通勤學英語 15Mins Today

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K400: 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

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K399: Unequal Toll From Climate Change’s Effects

India has contributed little to climate change: Home to 18% of the world’s population, it has emitted just 3% of planet-warming greenhouse gases.

印度在促成氣候變遷方面幾乎沒做什麼：人口占全球18%，卻只排放3%使地球變暖的溫室氣體。

But India is suffering from climate change. Over the past three months, a heat wave has devastated north India and neighboring Pakistan. Temperatures surpassed 43.33 degrees Celsius.

但印度苦於氣候變遷。過去三個月，熱浪重創北印度和鄰國巴基斯坦。氣溫曾超過攝氏43.33度。

It is so hot that overheated birds fell out of the sky in Gurgaon, India, and a historic bridge in northern Pakistan collapsed after melting snow and ice at a glacial lake released a torrent of water.

天氣熱到讓印度古爾岡市的鳥類受不了暑氣從天空掉下，北巴基斯坦一座具歷史意義的橋梁因為冰河湖雪冰融化釋出洪水而倒塌。

Scientists say global warming almost certainly played a role in the heat wave.

科學家說，幾乎可以確定全球暖化在這波熱浪中起作用。

And rising temperatures stand to make unusually hotter weather more common not just in India and Pakistan but around the world, including in the U.S.

因氣溫逐步升高而將更常出現罕見熱天氣的不只是印度和巴基斯坦，還有全球各地，包括美國。

Indians have responded by staying indoors as much as possible, particularly during the afternoon hours. The government has encouraged this, pushing schools to close early and businesses to shift work schedules.

印度人回應的方式是盡可能待在室內，尤其在下午。政府鼓勵這樣做，逼學校早點關門，要企業改變工作時間表。

The measures have kept down deaths — with fewer than 100 recorded so far, an improvement from heat waves years ago that killed thousands.

這些措施壓低了死亡數，迄今記錄在案的死者不到百人，比多年前熱浪造成數千人喪命有進步。

But these measures have costs. School time is cut short, so students learn less. People do not travel to their jobs, so work is less productive. The heat kept some farmers inside and stunted harvests, so crop yields fell and global food prices increased. Social life is disrupted.

但這些措施有其代價。在校時間縮短，所以學生學得少。人們不必通勤去工作，因此生產力下降。炎熱讓一些農民待在室內，妨礙收成，因而農作物產量減少，全球食物價格上漲。社交生活受阻。

The situation could be likened to the mixed effects of COVID lockdowns: Measures for adapting to climate change can help prevent the worst health outcomes, but they come with real costs.

這種情形或許類似防疫封鎖措施的混合效應：適應氣候變遷措施也能避免最糟糕的公共衛生後果，但隨之而來的是真正的代價。

“We’re saving lives, but then livelihoods are lost,” said Roxy Koll, a climate scientist in India.

印度氣候科學家柯爾說：「我們挽救生命，但然後就沒了生計。」

The geography of poor countries — many are close to the equator — is not the only reason climate change is such a burden for them. Poverty is another factor, leaving them with fewer resources to adapt.

許多窮國靠近赤道，但位置並不是氣候變遷對這些國家造成負擔的唯一原因。貧困是另一個因素，讓這些國家可供調適的資源更少。

There is a paradox to the climate crisis. Because India never fully industrialized, it has not released as many greenhouse gases as the U.S., European nations and other rich countries. But because it has not industrialized, it also has fewer resources to adapt than the richer, polluting nations.

氣候危機有個自相矛盾的情況。由於印度從未完全工業化，排放的溫室氣體不像美國、歐洲國家等富國那麼多。不過也因為印度還沒工業化，可供調適的資源也比排放汙染的富國少。

There is a cycle here: To adapt, countries have to adopt modern technologies. But since these technologies often require planet-warming oil and coal, their use aggravates climate change and, consequently, extreme weather.

這裡有個循環：為了調適，各國必須採用現代技術。不過由於這些技術通常需要用到會使地球暖化的石油和煤，採用這些技術會加重氣候變遷，讓極端天氣更常出現。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6396918

Summary:

主題文章：https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220614-the-exodus-of-paris-chefs-to-the-countryside

Chefs in the big cities are now moving to the countryside. Many reasons drive chefs to open up shop in the countryside where the customers, produce, and attractions are different. In this episode, Angel and I chat about whether this phenomenon is present in Taiwan, and why the chefs prefer running their business in the countryside. Any local farm to table restaurants that you would recommend? Let us know down below!

Vocabulary:

1. Farm-to-table 原生態餐廳/農場到餐桌

Restaurants that promote farm-to-table will use local, seasonal produce in their dishes. 餐廳提倡原生態飲食會使用當季、當地食材做料理。

1. Spoiled for choice phr. 選擇太多被寵壞

Taiwan is a foodie country. We are spoiled for choice when it comes to food. 台灣是美食國家。我們都有太多美食選擇，也被寵壞了。

1. Mahi Mahi n. 鬼頭刀魚

Taidong and Hualien are the only places where mahi mahi can be fished. 鬼頭刀魚只有台東跟花蓮有。

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]

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K398: Omicron less likely to cause long COVID — UK study

The Omicron variant of coronavirus is less likely to cause long COVID than previous variants, according to the first peer-reviewed study of its kind from the UK.

英國一項研究顯示，冠狀病毒之Omicron變異株跟之前的變種相比，較不易導致「長新冠」後遺症。這是首件經同儕審查的此類研究。

Researchers at King’s College London, using data from the ZOE COVID Symptom study app, found the odds of developing long COVID after infection were 20 percent to 50 percent lower during the Omicron wave in the UK compared to Delta. The figure varied depending on the patient’s age and the timing of their last vaccination.

倫敦大學國王學院研究人員分析應用程式「ZOE新型冠狀病毒疾病症狀研究」之資料，發現與Delta變異株相比，在英國這波Omicron疫情期間，感染後發生COVID後遺症的機率低了百分之二十至百分之五十，數字因患者之年齡及上一次接種疫苗的時間而異。

Long COVID, which includes prolonged symptoms ranging from fatigue to “brain fog,” can be debilitating and continue for weeks or months. It is increasingly being recognized as a public health problem, and researchers have been racing to find out if Omicron presents as big a risk of long COVID as previously dominant variants.

COVID後遺症包括從疲倦到「腦霧」的長期症狀，可使人虛弱，並持續數週或數月。它越來越被認為是公共衛生問題，研究人員一直在努力找出Omicron的後遺症風險是否跟先前的主要變異株一樣高。

The study from King’s is believed to be the first academic research to show Omicron does not present as great a risk of long COVID, but that does not mean long COVID patient numbers are dropping, the team said.

國王學院研究小組表示，此研究據信為第一項表明Omicron的COVID後遺症風險並不如此高的學術研究，但這不表示COVID後遺症患者的人數正在下降。

While the risk of long COVID was lower during Omicron, more people were infected, so the absolute number now suffering is higher.

雖然感染Omicron後導致COVID後遺症的風險較低，但因Omicron的感染人數更多，所以現在苦於此後遺症的絕對人數更高。

“It’s good news, but please don’t decommission any of your long COVID services,” lead researcher Dr Claire Steves told Reuters, appealing to health-service providers.

「這是個好消息，但請不要停止對COVID後遺症的任何治療」，研究計畫主持人克萊兒‧史帝芙斯博士在接受路透社訪問時，對醫療業提出此呼籲。

The UK’s Office for National Statistics said in May that 438,000 people in the country have long COVID after Omicron infection, representing 24 percent of all long COVID patients.

英國國家統計局在五月表示，有四十三萬八千人在感染Omicron後患有COVID後遺症，佔英國所有COVID後遺症患者的百分之二十四。

It also said the risk of lingering symptoms after Omicron was lower than with Delta, but only for double-vaccinated people. It found no statistical difference for those who were triple vaccinated.

它還表示，感染Omicron後有持續症狀的風險低於感染Delta，但這只是對接種兩劑疫苗的人而言，而接種三劑疫苗的人在統計上並無差異。

In the King’s research, 4.5 percent of the 56,003 people studied during Omicron’s peak, December 2021-March 2022, reported long COVID. That compared to 10.8 percent of 41,361 people during the Delta wave, June-November 2021. It did not compare vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.

國王學院在二○二一年十二月至二○二二年三月Omicron疫情高峰期間所研究的五萬六千零三人中，有百分之四點五的人表示有COVID後遺症。而在二○二一年六月至十一月的Delta變異株疫情期間所研究的四萬一千三百六十一人，有COVID後遺症的比例則為百分之十點八。此研究並未對疫苗接種者及未接種者做比較。

While the study — published in The Lancet journal on Thursday last week — compared Delta and Omicron, Dr Steves said previous work had showed no substantial difference in long COVID risk between other variants.More work was needed to establish why Omicron may have a lower long COVID risk, the team added.

雖然這項上週四發表於《刺胳針》期刊的研究比較了Delta及Omicron變異株的情況，但史帝芙斯博士表示，先前的研究顯示，其他變異株之間的COVID後遺症風險並無實質差異。

該研究小組補充說，Omicron的COVID後遺症風險可能較低之原因，需要做更多研究才能確定。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/06/28/2003780674

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K397: Bookstores Are Keeping This Tiny Spanish Village Alive

Standing on a hilltop in northwestern Spain, Urueña overlooks a vast and windswept landscape of sunflower and barley fields, as well as a famous winery. The walls of some shops are built directly into the 12th-century ramparts of the village.

位處西班牙西北部一座山頂上的烏魯艾尼亞村，俯瞰一片廣袤且常有強風侵襲的向日葵與大麥田，以及一家知名的釀酒廠。一些店家的牆壁直接建在這個村莊12世紀的防禦土牆裡。

Despite its rugged beauty, Urueña, like many villages in the Spanish countryside, has struggled over recent decades with an aging and dwindling population that has left it stagnant at about only 100 full-time residents. There is no butcher and no baker; both retired in the past few months. The local school has just nine students.

儘管烏魯艾尼亞有種粗獷的美，但就像西班牙鄉間許多村落一樣，近幾十年苦於人口老化與減少，這已使村莊停滯，常住居民僅約百人。沒有肉販和麵包師傅，這兩人都在過去數月退休。當地學校只有9個學生。

But for the past decade or so, one business has been thriving in Urueña: books. There are 11 stores that sell books, including nine dedicated bookshops.

但大約這十年來，有一種生意在烏魯艾尼亞欣欣向榮，就是書店。村裡有11家店賣書，其中9家只賣書。

“I was born in a village that didn’t have a bookstore and where people certainly cared a lot more about farming their land and their animals than about books,” said Francisco Rodríguez, the 53-year-old mayor of Urueña. “This change is a bit strange, but it’s a source of pride for a tiny place to have become a cultural center, which now also certainly makes us different and special compared to the other villages around us.”

烏魯艾尼亞53歲村長羅德里格斯說：「我出生的時候，村裡沒有書店，大家關心耕種土地和畜養動物當然遠勝過看書。這個變化有點奇怪，不過一個小地方變成文化中心讓我們自豪，跟周邊其他村莊相較之下，當然讓我們顯得不同且特別。」

The attempt to turn Urueña into a literary hub dates to 2007, when provincial authorities invested about 3 million euros to help restore and convert village buildings into bookstores and to construct an exhibition and conference center. They offered a symbolic rental fee of 10 euros per month to people interested in running a bookstore.

把烏魯艾尼亞變成書香重鎮的努力始於2007年，當時政府投入300萬歐元，修復村內建物轉作書店，並興建一座會議展覽中心。他們對有意經營書店的人，每月只收象徵性的10歐元租金。

The plan was to keep Urueña alive with book tourism, modeling it after other rural literary hubs across Europe — notably, Montmorillon in France and Hay-on-Wye in Britain. Hay has long hosted one of the continent’s most famous literary festivals.

這個計畫是用書店旅遊維持烏魯艾尼亞的生機，仿效歐洲各地其他農村的書香重鎮，特別是法國的蒙莫里永和英國的瓦伊河畔海伊。海伊長久以來是歐洲最出名書展之一的舉辦地。

Spain has one of Europe’s biggest book-publishing markets, feeding a network of about 3,000 independent bookstores — and double that number if stationery shops and other places that sell books are counted. But about 40% of bookstores have less than 90,000 euros in annual revenue, which amounts to operating “a subsistence business,” according to Álvaro Manso, spokesperson for CEGAL, an association that represents Spain’s independent bookstores.

西班牙是歐洲最大書籍出版市場之一，養活約3000家獨立書店，如果把賣書的文具店和其他地方算在內，數字是兩倍。不過，代表西班牙獨立書店的「西班牙圖書行業協會」發言人曼索說，約40%書店年營收不到9萬歐元，相當於在經營「只夠老闆溫飽的生意」。

“The trend is one in which size matters and more of the very small bookstores will disappear” as they have in other countries where book sectors have consolidated, Manso said.

曼索說，「如今趨勢是規模很重要，更多小書店會消失」，就像其他國家書店業整併一樣。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6362727

Autobahn Speed Limits? Voting With Lead Feet

It seemed like a no-brainer: Lower Germany’s embarrassingly high carbon emissions at no cost, and save some lives in the process.

這聽起來是個不費腦筋的好主意：不須付出成本，便減低德國高得使人羞愧的碳排放量，還可以順道拯救人命。

But when a government-appointed commission in January dared to float the idea of a speed limit on the autobahn, the country’s storied highway network, it almost caused rioting.

Irate drivers took to the airwaves. Union leaders menacingly put on their yellow vests, hinting at street protests. And the far-right opposition used the opportunity to rage against the “stranglehold” of the state.

然而，當政府指派的委員會元月大膽提出在德國名聞全球的高速公路上設速限的構想時，卻幾乎引發暴動。

暴怒的開車族在廣播裡抱怨，工會領袖意帶威脅地穿上黃背心，暗示將上街抗議。極右派反對黨趁機對國家的「箝制」大事撻伐。

A highway speed limit was “contrary to every common sense,” the transport minister, Andreas Scheuer, swiftly declared, contradicting his own experts.And that was that.

德國運輸部長安德烈・舒爾很快就宣布，給高速公路設速限「完全違反常情」，立場和自己的專家團隊相牴觸。此事就此打消。

As far as quasi-religious national obsessions go for large portions of a country’s population, the German aversion to speed limits on the autobahn is up there with gun control in America, whaling in Japan and sovereignty in Britain.

就一國高比例人口近乎宗教信仰式的執念而言，德國人對高速公路限速的反感之深，一如美國人對於槍枝管制，日本人對於捕鯨，和英國人對於主權。

With few exceptions, like Afghanistan and the Isle of Man, there are highway speed limits essentially everywhere else in the world.

世界上除了阿富汗和英國曼島等極少數例外，其他地方的公路基本上都有速限。

But this is Germany, the self-declared “auto nation,” where Carl Benz built the first automobile and where cars are not only the proudest export item but also a symbol of national identity.

但這可是自詡為「汽車王國」的德國，卡爾·賓士在這裡造出第一輛汽車，汽車不僅是令人驕傲的出口品，還是國家身分的象徵。

It’s also the country where, in darker times, Hitler laid the groundwork for a network of multilane highways that in the postwar years came to epitomize economic success — and freedom.

同樣的這個國家，在它較黯淡的時代，希特勒打下多車道高速公路系統的基礎，而這系統在戰後年月裡成為經濟成就和自由的典範。

Call it Germany’s Wild West: The autobahn is the one place in a highly regulated society where no rule is the rule — and that place is sacred.

把它想成德國的「大西部」吧：在一個受到高度規制的社會裡，高速公路是唯一沒有規矩就是它的規矩的地方，而此處神聖不可侵犯。

“It’s a very emotional topic,” confided Stefan Gerwens, head of transport and mobility at ADAC, an automobile club with 20 million members, which is opposed to any speed limit. So emotional, apparently, that facts and figures count for little.

「這是個高度情緒化的議題。」全德汽車俱樂部的運輸流動主任史帝芬・葛文如此坦承。全德汽車俱樂部是有兩千萬會員的汽車社團，他們徹底反對給高速公路設下速限。這個議題顯然太具情緒性，以致事實和數據都變得無關痛癢。

Germany is woefully behind on meeting its 2020 climate goals, so the government appointed a group of experts to find ways to lower emissions in the transport sector. Cars account for 11 percent of total emissions, and their share is rising.

德國距離達成2020年的氣候目標已大幅落後，因此政府指派了專家團隊以找出減低運輸方面碳排放的方法。車輛的碳排放量佔去總排放量的一成一，而且比例還在增高。

A highway speed limit of 120 kph, or 75 mph, could cover a fifth of the gap to reach the 2020 goals for the transport sector, environmental experts say.

環境專家說，給高速公路設置時速120公里（或75英里）的速限，可以在交通方面填補五分之一的缺口，協助達成2020年的氣候目標。

“Of all the individual measures, it is the one that would be the most impactful — and it costs nothing,” said Dorothee Saar, of Deutsche Umwelthilfe, a nonprofit environmental organization that has lobbied for a speed limit.

「在所有個人可以達成的事項裡，這是最具影響力，也不須花費成本的方法。」非營利環保組織「德國環境救援」的朵樂絲・薩爾說，此組織長年力促給高速公度限速。

“But when it comes to cars,” Saar sighed, “the debate tends to become irrational.”

「可是一談到車，」薩爾嘆息道：「辯論往往就變得不理性了。」

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/337656/web/

Next Article

About cars - Man in Germany drives to driving test

A man in Germany has discovered the hard way that it’s best to get a driving license first before trying to use it.

德國一名男子從教訓中學到：在試圖使用駕駛執照之前，最好先拿到它。

Police in Bergheim, near Cologne, said Tuesday that the 37-year-old drove himself to his driving test, parking an Opel Zafira outside the test center in front of an astonished examiner.

科隆附近的貝格海姆警方週二說，這名37歲民眾自己開車赴駕駛執照考試，在一名驚訝的監考官面前，把一台歐寶Zafira車款停在考試中心外。

They said he told police officers who were called to the scene on Monday that he had only driven because he wanted to make sure to get to the driving test on time.

他們說，他告訴週一被叫到現場的警官們說，他開車只是因為想要確保及時抵達那場駕駛執照考試。

His test was immediately called off. The man now faces an investigation for driving without a license. Police also opened an investigation of the car’s owner.

他的考試立刻被取消。這名男子現在因無照駕駛面臨調查。警方也對車主展開調查。

Next Article

Danish police confiscate luxury sports car caught speeding 丹麥警方沒收超速的豪華跑車

Danish police have confiscated a high-performance luxury car after its new owner was caught speeding as he drove it home from Germany to Norway.

丹麥警方沒收了一輛高性能的豪華汽車，在它的新車主超速被逮以後，當時他開著它從德國回挪威家。

The man, an Iraqi citizen resident in Norway who was not identified, was registered Thursday as driving at 236 kph in his Lamborghini Huracán on a stretch of highway where the top speed is 130 kph.

這名男子是個居住於挪威的伊拉克公民，身分未明，週四在一段最高時速130公里的高速公路上，被紀錄到以每小時236公里速度駕著他的藍寶堅尼「颶風」。

Under a new Danish law, police can seize the vehicles of reckless drivers and auction them off, with the money going into Danish coffers.

根據丹麥一項新的法律，警察可沒收魯莽駕駛人的車輛並拍賣它們，錢則進丹麥國庫。

The Nordjyske newspaper said the man had bought the car hours earlier in Germany for 2 million kroner.

《北日德蘭報》說，這名男子幾個小時前在德國以200萬克朗購入這輛車。

The car owner will also be fined for speeding in due course.

車主當理也將因超速被罰。 Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1486857 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1478842

Truck Makers Face Choice: Go Battery or Hydrogen？

Even before war in Ukraine sent fuel prices through the roof, the trucking industry was under intense pressure to kick its addiction to diesel, a major contributor to climate change and urban air pollution. But it still has to figure out which technology will best do the job.

在烏克蘭戰爭導致燃料價格飆漲之前，卡車運輸業就面臨擺脫柴油成癮的巨大壓力，但它仍須弄清楚哪種技術最能勝任此事。柴油是氣候變遷與城市空汙的主要原因。

Truck makers are divided into two camps. One faction, which includes Traton, Volkswagen’s truck unit, is betting on batteries because they are widely regarded as the most efficient option. The other camp, which includes Daimler Truck and Volvo, the two largest truck manufacturers, argues that fuel cells that convert hydrogen into electricity — emitting only water vapor — make more sense because they would allow long-haul trucks to be refueled quickly.

卡車製造商分為兩個陣營，包括福斯卡車部門Traton在內的一派看好電池，因電池被廣泛認為是最有效率的選項。另一個陣營則包括戴姆勒卡車和富豪這兩家最大的卡車製造公司，他們認為將氫轉化為電能僅排放水蒸氣的燃料電池更有意義，因為它們可讓長途卡車快速充電。

The choice companies make could be hugely consequential, helping to determine who dominates trucking in the electric vehicle age and who ends up wasting billions of dollars on the Betamax equivalent of electric truck technology, committing a potentially fatal error. It takes years to design and produce new trucks, so companies will be locked into the decisions they make now for a decade or more.

這些公司做出的選擇可能會帶來重大影響，並且有助於確認在電動車時代，誰將主宰卡車運輸業以及誰最終會在電動卡車版的Betamax技術浪費數十億美元，犯下潛在致命錯誤。設計和生產新的卡車需耗時數年，因此企業在未來10年或更長時間裡，將受制於現在做出的決定。

“It’s obviously one of the most important technology decisions we have to make,” said Andreas Gorbach, a member of the management board of Daimler Truck, which owns Freightliner in the United States and is the largest truck maker in the world.

全球卡車製造龍頭戴姆勒卡車的管理層成員哥爾巴赫說：「這顯然是我們必須做出的最重要技術決策之一。」該公司在美國擁有福萊納卡車品牌。

The stakes for the environment and for public health are also high. If many truck makers wager incorrectly, it could take much longer to clean up trucking than scientists say we have to limit the worst effects of climate change. In the United States, medium- and heavy-duty trucks account for 7% of greenhouse gas emissions.

環境和公眾健康面臨的風險也很高。若許多卡車製造商押錯寶，清理卡車運輸業所需的時間，恐比科學家所說人類必須限制氣候變遷最壞影響的時限還要長。在美國，中型與重型卡車占溫室氣體排放量的7%。

Although sales of electric cars are exploding, large truck makers have only begun to mass-produce emission-free vehicles. Daimler Truck, for example, began producing an electric version of its heavy-duty Actros truck, with a maximum range of 240 miles, late last year. Tesla unveiled a design for a battery-powered semitruck in 2017 but has not set a firm production date.

儘管電動車銷量爆炸性成長，但大型卡車製造商才剛開始大規模生產零碳排車輛，例如戴姆勒卡車公司去年底開始生產重型卡車Actros的電動版本，最大行駛里程達240英里。特斯拉在2017年發布一款電池動力的卡車Semi，但具體生產日期未定。

Cost will be a decisive factor. Unlike car buyers, who might splurge on a vehicle because they like the way it looks or the status it conveys, truck buyers carefully calculate how much a rig is going to cost them to buy, maintain and refuel.

價格將會是一項決定性因素。卡車買家會仔細計算整套配備的價格、維護及補充燃料費用，不像汽車買家，可能會因為喜歡車的外觀或者能夠顯示他們的地位而揮霍。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6260402

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主題: 英語慣用語系列 – 料理相關慣用語 Cooking related Idioms

1. Half-baked ideas:Ideas which have not been thought out very well.

• My assistant usually has half-baked ideas but I never discourage her because once in a while she thinks of something brilliant.

1. Stir the pot: To deliberately try to make a situation/people more tense and upset.

• My annoying friend was always trying to stir the pot and I really hated the drama.

1. Cook the books: To falsify the financial figures of a company's accounting books.

• She used to work in our finance department but she was convicted of fraud and cooking the books.

1. Butter someone up: To praise, flatter or be very nice to someone so they will do something you want.

• Stop trying to butter me up. I already told you that I'm not buying you a new iPhone.

1. Grill someone: To interrogate or intensely question someone in order to try to get a confession or answers.

• My parents keep grilling me about what we did Saturday night but I keep telling them that we stayed at your house and watched movies.

練習時間:

哪個慣用語跟你生活經驗有關，請分享

Where would you use the idiom in your daily life? Please share~

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K396: About health - Dentist claims kissing is as good for your teeth as brushing

A dentist claims that smooching is excellent for dental health as it boosts saliva production and clears the mouth of bacteria and acids that cause decay.

一位牙醫聲稱，咬唇接吻可以促進唾液分泌，清除口腔中腐蝕牙齒的有害細菌和酸，極有益於牙齒健康。

Orthodontist Khaled Kasem thinks that people should spend four minutes a day locking lips on top of the traditional brushing and flossing.

齒顎矯正醫生卡里德‧卡西姆認為，人們在傳統刷牙和使用牙線之外，應每天熱吻4分鐘。

A daily snog also reduces infection risk because bacteria from your partner’s saliva boost your immune system.

每天接吻還可以降低感染風險，因為伴侶唾液中的細菌會增強你的免疫系統。

Other health benefits include stress relief, thanks to love hormones, and more youthful looks from exercising the face muscles.

接吻的其他健康益處還包括緩解壓力，這要歸功於愛情荷爾蒙，鍛鍊臉部肌肉還會讓你看起來更年輕。

But lovers might swap bad bacteria and boost the risk of decay if one of them already has dental problems.

但如果戀人之間已經有1人的牙齒出現問題，那麼接吻可能會交換壞細菌，增加蛀牙風險。

Next Article

A pack of crisps a day could lead to one stone weight gain每天1包洋芋片體重恐增加1英石

People drastically underestimate the number of calories in their snacks, with experts warning that eating a bag of crisps every day could lead to a stone of weight gain in a year.

人們大大低估了零食中的卡路里，專家警告，每天吃1包洋芋片可能會導致體重在1年內增加1英石（約6.4公斤）。

A survey of around 2,000 adults found that around three quarters underestimated the impact of a small reduction could have. One in ten believed that cutting 200 calories a day would not affect weight.

一項對大約2000名成年人的調查發現，約4分之3的人低估了少吃一點可能產生的影響。10分之1的人認為，1天減少200卡路里熱量不會影響體重。

When it came to snacks, people struggled, with 95 percent guessing that half a sharing bag of tortilla chips had 214 calories on average, almost half the true figure of 447.

零食讓人們難以琢磨，95％的人猜測半包墨西哥玉米薄餅的平均熱量為214卡路里，幾乎是真實數字447的一半。

New rules coming into force in October will restrict promotions on foods high in fat, sugar and salt in big shops.

10月生效的新規定將限制大型商店對高脂肪、高糖和高鹽食品的促銷活動。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1521331 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1522621

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K395: About Sweden - Seductive rubbish: Swedish dustbins scream with pleasure

"Aaah that was really good", "come back soon and do it again" and "Mmmm, thank you".

「啊，真是太棒了」、「快回來再做一 次」和「嗯，謝謝你。」

It’s not what you think. They are audio messages broadcast by rubbish bins in the southern Swedish city of Malmo, where authorities recently changed the voice from a man’s to that of a sensual female, hoping it would be more soothing.

別想歪了。它們是瑞典南部城市馬爾默的垃圾桶播放的語音訊息，當局最近將聲音從男人的聲音，改成充滿慾望的女性聲音，希望讓人感覺更為舒服。

Previously the voice thanking people for disposing their garbage was a male, barking out no-nonsense messages from the public bins.

原本感謝民眾丟垃圾的是男性聲音，這些公共垃圾桶會大聲說出嚴肅的話。

But in a bid to make the experience of throwing out garbage more pleasant, the voice is now a husky timbre delivering double entendres.

但為了讓丟垃圾的體驗更愉快，聲音現在變成了沙啞的音色，語句還帶有雙關意涵。

The dustbins were installed a few years ago in Sweden’s third largest city. A detector triggers the messages every time someone opens a dustbin.

這座瑞典第三大城幾年前設置這些垃圾桶，每當有民眾打開垃圾桶時，感應器就會觸發這種語音訊息。

Next Article

Swedish bank robber busted by forgotten urine 瑞典銀行劫匪被被遺忘的尿液搗毀

A Swedish bank robber forgot to cover his tracks and left three bottles of urine behind after hiding inside a bank vault in Copenhagen for three days.

一名瑞典銀行劫匪忘了掩蓋自己的蹤跡，在哥本哈根的銀行金庫里躲藏了三天后，留下了三瓶尿液。

The 27-year-old man and his accomplice used the bottles to relieve themselves after sneaking into the vault on a Friday in May and remaining there until the bank opened again the following Monday.

這名27歲的男子和他的同夥在5月的一個星期五潛入金庫後用這些瓶子來緩解自己，並留在那裡，直到下週一銀行再次開放。

While inside, the robbers emptied 140 safety deposit boxes of at least $500,000 in cash and jewellery. But Prosecutor Frederik Larsen said Wednesday they forgot to take the urine when they left "so we were able to get their DNA samples from the bottles."

在裡面，劫匪清空了140個保險箱，裡面至少有50萬美元的現金和珠寶。但檢察官弗雷德里克·拉森（Frederik Larsen）週三表示，他們離開時忘記取尿，“所以我們能夠從瓶子里取出他們的DNA樣本。

The evidence helped prosecutors win a 21-month prison sentence for the Swede on Tuesday. His accomplice is still at large and the loot hasn't been recovered.

這些證據説明檢察官在週二為瑞典人贏得了21個月的監禁。他的同夥仍然逍遙法外，贓物尚未找到。

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1523911 ; https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/swedish-bank-robber-busted-by-forgotten-urine-449545

Summary:

In modern society, having a fixed skillset and hyper-focused experience may not help us weather the ever-changing economic cycles and market changes. As our careers get longer, we need to think about reinventing, or at least, pivoting to alternate viable career paths. In this episode, Angel and I speak about what is needed to reinvent oneself, and share what we think is the next leg of our careers. What do you think are the key components to reinventing your career? Let us know down below!

Vocabulary:

1. Go through the hoops idiom. 面對種種障礙

As you get older and the job market becomes more competitive, you would need to go through the hoops to find a good job. 當你變老和就業市場變得更競爭的時候，找工作就更加困難。

1. Entrepreneurialism n. 創業家思維

Everyone will get to a phase in their careers where entrepreneurialism will push them further. 每個人的職涯都會走到一個創業家思維階段做更近一步的發展。

1. Next leg of phr. 下一段

John started podcasting to prepare for the next leg of his career. John開始做podcast來為他的下一段職涯做準備。

更多Vocab Podcast節目: https://www.15mins.today/vocab

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