通勤學英語 15Mins Today

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K360: Ballet is hard enough. What Happens When You Lose a Year?

In ballet when you lose a year, you lose a lot. It takes years of sacrifice and training to become a professional, and the performing life of a dancer is short.

在芭蕾的世界，你失去一年，你的損失可就大了。經過多年犧牲訓練才能成為一個專業舞者，表演生涯卻頗為短暫。

For elite ballet dancers, a solid career lasts around 15 years — and that comes after roughly a decade of schooling. Could this pause alter the evolution of dance generations?

對菁英芭蕾舞者而言，穩定的職涯約可維持15年，唯須先經10年左右正式學習。這波疫情中斷會改變舞蹈界的世代演進嗎？

“They’re losing a year to a year and a half of their career that they’re not going to get back,” Jonathan Stafford, New York City Ballet’s artistic director, said. “It’s not like they can make it up on the back end. Everyone eventually is going to age out.”

「他們損失一年至一年半的職涯，而且無法追回。」紐約市芭蕾舞團藝術總監強納森‧史代佛說。「這並非他們之後能補上的事，到頭來每個人都會不再適齡。」

Ballet dancers need mental toughness to prevail in ordinary times. But this collective timeout is unlike anything they have experienced in their careers.

芭蕾舞者平時就需有堅強的心智方能出類拔萃，碰上這波疫情被迫集體性暫停卻跟他們原來職涯中任何經歷都大不相同。

“It has to be brutal — physically and psychologically,” Mikhail Baryshnikov said in an email. He recalled having “tough tests” — times in his career when injuries had forced him to take off a few months. “But it’s hard to imagine what it’s been like for dancers sidelined by the pandemic.”

「這對身心肯定都是嚴苛考驗。」米夏‧巴瑞辛尼可夫在電郵中表示。他回憶職涯中多次因受傷被迫休息數月，遭遇「嚴酷試煉」。「但是，很難想像舞者因為疫情無法表演是何種光景。」

How does a dancer stay motivated and challenged? Some won’t have jobs to return to, and those who do don’t know when performances will return to normal. And the clock keeps ticking.

舞者如何維持積極向上和接受挑戰的心志？一些人將回不去原來的工作崗位，回得去的也不知演出何時能恢復正常。而時光繼續流逝。

“I can’t imagine any point in my career being dealt this card,” said Wendy Whelan, the associate artistic director of City Ballet where she was a leading dancer for 30 years. “You are taking up steps — up, up, up, up, up — and you don’t want to get knocked off of any one of those steps at any point. Then, when you get there, you want to hang on to it as long as you can.”

「我無法想像職涯中任何時間點碰上這種情況。」曾任紐約市芭蕾舞團首席舞者30年的該團副藝術總監溫蒂‧韋倫說。「你順著台階往上爬，一階階往上攻頂，不想在任何時刻從任何一階上被打下來。然後當你登頂後，會想在那兒待得愈久愈好。」

Stafford said he wasn’t worried about dancers regaining their athleticism and movement quality; he even thinks their technique will be better, a result of working more slowly and focusing on the basics. But it will take time — months of classes and then rehearsals — to get them back to where they were last March.

史代佛說，他並不擔心舞者無法回復運動能力與動作品質，甚至認為他們的技巧會更好，因為能以較慢步調練習及專注於基礎。但需要相當時間，數月課程再加上排練，才能讓他們重回去年三月的狀態。

Dancers are practical; this year has shown that they are also incredibly resilient. While the shutdown has meant time away from performing, it has also given dancers an opportunity to experience life beyond their art, and many have relished the pause. They are taking college classes or teaching or having surgery they have put off, knowing there is time to recover. There are lots of babies on the way.

舞者是務實的，這一年顯示他們也極具韌性。封城雖意味無法表演，卻也給舞者體驗舞蹈以外人生的機會，許多人很享受這段空檔。他們去大學上課、教課或接受擱置的手術，因為知道有時間可以休養。另外也會有許多新生命即將誕生。

“I am convinced that they’re going to come back more well rounded, more interesting, softer in a way,” Whelan said, adding: “This time has been so healthy. Unfortunate, yet healthy.”

「我確信他們再回來時會更全面而完整，更有趣，或者也可以說更柔軟。」韋倫說，她又說：「這段時光十分健康，雖不幸」Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/5348793

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K359: About medicine - Scientists publish the first complete human genome

Scientists on Thursday published the first complete human genome, filling in gaps remaining after previous efforts while offering new promise in the search for clues regarding disease-causing mutations and genetic variation among the world’s 7.9 billion people.

科學家週四發表第一個完整人類基因組，填補了先前努力後仍存在的空白，同時為在全球79億人中尋找有關致病突變和遺傳變異的線索，帶來新希望。

Researchers in 2003 unveiled what was then billed as the complete sequence of the human genome. But about 8% of it had not been fully deciphered, mainly because it consisted of highly repetitive chunks of DNA that were difficult to mesh with the rest.

研究人員於2003年公布當時被稱為人類基因組的完整序列，但其中有大約8％沒有完全破譯，主要是因為這部分是由高度重覆的DNA片段組成，難以與其他部分相嚙合。

A consortium of scientists resolved that in research published in the journal Science. The work was initially made public last year before its formal peer review process.

一個科學家團隊解決了上述問題，並將成果發表在《科學》期刊。這項研究在經過正式同儕審查程序前，最初曾在去年公布。

The consortium’s full version is composed of 3.055 billion base pairs, the units from which chromosomes and our genes are built, and 19,969 genes that encode proteins.

這個團隊提供的完整版本，是由30億5500萬個鹼基對（構成染色體和基因的單位）和1萬9969個蛋白質編碼基因所組成。

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‘You inhaled it’: Man inhales drill bit during dental visit 「你把它吸入了」：男子看牙醫時吸入鑽頭

A routine trip to the dentist was anything but normal — after an Illinois man inhaled the dentist’s drill bit and had to go to the hospital to get it removed last month.

這個例行造訪牙醫的行程絕對不正常──在伊利諾一名男子上月把牙醫的鑽頭吸入以後，必須前往醫院把它取出。

Tom Jozsi, 60, told WISN-TV that he was at the dentist getting his tooth filled when he was told he swallowed a tool.

60歲的湯姆．賈州仕告訴WISN電視台，他在牙醫那邊補牙時被告知，他吞下了一個工具。

“I didn’t really even feel it going down. All I felt was a cough. When they did the CT scan they realized, ‘You didn’t swallow it. You inhaled it,’” he said. Doctors believe that Jozsi inhaled just before he coughed, sending the 1-inch bit deep into Jozsi’s lung.

他說，「我甚至沒有真的感覺到它下去。我只感覺到咳嗽。當他們做了電腦斷層掃描，他們了解到：『你沒有吞了它。你把它吸進去。』」醫生們相信，賈州仕是在咳嗽前吸進去的，把這個1英寸的鑽頭送進他肺部深處。

Dr. Abdul Alraiyes decided to try a newer device to remove the object — one that’s designed for early detection of cancer.

阿卜杜勒．阿萊耶斯醫師決定嘗試一種更新型的設備來移除該物體──一種設計用來早期偵測癌症的設備。

Video of the scan shows the medical team was able to navigate the narrow airways, reach the drill piece and pull it out without harming Jozsi.

掃描影片顯示，醫療團隊能在狹窄氣道遊走、觸及探頭並將之拉出而不傷害賈州仕。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1512260 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1513256

新的一季Vocab，我們會每週週三準時上架，讓大家收聽全英時事討論，吸收主題相關詞彙用語以及觀點~ 也開放聽眾來信或投稿主題喔！

15Mins主持群祝所有女兒、媳婦、母親、奶奶、曾奶奶，母親節，女王節快樂！

Summary:

Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, but the clearest modern precedent for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.”

The origins of Mother’s Day as celebrated in the United States date back to the 19th century. In the years before the Civil War, Ann Reeves Jarvis of West Virginia helped start “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs” to teach local women how to properly care for their children.

These clubs later became a unifying force in a region of the country still divided over the Civil War. In 1868 Jarvis organized “Mothers’ Friendship Day,” at which mothers gathered with former Union and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation.

Vocabulary:

1. Carnation 康乃馨

Ann Reeves Jarvis chose carnation as the emblem of Mother's Day because it was her mother's favorite flower. Ann Reeves Jarvis 康乃馨為母親節的象徵主要是因為是她母親最喜歡的花。

1. Hallmark cards 賀曼賀卡

For special occasions, you should buy a Hallmark card for your mother. 特殊節日你應該買張賀曼賀卡給你母親。

1. Quote 名言/引用

A quote from Rudyard Kipling - God can't be everywhere, so he created mothers. Rudyard Kipling名言: 上帝無法無所不在，所以上帝創造了母親。

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.K358: Fashion, fabrics and fishtails: Why we need to talk about what female classical performers wear

Discussing clothing is something of a taboo in classical music, for performers as much as critics. “Most musicians don’t feel like they can talk about it,” says Jocelyn Lightfoot, managing director of the London Chamber Orchestra. There is the entrenched idea that classical musicians are supposed to be heard and not seen. In this performance ideal, the performer’s personality — expressed through his or her choice of clothing — is excised, deferring to “the music itself”.

在古典音樂中，討論服裝是一種禁忌，對表演者和評論家來說都是如此。“大多數音樂家都不覺得他們可以談論它” 倫敦室內管絃樂團 （London Chamber Orchestra）董事總經理喬斯林·萊特富特（Jocelyn Lightfoot）說。有一種根深蒂固的觀念認為，古典音樂家應該是被聽到而不是被看到。在這種表演理念中，表演者的個性 - 通過他或她選擇的衣服來表達 – 都是被切除，完全源於“音樂本身”。

Those musicians who step outside the norm in their clothing choices have, accordingly, been subject to severe criticism. But at least part of the controversy surrounding artists like violinist Nigel Kennedy, with his jeans and spiky hair, is that they remind us that live music is a visual medium. We don’t just hear — we see musicians performing.

因此，那些在服裝選擇上超越常規的音樂家受到了嚴厲的批評。但是，圍繞著小提琴家奈傑爾·甘迺迪（Nigel Kennedy）等牛仔褲和尖頭髮的藝術家的爭議至少有一部分的人，他們提醒我們，現場音樂是一種視覺媒介。我們不只是聽到 - 我們也看到音樂家表演

For women, the stakes of their clothing choices are considerably higher because women are more frequently sexualized than their male counterparts. While Kennedy’s informal clothes were criticized by some as “ludicrous,” the furore around pianist Yuja Wang betrays this double standard. As much ink has been spilt over Wang’s hemlines as her playing – and with a couple of exceptions, commentary has focused on how “short and tight” her dresses are.

對於女性來說，她們選擇服裝的風險要高得多，因為女性比男性更頻繁地被性物化。雖然甘迺迪的非正式服裝被一些人批評為「荒謬可笑」，但圍繞鋼琴家王裕佳的憤怒暴露了這種雙重標準。就像她的演奏一樣，王的下擺也是有兩極看法——除了幾個例外，評論都集中在她的裙子有多“短而緊”。

The problem isn’t that critics are talking about Wang’s clothes. It’s that by viewing everything she wears through a sexualized lens, they’re presenting her as a sexual object first and an artist second. There is no room in this worldview for women’s clothes to be both an artistic and personal choice.

Perhaps part of the issue is that fashion lies outside the traditional classical critic’s toolkit.

問題不在於批評者在談論王的衣服。而是通過性物化的鏡頭觀察她所穿的一切，他們首先將她呈現為性物件，其次是藝術家。在這種世界觀中，女性服裝既不能成為藝術選擇，也可以作為個人選擇。也許部分問題在於，時尚不在傳統古典音樂批評家的工具包之內。

The inability to talk about Wang’s clothing in a sensitive and respectful way reveals damaging and longstanding assumptions around women and their dress on the classical stage. The notion that what we see might “distract from” music, rather than shape our experience of it, stems from a centuries-old division of body and mind, physicality and rationality, that claims classical music as purely cerebral stuff. The body has no place here. And this idea is gendered. Rationality and the mind have historically been coded masculine, sensuality and the body feminine, with the result that women and their bodies have been marginalized within classical music.

無法以敏感和尊重的方式談論王的服裝，揭示了古典舞臺上圍繞女性及其著裝的破壞性和長期存在的假設。我們所看到的可能會“分散”對於音樂的注意力，而不是塑造我們對音樂的體驗，這種觀念源於幾個世紀以來對身體和思想，物理性和理性的劃分，它聲稱古典音樂是純粹的大腦的東西。身體在這裡沒有位置。這個想法是性別化的。理性和心靈歷來被編碼為男性化，性感和身體女性化，結果女性及其身體在古典音樂中被邊緣化。

The denial of Wang’s agency also feeds into racist stereotypes around the submissiveness and inexpressiveness of both women and classical musicians of Asian descent — stereotypes that Wang’s clothing choices actively disrupt.

對王的行為的否認也助長了圍繞亞裔女性和古典音樂家的順從和無表情的種族主義刻板印象——王的服裝選擇積極地打破了這些刻板印象。

We need to find ways of talking about women’s clothes that respect them as artistic choices, and integral to performance. Dress is becoming more important as questions around diversity and inclusion are pushed to the forefront of institutions’ agendas. The London Chamber Orchestra, for example, has recently removed the dress code for its players. Dispensing with the heavily gendered expectations of black tie is partly, Lightfoot says, to celebrate the individuality of the orchestra’s players and build an inclusive space for musicians whose “way of expressing themselves physically doesn’t fit with that classical music stereotype.” But it’s also to create a “mirror between the audience and orchestra,” reaching out to those “who don’t feel welcome in a concert hall.”

我們需要找到談論女性服裝的方法，尊重她們的藝術選擇，並且是表演不可或缺的一部分。隨著圍繞多樣性和包容性的問題被推到機構議程的最前沿，著裝變得越來越重要。例如，倫敦室內管絃樂團（London Chamber Orchestra）最近取消了對演奏者的著裝要求。萊特富特說，摒棄對黑色領帶的高度性別化的期望，部分原因是為了慶祝樂團演奏者的個性，併為那些“表達自己身體的方式不符合古典音樂刻板印象”的音樂家建立一個包容性的空間。但這也是為了在觀眾和管弦樂隊之間創造一面鏡子，向那些“在音樂廳里不受歡迎的人”伸出援手。

Moreover, social media has made classical music “so much more visual” says Maxine Kwok, a violinist in the London Symphony Orchestra. Orchestras and soloists alike are now attuned to the branding possibilities it offers, from sharing clips of concerts to photographs of rehearsals in jeans and jumpers. And this can, perhaps, be a way of making musicians more accessible.

此外，社交媒體使古典音樂“更加直觀”，倫敦交響樂團的小提琴家Maxine Kwok說。管弦樂隊和獨奏家現在都適應了它提供的品牌可能性，從分享音樂會的剪輯到穿著牛仔褲和毛衣排練的照片。這也許可以成為使音樂家更容易接近的一種方式。

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K357: About India - India’s Harnaaz Sandhu is crowned Miss Universe 2021

Harnaaz Sandhu of India was crowned Miss Universe 2021 on Sunday, marking the end of a controversial pageant hosted in southern Israel.

印度的哈娜茲‧桑德胡週日加冕成為2021年環球小姐，為這場在以色列南部舉行且爭議不斷的選美比賽劃下句點。

The pageant was held in the resort city of Eilat, with 80 women from around the world competing for the crown. Sunday night was the last day of the competition, with eliminations narrowing down the number of finalists until the last two remained.

這場選美賽在以國度假城市埃拉特舉行，有來自世界各地的80位佳麗爭奪后冠。週日晚間是比賽最後一天，決賽人數一路縮減至最後只剩下2人。

Nadia Ferreira of Paraguay and Lalela Mswane of South Africa were the first and second runners-up, respectively.

巴拉圭的娜蒂亞‧費瑞拉與南非的拉蕾拉‧恩史旺分別為亞軍與季軍。

The South African government withdrew its support and called on Mswane to drop out, citing Israeli treatment of Palestinians, calling it "apartheid," a charge Israel has vehemently denied.

南非政府曾撤回對這場選美賽的支持，並呼籲恩史旺退賽，理由是以色列對待巴勒斯坦人的方式有如「種族隔離」，但以國政府怒駁該指控。

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Elephants in India enjoy fruit feast ahead of World Elephant Day 印度大象在「世界大象日」前享用水果大餐

After an evening walk under overcast skies with rains not far away, elephants rescued from circuses and temples in India are treated to a feast of their favorite fruits and vegetables to celebrate World Elephant Day, which falls on Aug. 12.

在某一個烏雲密布、雨勢逼近的晚上步行之後，從馬戲團和寺廟中獲救的印度大象，被請吃一頓牠們最愛的蔬果大餐，慶祝8月12日的「世界大象日」。

A lavish spread of watermelons, bananas, papayas and pumpkins is laid out for the Asian elephants at a sanctuary near the banks of the Yamuna River.

大量的西瓜、香蕉、木瓜和南瓜被放置在這些亞洲象面前，地點位於靠近亞穆納河河堤的一處庇護所。

Most of the 28 elephants at the center suffer from chronic illness and various ailments ranging from abscesses, cataracts, blindness and joint pain, the result of years of abuse in captivity.

該庇護所的28頭大象中，大部分都有慢性疾病和各種病痛，包括膿瘡、白內障、失明和關節疼痛，那是長年被囚禁的後果。

The number of wild Asiatic elephants, primarily found in India and parts of South and Southeast Asia, has fallen to under 50,000, just 15% of its historic average, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.

根據世界自然基金會，主要生活在印度、部分南亞和東南亞地區的亞洲象，數量已降至5萬頭以下，僅歷史平均數量的15％。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1501152 ; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/1467645

Topic: Woman cut rope holding painters 26 floors high

A resident of a high-rise condominium in Thailand cut the support rope for two painters, apparently angry she wasn’t told they would be doing work, and left them hanging above the 26th floor.

泰國一棟高層公寓大廈的一名住戶，剪斷2名外牆油漆工的支撐繩索，讓他們懸吊在26樓高，顯然是對未被告知施工一事動怒。

The woman is facing attempted murder and property destruction charges, and could face a prison term up to 20 years.

該名女性住戶面臨蓄意謀殺和財物毀損罪名，可能被判囚20年。

One of the painters, a Myanmar national named Song, told the Thai media that he and his friends had lowered themselves from the 32nd floor to repair a crack on the building.

其中一名緬甸籍宋姓油漆工向泰國媒體表示，他和朋友從32樓垂降，準備修復大廈的裂痕。

When he reached the 30th floor, he felt that the rope was heavier and when he looked down, he saw someone on the 21st floor open a window and cut his rope. He tried asking for help from other units, but nobody was in. The third colleague continued to support them from the top floor until a couple rescued them.

到達30樓外後，他感到繩索變重，往下竟看到有人從21樓打開窗戶剪斷繩索。他試著向其他住戶求救，但沒人在家，第3名同事則持續從頂樓支撐著他們，直到一對夫婦救了他們。

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Thai chain’s cannabis pizza: trendy but won’t get you high 泰國連鎖餐廳的大麻披薩：夠時髦卻不會讓人飄飄然

One of Thailand’s major fast food chains The Pizza Company has introduced "Crazy Happy Pizza", an under-the-radar product topped with a cannabis leaf. It’s legal but won’t get you high.

泰國大型連鎖餐廳之一「披薩公司」推出一款擺上一片大麻葉的低調新品「極樂披薩」，這是合法的產品，並不會讓人飄飄欲仙。

"It’s just a marketing campaign. And you can taste the cannabis and then if you have enough, you may get a bit sleepy," said the general manager.

餐廳總經理說：「這只是行銷方式，可以讓人品嚐大麻，只是如果吃太飽，可能會有點想睡覺。」

The Crazy Happy Pizza is a mashup of toppings evoking the flavors of Thailand’s famous Tom Yum Gai soup along with a deep-fried cannabis leaf on top. Cannabis is also infused into the cheese crust and there’s chopped cannabis in the dipping sauce. A 9-inch pie costs only 499 baht.

「極樂披薩」混搭各種食材，使人聯想到泰國著名的酸辣蝦湯，上頭再放上一片酥炸的大麻葉。不僅起司餅皮填入大麻，沾醬也加入碎葉片。一塊9吋披薩僅售499泰銖（約463台幣）。

Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to remove specific parts and extracts of cannabis from its controlled narcotics list in December 2020, and later allowed them to be used in foods and beverages.

泰國在2020年12月成為首個將大麻特定部位和萃取物移出致幻毒品的東南亞國家，之後更允許在菜品或飲料中使用大麻。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1499658 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1503512

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Topic: Parched fields force Thailand to look beyond rice

Thailand has long served as one of the globe’s main rice bowls, but chronic water shortages are pushing the country to move away from a grain that dominates its fields and has defined a way of life for generations.

泰國向來是全球稻米主要供應國之一，但長期缺水讓這個國家無法再固守單一作物，必須為往後的世代定義新的生存方式。

Laddawan has spent the past forty years coaxing rice from her plot in central Thailand, but she is tired of watching her farmland squeezed dry by increasingly severe droughts.

過去40年來，拉德旺一直在泰國中部的自家土地上細心照料水稻，但嚴重的旱災持續蹂躪這片土地，此情此景已讓她感到厭倦。

"I plan to replace some rice paddies with limes," she told AFP after attending a government-run workshop urging farmers to diversify their crops.

在參加完一場由政府舉辦、鼓勵農夫種植不同作物的農作坊後，她告訴法新社記者：「我打算不種稻米，改種萊姆了。」

At a workshop held in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok, Laddawan was sold the seeds fruit trees.

拉德旺在曼谷附近暖武里省的一場農作坊上買到果樹種籽。

These alternatives will drastically reduce water consumption but also break the monoculture that has deteriorated Thai soil for decades.

這些替代方案將大幅縮減用水量，也將打破數十年來造成泰國土質惡化的單一作物栽培模式。

"We have no choice, we need to adapt," Laddawan said, explaining that she used to plant three rice crops annually, but next year will only have enough water for one.

拉德旺表示，她過去每年種植3次水稻，但水資源只夠在明年種1次，「我們沒有選擇，只能改變。」

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Topic: Thai hotel brews up coffee from elephant dung 泰國酒店從象糞中煮出咖啡

For those who like their coffee with a strong nose Thailand could be the ideal destination, after a blend made from elephant dung was put on sale by an upmarket hotel chain.

泰國一家高檔連鎖酒店販售象糞製作的咖啡後，對喜愛濃咖啡的人來說，泰國可能是個理想去處。

The Black Ivory blend, made from coffee beans digested and excreted by Thai elephants, is billed as producing a particularly smooth cup.

這種「黑色象牙」咖啡，是由泰國大象消化並排泄出來的咖啡豆製成，號稱味道特別溫和。

But it is not cheap, with Anantara Hotels saying the "naturally refined" coffee costs a staggering $1,100 per kilogram -- making it one of the most expensive blends in the world.

但象糞咖啡所費不貲，安娜塔拉酒店表示，這種「天然精釀」的咖啡豆每公斤要價讓人咋舌的1100美元，是世界最貴的咖啡之一。

"Research indicates that during digestion, the enzymes of the elephant break down coffee protein," the Thai-based hotel group said in a statement.

這家泰國酒店集團在聲明中說：「研究指出，在消化過程中，大象體內的酵素會分解咖啡豆裡的蛋白質。」

Next Article

Topic: The Price of Recycling Old Laptops: Toxic Fumes in Thailand’s Lungs

婦女們蹲伏在一間燈光昏暗的工廠的地上，整理被現代世界棄置的一些內容物：電池、電路板和成綑的電線。

Crouched on the ground in a dimly lit factory, women picked through the discarded innards of the modern world: batteries, circuit boards and bundles of wires.

她們或者用鐵鎚，或者徒手，拆解這些被稱作有害電子廢棄物或電子垃圾的廢品，再由男性工人鏟進一台鏗鏘作響的機器，以回收有用的金屬。有些男工用碎布包住臉來隔擋煙塵。

They broke down the scrap — known as hazardous electronic-waste, or e-waste — with hammers and raw hands. Men, some with faces wrapped in rags to repel the fumes, shoveled the refuse into a clanking machine that salvages usable metal.

當他們賣力工作之時，煙霧飄散至鄰近的村莊和工廠，居民對煙霧中有什麼物質一無所知—塑膠？金屬？誰知道！他們只知道聞起來很臭，讓人惡心。

As they toiled, smoke spewed over nearby villages and farms. Residents have no idea what is in the smoke — plastic, metal, who knows? All they know is that it stinks and they feel sick.

這間名為「新天空金屬」的工廠，是東南亞正蓬勃發展的電子垃圾業的一部分，是在中國大陸決定停止接收毒害其土地人民的全球電子垃圾後，應運而生。泰國特別成為這項產業的中心，過程中社運人士大力阻擋，政府則在公共安全與可觀的收益之間謀取平衡。

The factory, New Sky Metal, is part of a thriving e-waste industry across Southeast Asia, born of China’s decision to stop accepting the world’s electronic refuse, which was poisoning its land and people. Thailand in particular has become a center of the industry even as activists push back and its government wrestles to balance competing interests of public safety with the profits to be made from the lucrative trade.

去年泰國禁止外國電子垃圾進口，然而環境監控人員和產業專家說，新工廠仍然在國內各地開設，處理成噸的電子垃圾。

Last year, Thailand banned the import of foreign e-waste. Yet new factories are opening across the country, and tons of e-waste are being processed, environmental monitors and industry experts said.

「電子垃圾必須有去處。」以反對將垃圾傾倒至窮國為訴求的「巴塞爾行動網路」執行長吉姆．帕其特說，「中國就是把整個作業搬到東南亞。」

“E-waste has to go somewhere,” said Jim Puckett, executive director of the Basel Action Network, which campaigns against trash dumping in poor countries, “and the Chinese are simply moving their entire operations to Southeast Asia.”

他說：「賺錢的唯一方法，是用便宜、非法的勞力處理極為龐大的數量，而且大肆汙染環境。」

“The only way to make money is to get huge volume with cheap, illegal labor and pollute the hell out of the environment,” he added.

根據聯合國的統計，全球每年製造出5000萬噸電子垃圾，消費者習慣了丟掉前一年的機型，入手新款式。

回收這些小電器的觀念聽起來道德高尚：科技便利的無限循環。

Each year, 50 million tons of e-waste are produced globally, according to the United Nations, as consumers grow accustomed to throwing away last year’s model and acquiring the next new thing.The notion of recycling these gadgets sounds virtuous: an infinite loop of technological utility.

但是，從廢棄的手機、電腦和電視中採集微量的金銀銅之類貴金屬，其實是骯髒且危險的工作。

But it is dirty and dangerous work to extract the tiny quantities of precious metals — like gold, silver and copper — from castoff phones, computers and televisions.

曾經有許多年，中國大陸大量接收世界各地的電子廢棄物。然後在2018年，北京對外來電子垃圾關閉了大門。泰國和其他東南亞國家看到了機會，因為它們環境法律執行寬鬆，勞動力剝削容易，而且商界和政府間關係緊密。

For years, China took in much of the world’s electronic refuse. Then in 2018, Beijing closed its borders to foreign e-waste. Thailand and other countries in Southeast Asia — with their lax enforcement of environmental laws, easily exploited labor force and cozy nexus between business and government — saw an opportunity.

「每一片電路板和每一條電線都能讓你賺不少錢，特別是毋須考慮環境或勞工時。」環境監督組織「泰國生態警示復甦」領導人潘重．沙也譚說。

“Every circuit and every cable is very lucrative, especially if there is no concern for the environment or for workers,” said Penchom Saetang, head of Ecological Alert and Recovery Thailand, an environmental watchdog.

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/349813/web/

主題: 常混肴的日常動詞 Sit / Set / Seat

To Sit

It describes an action undertaken by the subject of a clause. The verb “to sit” does not express the kind of action that can be DONE TO anything.

Example sentences:

I SIT here every day. (She SITS here.)

I SAT here yesterday.

I WILL SIT here tomorrow.

I AM SITTING here right now.

I HAVE SAT here every day for years.

To Set

It describes an action and requires a direct object because it describes the kind of action that is DONE TO something.

Example sentences:

I SET my book on the table every night before turning out the light. (She SETS her book on the table.)

I SET my book on the table last night.

I WILL SET my book on the table tonight.

I AM SETTING my book on the table right now.

I HAVE SET my book on the table every night for years.

To Seat

Keep in mind that when we talk about placing our guests in their chairs for, say, a dinner party, we are seating them, not setting them.

Example Sentences:

Today I SEAT my guests.

Yesterday I SEATED my guests.

I WILL SEAT my guests.

I AM SEATING my guests.

I HAVE SEATED my guests.

小小測驗 Quiz Time

Which of the following sentences are right / wrong? 那個句子用對/錯字 ?

1. Yesterday Suki sat in her office all afternoon completing the annual report.

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K348: About dogs - In Peru, dogs ’marry’ on Valentine’s Day

Cynthia Ceballos’ celebration of Valentine’s Day in Peru’s capital Lima was not about her own love life: it was about the marriage of two of her small fluffy white dogs.

辛希雅．塞巴洛斯在秘魯首都利馬的情人節慶祝活動與她自己的愛情生活無關：而是她的兩隻毛茸茸的小白狗結為連理。

Dressed in Andean-inspired clothing, Ceballos’ dogs were the winners of Lima’s MatriCan - a play on the Spanish words for "wedding" and "dog" - a local competition that celebrates Valentine’s Day by dressing dogs as if they were about to get married.

穿著安地斯衣著，塞巴洛斯的狗兒是利馬的MatriCan比賽贏家，MatriCan是西班牙文「婚禮」和「狗」的雙關語。這場慶祝情人節的地方競賽是以彷彿狗兒就要結婚的方式來打扮狗兒。

Mass weddings are common in Peru, especially on Valentine’s Day. It is a way for Peruvians who cannot afford a wedding of their own to celebrate and also ensure their union is legally recognized. Mass dog weddings are just a twist on the tradition.

集體婚禮在秘魯很常見，特別是在情人節。它是負擔不起自己婚禮的秘魯人慶祝的一種方式，同時確保他們的結合受到法律承認。集體狗兒婚禮只是這個傳統的一個轉折。

The owners helped their dogs sign their marriage papers, by lifting their paws and pressing them on paper. In the end, the dogs and the owners all took a picture together.

飼主透過舉起狗兒爪子並按在紙上的方式，協助牠們簽署結婚證書。最後，狗兒和飼主們全部一起合照。

Next Article

Astrology helps dogs find new owners 星座幫助狗狗找到新主人

Wags and Walks adoption center, an animal shelter in Los Angeles, teamed up with website building company Squarespace to create the website wagsandwalksfoster.com, which shows dogs and their star signs to help get better foster matches.

洛杉磯一家動物庇護所「維格斯及沃克斯領養中心」，與網站架設公司「Squarespace」合作創建網站wagsandwalksfoster.com，在上頭展示狗狗及牠們的星座，以尋求更速配的主人。

"Compatibility is a huge factor when it comes to pairing a pet with a foster owner and what better way to showcase compatibility than with astrological signs?" said Ashley Camale, head of consumer, product and international communications at Squarespace Inc.

Squarespace的客戶、產品及國際通訊主任艾希莉‧卡梅爾說：「配對寵物和領養主人時，彼此的匹配度是重大考量，還有什麼比星座更能展現匹配度？」

Workers at Wags and Walks keep records of personality traits and likes and dislikes of each dog in their care.

「維格斯及沃克斯」員工會在照料每一隻狗狗時，記錄牠們的性格特質、喜歡及不喜歡的東西。

Ariana Howell, the center’s volunteer coordinator, said, "Though for the most part we don’t know their actual birthdays, we assign them a star sign based on their personalities as we get to know them."

該中心的志工協調員亞莉安娜‧霍威爾說：「雖然大部分情況是，我們不知道牠們真正的生日，但我們還是會在了解牠們的過程中，依據性格特質為牠們選定一個星座。」

Since the website launched in mid-October, foster applications submitted to the shelter have increased by 20 percent.

網站10月中旬上線後，提出領養申請的數量增加20％。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1501581 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1504874

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K355: Wanted in France: Thousands of Workers as Hotels and Restaurants Reopen

For six months, Christophe Thiriet has waited for France’s grinding national lockdowns to be lifted so he can reopen his company’s restaurants and hotels in a picturesque corner of eastern France and recall the 150 employees who were furloughed months ago.

六個月來，克里斯多弗．提希耶一直等待折磨人的法國全國封城解除，好讓公司設在如詩如畫的法國東部的餐廳和飯店能重新開張，並召回數個月前放無薪假的一百五十位員工。

But when he asked them to return for a reopening in mid-May, he faced an unexpected headache: At least 30 said they wouldn’t be coming back, leaving him scrambling to hire new workers just as he needed to swing into action.

但是當他要求他們於五月中旬重新開業時復職，卻面臨意料之外的頭痛狀況：至少三十人說他們不會回來，讓他在需要積極展開行動之際急著雇請新員工。

“When you close things for so long, people think twice about whether they want to stay,” said Thiriet, a co-manager of the Heintz Group.

「當你關店太久，人們會三思是否要留下。」海因茲集團共同經理人提希耶說。

Restaurants and hotels across the country are facing the same problem. After months on furlough, workers in droves are deciding not to return to jobs in the hospitality industry.

全國各地的餐廳和飯店正面臨相同問題。在數個月的無薪假後，成群的勞工決定不返回在餐旅業的工作。

A shortfall of perhaps as many as 100,000 restaurant and hotel workers is especially troubling, because hundreds of thousands of people are looking for work after France’s worst recession in decades. Employers say it is becoming harder to lure job seekers to an industry whose future is more or less tethered to the vagaries of the coronavirus and the uncertainty of vaccine campaigns.

餐廳和飯店工作者的短缺可能多達十萬人，這一點格外令人憂慮，因為在法國經歷數十年來最嚴重的經濟衰退後，此際有數十萬人正在找工作。雇主說，這個產業未來或多或少受制於新冠病毒的變化莫測，以及疫苗推廣的不確定性，要吸引求職者變得更困難。

The missing manpower conundrum has emerged as thousands of hotels and restaurants that survived the crisis pivot toward trying to make up for an 80% plunge in business since last spring. The COVID-19 lockdowns have cost France’s tourism industry, a cornerstone of the economy, more than 60 billion euros in lost revenue since last year.

正當數千家飯店餐廳熬過危機存活下來，力圖補回自去年春季以來暴跌百分之八十的業績之際，人力流失的難題卻浮現了。新冠病毒封城已讓作為法國經濟一大基石的旅遊產業付出巨大代價，自去年以來營收損失超過六百億歐元。

“We know we’re going to have customers again this summer — that’s not the problem,” said Yann France, the owner of La Flambée, a restaurant in the popular northern seaside city of Deauville. “The concern is that we won’t have an adequate workforce at a time when we need to make up for a huge loss in sales.”

「我們知道今年夏天我們會再度有顧客上門，這不是問題。」北方熱點海濱城市多維爾「火焰餐廳」的老闆揚恩．方瑟說，「重點是，當我們需要在銷售上彌補巨大損失的時刻，卻沒有足夠人力。」

Some say the problem may not be so stark, since international visitors aren’t yet flocking back to France, and job seekers, including students who need work to help make ends meet, could eventually fill any shortfall.

有些人說這問題也許沒那麼嚴重，因為國際遊客還沒大舉回流到法國，而包括需要打工賺錢的學生在內的求職者，最終會補足所有缺口。

But others say the precariousness of the businesses is the broader question.

不過也有人說，這行業前途不穩靠才是更大的問題。

“The bigger issue is the uncertainty over the industry’s future,” said Thierry Gregoire, the owner of NT Hotel Gallery group, which owns five hotels and three restaurants around Toulouse. “Will things stay open, or could there be another shutdown because of a new virus?”

「更大的問題是這個產業未來的不確定性。」在土魯斯擁有五間飯店和三間餐廳的NT Hotel Gallery集團老闆泰希．葛黑卦說，「開放狀態能否就此維持，或是又有隨新病毒而來的另一次封城？」Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/5460885

新的一季Vocab，我們會每週週三準時上架，讓大家收聽全英時事討論，吸收主題相關詞彙用語以及觀點~ 也開放聽眾來信或投稿主題喔！

Summary:

Angel and I talk about the sakura-gazing season that is just around the corner. For the travel enthusiasts, travelling to Japan is out of the question during the pandemic, but what are our alternatives? Where can we go in Taiwan for sakura-gazing? Come and write to us!

Taiwan sakura-gazing guide: https://taiwan-scene.com/the-best-places-to-see-cherry-blossoms-in-taiwan/

Taiwan cherry blossom-gazing guide: https://luomujie.blogspot.com/2019/01/Taiwan-cherry-blossom-season-when-where-how-to-go-tips-and-tricks.html

Vocabulary:

1. Sakura gazing 賞櫻花

My friends love to go sakura gazing in spring. 我的朋友在春天時很愛去賞櫻。

1. Plum blossoms 梅花開

You can only see plum blossoms in winter. 你只能在冬天看到梅花開。

1. Secret location 秘密地點

Every summer, my family would go to a secret location near Fulong to enjoy the beach in private. 每個夏天我們家都會去福隆附近的秘密海灘地點。

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]