通勤學英語 15Mins Today

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K263: The Paradox of Alimony for Men

When it comes to alimony, the law is blind to gender. “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, that’s how family law works,” said Laura Wasser, the California lawyer representing singer Kelly Clarkson in her high-profile divorce.

談到贍養費，法律在性別上是盲目的。「對母鵝好的事，對公鵝也好，這是家庭法運作的方式。」在歌手凱莉．克萊森備受關注的離婚官司中，為她辯護的加州律師蘿拉．瓦瑟說。

Even though the Supreme Court ruled that alimony is gender neutral in 1979, Wasser said that women have still been surprised to find themselves doling out spousal support. “What amazes me is that many bright and sophisticated women don’t realize they will have to pay,” said Wasser, declining to comment directly on Clarkson’s case.

即使最高法院1979年判決贍養費應該為性別中立，瓦瑟說，女人發現自己要付配偶贍養費時，仍然會感到驚訝。「令我吃驚的是，許多聰明且世故的女人不知道她們必須要付錢。」瓦瑟說，她拒絕直接評論克萊森的案子。

Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock, an entertainment agent, split in 2020 after seven years of marriage. Despite a prenuptial agreement recently upheld in a Los Angeles court, Blackstock has been awarded temporary monthly spousal support of nearly $150,000, half of his initial ask.

克萊森和娛樂經紀人布萊克斯托克結婚七年，2020年離婚。儘管洛杉磯法院近日認可其婚前協議，布萊克斯托克暫時仍可獲得每月近15萬美元的配偶贍養費，是他初始要求金額的一半。

In addition to the monthly spousal support paid by Clarkson, Blackstock also receives child support of around $45,000 per month, despite Clarkson having been awarded primary physical custody of their two children.

除了克萊森每月支付的配偶贍養費，布萊克斯托克也拿到每月約4萬5000美元的子女扶養費，雖然克萊森已取得她們兩個子女的主要人身監護權。

This might seem like a lot, but according to documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Clarkson’s monthly income is $1.9 million. She follows in the wake of other female stars whose settlements were way steeper: Madonna, Elizabeth Taylor, Rosanne Barr, Kirstie Alley and Janet Jackson have all paid hugely in their divorces.

這個金額看起來或許很多，但根據洛杉磯高等法院的文件，克萊森的月收入是190萬美元。她加入其他女明星之列，但這些人離婚協議金額更高：瑪丹娜、伊莉莎白泰勒、羅珊巴爾、克絲汀艾莉及珍娜傑克森，全都在離婚時付出巨款。

Public response to the breakup has not been favorable to Blackstock who, on Twitter, has been called out as a “parasite,” and “an opportunist,” among other unprintable names.

大眾對離婚官司的反應並未偏向布萊克斯托克，他在推特上被罵作「寄生蟲」和「投機分子」，還有其他不堪入目的字眼。

Part of the shock over such settlements, according to Alexandra Killewald, a sociology professor at Harvard who studies the effects of unequal earning on relationships, may be influenced by preconceived notions about gender. “Our culture expects men to be the primary breadwinners and there are simply more options for women for part-time work or to take time for child rearing,” Killewald said.

哈佛大學研究感情關係中收入不平等效應的社會學教授亞莉珊卓拉．基里瓦德說，對於這類離婚協議的震驚反應，部分可能受到先入為主性別觀念影響。基里瓦德說，「我們的文化期待男人是主要收入來源，對女人來說，不論是找兼職工作或扶養子女，選擇就是比較多」。

Another reason that men being awarded alimony can come as a surprise is because it doesn’t happen that often.

男人被判獲得贍養費令人驚訝的另一個理由是，這不常發生。

According to a 2019 study of census data by the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research group, half of United States households are headed by women, on average. Despite an increase in stay-at-home husbands, far more women than men seek and receive spousal support.

根據非營利研究組織「都市研究院」2019年以普查數據所作的一項研究，美國家庭平均半數由女人當家。儘管家庭主夫增加，尋求且獲得配偶贍養費的女人遠比男人多。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/5903796

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K262: Government helps students reach potential with vocational taster courses

New Taipei City Education Bureau is to hold 30 junior high school student aptitude events, providing 2,500 free places on a program designed to help students understand their individual aptitudes and interests, so that they can find a suitable future vocation and reach their full potential. Students who register to participate in the event will also be entered into a prize draw.

新北市教育局辦理三十場次的國中學生適性活動，免費提供二千五百個名額，幫助國中生了解自己的性向、興趣，有助於未來找到適合的志願發揮所長，報名參加還有機會抽獎。

New Taipei City Education Department Commissioner Chang Ming-wen says it is important that students explore different careers and choose a vocation that suits their particular skill set and personality. Teachers and parents can help students to try out a diverse range of vocations and understand their own aptitude, interests and abilities, Chang says. Teachers and parents can gather relevant information for discussion with their children, so that they can together plan out a suitable career path to understand what type of college or vocational discipline is most suitable, and use the information gained as a reference when considering further education choices, he adds.

教育局長張明文指出，生涯探索及適性選擇對國中生很重要，老師及家長可以幫助孩子多元試探並了解自己的性向、興趣和能力，蒐集相關資訊與他們討論，一同規劃適合孩子的生涯發展，了解他們適合哪一類學校及科別，做為升學的參考。

The department says it has held a range of events to promote student aptitude since 2013, including talks, field practice and tours, internships and taster courses, so that students and parents can both gain a deeper understanding of technical and vocational education. This year, the department is using online tours to introduce students to the unique aspects of each vocational discipline and is also promoting seven hands-on taster courses. After registration, an information pack will be mailed to the address provided, allowing students and parents to work through the materials at home together, enhancing parent-child interaction.

教育局表示，新北市從二○一三年起開辦適性宣導系列活動，藉由專題演講、實習場所參觀、體驗學習課程等，讓家長、學生對技職教育有更多的認識。今年利用線上導覽活動介紹學校科系特色，推出七場次的實作體驗課程，報名成功後會郵寄材料包至指定地址，讓學生與家長在家一同動手實作，也增進親子互動。

Huang Yi-ting, a teacher at Yifang Elementary School, says she is a parent of a third-grade junior high-school student, and this year participated in an aptitude course organized by Jui-Fang Industrial High School. Huang says the course was extremely practical and helped her to understand the current situation and future trends relating to technical and vocational education. Huang added that such events help children to understand what they could go on to study at college and possible career paths after graduation. It also helps teachers provide clearer ideas and information, so that they can help guide students’ thought processes and decision-making, says Huang.

義方國小老師黃怡婷說，她也是國三學生的家長，今年參加瑞芳高工辦理的適性課程，課程很紮實，可了解技職教育的現況及未來趨勢，孩子也可了解在學校能學到什麼及畢業後的出路，也有助於老師用更清晰的概念和資訊引導學生思考或選擇。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2021/11/21/2003768202

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K261: About the US - Housing market so hot, burned house going for almost $400K

A home in Massachusetts seriously damaged by fire has been listed on the market with an asking price of $399,000. WBZ-TV reported that the listing for the home in Melrose, a suburb of Boston, is evidence of how hot the housing market is.

麻薩諸塞州一間遭大火嚴重毀損的房屋，在市場上喊出39萬9000美元的售價。WBZ-TV電視台報導，這棟位於波士頓郊區梅爾羅斯的房子，證明房市有多麼火熱。

In August, industry groups listed the median sale price of single family homes in the state to be between $535,000 and $552,000.

8月間，工業團體指麻州單戶住宅售價的中位數，介於53萬5000美元至55萬2000美元之間。

The online listing for the burned three-bedroom, 173-square meter home says: "House is in need of a complete renovation or potential tear down and rebuild. Buyer to do due diligence."

針對這棟被燒毀的3房、173平方公尺的房屋，網路公告提醒：「房子需要全面翻修，可能得拆除重建，買方須自行負起調查責任。」

The house suffered an intense fire in August that blew out the front windows, which are now boarded up. Firefighters had to tear out parts of the walls and ceiling of the home to extinguish the blaze.

這棟房子8月間遭惡火吞噬，導致前窗爆裂，現已用木板封住。消防員當時還必須拆除房子的部分牆壁和天花板，才能撲滅火勢。

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The Denver Police Department’s first therapy dog was originally trained to be a guide dog, but she turned out to be too friendly to focus on helping one person.

丹佛警察部的首支治療犬原本是訓練來作為導盲犬，但結果她太友好以至於無法專注只幫忙一個人。

Now the department is counting on the Black English Labrador Retriever’s outgoing nature to help it break down barriers and start conversations with people in high-crime areas and those wary of the police.

現在該部正仰賴這隻黑色英國拉布拉多尋回犬的外向本性，來協助打破隔閡並開始與高犯罪區域對警察有戒心的人們對話。

Shelby, an eager 19-month-old who will work with the downtown area’s community resource officer, Teresa Gillian, was officially sworn onto the force Thursday by Judge Renee Goble. Goble crouched down in her black robe to get on dog level for the quick ceremony as Shelby’s tail wagged.

雪爾碧，一隻19月大的熱情狗狗，週四在法官雷妮．葛伯主持下正式宣誓加入警隊，將開始和市中心區的社區資源警官泰瑞莎．吉利安合作。身穿黑色長袍的葛伯蹲下身子，平視狗狗，快速舉行儀式，雪爾碧的尾巴則不斷搖晃。

Since arriving in Denver late last month, Shelby has already been accompanying Gillian on her work in the community, which involves visiting schools and senior residents and attending meetings and community events.

自從上月底抵達丹佛以來，雪爾碧已經開始陪伴吉利安從事社區工作，包括造訪學校和年長居民，以及參加會議和社區活動。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1483949 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1485759

Topic: More ’Korean bananas’ to be harvested this year amid climate change

Jeju Island was long considered the only warm-enough region in Korea for commercial banana farming, but climate change is now turning the mainland into a producer of the tropical fruit.

濟州島長久以來被認為是韓國唯一一個夠溫暖的地區，適合香蕉商業化種植。但氣候變遷現在正使韓國本土，變成這種熱帶水果的產地。

According to the agricultural technology center in North Chungcheong Province, the number of people investing in banana farming has surged in recent years.

根據忠清北道農業技術中心，投資香蕉種植的人數近年來已急遽增加。

About 99.7 percent of all bananas consumed here are imported, mainly from the Philippines, and most of the rest is produced on Jeju. But with more farmers exploring the field, this soon could change.

南韓吃掉的所有香蕉中，約99.7%為進口，主要來自菲律賓，其餘大多數產自濟州島。惟隨著更多農民探索這片領域，這種情形不久就可能有所改變。

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Topic: Climate change exposes future generations to life-long health harm

A child born today faces multiple and life-long health harms from climate change, growing up in a warmer world with risks of food shortages, infectious diseases, floods and extreme heat, a major global study has found.

一項大型全球研究發現，今日出生的孩童，面臨著氣候變遷帶來多項終生的健康危害──他們在暖化的世界長大，伴隨著糧食短缺、傳染性疾病、洪水，以及極端高溫等風險。

Climate change is already harming people’s health by increasing the number of extreme weather events and exacerbating air pollution, according to the study published in The Lancet medical journal. And if nothing is done to mitigate it, its impacts could burden an entire generation with disease and illness throughout their lives.

根據這份發表於醫學期刊《刺胳針》的研究指出，氣候變遷造成極端天氣事件不斷增加，空氣汙染持續惡化，早已開始傷害人類健康。而且，如果不採取任何行動來緩和情況，氣候變遷的影響將帶來疾病和病痛，加重一整個世代終生的負擔。

“Children are particularly vulnerable to the health risks of a changing climate. Their bodies and immune systems are still developing, leaving them more susceptible to disease and environmental pollutants,” said Nick Watts, who co-led the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change study. He warned that health damage in early childhood is “persistent and pervasive,” and carries lifelong consequences. “Without immediate action from all countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions, gains in wellbeing and life expectancy will be compromised, and climate change will come to define the health of an entire generation,” he told a London briefing.

《刺胳針健康與氣候變遷倒數計時》的研究共同主持人尼克‧沃茲指出：「孩童面對變遷氣候的健康風險特別脆弱。小孩的身體和免疫系統仍然在發展階段，使得他們更容易受到疾病和環境污染物影響。」

Yet introducing policies to limit emissions and cap global warming would see a different outcome, the research teams said. In that scenario, a child born today, would see an end to coal use in Britain, for example, by their sixth birthday, and the world reaching net-zero emissions by the time they were 31.

The Lancet study is a collaboration by 120 experts from 35 institutions including the WHO, the World Bank, University College London and China’s Tsinghua University.

不過，研究團隊表示，推出政策限制氣體排放，並控制全球暖化程度，則會出現不同的結果。在那樣的情況下，舉例而言，今天出生的孩童會在六歲生日那天看到英國停止使用燃煤，並在三十一歲時看到全球達成淨零碳排放的目標。《刺胳針》這項研究是一百二十位專家的合作成果，他們來自三十五個機構，其中包括世界衛生組織、世界銀行、倫敦大學學院，以及中國的清華大學。

On a “business-as-usual” pathway, with little action to limit climate change, it found that amid rising temperatures and extreme weather events, children would be vulnerable to malnutrition and rising food prices, and the most likely to suffer from warmer waters and climates accelerating the spread of infectious diseases such as dengue fever and cholera.

研究發現，如果照著「一切照常進行」的路徑發展，只採取少許行動限制氣候變遷，除了持續攀升的氣溫和極端天氣事件之外，孩童容易受到營養不良以及食物價格上漲的影響，也最可能面臨暖化的水源和氣候，加速登革熱和霍亂等傳染性疾病的傳播。

Among the most immediate and long-lasting health threats from climate change is air pollution, the researchers said. They called for urgent action to reduce outdoor and indoor pollution through the introduction of cleaner fuels and vehicles, and policies to encourage safe and active transport such as walking and cycling.

研究人員表示，氣候變遷帶來最立即且持續最久的健康威脅就是空氣汙染。他們呼籲各國政府採取緊急行動，藉由引進較乾淨的燃料和交通工具，以減少室外和室內的污染，並推出政策鼓勵大眾採取安全且自主性較高的通勤方式，包括步行和騎腳踏車。

The WHO says that globally in 2016, seven million deaths were due to the effects of household and ambient air pollution. The vast majority of these were in low and middle-income countries. “If we want to protect our children, we need to make sure the air they breathe isn’t toxic,” said Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson, a global health specialist at Britain’s Sussex University who worked on the Lancet study.

世界衛生組織表示，二○一六年全球有七百萬人的死亡原因來自於家庭和周遭環境中的空氣汙染。這些人絕大多數都居住於中低收入國家。英國薩塞克斯大學的全球健康專家索妮雅‧阿耶布─卡爾森參與了這份研究，她表示：「如果想要保護我們的孩子，就必須確定他們呼吸的空氣是無毒的。」

Source article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2019/11/17/2003725971/2

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Topic: Physics Nobel rewards work on climate change, other forces

Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in physics Tuesday last week for work that found order in seeming disorder, helping to explain and predict complex forces of nature, including expanding our understanding of climate change.

致力於在看似無序中找到秩序的三位科學家，上週二獲得了諾貝爾物理學獎。他們的研究有助於解釋及預測複雜的自然力量，包括增進我們對氣候變化的理解。

Syukuro Manabe, originally from Japan, and Klaus Hasselmann of Germany were cited for their work in developing forecast models of Earth’s climate and “reliably predicting global warming.” The second half of the prize went to Giorgio Parisi of Italy for explaining disorder in physical systems, ranging from those as small as the insides of atoms to the planet-sized.

原籍日本的真鍋淑郎與德國的克勞斯‧哈斯曼，因研發地球氣候預測模型，以及「可靠地預測全球暖化」而獲獎。獎金的另一半，則是授予義大利籍的喬吉歐‧帕里西，因他解釋了物理系統──小至原子內部，大至行星大小──其中的無序。

Hasselmann told the Associated Press that he “would rather have no global warming and no Nobel Prize.” Calling climate change “a major crisis,” Manabe said that figuring out the physics behind climate change was “1,000 times” easier than getting the world to do something about it.

哈斯曼對美聯社表示，他「寧願沒有全球暖化，也沒有諾貝爾獎」。真鍋稱氣候變化為「一場重大危機」，並說弄清楚氣候變化背後的物理學，要比促世界採取行動容易「一千倍」。

All three scientists work on what are known as “complex systems,” of which climate is just one example. But the prize went to two fields of study that are opposite in many ways, though they share the goal of making sense of what seems random and chaotic so that it can be predicted.

這三位科學家都在研究所謂的「複雜系統」，氣候只是其中一個例子。獲獎的兩個研究領域，在許多方面都大相逕庭，雖然其共同目標皆為理解看似隨機與混亂的事物，以便能夠預測。

The research of Parisi, of Sapienza University of Rome, largely centers around subatomic particles, predicting how they move in seemingly chaotic ways and explaining why. It is somewhat esoteric, while the work by Manabe and Hasselmann is about large-scale global forces that shape our daily lives.

羅馬大學的帕里西，其研究主要圍繞次原子粒子，探究它們如何以及為何以看似混亂的方式運動，並加以預測。帕里西的研究有時深奧難解，而真鍋及哈斯曼的研究，則是有關型塑我們日常生活的大規模全球力量。

Parisi “built a deep physical and mathematical model” that made it possible to understand complex systems in fields as different as mathematics, biology, neuroscience and machine learning.

帕里西「建立了一個深刻的物理及數學模型」，使得理解數學、生物學、神經科學和機器學習等不同領域的複雜系統成為可能。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2021/10/11/2003765868

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Taking a call 接電話

1. Hello/Good morning/Good afternoon. [Company name], [your name] speaking, how may I help you?

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Asking for somebody 找人

1. May I speak to [person’s name]?

Giving reasons for calling 電話的目的

1. I’m calling to ask about/discuss/clarify…

I’m calling to ask about your current printing promotion.

1. I just wanted to ask…

I just wanted to ask if you need any more articles for next month’s magazine.

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.K260: A Scary Energy Winter Is Coming. Don’t Blame the Greens.

Every so often the tectonic geopolitical plates that hold up the world economy suddenly shift in ways that can rattle and destabilize everything on the surface. That’s happening right now in the energy sphere.

有時候，承載世界經濟的地緣政治板塊會突然移動，把地表每樣東西搖得嘎嘎作響。這種事現在就在能源領域發生。

Several forces are coming together that could make Vladimir Putin the king of Europe, enable Iran to thumb its nose at America and build an atomic bomb, and disrupt European power markets enough that the upcoming United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, could suffer blackouts owing to too little clean energy.

有幾股勢力正在匯聚，能使俄國總統普亭成為歐洲之王，使伊朗有本錢不把美國放在眼裡，進而造出原子彈，並足以打亂歐洲能源市場，讓即將登場的英國蘇格蘭格拉斯哥聯合國氣候大會可能會因為潔淨能源太少而停電。

Yes, this is a big one.

沒錯，問題很大。

Natural gas and coal prices in Europe and Asia just hit their highest levels on record, oil prices in America hit a seven-year high and U.S. gasoline prices are up $1 a gallon from last year. If this winter is as bad as some experts predict — with some in the poor and middle classes unable to heat their homes — I fear we’ll see a populist backlash to the whole climate/green movement. You can already smell that coming in Britain.

歐亞兩洲的天然氣和煤價剛剛達到史上最高，美國原油價格創七年新高，而汽油價格每加侖比去年上漲1美元。如果今年冬天跟一些專家預測的一樣糟，一些貧窮和中產階級人家負擔不起取暖費用，我擔心會出現針對整個氣候和綠能運動的民粹反彈。在英國已經可以嗅到這個跡象。

How did we get here? In truth, it’s a good-news-bad-news story.

我們怎會走到這一步？其實，這是個好消息壞消息都有的故事。

The good news is that every major economy has signed onto reducing its carbon footprint by phasing out dirtier fuels like coal to heat homes and to power industries. The bad news is that most nations are doing it in totally uncoordinated ways, from the top down, and before the market has produced sufficient clean renewables like wind, solar and hydro.

好消息是，每個主要經濟體都已同意，透過逐步淘汰煤炭這類比較髒的燃料給家庭取暖和給產業供電，減少碳足跡。壞消息則是，多數國家這麼做的時候完全沒有互相協調，由上而下執行，而且市場還沒製造出足夠多的風力、太陽能和水力等清潔能源。

But how did the bad-news side of this story emerge so fast?

這個故事的壞消息面為何這麼快出現？

Blame COVID-19. First, the pandemic erupted and signaled to every major economy that we were headed for a deep recession. This sent prices of all kinds of commodities, including oil and gas, into downward spirals.

要怪新冠肺炎。首先，疫情爆發，對每個重要經濟體而言意味我們正走向深度衰退，使原油、天然氣等各類大宗商品價格走軟。

This, in turn, led banks to choke off investment in new natural gas capacity and crude wells after seven years of already declining investments in these hydrocarbons because of lousy returns.

這進而使銀行停止投資擴充天然氣產能和油井。銀行已減少投資這些碳氫化合物達七年，因為報酬率很差。

As Bill Gates points out in his smart book “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster,” the only way to reach our climate targets is to shift production of all the big heavy industries, like steel, cement and automobiles, as well as how we heat our homes and power our cars, to electricity generated from clean energy. Safe and affordable nuclear power has to be part of our mix because, Gates argues, “it is the only carbon-free, scalable energy source that’s available 24 hours a day.”

就像微軟創辦人蓋茲在他那本睿智的書「如何避免氣候災難」指出的，達成氣候目標的唯一方法是，改變所有重工業如鋼鐵、水泥、汽車業等的生產方式，以及我們在家取暖和為愛車提供動力的方式，轉而用潔淨能源發電。蓋茲主張必須接納安全可負擔的核能，因為「這是唯一不產生二氧化碳又能擴增的能源來源，每天24小時供應」。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/5820545

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K259: What is the metaverse?

The metaverse is a virtual universe that blends aspects of digital technologies including video-conferencing, games like Minecraft or Roblox, cryptocurrencies, email, virtual reality, social media and live-streaming. Quite how these pieces will fit together is a work in progress, but some tech giants already see it as the future of human communication and interaction. It’s “the next frontier,” Mark Zuckerberg said when he changed his company’s name from Facebook Inc. to Meta Platforms Inc.

「元宇宙」是虛擬的世界，融合了數位技術諸方面，包括視訊會議、Minecraft或Roblox等遊戲、加密貨幣、電子郵件、虛擬實境、社群媒體與網路直播。要如何把這些東西組合起來，各方仍在努力，但一些科技巨頭已將元宇宙視為人類溝通與互動的未來。這是「下一個新領域」，馬克‧祖克柏在將其公司名稱由「臉書」更改為「元平台」時說道。

What will it look like? It may be easier to grasp the concept by first saying what it isn’t: It’s not a single product, it’s not a game, and it’s not being created by one company. Rather, it’s akin to a 3D World Wide Web, where businesses, information and communication tools are immersive and interoperable.

元宇宙會是什麼樣子？要理解這個概念，或許先說明它不是什麼比較容易：它不是單一產品，不是一種遊戲，也不是由一家公司所創建的。相反地，它像是三度空間 的全球資訊網，其中的商家、訊息與通訊工具，是沉浸式、可互操作的。

In a way it’s a digital facsimile of how we live in the physical world. Just as you might create a document in Microsoft Word and send it via Gmail to a colleague to read on an iPad, items in the metaverse should be able to move across an ecosystem of competing products, holding their value and function. An original piece of digital art bought as a non-fungible token, or NFT, from Company A, say, should be displayable on the virtual wall of a house in a game made by Company B.

它有點像是我們現實世界生活方式的數位複製品。正如您可以在Microsoft Word中建立文件，並通過Gmail發送出去，讓同事可以在iPad上閱讀一樣，元宇宙中的物件應能夠在競爭對手產品的生態系統中移動，而保留其價值與功能。例如，從A公司購買的作為非同質化代幣（或稱NFT）的原創數位藝術作品，應該可以在B公司製作的遊戲中顯示在虛擬屋牆上。

The metaverse won’t reach its full potential — millions of people accessing and living in the virtual world anywhere, at any time — without ultrafast Internet. That’s why mobile carriers around the world are spending billions of dollars to build 5G networks.

若沒有超高速網路，元宇宙將無法發揮其全部潛力，讓數百萬人隨時隨地存取與生活在虛擬世界中。這就是為什麼世界各地的電信業者要花費數十億美元來建設5G網路。

The rise of the metaverse also presents a tangle of legal and regulatory issues to be resolved. Some of the thorniest issues around the metaverse revolve around users’ personal data and privacy rights.

元宇宙的興起也帶來一連串法律與監管問題，有待解決。與元宇宙相關的一些最棘手問題，主要是跟用戶個資與隱私權有關。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2021/11/22/2003768256

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K258: The Power of Money: How Autocrats Use London to Strike Foes Worldwide

Olena Tyshchenko, a lawyer based in Britain, was facing years in a crowded Russian prison cell when a chance at freedom came via an unexpected source.

住在英國的律師奧萊娜．特先科在擁擠的俄羅斯牢房待了數年後，突然一個意想不到的來源帶來了重獲自由的機會。

An English lawyer named Chris Hardman, a partner at Hogan Lovells, one of the biggest law firms in the world, flew into Moscow while his firm helped draft a tantalizing offer: Tyshchenko could be freed if she provided information that could be used to help his client in a sprawling web of litigation in London.

一位名叫克里斯．哈德曼的英國律師來到莫斯科。他是世界上最大律師事務所之一霍金路偉合夥人，他的律師行幫忙起草了一份誘人提議：若特先科提供的資訊可被用在倫敦一個訴訟案中幫助他當事人，她就能獲釋。

The twist is that Tyshchenko was one of the lawyers on the other side. To win her freedom, she would have to turn on her client. It was a ruthless exchange. But the Moscow prison had been ruthless, too, and she reluctantly agreed. In a later interview, she said what seemed “most abnormal” was that lawyers opposing her in a trial in London could play a role in her fate in Russia.

問題是，特先科是另一方的律師之一。為了贏得自由，她必須背叛她的當事人。這是一場無情的交換，但莫斯科的監獄也是殘酷無情的，於是她勉強同意了。在後來受訪時，她說，看起來「最不正常」的是，在倫敦審判中她的對手律師，竟能影響她在俄羅斯的命運。

“They are extremely aggressive,” she added.

她說：「他們極度好鬥。」

A Moscow prison. A London courtroom. One is part of a Russian legal system widely considered corrupt and subordinate to the Kremlin. The other is a symbol of an English legal system respected around the world. Yet after Hardman returned to London, an English judge would accept into the case the evidence obtained from the Moscow prison.

一邊是莫斯科監獄，一邊是倫敦法庭。一個是幾乎被公認聽命於克里姆林宮的俄羅斯腐敗法律體系一部分，一個則是在全世界受尊敬的英國法律體系象徵。然而，在哈德曼回倫敦後，一位英國法官同意，把從莫斯科監獄獲得的證據加入案件。

The episode is a vivid illustration of how the brutal politics of authoritarian countries like Russia and Kazakhstan have spilled into England’s legal system, with lawyers and private investigators in London raking in huge fees and engaging in questionable tactics in the service of autocratic foreign governments.

這一事件生動地說明了，俄羅斯和哈薩克等獨裁國家的殘暴政治是如何滲透英國法律體系，倫敦的律師和私人調查員收取巨額費用，採取可疑的策略為專制的外國政府服務。

An investigation by The New York Times and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism — involving a review of hundreds of pages of case documents, leaked records and more than 80 interviews with insiders, experts and witnesses — reveals how London’s courts are being used by autocrats to wage legal warfare against people who have fled their countries after falling out of favor over politics or money.

紐約時報和新聞調查局進行一項調查，查閱數百頁案件文件、外洩紀錄，以及採訪內部人士、專家和證人80多次，揭露倫敦法院是如何被獨裁者利用，對那些在政治或金錢上失勢而逃離自己國家的人發動法律戰。

Four out of the past six years, litigants from Russia and Kazakhstan have been involved in more civil cases in England than have any other foreigners. Authoritarian governments or related state entities are often pitted against wealthy tycoons who have fallen from favor and fled. Neither side elicits much pity — but both pay generous legal fees.

過去六年裡有四年，來自俄羅斯和哈薩克的訴訟當事人，在英國捲入的民事案件比其他任何外國人都多。獨裁政府或相關的國家實體，經常跟失寵而逃亡的富有大亨對立。任何一方都不會引起多少同情，但都支付了豐厚的律師費。

Filing litigation in London can bring legitimacy for claims by autocratic governments, whose own legal systems are so tainted that their decisions carry little weight outside their borders.

在倫敦提起訴訟，可為獨裁政府帶來合法性，這些政府自身的法律體系已遭汙染，以致其判決在境外幾無公信力。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/5607225

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K257: The Transformation of the Fitness Industry

Like restaurants, retailers and other businesses normally conducted in crowded locations open to the public, the health and fitness industry in Europe is scrambling to recover and get its business back on track — as soon as it figures out what its business will look like.

就像餐廳、零售商等通常在人潮聚集處營業並對大眾開放的產業一樣，歐洲健康與健身產業努力想從新冠疫情造成的重創復原，讓生意恢復舊觀——只要健身業能找出疫情後的經營模式。

The orders by public health authorities to close health and fitness clubs several times have had a profound effect on the industry. The consulting firm Deloitte estimates that clubs in Europe lost 15.4% of their members, or more than 10 million people, even when closures were relatively brief. Industry revenue fell twice as much, by almost 33%, as clients froze their accounts or requested refunds.

公共衛生當局在疫情期間幾度下令健身俱樂部停業，對這個產業影響深遠。顧問公司Deloitte估計，雖然歐洲健身俱樂部每次停業都相當短暫，卻共失去15.4%、1000多萬名會員；營收減少幅度則是會員數的兩倍，也就是近33%，因為會員要求凍結會籍或退費。

While the pandemic drags on, club executives are trying to fully understand how fundamentally COVID-19 has transformed their industry, which generated $96.7 billion in global revenue in 2019.

疫情還在拖延，健身俱樂部負責人想徹底了解，疫情如何完全改變自己的產業。2019年全球健身業營收達967億美元。

“For a long time now, I believe that too many health club leaders around the world assume they have the full and undivided attention of the exercising consumer,” said Ray Algar, a global fitness industry business adviser and analyst with Oxygen Consulting in Brighton, England. “That the gym sits at the top of some exercise industry hierarchy.”

英國英格蘭布萊頓鎮「氧氣顧問公司」全球健身產業商業顧問暨分析師艾爾加說：「我認為長久以來，全球各地有太多健身俱樂部負責人以為，他們能獲得想運動的消費者全心全意的關注。他們以為健身俱樂部處在運動產業階層頂端」。

“The gym may have once had this temporary monopoly, but this is over, and the pandemic has demonstrated that consumers can capably locate and enjoy many different gym substitutes,” he said. “What the pandemic has done has made these gym substitutes more visible.”

艾爾加說：「健身俱樂部也許曾享有一時的壟斷地位，但這已經結束了，而且疫情期間的經驗顯示，消費者能找到並享受不同於健身俱樂部的許多替代選項。疫情讓健身房的替代選項變得更明顯。」

Stefan Ludwig, a Deloitte partner and leader of the Sports Business Group, said that the lockdowns had indeed had a “significant impact on both consumer behavior and operator offerings.”

德勤會計師事務所合夥人暨體育事業部主管路德維格說，防疫封鎖的確「對消費者行為和經營模式有重大影響」。

A report by ClubIntel, a marketing research and consulting firm, found that closed clubs led many people to lose the habit of exercising regularly and caused others to try alternatives, such as biking, joining a walking club, signing up for video classes (dance and boxing are popular options) or buying an interactive device like a Peloton or Mirror.

市場研究和諮詢公司ClubIntel發布報告顯示，健身俱樂部停業讓許多人放棄定期運動習慣，並促使一些人嘗試替代方案，如騎單車、加入健行社團、訂閱視訊課程（舞蹈和拳擊都是熱門選項）或買互動裝置，如派樂騰連網固定式自行車和跑步機或Mirror健身鏡等。

Many customers, the report found, have chosen remote options offered by providers other than a fitness club. To retain or recoup pre-pandemic clientele, clubs need to increase those kinds of options and build a business model with diverse offerings like on-demand and streaming video. Many have already begun.

報告指出，許多消費者選擇遠距課程，而且不是由健身俱樂部提供。為了留住客戶或讓客戶數恢復到疫情前的水準，俱樂部必須增加這些遠距選項，並建立提供多元選擇的商業模式，如隨選和串流視訊等。許多俱樂部已開始這麼做。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/5887417

歡迎通勤家族 週一晚上9pm，在Clubhouse上跟我與Peddy一同閒聊、練習英語！快加入 15Mins 通勤學英語直播室吧~

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K256: What’s in the Glasgow Climate Pact?

Nearly 200 nations agreed to adopt the Glasgow Climate Pact on Saturday after more than two weeks of intense negotiations at COP26 in Glasgow, UK.

經過逾兩週的激烈談判，在英國格拉斯哥參與第二十六屆聯合國氣候變化大會的近兩百個國家，上週六通過了《格拉斯哥氣候協定》。

The agreement acknowledges that commitments made by countries so far to cut emissions of planet-heating greenhouse gases are nowhere near enough to prevent global warming from exceeding 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial temperatures.

該協議承認，為減少排放造成地球暖化的溫室氣體，各國所做出的承諾，目前仍遠不足以防止全球較前工業化時代暖化超過攝氏一點五度。

To attempt to solve this, it asks governments to strengthen those targets by the end of next year, rather than every five years, as previously required.Failure to set, and meet, tougher emissions-cutting goals would have huge consequences. Scientists say that to go beyond a rise of 1.5C would unleash extreme sea level rise and catastrophes including crippling droughts, monstrous storms and wildfires far worse than those the world is already suffering.

為解決此問題，該協議要求各國政府在明年年底前強化這些目標，而不是像過去所要求的每五年一次。若未能設定並達成更嚴格的減排目標，將造成嚴重的後果。科學家表示，溫度上升超過攝氏一點五度，將引發海平面極端上升與災難，包括嚴重的乾旱、巨大的風暴及野火，會比已肆虐全球的災難要嚴重得多。

TARGETING FOSSIL FUELS

The pact for the first time includes language that asks countries to reduce their reliance on coal and roll back fossil fuel subsidies, moves that would target the energy sources that scientists say are the primary drivers of anthropogenic climate change. The wording was contentious, though. Just before the Glasgow deal was adopted, India requested that the deal call on countries to “phase down,” instead of “phase out,” unabated coal. That minor word change triggered a lot of angst in the plenary hall, but delegations agreed to the request to save the deal.

劍指化石燃料

該協議要求各國減少對煤炭的依賴，並取消化石燃料補貼；這措辭是首度加入，它所針對的能源，是科學家所說的導致人為氣候變化的主要原因。 不過，其措辭是有爭議的。就在格拉斯哥協定通過的前一刻，印度要求將協議內容中要求各國「逐步淘汰」未使用碳捕捉技術的燃煤，改為「逐步減少」。這一微小措辭改變，在議事會場引發諸多焦慮，但各國代表團最後仍同意保住協議，讓它過關。

PAYMENTS TO POOR AND VULNERABLE NATIONS

The deal made some headway on the demands from poor and vulnerable countries that wealthy countries responsible for most emissions pay up. It also, for the first time, made mention of so-called “loss and damage” in the cover section of the agreement. Loss and damage refers to the costs that some countries are already facing from climate change, and these countries have for years wanted payment to help deal with it. Under the deal, though, developed countries have essentially just agreed to continue discussions on the topic. We will see where that leads.

支付貧窮及脆弱國家

為回應窮國及易受氣候變化影響國家之要求，該協議在這方面取得了一些進展，規定富國對排放量應負有最大責任。該協議也首次在封面提到所謂的「損失與損害」。損失與損害是指一些國家因氣候變化已經面臨的成本，這些國家多年來一直希望得到款項以助其因應氣候變化。 不過根據協議，已開發國家基本上只是同意繼續討論此議題，其未來走向仍待觀察。

RULES FOR GLOBAL CARBON MARKETS

Negotiators also closed a deal setting rules for carbon markets, potentially unlocking trillions of dollars for protecting forests, building renewable energy facilities and other projects to combat climate change.

全球碳交易市場規則

談判代表還達成了一項協議，為碳交易市場制定規則，可能促成數兆美元資金流入，用於保護森林、建設再生能源設施，以及其他因應氣候變化之計畫。 Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2021/11/15/2003767870