通勤學英語 15Mins Today

Source: https://www.insider.com/what-to-bring-to-disney-parks-someone-who-goes-frequently-2022-4#an-umbrella-is-a-must-in-rainy-climates-9

1. A reusable water bottle comes in handy and cuts costs 隨身水瓶好用又省錢

Bringing a reusable water bottle is an absolute necessity because buying bottled water in the parks is extremely overpriced and staying hydrated in the heat is so important.

Many parks have water-bottle filling stations, but many dining locations also offer free cups of water if you forget a bottle.

1. As parks become more environmentally friendly, you might want to bring your own straw 園區強調環保需要自帶吸管

The Disney parks have been reducing the amount of single-use plastics that are handed out to guests, including plastic straws.

Dining and refreshment locations now hand out paper straws or none at all.

1. A handheld fan can be a lifesaver on a hot day 手持風扇是你的救命稻草

A handheld fan is an absolute lifesaver to prevent overheating, especially in the summer.

Standing in the scorching sun all day can be pretty brutal, so a small USB-rechargeable fan offers a welcome reprise from the heat.

1. Wipes come in handy for many reasons 濕紙巾很能派上用場

I like to bring a variety of wipes with me to the parks.

I use sanitizing wipes to clean surfaces, wipe my hands before eating, or wash up any spilled ice cream

1. An umbrella is a must in rainy climates 雨傘在多雨的氣候下是必須的

When visiting a theme park in a climate that's prone to rain, like Disney World in Florida, I'll bring a compact, collapsible umbrella with me.

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1. What do you bring when you travel?

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K348: It’s Sitting Pretty in Ink

To be a magazine reader these days is to lament — unless you are reading The World of Interiors, published since 1982 by Condé Nast Britain but widely available on American newsstands, where it sells for $9.99 per issue.

在這個時代身為雜誌讀者，如今就是在哀歎——除非你正在閱讀《室內設計世界》（The World of Interiors），該書自1982年以來由康泰納仕英國公司（Condé Nast Britain）出版，但在美國報攤上隨處可見，每期售價9.99美元。

The World of Interiors is essentially a decorating magazine, but this is like saying Vogue concerns itself with sewing. It showcases seemingly every facet of the decorative arts and crafts over centuries, from pop artist Roy Lichtenstein’s Manhattan studio to an antique dealer’s 16th-century Shropshire pile to a shepherd’s hut, while reviewing books like “The People’s Galleries: Art Museums and Exhibitions in Britain 1800-1914.” It’s intelligent, witty and wide-ranging in its curiosity: a bible.

《室內世界》本質上是一本裝飾雜誌，但這就像說《Vogue》是關注縫紉一樣。幾個世紀以來，它似乎展示了裝飾藝術和手工藝品的方方面面，從波普藝術家羅伊·利希滕斯坦（Roy Lichtenstein）的曼哈頓工作室到古董商的16世紀什羅普郡（Shropshire）堆垛，再到牧羊人的小屋，同時評論了“人民畫廊：英國藝術博物館和展覽1800-1914”等書籍。這本雜誌聰明、機智，好奇心廣泛：如同一本聖經。

And a rarity.

而且是罕見的。

Two decades after the internet changed everything, magazines mostly have yet to figure out how to thrive in a digital world. Details and Domino folded. Glamour, Seventeen, Vibe, Self and Playboy have either retreated from print altogether or appear on newsstands infrequently. Titles once so culturally influential they created mythologies around them — Time, Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone — have been supplanted by social media and blog.

在網際網路改變一切的20年後，雜誌大多還沒有弄清楚如何在數位世界中茁壯成長。細節和多米諾骨牌摺疊。《魅力》、《十七歲》、《Vibe》、《Self》和《花花公子》要麼完全退出印刷品，要麼很少出現在報攤上。曾經在文化上如此有影響力的標題，以至於圍繞它們創造了神話 - 時代，體育畫報，滾石 - 已經被社交媒體和部落格所取代

Nicholas Coleridge, the outgoing chairman of Condé Nast Britain, recently published a memoir about the 30-year golden period for magazines, beginning in the 1980s, when ad revenue and circulation climbed year after year and editors brimmed with creative gusto. He titled it “The Glossy Years.” In 2017, the U.S. arm of Condé Nast lost more than $120 million and, to stem the bleeding, the publisher has closed or sold off several titles and subleased floors in its Lower Manhattan headquarters. Rivals Hearst and Meredith face similar challenges.

即將離任的康泰納仕英國公司（Condé Nast Britain）主席尼古拉斯·柯勒律治（Nicholas Coleridge）最近出版了一本回憶錄，講述了雜誌從1980年代開始的30年黃金時期，當時廣告收入和發行量逐年攀升，編輯們充滿了創造性的熱情。他將其命名為「光輝歲月」。2017年，康泰納仕（Condé Nast）的美國分公司損失了超過1.2億美元，為了阻止流血，該出版商已經關閉或出售了其曼哈頓下城總部的幾本書和轉租樓層。競爭對手赫斯特和梅雷迪思也面臨著類似的挑戰。

If one could even sell a magazine memoir of today, it might be called “The Getting-By Years”: slashed budgets, reduced staffs, a noticeable diminishing of not just financial resources but ambition and copy-editing.

如果有人現在能為雜誌出本回憶錄，書名可能會是「湊合著過的歲月」：預算大減，人員縮編，財源、企圖心和審稿人力明顯減少。

Except at The World of Interiors, which has lost none of its gloss and seems utterly unaffected by modern media trends. Other than a cursory if reasonably popular Instagram presence and website of inspirational indices, it’s not really on the internet, or trying limply to be “of” the internet as so many other legacy titles are.

除了《室內設計世界》，它沒有失去任何光輝，似乎完全不受現代媒體趨勢的影響。粗略經營就是說該雜誌的Instagram和指數網站，它並沒有真正在網路上，或者像許多其他傳統標題一樣跛腳地試圖成為互聯網的“人”。

“It enjoys a semi-indie status among our titles,” said Albert Read, the managing director of Condé Nast Britain. The people who produce it, he said, “are all artistic bohemian types. It’s the antithesis to the data-driven digital attitude that we have to embrace in other part of our business.”

英國康泰納仕總經理李德說：「室內世界在我們旗下雜誌裡，享有半獨立地位。」他說，製作這本刊物的「都是很有藝術造詣又豪放不羈的文化人，態度與我們處理其他業務必須有的『看數據說話』完全相反」。

Sitting in his wood-paneled office inside Vogue House, the publisher’s London headquarters, Read held up the October issue of The World of Interiors. It was thick as a phone book with ads and printed on heavy 100-gram wood-free coated paper, the most luscious, most expensive paper of any Condé title. The cover was a simple, enticing photo of the shaded veranda of a house in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of northwest Africa, with barely any typeface to muck it up.

李德坐在出版商倫敦總部Vogue House的木板辦公室里，舉起了十月刊《室內設計世界》。它厚厚如一本帶有廣告的電話簿，印在厚重的100克無木銅版紙上，這是所有康得書目中最甜美，最昂貴的紙張。封面是一張簡單而誘人的照片，描繪了加那利群島（加那利群島）一所房子的陰涼陽臺，加那利群島是非洲西北部海岸附近的一個西班牙群島，幾乎沒有任何字體來掩蓋它。

The magazine’s readership is small, with a circulation of 55,000, but influential. It’s beloved by those in the creative and visual arts especially.

這本雜誌發行5萬5000本，讀者群很小，但很有影響力，尤其受到創意及視覺藝術工作者喜愛。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/4255134

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K347: Venice Gets a Grip on a Star Architect’s Slippery Bridge

As tourists wandered obliviously on the glass floor of the footbridge, locals proceeded with caution. Venetians made sure to walk on the narrow stone strip at the center, some lifting fogged glasses to keep their eyes on the ground. When a visitor tripped, they barely lifted their gaze.

當遊客在人行天橋的玻璃地板上徘徊時，當地人小心翼翼地繼續前進。威尼斯人確保走在中心的狹窄石帶上，有些人舉起霧玻璃，把眼睛放在地上。當一個訪客被絆倒時，他們幾乎沒有抬起目光。

“That is not a bridge,” said Angelo Xalle, 71, a retired port worker who recalled helping people with broken chins or foreheads get up from its sleek floor. “It’s a trap.”

「這不是座橋」，71歲退休港口員工薩爾說，他回想起幫助因滑溜橋面而跌斷下巴或額頭的人起身，「這是個陷阱」。

The bridge, Ponte della Costituzione, by star architect Santiago Calatrava, is a multimillion-dollar work of glass and steel that opened in 2008. Its smooth curve above the Grand Canal, near Venice’s train station, was meant to symbolize the city’s embrace of modernity, but it has become better known as a stage for ruinous tumbles and dangerous slips.

這座橋由明星建築師聖地牙哥·卡拉特拉瓦（Santiago Calatrava）設計，是一座價值數百萬美元的玻璃和鋼鐵作品，於2008年開放。它在威尼斯火車站附近的大運河上方的平滑曲線象徵著這座城市對現代性的擁抱，但它已成為一個眾所周知的毀滅性翻滾和危險滑倒的舞臺。

Now, after years of protests and problems, the city has decided to replace the translucent glass with less slippery — and less glamorous — trachyte stone.

現在，在多年的抗議和各種問題後，市政府決定以比較不滑、也沒那麼美麗的粗面岩，取代透明玻璃。

“People hurt themselves, and they sue the administration,” said Francesca Zaccariotto, Venice’s public works official. “We have to intervene.”

「民眾受傷，他們就告政府」，威尼斯公共事務官員札卡里歐托說，「我們必須介入」。

The city’s decision to allocate 500,000 euros, or about $565,000, to replace the bridge’s glass section comes after several failed attempts to limit slips with resin and nonslip stickers. Last month, as the winter cold and rains made the floor especially dangerous, officials placed keep-off signs on the glass portion of the bridge, which is most of it.

該市決定撥款50萬歐元，約合565000美元，以取代橋樑的玻璃部分，此前幾次嘗試用樹脂和防滑貼紙限制滑倒失敗。上個月，由於冬季的寒冷和降雨使地板特別危險，官員們在橋的玻璃部分放置了防範標誌，這是大部分。

Acclaimed around the world for work including the World Trade Center Transportation Hub in New York, Calatrava was commissioned to design the bridge in 1999. When it opened nine years later, after protests about delays and soaring costs, complaints about falls began quickly.

卡拉特拉瓦（Calatrava）的作品享譽全球，包括紐約的世界貿易中心交通樞紐，於1999年受委託設計這座橋。九年後，當它開業時，在抗議延誤和成本飆升之後，關於跌倒的抱怨迅速開始。

Protests intensified in 2013, when the city installed a cable car on the bridge to make it more accessible. The red, round cabin — not designed by Calatrava — cost about 1.5 million euros, was slow to cross the bridge and became unbearably hot in the summer. It was later dismantled.

抗議活動在2013年加劇，當時該市在橋上安裝了纜車，使其更容易進入。紅色的圓形機艙 - 不是由Calatrava設計的 - 耗資約150萬歐元，過橋的速度很慢，夏天變得難以忍受。它後來被拆除。

In 2018, the city replaced some of the slabs of glass with trachyte, but during the pandemic, when national television filmed people walking over the bridge to illustrate the return to normalcy after a lockdown, it inevitably caught someone slipping. Last year, the administration gathered the funds to fully replace the glass.

2018年，該市用粗面岩取代了一些玻璃板，但在疫情期間，當國家電視台拍攝人們走過橋以說明封鎖后恢復正常時，它不可避免地抓住了某人滑倒。去年，政府籌集資金以完全更換玻璃。

“We can’t always do poetry,” Zaccariotto said. “We must give security.”

「我們不能老是搞浪漫」，札卡里歐托說，「我們必須保障安全」。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6076910

新的一季Vocab，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:

The cha chaan teng – or "tea restaurant" – is the Hong Kong equivalent of the "greasy spoon" cafe, or perhaps the American diner. Frequented by everyone from tough construction workers to sharp-suited bankers to roughing-it celebs craving the cheap dishes they were brought up on, offer East-West hybrid comfort foods that fuses the thriftier ends of the culinary traditions of two very different worlds.

Article from BBC: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220310-hong-kongs-greasy-spoon-cafes

Vocabulary:

1. Mom-and-pop stores 小型/家庭型店家

Mom-and-pop stores were everywhere in the countryside where I grew up. 我小時候長大的鄉下地方到處都可以看到家庭式雜貨店。

1. Affordable 可負擔的/負擔得起

Street food is usually the most affordable food in the city. 路邊攤食物通常在城市裡是最便宜的。

1. Thrifty 節儉

If you want to be thrifty, you have to try and cook more by yourself or only visit greasy spoon cafes. 如果你想省錢的話，只能試著自己煮，要不然就是去小吃店吃。

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.K346: Our Ever-Expanding Virus Vernacular

新冠肺炎大流行顛覆了包括言語在內的各種人類行為。對話中都看到口罩和螢幕，他們的句子與新的詞彙串在一起：醫學術語，政治命令和俚語，旨在讓大眾更容易吸收。

This new vernacular has many people playing virologist in the group chat, with talk of contact tracing and antibody tests; planning “socially distant” activities like Zoom birthday parties and drive-by greetings; and tweeting about life under “quar,” a pet name for “quarantine”.

這些新的俚語讓很多人在社群中聊天時可以扮演病毒學家，談論接觸者追蹤和抗體測試，以及計劃「社交距離」活動，如在Zoom生日派對和駕車遠距問候;並在推特上發佈關於“quar”下的生活，“quar”是“隔離”的暱稱。

“‘Self-isolation,’‘social distancing,’‘abundance of caution’— pairs of words I'd never seen together in a sentence back in January have become ubiquitous,” she writes. These phrases are moving “even faster than the virus, eye to mind, ear to mouth, disseminated by our iPhone screens and televisions.”

“'自我隔離'，'社交距離'，'大量的謹慎'——這些詞我在一月份時從未在一句話中看到過，現在開口兩句話些詞已經變得無處不在，”她寫道。這些片語正在以「比病毒更快，眼睛到思想，耳朵到嘴巴，通過我們的iPhone螢幕和電視傳播中。」

The proliferation of neologisms and jargon was significant enough to merit updates to the Oxford English Dictionary in April, beyond the dictionary's standard quarterly updates.

新詞和俚語的成長足以使牛津英語詞典在四月份進行更新，超出了原來該詞典的標準的季度更新。

“Social change brings about linguistic change,” said Fiona McPherson, a senior editor at the OED. “These are permanent additions to our vocabulary.”

“社會變遷帶來了語言上的改變，”OED的高級編輯菲奧娜·麥克弗森（Fiona McPherson）說。“這些都是永久的加入我們詞彙中“。

She noted, though, that many of the words aren't new; rather, their use has become more frequent, their meanings shifted in the new context of the pandemic. “Social distancing,” “self-isolation” and “coronavirus” date back decades, even centuries.

不過，她指出，許多詞並不新鮮。相反，它們的使用變得更加頻繁，它們的含義在大流行的新背景下發生了變化。“社交距離”，“自我隔離”和“新冠病毒”可以追溯到幾十年前，甚至幾個世紀。

McPherson said a lexicographer's job is to be “descriptive, not prescriptive. We're telling the story of what the words mean, but they only mean that because that's how people are using them. And the stories are never completely finished.”

麥克弗森說，詞典編輯者的工作是“描述性的，而不是規範性的。我們講述的是這些詞的含義，但它們只是因為這就是人們使用它們的方式。故事永遠不會完全結束。

Gretchen McCulloch, a linguist and the author of “Because Internet,” raised the example of “face mask,” which a few months ago may have called to mind an at-home skin care treatment. Now, the phrase immediately evokes the protective mouth and nose covering people have been encouraged to wear to prevent viral transmission.

語言學家、《為何網際網路》（Why Internet）一書的作者格雷琴·麥卡洛克（Gretchen McCulloch）舉了一個“口罩”的例子，幾個月前，這種面膜可能讓人想起了一種家庭臉部護理。現在，這句話立即喚起了人們被鼓勵戴上保護性口鼻罩以防止病毒傳播的防護服。

This evolution in the language can be seen as well in the rhetoric of care providers and politicians, which varies by region. The states are“on pause”or working to“flatten the curve,”their residents told to“stay at home,”“shelter in place”or remain“healthy at home.”

這種語言的演變也可以從護理人員和政治家的言論中看到，這些言論因地區而異。各州正在「暫停」或努力「拉平曲線」，他們的居民被告知「留在家裡」，“就地避難”或保持“健康在家中”。

The World Health Organization has recommended that“physical distancing”replace“social distancing” because it more accurately describes the goal of keeping a physical distance while still encouraging safe, remote social connection, which is imperative for mental health.

世界衛生組織建議“保持身體距離”取代“社交距離”，因為它更準確地描述了保持身體距離的目標，同時仍然鼓勵安全，遠端的社交活動，這對心理健康至關重要。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/4602077

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K345: About Science - Ants have the ability to sniff out cancer in humans, study reveals

Ants have the ability to sniff out cancerous cells in humans, a new study has discovered, suggesting they could be used for cancer diagnosis in future.

一項新研究發現，螞蟻能嗅出人體內的癌細胞，這表明螞蟻可用於未來對癌症的診斷。

Researchers from the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) discovered that ant species Formica fusca has a well developed sense of smell.

法國國家科學研究中心（CNRS）的研究人員發現，「黑山蟻」（學名：Formica fusca ）這種螞蟻品種，嗅覺非常發達。

It was able to differentiate cancerous cells from healthy cells in humans, thanks to their sense of smell, limited trials revealed. But more clinical tests must be carried out before they could be used in clinical settings like hospitals, the team said.

有限的實驗顯示，這種螞蟻的嗅覺超強，能夠將人體的癌細胞與健康細胞區分開來。但是該研究團隊表示，還需要進行更多臨床測試，才能將黑山蟻用於醫院等臨床環境中。

They suggest that in future, ants could turn out to be better at dogs when it comes to locating cancerous cells in humans.

他們人員指出，未來在識別人體癌細胞方面，螞蟻可能會比狗做得更出色。

Next Article

科學家使用細胞再生技術讓老鼠回春 Scientists Reverse Aging In Mice Using Cell Rejuvenation Technique

Researchers in the US treated healthy mice with a form of gene therapy that refreshed older cells, making the animals more youthful according to biological markers that are used to measure the effects of ageing.

美國研究人員對健康老鼠實施一種更新老化細胞的基因療法，他們透過用來衡量老化效應的生物標記法，測出這些老鼠變年輕了。

Repeating the trick in humans is far from straightforward, but the findings will fuel interest in radical new therapies that aim to slow or reverse the ageing process as a means of tackling age-related diseases such as cancer, brittle bones and Alzheimer’s.

儘管難以用同樣的方法讓人類返老還童，但這一發現將點燃人們對以延緩或逆轉衰老為目標的激進新療法的興趣，這種療法可以用來治療諸如癌症、骨質疏鬆和阿茲海默症等與年齡相關的疾病。

The scientists drew on previous work by the Japanese Nobel laureate Prof Shinya Yamanaka, who showed that a mixture of four molecules – known as Yamanaka factors – can rewind adult cells into youthful stem cells that are capable of forming almost any tissue in the body.

科學家這一療法借鑑日本諾貝爾獎得主山中伸彌教授先前的研究成果。山中伸彌向世人展示，被稱為「山中因子」的4種分子組合在一起，可以讓成人細胞逆生長為年輕的幹細胞，而幹細胞可以分化成人體的任何組織。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1506995 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1508339

Topic: About scientific research - Certain Junk Foods Could Be Messing With Your Brain’s Appetite Control, Study Finds

Emerging evidence in humans suggests a typically Western high-fat, high-sugar ’junk food’ diet can quickly undermine your brain’s appetite control.

在人類中新發現的證據顯示，含有高脂高糖「垃圾食物」的典型西方飲食，可以快速破壞大腦對食慾的控制。

After indulging in a week-long binge of waffles, milkshakes and similarly rich foods, researchers in Australia found young and healthy volunteers scored worse on memory tests and experienced a greater desire to eat junk food, even when they were already full.

狂吃鬆餅、奶昔和類似的高脂食物一週後，澳洲研究人員發現，年輕健康的志願者在記憶力測試中成績欠佳，而且對垃圾食物更有食慾，甚至在吃飽之後還想吃。

The findings suggest something is amiss in the hippocampus - a region of the brain that supports memory and helps to regulate appetite. When we are full, the hippocampus is thought to quieten down our memories of delicious food, thereby reducing our appetite.

研究結果顯示問題出在海馬體，這個區域在大腦中支援記憶力，協助調節食慾。我們吃飽之後，海馬體被認為會使美食記憶不再活躍，從而降低食慾。

When it’s disrupted, this control can be seriously undermined.

當海馬體受到擾亂，對食慾的控制也會受到嚴重破壞。

Over the years, extensive research on juvenile mice has found the function of the hippocampus is very sensitive to ’junk food’ , but this has only recently been observed in young and healthy humans.

近年來對幼鼠進行的廣泛研究發現，海馬體對「垃圾食物」很敏感，但最近才在年輕健康的人群中發現這一問題。

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Topic: Squatting or kneeling is better for your posture than sitting all day, anthropologists claim 人類學家：蹲姿或跪姿比坐一整天來得好

Resting postures such as squatting or kneeling may be better for health because they require more muscle activity than sitting on a chair, researchers claim.

研究人員聲稱，蹲或跪這類休息姿勢也許更有益於身體健康，因為它們比坐在椅子上需要更多的肌肉活動。

The findings are based on data gathered from a hunter-gatherer population in Tanzania who wore devices that measured physical activity as well as periods of rest.

這些發現是根據從坦尚尼亞一個狩獵採集部落收集來的數據，這個部落的人佩戴裝置來測量他們的體力活動和休息時間。

Anthropologists from the US found that despite being sedentary for almost 10 hours each day, equivalent to clocking a shift in the office at the desk, the Hazda people appeared to lack the markers of chronic diseases associated with long periods of sitting.

美國的人類學家發現，儘管哈茲達部落的人每天靜止不動的時間將近10個小時，相當於在辦公桌前上一天班，但他們似乎並未出現久坐帶來的慢性病跡象。

They believe this is down to the ‘active rest postures’ used by the tribe.

他們相信，這歸結於該部落使用的「主動休息姿勢」。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1368761 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1367176

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Aboriginal canoe sets out on voyage to Japan for research

An Aboriginal Amis canoe is set to sail from Taiwan’s Taitung County to Japan’s Yonaguni Island some time between Monday and July 13. Organized by Taiwan’s National Museum of Prehistory and Japan’s National Museum of Nature and Science (NMNS), the voyage is part of the NMNS’ research on people’s movement from Taiwan to Japan in ancient times.

一艘原住民阿美族的獨木舟，預計在週一至七月十三日間，從台灣的台東縣航向日本的與那國島。該活動是由國立台灣史前文化博物館，及日本的國立科學博物館合辦，此航行是科博館研究的一部分，旨在探討古代人們從台灣到日本的遷徙活動。

According to archaeologists, some of the early inhabitants of Japan most likely traveled from Taiwan to the Ryukyu Islands on similar wooden vessels during the Paleolithic, about 30,000 years ago. The canoe will have to cross the Kuroshio Current (the Black Current) and travel around 205km to Yonaguni Island, Japan’s westernmost island in Okinawa Prefecture.

根據考古學家們指出，日本的某些早期居民，極有可能是搭乘著類似的木筏，自台灣來到沖繩列島，當時大約是距今三萬年的舊石器時代。這艘獨木舟必須跨越「黑潮」洋流，航行約兩百零五公里至沖繩縣、位於全日本最西端的與那國島。

The research team failed to complete a voyage on an Amis bamboo raft last year and the year before that, because the boats used were not strong enough for the big waves. This time around, a canoe made of cedar will be used in the adventure, which is expected to take 2 to 3 days.

研究團隊去年、前年均嘗試以阿美族竹筏渡海，但因竹筏不夠堅固無法抵擋大浪沖擊，最終挑戰失敗。本次冒險則改用以雪松打造的獨木舟，預計需二到三天才能完成整趟航程。Source article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2019/06/20/2003717213

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Topic: Researchers ‘reboot’ pig brains hours after animals died

The brains of decapitated pigs can be partially revived several hours after the animal has died, researchers have revealed, with some of the functions of cells booted back up when an oxygen-rich fluid is circulated through the organ.

研究人員近日指出，宰殺後的豬隻大腦在死亡數個小時之後，仍然可以被「部分復甦」──藉由一種富含氧氣的液體在器官中進行循環，死亡豬隻的腦細胞部分功能被重新啟動。

The scientists stress that the brains do not show any signs of consciousness — for example, there was no sign that different parts of the brain were sending signals to each other — and that it does not change the definition of death. “This is not a living brain. But it is a cellularly active brain,” said Prof Nenad Sestan from Yale University, who led the research.

科學家強調，實驗中的大腦並未顯示任何具有意識的徵兆──舉例而言，大腦不同部位並沒有出現互相傳遞訊號的跡象──而這項實驗也並未改變死亡的定義。耶魯大學的內納德‧塞斯坦教授是這篇研究的主持人，他表示：「這並不代表它是一個活的大腦，但確實是一個就細胞層面而言仍在活動中的大腦。」

A number of studies have suggested brain cells might not inevitably die after blood stops circulating. Writing in the journal Nature, researchers in the US reported how they sought to examine this further by taking brains from 32 pigs that had been killed in a slaughterhouse. Four hours after their deaths the arteries of the pig brains were hooked up to a sophisticated system dubbed BrainEx, which pumped an oxygenated synthetic blood through the organ. This fluid contained a host of nutrients as well as other substances to tackle processes that lead to cell death, and the circulation was continued for six hours.

曾有多份研究指出，在血液停止循環後，大腦細胞可能不會必然死亡。在期刊《自然》這次刊出的報告中，美國的研究人員解釋他們如何藉由三十二頭豬在屠宰廠被宰殺後留下的大腦，試圖進一步檢驗這個現象。在豬隻死亡四個小時後，豬的大腦動脈被接上一個稱為「BrainEx」的複雜系統，它會把加入氧氣的人工合成血液灌注到器官中。液體內含有許多營養物和其他物質，能夠阻撓導致細胞死亡的過程，並在大腦中持續循環六個小時。

At that point, the team found the circulating fluid successfully flowed through blood vessels in the brain, including tiny capillaries, and that the blood vessels were able to dilate in response to a drug, while the brain as a whole consumed oxygen and glucose from the fluid and released carbon dioxide back into it at similar rates to an intact brain.

此時，研究團隊發現循環的液體順利流經大腦中的血管──包括極細的微血管──而血管也能夠對某種藥物產生擴張反應，大腦整體則會消耗液體中的氧氣和葡萄糖，並釋出二氧化碳回到液體中，速率近似於正常大腦。

What is more, the cells showed certain functions, including the release of various immune-response substances when triggered. After tissues were removed from the brains and flushed of the BrainEx fluid the researchers found individual neurons were still able to function.

此外，細胞更開始出現某些功能，例如在受到刺激時會釋放出多種免疫反應物質。研究人員移除部分腦組織、並且沖洗掉「BrainEx」液體後，發現單獨的神經元仍然能夠運作。

The team said that while the BrainEx fluid was circulating, they monitored the brains to check for any signs of organized electrical activity that might suggest consciousness. “That monitoring didn’t show any kind of organized global electrical activity,” said Dr Stephen Latham, a bioethicist and co-author of the study.

研究團隊表示，當「BrainEx」液體正在循環時，他們有偵測大腦，檢查是否有任何可能代表意識的組織性帶電活動跡象。生物倫理學家史蒂芬‧拉譚姆博士是這份研究的共同作者，他指出：「監測過程中並未顯示出任何組織性的整體帶電活動」。

But, he said, the team had been ready for signs of consciousness. “Had that appeared they would have lowered the temperature of the brain and used anesthesia to stop that kind of activity,” said Latham, adding that at present there are no ethics committees set up for such an eventuality, and it remained unclear in any case if the technique could ever restore consciousness.

不過，他也表示，研究團隊已做好準備，面對隨時出現意識的徵兆。拉譚姆博士說：「如果有類似跡象出現，研究人員就會降低腦部溫度，並且用麻醉藥物阻止這類活動。」但他也補充說，目前並沒有為這種可能性成立任何倫理委員會，而且無論如何，該技術是否能夠恢復意識仍然在未定之天。

The team said the approach could provide a new way to study the brain, and even help in the development and testing of new therapies for stroke and other conditions in which bloodflow to parts of the brain is blocked, causing cells to die.

研究團隊表示，這個方法可望提供新的大腦研究方式，甚至有助於開發和測試新療法，治療中風和其他因為大腦部分血流受阻而導致細胞死亡的相關疾病。

Source article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2019/04/28/2003714163/2

英語慣用語系列 旅遊相關慣用語 Travel related idioms

1. To hit the road

To hit the road means to start a journey or to leave. It can also be used in normal, daily life when you decide it’s time for you to go home.

For example: “We have to be there by 10 am, so we’re hitting the road early tomorrow” or “I’ve been here long enough, it’s time I hit the road”.

1. To catch the sun

This idiom can be used whenever you go to the beach and someone gets sunburnt, so if you know anyone who gets burnt easily don’t miss the opportunity to use it with them!

For example: “Be careful you don’t catch too much sun at the beach, remember to put on some sunscreen!”

1. On a shoestring/ on the cheap

This idiom is the complete opposite of the previous one. To do something on a shoestring or on the cheap, it means that you are doing it without spending a lot of money.

For example: “I’m going to travel around Europe on a shoestring. I’ll be staying at hostels and buying food in supermarkets”

1. At the crack of dawn

To do something at the crack of dawn means that you’re doing it just as the sun is rising. It means you’re doing it at the earliest possible time.

For example: “The plane leaves at 7.30 am, so we have to get up at the crack of dawn to get to the airport on time”.

1. Off the beaten track

If a place or something is off the beaten track, it means that it is far away from where many people live, or in a remote location .

For example: “I want to stay on this island all summer because it’s off the beaten track, so there’s not many people here and it’s quiet and peaceful.”

1. To catch the red-eye

When a person says they have to catch the red-eye it means they have to take a plane which is leaving very late at night .

For example: “I have to sleep during the day as I’m catching a red-eye tonight”.

慣用語小測驗:

Q1: The explorers have just found a village …………. There weren’t many people living there, and it was quite isolated.

1. To catch the red-eye

Q2: I need to ………… now. I have an appointment with the dentist this afternoon.

1. Hit the road

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K344: Soap and water kills viruses better than alcohol

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has been promoting frequent hand washing, so many people carry dry hand sanitizer or alcohol disinfectant around with them. Pulmonologist and critical care medicine physician Ooi Hean says that dry hand sanitizer or 75 percent alcohol cannot take the place of hand washing with soap, because alcohol cannot eliminate all viruses.

在COVID-19大流行期間，政府一直在推廣經常洗手，因此許多人隨身攜帶乾洗手液或酒精消毒劑。肺病學家和重症監護醫生Ooi Hean說，乾洗手液或75%的酒精不能代替用肥皂洗手，因為酒精不能消除所有病毒。

On his Facebook page, Ooi says that alcohol with a concentration of 70 percent to 95 percent can break down the viral membrane of SARS-CoV-2 and render it harmless. He recommends that when you cannot wash your hands properly, you can sanitize them with alcohol, but that does not mean that all viruses and bacteria will disappear by rubbing with 75 percent alcohol.

在他的Facebook頁面上，Ooi說，濃度為70%至95%的酒精可以分解SARS-CoV-2的病毒膜並使其無害。他建議，當你不能正確洗手時，你可以用酒精消毒它們，但這並不意味著所有的病毒和細菌都會通過用75%的酒精擦拭而消失。

Ooi says that enterovirus, norovirus, rhinovirus, poliovirus, hepatitis A virus, foot-and-mouth disease virus and human papillomavirus cannot be eliminated by alcohol, and neither can bacteria such as Bacillus or parasites such as Cryptosporidium.

Ooi 說，腸道病毒，諾如病毒，鼻病毒，脊髓灰質炎病毒，甲型肝炎病毒，口蹄疫病毒和人瘤病毒不能被酒精消除，細菌如芽孢桿菌或寄生蟲如隱孢子蟲也不能被消除。

He says that “regular hand washing” means washing them with soap and water, which will help you avoid spreading the viruses and bacteria that alcohol cannot eliminate to your family members or other people. Ooi said that rubbing your hands with 75 percent alcohol is only for emergency use when there is no soap available, and it cannot completely replace washing your hands with soap in your daily life.

他說，「定期洗手」意味著用肥皂和水清洗它們，這將有助於你避免將酒精無法消除的病毒和細菌傳播給你的家人或其他人。Ooi說，用75%酒精搓手只有在沒有肥皂可用的情況下才有緊急使用，不能完全取代日常生活中用肥皂洗手。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/03/12/2003774604

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K343: Girls more likely to attribute failure to lack of talent

Across the world, girls are more likely than boys to blame academic failure on a lack of talent, according to a large study on gender stereotypes published Wednesday last week.

根據上周三發表的一項關於性別刻板印象的大型研究，在世界各地，女孩比男孩更有可能將學業失敗歸咎於缺乏才能。

Paradoxically, the idea that males are inherently more brilliant was most entrenched in countries that are more egalitarian.

矛盾的是，男性天生更聰明的想法在更加平等的國家中最為根深蒂固。

Such stereotypes have been explored in the past, but the new work, published in the journal Science Advances, has the advantage of encompassing 500,000 students across the world, making it possible to compare between countries.

這種刻板印象過去曾被探索過，但發表在《科學進展》雜誌上的新工作的優勢在於，全世界有50萬名學生，可以在國家之間進行比較。

It used data from the 2018 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), a study conducted every three years to learn more about the knowledge and skills of 15-year-old students in math, reading, and sciences.

該研究使用了2018年國際學生評估計劃（PISA）的數據，這是一項每三年進行一次的研究，旨在更多地瞭解15歲學生在數學，閱讀和科學方面的知識和技能。

The 2018 survey included the sentence: “When I am failing, I am afraid that I might not have enough talent.”

2018年的調查中有這樣一句話：「當我失敗時，我擔心我可能沒有足夠的天賦。

The result: in 71 of the 72 countries studied, even when performance was equal, girls were more inclined to attribute their failures to a lack of talent than boys, who were likelier to blame external factors. The sole exception was Saudi Arabia.

結果：在所研究的72個國家中，有71個國家，即使表現相同，女孩也比男孩更傾向於將失敗歸因於缺乏才能，男孩更有可能歸咎於外部因素。唯一的例外是沙烏地阿拉伯。

Contrary to what one may expect, the differences were most pronounced in wealthy nations. The less talented that girls believe they are compared to boys, the less confidence they have, the less they enjoy competition, and the less willing they are to work in male-dominated occupations such as information and communication technology.

與人們的預期相反，這種差異在富裕國家最為明顯。女孩認為她們與男孩相比天賦越差，她們的信心就越低，她們就越不喜歡競爭，她們就越不願意從事男性主導的職業，如資訊和通信技術。

The result “suggests that the glass ceiling is unlikely to disappear as countries develop or become more gender-egalitarian,” the authors said in the paper.A proposed solution: “Stop thinking in terms of innate talent,” said study co-author Thomas Breda, of CNRS and the Paris School of Economics.

結果提出，隨著各國的發展或變得更加性別平等，玻璃天花板不太可能消失，"作者在論文中說。

一個建議的解決方案：「停止從天生的天賦的角度思考，」CNRS和巴黎經濟學院的合著者Thomas Breda說。

“Success comes from learning through trial and error. If we deconstruct the concept of pure talent, we will also deconstruct the idea that girls are less naturally endowed with talent than boys.”

"成功來自於通過反覆試驗的學習。如果我們解構了純粹天賦的概念，我們也會解構這樣一種觀念，即女孩比男孩更不自然地被賦予天賦。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/03/15/2003774776