通勤學英語 15Mins Today

通勤學英語 15Mins Today

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  • 15Mins Live Podcast直播 - 職場系列 – 有衝突的情境說什麼What to say when you get in an argument

    Dear 通勤家族,下週ㄧ12月20日9pm,歡迎一同上Clubhouse參與我們通勤學英語直播室。跟著大家一起開口練習用英語聊天,提升你的英語力!加入15mins通勤學英語直播室

     

    職場系列 – 有衝突的情境說什麼What to say when you get in an argument

     

    原文章:https://hbr.org/2014/06/choose-the-right-words-in-an-argument

     

    Scenario #1: You have a criticism to offer. Perhaps you disagree with the popular perspective or perhaps you’re talking to someone more powerful than you. 你有一個批評要提出。也許你不同意流行的觀點,或者你正在和比你更強大的人交談。

    You can say:

    “Sam, I want to understand what we’re trying to accomplish with this initiative. Can you go back and explain the reasoning behind it?”

    “What are we trying to get done here?”

     “If I understand you correctly, you’re trying to accomplish x, y, and z. I’m wondering if there’s a different way to approach this. Perhaps we can…”

     

    Scenario #2: You have bad news to deliver to your boss or another coworker. You missed a deadline, made a mistake, or otherwise screwed up. 你有壞消息要告訴你的老闆或其他同事。你錯過了最後期限,犯了一個錯誤,或者以其他方式搞砸了。

    You can say:

    “I have some news to share that I’m not proud of. I should’ve told you sooner, but here’s where we are.”

    Then offer solution “These are my ideas about how we might address this. What are your thoughts?”

     

    Scenario #3: You approach a coworker about something he or she messed up. 你接近一個同事,談論他或她搞砸了的事情。

    You can say:

    “Mary, can I have a moment to talk to you about something?” then describe what happened.Then describe what happened.

    “I’m a little confused about what occurred and why it occurred. I want to discuss it with you to see how we can move this forward.”

    Use phrases like: “I understand that X happened…” ; “What can we do about this?”

     

    Scenario #4: You approach a colleague about feeling mistreated or you’re upset about something he or she said. 你接近同事,說你感到受到虐待,或者你對他或她說的話感到不安。

    You can start by saying:

    “Carl, It’s a little bit awkward for me to approach you about this, but I heard that you said X. I don’t know whether it’s true or not. Regardless, I thought I should come to you because I’m pretty upset and I thought we should talk about it.”

    “I want to understand what happened so that we can have a conversation about it.”

    “I’m not talking about what you intended. I thought it was better to clear the air, rather than stewing about it. Would you agree?”

     

    Scenario #5: A colleague yells at you because of something you said or did. 一位同事因為你說過或做過的事情而對你大喊大叫。

    You can say:

    “I realize that I’ve done something to upset you. I don’t respond well to being yelled at. Can we sit down when I can be better prepared to have a conversation about this?”

     

    Scenario #6: You’re managing someone who engages in conflict regularly and is annoying or upsetting the other people on your team. 你正在管理一個經常發生衝突的人,並且惹惱或惹惱了團隊中的其他人。

    You can approach this person like this:

    “I like having you around because from where I sit, you raise important issues and feel strongly about them. I also know you’re well-intentioned. I’d like to talk you about whether you’re having the impact you want to have.”

    1 hr 6 min
  • 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K270: 歐洲疫情文化戰爭德語區上演

    每日英語跟讀 Ep.K270: Europe’s COVID Culture War Plays Out in Pockets of Germany

     

    Sven Müller is proudly unvaccinated. He thinks COVID-19 vaccines are neither effective nor safe but a way to make money for pharmaceutical companies and corrupt politicians who are taking away his freedom.

    斯凡.穆勒對未接種疫苗感到自豪。他認為新冠疫苗既不有效也不安全,是幫製藥公司及剝奪他自由的腐敗政客賺錢的一種方式。

    Under state rules to stem coronavirus infections, he is no longer allowed to go to restaurants, to the bowling alley, to the cinema or to the hairdresser. From next week, he will be barred from entering most shops, too. But that has only strengthened his resolve.

    遏制新冠病毒感染的邦法規定,他不得進入餐館、保齡球館、電影院或找理髮師。從下周起,他還被禁止進入多數商店,但這只會堅定他的決心。

    “They can’t break me,” said Müller, 40, a bar owner in the town of Annaberg-Buchholz, in the Ore Mountain region in the eastern state of Saxony where the vaccination rate is 44% — the lowest in Germany.

    40歲的穆勒說:「他們打不倒我。」他是德東薩克森邦厄爾士山區安娜貝格布赫霍爾茨鎮的一名酒吧老闆,當地疫苗接種率是全德國最低的44%。

    Müller personifies a problem that is as sharp in some parts of Europe as it is in the United States. If Germany had red and blue states, Saxony would be crimson. In places like this, pockets of unvaccinated people are driving the latest round of contagion, filling strained hospital wards, putting economic recoveries at risk and sending governments scrambling to head off a fourth wave of the pandemic.

    歐洲某些地區,有個問題與美國一樣激烈,穆勒是此事化身。若德國有紅州和藍州,薩克森邦將是深紅。在這樣的地方,一小群未接種疫苗的人正引發最新一波疫情,使得捉襟見肘的醫院病房人滿為患,令經濟復甦面臨風險,並讓政府在阻止第四波疫情爆發上疲於奔命。

    Western European governments are resorting increasingly to thinly veiled coercion with a mixture of mandates, inducements and punishments.

    西歐國家政府正逐漸採取幾乎不加掩飾的強制手段,包括強制令、誘導及處罰。

    In many countries, it is working. When President Emmanuel Macron announced in July that vaccine passports would be required to enter most social venues, France — where anti-vaccine sentiment was strong — was one of the least vaccinated countries in Europe. Today it has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world.

    在許多國家,此舉正在發揮作用。今年7月,法國總統馬克宏宣布,進入大多數社交場所必須持有疫苗護照。當時,反疫苗情緒強烈的法國是歐洲接種疫苗最少的國家之一。如今它是世界上疫苗接種率最高國家之一。

    Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy followed Macron’s lead with even tougher measures. There, and in Spain, too, attempts by populist parties to stoke a broad-based anti-vaccine backlash have largely been snuffed out.

    義大利總理德拉吉跟隨馬克宏帶領,採取了更嚴厲措施。在西班牙,民粹主義政黨激起廣大反疫苗反對聲浪的企圖,基本上也被撲滅。

    But regional resistance against the coronavirus vaccine remains. In Central and Eastern Europe — and in the German-speaking countries and regions bordering them — the problem is more stubborn.

    但地區性抗拒疫苗的情況依舊存在。在中歐、東歐及相鄰的德語國家和地區,這個問題更棘手。

    In Italy, the northern province of Bolzano — bordering Austria and Switzerland, where 70% of the population is German-speaking — has the country’s lowest vaccination rate.

    在義大利,靠近奧地利與瑞士邊界的北部省分波爾察諾有70%人口講德語,該省疫苗接種率全國最低。

    “There is some correlation with far-right parties, but the main reason is this trust in nature,” said Patrick Franzoni, a doctor who spearheads the inoculation campaign in the province. Especially in the Alps, he said, the German-speaking population trusts fresh air, organic produce and herbal teas more than traditional drugs.

    在該省率先發起疫苗接種運動的醫師派崔克.佛蘭佐尼說:「這與極右翼政黨有些關係,但主要原因是對自然的信任。」他表示,尤其在阿爾卑斯山區,說德語的民眾更相信新鮮空氣、有機農產品與花草茶,而不是傳統藥物。Source article : https://udn.com/news/story/6904/5919791

    5 min
  • 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K269: 「NFT」獲選《柯林斯詞典》 年度詞彙

    每日英語跟讀 Ep.K269: Collins Dictionary picks ‘NFT’ as word of the year

     

    Collins Dictionary has chosen the term NFT as its word of the year after surging interest in the digital tokens that can sell for millions of dollars brought it into the mainstream.

    《柯林斯詞典》於近日選出「NFT」為年度詞彙!該數位貨幣交易動輒高達數百萬美元,各界對它的興趣大增,並成功打入主流市場。

    NFT is short for non-fungible token. Collins defines it as “a unique digital certificate, registered in a blockchain, that is used to record ownership of an asset such as an artwork or a collectible.”

    NFT是「非同質代幣」的縮寫,《柯林斯詞典》將NFT定義為「一種基於區塊鏈的獨特數位認證,用於記錄藝術品或收藏品等資產的所有權。」

    Most people didn’t know what an NFT was until this year, when sales boomed, sparked in large part by artist Beeple’s March auction of a digital collage NFT for nearly US$70 million (approximately NT$2 billion). Experts at Collins said they chose NFT because of its “meteoric rise in usage,” up 11,000 percent this year.

    人們原本對NFT很陌生,但自從數位藝術家畢波今年三月以近七千萬美元(近二十億台幣)的天價,售出一件數位拼貼作品後,NFT熱潮隨即興起,人們紛紛將目光投向NFT市場。柯林斯的專家表示,NFT一詞的使用量「迅速竄升」,今年已增長一百一十倍。

    “NFTs seem to be everywhere, from the arts sections to the financial pages and in galleries and auction houses and across social media platforms,” said Alex Beecroft, managing director of Collins Learning. But whether NFT will have a lasting influence is yet to be determined, he added.

    「柯林斯學習」的總經理比克羅夫特表示︰「NFT似乎無所不在,從藝術領域到金融版面,並且在畫廊、拍賣會還有社交平台都有它的蹤影。」他補充︰「但NFT是否會產生持久的影響,仍有待觀察。」Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2021/12/06/2003769067

    3 min
  • 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K268: 2021年中華民國全國性公民投票

    更多元、多方的聲音,就在Podcaster公投串聯網站!Link: https://sites.google.com/view/referendum2021/

     

    每日英語跟讀 Ep.K268: 2021 Taiwanese referendum

    In the 2021 Taiwanese referendum, there are four questions. The first question to have passed the qualification threshold, in January 2021, considered the activation of the Lungmen Nuclear Power Plant. The three other questions on the referendum were certified by the Central Election Commission in May 2021. The opposition party Kuomintang offered support for two of the referendum questions, actively gathering signatures regarding ractopamine in imported pork, and future referendum scheduling.

    在2021年臺灣公投中,有四個問題。第一個通過資格門檻的問題,在2021年1月,考慮了龍門核電站的啟動。關於公投的其他三個問題於2021年5月獲得中央選舉委員會的認證。反對黨國民黨支援其中兩個公投問題,積極收集有關進口豬肉中萊克多巴胺的簽名,以及未來的公投時程表。

     

    Referendum questions:

     

    Algae reef protection

    The first question refers to the construction of a receiving terminal for natural gas energy production on Taoyuan’s Datan Algal Reef. It is argued as necessary by the government as part of its fossil fuel phase-out plan but heavily criticized by environmental activists due to potential damage to the reef and its eco-system.

    第一個問題是指在桃園大山藻礁上建造天然氣能源生產的接收站。政府認為這是其化石燃料淘汰計劃的一部分,但由於對珊瑚礁及其生態系統的潛在破壞,環保活動人士嚴厲批評了這一點。

    Pork imports

    The second question on the referendum has to do with attempts to lift restrictions on the import of ractopamine-containing pork. Critics argue ractopamine is an additive illegal in 160 countries due to food safety concerns and that its import could damage local producers.

    關於公投的第二個問題與試圖取消對含有萊克多巴胺的豬肉進口的限制有關。批評人士認為,由於食品安全問題,萊克多巴胺在160個國家是非法的添加劑,其進口可能會損害當地生產商。

     

    Nuclear plant

    The third question, and first to have passed the threshold is one on the activation of the Lungmen Nuclear Power Plant, which is located in New Taipei City. The plant was under construction until 2014, when it was shut down due to concerns about nuclear power in the country, as well as following the program of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party regarding the gradual elimination of this type of energy production. That position is heavily disputed by proponents of nuclear power, as well as by the opposition Kuomintang, which lead to the inclusion of a question on the abandonment of the nuclear power termination plan in the 2018 referendum, in which results favoured the continuation of nuclear plants in the country.

    第三個問題,也是第一個通過門檻的問題,是關於位於新北市的龍門核電站的啟動問題。該工廠一直在建設中,直到2014年,由於對該國核電的擔憂以及執政的民進黨關於逐步消除此類能源生產的計劃而關閉。這一立場受到核電支援者以及反對黨國民黨的嚴重爭議,這導致在2018 年公投中納入了關於放棄核電終止計畫的問題,其中結果有利於該國繼續核電站。

     

    Referendum dates

    The fourth and last question asks whether referendums should be held alongside general elections if a referendum proposal is confirmed less than six months before a general election. The question was proposed by the Kuomintang, arguing that holding referendums alongside general elections would attract higher vote turnouts. Source article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Taiwanese_referendum

    第四個也是最後一個問題是,如果全民投票提案在大選前不到六個月得到確認,是否應與大選同時舉行公投。這個問題是由國民黨提出的,他們認為在大選的同時舉行公投將吸引更多的投票率。

    5 min
  • 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K267: 美國拓展太陽能居民反彈變大

    Dear 通勤家族,明天12/15 晚上9:30pm,歡迎一同上Clubhouse參與我們通勤學英語直播室。跟著大家一起開口練習用英語聊天,提升你的英語力!加入15mins通勤學英語直播室

     

    每日英語跟讀 Ep.K267: As Solar Farms Grow, So Does Resistance

     

    Hecate Energy, a renewable energy developer, had hoped to install a 500-acre solar farm in Copake, New York, a quiet town nestled between the Catskill and Berkshire mountains. The setting was ideal because of its proximity to an electrical substation, critical to the power transmission.

    美國再生能源公司「赫卡特能源」曾想在紐約州卡茲奇山和波克夏山之間的寧靜小鎮科佩克,建置500英畝的太陽能電場。這個地點很理想,因為靠近變電所,這對傳輸電力至關重要。

    But after facing an outcry from some in the community who feared the installation would mar the bucolic setting, Hecate scaled back its plans.

    但在部分居民擔心太陽能電場會破壞田園景觀而強烈抗議後,赫卡特縮減了電場規模。

    “We heard loud and clear,” said Diane Sullivan, Hecate’s senior vice president for environmental and permitting. “People felt that the project was too large, and they wanted us to shrink it down.”

    赫卡特環境許可事務資深副總裁黛安.蘇利文說:「我們聽得清清楚楚。居民覺得電場太大,希望我們把它縮小。」

    Hecate cut the size of the planned development to 245 acres, which it says will still produce the 60 megawatts of electricity in the original design.

    赫卡特把計畫中的電場縮小到占地245英畝,並表示電場仍能依當初設計產生60百萬瓦電力。

    The Copake fight mirrors similar battles raging in rural areas like Lake County, Oregon; Clinton County, Ohio; and Troy, Texas. Developers say industrial-scale solar farms are needed to meet the nation’s goals to mitigate the rise of climate change, but locals are fighting back against what they see as an encroachment on their pastoral settings, the loss of agricultural land and a decline in property values.

    類似科佩克的角力也在美國其他鄉村地區上演,如俄勒岡州萊克郡、俄亥俄州柯林頓郡和德州特洛伊市。開發商說需要工業級太陽能電場,才能達成美國減緩氣候變遷的目標,但當地人抗拒,認為電場會破壞田園景致,使農地變少和房地產價格下跌。

    Until recently, most farms were built in the West, where abundant sunshine powers industrial-scale solar arrays and installations were farther away from sight lines. But now, with federal and state governments committing to a reduction in fossil fuels, joined by corporate giants like Amazon and Microsoft, the industry is seeking solar installations in areas where the calculus is more complicated.

    直到不久以前,美國多數太陽能電場建置在西部,那裡有充足的陽光讓工業級太陽能電池陣列和設施發電,而這些設施遠離人們的視線。不過如今,由於聯邦和州政府都承諾少用化石燃料,亞馬遜和微軟等企業巨擘也如此,太陽能產業正尋求在考量因素更複雜的地方設置電場。

    In the first half of this year alone, developers installed 5.7 gigawatts of solar capacity, for a total of 108.7 gigawatts of capacity, sufficient to reach 18.9 million U.S. homes, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

    根據美國太陽能產業協會的資料,單是今年上半年,開發商新建置的太陽能電場總發電量就達5.7百萬瓩,目標是新建電場總發電量達108.7百萬瓩,以供應美國1890萬戶電力。

    “Typically, 5 to 7 acres are needed to create 1 megawatt of power,” said Matt Birchby, co-founder and president of Swift Current Energy, a solar developer that is working on a proposal for Clark County, Kentucky.

    正規劃在肯塔基州克拉克郡建電場的太陽能公司「史威夫特克倫能源」共同創辦人兼總裁伯奇比說:「通常需要5到7英畝地,才能生產1百萬瓦電力。」

    Finding appropriate sites with sufficient sunlight, proximity to the grid and up-to-date infrastructure is challenging.

    要找到陽光足夠、靠近電網又有最新基礎設施的適當地點,並不容易。

    Approximately 0.5% of U.S. land would need to be covered with solar panels to achieve the decarbonization goals proposed by the Biden administration in April. Urban settings usually lack enough space for significant projects; as a result, 90% of the suitable land sits in rural areas.

    要達到拜登政府4月提出的減碳目標,美國大概需要0.5%的土地被太陽能板覆蓋。都會區往往沒有足夠空間可建置大型電場,所以適合建置的區域有90%落在鄉村。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/5887408

    5 min
  • 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K266: About cryptocurrency - 從加密貨幣價格狂飆與區塊鏈前景

    有節目建議與相關問題,請來信 [email protected]

    每日英語跟讀 Ep.K266: About cryptocurrency - From crypto to COVID: Why auction prices are rocketing

    From Albert Einstein’s notes to a record-breaking Frida Kahlo to a 6.6-million-euro triceratops—auction houses have lately seen a string of record-breaking items going under the hammer and through the roof.

    從阿爾伯特.愛因斯坦的筆記到打破紀錄的芙烈達.卡蘿,再到一個660萬歐元的三角龍-拍賣公司近來已目睹一連串打破紀錄的商品被拍賣和價格飛漲。

    On Wednesday, the Einstein manuscript went for 11.3 million euros in Paris, five times its expected price.

    在週三,愛因斯坦的手稿在巴黎以1130萬歐元拍出,是預期價格的5倍。

    That came just days after a storyboard for the failed 1970s film version of "Dune" sparked a bidding war that pushed the price 100 times above the valuation to 2.7 million euros.

    就在幾天前,1970年代的失敗電影「沙丘」的分鏡腳本引發了一場競價戰,把估價推高100倍,達到270萬歐元。

    Market watcher Artprice credits a transition to online sales for sparking new levels of interest, particularly in the US and Asia.

    市場觀察者「藝術價格」歸功於轉向網路銷售引發新的興趣,特別是在美國和亞洲。

    "The auction houses were very behind the times. But Covid forced them to modernise and the result is that online sales have been spectacular and have attracted a new audience," said Artprice founder Thierry Ehrmann.

    「拍賣公司曾經非常落後時代,但是新冠病毒疫情迫使他們現代化,結果就是線上銷售成績可觀,且吸引了新的群眾。」藝術價格創辦人蒂埃里.埃爾曼說。

     

    Next Article

     

    Bitcoin or not, blockchain is here to stay 比特幣要不要,區塊鏈前景光明

     

    Current systems within the banking industry, in particular, are certainly archaic and in need of a significant revamp. Bitcoin’s success which based on the blockchain technology could not have come at a better time.

    銀行產業的現行系統確實特別地落伍,必須改頭換面。而建立於「區塊鏈」科技上的「比特幣」的成功,來得正是時候。

    UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti, with UBS having already entered into a partnership with IBM to use blockchain technology for global trade transactions. Ermotti has said that he believes that there is a future for blockchain technology and that it will play a big role in changing and reshaping the industry. Other banks that have also joined the partnership include Commerzbank, Bank of Montreal, CaixaBank and Erste Group according to IBM.

    瑞士銀行執行長瑟吉奧.厄莫提已促成瑞士銀行與IBM合作,使用區塊鏈技術處理全球貿易業務。厄莫提此前表示,他認為區塊鏈技術頗有前景,並能在銀行業的重塑與變革上扮演重要角色。IBM表示,包括德國商業銀行、蒙特婁銀行、凱克薩銀行、奧地利第一儲蓄銀行等也已參與合作。

    More banks recently joined the IBM project named Batavia and blockchain technology. The project is expected to completely transform trade finance, which to this day continues to be largely paper-based, resulting in significant lag times for receipt of goods and payment.

    最近有愈來愈多銀行加入IBM的區塊鏈科技專案「Batavia」。這項專案可望徹底翻轉金融交易;金融業長久以來都是紙上作業,進而導致交易兩造的時間大幅延宕。

    It’s not just the financial institutions who are moving into the blockchain world, with central banks also exploring the technology. News hit the wires at the end of last week as the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission beginning to test the technology.

    不只是金融機構涉足區塊鏈世界,也有中央銀行探究這項技術。上週末發佈的最新報導指出,塞普勒斯證券交易委員會正在著手測試區塊鏈技術。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1488332 ; https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/1153381

    4 min
  • 回顧星期天LBS - 智慧型手機相關時事趣聞 All about smartphones

    Topic: South Korean ’phone maniac’ won’t give up his LG smartphones

    South Korean Ryu Hyun-soo describes himself as an ’’LG phone maniac’’ and says he won’t give up his LG smartphones even though the company is getting out of the business.

    南韓人柳賢秀形容自己是「LG手機狂人」,還說即使這家公司準備停止手機業務,他也不會棄用。

    LG Electronics Inc. said in April it would wind down its smartphone division by the end of July because of a prolonged sales slump.

    LG電子4月宣布,由於長期銷售委靡,將在7月底前逐步關閉手機部門。

    Ryu, 53, who has collected nearly 90 devices over 23 years, said the audio quality made him fall in love with them. At his house in Anyang, Ryu has a room dedicated to the devices and the parts and tools to fix them.

    23年來蒐集近90支LG手機的53歲柳男說,音質使他鍾情於此。在他位於安養市的家中,有一個房間專門放LG手機和修理用的相關零件和工具。

    He’ll use the LG phones "forever" as long as the parts are still being supplied.

    只要零件仍持續供應,他將「永遠」使用LG手機。

    "A Samsung phone is like a smart friend and an Apple phone is like a girlfriend to me. Then a LG phone is like a friend whom I’ve shared the ups and downs of life together with. It is sad to see the friend leaving. It is very sad," Ryu said.

    柳男說:「對我來說,三星手機就像聰明的朋友,蘋果手機就像女朋友,而LG手機就像與我一起度過人生高低潮的朋友。看著這位朋友離開很難過,真的很難過。」

     

    Next Article

     

    Topic: The ‘Right to Repair’ Movement Gains Ground

    If you buy a product — a car, a smartphone, or even a tractor — and it breaks, should it be easier for you to fix it yourself?

    如果你買了一個產品,例如一輛汽車、一部智慧型手機,甚至是一台拖拉機,結果它壞了,是不是應該讓你自己修理起來更容易些呢?

    Manufacturers of a wide range of products have made it increasingly difficult over the years to repair things, for instance by limiting availability of parts or by putting prohibitions on who gets to tinker with them. It affects not only game consoles or farm equipment, but cellphones, military gear, refrigerators, automobiles and even hospital ventilators, the lifesaving devices that have proved crucial this year in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

    多年來,許多種產品的製造商都讓維修變得愈來愈困難,比如限制零件的取得,或對何人有權動手維修施加限制。受影響的產品不止於遊戲主機或農用機具,還有手機、軍用設備、冰箱、汽車,甚至包括今年對抗新冠病毒疫情發揮關鍵作用的救生設備—醫院裡的呼吸器。

    Now, a movement known as “right to repair” is starting to make progress in pushing for laws that prohibit restrictions like these.

    現在,一項名為「維修權」的運動在推動禁止此類限制的立法上,正取得進展。

    In August, Democrats introduced a bill in Congress to block manufacturers’ limits on medical devices, spurred by the pandemic. In Europe, the European Commission announced plans in March for new right-to-repair rules that would cover phones, tablets and laptops by 2021.

    今年8月,美國民主黨因防疫需要而在國會提出一項法案,旨在阻止製造商對醫療裝置設下限制。在歐洲,歐盟執行委員會3月宣布了新的維修權規定計畫,在2021年以前實施,涵蓋手機、平板電腦和筆記型電腦。

    And in more than 20 statehouses nationwide, right-to-repair legislation has been introduced in recent years by both Republicans and Democrats.

    近年來,在全美國20多個州的議會裡,共和黨和民主黨都提出了維修權法案。

    Over the summer, the House advanced a funding bill that includes a requirement that the Federal Trade Commission complete a report on anti-competitive practices in the repair market and present its findings to Congress and the public.

    今年夏天,眾議院推動了一項資助法案,其中責成聯邦貿易委員會做成一份關於維修市場反競爭行為的報告,並向國會和民眾提交調查結果。

    The goal of right-to-repair rules, advocates say, is to require companies to make their parts, tools and information available to consumers and repair shops in order to keep devices from ending up in the scrap heap. They argue that the rules restrict people’s use of devices that they own and encourage a throwaway culture by making repairs too difficult.

    倡議人士表示,維修權規定的目的是要求企業向消費者和維修商家提供零組件、工具及資訊,以免這些裝置最終被扔進垃圾堆。他們主張,目前的慣例對人們使用自己的裝置設下限制,並透過讓維修變得太過困難的方式,助長了一種用完即丟的文化。

    They also argue that it’s part of a culture of planned obsolescence — the idea that products are designed to be short-lived in order to encourage people to buy more stuff. That contributes to wasted natural resources and energy use at a time when climate change requires movement in the opposite direction to rein in planet-warming emissions.

    他們還認為,這是一種計畫性淘汰文化的一部分,即為了鼓勵人們購買更多東西,產品被設計成短命的。在氣候變遷需要採取反向行動來控制溫室氣體排放的此際,這助長了自然資源的浪費以及能源的使用。

    Manufacturing a new device or appliance is still largely reliant on polluting sources of energy — electricity generated from burning fossil fuels, for instance — and constitutes the largest environmental impact for most products.

    製造一種新設備或裝置在很大程度上,仍仰賴會造成汙染的能源,例如燃燒化石燃料產生的電力,對大多數產品而言,這正是構成最大環境影響的因素。

    Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/5015841

     

    Next Article

     

    Topic: Help for Curing The Phone Addiction

    Like pretty much everyone, Susan Butler stares at her smartphone too much. But unlike most everyone, she took action, buying a $195 ring from a company called Ringly, which promises to “let you put your phone away and your mind at ease.”

    和大多數人一樣,蘇珊.巴特勒盯著智慧手機看的時間太長了。不一樣的是,她採取了行動,從Ringly公司買了一只195美元的戒指,保證可「讓你手機放一旁,腦袋放輕鬆」。

    Ringly does this by connecting its rings to a smartphone filter so that users can silence Gmail or Facebook notifications while preserving crucial alerts, which cause the ring to light up or vibrate.

    Ringly透過將戒指連接一個篩選程式辦到這一點,因此使用者可以讓Gmail或Facebook通知改為靜音,同時保留重要提示,這時戒指會發光或震動。

    “Hopefully it will keep some distance between my phone and my hand,” said Ms. Butler, 27, a technology consultant who lives in Austin, Texas.

    住在德州奧斯汀、27歲的科技顧問巴特勒說:「希望它能讓我的手機和我的手之間保持些距離。」

    Given how quickly cellphones have taken over, it’s easy to forget that they are still a relatively new technology. The first iPhone came out eight years ago.

    手機快速地主導了人們的生活,很容易讓我們忘了它仍是相當新的科技。第一支iPhone問世不過是8年前的事。

    Yet already people spend close to three hours a day looking at a mobile screen – and that excludes the time they spend actually talking on the phones.

    然而已有人每天花近3小時看手機-這還不算實際用手機講電話的時間。

    In a recent survey of smartphone use by Bank of America, about a third of respondents said they were “constantly” checking their smartphones, and a little more than two-thirds said that they went to bed with a smartphone by their side. New companies see a business opportunity in helping people cut back.

    美國銀行最近一項智慧手機使用調查發現,約三分之一受訪者表示「不斷」查看手機;略多於三分之二的人說,睡覺時把手機放在身旁。一些新公司在幫助人們少用手機這件事上看到了商機。

    “Technology has evolved so quickly that we have spiraled out of control and nobody has stopped to think about how this is going to impact our lives,” said Kate Unsworth, the founder of a British company, Kovert, that also makes high-tech jewelry to filter out everything but the most urgent stuff.

    英國Kovert公司製造的高科技首飾能濾除最緊急資訊以外的所有訊息,創辦人凱特.安茲沃斯說:「科技發展飛快,讓我們失去掌控,沒有人停下來思考這一切會如何影響我們的生活。」

    Smartwatches like the Apple Watch are designed to encourage more glancing and less phone checking. In June, Google and Levi’s announced plans for a line of high-tech clothes that will allow people to do things like turn off a ringing phone by swiping their jacket cuff.

    Apple Watch之類智慧手表設計宗旨在於讓人多簡單過目,少滑手機。谷歌和Levi’s六月宣布一項高科技服飾系列的合作計畫,讓人們能做拍打外套袖口就關掉手機響鈴之類的事。

    Offtime limits customers’ access to apps they overuse and produce charts on how much time they spend on their phones. Moment encourages people to share their phone use with friends to compete in a game of who can look at their phone the least. And Light Phone, a credit-card-size phone that does nothing but make and receive phone calls.

    Offtime程式限制顧客開啟過度使用的應用程式,並製作圖表顯示他們花在手機上的時間。Moment鼓勵人們和朋友分享自己使用手機的狀況並互相比賽,看看誰能最少看手機。還有信用卡大小的手機Light Phone,只能撥打及接聽電話。

    NoPhone is a $12 piece of plastic that looks like a smartphone but actually does nothing. “Most people don’t think about phone addiction as a real thing until you’re like, ‘O.K., they’re buying a piece of plastic because they are worried about their friend,’ ” said Van Gould, head of the nascent venture that had sold close to 3,200 NoPhones.

    NoPhone是塊12美元的塑膠,看來像支智慧手機,實際上啥也不能做。這家新興公司已售出近3200支NoPhone,老闆范恩.古德說:「多數人沒把手機成癮真當個問題,直到你覺得『是的,他們買了一件塑膠,因為他們擔心朋友。』」

    Adam Gazzaley, a neurologist and neuroscience professor at the University of California, San Francisco, said, “You have a population that is starting to say, ‘Wait, we love all this technology but there seems to be a cost – whether it’s my relationship or my work or my safety because I’m driving and texting.’ ”

    舊金山加州大學神經病學家暨神經科學教授亞當.加札利說:「有一群人開始說『等等,我們愛這些科技,但似乎要付代價-無論是我的感情、工作或安全,因為我邊開車邊打簡訊。」

    Some products are trying to find a balance. Google Now uses data to bother you only when you need it. “If I’m about to forget my kid’s birthday I want the phone to scream at me until I do something about it,” said Sundar Pichai, Google’s senior vice president of products.

    有些產品試著尋求平衡。Google Now只在你需要時用數據打擾你。Google產品資深副總裁桑達.皮柴說:「在我將要忘記孩子的生日時,我要手機對我尖叫,直到我讓它停止。」

    Smartphones are a potent delivery mechanism for two fundamental human impulses, according to Paul Atchley, a psychology professor at the University of Kansas: our quest to find new and interesting distractions, and our desire to feel that we have checked off a task.

    堪薩斯大學心理學教授保羅.艾區利表示,對於兩項基本的人類衝動而言,智慧手機是有力的傳遞機制:尋求新鮮有趣的娛樂,以及感覺自己檢查過一項工作的欲望。

    “The brain gets literally rewired to switch – to constantly seek out novelty, which makes putting the phone down difficult,” he said.

    他說:「大腦實際上會重新連接以轉變,持續尋求新奇事物,這使得放下手機很困難。」

    Addiction or not, Ms. Butler still sought help from Ringly.

    無論成癮與否,巴特勒仍持續自Ringly尋求幫助。

    Mr. Atchley is skeptical. Successful treatment, he said, is about controlling our demons – not outsourcing them.

    艾區利表示懷疑。他說,成功的治療在於控制自己的心魔-而非將此事外包。

    In technology, as in life, a little willpower goes a long way.

    面對科技,一如面對生活,一點點意志力就很有用。

    Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/282793/web/#2L-6186766L

    10 min
  • 15Mins Live Podcast直播 - 日常智慧諺語 Common proverbs in daily life

    Dear 通勤家族,下週二12月14日下午,歡迎一同上Clubhouse參與我們通勤學英語直播室。跟著大家一起開口練習用英語聊天,提升你的英語力!加入15mins通勤學英語直播室

     

    主題: 日常智慧諺語 Common proverbs in daily life

     

    1. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush. 手裡的一隻鳥在灌木叢中勝過兩隻

    Things we already have are more valuable than what we hope to get.

     

    1. Beggars can’t be choosers. 乞丐不能成為選擇者。

    People who depend on the generosity of others can’t pick & choose things as per their liking. They’ve to accept what is given to them.

     

    1. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. 沒壞就別修。

    If something is working fine, don’t change it unnecessarily.

     

    1. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. 不要咬餵你的手。

    Don’t act badly toward the person who has helped you or from whom you derive some benefits, for you may lose those benefits in future.

     

    1. Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile. 給他們一英寸,他們會要一英里。

    If you give someone a small amount of power or freedom to do something, they may try to get a lot more.

     

    1. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. 希望最好的,為最壞的情況做好準備。

    Be optimistic, but be prepared for a scenario where things can go wrong.

     

    分享時間:

    請分享自己體驗的故事或編一個故事來解釋一到兩個諺語

    1 hr 18 min
  • 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K265: About Australia - 老鼠大軍遷入澳洲監獄與休旅車失控

    每日英語跟讀 Ep.K265: About Australia - Australian prison to be evacuated after mice move in

    A plague of mice that has ravaged vast swathes of eastern Australia has forced the evacuation of a prison while authorities repair gnawed electrical wiring and clear dead and decaying mice from walls and ceilings.

    一場蹂躪澳洲東部廣泛地區的鼠疫,已迫使一間監獄全員撤離,好讓當局修復被啃咬的電線,以及清除牆壁和天花板裡死亡發臭的老鼠。

    Around 200 staff and 420 inmates will be transferred from the Wellington Correctional Center in rural New South Wales state to other prisons in the region.

    新南威爾斯州鄉下的威靈頓矯正所,將撤離約200名職員和420名受刑人到區內其他監獄。

    Millions of mice have caused havoc in the grain-growing region of Australia’s most populous state for months, devouring crops and haystacks as well as invading homes, businesses, schools, hospitals and prisons.

    數月來,上百萬隻老鼠在澳洲人口最稠密的穀物栽植地區大肆破壞,吃光作物和乾草,還入侵住家、商店、學校、醫院和監獄。

    The most common complaint about the plague is an ever-present stench of mice urine and decaying flesh. People report being bitten by mice in bed. Mouse carcasses and excrement in roof guttering are polluting farmers’ water tanks and causing sickness.

    對鼠疫最常見的抱怨,是前所未聞的老鼠尿液和腐敗屍體的惡臭。有人通報躺在床上時被老鼠咬。屋頂排水系統內的鼠屍和鼠便,也污染農夫的儲水槽,並帶來疾病。

     

    Next Article

     

    Australian ute whizzes across seven lanes of traffic unscathed澳洲休旅車呼嘯穿越七車道而毫髮無傷

     

    Australian police captured dramatic footage of a white truck speeding unscathed across seven lanes of traffic in a once-in-a-lifetime incident.

    在一起難得一見的事件中,澳洲警方拍攝到一輛白色卡車加速橫越七車道卻毫髮無傷的戲劇性影片。

    Though a mere five seconds, the riveting video shows a Toyota Hilux truck in Australia’s Northern Territories drive over a sandy median, narrowly avoid a collision with another car in three lanes of moving vehicles, thread through two lanes of stationary cars, bounce across two empty lanes and then hurtle toward a line of storefronts.

    雖然僅有五秒,這段精彩影片顯示,澳洲北領地的一輛豐田Hilux卡車駛過一個沙地分隔島,在三個車輛行駛中的車道上差點就撞上另一輛車,接著越過兩線車輛靜止的車道,再彈越過兩個空車車道,衝向一排店面。

    The driver of the utility vehicle, or ute as the vehicle is commonly known in Australia, was heading towards the city of Darwin when she allegedly lost control, failed to negotiate a turn, and crashed into a business, according to the police in a post on social media.

    根據警方在社群媒體上的貼文,這輛運動型休旅車(在澳洲常被稱為ute )的駕駛在駛向達爾文市時,據說她失控,過彎失敗,最後撞入一個店家。

    "It is incredibly lucky no one else was injured in this incident," said Superintendent Daniel Shean of the Northern Territory Police, reminding people to always drive with due care and attention.

    北領地警局警司丹尼爾.辛恩說,這起事故沒有其他人受傷真是不可思議,提醒人們開車應該要小心謹慎,注意安全。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1481283 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1479057

    4 min
  • 每日英語跟讀 Ep.K264: About cars - 德國男開車赴駕駛執照考試與丹麥沒收超跑

    每日英語跟讀 Ep.K264: About cars - Man in Germany drives to driving test

    A man in Germany has discovered the hard way that it’s best to get a driving license first before trying to use it.

    德國一名男子從教訓中學到:在試圖使用駕駛執照之前,最好先拿到它。

    Police in Bergheim, near Cologne, said Tuesday that the 37-year-old drove himself to his driving test, parking an Opel Zafira outside the test center in front of an astonished examiner.

    科隆附近的貝格海姆警方週二說,這名37歲民眾自己開車赴駕駛執照考試,在一名驚訝的監考官面前,把一台歐寶Zafira車款停在考試中心外。

    They said he told police officers who were called to the scene on Monday that he had only driven because he wanted to make sure to get to the driving test on time.

    他們說,他告訴週一被叫到現場的警官們說,他開車只是因為想要確保及時抵達那場駕駛執照考試。

    His test was immediately called off. The man now faces an investigation for driving without a license. Police also opened an investigation of the car’s owner.

    他的考試立刻被取消。這名男子現在因無照駕駛面臨調查。警方也對車主展開調查。

     

    Next Article

    Danish police confiscate luxury sports car caught speeding 丹麥警方沒收超速的豪華跑車

     

    Danish police have confiscated a high-performance luxury car after its new owner was caught speeding as he drove it home from Germany to Norway.

    丹麥警方沒收了一輛高性能的豪華汽車,在它的新車主超速被逮以後,當時他開著它從德國回挪威家。

    The man, an Iraqi citizen resident in Norway who was not identified, was registered Thursday as driving at 236 kph in his Lamborghini Huracán on a stretch of highway where the top speed is 130 kph.

    這名男子是個居住於挪威的伊拉克公民,身分未明,週四在一段最高時速130公里的高速公路上,被紀錄到以每小時236公里速度駕著他的藍寶堅尼「颶風」。

    Under a new Danish law, police can seize the vehicles of reckless drivers and auction them off, with the money going into Danish coffers.

    根據丹麥一項新的法律,警察可沒收魯莽駕駛人的車輛並拍賣它們,錢則進丹麥國庫。

    The Nordjyske newspaper said the man had bought the car hours earlier in Germany for 2 million kroner.

    《北日德蘭報》說,這名男子幾個小時前在德國以200萬克朗購入這輛車。

    The car owner will also be fined for speeding in due course.

    車主當理也將因超速被罰。 Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1486857 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1478842

    3 min

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🎧 通勤學英語Podcast — 2020 Apple Podcast 十大熱門節目 | 2021 KKBox 十大風雲Podcast | Himalaya 年度Best Podcast


每天15分鐘,利用喝咖啡、通勤、塞車的零碎時間,輕鬆學英語!不用死背單字和文法,讓你沉浸在自然英語環境,學了就能用!


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