通勤學英語 15Mins Today

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K329: About animals - Treating wounds with insects: the strange habits of Gabon chimps

How to treat a wound? For humans, the first instinct would be to disinfect it and then cover it with a bandage. But chimpanzees have invented a more creative method: catching insects and applying them directly to the open wound.

應該如何處理傷口呢？對於人類來說，第一個反應是對其進行消毒，然後用繃帶包紮。但黑猩猩發明了一種更有創意的方法：用昆蟲並將牠們直接塗抹在開放性傷口上。

Scientists observed this behavior in chimpanzees in the West African nation of Gabon, noticing that the apes not only use insects to treat their own wounds, but also those of their peers.

科學家們在西非國家加彭的黑猩猩身上觀察到這種行為，並注意到這些猿類不僅使用昆蟲來治療自己的傷口，還用來治療同伴。

The project began in 2019, when an adult female chimpanzee named Suzee was observed inspecting a wound on the foot of her adolescent son. Suzee then suddenly caught an insect out of the air, put it in her mouth, apparently squeezed it, and then applied it to her son’s wound.

這項研究計畫始於2019年，科學家當時觀察到一隻名叫蘇西（Suzee）的成年雌黑猩猩，正在檢查牠青少年兒子腳上的傷口。接著，蘇西突然從空中抓了一隻蟲子，放進嘴裡抿碎，然後敷在牠兒子的傷口上。

Next Article

Deer runs into hospital, up escalator; later is euthanized 一隻鹿闖進醫院搭上電梯隨後被安樂死

News outlets reported that surveillance video showed a deer bounding into Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge in Louisiana through an open door and stumbling on the slippery floor as stunned workers and visitors watched from a few feet away.

監視影片顯示，有一隻鹿從路易斯安那州巴頓魯治聖母湖醫院開放的大門跳進院內後，在易滑的地板上跌倒，震驚的工作人員和訪客在幾呎外目睹一切。

The deer regained its footing enough to climb up the escalator and reach the second floor, where it was finally corralled and held down by several people.

這隻鹿站穩腳步後爬進電梯搭到二樓，才終於被許多人一同壓制及捕捉。

The deer was loaded on a hospital bed that was rolled outside to a truck from the The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Department.

這隻鹿被放置在醫院病床上，推往路易斯安那野生動物和漁業部的卡車。

The animal had to be euthanized because of injuries, the agency said, adding there were indications it may have been struck by a vehicle before entering the building.

該機構說，由於這隻動物傷重，必須被安樂死。他們也補充道，牠看起來應該是進入醫院前遭汽車撞擊。

"Patient care has not been interrupted and the area is being thoroughly sanitized," said a statement by the hospital.

醫院聲明指出：「病患照護未受干擾，事發區域也已徹底消毒。」Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1501725 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1502232

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K328: Online scammer sold electronic gadgets, sent rotten bananas

A man surnamed Fang has been charged with concocting several nicknames to sell consumer electronics goods on social networking platforms concerned with second-hand items such as cellphones and game consoles. After one of his victims remitted payment for a graphics card, the buyer actually received a bunch of bananas, while someone else bought a Sony Playstation 5 game console but instead received tubes of toothpaste. The Kaohsiung City Police Department Criminal Investigation Corps (CIC) set up a task force, which traveled to Yilan County to search premises rented by Fang. Fang vehemently denied any involvement, but his denial was contradicted by evidence provided by the victims and a friend whose account had been used for the transaction. The police transferred him to the Yilan District Prosecutors’ Office on suspicion of fraud and a court granted the prosecutors’ request to hold him in detention.

一名姓方的男子被指控編造多個綽號，在與手機和遊戲機等二手商品有關的社交網絡平台上銷售消費電子產品。在他的一個受害者支付了顯卡費用後，買家實際上收到了一堆香蕉，而其他人購買了索尼 Playstation 5 遊戲機，卻收到了幾管牙膏。高雄市公安局刑偵總隊成立專案組，前往宜蘭縣搜查方某租用的房屋。方極力否認與此事有任何牽連，但他的否認與受害者提供的證據以及賬戶被用於交易的朋友提供的證據相矛盾。警方以涉嫌詐騙罪將他移送宜蘭區檢察院，法院批准了檢察機關拘留他的請求。

Speaking on Feb. 17, a spokesperson for the Kaohsiung CIC’s Eighth Detective Team said that a chip shortage and the COVID-19 pandemic have caused a worldwide shortage of PS5 game consoles, and this has forced people to buy them from second-hand device sales platforms instead, where they may even have to pay more than the recommended retail price. Realizing that many gamers were seeking to buy these devices through certain Facebook groups, 36-year-old Fang cooked up Facebook identities with nicknames like “Chou Chieh-lun,” “Chou Yu-min” and “Yang Lai-kuo” and offered to sell PS5 consoles, hot-selling second-hand cellphones and other consumer electronics goods at 10 percent off the market price. This attracted many people to place orders, but they ended up getting swindled.

2 月 17 日，高雄刑大八組發言人表示，晶片短缺和 COVID-19 大流行導致全球 PS5 遊戲機短缺，這迫使人們從二手設備銷售中購買它們相反，他們甚至可能不得不支付超過建議零售價的費用。意識到許多遊戲玩家正在通過某些 Facebook 群組尋求購買這些設備，36 歲的方方在 Facebook 上編造了“周杰倫”、“周玉敏”和“楊來國”等暱稱，並提供以低於市價 10% 的價格出售 PS5 遊戲機、熱銷的二手手機和其他消費電子產品。這吸引了很多人下訂單，但最終都被騙了。

The CIC estimates that at least 60 people fell victim to this scam between July last year and February this year, and were defrauded by a total of at least NT$1.2 million. Fang denied everything. He said he did not know “Chou Chieh-lun,” “Chou Yu-min” and “Yang Lai-kuo” and claimed that these three Facebook accounts did not belong to him.

刑大估計，去年7月至今年2月間，至少有60人受騙，被騙金額至少新台幣120萬元。方否認一切。他說他不認識“周杰倫”、“周玉敏”和“楊來國”，並聲稱這三個臉書賬號不屬於他。

The police believe that the suspect used this technique not only to evade the law by throwing up a smokescreen of civil disputes, but also to make his victims believe that the items had been mistakenly sent to the wrong recipients. This would make it take longer for his account to be put on a watch list, thus giving him more time to make his ill-gotten gains. After being arrested, Fang claimed that the cellphone was not his, but the police still handed him over to the prosecutors’ office on suspicion of fraud.

警方認為，犯罪嫌疑人利用這種技術不僅通過引發民事糾紛的煙幕來逃避法律，而且還使他的受害者相信這些物品被錯誤地發送給了錯誤的收件人。這將使他的帳戶被列入觀察名單的時間更長，從而使他有更多時間來賺取不義之財。被捕後，方稱手機不是他的，但警方仍以涉嫌詐騙罪將其移交檢察院。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/03/05/2003774192

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K327: How European Royals Once Shared Their Most Important Secrets

To safeguard the most important royal correspondence against snoops and spies in the 16th century, writers employed a complicated means of security. They’d fold the letter, then cut a dangling strip, using that as an improvised thread to sew stitches that locked the letter and turned the flat writing paper into its own envelope. To get inside, a spy would have to snip the lock open, an act impossible to go undetected.

為了保護16世紀最重要的皇家信件免受窺探和 間諜的侵害，作家們採用了一種複雜的安全手段 。他們會摺疊這封信，然後剪下一條懸空的條帶，用它 作為即興的線縫合縫合線，鎖住這封信， 把扁平的書寫紙變成自己的信封。要進入內部， 間諜必須將鎖剪開，這是不可能 不被發現的行為。

Catherine de’ Medici used the method in 1570 — a time she governed France while her ill son, King Charles IX, sat on its throne. Queen Elizabeth I did so in 1573 as the sovereign ruler of England and Ireland. And Mary Queen of Scots used it in 1587 just hours before her long effort to unite Britain ended in her beheading.

凱薩琳·德·美第奇在1570年使用了這種方法——當時她統治法國，而她生病的兒子查理九世坐在王位上。伊莉莎白一世女王於1573年作為英格蘭和愛爾蘭的主權統治者這樣做。蘇格蘭的瑪麗女王在1587年使用了它，就在她長期團結英國的努力以斬首告終之前的幾個小時。

“These people knew more than one way to send a letter, and they chose this one,” said Jana Dambrogio, lead author of a study that details Renaissance-era politicians’ use of the technique, and a conservator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries. “You had to be highly confident to make a spiral lock. If you made a mistake, you’d have to start all over, which could take hours of rewriting and restitching. It’s fascinating. They took great pains to build up their security.”

"這些人知道不止一種寄信的方式，他們選擇了 這種方式，"Jana Dambrogio說，她是一項研究的主要作者，該研究詳細介紹了 文藝復興時期政治家對該技術的使用，也是 麻省理工學院圖書館的保護員。"你必須 非常自信才能做出螺旋鎖。如果你犯了一個錯誤，你必須 從頭開始，這可能需要幾個小時的重寫和 重新拼接。這真是令人著迷。他們煞費苦心地建立了自己的安全機制。

Disclosure of the method’s wide use among European royalty is the latest venture of a group of scholars, centered at MIT, into a vanished art they call letterlocking — an early form of communications security that they’re busy resurrecting. Early last year, they reported their development of a virtual-reality technique that let them peer into locked letters without tearing them apart and damaging the historical record.

揭露該方法在歐洲皇室中的廣泛使用是 一群以麻省理工學院為中心的學者的最新冒險， 他們稱之為字母鎖定 - 一種他們忙於復活的早期通信安全形式 。去年年初，他們報告了他們 開發的一種虛擬現實技術，這種技術可以讓他們窺視鎖定 的信件，而不會撕裂它們並破壞歷史記錄。

Now, in a detailed article that appeared last December in the Electronic British Library Journal, the scholars lay out their expanding universe of discoveries and questions. They showcase instances of spiral letterlocking among the queens and posit that the method “spread across European courts through royal correspondence.”

在去年12月發表在《電子大英圖書館雜誌》（Electronic British Library Journal）上的一篇詳細文章中，學者們列出了他們不斷擴大的發現和問題。他們展示了女王之間螺旋式字母鎖定的例子，並假設這種方法"通過皇室信件傳播到整個歐洲宮廷"。

Although the use of locked letters faded in the 1830s with the emergence of mass-produced envelopes and improved systems of mail delivery, it’s now seen as a fascinating precursor to the widespread encryption used globally in electronic communications.

雖然鎖定信件的使用在19世紀30年代隨著大規模生產的信封和郵件傳遞系統的改進而逐漸消失，但它現在被視為全球電子通信中廣泛使用的加密的迷人先驅。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6092287

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K326: About NFT - Bored Ape NFT worth $284,495 accidentally sells for just $2,844

A distracted trader accidentally sold a non-fungible token (NFT) for a hundredth of its market price.

一位分心的虛擬幣交易員意外地以市價百分之一的價格賣出一枚非同質化代幣（ NFT ）。

NFTs are the latest cryptocurrency phenomenon to go mainstream. In the simplest terms, NFTs transform digital works of art and other collectibles into one-of-a-kind, verifiable assets that are easy to trade on the blockchain.

非同質化代幣是最新走向主流的加密貨幣。簡單的話來說，非同質化代幣把數位藝術作品和其他可收藏的物品轉換成獨一無二，可以驗證的資產，方便在區塊鍊上交易。

The Bored Ape Yacht Club is a collection of 10,000 pieces of digital NFT art living on the ethereum (eth) blockchain.

無聊猿遊艇俱樂部是由一萬件存在於以太坊區塊鍊上的數位NFT藝術作品的集合。

Max, who goes by the username maxnaut , said the mistake happened after "a lapse of concentration" when he accidentally listed the NFT for 0.75 eth ($2,844) instead of 75 eth ($284,495).

用戶名稱為maxnut的麥克斯說，這個錯誤是因為「注意力不集中」而發生。當時他不小心把這個NFT價格列成0.75以太幣（2844美元）而非75以太幣（28萬4495美元）。

He said that the NFT was instantly bought by an automated account, which later resold the piece for 59.99 eth ($227,558).

他說這個NFT瞬間被一個自動帳戶買下，之後被以59.99以太幣（22萬7558美元）的價格轉售。

Next Article

Hermès suing American artist over NFTs inspired by its Birkin bags NFTs創作靈感來自柏金包 愛馬仕控告美國藝術家

French luxury group Hermès has started legal proceedings against an American artist over virtual versions inspired by its famous Birkin bags.

法國精品集團愛馬仕對受其知名柏金包所啟發而設計出虛擬版的一位美國藝術家展開訴訟程序。

Mason Rothschild creates digital art that he sells as non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, which can be traded online but ownership cannot be forged.

梅森．羅斯柴爾德創造出這個他以非同質化代幣（NFTs）出售的數位藝術品，NFTs可以在網路上交易，且無法偽造所有權。

He named the works depicting fanciful furry Birkin bags “MetaBirkins” and sold them on websites dedicated to selling NFTs.

他把這些描繪奇異毛皮柏金包的作品命名為「MetaBirkins」，並在專門販賣NFTs的網站上出售。

“Defendant’s MetaBirkins brand simply rips off Hermès’ famous Birkin trademark by adding the generic prefix ‘meta’to the famous trademark Birkin,” it said in its complaint filed in New York.

愛馬仕在紐約提起的訴狀中說，被告的MetaBirkins品牌對知名的柏金商標加上通用前綴「meta」，根本就是剽竊愛馬仕知名的柏金商標。

Rothschild said in an online post that he was not creating or selling fake Birkin bags.

羅斯柴爾德在一篇網路貼文說，他不是創造或販售假的柏金包。

“I’ve made art works that depict imaginary, fur-covered Birkin bags,” he said, adding that as art it was freedom of expression protected by the US constitution, “just as it gave Andy Warhol the right to make and sell art depicting Campbell’s soup cans”.

他說：「我所創造的藝術作品是描繪想像中包覆毛皮的柏金包」，並補充說，作為藝術，它是受美國憲法保障的言論自由，「就像它給予安迪．沃荷權利，來製造與和販售描繪康寶濃湯罐的藝術作品一樣。」Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1493495 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1500237

Topic: Water-Stressed India Seeks a Tap for Every Home

The pipes are laid, the taps installed and the village tank is under construction — all promising signs that, come spring, Girja Ahriwar will get water at her doorstep and finally shed a lifelong burden.

管子鋪好，水龍頭裝好，村子的水槽正在建造。這些充滿希望的跡象顯示，春季來臨時，吉爾嘉．艾里瓦可以在家門口取到水，而且終於解除長期以來的負擔。

“I go out and put the jerrycans in the queue at around 5 a.m. and wait there with the children,” Ahriwar, a mother of three who lives in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, said about her routine of fetching from the village hand pump. “Sometimes it could take five or six hours. I have to stay there

because if I leave, someone else moves ahead.”

「我大約在清晨5時出門，把大水桶排進隊伍，然後和孩子們一起等待」，住在印度中部中央邦、三個孩子的媽艾里瓦說，她的例行公事就是從村子的手動泵浦取水，「有時候得花五或六個小時，我必須一直留在這裡，因為如果我離開了，其他人就會搶先往前」。

India, one of the world’s most water-stressed countries, is halfway through an ambitious drive to provide clean tap water by 2024 to all of the roughly 192 million households across its 600,000 villages. About 18,000 government engineers are overseeing the $50 billion undertaking, which includes hundreds of thousands of contractors and laborers who are laying more than 2.5 million miles of pipe.

印度是全世界用水最吃緊的國家之一，在2024年之前提供60萬個村落共約1億9200萬戶乾淨自來水，這項宏大的計畫已進行到一半。約1萬8000名政府工程師監督規模500億美元的工程，包括數十萬名包商和工人，鋪設超過250萬哩的水管。

The project has a powerful champion in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has slashed through India’s notorious red tape and pushed aside thorny political divisions to see it through. His success thus far helps explain his dominance over the country’s political landscape.

這項計畫有個有力的擁護者：總理莫迪，他打破印度惡名昭彰的官僚作風，把棘手的政治分歧暫放一邊，推動計畫。目前為止他的成功也顯示他在這個國家政治版圖的主導力。

Modi has remained popular despite a weak economy and a bungled initial response to the coronavirus that left hundreds of thousands dead. He has increasingly relied on communal politics, continuing to consolidate a Hindu nationalist base he has worked for decades to rally.

即使經濟疲弱，且一開始對新冠病毒的笨拙反應造成數十萬人死亡，莫迪仍舊廣得人心。他日漸依賴宗教團體式政治，持續鞏固印度教國族主義基本盤，他投注數十年整合這些勢力。

But the mission to deliver water to every household combines two of Modi’s political strengths: his grasp of the day-to-day problems of hundreds of millions of India’s poor and his penchant for ambitious solutions. Modi, who grew up in a poor village, has spoken emotionally about his own mother’s hardship in fetching water.

不過，將水送到所有家戶的任務，結合莫迪的兩個政治力量：他對印度數億貧窮人口日常問題的理解，以及喜好採取極具雄心的解決方案。在貧窮村莊長大的莫迪，曾充滿感情的談到母親以前取水的困難。

About one-sixth of India’s households had a clean water tap when the program, called Jal Jeevan Mission, began in 2019. Now, almost half have one.

當這個「水生活任務」2019年開始時，印度家戶有潔淨自來水者約六分之一。現在，幾乎一半。

“You rarely have this drive from the government, the head of state, and it is well funded. Behind the concept, there is budget,” said Nicolas Osbert, who leads the UNICEF water and sanitation unit in India. “All social sectors were impacted by COVID. Not this one. This one was preserved.”

「你很少能從政府或國家領袖獲得這種推動力，而且資金充裕。在這個概念後面，重點是預算」，聯合國兒童基金會印度分部水資源和衛生主管歐斯柏特說，「所有社福單位都遭遇新冠病毒衝擊，但這個沒有，這個計畫保留下來」。

The country’s water problem speaks to the mismatch between its global economic ambitions and the dire conditions of much of its 1.4 billion population, two-thirds of whom still live in rural areas.

這個國家的用水問題顯示，其全球經濟野心和14億人口中許多人的悲慘情況，頗不相配。印度人口三分之二住在鄉村地區。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6034821

Next Article

Topic: Typhoonless year brings water shortage in fall/winter

Most years, Taiwan is hit by typhoons during the summer and fall, but we have yet to see a typhoon this year. This unusual situation has put pressure on water supply levels in reservoirs around Taiwan.

台灣每年夏、秋兩季颱風頻繁，但詭異的是，今年截至目前為止，竟無任何一個颱風登陸台灣，造成水庫缺水問題。

Due to global warming, the typhoons generated in the Pacific Ocean this year have all moved northward, bypassing Taiwan. Although successive fronts and afternoon showers have brought rainfall, it was only fragmented, covering limited areas and did little to replenish reservoirs. As a result, the reservoir storage this year is lower than in previous years.

這是因為全球暖化之影響，今年大平洋生成的颱風往北移，導致沒有任何一個颱風進來台灣，雖然陸續有鋒面及午後陣雨帶來雨量，但下雨範圍多為局部地區，導致水庫蓄水量較往年低。

According to the Water Resource Agency, as of 2pm yesterday, the Shihmen Reservoir’s water storage was 44 percent of capacity, the Feicuei Reservoir’s was 62.3 percent and the Zengwen Reservoir’s was 31.3 percent. Two of the three major water reservoirs have less than 50 percent of their water storage capacity.

水利署資料顯示，截至昨日下午二時為止，石門水庫蓄水量為百分之四十四，翡翠水庫蓄水量百分之六十二點三，曾文水庫蓄水率百分之三十一點三，三大水庫中有兩座儲水量低於五成。

In order to prepare for demand for water next year, the government has decided to implement three measures to control water usage. Firstly, starting from last Wednesday, night water pressure in the Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli areas was to be lowered from 11pm through to 5am the following day. Secondly, the irrigation of some areas of Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli was to be suspended, and farmers affected by the measures will receive government compensation. Thirdly, the Ministry of Economic Affairs is setting up a central drought response center to better respond to the crisis and to distribute water resources according to needs. Taiwanese are advised to take water-saving measures.

為審慎因應明年用水需求，政府實施三項因應措施。第一，桃竹苗中自上週三起，每天晚上十一點至隔日清晨五點實施減壓供水；第二，桃竹苗部分地區的農田，將停止供灌，政府也會給予補償，維持農民生活；第三，經濟部將成立抗旱中央應變中心，拉高應變層級，做好調度節水，更請全民配合省水。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2020/10/19/2003745390

Next Article

Topic: Gel-like ice is the lightest form of water ever discovered 迄今發現最輕盈的水形態，凝膠般的冰

The frosty cubes we pull from our freezers are just one of 17 possible types of ice, and an 18th type isn’t far from being made real.

我們從冰箱裡拿出來的冰塊，只是17種可能出現的冰類型之一，而第18種冰類型的出現，距離也不遠了。

Hexagonal ice, and the occasional cubic ice in our upper atmosphere, are the only two forms that occur naturally on Earth. Other ices might be found on exoplanets or in the atmospheres of the outer planets.

「六角形晶體結構冰」和偶爾出現的「立方體構冰」存在於我們的上層大氣，是唯二能在地球上自然形成的冰類型。其他類型的冰，則可見於系外行星或外行星的大氣層中。

Under atmospheric pressure or higher, water molecules get squeezed and freeze into a solid denser than normal ice. But when the pressure drops below this, water molecules become a less-dense, lightweight crystal that’s more air than molecule – like an icy candy floss. So far, we only know of two kinds of low-density ice: space fullerenes and zeolitic ices. But lighter ice structures hadn’t been spotted until now.

在一般大氣壓力或更高壓的情況下，被擠壓的水分子凝固成比正常水冰更密集的固體。不過，當大氣壓力降低，水分子會轉變成輕盈、密度較低的晶體，分子內含有更多空氣，就像是冰的棉花糖。目前，我們只知道兩種低密度的冰：「富勒烯冰」和「沸石冰」。更輕盈的冰結構，迄今仍未被辨識。

Masakazu Matsumoto at Okayama University in Japan and his team played molecular Jenga to find this new type of ice, removing and reconfiguring existing zeolitic ice structures to make them lighter. They found more than 300 different nanoscale structures through computer simulations.

日本岡山理科大學的松本正和研究團隊，透過分子疊疊樂，發現這款新類型的冰；他們移除並重新配置既存的「沸石冰」結構，使其更加輕盈。研究團隊透過電腦模擬，找出超過300種不同的奈米尺度結構。

Source article: http://iservice.ltn.com.tw/Service/english/english.php?engno=1161164&day=2017-12-18

Reference article from Business Insider : Questions to kickstart meaningful conversations with new people

1. If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be? 如果你可以改變世界上的一件事，那會是什麼？

This question can reveal where someone stands with their passions or social causes they care about.

Alternative / 也可以說:

• If you could only keep one thing in the world, what would it be?

1. Who were you closest to growing up? 小時候，你最親的人是誰？

Get a peek into someone's childhood by asking about their relationships when they were younger. Learning the answer to this may tell you a lot about their relationship with their family — or lack thereof.

When you ask questions like this, don't forget to reciprocate and open up in return, especially when your friend has shared something that was difficult for them to talk about.

Alternative / 也可以說:

• What did you do the most growing up?

1. Where do you feel the most comfortable? 什麼人事物讓你感到最舒適

This will invite someone to share a bit deeper about their social tendencies, which can help you understand how well you relate.

"When you're getting to know a new friend, you want to know what makes them feel comfortable or where they like to spend their time. This shows you a lot about their hobbies and preferences, without feeling too invasive,"

Alternative / 也可以說:

• What activities do you feel the most comfortable doing?

1. What do you dream about? 你的夢想是什麼 ?

If people share their dreams for the future, it will give you an idea of what they value and strive for, which may benefit you both.

For example, if you both have similar dreams, such as moving to another country, you can help each other and push one another towards achieving that goal.

Alternative / 也可以說:

• What did you dream about growing up?

1. What moment shaped you most this far in life? 哪段時刻對你影響最大?

Oftentimes, there are pivotal moments or certain hardships that make people who they are today. Understanding this formative time in a friend's life is very powerful.

Alternative / 也可以說:

• Who influenced you the most in life?

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K325: Leftists Replacing Right-Wing Leaders Across Latin America

In the final weeks of 2021, Chile and Honduras voted decisively for leftist presidents to replace leaders on the right, extending a significant, multiyear shift across Latin America.

在2021年的最後幾周，智利和宏都拉斯果斷地投票支援 左翼總統取代右翼領導人，延續 了整個拉丁美洲長達數年的重大轉變。

This year, leftist politicians are the favorites to win presidential elections in Colombia and Brazil, taking over from right-wing incumbents, which would put the left and center-left in power in the six largest economies in the region, stretching from Tijuana to Tierra del Fuego.

今年，左翼政客是贏得哥倫比亞和巴西總統選舉的最愛，他們接替了右翼現任者，這將使左翼和中左翼在該地區從蒂華納到火地島的六大經濟體中掌權。

Economic suffering, widening inequality, fervent anti-incumbent sentiment and mismanagement of COVID-19 have all fueled a pendulum swing away from the center-right and right-wing leaders who were dominant a few years ago.

經濟困境、不斷擴大的不平等、狂熱的反現任情緒以及對COVID-19的管理不善，都助長了幾年前佔主導地位的中右翼和右翼領導人的鐘擺擺動。

The left has promised more equitable distribution of wealth, better public services and vastly expanded social safety nets. But the region’s new leaders face serious economic constraints and legislative opposition that could restrict their ambitions — and restive voters who have been willing to punish whoever fails to deliver.

左翼承諾更公平地分配財富，提供更好的公共服務，並大大擴展社會安全網。但該地區的新領導人面臨著嚴重的經濟限制和立法反對，這可能會限制他們的野心-以及願意懲罰任何未能兌現承諾的人的不安分選民。

The left’s gains could buoy China and undermine the United States as they compete for regional influence, analysts say, with a new crop of Latin American leaders who are desperate for economic development and more open to Beijing’s global strategy of offering loans and infrastructure investment. The change could also make it harder for the United States to continue isolating authoritarian leftist regimes in Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba.

分析人士說，左翼的收益可能會提振中國，削弱美國，因為他們在爭奪地區影響力時，新一批拉丁美洲領導人迫切希望經濟發展，並對北京的全球戰略持更開放的態度， 提供貸款和 基礎設施投資。這一變化還可能使美國更難繼續孤立委內瑞拉、尼加拉瓜和古巴的獨裁左翼政權。

With rising inflation and stagnant economies, Latin America’s new leaders will find it hard to deliver real change on profound problems, said Pedro Mendes Loureiro, a professor of Latin American studies at the University of Cambridge. To some extent, he said, voters are “electing the left simply because it is the opposition at the moment.”

隨著通貨膨脹率上升和經濟停滯，拉丁美洲的新領導人將發現很難在深刻的問題上實現真正的變革，劍橋大學拉丁美洲研究教授佩德羅·門德斯·洛雷羅（Pedro Mendes Loureiro）說。他說，在某種程度上，選民正在"選舉左翼，僅僅是因為它目前是反對派。"

Unlike the early 2000s, when leftists won critical presidencies in Latin America, the new officeholders are saddled by debt, lean budgets, scant access to credit and, in many cases, vociferous opposition.

與2000年代初不同，當時左翼分子在拉丁美洲贏得了關鍵的總統職位 ，而新的官員則背負著債務，預算緊張， 信貸匱乏以及在許多情況下大聲反對的負擔。

Eric Hershberg, director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University, said the left’s winning streak is born out of widespread indignation.

美國大學拉丁美洲和拉丁裔研究中心主任埃裡克·赫什伯格（Eric Hershberg ）表示，左翼的連勝源於 廣泛的憤怒。

“This is really about lower-middle-class and working-class sectors saying, ‘Thirty years into democracy, and we still have to ride a decrepit bus for two hours to get to a bad health clinic,’”Hershberg said.

"這實際上是關於中下層階層和工人階層部門說，'民主三十年後，我們仍然必須乘坐破舊的公共汽車兩個小時才能到達一個糟糕的健康診所，'"赫什伯格說。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6092284

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K324: Billionaires and Big Checks Shape Battle for Congress

Billionaires cut giant checks to super PACs. Small donors gave online in mass quantities. And both political parties announced record-setting hauls in 2021.

億萬富翁向超級政治行動委員會削減巨額支票。小捐助者在網上大量捐贈數量。兩個政黨都宣布了 2021 年創紀錄的成果。

The 2022 midterm elections were awash in political money even before the year began, according to new Federal Election Commission campaign disclosures.

根據聯邦選舉委員會新的競選活動披露，2022 年中期選舉甚至在年初之前就已經充斥著政治資金。

With control of both chambers up for grabs, the two parties were almost equally matched when it came to fundraising last year. The Democratic and Republican national committees, as well as the main House and Senate committees, pulled in nearly identical sums — about $400 million each.

由於兩院的控制權都在爭奪中，在去年的籌款方面，兩黨幾乎勢均力敵。民主黨和共和黨的全國委員會，以及眾議院和參議院的主要委員會，獲得了幾乎相同的金額——各約 4 億美元。

On the Republican side, several primary contests in the coming months will pit the Trump wing of the party against more traditional Republicans. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the only Republican up for reelection in 2022 to have voted for former President Donald Trump’s impeachment, faces a right-wing challenge from Kelly Tshibaka, a Trump-endorsed rival.

在共和黨方面，未來幾個月的幾場初選將使該黨的特朗普派與更傳統的共和黨人展開較量。 阿拉斯加州參議員麗莎·穆爾科夫斯基（Lisa Murkowski）是唯一一位在 2022 年競選連任並投票支持彈劾前總統唐納德·特朗普的共和黨人，她面臨著一場

來自特朗普支持的競爭對手凱利·齊巴卡的右翼挑戰。

Among Murkowski’s donors in December was George W. Bush, who listed his occupation as “former president.” Overall, Murkowski raised nearly $1.4 million and reported entering 2022 with $4.2 million cash on hand. Tshibaka raised $602,000 and had $634,000 cash on hand.

去年 12 月，穆爾科夫斯基的捐助者中有布希，他將自己的職業列為“前總統”。總體而言，Murkowski 籌集了近 140 萬美元，並報告說進入 2022 年時手頭有 420 萬美元的現金。 Tshibaka 籌集了 602,000 美元，手頭有 634,000 美元現金。

Bush made one other symbolic donation: the legal maximum of $5,800 to Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, one of the most outspoken anti-Trump Republicans in Congress.

布希還做了另一項象徵性的捐贈：向懷俄明州眾議員利茲切尼提供法定最高 5,800 美元，他是國會中最直言不諱的反特朗普共和黨人之一。

Like Murkowski, Cheney outraised her Trump-backed challenger, Harriet Hageman, collecting $2 million to Hageman’s $443,000 last quarter.

像穆爾科夫斯基一樣，切尼募資兩百萬美元，超過川普支持的挑戰者哈麗特上個季度的 443,000 美元。

The battleground contests expected to determine which party is in the Senate majority are shaping up to be especially expensive. In Georgia, Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, was the top 2022 Senate fundraiser, collecting $9.8 million in the fourth quarter. Warnock had nearly $23 million at the end of the year.

預計將決定哪個政黨在參議院多數席位的戰場競爭正變得尤為昂貴。在佐治亞州，民主黨參議員拉斐爾·沃諾克是 2022 年參議院籌款人最多的人，第四季度籌集了 980 萬美元。到年底，沃諾克擁有近 2300 萬美元。

His likely Republican opponent, former football player Herschel Walker, was urged to run by Trump. Walker has emerged as one of the strongest new Republican fundraisers, raising $5.4 million, with $5.4 million in the bank.

他可能的共和黨對手，前足球運動員赫歇爾沃克是敦促特朗普競選。沃克已經成為最強大的新人之一 共和黨籌款活動，籌集 540 萬美元，其中 540 萬美元存入銀行。

Big money flowed, in particular, to super PACs focused on control of Congress.

尤其是大筆資金流向了專注於控制國會的超級政治行動委員會。

In the House, the leading Republican super PAC and linked nonprofit announced raising twice as much money as the equivalent House Democratic groups, $110 million compared with $55 million last year.

在眾議院，領先的共和黨超級政治行動委員會和相關的非營利組織宣布籌集的資金 1.1 億美元是同等眾議院民主黨團體的兩倍，去年為 5500 萬美元，。 Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/6125265

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K323: ‘Baby Shark’ becomes first video with 10 bn views

Hit children’s song “Baby Shark Dance” has set a new record by becoming the first YouTube video with 10 billion views. The catchy singalong by Pinkfong, a South Korean educational brand, was uploaded in June 2016. The song is so popular that it has inspired celebrity singalongs around the world and been adapted into an animated preschool series.

洗腦兒歌《Baby Shark Dance》近日再度刷新紀錄，成為YouTube平台首支觀看次數突破一百億的影片！這首動聽神曲由韓國教育公司碰碰狐所製作，於二○一六年六月上傳該平台。因為太受歡迎，引發全球名人模仿潮，還被改編成幼兒動畫。

According to the Guinness World Records, the hit most likely originated as a campfire song dating back to the previous century. During the chant, campers use their arms to imitate the jaw shapes of the Baby, Mommy and Daddy Sharks. While Pinkfong’s version has the sharks go hunting and run away, some versions may involve eating sailors and other humans.

據《金氏世界紀錄》報導，這首歌的起源可能是露營歌曲，時間上至少可追朔至上個世紀。唱露營歌曲時，人們會用手臂擺出鯊魚寶寶、媽媽、爸爸的嘴型。碰碰狐的版本提到鯊魚去打獵並逃跑，有些版本則提到鯊魚會吃水手和人類。

Other most-viewed YouTube videos include: “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi (7.71 billion views), “Johny Johny Yes Papa” by LooLoo Kids (6.12 billion views), “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran (5.59 billion views) and “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa (5.39 billion views).

其它觀看次數最高的影片包括︰歌手路易斯馮西的《Despacito》（約七十七億次）、兒童影音頻道的兒歌《Johny Johny Yes Papa》（約六十一億次）、歌手紅髮艾德的《Shape of You》（約五十五億次）、歌手威茲可利法的《See You Again》（約五十三億次）。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/02/09/2003772770

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K322: Ex-official: Space station ‘largely isolated’ from tensions

Tensions in eastern Ukraine and heightened Western fears of a Russian invasion should not have a significant impact on the International Space Station or US-Russia cooperation in space, the former head of the National Space Council told The Associated Press.

烏克蘭東部的緊張局勢以及西方對俄羅斯入侵的擔憂加劇，不應該對國際空間站或美俄太空合作產生重大影響，國家太空委員會前負責人告訴美聯社。

That was before Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine on Thursday last week, however.

然而，那是在俄羅斯上週四入侵烏克蘭之前。

Four NASA astronauts, two Russian cosmonauts and one European astronaut are currently on the space station.

四名NASA宇航員，兩名俄羅斯宇航員和一名歐洲宇航員目前正在空間站上。

Scott Pace, who served as executive secretary of the space council under US President Donald Trump and is now the director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, said the space station “has been largely isolated” from political events.

斯科特·佩斯（Scott Pace）曾擔任美國總統唐納德·特朗普太空委員會執行秘書，現在是喬治華盛頓大學空間政策研究所所長，他說，空間站"在很大程度上與政治事件隔離"。

“It’s possible to imagine a break with Russia that would endanger the space station, but that would be at the level of a dropping diplomatic relations,” said Pace. “That would be something that would be an utterly last resort so I don’t really see that happening unless there is a wider military confrontation.” The space station, an international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries, including Canada, several countries in Europe, Japan, Russia and the United States, launched in 1998 and morphed into a complex that’s almost as long as a football field, with 13km of electrical wiring, an acre of solar panels and three high-tech labs.

"可以想象與俄羅斯的決裂會危及空間站，但那將是外交關係下降的水準，"佩斯說。"這將是完全最後的手段，所以除非有更廣泛的軍事對抗，否則我真的不會看到這種情況發生。該空間站由來自15個國家的五個航太機構組成，包括加拿大，歐洲的幾個國家，日本，俄羅斯和美國，於1998年發射，並演變成一個幾乎與足球場一樣長的綜合體，擁有13公里的電線，一英畝的太陽能電池板和三個高科技實驗室。

It marked two decades of people continuously living and working in orbit in 2020.

它標誌著2020年人們在軌道上持續生活和工作的二十年。

The first crew — American Bill Shepherd and Russians Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko — blasted off from Kazakhstan on Oct. 31, 2000.

第一批船員——美國人比爾·謝潑德（Bill Shepherd）和俄羅斯人謝爾蓋·克里卡列夫（Sergei Krikalev）和尤里·吉岑科（Yuri Gidzenko）——於2000年10月31日從哈薩克起飛。

The three astronauts got along fine but tension sometimes bubbled up with the two mission controls, in Houston and outside Moscow.

三名宇航員相處得很好，但有時在休士頓和莫斯科郊外的兩個任務控制中心會引發緊張局勢。

Russia kept station crews coming and going after NASA’s Columbia disaster in 2003 and after the space shuttles retired in 2011.

俄羅斯在2003年美國宇航局的哥倫比亞號災難和2011年航太飛機退役后，讓空間站的工作人員來來去去。

There have been concerns raised in US Congress about the impact that conflict over Ukraine could have on the International Space Station.

美國國會一直擔心烏克蘭衝突可能對國際空間站產生的影響。

Lawmakers have specifically exempted space cooperation from previous sanctions and can be expected to make similar arguments against targeting it as the administration considers its next steps over Ukraine.

立法者已經明確將太空合作從以前的制裁中豁免，並且可以預期，隨著政府考慮其對烏克蘭的下一步行動，將提出類似的論點反對針對太空合作。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2022/03/01/2003773937