通勤學英語 15Mins Today

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K371: About the US - ’Worst house on best block’ of San Francisco sells for $2M

In a deal that one Instagram user called "peak San Francisco," a 120-year-old home sold in mid-January for just shy of $2 million.

一名Instagram用戶稱為「舊金山之巔」的屋齡一二○年房產交易案，在一月中旬以近二○○萬美元售出。

According to its listing, the property has one bathroom, and a kitchen that appears to date to World War II, but zero bedrooms.

根據清單，這間房屋內含一間浴室、一間似乎可追溯至第二次世界大戰的廚房，但一間臥室都沒有。

It is "the worst house on the best block making it a fantastic opportunity," the real-estate agents Todd and Kim Wiley wrote.

不動產經紀人塔德及金‧威立寫道，這是一間「最佳地段的最糟房屋，因此具有絕佳機會。」

Todd Wiley indicated the conservatorship sale, which is a process that involves the California probate court, helped push the price to more than double what they had proposed at the outset.

塔德‧威立指出，加利福尼亞州遺囑檢驗法院也參與這筆託管出售案，促使最終定價比他們最初出價高出逾一倍。

We thought the property would sell at $1.6 million, but then the human spirit of competition took over.

我們以為該房會以一六○萬美元賣出，結果民眾的競爭心態發揮推波助瀾之效。

The house is in the Noe Valley neighborhood, which is peppered with multimillion-dollar homes. Single-family homes there sell for a median price of about $2.7 million.

該房位於數百萬美元民宅比比皆是的諾古社區。該區獨戶住宅售價中位數約為二七○萬美元。

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Florida man saw ’Spider-Man: No Way Home’ 292 times in theaters 佛羅里達州男子在電影院看了292次《蜘蛛人：無家日》

A super hero super fan in Florida recaptured a Guinness World Records title when he went to see Spider-Man: No Way Home in theaters 292 times.

佛羅里達州一名超級英雄的超級粉絲去電影院看了292次的《蜘蛛人：無家日》，重新奪回金氏世界紀錄保持人頭銜。

Ramiro Alanis originally earned the Guinness title in 2019, when he attended 191 screenings of Avengers: Endgame, but his record was broken in 2021 when Arnaud Klein went to see Kaamelott: First Instalment 204 times.

拉米羅‧阿蘭尼斯最早在2019年贏得金氏世界紀錄，當時他看了191次的《復仇者聯盟：終局之戰》，但紀錄在2021年被看了《卡美洛：第一部曲》204次的阿諾‧克萊因打破。

Guinness confirmed Alanis recaptured the record when he attended 292 showings of the latest Spider-Man film between Dec. 16, 2021, and March 15, 2022.

金氏世界紀錄證實，阿蘭尼斯在2021年12月16日至2022年3月15日間，共看了最新的蜘蛛人電影292次，重奪這項紀錄殊榮。

Alanis said he is hoping the high number will keep his title safe.

阿蘭尼斯說，他希望這麼高的觀看次數足以捍衛頭銜。

Guinness’s rules required Alanis to remain in his seat with his attention on the screen for the entire film, including the credits. He was not allowed to look at his phone or take bathroom breaks during the showings.

金氏世界紀錄規則要求阿蘭尼斯坐在椅子上專心觀賞整部電影，包括幕後人員介紹。在播映期間，他不能看手機或上廁所。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1518117 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1512839

Summary:

Elon Musk is speaking to investors who could partner with him on a bid for Twitter, sources close to the matter told The Post.

A new plan that includes partners could be announced within days, those sources said.

One possibility, the sources said: teaming with private-equity firm Silver Lake Partners, which was planning to co-invest with him in 2018 when he was considering taking Tesla private.

In turn, Twitter board of directors adopted a so-called poison pill — a corporate move that prevents Musk from acquiring more than 15% of the company.

But that pill may not stop other entities or people from acquiring their own shares of up to 15% of the company. Those owners could partner with Musk to force a sale, make changes in the executive ranks or push for other overhauls of the company.

Vocabulary:

1. Tweet v. n. A message on Twitter 推特文

Millions of people are following Elon Musk's tweets. 數以百萬的人還在追蹤馬斯克的推特文。

1. Poison pill n. 毒藥丸計畫

Twitter board of directors adopted a poison pill plan to prevent Musk from acquiring more than 15% of the company. 推特董事會啟動了毒藥丸計畫來預防馬斯克取得推特15%的股份。

1. Public company vs. private company 上市公司 與 私營公司

Elon Musk wants to take Twitter, a public company, private. 馬斯克想把推特，一間上市公司變成私營的。

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

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.K370: Study finds personality for a dog is not a matter of breed

People usually have stereotypes about different breeds of dogs: Rottweilers and pit bulls are aggressive, while Labradors and golden retrievers are extra friendly.

人們通常對不同品種的狗有刻板印象：羅威納犬和鬥牛犬具有攻擊性，而拉布拉多犬和金毛獵犬則更加友好。

However, a genetic study published recently in the journal Science involving more than 2,000 dogs and paired with 200,000 survey answers from owners demonstrates that the widespread assumptions are mostly unfounded.

然而，最近發表在《科學》雜誌上的一項基因研究涉及 2,000 多隻狗，並與飼主的 200,000 份調查回答配對，表明普遍的假設大多是沒有根據的。

Undeniably, many behavioral traits can be inherited, but the modern concept of breed offers only partial predictive value for most types of behavior, and has nothing to do with how affectionate or quick-tempered a dog can be.

不可否認，許多行為特徵可以遺傳，但現代的品種概念僅對大多數類型的行為提供部分預測價值，與狗的深情或脾氣暴躁無關。

“While genetics plays a role in the personality of any individual dog, a specific dog breed is not a good predictor of those traits,” said Elinor Karlsson, director of the Vertebrate Genomics Group at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

麻省理工學院和哈佛大學布羅德研究所脊椎動物基因組學組主任埃莉諾·卡爾森說：“雖然遺傳學在任何一隻狗的個性中都發揮著作用，但特定的狗品種並不能很好地預測這些特徵。”

The team sequenced the DNA of 2,155 purebred and mixed-breed dogs to search for common genetic variations that could predict behavior, and combined this information with surveys from 18,385 pet-owner surveys from Darwin’s Ark, an open-source database of owner-reported canine traits and behaviors.

該團隊對 2,155 只純種和混種狗的 DNA 進行了測序，以尋找可以預測行為的常見遺傳變異，並將這些信息與來自達爾文方舟的 18,385 名寵物主人調查的調查相結合，達爾文方舟是主人報告的犬類的開源數據庫特徵和行為。

Overall, breed explained just 9 percent of variation in behavior, with age a better predictor of some traits. Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/05/09/2003777906

總體而言，品種僅解釋了 9% 的行為變異，而年齡是某些特徵的更好預測指標。

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K369: What Twitter could do as a privately held company

If Elon Musk and Twitter get their way, the company will soon be privately held and under his control. The most obvious immediate change would likely be Twitter’s stock being taken off the New York Stock Exchange. But the company would also likely get freed from having to give regular updates about its business to US regulators and to Wall Street. One important change for Twitter users is that the company would likely have more freedom to make big or unpopular changes. That’s because it wouldn’t have to worry about potential blowback from Wall Street.

如果埃隆馬斯克和推特如願以償，該公司很快就會私有化並在他的控制之下。最明顯的直接變化可能是 Twitter 的股票從紐約證券交易所撤出。但該公司也可能不必定期向美國監管機構和華爾街提供有關其業務的最新信息。對於 Twitter 用戶來說，一項重要的變化是，該公司可能有更多的自由來做出重大或不受歡迎的改變。那是因為它不必擔心來自華爾街的潛在反擊。

Here’s a look at what it means for a company to go private. WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ITS STOCK? If the merger closes as planned, Twitter investors would get US$54.20 in cash for each share they own.

下面來看看公司私有化意味著什麼。它的庫存會怎樣？如果合併按計劃完成，Twitter 投資者將獲得每股 54.20 美元的現金。

Those shares would then be canceled and cease to exist. WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES THAT MAKE? Twitter would likely no longer have to file documents with US regulators every three months to show how much money it`s making. It also likely wouldn’t have to announce changes to its strategy or operations that are big enough to materially change its fortunes. Now, it risks getting sued if it doesn’t make such disclosures.

然後這些股份將被取消並不復存在。這有什麼不同？ Twitter 可能不再需要每三個月向美國監管機構提交文件以顯示它賺了多少錢。它也可能不必宣布對其戰略或運營進行大到足以改變其命運的改變。現在，如果不進行此類披露，它就有被起訴的風險。

”The biggest distinction is that Musk as an owner would be beholden to his own desires or to his and whatever remaining shareholders are still around, rather than to the wide investor base that it has now,’’ said Eric Talley, a law professor at Columbia University.

“最大的區別在於，馬斯克作為所有者將受制於他自己的願望，或者他和其他仍然存在的股東，而不是現在擁有的廣泛的投資者基礎，”埃里克·塔利 (Eric Talley) 哥倫比亞大學法律教授說，。

WHO WOULD BE IN CHARGE? The company would still have a board of directors, Talley said. It would also need to still follow state-level corporate governance rules, as well as all applicable tax, environmental and other laws.

誰來負責？塔利說，該公司仍將有一個董事會。它還需要遵守州級公司治理規則，以及所有適用的稅收、環境和其他法律。

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BEING PRIVATELY HELD? Going private removes the possibility of Twitter having to answer to angry shareholders if it makes big changes to its business. Musk has already floated the idea of depending less on advertising, which is Twitter’s main way of making money. Investors often send a stock price lower if they think a company’s decision is wrong, or at least being made at the wrong time. And the fiduciary duty of the board of directors for a publicly traded company is to generate a return for its investors. A privately held company, meanwhile, doesn’t need to worry about short-term drops for its stock price. It can also jump more whole heartedly into plans, say by hiring slews of new workers to transform it, without having to explain the jump in expenses to shareholders in its next quarterly report. Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/05/03/2003777588

私人持有有什麼好處？如果 Twitter 對其業務做出重大改變，私有化消除了 Twitter 不得不回應憤怒的股東的可能性。馬斯克已經提出減少對廣告的依賴的想法，這是 Twitter 的主要賺錢方式。如果投資者認為公司的決定是錯誤的，或者至少是在錯誤的時間做出的，他們通常會降低股價。上市公司董事會的受託責任是為其投資者創造回報。與此同時，一家私營公司無需擔心其股價的短期下跌。它還可以更全心全意地投入計劃，例如通過僱用大量新員工來改造它，而無需在下一個季度報告中向股東解釋費用的增長。

Topic: Drinking any amount of alcohol causes damage to the brain

There is no such thing as a "safe" level of drinking, with increased consumption of alcohol associated with poorer brain health, according to a new study.

根據一項新研究，沒有所謂的「安全」飲酒量，飲酒量增加與大腦健康狀況較差有關。

In an observational study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, researchers from the University of Oxford studied the relationship between the self-reported alcohol intake of some 25,000 people in the UK, and their brain scans.

在一項尚未經過同行評審的觀察性研究中，牛津大學的研究人員，研究英國約2萬5000人報告的飲酒量，和與他們的大腦掃描圖像之間的關係。

The researchers noted that drinking had an effect on the brain’s gray matter － regions in the brain that make up "important bits where information is processed," according to lead author Anya Topiwala, a senior clinical researcher at Oxford.

研究人員指出，飲酒對大腦的灰質有影響，灰質是構成「重要資訊處理位元」的大腦部位，牛津大學高級臨床研究員托皮瓦拉說。

The team also investigated whether certain drinking patterns, beverage types and other health conditions made a difference to the impact of alcohol on brain health.

研究團隊還調查了特定的飲酒習慣、酒精飲料類型和其他健康狀況，是否會改變酒精對大腦健康的影響程度。

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Topic: Scientists have taught bees to smell the coronavirus 科學家教導蜜蜂嗅出冠狀病毒

Scientists in the Netherlands have trained bees to identify COVID-19 through their sense of smell, according to a press release from Wageningen University.

瓦赫寧恩大學發布新聞稿聲稱，荷蘭科學家已訓練蜜蜂透過嗅覺，識別2019冠狀病毒病（COVID-19，武漢肺炎）。

The research was conducted on more than 150 bees in Wageningen University’s bio-veterinary research laboratory.

這項研究是在瓦赫寧恩大學生物獸醫研究實驗室對150多隻蜜蜂進行的。

The scientists trained the bees by giving them a treat — a sugar-water solution — every time they were exposed to the scent of a mink infected with COVID-19. Each time the bees were exposed to a non-infected sample, they wouldn’t get a reward.

科學家透過獎勵糖水溶液來訓練蜜蜂，每次蜜蜂在聞到感染COVID-19的貂身上氣味時，都會獲得獎勵。如果蜜蜂聞到的是沒被感染病毒的氣味樣本，則不會獲得獎勵。

Eventually, the bees could identify an infected sample within a few seconds — and would then stick out their tongues like clockwork to collect the sugar water.

最終，這些蜜蜂可以在幾秒鐘內識別出感染的樣本，而且牠們的舌頭會像發條一樣，伸出來吸取糖水。

Bees aren’t the first animals to detect COVID-19 by scent. Researchers have also trained dogs to distinguish between positive and negative COVID-19 samples from human saliva or sweat with fairly high levels of accuracy.

蜜蜂不是第一種透過氣味識別COVID-19的動物。研究人員也曾訓練狗區分來自人類唾液或汗液的陽性和陰性COVID-19樣本 ，準確率相當高。

Appointments are no longer mandatory at any of the coronavirus vaccination sites run by New York City, including its newest and maybe coolest location： beneath the giant blue whale at the Museum of Natural History.

任何紐約市設立的新型冠狀病毒疫苗接種處，不再強制要求預約，包括最新設立、或許也是最酷的地點：位於自然歷史博物館巨大藍鯨下的接種處。

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday that the city will now be accepting walk-ins at all its vaccination sites. "You can just walk up and get vaccinated," he said.

市長白思豪週五宣布，該市所有接種站現在接受隨到隨登記接種，「你可以直接進來接種疫苗」。

The expansion of walk-in service comes as supplies of the vaccine have increased.

擴大實施現場登記接種，是在疫苗供應量已經增加之際推出。

Just weeks ago, most people trying to get an appointment for a vaccination in the nation’s biggest city had to game online appointment systems in which scarce slots would be snapped up in moments.

僅在數週之前，在這個全美最大城市，大多數要預約接種時間的人還得在網路預約系統上賭運氣，稀少的名額一下子就會被搶光。

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Topic: Serbian diner thanks those getting COVID shots with plates of roast meat （感謝客人打新冠疫苗 塞爾維亞餐館請吃烤肉）

Get a COVID-19 vaccine and you will be served a plate of spit-roast ox or wild game goulash for free - in the Serbian city of Kragujevac.

塞爾維亞「米盧廷圖書館」餐廳招待接種疫苗的顧客吃牛肉大餐。（路透資料照）

在塞爾維亞克拉古耶瓦茨，只要接種新冠肺炎疫苗，就能免費獲得一盤烤牛肉串或野味燉牛肉。

Restaurateur Stavro Raskovic offered the popular local dishes as his way of promoting vaccination and campaigning for the full reopening of the country’s restaurants, cafes and bars.

餐館老闆斯塔夫羅．拉斯科維奇端出這2道受歡迎的本地菜餚，作為推廣疫苗及推動該國餐廳、咖啡廳、酒吧全面重新營業的方式。

Lockdowns in 2020 and partial restrictions this year have driven Biblioteka kod Milutina (Milutin’s Library) restaurant to the brink of closure, he said.

他說，2020年的封城及今年的局部封鎖措施，讓「米盧廷圖書館」餐廳瀕臨停業。

"Our trade, catering, has been particularly hit... and if this (vaccination) is the way out, then we wanted to contribute."

「我們的生意、外燴服務尤其受到影響…若這（疫苗）是解決方法，我們想要出一份力。」

Local health authorities turned the restaurant into a vaccination point to deliver shots made by Pfizer/BioNtech, and China’s Sinopharm.

當地衛生當局把餐廳變成疫苗接種點，提供輝瑞／BNT疫苗和中國國藥集團疫苗。

"Today we have vaccines from both East and West on the menu, to everybody’s taste," said Raskovic.

拉斯科維奇說：「今天我們的菜單上有來自東方和西方的疫苗，任君挑選。」

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Topic: Dracula’s castle’ offers tourists Covid shots 「德古拉的城堡」提供觀光客武漢肺炎疫苗接種

Visitors to Romania’s forbidding Bran Castle are being jabbed with needles rather than vampiric fangs this weekend in a coronavirus vaccination drive.

造訪羅馬尼亞令人生畏的布蘭城堡的遊客，在本週末的冠狀病毒疫苗接種活動中，將會被針頭而不是吸血鬼的毒牙扎刺。

Those who take the jab are handed a certificate hailing their＂boldness and responsibility＂promising they will be welcome at the castle＂for the coming 100 years＂ － as well as offered a free tour of the＂torture chamber＂.

那些接受施打的人將拿到證書，為他們的「勇氣與責任」喝采，並承諾這座城堡在未來100年都歡迎他們，並提供一次「酷刑室」的免費導覽。

Nestled in a misty valley in the Carpathian mountains, Bran Castle is associated with the 15th-century Romanian prince Vlad Dracula.

布蘭城堡坐落於喀爾巴阡山迷霧籠罩的山谷，與15世紀羅馬尼亞王子弗拉德．德古拉有關。

Dracula author Bram Stoker is believed to have been inspired by Vlad and descriptions of Bran Castle when writing his 1897 novel that helped found the modern vampire genre.

德古拉的作者布拉姆．史托克在撰寫他的1897年的小說時，被認為受到弗拉德與布蘭城堡的描述的啟發，這本小說幫助他奠定現代吸血鬼體裁。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1449642;https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1449828;https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1450439

Topic: Spanking may affect brain development in children

Spanking may affect a child’s brain development in similar ways to more severe forms of violence, according to a new study led by Harvard researchers.

哈佛大學研究人員領導的一項新研究表明，打屁股對兒童大腦發育的影響，可能與更嚴重的暴力虐待造成的後果類似。

The research, published recently in the journal Child Development, builds on existing studies that show heightened activity in certain regions of the brains of children who experience abuse in response to threat cues.

這篇最近發表在《兒童發育》期刊上的研究，以現有的一些研究為基礎，這些研究發現，遭受虐待的兒童在回應威脅提示時，大腦的特定區域活動會增強。

The group found that children who had been spanked had a greater neural response in multiple regions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). These areas of the brain respond to cues in the environment that tend to be consequential, such as a threat, and may affect decision-making and processing of situations.

研究團隊發現，打屁股會增強兒童大腦前額葉皮層（PFC）多個區域的神經反應。大腦的這些區域會根據環境中的威脅等重要線索做出反應，並可能影響兒童的決策，以及對局勢的分析能力。

According to the study’s authors, corporal punishment has been linked to the development of mental health issues, anxiety, depression, behavioral problems, and substance use disorders.

研究作者指出，體罰一直和心理健康問題、焦慮、憂鬱、行為問題及藥物濫用有關。

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Topic: Coffee before exercise increases fat-burning/運動前喝咖啡增加燃脂

If you’re looking to maximize the amount of fat burned in your next workout, think about having a coffee half an hour before you get started – as a new study suggests it can make a significant difference to fat burning, especially later on in the day.

如果你希望在下次運動健身時最大程度地燃燒脂肪，不妨考慮在開始之前半小時喝咖啡—因為有新研究表明，它可以使脂肪燃燒量明顯變化，尤其是在下午。

Researchers found that 3 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight can boost the rate of fat burning during aerobic exercise, based on results gathered from 15 male volunteers.

研究人員發現，根據從15名男性志願者收集到的結果，按每公斤體重3毫克的量來攝取咖啡因，就可以提高有氧運動期間的脂肪燃燒率。

The coffee dose was shown to increase maximal fat oxidation rate（MFO, a measure of how efficiently the body burns off fat）by an average of 10.7 percent in the morning and 29 percent in the afternoon.

研究表明，這個咖啡攝取量可以增加最大脂肪氧化率（MFO，衡量人體燃燒脂肪效率的指標），上午平均增加10.7%，下午增加29%。

This is a study with a fairly small sample of participants, so it’s important not to jump to too broad a conclusion, but the results are clear enough to suggest that there is some kind of association there.

由於該研究的參與者樣本數很少，因此重要的是不要過於廣泛下結論，但結果足夠清楚，表明存在某種關聯。

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Topic: Study Shows Baldness Can Be a Business Advantage 研究：光頭可成職場優勢

Men with shaved heads are perceived to be more masculine, dominant and, in some cases, to have greater leadership potential than those with longer locks or with thinning hair, according to a recent study out of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

賓州大學華頓商學院最近的一項研究顯示，剃光頭的男人讓人覺得更有男人味和支配地位，在某些情況下，他們比頭髮較長或者頭髮稀疏的男人看起來更具領導潛力。

Some executives say the style makes them appear younger—or at least, makes their age less evident—and gives them more confidence than a comb-over or monk-like pate.

一些主管認為，光頭的髮型讓他們看起來更年輕，至少沒那麼顯老，而且相較於將頭髮梳向一邊或像修道士一樣的腦袋瓜，這種髮型能讓他們感到更自信。

The study found that men with thinning hair were viewed as the least attractive and powerful of the bunch, a finding that tracks with other studies showing that people perceive men with typical male-pattern baldness as older and less attractive. For those men, the solution could be as cheap and simple as a shave.

該研究發現，頭髮稀疏的男人被認為最沒有魅力、最沒有力量的一群人。這一結果也與其他研究相符，這些研究表明，人們認為典型的雄性禿頭讓男人看上去更老，更缺乏魅力。對於這些男人來說，既便宜又簡單的解決辦法就是剃個頭。

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主題: 跟讀挑戰 – Dyson 空氣清淨耳機 與 舒壓泡泡玩具 Dyson purifying headphones and Bubble pop fidget toy

Dyson 空氣清淨耳機

Dyson has announced its most unusual product yet; a wearable air purifier with a pair of noise-cancelling headphones built in.

戴森宣布了其最不尋常的產品。內置一副降噪耳機的可穿戴式空氣淨化器。

Dyson said it started having internal conversations in 2016 about developing some kind of "purification on the move" technology, based on its existing air purification technology.

戴森表示，它在 2016 年開始就基於其現有空氣淨化技術開發某種“行動淨化”技術進行內部討論。

During initial trials in the smoggy city of Beijing the company struck upon the idea of integrating noise-cancelling headphones.

在霧霾籠罩的北京進行初步試驗時，該公司萌生了集成降噪耳機的想法。

Doing this also meant the company was able to design the headset so the air filters could be placed in the earcups, minimising some of the unusual bulkiness in previous prototypes.

這樣做還意味著該公司能夠設計耳機，以便可以將空氣過濾器放置在耳罩中，從而最大限度地減少以前原型中的一些不尋常的體積。

舒壓泡泡玩具

The popping bubbles were initially designed to provide a sensory and tactile experience to help children who may benefit from extra assistance to focus. But, like the fidget spinner, these Pop Its are quickly becoming a favorite toy for kids and adults.

舒壓泡泡最初旨在提供感官和触覺體驗，以幫助可能受益於額外幫助的兒童集中註意力。但是，就像指尖陀螺一樣，這些 Pop It 正迅速成為兒童和成人最喜歡的玩具。

A pop bubble is a fidget toy where users repeatedly pop dimples in and out – similar to bubble wrap. Unlike bubble wrap, they offer unlimited popping enjoyment.

舒壓泡泡是一種舒壓的玩具，用戶可以在其中反覆彈出荳荳——類似於泡泡紙。與泡泡紙不同，它們可以提供無限的彈出享受。

Push pop fidget toy is made of 100% silicone, non-toxic and no odor completely corresponds to the safety standards. It’s soft, comfortable, washable, durable, and it can be repeatedly pressed for a long time.

舒壓泡泡玩具由 100% 矽膠製成，無毒無味，完全符合安全標準。柔軟、舒適、耐洗、耐用，可長時間反覆按壓。

The poppers are safe to use in the dishwasher, wash the push pop fidget toy with warm water and soap if needed.

Poppers 可以安全的在洗碗機中使用，洗的時候只要用溫水和肥皂清洗。

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K368: About Germany - German firefighters ‘free’ high-school exam from locked safe

Firefighters in the western German town of Bocholt received an unusual distress call Friday from a local high school after teachers were unable to open a safe containing the questions for a final-year exam that students were due to take.

德國西部博霍爾特鎮的消防員週五接到一通來自當地一所中學的不尋常求救電話，在教師們無法打開裝有學生們預定參加之畢業考題的保險箱後。

Firefighters raced to the scene to find that the lock had jammed and set about sawing open the safe, the Bocholt fire department said.

博霍爾特消防局說，消防員趕到現場，發現鎖卡住了，開始鋸開保險箱。

“That way the students were able to sit their exam with about an hour’s delay,” it said.

它說：「這樣一來，這些學生能在延遲1小時後參加考試。」

While teachers cheered the firefighters for saving the day, the reaction from students was mixed.

教師們為消防員化險為夷而歡呼，學生們則是反應不一。

“Some of them would probably have enjoyed a sunny day off instead,” said fire department spokesman Matthias Hanne.

消防局發言人馬蒂亞斯．漢恩說：「他們當中一些人可能本來想要享受一個陽光明媚休息日來替代。」

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德國野生動物園為一隻叫普廷的豬重新命名 German wildlife park renames Putin the pig

An animal park in Bavaria that had named one of its wild boars Putin due to its Russian genetic heritage held a ceremony to rechristen the hairy hog with a German name following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

在俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭後，巴伐利亞邦一間動物園舉行儀式，為一隻有著俄國基因而被叫做普廷的毛茸茸野豬，重新取一個德國名字。

Eckard Mickish, operator of the park, said he named the boar after Russian President Vladimir Putin three years ago upon its arrival. At nearly 200 kg, the hog weighed around three times as much as those typically found in Germany.

動物園負責人艾卡德‧密奇許說，在這隻野豬3年前入園時，他以俄國總統普廷的名字為牠命名。牠體重近200公斤，是德國常見野豬的約3倍。

But lately whenever Mickish had to do a roll call of the boar for visitors, a shiver went down his spine when mentioning Putin. He also worried how Ukrainian visitors would feel.

但近來當密奇許必須為遊客逐一介紹野豬而提到普廷時，他感到背脊發涼。烏克蘭遊客的感受也令他掛慮。

He soon came to the conclusion that no pig deserved this name so the park announced on social media a search for a new name. About 2,700 suggestions poured in, and Eberhofer - the name of a policeman from a popular Bavarian book series - won the vote.

他很快就決定，沒有任何豬應該被叫做這個名字，因此園方在社群媒體公開徵求新名字。約2700則建議蜂擁而入，而艾伯霍弗—巴伐利亞一本暢銷書裡面一名警察的名字—雀屏中選。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1517176 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1514187

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K367: About Japan - Japanese robot can peel bananas cleanly

Robots in Japan are found on factory floors carrying out simple tasks or delivering food to restaurant patrons but researchers have now unveiled a robot capable of executing the delicate task of peeling a banana without squashing the fruit inside.

日本的機器人常見到在工廠裡執行簡單的工作或是分送食物給餐廳顧客，但研究人員如今展示一種機器人，它能夠執行剝香蕉皮且不會壓壞裡面水果的細緻工作。

While the dual-armed machine is only successful 57% of the time, banana peeling points to a future where machines undertake more subtle operations than moving metal parts or delivering coffee.

雖然這種雙臂機器只有57%的時間是成功的，但剝香蕉皮顯示未來機器能夠從事比搬運金屬零件或送上咖啡更精巧的行動。

Video from researchers at the University of Tokyo showed the robot pick up and peel a banana with both hands in about three minutes.

東京大學研究人員的影片顯示，這款機器人用雙手在3分鐘內撿起一根香蕉並完成剝皮。

Researchers Heecheol Kim, Yoshiyuki Ohmura and Yasuo Kuniyoshi trained the robot using a "deep imitation learning" process where they demonstrated the banana-peeling action hundreds of times to produce sufficient data for the robot to learn the actions and replicate it.

研究人員金希哲、大村吉幸和國吉康夫利用「深度模仿學習」過程訓練機器人，他們展示剝香蕉皮的動作好幾百次來產生足夠的資料給機器人學習並複製這個動作。

Yasuo Kuniyoshi hopes the better-trained robots can alleviate Japan’s labour shortage problems, for example at bento lunch box or food processing factories that are highly dependent on human labour.

國吉康夫希望這些訓練有素的機器人可以減緩日本的勞動力短缺問題，例如在高度依賴人力的便當店或食品加工廠。

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Japanese ‘smart’ chopsticks enhance food flavours to make them more savoury日本「智能」筷子增強食物味道 使它們更美味

Japanese researchers have developed computerised chopsticks that enhance salty tastes, potentially helping those who need to reduce sodium in their diets.

日本研究人員開發出一款可提升鹹味的電腦化筷子，有機會幫助那些飲食需要減少鈉攝取量的民眾。

Co-developed by Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita and beverage maker Kirin Holdings Co., the chopsticks enhance tastes using electrical stimulation and a mini-computer worn on a wristband.

這款筷子由明治大學教授宮下芳明及飲料製造商麒麟控股公司共同開發，可利用電流刺激和佩戴在腕帶上的迷你電腦來提升口味。

The device uses a weak electrical current to transmit sodium ions from food, through the chopsticks, to the mouth where they create a sense of saltiness, said Miyashita. "As a result, the salty taste enhances 1.5 times," he said.

宮下說，該設備使用微弱電流，將食物中的鈉離子通過筷子傳輸到嘴巴，在那裡它們會產生鹹味。他說，「結果，鹹味提升了1.5倍。」

The taste-enhancing chopsticks may have particular relevance in Japan, where the traditional diet favours salty tastes. The average Japanese adult consumes about 10 grams of salt per day, double the amount recommended by the World Health Organisation.

增味筷子在日本可能特別重要，因為日本的傳統飲食偏愛鹹味。日本成年人平均每天攝取約10克鹽，是世界衛生組織（WHO）建議量的2倍。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1516060 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1514949

Summary:

Vintage designer pieces have always been desirable in the secondhand market, especially if they’re rare or archive pieces. Vivienne Westwood, Versace and Tom Ford-era Gucci are among some of the most popular brands among vintage lovers.

Angel and I discuss why second-hand fashion should be seen different to vintage fashion. What does it take to be collector? Check this episode out!

Vocabulary:

1. Vintage adj. 復古

Vintage cars that are in working condition can be auctioned for millions of dollars. 還能開的復古(經典)汽車可以拍賣到百萬美元。

1. Collector n. 收藏家

If you are a collector, you will keep the boxes of all your goodies. 如果你是收藏家，你很可能會留下你寶貝的盒子。

1. Mint in the box 全新未拆（線上賣東西術語）

Many collectors prefer to buy vintage toys mint in the box. 許多玩具收藏家都喜歡買全新未拆的復古(古董)玩具。

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

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.K366: Poor sleep may hinder attempts to maintain weight loss, study finds

Poor sleep may undermine attempts to maintain weight loss, research has suggested.

研究說明，睡眠不足可能會破壞保持減肥的努力。

Millions of people who are overweight or obese manage to lose weight every year. But many often then face a struggle to keep the pounds creeping back.

每年有數百萬超重或肥胖的人設法減輕體重。但許多人通常會面臨保持體重回升的困擾。

Now results from a randomised trial, which was conducted by the University of Copenhagen and presented at the European Congress on Obesity, suggests better and longer sleep patterns could help keep the weight off for good.

現在，由哥本哈根大學進行並在歐洲肥胖大會上發表的一項隨機試驗的結果表明，更好和更長的睡眠模式可以幫助永久減輕體重。

It is well known that not getting enough or poor quality sleep increases the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and fatty deposits building up in the arteries.

眾所周知，睡眠不足或質量差會增加高血壓、高膽固醇和脂肪沉積在動脈中的風險。

Not getting enough sleep has also been linked to diabetes, inflammation and heart disease. Scientists now increasingly believe poor sleep may be a contributing factor in weight regain after weight loss.

In the study, 195 adults who were obese and aged between 18 and 65 followed a very low-calorie diet (800 kcal/day) for eight weeks, losing on average 12 percent of their bodyweight.

睡眠不足也與糖尿病、炎症和心髒病有關。科學家們現在越來越相信睡眠不足可能是減肥後體重反彈的一個因素。在這項研究中，195 名年齡在 18 至 65 歲之間的肥胖成年人連續 8 週採用極低熱量飲食（每天 800 大卡），平均減掉 12% 的體重。

They were then tracked for a year. Their sleep duration was measured using data from wearable monitors and their sleep quality was measured with the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), a self-rated questionnaire.

然後他們被跟踪了一年。他們的睡眠時間是使用來自可穿戴監視器的數據來測量的，他們的睡眠質量是使用匹茲堡睡眠質量指數 (PSQI) 來測量的，這是一種自評問卷。

Those who slept for less than six hours a night were found to have, on average, increased their body mass index (BMI) by 1.3 points after a year compared with those who slept for more than six hours.

Similarly, the BMI for those who had poor quality sleep increased by 1.2 points after a year compared with those whose sleep was of a good quality. The authors noted the study was observational and could not prove that poor sleep caused weight changes, but suggested that it was likely to contribute.

“The fact that sleep health was so strongly related to weight loss maintenance is important since many of us don’t get the recommended amount of sleep needed for optimal health and functioning,” said Prof Signe Torekov, of the University of Copenhagen.

與睡眠時間超過 6 小時的人相比，每晚睡眠時間少於 6 小時的人在一年後的體重指數（BMI）平均增加了 1.3 個百分點。同樣，與睡眠質量好的人相比，睡眠質量差的人一年後的 BMI 增加了 1.2 個百分點。作者指出，這項研究是觀察性的，無法證明睡眠不足會導致體重變化，但說明它可能會有所貢獻。哥本哈根大學的 Signe Torekov 教授說：“睡眠健康與減肥維持密切相關這一事實很重要，因為我們中的許多人沒有獲得最佳健康和功能所需的推薦睡眠量。”

More than a third of adults in the UK and the US do not frequently get enough sleep, previous research has found, largely owing to a host of factors in modern life including stress, computers, smart devices and the blurring of work-life boundaries.

先前的研究發現，在英國和美國，超過三分之一的成年人經常睡眠不足，這主要是由於現代生活中的許多因素，包括壓力、電腦、智能設備以及工作與生活界限的模糊。

The study also found about two hours of vigorous physical activity a week could help maintain better sleep.

該研究還發現，每周大約兩個小時的劇烈體育活動有助於保持更好的睡眠。

“Future research examining possible ways of improving sleep in adults with obesity will be an important next step to limit weight regain,” said Torekov. “Weight loss maintained with exercise seems promising in improving sleep.”

Torekov 說：“未來的研究檢查改善肥胖成年人睡眠的可能方法將是限制體重反彈的重要下一步。” “通過運動保持體重減輕似乎對改善睡眠很有希望。” Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/05/10/2003777959