通勤學英語 15Mins Today

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K213: About Sports - Tom Daley knits away in between dives at Tokyo Olympics

Tom Daley’s way of relaxing between dives off the 10-meter tower at the Olympics keeps him in stitches. Not the laughing kind, but the knitting and crocheting kind.

湯姆．戴利在奧運每場10公尺跳台跳水比賽之間的放鬆方式，讓他笑個不停。這裡說的不是笑，而是埋首針線中。

The 27-year-old Brit took up the hobbies just before the coronavirus pandemic began in March 2020. During lockdown, he had plenty of time to perfect his skills.

這名27歲的英國人在2020年3月新型冠狀病毒疫情爆發前不久，開始有了這個嗜好。在防疫封鎖期間，有的是時間精進他的技巧。

Daley knits only during the preliminaries of competitions, when there are long stretches between dives, as a way to switch off his mind.

戴利只有在每場比賽間隔時間都很久的初賽階段，藉由織毛線放空。

’’If you stay all the way up here with your energy levels and thinking about the dives,’’ he said, ’’it ends up becoming quite draining by the end of it.’’

「如果你在這裡一直全神貫注想著跳水的事」，他說，「結果會讓人比到最後相當疲憊。」

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Hungarians grab their partners in nation’s wife-carrying contest 匈牙利人在該國背老婆大賽中抓住另一半

Some 40 Hungarian husbands, with their wives on their backs, clambered over rough terrain on Saturday in the nation’s second wife-carrying contest.

近40位匈牙利老公週六在該國第二屆背老婆大賽中，把他們的老婆扛在背上，攀越崎嶇地形。

A previous race in October attracted only a dozen couples.

前一場辦在10月的比賽，只吸引到12對伴侶。

"We have just emerged from a difficult period due to the coronavirus and we need to go and have fun in the open air," Gergely Guraly, who organised the race, told Reuters.

組織這場競賽的格格利．古拉雷告訴路透，「我們才剛擺脫起於冠狀病毒的一段困難時期，我們需要到戶外開心玩。」

Guraly began preparations in January for the contest, which is said to have origins dating back to the Viking age.

古拉雷1月開始為這場據說起源可追溯到維京時代的比賽做準備。

In modern times, the tradition is particularly established in Finland, where it has taken place since the 1990s.

在現代，這項傳統在芬蘭尤其確立，當地從1990年代開始舉辦。

Estonian races have lent their name to the Estonian style of wife-carrying, with the wife upside down and her feet over her husband’s shoulders, rather than a classic piggyback.

愛沙尼亞競賽的名字源自這種愛沙尼亞扛太太的招式，讓太太頭下腳上並把雙腳放在丈夫肩膀上，而非經典的後背式。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1471563; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1473455

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.K212: World’s largest plant capturing carbon from air starts in Iceland

The world’s largest plant that sucks carbon dioxide directly from the air and deposits it underground started operating on Wednesday last week, the company behind the nascent green technology said.

世界上最大，可直接吸取空氣中之二氧化碳，並將其儲存於地底的工廠，已於上週三開始運作，提供該新興綠色科技之公司表示。

Swiss start-up Climeworks AG, which specializes in capturing carbon dioxide directly from the air, has partnered with Icelandic carbon storage firm Carbfix to develop a plant that sucks out up to 4,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. That’s the equivalent of the annual emissions from about 790 cars. Last year, global CO2 emissions totaled 31.5 billion tonnes, according to the International Energy Agency.

瑞士新創公司Climeworks AG專門從空氣中直接捕集二氧化碳，它與冰島碳儲存公司Carbfix合作開發了一座工廠，每年可吸收多達四千噸二氧化碳，這相當於大約七百九十輛汽車一年的排放量。根據國際能源署的統計，去年全球二氧化碳排放量總計為三百一十五億噸。

Direct air capture is one of the few technologies extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and it is viewed by scientists as vital to limit global warming, blamed for causing more heatwaves, wildfires, floods and rising sea levels.

直接從空氣捕集是少數能夠從大氣中提取二氧化碳的技術之一，科學家認為它對限制全球暖化極為重要。全球暖化被認為是造成熱浪、野火、洪水更頻繁，以及海平面上升的罪魁禍首。

The Orca plant, a reference to the Icelandic word for energy, consists of eight large containers similar in looks to those used in the shipping industry, which employ high-tech filters and fans to extract carbon dioxide. The isolated carbon is then mixed with water and pumped deep underground, where it slowly turns into rock. Both technologies are powered by renewable energy sourced from a nearby geothermal power plant.

此工廠名為Orca，源於冰島語「能源」一詞，是由八個看似航運貨櫃的大容器組成，採用高科技過濾器與風扇來提取二氧化碳；所分離出的碳加入水混合後，再打入地底深處，讓它在地底慢慢變成岩石。這兩種技術所使用的動力，均來自附近地熱發電廠的可再生能源。

Direct air capture is still a fledgling and costly technology, but developers hope to drive down prices by scaling up as more companies and consumers look to reduce their carbon footprint.

直接從空氣捕集碳仍屬新興且成本高昂的技術，但有越來越多的公司與消費者希望減少碳足跡，開發商盼通過擴大規模來降低價格。

There are currently 15 direct air capture plants operating worldwide, capturing more than 9,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, according to the IEA. US oil firm Occidental is currently developing the largest direct-air-capture facility, to pull 1 million tonnes per year of carbon dioxide from the open air near some of its Texas oilfields.

據國際能源署統計，目前全球有十五座空氣捕集廠在營運，每年捕集的二氧化碳超過九千噸。美國西方石油公司目前正開發最大的直接空氣捕集設施，每年將在德州一些油田附近的空氣中提取一百萬噸二氧化碳。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2021/09/13/2003764257

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.K211: Tech Giants Are Plunged Into Political Firestorm

On Feb. 6, 2018, Apple received a grand jury subpoena for the names and phone records connected to 109 email addresses and phone numbers. It was one of the more than 250 data requests that the company received on average from U.S. law enforcement each week at the time. An Apple paralegal complied and provided the information.

2018年2月6日，蘋果公司收到一份大陪審團傳票，要求提供和109個電郵地址及電話有關的名字與通聯紀錄。當時蘋果收到來自美國執法單位的提供資料要求，平均每周超過250件，這份傳票只是其一。一名法律助理遵令並提供了相關資訊。

This year, a gag order on the subpoena expired. Apple said it alerted the people who were the subjects of the subpoena, just as it does with dozens of customers each day. But this request was out of the ordinary.

關於這份傳票的一項緘口令今年到期，蘋果公司說，他們向身為傳票目標的人發出警示，如同每天處理數十名顧客的做法。但是，這項要求並不尋常。

Without knowing it, Apple said, it had handed over the data of congressional staffers, their families and at least two members of Congress, including Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., then the House Intelligence Committee’s ranking member and now its chair. It turned out the subpoena was part of a wide-ranging investigation by the Trump administration into leaks of classified information.

蘋果表示，在不知情的狀況下，它交出了國會員工、其家人以及至少兩名國會議員的資料，包括眾議院情報委員會前副主席、現任主席謝安達。原來，這份傳票是川普政府追查機密資訊外洩一項大範圍調查的一部分。

The revelations have now plunged Apple into the middle of a firestorm over the Trump administration’s efforts to find the sources of news stories, and the handling underscores the flood of law enforcement requests that tech companies increasingly contend with. The number of these requests has soared in recent years to thousands a week, putting Apple and other tech giants like Google and Microsoft in an uncomfortable position between law enforcement, the courts and the customers whose privacy they have promised to protect.

此事曝光，讓蘋果陷入川普政府試圖找出新聞報導消息來源的風暴中，而其處置方式，顯示科技公司一直不斷應付執法單位的大量要求。這些要求的數量近年增加至一周數千件，讓蘋果及谷歌、微軟等科技巨擘處於麻煩立場，夾在執法單位、法院還有他們曾經承諾保護其隱私的顧客之間。

The companies regularly comply with the requests because they are legally required to do so. The subpoenas can be vague, so Apple, Google and others are often unclear on the nature or subject of an investigation. They can challenge some of subpoenas if they are too broad or if they relate to a corporate client. In the first six months of 2020, Apple challenged 238 demands from the government for its customers’ account data, or 4% of such requests.

這些公司通常會服從要求，因為依法必須如此。傳票內容可能很含糊，所以蘋果、谷歌和其他公司通常不清楚調查的性質或主題。如果傳票範圍太廣或是和某個企業客戶有關，他們可以提出異議。在2020年的前六個月，蘋果對政府要求取得其顧客帳號數據提出238項異議，占了這類要求的4%。

As part of the same leak investigation by the Trump administration, Google fought a gag order this year on a subpoena to turn over data on the emails of four New York Times reporters. Google argued that its contract as The Times’ corporate email provider required it to inform the newspaper of any government requests for its emails, said Ted Boutrous, an outside lawyer for The Times.

在同一個川普政府的洩密調查中，谷歌今年對緘口令提出異議，相關傳票要求交出四名紐約時報記者電郵數據。谷歌主張，根據其作為紐時企業電郵服務供應商的合約，政府任何取得電郵資料的要求皆須通知該報。

But more frequently than not, the companies comply with law enforcement demands. And that underlines an awkward truth: As their products become more central to people’s lives, the world’s largest tech companies have become surveillance intermediaries and crucial partners to authorities.

但是，這些公司多半會順從執法單位命令，而這凸顯一個棘手事實：隨著他們的產品逐漸成為人們生活中心，這些世界最大科技公司已成為當局的偵察工具和關鍵夥伴。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/5560507

Topic: Airlines targeting post-pandemic ‘revenge travel’

The blow caused to the airline industry by the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially felt by budget airlines, which mostly operate narrow-bodied passenger jets and have therefore been unable to develop a sideline in air freight during the pandemic. According to one academic’s analysis, when the outbreak stabilizes, businesses are targeting a trend in so-called “revenge travel.” However, she also hopes that, rather than the pre-pandemic price wars between budget airlines, the consolidation that has taken place during the pandemic will restore healthy competition in the industry.

疫情衝擊航空界，其中廉航受限於機隊多為窄體客機，無法發展貨運，受疫情衝擊更大。學者分析，業者瞄準疫情穩定後的「報復性出遊」，但也希望疫情前廉航削價競爭的情況，能因疫情重整，回歸良性競爭。

According to associate professor Melody Dai of National Cheng Kung University’s Department of Transportation and Communication Management Science, costs per flight have not changed during the pandemic, but if carriers are required to implement social-distancing seating plans, leaving empty seats between passengers, this would eat into airlines’ profit margins, causing a fresh headache for the industry. Dai says she hopes that budget airlines will manage to survive, since they help stimulate Taiwan’s domestic tourism sector as well as the wider economy.

成大交通管理學系副教授戴佐敏說，每航班成本不變、但座位未來若須採間隔座導致收入減少，確實是疫後的難題，希望廉航仍有生存空間，對促進觀光與經濟有正面幫助。

Dai says that choosing to operate flights during the pandemic is a test of airlines’ ability to sustain losses, but the crisis may also prove to be a turnaround for the industry. Dai says there are many variables to the pandemic. She says that once the outbreak stabilizes, if the demand for “revenge travel” exceeds supply, this could resolve the pre-pandemic situation of supply exceeding demand, which led to price wars among budget airlines. The consolidation that the pandemic has triggered within the airline industry could bring about a return to healthy competition, says Dai.

戴佐敏認為，選擇在疫情期間開航，考驗航空公司「虧本」的能力，不過危機也有可能是轉機，疫情仍有變數，疫情穩定後的「報復性出遊」若需求大於供給，疫情前廉航供過於求、削價競爭的情況，這次可能因疫情重整，回歸良性競爭。

One industry insider stated that, despite the lockdowns and reduced number of travelers and flights during the pandemic, the industry is bullish about post-pandemic prospects for both freight and passenger travel in the flourishing Asian region. The insider added that a trend in “revenge travel” could cause short-haul routes to become particularly busy.

業者指出，雖然國境仍然封鎖，疫情期間每週班次不多，旅客也非常少，但看好疫情後亞洲旺盛的物流、人流，預估疫情趨緩後將出現「報復性出遊」，亞洲短程航線將會更繁忙。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2021/09/12/2003764205

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Topic: Rebranding is beneficial to China Airlines. Here’s why

台灣的立法院於7月22日表決通過建議將台灣最大的國際航空公司之一：「中華航空公司」 (China Airlines) 的英文名稱更名。這樣的提議，立即引發了各種疑問：這樣做的成本是否過高？中華航空公司是否會因此喪失航權？

Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan voted on Wednesday to work towards renaming China Airlines, one of the national air carriers. Such a proposal immediately prompted various questions: Would doing so be prohibitively expensive? Would the airline lose aviation rights as a result of the act?

航空業的複雜程度超乎想像，故難以提供此細微議題絕對明確的答案。雖然，把台灣的國籍航空「中華航空公司China Airlines」更改英文名字，會有非常大的爭議，但讓我們暫時撇開政治上的兩極化角度，而從商業的角度分析，什麼才是對中華航空公司最有利的。

The airline industry is unimaginably complex, so there is no definite answer to such a nuanced topic. While the issue of renaming Taiwan’s national airline is inherently controversial, let us move away from political polarization and analyze what is best for China Airlines, from a business perspective.

品牌重塑的成本 | The Cost of Rebranding

首先，如果中華航空公司想重塑品牌形象，彰顯其隸屬於台灣國籍航空的品牌辨識度，一定會產生相對的成本。

Firstly, if China Airlines were to rebrand itself to reflect a more Taiwanese identity, it is undeniable that the airline would incur costs.

這是因為航空公司的標誌無所不在：從登機櫃檯到貴賓室，甚至是乘客在機上所使用的餐巾紙上都能看見。因此，對於中華航空公司來說，重新彩繪噴漆飛機機身並全面重塑品牌，勢必需要投入相當的資金支出。

This is because airlines logos appear everywhere: from check-in counters, lounges, to even the napkins passengers use onboard. So yes, it would be a significant investment for China Airlines to repaint their planes to rebrand across their network.

但是，考量一家航空公司的將來的利潤及是否賺錢，未來營業收入成長的重要性，和考量成本支出，是一樣重要的。從長遠來看，如果航空公司能夠在未來吸引到比現在更多的乘客，這項品牌重塑計畫就值得。

However, an airline’s profitability is as much determined by revenue than it is affected by costs. In the long term, if an airline is able to attract more customers than now, such rebranding efforts would pay off.

更改中華航空公司的英文名稱「China」可解決過往的一些問題。例如，許多英語系國家的人認為「China」一詞帶有負面含義，且他們聽到「China Airlines」時，也無法將其與台灣連結在一起。

Rebranding China Airlines could address previous issues. For example, many people in English-speaking countries believe the word “China” has negative connotations, and they don’t associate the airline with Taiwan when they hear about “China” Airlines.

此外，中華航空 (China Airlines) 經常被與中國政府擁有的中國國際航空(Air China)混淆。近年來，因為名字上的混淆，全球大多數人無法區分這兩家航空公司。因此，與中國國際航空相關的飛安意外事故和客服事件，皆損害了台灣國籍航空公司的聲譽。

In addition, China Airlines is often confused with Air China, which is owned by the Chinese government. In recent years, safety and service incidents associated with Air China have damaged the Taiwanese airline’s reputation, as the majority of the world simply cannot tell the two carriers apart, largely due to the confusing naming.

另一方面，中華航空的主要競爭對手「長榮航空」是一家提供高標準飛行安全和高品質服務的台灣國籍航空公司。如果中華航空的英文更名動作，能夠改善中華航空過去行銷上的困難，那麼英文更名所帶來的好處，可能遠超過潛在的成本。

On the other hand, CAL’s main competitor, EVA Air, is well known as a Taiwanese company offering high standards of flight safety and service. If China Airlines can change a name that has made marketing difficult in the past, the benefits of rebranding could outweigh the potential costs.

航權 | Aviation Rights

從中華航空的角度來看，另一個令人關注的領域是航權。航權，意指賦予航空公司進入、飛越或降落在另一個國家領空的權利。

The second area of concern from China Airlines’ perspective would be aviation rights, which grants airlines the privilege to enter, fly over, or land in another country’s airspace.

航權對任何一家航空公司的運營都是極為重要的，是航空公司與監管機構經過數十年談判的結果。有些人表示，中華航空可能會因為英文名稱「China」的更名而失去這些權利，但其實非常重要的一點是，航空公司的形象更名並不需要包含更改其法定名稱。

Such rights, critical to any airline’s operations, are as a result of decades of negotiations between airline companies and regulatory agencies. Some have indicated the possibility of China Airlines losing these rights because of a name change, but it is important to understand that rebranding does not have to include changing the legal name.

舉例而言，以阿姆斯特丹作為基地的歐洲大型航空公司是以 KLM Royal Dutch Airlines（荷蘭皇家航空）做為形象名稱，但此航空公司註冊的法定名稱則為Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij。

For instance, the major European airline based in Amsterdam is branded as KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, but the three letters KLM stand for its registered legal name, Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij.

以類似的方式，中華航空也許可以在英文名稱上更名為「CAL Formosa Airlines」，並同時維持其法定名稱「中華航空」，以避免損及航權。

In a similar fashion, China Airlines could perhaps rebrand as “CAL Formosa Airlines,” while retaining its formal name, to avoid compromising its aviation rights.

政治考量 | Political Considerations

最後，儘管航空公司傾向於不碰觸政治議題，但像中華航空這樣的公司也必須考慮維持其現有飛航市場，尤其是中國。

Finally, while airlines tend to stay out of politics, companies such as China Airlines also have to consider its ability to continue flying into existing markets, particularly China.

對於更改中華航空的英文名稱中的「China」字眼一事，持批評意見者表達了對可能激怒北京共產黨的擔憂，並推測中國政府將禁止中華航空飛入中國領空。

Critics of the idea to rename China Airlines have voiced concerns about angering the Communist Party in Beijing, and have speculated that the Chinese government would ban CAL from flying into Chinese airspace.

儘管這種情況確實是不利且不能被排除的，但中華航空可以選擇改成更具政治中立性的名稱來降低此風險。

While such a situation would indeed be unfavorable, and the possibility of occurrence cannot be ruled out, CAL could minimize risk by choosing a more politically neutral name.

例如，通過使用「Formosa」或「Taipei」等字眼，航空公司可以避開中國與台灣的爭議，並在最不具爭議的情況下繼續為現有的乘客提供服務。

For example, by utilizing words such as “Formosa” or “Taipei”, the airline could stay out of the Taiwan-China debate and continue serving its existing passengers with minimal controversy.

總結來說，即使不將中華航空的英文名稱China Airlines更改為「Taiwan Airlines」，該公司也可以通過將「China」從其英文名稱中刪除，來回應人們建議改名的聲音，並同時避免名字所引起的混淆和爭議。

At the end of the day, even without changing China Airlines’ name to “Taiwan Airlines”, the company can respond to the voices of the people by removing “China” from its name and avoid confusion and controversy altogether. Source article: https://chinapost.nownews.com/20200725-1578334

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Topic: Eva Air is third safest airline globally: Airline Ratings

國際航空專業評鑑網站 AirlineRatings 近日公布 2020 年全球最安全航空公司名單，再度由澳洲航空奪冠、紐西蘭航空排名第二，長榮航空獲得第三名好成績。

EVA Air ranks third, right behind Qantas and Air New Zealand, in the list of the top 20 safest airlines for 2020, according to Airline Ratings, a Website that reviews airline safety and products.

國際航空專業評鑑網站 AirlineRatings 每年都會遴選出全球最安全航空公司，評選標準包括安全創新、營運績效、政府審查、航空公司死亡事故紀錄、航空公司營運史、失事紀錄等標準，評選全球 405 家航空公司。

The website selects the world’s safest airlines out of 405 airlines each year, based on their safety innovation, operational excellence, government review, fatal accident records and their operating history.

其他入選航空包括：阿提哈德航空、卡達航空、新加坡航空、阿聯酋航空、阿拉斯加航空、國泰航空、維珍澳洲航空、夏威夷航空、維珍航空、葡萄牙航空、北歐航空、皇家約旦航空、瑞士航空、芬蘭航空、漢莎航空、愛爾蘭航空、荷蘭皇家航空。

The other airlines among the aforesaid list include Etihad, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Alaska Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Virgin Australia, Hawaiian Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airlines, TAP Portugal, SAS, Royal Jordanian, Swiss, Finnair, Lufthansa, Aer Lingus, and KLM.

根據網站公布結果， 2020 年全球最安全航空公司，長榮航空獲得第三名好成績，這也是繼去年 11 月獲得「 2020 全球最佳航空」第 8 名後，再度獲得國際肯定。

At the end of last year, Eva Air secured the eighth spot in the list of the world’s best airlines for 2020, according to the Airline Ratings website. Source article: https://chinapost.nownews.com/20200108-924363;

歡迎通勤家族 9/20 週一下午2pm，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~

簡易大綱

Thank you 謝謝

So glad you’re on my team!

You are the best!

You have made my day

I really appreciate your help

Thanks a million!

I’m sorry 對不起

I apologize

Many apologies

It is my fault

It is my bad

Please forgive me

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K210: Airlines targeting post-pandemic ‘revenge travel’

The blow caused to the airline industry by the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially felt by budget airlines, which mostly operate narrow-bodied passenger jets and have therefore been unable to develop a sideline in air freight during the pandemic. According to one academic’s analysis, when the outbreak stabilizes, businesses are targeting a trend in so-called “revenge travel.” However, she also hopes that, rather than the pre-pandemic price wars between budget airlines, the consolidation that has taken place during the pandemic will restore healthy competition in the industry.

疫情衝擊航空界，其中廉航受限於機隊多為窄體客機，無法發展貨運，受疫情衝擊更大。學者分析，業者瞄準疫情穩定後的「報復性出遊」，但也希望疫情前廉航削價競爭的情況，能因疫情重整，回歸良性競爭。

According to associate professor Melody Dai of National Cheng Kung University’s Department of Transportation and Communication Management Science, costs per flight have not changed during the pandemic, but if carriers are required to implement social-distancing seating plans, leaving empty seats between passengers, this would eat into airlines’ profit margins, causing a fresh headache for the industry. Dai says she hopes that budget airlines will manage to survive, since they help stimulate Taiwan’s domestic tourism sector as well as the wider economy.

成大交通管理學系副教授戴佐敏說，每航班成本不變、但座位未來若須採間隔座導致收入減少，確實是疫後的難題，希望廉航仍有生存空間，對促進觀光與經濟有正面幫助。

Dai says that choosing to operate flights during the pandemic is a test of airlines’ ability to sustain losses, but the crisis may also prove to be a turnaround for the industry. Dai says there are many variables to the pandemic. She says that once the outbreak stabilizes, if the demand for “revenge travel” exceeds supply, this could resolve the pre-pandemic situation of supply exceeding demand, which led to price wars among budget airlines. The consolidation that the pandemic has triggered within the airline industry could bring about a return to healthy competition, says Dai.

戴佐敏認為，選擇在疫情期間開航，考驗航空公司「虧本」的能力，不過危機也有可能是轉機，疫情仍有變數，疫情穩定後的「報復性出遊」若需求大於供給，疫情前廉航供過於求、削價競爭的情況，這次可能因疫情重整，回歸良性競爭。

One industry insider stated that, despite the lockdowns and reduced number of travelers and flights during the pandemic, the industry is bullish about post-pandemic prospects for both freight and passenger travel in the flourishing Asian region. The insider added that a trend in “revenge travel” could cause short-haul routes to become particularly busy.

業者指出，雖然國境仍然封鎖，疫情期間每週班次不多，旅客也非常少，但看好疫情後亞洲旺盛的物流、人流，預估疫情趨緩後將出現「報復性出遊」，亞洲短程航線將會更繁忙。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2021/09/12/2003764205

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K209: Newspapers in New York, Like Their Readers, Are Vanishing

Kenny Hospot is in some ways a typical reader of The Daily News. He’s a construction worker from Queens who’s lived in the city most of his life. He always liked reading the comics and the horoscope in The News.

就某些方面而言，肯尼．霍斯帕堪稱每日新聞報的典型讀者。他是紐約市皇后區的一個建築工人，這一生大多數時間都住在這個城市。他一向愛看該報的漫畫和星座運勢。

How long since he last bought a copy of the paper? Hospot laughed. “I would say like 15 years.”

他上一次買這份報紙是多久之前？霍斯帕笑了，「我看大概有15年了吧。」

Kamel Brown is another archetypal customer for New York’s Hometown Newspaper, as The Daily News styles itself. He’s a maintenance worker for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He’s 55 years old. He grew up buying the paper for his grandmother in Brooklyn. “When she was finished reading it, I’d pick it up, flip back and start with the sports,” Brown said.

對於自我定位為紐約家鄉報紙的每日新聞報，凱默．布朗是另一種典型讀者。他是都市交通局的維修工人，55歲。他在布魯克林區的成長過程中，常幫祖母買這份報紙。布朗說：「她看完後，我會拿過來，翻回去，從運動版開始看。」

He doesn’t remember the last time he bought it. When he paged through a copy at a friend’s home this past week, he was unimpressed.

他不記得上次買這份報紙是何時。過去這一周的某日他在友人家翻閱一分報紙時，很無感。

Tristan Dominguez, on the other hand, is still a big Daily News fan. “It’s the only place you see anything local,” Dominguez said at a bodega in Washington Heights, where a stack of papers sat behind the counter.

另一方面，崔斯坦．多明奎茲仍是新聞報的大粉絲。「這是你唯一能看到在地新聞的地方。」多明奎茲在華盛頓高地的一家雜貨店內說，櫃檯後方有一大疊報紙。

He reads the paper mostly online and through Twitter.

他大多數是上網或透過推特看這份報紙。

All of this helps explain why there was an air of inevitability about the news Monday that the organization was laying off half its editorial staff.

這些例子亦可說明，當這家報社決定資遣編輯部一半員工的消息周一（7月23日）傳出時，為何外界會覺得此事似難避免。

Once upon a time, The Daily News sold more than 2 million papers a day. Now its circulation is only about a tenth of that, and the paper’s non-hometown owner, the Chicago-based media company Tronc, which bought the paper in 2017, does not have the patience for non-profitability that the prior owner, Mort Zuckerman, did.

每日新聞報曾經一天賣出200萬分以上，現在發行量大約只剩十分之一。這家報社的非在地老闆、芝加哥的媒體公司Tronc，2017年買下每日新聞報，對於它未能獲利，並沒有前任老闆莫特．札克曼那般的耐性。

At a cultural moment when the very idea of New York City as a hometown is quickly dissolving, and when most people get their news from some sort of glowing screen, the thirst for local ink is not what it used to be.

在當下這個文化時刻，將紐約市當作家鄉的想法正在快速瓦解，而且大多數人是從某種閃爍的螢幕獲得新聞，對於在地新聞文字報導的渴求已不如以往。

And those who do crave hard-hitting coverage that holds officials accountable for the state of the city were not pleased to hear about the layoffs.

對於那些渴望看到逼官員為城市現況負起責任的強烈抨擊報導的人，聽到前述資遣消息並非樂事。

“You need those old-school people because they know what they’re doing,” Rosanne Nunziata, a manager at the New Apollo Diner in downtown Brooklyn, said of The Daily News’ staff of veteran shoe-leather reporters, many of whom are now pounding the pavement in search of employment. “They know how to sneak in and get their stories, and know how to get witnesses to talk and do their thing.”

布魯克林鬧區「新阿波羅餐館」經理羅珊娜．努齊亞塔說：「你需要這些老派人士，因為他們知道自己在做什麼。」她指的是新聞報本分且資深的記者，這些人中有不少正在路上奔走著找工作。「他們知道如何潛入並取得新聞，也知道如何讓目擊者開口，做好他們的工作。」

The New York Post, The Daily News’ longtime rival for tabloid dominance, has seen its circulation plummet, too. Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corp. owns The Post, has long tolerated the paper’s unprofitability, but there may come a time when his successors have far less stomach for red ink.

每日新聞報的長期對手，爭奪八卦小報霸主地位的紐約郵報，發行量也持續大跌。擁有紐約郵報的新聞集團老闆魯柏．梅鐸，長期容忍這家報紙未能獲利。但是也許有一天，他的接班人對赤字的容忍度會小得多。Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/330084/web/

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K208: Greek Island Is New Epicenter of Europe’s Summer of Calamity

Amid twisted cages and scorched trees, Harilaos Tertipis stepped out of his ruined stables dragging the charred corpses of his sheep — burned, like so much else, in the wildfires that have raged across Greece.

在扭曲的籠子與燒焦樹木中，哈里勞斯．特提畢司拖著羊的屍體從他被毀掉馬廄中走出來，這隻羊跟其他許多羊一樣，在肆虐希臘的野火中被燒死。

As the survivors of his flock huddled together on a roadside hill below, the bells on their necks clanging and their legs singed, he said that if he had stayed with his animals instead of rushing home to protect his family and house, “I wouldn’t be here now.”

他倖存的羊群在下面路邊小山擠成一團，牠們脖子上的鈴鐺叮噹作響，牠們的腿燒焦了。他說，若他跟他的動物待在一塊，沒有趕回家保護家人和房子的話，「我現在就不在這裡了」。

As of Friday, the fires around the northern parts of Evia, Greece’s second-largest island, had destroyed more than 120,000 acres of pine forest, razed homes and displaced hundreds of people. They have brought assistance from more than 20 countries and been declared “a natural disaster of unprecedented dimensions” by the Greek prime minister.

截至周五，希臘第二大島艾維亞島北部大火已摧毀超過12萬英畝松樹林，夷平房屋導致數以百計人流離失所。這場大火帶來了20多國援助，並被希臘總理宣布為「規模空前的自然災害」。

The fires, fueled by a record-breaking heat wave that has touched temperatures of up to 46 degrees Celsius, have caused political recriminations, economic disaster and biblical scenes of destruction.

這場大火，由高達攝氏46度的破紀錄熱浪引發，導致了政治上的相互指責、經濟災難和有如聖經描述的毀滅性場景。

But they seem less a random act of God than another inevitable episode of Europe’s extreme weather brought on by the man-made climate change that scientists have now concluded is irreversible.

大火看來並非上帝的隨機行為，而是人為氣候變遷給歐洲帶來另一場不可避免的極端天氣事件。科學家們現在認為氣候變遷不可逆轉。

Europe has always considered itself a climate leader, last month pledging to cut emissions by 55% over the next decade and calling this “a make-or-break moment” for the planet “before we reach irreversible tipping points.”

歐洲一直認為自己是氣候問題領袖，上月承諾未來十年將其碳排放量削減55%，並稱這是地球「在我們達到不可逆轉臨界點之前」的「成敗時刻」。

But a string of disasters this summer has left many to wonder whether that tipping point is already here, driving home the realization that climate change is no longer a distant threat for future generations, but an immediate scourge affecting rich and poor nations alike.

但今年夏天的一系列災難讓許多人懷疑臨界點是否已經到來，促使人們意識到氣候變遷不再是對後代子孫的遙遠威脅，而是同時影響富國和窮國的直接禍害。

Beyond the fires that have raged in the American West, or in Turkey and Algeria, virtually no corner of Europe has been untouched by a bewildering array of calamities, whether fire, flood or heat.

除在美國西部、土耳其和阿爾及利亞肆虐的大火外，歐洲幾乎沒一個角落未遭遇到一系列引發混亂的災害，包括火災、洪水或高溫。

Sweltering temperatures have set off wildfires in Sweden, Finland and Norway. Formerly once-in-a-millennium flooding in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands killed at least 196 people.

酷熱氣溫已在瑞典、芬蘭與挪威引發野火，之前在德國、比利時、瑞士與荷蘭，千年一遇的洪水造成至少196人喪生。

“It’s not just Greece,” said Vasilis Vathrakoyiannis, a spokesperson for the Greek fire service. “It’s the whole European ecosystem.”

希臘消防單位發言人瓦希利斯．瓦特拉科揚尼斯說：「不只是希臘，而是整個歐洲的生態系統有狀況。」

The shifting epicenter of natural disaster has now fallen on Evia, a densely wooded island northeast of Athens, Greece, once best known for its beekeepers and resin producers, its olive groves and seaside resorts, and now a capital of the consequences of a warming planet.

自然災害的震央現已落在艾維亞島上，一座位在希臘雅典東北部森林茂密的島嶼，當地曾以養蜂與樹脂生產、橄欖園和海濱度假勝地而聞名，如今則是地球暖化的後果之都。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/5704995

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K207: Enjoy your coffee, but know your limits

Many people choose to drink coffee for refreshment when they feel weary, but it would be wrong to think that coffee is the only thing that contains caffeine. There is caffeine in tea, cocoa, cola drinks and so on.

許多民眾在精神不濟時，會選擇飲用咖啡來提神，但別以為咖啡因只有在咖啡、茶裡有，可可亞、可樂等都含有咖啡因。

Is caffeine good or bad for your health? Nutritionists say that getting an appropriate amount of caffeine can promote gastrointestinal peristalsis and perk you up, but remember not to take too much, otherwise it may put even more strain on your body.

究竟咖啡因對身體是好還是壞？營養師表示，攝取適量的咖啡因能夠有助腸胃蠕動及提振精神，但切記勿攝取過量，否則可能會造成身體更多的負擔。

On Aug. 24, nutritionist Yu Chu-ching wrote a post on her “Julie dietician” Facebook page, saying that the main benefits of caffeine are lifting one’s spirits, promoting gastrointestinal peristalsis, reducing fluid retention and moderating one’s appetite. Caffeine has its strongest effect about one hour after drinking, and it takes about 40 hours to fully metabolize 200 milligrams (mg) of caffeine. However, people’s metabolic responses are not all exactly the same. In addition, people should beware of consuming too much, which can cause discomfort such as anxiety, palpitations and insomnia. Healthy adults can consume up to about 300mg in one day. The average commercially available large cup of coffee contains 200mg of caffeine, so drinking two cups will take you over the limit.

營養師余朱青八月二十四日在臉書粉專「余朱青Julie營養師」發文指出，咖啡因的優點，主要是提振精神、促進腸胃蠕動、消水腫、減緩食慾。而咖啡因最強的時候是喝完一小時後，大約四十個小時才會代謝完兩百毫克的咖啡因，不過每個人新陳代謝反應並不完全相同。此外，小心攝取過量引起身體不適，如焦慮、心悸、失眠等，對健康成人而言，一天可以攝取的咖啡因量大約於三百毫克內。一般市售大杯咖啡就含有兩百毫克咖啡因，喝兩杯就會超標！

Yu said that those who suffer from heart disease should reduce this amount to about one half and not take more than 150 to 200mg of caffeine a day. Children under 12 years old should not touch caffeine, while teenagers should not exceed 100mg a day. As for pregnant women, they should go easy on it and not consume more than 100 to 200mg in one day.

余朱青表示，如果有心臟疾病的人，份量大概是要減到一半，一天不要攝取超過一百五十到兩百毫克的咖啡因；小於十二歲不要碰咖啡因，青少年一天不要超過一百毫克；然而孕婦要比較節制，一天不要超過一百到兩百毫克。

Yu reminded her readers not to eat a load of excess sugar at the same time as consuming caffeine, otherwise it may cancel out many of the benefits. She also said that carbonated beverages and energy drinks contain sugar and other additives, so it is best not to drink them very often.

余朱青提醒，攝取咖啡因時記得不要同時吃進一堆多餘的糖，這可能會讓咖啡因的好處大打折扣，而碳酸飲料或能量飲料，因含有糖和其他添加物，不宜常喝。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2021/09/14/2003764311

更多通勤學英語Podcast單元:

每日英語跟讀Podcast，就在http://www.15mins.today/daily-shadowing

精選詞彙 VOCAB Podcast，就在https://www.15mins.today/vocab

語音直播 15mins Live Podcast, 就在https://www.15mins.today/15mins-live-podcast

文法練習 In-TENSE Podcast，就在https://www.15mins.today/in-tense

歡迎到官網用email訂閱我們節目更新通知。

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K206: EPA steps up checks for carcinogenic industrial dye in Mid-Autumn mooncakes

With the Mid-Autumn Festival nearly upon us, bakery shelves are heaving with a vast array of appetizing mooncakes in a mind-boggling variety of shapes, sizes and flavors. For many Taiwanese gourmands, the venerable egg yolk pastry is a special favorite. However, in the past some unscrupulous businesses were discovered to have added the harmful industrial dye Sudan Red G to their egg yolk pastries to give the salty egg yolks a rosy-red luster. Sudan Red G was classified as a toxic chemical by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) in July 2018. The administration says it has been carrying out inspections since the ban but has not discovered any illegal use of Sudan Red G. However, with increased demand for egg yolk pastries during the festive season, the administration says it will intensify inspection work during the period.

中秋佳節即將到來，市面上開始出現各式各樣可口的月餅，尤其蛋黃酥最受歡迎。然而過去曾發生有不肖業者為了使鹹蛋黃色澤紅潤，而添加對人體有害的工業用染料「蘇丹紅」。環保署表示，蘇丹紅色素已於二○一八年六月公告為「毒性化學物質」，近年來稽查沒有再發現業者違法使用蘇丹紅，不過考量中秋節將近，鹹蛋黃需求增加，環保署將加強稽查。

In the past, some egg farms would add the carcinogenic substance to duck feed in order to give their salted duck eggs a deep color and luster. In 2017, the illegal use of Sudan Red G was detected in an online retailer’s salted egg yolk mooncakes. The poultry farm which supplied the egg yolks was required to cull its duck population and destroy its stock of duck eggs. Fraud charges were also brought against the farm. The following year, the EPA classified Sudan Red G as a category 4 toxic chemical.

過去有業者為了讓鹹鴨蛋看起來色澤飽滿，在鴨隻飼料中添加有致癌風險的蘇丹紅，二○一七年曾發生網購名店月餅原料鹹蛋黃被驗出違法添加蘇丹紅，供貨畜牧場鴨隻撲殺、鴨蛋銷毀，業者被依詐欺取財罪嫌起訴，環保署則在隔年將蘇丹紅色素列為第四類毒性化學物質。

Sudan Red G is in fact an umbrella term for a series of related chemical dyes that sound similar but have different molecular structures, chiefly Sudan Red I, II, III and IV, and Sudan Red 7B and G. Because the molecular structure of the Sudan Red G dye is easily soluble in oils, it is often used in industrial settings such as colorant in furniture paint, shoe polish, floor wax, car wax and oils to give products a rich color and luster.

蘇丹紅其實是幾種相似但不同的分子之統稱，這幾種化學物質常作為染料，主要包括：蘇丹紅I、蘇丹紅II、蘇丹紅III、蘇丹紅IV、蘇丹紅7B、蘇丹紅G，由於蘇丹紅色素的分子結構易溶於油脂，在工業上常用於家具漆、鞋油、地板蠟、汽車蠟和油脂著色，使色澤飽滿鮮豔。

Sudan Red G’s unique properties — inexpensive, easy-to-obtain, stable, and color-fade resistant — mean that it often crops up in food safety incidents. In addition to salted egg yolks, outside of Taiwan Sudan Red G has been found to have been added to chilli sauce and chilli powder; however, the group of dyes with which Sudan Red G shares a common molecular structure are listed as category 3 carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

由於蘇丹紅便宜易取得、穩定又不易褪色的特性，因此常在食安事件中佔有「一席之地」，除了鹹蛋黃，國外也曾在辣椒醬、辣椒粉中發現添加蘇丹紅；不過這類色素的分子都被國際癌症研究機構列為第三類致癌物。

EPA Toxic and Chemical Substances Bureau Director-General Hsieh Yein-rui advises consumers not to choose food products that appear overly vivid and bright, or that look unnatural. Hsieh adds that the nutritional value of egg yolks is the same whether they are yellow or red in color, and warns that customers who select egg-containing products on the basis of their bright luster may well be consuming adulterated egg yolks.

環保署毒物及化學物質局長謝燕儒呼籲，消費者不要挑選顏色過於鮮豔、看起來不自然的食品，且蛋黃不論是黃色或紅色營養價值都一樣，過度在意色澤，反而可能吃進「加料」的蛋黃。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2021/09/19/2003764584