通勤學英語 15Mins Today

Topic: France bans plastic packaging for fruit and veg

A law banning plastic packaging for large numbers of fruits and vegetables has come into force in France as of New Year’s Day, to end what the government has called the “aberration” of overwrapped carrots, apples and bananas, as environmental campaigners and exasperated shoppers urged other countries to do the same.

法國一項於元旦生效的法律，禁止多種水果及蔬菜以塑膠包裝，讓政府所說的胡蘿蔔、蘋果與香蕉過度包裝的「脫軌現象」畫下句點。環保人士與惱怒的顧客也敦促其他國家採取同樣的措施。

Emmanuel Macron has called the ban on plastic packaging of fresh produce “a real revolution” and said France was taking the lead globally with its law to gradually phase out all single-use plastics by 2040.

法國總統艾曼紐‧馬克宏將生鮮蔬果的塑膠包裝禁令稱為「一場真正的革命」，他說法國領先全球制定了法律，要在二○四○年前逐步淘汰所有的一次性塑膠。

Spain will introduce a ban on plastic packaging of fruit and vegetables from 2023. For years, international campaigners have said unnecessary plastic packaging is causing environmental damage and pollution at sea.

西班牙將從二○二三年起，禁止使用塑膠包裝水果及蔬菜。國際倡議人士多年來不斷表示，不必要的塑膠包裝正造成環境破壞及海洋污染。

From New Year’s Day, France bans supermarkets and other shops from selling cucumbers wrapped in plastic, and peppers, courgettes, aubergines and leeks in plastic packaging. A total of 30 types of fruit and vegetables are banned from having any plastic wrapping, including bananas, pears, lemons, oranges and kiwis.

法國自元旦起禁止超市等商店銷售以塑膠包裹的黃瓜，以及用塑膠包裝的甜椒、櫛瓜、茄子與韭蔥。禁止使用任何塑膠包裝的共有三十種水果及蔬菜，包括香蕉、梨子、檸檬、柳橙與奇異果。

Packs over 1.5kg are exempt, as well as chopped or processed fruit. Some varieties, including cherry tomatoes or soft fruits such as raspberries and blueberries, are given longer for producers to find alternatives to plastic, but plastic packaging will be gradually phased out for all whole fruits and vegetables by 2026.

一點五公斤裝以上的蔬果，以及切成小塊或加工過的水果，則不受此限塑令規範。一些品種，包括櫻桃番茄，或是軟水果例如覆盆子及藍莓，其生產商可有較多的時間尋找塑膠替代品，但到了二○二六年，所有水果及蔬菜的塑膠包裝都將逐步淘汰。

With an estimated 37 percent of fruit and vegetables sold wrapped in plastic packaging in France in 2021, the government believes the ban will cut more than 1bn items of single-use plastic packaging a year. The environment ministry said there must be curbs on the “outrageous amount of single-use plastic in our daily lives.”

二○二一年在法國販售的水果及蔬菜，有百分之三十七是以塑膠包裝；法國政府據此估計，此禁塑令每年將減少十億件以上的一次性塑膠包裝。法國環境部表示，「我們日常生活中對一次性塑膠毫無節制的使用」必須加以約束。

Fruit and vegetables wrapped in layers of plastic have exasperated consumers not only in France but neighboring countries. Nearly three-quarters of British people have experienced “anxiety, frustration or hopelessness” at the amount of plastic that comes with their shopping and 59 percent think supermarkets and brands are not doing enough to offer refillable, reusable or packaging-free products, according to a poll commissioned by Friends of the Earth and City to Sea in June last year.

將水果及蔬菜以塑膠層層包裹，惹惱的不只是法國人，還有鄰近國家的消費者。去年六月由環保組織「地球之友」與「城市至海」所委託進行的一項民意調查發現，近四分之三的英國人對購物時用到的塑膠數量感到「焦慮、無力或絕望」，百分之五十九的人認為超市及品牌在提供可填充、可重複使用或無包裝產品方面做得不夠。Source Article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/01/11/2003771107

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Topic: Daily bananas intake good, but not for kidney failure patients

Bananas are one of the most commonly seen and eaten fruits. Eating bananas brings many benefits, such as replenishing energy and lowering blood pressure, and can even improve your mood. There is a rumor going around online that you should not eat bananas every day because they are a high-potassium food that can damage your kidneys if you eat too many, but the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) says only people with impaired kidney function have a metabolic deficiency that compels them to avoid eating bananas every day.

香蕉是平日最常見、又最常吃的水果之一。吃香蕉有很多好處，像是補充體力、降血壓、甚至能讓心情變好，而網傳香蕉是高鉀食物，吃多了會傷腎，不能天天吃；國民健康署表示，只有腎臟功能不全的人，因代謝功能不足，才不能天天吃。

Bananas are classified as a medium-potassium food, containing about 325 milligrams of potassium per 100 grams of banana flesh, or about 200 to 399 milligrams of potassium per serving (half a large banana or a whole small one). Research shows that bananas can regulate bowel movements, relieve depression, reduce oxidation, lower blood pressure, promote cardiovascular health and prevent stroke, among other things.

香蕉屬於中量鉀食物，每一百公克香蕉果肉，約含鉀三百二十五毫克，每份（大的半根，小的一根）約含鉀量兩百到三百九十九毫克。實證研究指出，香蕉能夠潤腸通便、解鬱、抗氧化、降血壓、促進心血管健康及防止中風等。

According to the HPA, for people with normal kidney function, consuming plenty of potassium ions from bananas or other food can regulate blood pressure and indirectly protect the kidneys. Only for people with impaired kidney function — those who have been diagnosed with kidney failure — can it be harmful to their health, as they cannot excrete potassium ions.

國健署表示，一般腎臟功能正常者，多攝取來自香蕉或其他食物中的鉀離子，不但能控制血壓，也能間接保護腎臟；但對於腎臟功能不全（被診斷為腎衰竭者），因無法將體內鉀離子排除，才會對人體造成傷害。

The best ways to prevent chronic kidney disease are lifestyle improvements, good control of blood pressure, blood sugar and blood fat, lowering urine protein and avoiding drugs that are toxic to the kidneys, as well as early screening and referral to a nephrologist when necessary.

最佳預防慢性腎臟病的方法有：生活型態的改善、良好的血壓、血糖及血脂肪控制、降低尿蛋白、避免腎毒性藥物，以及早期檢查，必要時轉介腎臟科醫師。

As for how to tell whether your kidneys are functioning normally, you can visit a hospital and find a doctor to perform a kidney function test, or else you can take advantage of the free adult health examinations that the HPA offers once every three years for people aged between 40 and 64 years old and once a year for those aged 65 or older. You can safeguard your kidney health by watching out for any change in your kidney function and following your doctors’ orders for treatment.

至於要如何知道自己腎臟功能是否正常，民眾可以到醫院找醫師做腎功能檢查，或是利用國健署四十歲至六十四歲每三年一次、六十五歲以上每年一次的免費成人健康檢查，注意自己的腎功能變化，配合醫囑治療，才能保障腎臟健康。

Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2021/02/23/2003752674

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Topic: Alleviate dry eyes with massage and good nutrition

If you are an office worker who sits in front of a computer screen all day, and after work swipes away on your mobile phone, plays on a Nintendo Switch or other electronic devices, you are at risk of “diseases of affluence,” including tired and sore eyes. To avoid dry eye syndrome, in addition to resting your eyes, you can use eye massage techniques and eat nutritious foods to alleviate the symptoms.

上班時常常看電腦螢幕工作，下班又滑手機、玩switch等3C用品，現代文明病「眼睛疲勞、痠痛」，就這樣無聲無息進入生活。如果想擺脫眼睛乾澀的症狀，除了讓眼睛多休息，跟著眼科醫生教學的眼部按摩法減緩不適，營養師也分享對眼睛乾澀有幫助的食物。

Smartphone addicts and office workers glued to screens all day often go for long periods without blinking; this can lead to tiredness, dry eye syndrome and sore eyes. According to ophthalmologist Wang Meng-chi, getting a good night’s sleep and using a steam eye mask can help. However, Wang also recommends massaging acupressure points around the eye area, including the eyebrows, between and at the tips of the eyebrows, the temples, below the eye sockets and the corners of the eyes near the bridge of the nose. Wang advises massaging each of these areas in turn to relieve discomfort.

低頭族、上班族久看螢幕，眼睛時常會忘記眨眼，造成疲勞、乾澀或痠痛的症狀，眼科醫師王孟祺說：「充足的睡眠、熱敷可以幫助減緩痠痛。」並教學如何按摩眼部穴道，包括眉頭、眉心、眉毛尾端、太陽穴、眼眶下緣中間，還有內眼角的位置，輪流按壓這些部位，可以減緩眼睛不適。

In addition to massaging the eye area, nutritionist Kao Min-min also recommends eating certain foods, such as seasonal watermelon, which contains 90 percent water, and vegetables such as gherkin, cucumber and winter melon to relieve dry eye syndrome. Kao also recommends eating deep-sea fish such as salmon, tuna, Pacific saury and mackerel, which are rich in fish oils and can reduce inflammation, one to three times a week. Vegetable oil-containing foods such as nuts are also beneficial to eye health, Kao adds.

除了眼部按摩方法能舒緩疲勞症狀，營養師高敏敏也分享幾個對眼睛乾澀有幫助的食物，像是現在夏天當季的西瓜有百分之九十的含水量，蔬菜的話像是小黃瓜、大黃瓜、冬瓜。油脂的部分，建議大家一周可以吃一至三次的深海魚，包含鮭魚、鮪魚、秋刀魚、鯖魚，裡面的魚油可以降發炎。植物性的油脂，如堅果，對眼睛也有益處。

Kao says a lack of vitamin A can increase the severity of dry eye syndrome so, in addition to taking in more oil-rich foods, she recommends supplementing the diet with starchy foods such as sweet potato or pumpkin, vegetables such as red and yellow peppers, fruits such as papaya, watermelon or cantaloupe melon and berry fruits such as blueberries. All of these foods contain anthocyanin, says Kao, which has antioxidant properties and is excellent at reducing inflammation.

除了油脂的攝取，高敏敏也補充：「維生素A的低下，有可能會讓眼睛的乾澀更加嚴重，所以可以補充像是澱粉類的地瓜、南瓜，蔬菜類的紅椒、黃椒，或者是木瓜、西瓜、哈密瓜以及藍莓等莓果類，這些含有花青素的食材，對於抗氧化能力、降低發炎的反應也很強。」

Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2020/07/15/2003739918

主題: 五大面試良句The best things you can say in a job interview

原參考文章：https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/best_things_to_say_in_job_interview

1. “I was so excited when I learned this position was open.”

If you’re just “meh” about a job or a company, chances are you won’t make a lasting impression on an interviewer. To persuade an employer that you’re the best person for the job, you have to show enthusiasm. That means expressing upfront that you’re stoked about the position and the company.

如果你只是對工作或公司“meh”，你很可能不會給面試官留下持久的印象。 為了讓雇主相信你是這份工作的最佳人選，你必須表現出熱情。 這意味著要提前表達你對職位和公司的興趣。

1. “This job aligns well with my experience and qualifications, and here’s why.”

It’s important to have anecdotes prepared that demonstrate your expertise. Choose stories that highlight your best strengths and core skills. For example, “I see that the job requires someone who thoroughly knows how to use XYZ software; I relied on XYZ software in my past two jobs, which helped me cut delivery time by 10%, so I’m very comfortable with it. I even trained new employees in how to use the program, which is something I could do for you here.”

準備好能證明你的專業知識的故事很重要。 選擇突出你的優勢和核心技能的故事。 例如，“我發現這項工作需要一個完全知道如何使用 XYZ 軟體的人； 我在過去的兩份工作中都依賴 XYZ 軟體，它幫助我將交貨時間縮短了 10%，所以我很滿意。 我甚至培訓了新員工如何使用該程式，這是我可以為公司做的事情。”

1. “I read about that project on your website.”

An informed, knowledgeable candidate is a powerful candidate. “Any time you can demonstrate you’ve done your homework is a way you set yourself apart,” says Marinelli.

一個消息靈通、知識淵博的候選人是一個強有力的候選人。 “任何時候你可以證明你已經完成了你對公司的了解，這就是你讓自己與眾不同的一種方式，”馬里內利說。

1. Keywords from the job description

Job postings don’t just outline what the requirements are for a position—they provide you with buzzwords that you can use during a job interview to make you a more appealing candidate.

For instance, if a job position uses the phrase “multichannel marketing initiatives,” reuse that phrase in one of your answers: “I know that problem solving is one of the crucial skills for this position. At my last job, I was working on developing multichannel marketing initiatives and relied on my problem solving daily. Let me give you a few examples.”

職位公告不僅概述了職位的要求 - 它們為您提供流行語，您可以在求職面試中使用這些流行語，使您成為更具吸引力的候選人。

例如，如果一個工作職位使用“全通路行銷計劃”這個短語，那麼在你的一個答案中重複使用這個短語：“我知道解決問題是這個職位的關鍵技能之一。 在我的上一份工作中，我致力於開發全通路行銷計劃，並依靠我每天解決的問題。 讓我給你舉幾個例子。”

1. The interviewer’s name

One way to forge a human connection with a hiring manager is to casually use the person’s name two or three times during the interview. It sounds simple, but it works.

“Job interviews are very much about intuition and chemistry,” says Lynda Spiegel, resume writer and job search coach at Rising Star Resumes. “Saying the interviewer’s name can help you cement a relationship.”

與招聘經理建立人際關係的一種方法是在面試中隨意使用該人的名字兩到三遍。 這聽起來很簡單，但它確實有效。“求職面試非常注重直覺和化學反應，”Rising Star Resumes 的簡歷撰稿人和求職教練琳達·斯皮格爾 (Lynda Spiegel) 說。 “說出面試官的名字可以幫助你鞏固一段關係。”

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K376: About odd news - Weber Grills says it didn’t know singer Meat Loaf died before it sent meatloaf recipe email

Outdoor grill maker Weber apologized on Friday for sending a recipe-of-the-week email earlier that day featuring instructions on how to prepare“BBQ Meat Loaf.”The email coincided with news of the death of Marvin Lee Aday, best known as rock superstar Meat Loaf.

戶外烤架製造商韋伯週五致歉，因為該公司當天稍早寄發的「每週食譜」電子郵件，其內容包括指導如何準備「肉塊烤肉」。該電郵（寄發的時間）恰逢以藝名「肉塊」為人所知的搖滾巨星馬文．李．艾德傳出過世的消息。

Not long after sending out its recipe, Weber Grills followed up, offering its “sincerest apologies” to recipients.

「韋伯燒烤」在發出食譜電郵後不久跟進，向電郵收件人致上「最誠摯的歉意」。

Meat Loaf, who shot to fame on the back of anthems such as “Paradise By the Dashboard Light” and “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” died Thursday, according to a family statement provided by his longtime agent Michael Greene. He was 74.

據其長期經紀人邁可．格林提供的一份家屬聲明，以Paradise By the Dashboard Light與Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad等名曲爆紅的「肉塊」，週四辭世，享壽七十四歲。

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世界上最偏遠郵局正在徵人 World’s most remote post office is hiring

Hundreds of people around the world are applying for a coveted job to run the world’s most remote post office. The position is in Antarctica and one of the key specifications is the ability to count penguins.

全球有數百人正在申請一份夢寐以求的工作，經營世界上最偏遠的郵局。地點位於南極洲，其中一個關鍵的技術指標是數企鵝的能力。

Four candidates will be chosen to fill the five-month role at Port Lockroy – affectionately dubbed the “Penguin Post Office”. The nearly-80-year-old building is on British-owned Goudier Island, which is about the size of a football field and is populated by hundreds of penguins

4名候選人將被選為在「洛克羅伊港」 擔任為期5個月的職位，該港被暱稱為「企鵝郵局」。這座擁有近80年歷史的建築，位於英國所屬的古迪爾島上，該島約有一個足球場那麼大，棲息著數百隻企鵝。

Although employees each have unique roles, they are collectively responsible for maintaining the historic site and catering to the thousands of tourists who come by boat during the season. The staff is also in charge of wildlife monitoring — which includes tallying penguins — and environmental data collection.

雖然每個員工都有獨特的角色，但他們共同負責維護歷史遺跡，並為旺季期間乘船前來的數千名遊客提供服務。工作人員還負責野生動物監測—包括數企鵝—和蒐集環境數據。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1518322 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1517580

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K375: About South Africa - South Africa launches the world’s biggest hydrogen-fueled truck

Mining giant Anglo American on Friday unveiled the world’s largest hydrogen-powered truck, a monster weighing in at 220 tonnes, at a platinum mine in northern South Africa.

礦業巨擘英美資源集團週五在南非北部一座白金礦場展示了全球最大的氫動力卡車，此一龐然巨獸重達220公噸。

Billed as the first of a fleet that will replace the firm’s diesel-powered trucks, the vehicle uses two-megawatt hydrogen fuel cells to haul up to 290 tonnes of ore.

它被宣傳為將取代該公司柴油動力卡車的車隊先鋒，該車使用2百萬瓦的氫燃料電池，來拖動多達290公噸的礦石。

"What we are launching is not merely an impressive piece of machinery, it is the genesis of an entire ecosystem powered by hydrogen," President Cyril Ramaphosa said.

南非總統西里爾．拉瑪佛沙說，「我們推出的不僅僅是一部令人印象深刻的機器，它是一個由氫氣驅動的完整生態系的起源。」

Comparable in size to a small house, the behemoth was shown off at Mogalakwena mine, about 250 kilometres from Johannesburg.

這部龐然大物的大小可匹敵一間小屋，在距離約翰尼斯堡約250公里處的莫加拉奎納礦場展示。

"This is a gigantic leap for South Africa’s hydrogen future economy," Ramaphosa declared.

拉瑪佛沙說，「對南非的氫能源未來經濟來說，這是一個巨大的跨越」。

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潛逃中的獅子被關進南非大牢 Lion on the lam locked-up in South African jail

A young lion captured after being on the run for almost a month spent the night in a South African police cell before being moved back to its national park home.

一頭在逃將近一個月後被捕的幼獅，被運回位在國家公園的故鄉以前，先在南非一處警察局的拘留室度過長夜。

The juvenile male apparently escaped from the Karoo National Park through a hole in a perimeter fence. He was eventually tracked and darted on Wednesday before being moved by helicopter to the Sutherland police station where he ended up alone in a holding cell.

這個小男生明顯是從「乾旱台地高原國家公園」周邊圍欄一處洞口逃跑。牠最終還是在週三被發現蹤跡並遭標槍射中，後來被直升機運到薩瑟蘭警察局，獨自待在拘留室裡。

"I am sure this is the first time in the world that a lion is put in jail," said police station commander Marius Malan.

警局大隊長馬略斯‧馬蘭說：「我確定這是全球第一次獅子入獄。」

Curious residents of the village of Sutherland thronged outside the police station to catch a glimpse of the locked-up lion.

薩瑟蘭村好奇的居民們，在警局外爭相一窺這頭被囚禁的獅子。

"He is safe and healthy. We didn’t give him breakfast because he had enough to eat along the road," Malan told Reuters.

馬蘭告訴路透：「牠安全又健康。我們沒給牠早餐，因為牠一路上已經有足夠的東西可吃。」Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1518702 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1274469?fbclid=IwAR0GOlDHNx4EL-iF8U3qURZl9hlX0ub6M5HGc7BDwb3IJcdbf0xDlnPNDeI

Summary:

Another important festival in Taiwan is upon us, and Angel and I chatted about our ways of celebrating the day growing up. What did you do on Dragon Boat Festival growing up? What was your best memories of the day? Leave us a comment or email us!

Vocabulary:

1. Activities n. 活動

On Dragon Boat Festival, the overseas Taiwanese community would organize many cultural activities. 在端午節，海外華僑會舉辦許多文化活動。

1. Egg balancing n. 立蛋

Egg balancing is a childhood activity for Taiwanese people on Dragon Boat Festival. 立蛋是台灣人小時候常見的端午節活動。

1. Activate v. 啟動/啟用

Fortune (noon) water has to be activated by boiling it. 招財(午時)水需要初開才能啟用。

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

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.K374: Scientists Find No Benefit to Time-Restricted Eating

The weight-loss idea is appealing: Limit your eating to a period of six to eight hours each day, during which you can have whatever you want.

減肥的方法很有吸引力：將你的飲食限制在每天六到八小時，在此期間你可以吃任何你想要的東西。

Studies in mice seemed to support so-called time-restricted eating, a form of the popular intermittent fasting diet. Small studies of people with obesity suggested it might help shed pounds.

對老鼠的研究似乎支持所謂的限時飲食，這是一種流行的間歇性禁食飲食。對肥胖人群的小型研究表明，它可能有助於減輕體重。

But now, a one-year study in which people followed a low-calorie diet between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. or consumed the same number of calories anytime during the day has failed to find an effect.

但現在，一項為期一年的研究表明，人們在上午 8 點到下午 4 點之間遵循低熱量飲食。或在一天中的任何時間消耗相同數量的卡路里都沒有發現效果。

The bottom line, said Dr. Ethan Weiss, a diet researcher at the University of California, San Francisco: “There is no benefit to eating in a narrow window.”

最重要的是，舊金山加利福尼亞大學的飲食研究員 Ethan Weiss 博士說：“在狹窄的時間裡吃飯沒有任何好處。”

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was led by researchers at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, and included 139 people with obesity. Women ate 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day, and men consumed 1,500 to 1,800 calories daily. To ensure compliance, participants were required to photograph every bit of food they ate and to keep food diaries.

該研究發表在《新英格蘭醫學雜誌》上，由中國廣州南方醫科大學的研究人員領導，包括 139 名肥胖患者。女性吃了 1,200 到每天 1,500 卡路里，男性每天消耗 1,500 到 1,800 卡路里。為確保合規，參與者被要求拍攝他們吃的每一口食物並記錄食物日記。

Both groups lost weight — an average of about 14 to 18 pounds — but there was no significant difference in the amounts of weight lost with either diet strategy. There also were no significant differences between the groups in measures of waist circumference, body fat and lean body mass.

兩組都減輕了體重——平均約 14 至 18 磅——但兩種飲食策略的體重減輕量沒有顯著差異。也沒有顯著各組在腰圍、體脂和瘦體重方面的差異。

The scientists also found no differences in such risk factors as blood glucose levels, sensitivity to insulin, blood lipids or blood pressure.

科學家們還發現血糖水平、對胰島素的敏感性、血脂或血壓等風險因素沒有差異。

“These results indicate that caloric intake restriction explained most of the beneficial effects seen with the time-restricted eating regimen,” Weiss and his colleagues concluded.

“這些結果表明，熱量攝取限制解釋了限時飲食方案的大部分有益效果，”Weiss 和他的同事總結道。

Christopher Gardner, director of nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, said he wouldn’t be surprised if time-restricted eating nonetheless worked on occasion.

斯坦福預防研究中心營養研究主任克里斯托弗·加德納（Christopher Gardner）表示，如果限時飲食偶爾奏效，他也不會感到驚訝。

“Almost every type of diet out there works for some people,” he said. “But the take-home supported by this new research is that when subjected to a properly designed and conducted study — scientific investigation — it is not any more helpful than simply reducing daily calorie intake for weight loss and health factors.”

“幾乎所有類型的飲食都適用於某些人，”他說。 “但這項新研究支持的結論是，當進行適當設計和進行的研究——科學研究——它並沒有比簡單地減少每日卡路里攝入量來減輕體重和健康因素更有幫助。”Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6294472

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K373: 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

Topic: In Amsterdam, Floating Homes That Only Look Like Ships

When Karen Bosma first moved her boat to the Borneokade, northeast of Amsterdam’s bustling city center, in 1999, the neighborhood was barely more than a cluster of commercial docks and underused warehouses.

凱倫．博斯馬1999年剛把她的船移到荷蘭首都阿姆斯特丹熱鬧市中心東北方的波諾卡德時，這一帶幾乎只有成排商船船席和不常使用的倉庫。

“It was for poor people — a lot of artists lived on boats,” she said, sitting in her neat, cozy living room just below the waterline.

博斯馬坐在她整潔舒適的客廳裡回憶說：「當時這是窮人聚居區，很多藝術家住在船上。」客廳就在吃水線下方。

In the quarter century since, Bosma, a 62-year-old social worker, and her husband have raised two sons on the Distel, a 1912 82-foot freighter, which — stripped of its engine, fuel tanks and cargo hold — is one of Amsterdam’s iconic houseboats, with a seagoing hull, wheelhouse and curtained windows.

此後的四分之一個世紀，現年62歲的社工博斯馬和先生，在這艘船上把兩個兒子帶大。這艘船名叫「迪斯特爾」，是1912年打造的貨船，長25公尺，引擎、燃料槽和貨艙都已去除，是阿姆斯特丹著名船屋之一，具備遠洋船船體、舵手室和裝上窗簾的窗子。

Three boats down lies the B18, an elegant 131-foot, 2 1/2-story floating mansion (with more than 3,000 square feet of interior space) that shows just how perfectly the soul of a luxury yacht combines with open-space living and elegant living quarters.

三艘船以外停泊著B18，是雅緻的兩層半水上豪宅，長40公尺，室內面積超過279平方公尺（約84坪），顯示奢華遊艇的精髓如何與室外生活和優美的室內起居空間完美結合。

“It has to be a ship on the outside and a house on the inside,” said Gijs Haverkate, 53, who created the vessel and lives on it with his family.

53歲的哈福卡特造了B18，並與家人住在船上，他說：「B18必須外觀是艘船，內部是個家。」

In the Dutch capital, houseboats have gone upmarket. The new owners are wealthy and discerning, interested in new designs, upgraded comfort and sustainability.

在阿姆斯特丹，船屋已變得高檔了。新一批船屋主人富裕且有品味，對新設計、更高的舒適感和永續性都很感興趣。

Haverkate, a designer by trade, hopes his boat will inspire others to build on the water. He runs UrbanShips, a company that builds customized houseboats designed to look like ships.

哈福卡特以設計為業，希望他的船能激勵別人在水上蓋房子。他經營「都市船」公司，依照客戶需求打造看來像船隻的船屋。

After years of serving as a relatively cheap place to live in an expensive city, Amsterdam’s houseboats — or rather the spaces they float — have become popular and expensive, with prices increasing 30% to 40% over the past five years alone, according to Jon Kok, one of the city’s best known houseboat real estate agents.

阿姆斯特丹的船屋（更確切地說，是承載船屋的水面），原本的功用是在這昂貴的城市中作為相對廉價的住所，多年下來卻變得大受歡迎且價格高漲，阿姆斯特丹最知名船屋仲介公司之一「約翰科克」資料顯示，單單這五年來，船屋價格就漲了三到四成。

The whale’s share of the price increase comes from the value of the berth, not the ship.

船屋價格上漲，主要是因為船席變得更值錢，而不是船體本身。

A typical Amsterdam canal berth might be worth close to a half-million dollars, depending on its location and how big a ship it will allow; some of the older, unrenovated ships in those berths might be worth only $20,000 (building a new ship, of course, is much more expensive).

一個典型的阿姆斯特丹運河船席，可能就要近50萬美元，視地點和可容下多大船隻而定。停在這種船席上的一些老舊未翻新船隻，可能只值兩萬美元。（當然，造新船貴得多。）

But in this gentrification debate, the cost of new berths is less important than the architecture of the ship — and whether they ever served as actual commercial ships.

不過，在討論船屋愈來愈高級的話題時，新船席的價格並不如船隻的設計美感和是否曾作為真正的商船來得重要。

Once populated by converted working boats, the canal now holds an increasing number of floating houses designed to look like oceangoing vessels but with hardly any of the working features of a real boat.

阿姆斯特丹的運河曾經滿是工作船改造後的船屋，現在有愈來愈多的水上房屋，設計成外觀像遠洋船，但實際上幾乎不具備真正船隻的功能。

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/348587/web/#2L-16188816L

Next Article

Topic: Japan has so many vacant homes it’s giving them away

Four years ago, Naoko and Takayuki Ida were given a house in the small town of Okutama, in Tokyo prefecture. For free.

4年前，井田直子與孝之得到一棟位於東京都小鎮奧多摩的房子。不用錢。

A free house may sound like a scam. But Japan faces an unusual property problem： it has more homes than people to live in them.

免費的房子聽起來像是騙局。但日本正面臨一項不尋常的房地產問題：房屋數量多於入住人數。

In 2013, there were 61 million houses and 52 million households, according to the Japan Policy Forum. And the situation is poised to get worse.

「日本政策論壇」指出，2013年時有6100萬間房子與5200萬戶家庭。而且，這種情況還會日益惡化。

Japan’s population is expected to decline from 127 million to about 88 million by 2065, according to the National Institute of Population and Social Security, meaning even fewer people will need houses. As young people leave rural areas for city jobs, Japan’s countryside has become haunted by deserted "ghost houses."

根據（日本）「國立社會保障、人口問題研究所」，預料日本人口到了2065年，會從1億2700萬減至約8800萬，意味需要房屋的人會更少。隨著年輕人為了在都市工作離開鄉間，日本鄉間已充斥遭棄置的「鬼屋」。

It’s predicted that by 2040, nearly 900 towns and villages across Japan will no longer exist － and Okutama is one of them. In that context, giving away property is a bid for survival.

預料到了2040年，全日本將近900座小鎮與村莊將不復存在—奧多摩便是其中之一。在此情況下，贈送房地產便成為一種求生之道。

Next Article

Topic: Part Office Building , Part Homeless Shelter

A year ago, when Amazon let a homeless shelter for families move into a former motel it owned, it was viewed as a nice but fleeting gesture.

The motel was on a chunk of downtown property where Amazon planned to eventually erect yet another set of sparkling buildings to meet its insatiable need for office space in this city. The hotel would be torn down and the shelter kicked out when that time came.

一年前，亞馬遜公司讓一個遊民（無處可住）家庭收容所遷進該公司所有，曾為汽車旅館的一棟建築，當時被認為是好心，但僅屬暫時性的善舉。

這家汽車旅館位於市中心的一大片地產上，亞馬遜最終計畫在這塊土地上興建另一批閃閃發光的建築，以因應該公司在這個城市對辦公室空間永難滿足的需求。當重建的時刻降臨時，旅館會被拆除，收容所也會被掃地出門。

Instead, Amazon has decided to let the shelter stay. In an unusual arrangement, the company has agreed to give the shelter, Mary’s Place, a permanent home inside one of the new office buildings for which it will break ground in the fall.

Amazon will give roughly half of the six-story building to the shelter, providing it with 47,000 square feet of space with private rooms that can hold 65 families, or about 220 people and their pets. The facility, expected to open in early 2020, will have its own entrance and elevators.

然而事非如此，亞馬遜已決定讓收容所留下。在一項不尋常的安排下，該公司已同意在預定秋天動工興建的新辦公大樓中的某一棟裡，讓收容所「瑪麗之家」擁有一個永遠的家。

亞馬遜準備大約將這棟六層樓大樓的一半提供給收容所，讓收容所擁有4萬7000平方英尺地坪，計有足可容納65戶家庭，或約220人和他們的寵物的私人房間。這項設施預計2020年年初啟用，將有自己的大門和電梯。

“I see it as this huge gift because everywhere we go, we end up leaving,” said Marty Hartman, the executive director of Mary’s Place, which runs seven transitional shelters around the Seattle area meant to house families until they can find permanent homes. “You come in and become a fabric of the neighborhood you’re in, and then you say goodbye. That’s a hard thing for a lot of people to do.”

In an interview at the current Mary’s Place site owned by Amazon, which was bustling with families returning to the shelter for the evening, John Schoettler, Amazon’s vice president for global real estate and facilities, said the company would spend “tens of millions of dollars” on the design and construction of the shelter’s portion of the building. Amazon will pay the utilities for Mary’s Place, which will occupy the space rent free, although the organization will continue to pay its own staff.

「瑪麗之家」執行長馬蒂．哈特曼說：「我把它看成天大的一份禮物，因為無論我們到那裏，最終都得離開。」「瑪麗之家」在西雅圖地區經營七個中途之家性質的收容所，收容一些尚未找到固定住所的家庭。她說：「你住進來，成為你所加入鄰里的一份子，然後又得說再見。這對很多人來說是件困難的事。」

「瑪麗之家」目前所在地產權為亞馬遜所擁有，此刻正因一些家庭返回過夜而顯得頗為熱鬧，亞馬遜主管全球房地產和設施的副總裁約翰．舒特勒在此處接受訪問表示，該公司將花費「數千萬美元」設計和建造這棟建築內的收容所部分。亞馬遜將支付「瑪麗之家」的水電費、讓「瑪麗之家」免租金使用空間，不過「瑪麗之家」將繼續支付他們自己員工的薪水。

Schoettler said Amazon originally allowed the shelter to stay in the motel because of the severity of Seattle’s homelessness crisis, which had prompted the city’s mayor to declare a state of emergency in 2015. Schoettler said Amazon was impressed by Mary’s Place, and he described its plan to give the shelter a permanent home as an investment in the neighborhood.

In San Francisco, Google, Salesforce.com and others have funded a campaign to find permanent housing for homeless people. But Nan Roman, president of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, a nonprofit advocacy group in Washington, D.C., said she was unaware of any other private corporation integrating a homeless shelter into its building.

舒特勒說，亞馬遜最初允許收容所搬進汽車旅館，是因西雅圖遊民危機十分嚴重。遊民危機2015年時促使西雅圖市長宣布進入緊急狀態。舒特勒說， 亞馬遜被瑪麗之家給打動了，他把亞馬遜計畫給收容所一個長久的家這件事，稱為該公司對當地社區的一項投資。

在舊金山，谷歌、Salesforce.com 和其他公司都在資助替無家可歸者尋找固定住處的一項運動。不過，華盛頓特區非營利宣導團體「終結無家可歸全國聯盟」總裁南恩．羅曼說，據她所知，沒有任何其他私人公司讓遊民收容所進住他們的大樓。

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/314016/web/

主題: 換句話說系列 – 跑跟走還有什麼其他說法Other ways to say “walk” and “run”

Other ways to say: RUN (v)

Rush 急速行進/趕緊

- Someone inside the building rushed out.

Jog 慢跑

- He could scarcely jog around the block that first day.

Dash 猛衝

-Maria came dashing down the stairs.

Race 賽跑

- I excused myself and raced back to the telephone.

Hurry 加快

- Claire hurried along the road.

Sprint 衝刺

- He sprinted to the car.

Gallop 騎馬奔馳

- They were galloping around the garden playing football.

Other ways to say: WALK (v)

Stroll 散步

- I was strolling along the river when I saw an incredible thing.

Mince 做作的小步走

- He minced across the room in a pair of tight pink trousers.

Stride 闊步走

- A tall dark figure was striding up the path.

Pad 小聲走

- He got out of bed and padded across the carpet.

Stumble 跌跌撞撞走

- He pulled on his clothes and stumbled into the kitchen.

Wander 漫步

- My sister likes wandering around the city at night.

Hike 健行

- Soldiers had to hike nearly 20 km through the swamps.

Saunter 悠閒漫步

- He sauntered by, looking very pleased with himself.

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.K372: About Japan - Asia Welcomes Travelers, but Japan Says, Not Yet

In a normal year, this would be peak season for tourism to Japan. But as the cherry blossoms burst into bloom along Kyoto’s ancient, temple-lined alleys and boat tours ply the waters of Tokyo’s flower-lined rivers, Japanese tourists largely have the spectacular display to themselves.

在正常情況的年份，此時正是日本旅遊旺季。但隨著櫻花盛開於古剎林立的京都巷弄，以及遊覽船往返花卉夾道的東京河川的水域，這些盛況大抵上僅限日本的遊客獨享。

The country sealed its borders to most foreign travelers early in the pandemic and has only recently begun to allow a slow drip of students and business people to return.

該國在武漢肺炎疫情大流行之初就對大多數外國旅客封鎖邊境，直到最近才允許留學生與商務客慢慢回流。

Those hoping to visit Japan for fun, shouldn’t hold their breath. Despite the national tourism organization’s wishful thinking, Koichi Wada, the head of Japan’s tourism agency, told parliament last month that“it’s exceedingly difficult to forecast the long-term trends for inbound tourism.”

那些希望能赴日觀光旅遊的人可有得等了。儘管日本國家旅遊局想得很美，日本觀光廳長官和田浩一上個月告訴國會，「很難預測入境觀光的長期趨勢。」

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Dismantling work begins on iconic Nakagin Capsule Tower 代表性的中銀膠囊塔開始拆除

Built a half-century ago as a futuristic architectural marvel that would permanently house tenants, the Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo’s Ginza district failed to stand the test of time.

建於半世紀前、以容納承租客為宗旨的未來主義建築奇蹟的（日本東京）銀座區的「中銀膠囊塔」，沒能挺過時代的考驗。

Dismantling work started on the aging structure on April 12, much to the sadness of the building’s legions of fans across the world and former tenants.

拆除這幢老舊建築的工作在4月12日展開，令該大樓在全球各地的粉絲與過去的房客深感哀傷。

The building, designed by famed architect Kisho Kurokawa (1934-2007), looks like a jumble of blocks stacked at odd angles high in the sky.

該大樓由知名建築師黑川紀章（1934-2007） 設計，看似有如一堆亂七八糟的積木以奇怪的角度堆疊聳天。

The tower has been known as a representative work of the “Metabolism” architecture movement, which started in 1960. The building was designed to evolve further by replacing spaces and functions in accordance with societal changes.

這座塔以作為始於1960年代的建築運動「代謝派」的代表作而聞名，被設計成能根據社會變遷來替換空間與功能以進一步演化。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1511719 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1514361