東西可能看起來像是救生艇,但它們其實是魚雷艦。 Every year, the American Society of Magazine Editors issues a handsome award, a brutalist-looking elephant called the Ellie, modeled after an Alexander Calder elephant sculpture. Any writer would be proud to have it on the mantelpiece. 每年,美國雜誌編輯協會都會頒發一項大獎,這是一頭野獸派風格、名叫「艾利」的大象獎座,模仿考爾德大象雕塑設計而成。作家都以把它放在壁爐上為榮。 The history of modern American literature is braided together with its magazines. The future can feel like a lot of loose threads, waving in the wind. 現代美國文學史與它的雜誌彼此交織在一起。未來就像是許多鬆散的線,在風中飄揚。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6379678