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每日英語跟讀 Ep.K199: About World Records - World’s biggest sandcastle constructed in Denmark

The world’s tallest sandcastle has been completed in Denmark, towering more than 20 metres high and comprising nearly 5,000 tonnes of sand, according to its designers.

世界最高沙堡已在丹麥落成，據設計師稱，這座沙堡高度超過20公尺，用掉近5000噸沙子。

Standing 21.16 metres in height, the castle is more than 3 metres taller than one built in Germany in 2019, which previously held the title, according to Guinness World Records.

這座打破金氏世界紀錄的城堡高21.16公尺，比起先前紀錄保持者、德國2019年沙堡高出約3公尺多。

A total of 4,860 tonnes of sand make up the intricately decorated structure, which is reminiscent of a pyramid, in the small seaside town of Blokhus.

這座精雕細刻的沙堡位於布洛克豪斯海邊小鎮，總共用掉4860噸沙子，造型讓人聯想到金字塔。

Its Dutch creator, Wilfred Stijger, was assisted by 30 of the world’s best sand sculptors. He said he wanted the castle to represent the power the coronavirus has had over the world since the beginning of the pandemic. On top of the sandcastle is a model of the virus wearing a crown.

來自荷蘭的沙堡設計師威爾弗雷德．史蒂格，在全世界最傑出的30名沙雕師協助下，完成這座沙堡。他表示，他希望這座城堡能夠代表自大流行開始以來冠狀病毒在世界上的影響力。沙堡的頂部是一個戴著皇冠的病毒模型。

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World’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge opens in Portugal 高度焦慮：葡萄牙啟用世界最長人行吊橋

Hugo Xavier became one of the first people to cross the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge when it opened near his tiny hometown of Arouca in northern Portugal.

當世界最長的人行吊橋在葡萄牙北部的阿羅卡小鎮啟用時，當地人雨果‧哈維爾成為最先穿越該橋的其中一人。

"Oh...here we go!," the 42-year-old said anxiously as he gathered enough courage to step onto the see-through metal grid pathway of the 516-metre-long bridge alongside his equally jittery partner and a tour guide.

42歲的哈維爾緊張地說：「噢…我們出發吧！」後，鼓起勇氣踏上這座516公尺長、可透過金屬網格直視橋下的通道，同行的還有一樣緊張的夥伴及一名嚮導。

Hidden between rock-strewn mountains covered with lush greenery and yellow flowers inside the Arouca Geopark, the bridge hangs 175 meters above the fast-flowing River Paiva.

該橋藏身在阿羅卡地質公園內遍布岩石的山峰，以及蒼翠繁茂的植被和黃色花朵之間，懸掛在湍急的派瓦河上175公尺處。

The landscape is calm, but the crossing is not for the faint-hearted. Held up by steel cables and two massive towers on each side, it wobbles a little with every step.

橋上風光平靜悠緩，但不適合膽小的人橫越。該橋由鋼索懸吊起來，橋的兩端各有巨大的塔座，每走一步就些微晃動。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1465756 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1468971

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K198: Why Are There More Successful Older Golfers Today?

From the 18th fairway in the final group of the British Open in 2009, Tom Watson, the five-time Open champion, hit a shot that flew right at the pin. For a moment, it looked like Watson, then age 59, would win the tournament for a record sixth time and become the oldest player to win a major championship.

2009年英國公開賽最後一組第18洞的球道上，五屆冠軍華森一揮直飛旗桿。一時間，當時59歲的華森似乎將贏得創紀錄的第六座英國公開賽冠軍，並成為最年長的四大賽冠軍。

A firm bounce sent the ball off the back of the green, and Watson needed three more shots to get the ball into the hole. That dropped him into a tie for first. In the four-hole playoff, he ran out of gas and lost by six shots.

小白球強力彈跳後滾出果嶺後方，華森又花了三桿才把球送進洞裡。這使他落到並列領先。四洞延長賽，他精力耗盡，最後輸六桿。

A decade ago, the idea of an older golfer contending in, let alone winning, a major championship was something few considered. That was still the time when most golfers petered out in their mid-40s and kicked around the golf world before having a brief resurgence on the Champions Tour when they turned 50.

10年前，很少人料想得到年長的高球選手會參加四大賽，遑論拿冠軍。當時，大多數高球選手在45歲左右開始淡出，到滿50歲參加「冠軍」（譯註：長春）巡迴賽散發短暫餘暉前，其間在高球界四處晃晃。

Leading these middle-age mavericks is Phil Mickelson, 51, won the PGA Championship in May. He beat Brooks Koepka, a four-time major winner, and Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, who are both in their 30s.

這些不服老的中年高球選手領導人物是剛滿51歲的米克森，他在今年5月贏得PGA錦標賽冠軍。擊敗了都是30多歲的四屆四大賽冠軍得主科普卡與2010年英國公開賽冠軍歐蘇森。

“All these guys have taken a new approach,” said Dave Phillips, co-founder of the Titleist Performance Institute, which focuses on golf and fitness. “There’s a lot of money out there. They realize they can still compete with the younger guys, but they need to spend more time on their body and what they fuel their body with.”

高球與健身專門機構「冠軍競技表現研究所」共同創辦人戴維．菲利普斯說：「這些人都採取一種新方法。比賽獎金很高。他們意識到自己仍可跟年輕人競爭，只是需要花更多時間在身體及強化身體的物質上面。」

Phillips said what Mickelson and the others were doing provided lessons for older golfers. “It’s not strength, but the recovery and the downtime that matter,” he said. “It’s letting your body recover. Everyone wants to get fitter, stronger, faster. They’re upset when they don’t see the results. But what they’re doing is fatiguing to the body more so than a round of golf.”

菲利普斯說，米克森和其他人的作為，幫年長高球選手上了一課。「重要的不是力量，而是恢復與休息，讓你的身體恢復。每個人都想變得更健康、更強壯、更快。他們沒看到成果時會沮喪，但他們所做的事會讓身體遠比打一輪高球還累。」

Crucial for older players? Maintain leg strength, Phillips said, and that means walk, don’t ride, when you play golf.

對年長球員重要的是什麼？菲利普斯說，保持腿部力量，這意味你打高球時，要走路，不要搭球車。

It is experience, for sure, but that is a double-edged sword: With age, players are more knowledgeable about the nuances of the game and have, in theory, a better psychological understanding of what to do. But they have also failed to do that in similar moments in the past.

當然，這需要經驗，且各有利弊：隨著年紀增長，球員更了解比賽的精妙之處，理論上，他們在心理上對該做什麼有更好的了解，過去遇到類似時刻，他們就做不到。

“The reason we’re going longer is we have the financial security to go longer,” he said “We also have the sports science to reinvent ourselves.”

他說：「我們走得更久是因為我們擁有能夠走得更久的經濟保障，我們還有運動科學來改造自己。」Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/5656437

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K197: Fifteen centuries, two faiths and a contested fate for Hagia Sophia

A Turkish court on July 10 annulled a 1934 government decree that had turned Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a museum, opening the way for the sixth-century building to be converted back into a mosque.

一九三四年所頒布的一項政令，將伊斯坦堡的聖索菲亞大教堂改為博物館。土耳其法院七月十日廢除了此政令，為這座建於六世紀的建築改為清真寺闢出道路。

President Tayyip Erdogan, whose ruling AK Party sprung from political Islam, has said the cavernous domed building should revert to being a place of Muslim worship.

土耳其總統塔伊普‧艾爾多安所屬的執政黨「正義與發展黨」源於「政治伊斯蘭」〔屬宗教基本教義派，主張政教合一〕，他表示，這座有巨大深廣圓頂的建築應回復為穆斯林的禮拜場所。

Hagia Sophia is nearly 1,500 years old and served as one of the most exalted seats of Christian and then Muslim worship in the world, meaning that any change to its status will have a profound impact on followers of both faiths. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

聖索菲亞大教堂有近一千五百年之歷史，曾為世界上最崇高的基督宗教〔包含東正教、天主教、基督新教等〕與穆斯林敬拜場所之一，這意味其狀態的任何改變都會對基督宗教與伊斯蘭教之信徒造成深遠的影響。聖索菲亞大教堂也被聯合國教科文組織指定為世界遺產。

Hagia Sophia, or “Divine Wisdom” in Greek, was completed in 537 by Byzantine emperor Justinian.

The vast structure overlooked the Golden Horn harbor and entrance to the Bosphorus from the heart of Constantinople. It was the center of Orthodox Christianity and remained the world’s largest church for centuries.

希臘文「聖索菲亞」意為「神聖智慧」，由拜占庭帝國〔即東羅馬帝國〕查士丁尼大帝所建，於西元五三七年落成。其宏偉的建築俯瞰金角灣港口，以及由君士坦丁堡中心通往博斯普魯斯海峽的入口。它是東正教的中心，曾為世界上最大教堂，稱霸時間有數世紀之久。

Hagia Sophia stayed under Byzantine control — except for a brief seizure by Crusaders in the 13th century — until the city was captured in 1453 by Muslim forces of the Ottoman Sultan, Mehmet the Conqueror, who converted it into a mosque.

聖索菲亞大教堂一直由拜占庭帝國所控制──除了在十三世紀短暫被十字軍佔領──直到西元一四五三年，鄂圖曼帝國蘇丹「征服者穆罕默德」率穆斯林軍隊佔領該城，並將聖索菲亞大教堂改為清真寺。

The Ottomans built four minarets, covered Hagia Sophia’s Christian icons and luminous gold mosaics, and installed huge black panels embellished with the names of God, the prophet Mohammad and Muslim caliphs in Arabic calligraphy.

鄂圖曼帝國建了四座宣禮塔，將聖索菲亞大教堂的基督宗教聖像及閃閃發光的金色馬賽克鑲嵌畫遮蓋住，並裝上數個巨大黑色牌子，以阿拉伯文書法寫著上帝、先知穆罕默德與穆斯林哈里發之名。

In 1934 Turkey’s first president, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, forging a secular republic out of the defeated Ottoman Empire, converted Hagia Sophia into a museum, now visited by millions of tourists every year.

一九三四年，土耳其第一任總統穆斯塔法‧凱末爾‧阿塔圖克由戰敗的鄂圖曼帝國中建立起一世俗〔非宗教〕共和國，並將聖索菲亞大教堂改為博物館，如今每年有數百萬遊客參訪。

Erdogan, who has championed Islam and religious observance during his 17-year rule, supported the Hagia Sophia campaign, saying Muslims should be able to pray there again and raised the issue — which is popular with many pious AK Party-voting Turks — during local elections last year.

艾爾多安執政十七年以來，他一直倡導伊斯蘭教與宗教儀規，他支持聖索菲亞清真寺化運動，稱穆斯林應當可以再去那裡祈禱，並在去年的地方選舉期間提出此議題──在許多投票給正義與發展黨、信仰虔誠的土耳其人心中，此議題很受到歡迎。

Turkish pollster Metropoll found that 44 percent of respondents believe Hagia Sophia was put on the agenda to divert voters’ attention from Turkey’s economic woes.

土耳其民調機構Metropoll發現，有百分之四十四的受訪者認為，聖索菲亞大教堂清真寺化此時被提出，是為了轉移選民的注意力，減少關注土耳其困頓的經濟。

The pro-government Hurriyet newspaper reported last month that Erdogan had already ordered the status be changed, but that tourists should still be able to visit Hagia Sophia as a mosque and the issue would be handled sensitively.

土耳其親政府的《自由報》上月報導，艾爾多安已下令將聖索菲亞改為清真寺，但遊客仍可進入參觀，且相關問題將會有細緻的處理。

Outside Turkey, the prospect of change has raised alarm.

此山雨欲來的改變，在土耳其國境外引發了驚慌與擔憂。

Neighboring Greece, an overwhelmingly Orthodox country, said Turkey risked opening up a “huge emotional chasm” with Christian countries if it converts a building which was central to the Greek-speaking Byzantine empire and Orthodox church.

絕大多數民眾信仰東正教的鄰國希臘表示，如果土耳其將一座對講希臘語的拜占庭帝國與東正教教會極重要的建築進行改造，就可能會造成與基督宗教國家之間的「巨大的情感鴻溝」。

Pope Francis on July 12 joined an international chorus of condemnation of Turkey’s decision to convert Istanbul’s iconic Hagia Sophia landmark back into a mosque. “I think of Hagia Sophia, and I am very saddened,” Pope Francis said towards the end of his midday sermon in Saint Peter’s Square.

Turkey has criticized what it says is foreign interference. “This is a matter of national sovereignty,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said. “What is important is what the Turkish people want.”

教宗方濟各七月十二日也加入國際言論，譴責土耳其決定將伊斯坦堡代表性的地標聖索菲亞大教堂改建為清真寺。「我念及聖索菲亞大教堂，我感到非常悲傷」，教宗方濟各在聖彼得廣場午間佈道結束時說道。土耳其認為這些言論是外國的干涉而加以批評。土耳其外交部長梅夫呂特‧恰武什奧盧說：「這是國家主權問題」。「土耳其人民想要的，才是重要的事」。

Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2020/07/21/2003740253

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.K196: Disinformation for Hire, a Shadow Industry, Is Quietly Booming

In May, several French and German social media influencers received a strange proposal.

幾個法國和德國的社群網紅，5月時收到一份怪異的提案。

A London-based public relations agency wanted to pay them to promote messages on behalf of a client. A polished three-page document detailed what to say and on which platforms to say it.

一家位於倫敦的公關公司想付費給他們，為一名客戶推廣訊息。字句精練的三頁文件詳細交代要說什麼，以及在哪個平台上說。

But it asked the influencers to push not beauty products or vacation packages, as is typical, but falsehoods tarring Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine. Stranger still, the agency, Fazze, claimed a London address where there is no evidence any such company exists.

但是它要求網紅推銷的不是典型的美容產品或套裝旅遊，而是抹黑輝瑞BNT新冠疫苗的不實訊息。更怪的是，這家名叫Fazze的公司雖宣稱有倫敦地址，當地卻沒這家公司存在的證據。

The scheme appears to be part of a secretive industry that security analysts and U.S. officials say is exploding in scale: disinformation for hire.

這個計畫看起來像是安全專家和美國官員所說，正在大規模擴張的祕密產業一部分：雇傭傳播假訊息。

Private firms, straddling traditional marketing and the shadow world of geopolitical influence operations, are selling services once conducted principally by intelligence agencies.

私人公司跨越傳統行銷和地緣政治影響力行動的陰暗世界，正販售過去主要由情報機構執行的服務。

“Disinfo-for-hire actors being employed by government or government-adjacent actors is growing and serious,” said Graham Brookie, director of the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, calling it “a boom industry.”

大西洋理事會「數位鑑識研究實驗室」主任葛拉罕．布魯奇說，「受政府或政府相關單位雇用傳播假訊息的人，正不斷增加且日趨嚴重」，這是個「繁榮產業」。

For-hire disinformation, though only sometimes effective, is growing more sophisticated as practitioners iterate and learn. Experts say it is becoming more common in every part of the world, outpacing operations conducted directly by governments.

受雇傳播假訊息固然僅偶爾有效，但在執行者反覆學習之下變得更精妙。專家說，這項產業變得在世界每個角落更普遍，勝過政府直接進行的任務。

The trend emerged after the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018, experts say. Cambridge, a political consulting firm linked to members of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, was found to have harvested data on millions of Facebook users.

專家說，這個趨勢在2018年的劍橋分析醜聞後興起。這家政治顧問公司和川普2016年總統大選競選活動的成員有關聯，被發現收集數百萬名臉書用戶數據。

Cambridge used its data to target hyperspecific audiences with tailored messages. It tested what resonated by tracking likes and shares.

劍橋分析利用數據，以量身訂做的訊息來針對極端特定受眾，它利用追蹤「讚」和「分享」測試哪些訊息獲得反應。

The episode taught a generation of consultants and opportunists that there was big money in social media marketing for political causes, all disguised as organic activity.

這起事件讓同一世代的顧問和機會主義者學到，出於政治因素、偽裝成自然活動的社群媒體行銷大有錢景。

Some newcomers eventually reached the same conclusion as Russian operatives had in 2016: Disinformation performs especially well on social platforms.

一些新進者最終也獲得和俄羅斯人員在2016年得到的相同結論：假訊息在社群平台上表現得特別好。

At the same time, backlash to Russia’s influence-peddling appeared to have left governments wary of being caught — while also demonstrating the power of such operations.

同時，對俄國操弄影響力的反彈，顯然讓政府在展示這類行動的力量時，也擔憂會被抓個正著。

“There is, unfortunately, a huge market demand for disinformation,” Brookie said, “and a lot of places across the ecosystem that are more than willing to fill that demand.”

「不幸的是，對於假訊息有巨大的市場需求。」布魯奇說，「而這個生態系的許多地方非常樂於滿足這項需求。」Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/5656426

Topic: Japan to fund AI matchmaking to boost birth rate

Japan plans to boost its tumbling birth rate by funding artificial intelligence matchmaking schemes to help residents find love.日本計畫透過資助人工智慧配對相親計畫，幫助國民尋找愛情，以提高該國不斷下降的出生率。

From next year it will subsidize local governments already running or starting projects that use AI to pair people up.從明年開始，日本政府將提供補貼，資助地方政府已經在運行以及新啟動的人工智慧配對相親項目。

Last year the number of babies born in Japan fell below 865,000 - a record low.去年，日本新生嬰兒數跌破86.5萬，創下歷史新低。

The fast-greying nation has long been searching for ways to reverse one of the world’s lowest fertility rates.

日本的生育率為全世界最低的國家之一，這個快速高齡化的國家長期以來一直在尋找扭轉局面的方法。

Boosting the use of AI tech is one of its latest efforts.加強人工智慧技術的運用，是其最新舉措之一。

Next year the government plans to allocate local authorities 2bn yen to boost the birth rate, reported AFP news agency.

據法新社報導，日本政府計畫明年撥款20億日圓給地方政府，以提高出生率。

Many already offer human-run matchmaking services and some have introduced AI systems in the hope they will perform a more sophisticated analysis of the standardised forms where people submit their details.

許多企業已經提供了人工婚介服務，一些已經引入AI系統，希望能夠對民眾提交的標準化表格進行更精密的分析。

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Topic: The Age of Quantum AI

The age of Quantum AI is upon us. AI needs processing power that current computers can’t provide but quantum computers could pick up the slack.

量子人工智慧的時代來臨。人工智慧（AI）需要當前計算機（電腦）無法提供的處理能力，而量子電腦可以彌補不足之處。

Google announced that it had built the world’s first real quantum processor, the 53-qubit Sycamore chip. It seems that IBM took it a little bit personally, maybe because Big Blue’s Summit is the world’s fastest calculating machine, for now.

谷歌（Google）已宣布研發出全球首座真正的量子處理器，即53量子位元的「Sycamore」晶片。但國際商業機器公司（IBM）對此頗有微詞，因為IBM的超級電腦「Summit」現在還是全球最快的計算機。

Quantum computing and AI aren’t just two parallel research fields that happen to meet somewhere. They’re more like a match made in heaven.

量子運算與人工智慧不僅是平行卻碰巧有交集的兩個研究領域。它們更像是天生一對。

Big Data is the nexus between AI and quantum computers. The former needs data and lots of it to learn and improve its intelligence. The latter are well-equipped to deal with huge swaths of data in a time-efficient manner.

大數據是人工智慧與量子電腦的連接點。前者（人工智慧）需要透過大數據學習及改進。後者（量子電腦）能夠高效處理大數據。

Financial modeling, weather forecasting, chemical simulations, and quantum cryptography are just a few examples of the areas that quantum AI would revolutionize.

財政模型化、天氣預報、化學模擬、量子密碼學都只是量子人工智慧即將革新的其中一些領域。

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Artificial intelligence （AI） has allowed computers to solve problems that were previously thought to be beyond their capabilities. There is therefore great interest in developing specialized circuits that can complete AI calculations faster and with lower energy consumption than current devices.

人工智慧（AI）讓電腦能夠解決此前被認為超出計算機能力範圍的問題。人們因此相當關注專門電路的開發，以實現比現有裝置更快速、能源消耗更低的人工智慧計算。

Writing in Nature, Tao Chen et al. demonstrate an unconventional electrical circuit in silicon that can be evolved in situ to carry out basic machine-learning operations.

陳滔（譯音）等人刊登在《自然》的研究，演示一種在矽材料上的非常規電路，它能直接執行基本的機器學習運算。

Previous work by some of the current authors produced isolated charge puddles from a collection of gold nanoparticles that were randomly deposited on a silicon surface, with insulating molecules between them. These puddles are at the heart of Chen and colleagues’ circuit design.

該研究的其中一些作者先前在矽材料的表面隨機堆積奈米黃金顆粒，並用絕緣分子隔開這些電荷坑。金奈米電荷坑是陳博士團隊的電路設計核心。Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1354193 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1349153

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Topic: Australia wins AI ’Eurovision Song Contest’

Dutch broadcaster VPRO decided to organise an AI Song Contest after the country won the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. The aim was to research the creative abilities of AI and the impact it has on us, as well as the influence it could have on the music industry, according to the official Eurovision website.

荷蘭廣播公司VPRO決定舉辦一場AI歌曲大賽，在這個國家贏得2019年歐洲歌唱大賽後。歐洲歌唱大賽官方網站指出，（比賽的）目標是研究AI的創意能力、對我們的衝擊，以及它對音樂產業的影響。

Thirteen teams entered the contest, with Australia beating out Sweden, Belgium, the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands to take home the title, giving fans a taste of Eurovision after 2020 contest was cancelled due to COVID-19.

共有13組人馬參賽，最後由澳洲擊敗瑞典、比利時、英國、法國、德國、瑞士與荷蘭等對手，將冠軍頭銜帶回家，在2020年歐洲歌唱大賽因為2019冠狀病毒流行病（COVID-19）疫情取消後，讓歌迷一嚐大賽的滋味。

The winning song, titled Beautiful the World, includes audio samples of koalas, kookaburras and Tasmanian devils, and was made by music-tech collective Uncanny Valley as a response to the Black Summer bushfires.

獲勝曲的題目為「Beautiful the World」，含有無尾熊、笑翠鳥與袋獾的聲音樣本，由音樂技術團體「恐怖谷」製作，回應黑暗夏日的叢林大火。

Next Article

Topic: AI technology causing sensation in translation world

Through artificial intelligence (AI), there may be another kind of imagination for translation, said Nicolas Bousquet, the scientific director of Quantmetry, a French consulting firm specializing in AI. The expert made the comment when attending a forum, titled “Translation in the Era of Artificial Intelligence,” at the 2019 Taipei International Book Exhibition on Feb. 15.

法國「人工智慧」(AI)諮詢公司Quantmetry科學主任尼可拉布斯格說，透過AI翻譯也許有另一種想像！這位專家在參與二○一九年台北國際書展時，於二月十五日的「AI人工智慧時代的翻譯論壇」作此表示。

Earlier last year, Quantmetry and German start-up DeepL shocked the industry by completing the translation of an 800-page book in 12 hours using AI. It would take a translator about five to six months to translate a book that thick. However, translator Mu Zhuo-yun believes that since humans and machines comprehend sentences differently, only the former is able to truly capture the more artistic conception of literature that an author wants to convey.

在去年，Quantmetry和德國新創公司DeepL共同藉由AI技術，僅花了十二小時就翻譯完一本八百頁的書籍，翻譯界對此大感震驚，因為一位譯者要翻那麼厚的書，可能要花上五、六個月。不過譯者穆卓芸認為，人類與機器了解句子的方式是不同的，只有人類才能真正掌握作者想傳達的「文學性意境」。

In addition to the evolution of written translation, the demand for real-time language translation devices that translate speech, images and street signs is on the rise. Some AI-powered gadgets even boast that they are capable of interpreting 30 to 40 languages.

除了筆譯的進化之外，對於可以即時翻譯談話，圖像或街道標誌的語言翻譯機，需求也在成長。有些AI支援的翻譯機，甚至宣稱能口譯三十至四十多種外語。Source article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2019/02/28/2003710519

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Come vs. Go

Come與go的兩個方向不同。Come是往講者的方位，Go是離開講者的方位往對方。

COME is used to show movement toward or in the direction of the speaker or the person being spoken to. It has a similar meaning to the verb “to arrive”.

Sample Sentences:

My mom is coming to see me next week.

Can I come to your house? 

Do you want me to come at 8pm?

GO is used to show movement away from the speaker. It has a similar meaning to the verb “to leave”.

Sample Sentences:

We are going to see my mom next week. 

I need to go now. 

I will go to the office at noon tomorrow.

Lend Vs. Borrow

Lend與Borrow意思都是借，不過方向不同。

LEND is used when someone gives something that is their own to somebody else for a certain period of time (temporarily), but the item will need to be returned. 你暫時的借東西給別人。

Sample Sentences:

Could you lend me your pen? 

I will lend you my bike. 

The bank is going to lend me NTD50,000 to start my business.

BORROW is used when someone takes something that belongs to somebody else for a certain period of time (temporarily), but they will need to return the item they are taking. 別人暫時借東西給你。

Sample Sentences:

He likes to borrow money from his girlfriend. 

Can I borrow your phone? 

I am going to borrow NTD50,000 to start my business.

小測驗時間：

請造句：

1. 問你的朋友幾點要來你家玩

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.K195: Taliban retake Afghanistan

The Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal at the end of August after a costly two-decade war.

美國在阿富汗打了二十年戰爭，付出高昂代價後，準備在八月底撤軍完畢；距此期限仍有兩週，塔利班便奪下了阿富汗政權。

The insurgents stormed across the country, capturing all major cities in a matter of days, as Afghan security forces trained and equipped by the US and its allies melted away.

隨著美國及其盟國訓練及裝備的阿富汗安全部隊逐漸散去，叛軍在幾天內便席捲阿富汗全境，佔領了所有主要城市。

The Taliban, a militant group that ran the country in the late 1990s, have again taken control. The US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 was aimed at rooting out al-Qaida, which orchestrated the 9/11 attacks while being harbored by the Taliban, but the Taliban never left. After they blitzed across the country in recent days, the Western-backed government that has run the country for 20 years collapsed.

塔利班〔意為「神學士」〕是一九九?年代後期統治阿富汗的激進組織，現又再次控制了阿富汗。阿富汗窩藏蓋達組織，任其在境內策畫對美國的九一一恐攻；二??一年，以美國為首的聯軍入侵阿富汗，以剷除蓋達組織，但塔利班從未離開。最近數天，塔利班以迅雷不及掩耳的攻勢橫掃阿富汗，讓西方扶植、已治理阿富汗二十年的政府垮台了。

Afghans, fearing for the future, raced to the airport, one of the last routes out of the country. They are worried that the country could descend into chaos or the Taliban could carry out revenge attacks against those who worked with the Americans or the government. Many also fear that the Taliban will reimpose the harsh interpretation of Islamic law that they relied on when they ran Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. Back then, women were barred from attending school or working outside the home. They had to wear the all-enclosing burqa and be accompanied by a male relative whenever they went outside. The Taliban banned music, cut off the hands of thieves and stoned adulterers.

對未來感到恐懼的阿富汗人衝向機場，這是離開這國家的最後途徑之一。他們擔心阿富汗會陷入混亂，或塔利班會對那些跟美國人或政府合作的人採取報復性攻擊。許多人還擔心塔利班會再次實施其在一九九六年至二??一年統治阿富汗時，對伊斯蘭教法所採取的嚴苛解釋。在那時，女性被禁止就學或外出工作，必須穿著將全身上下都包住的罩袍，每次出門都必須由男性親屬陪同。塔利班禁止音樂，將小偷的手砍斷，並對通姦者處以石刑。

The US has been trying to get out of Afghanistan, its longest war, for several years now. American troops ousted the Taliban in a matter of months when they invaded Afghanistan in 2001, but it proved more difficult to hold territory and rebuild a nation battered by repeated wars.

阿富汗戰爭是美國所參與時間最長的戰爭，美國想從中抽身已有數年。美國軍隊在二??一年入侵阿富汗後，短短幾個月內就推翻了塔利班。但事實證明，要維繫領土，並重建一個被戰爭反覆蹂躪的國家，是更加困難。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2021/08/23/2003763047

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K193: More Power Lines or Rooftop Solar Panels: The Fight Over Energy’s Future

The nation is facing once-in-a-generation choices about how energy ought to be delivered to homes, businesses and electric cars — decisions that could shape the course of climate change and determine how the United States copes with wildfires, heat waves and other extreme weather linked to global warming.

關於能源如何輸送到住家、企業和電動車，美國正面臨一個世代一次的抉擇，這個決定可能形塑氣候變遷進程，並決定美國如何應付與全球暖化有關的野火、熱浪和其他極端天氣。

On one side, large electric utilities and President Joe Biden want to build thousands of miles of power lines to move electricity created by distant wind turbines and solar farms to cities and suburbs. On the other, some environmental organizations and community groups are pushing for greater investment in rooftop solar panels, batteries and local wind turbines.

一方面，大型電力公司和總統拜登想要鋪設數千哩的電線，將遠方風力渦輪機和太陽能電場製造的電力運送到城市和郊區。另一方面，一些環境組織和社區團體正推動更多投資於屋頂太陽能板、電池以及在地風力渦輪機。

Biden has secured $73 billion for thousands of miles of new power lines in an infrastructure proposal he and senators from both parties agreed to in June. That deal includes the creation of a Grid Development Authority to speed up approvals for transmission lines.

拜登和兩黨參議員今年6月同意的基礎建設方案中，他已取得用來鋪設數千哩新電線所需的730億美元。這項方案包括成立「電網開發局」，以加速批准傳輸線鋪設。

Most energy experts agree that the United States must improve its aging electric grids, especially after millions of Texans spent days freezing this winter when the state’s electricity system faltered.

大多數能源專家同意，美國必須改善老化的電網，特別在上個冬天德州電力系統不穩，導致數百萬德州人受凍數天之後。

The option supported by Biden and some large energy companies would replace coal and natural gas power plants with large wind and solar farms hundreds of miles from cities, requiring lots of new power lines. Such integration would strengthen the control that the utility industry and Wall Street have over the grid.

這個獲拜登和一些大型能源公司支持的方案，將用距離都市數百哩的大型風電和太陽能電場，取代燃煤和天然氣發電廠，需要大量新電線。這類整合將強化公用事業和華爾街對電網的控制。

“You’ve got to have a big national plan to make sure the power gets from where it is generated to where the need is,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said.

「你得有一個全國性的大計畫，確保電力能從它產生的地方運送到需要的地方。」能源部長格蘭霍姆說。

But many of Biden’s liberal allies argue that solar panels, batteries and other local energy sources should be emphasized because they would be more resilient and could be built more quickly.

但許多拜登的自由派盟友主張，應該著重太陽能板、電池及其他在地能源來源，因為它們更耐用，建置速度更快。

“We need to build the electricity transmission and distribution system for the grid of the future and not that of the past,” said Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center, a nonprofit based in Chicago. “Solar energy plus storage is as transformative to the electric sector as wireless services were to the telecommunications sector.”

「我們需要為未來的電網打造電力傳輸和配送系統，而非過去的電網。」以芝加哥為據點的非營利組織「環境法律與政策中心」執行主任霍華．藍納說，「太陽能加上儲存裝置對電力事業的轉型性，一如無線網路之於電信事業」。

In all probability, there will be a mix of solutions that include more transmission lines and rooftop solar panels. What combination emerges will depend on deals made in Congress but also skirmishes playing out across the country.

最終很可能會有個綜合性方案，包含更多傳輸線和屋頂太陽能板。至於何種組合會出線，取決於國會達成的方案以及全國各地的爭論。Source article: https://udn.com/news/story/6904/5672857

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.K193: One good reason to eat a raisin

When people find out that they have cancer, they can easily start wallowing in negativity, wondering what made them ill and obsessing about their condition. This makes them feel anxious and worried, which is not good for their physical well-being. Chen Ko-chia, director of the Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital’s clinical psychology center, shared a post about a “raisin exercise” which involves eating a raisin in such a way as to shift one’s attention onto something less emotional, practice positive thinking and not get stuck in the doldrums, to relieve the suffering that cancer can cause.

罹癌患者得知病況後，容易陷入尋求罹病原因、擔心病情的負面情緒，因而感到焦慮、擔憂進而影響生理，大林慈濟醫院臨床心理中心主任陳可家分享「葡萄乾練習法」，透過吃葡萄乾將注意力轉移到沒有情緒的事物上，練習正念思考、不再沉浸於負面情緒，減緩罹癌的痛苦。

Chen said that when sick people feel upset, it is actually because they dwell on their illness. Worry leads to more worry and the suffering drags on and on, so they need to find some way of cutting off those negative emotions. Mindfulness does not mean having correct ideas, it means staying centered and living in the present moment. However, when people are doing things they often let their thoughts drift and find it difficult to concentrate on remaining in the here and now. If that happens to you, you can eat a raisin and practice appreciating its appearance, weight, sound and flavor. You can use your lips and tongue to experience its taste and shape, with no need to think about the past or the future. By just concentrating on tasting it, you can temporarily set your emotions aside.

陳可家表示，生病的人會感到困擾，其實是因一直去想它、擔憂它，煩惱帶出更多煩惱，痛苦便不斷延續，因此需要找方法把負面情緒切開；正念指的不是正確的觀念，而是不偏不倚、當下的心，但人們做事情常想東想西，無法專注與當下的自己同在，此時可以吃葡萄乾練習，從葡萄乾的外觀、重量、聲音、味道去感受，用嘴唇、舌頭體會它的味道、形狀，不需要想過去、未來，只要專注品味它，就可暫時將情緒放在一旁。

Chen recommends spending about five to 10 minutes each day on feeling your present emotions or physical state. Regardless of whether you are sick or not, if you can spend five to 10 minutes less each day on worrying about things and a little more time on caring for yourself, your body will respond in a positive way.

陳可家建議，每天花約五到十分鐘時間，感受當下的情緒或身體狀態，無論生病的患者或一般大眾，每天就可少五到十分鐘的擔憂，多一點時間關心自己，身體就會給予好的回應。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2021/08/17/2003762712

更多通勤學英語Podcast單元:

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

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.K192: Centuries-Old Giants, Beloved but in Peril

Wide, awkward baobab trees blend into the cityscape of Dakar, the busy capital of Senegal, almost without notice.

樹冠寬闊、姿態樸拙的猴麵包樹（或稱猢猻樹），在幾乎沒人注意的情況下，與塞內加爾繁忙首都達卡的風景融為一體。

Drivers wash a fleet of taxis parked beneath one giant tree near a freeway on-ramp. Rusting cars with open hoods are parked in a mechanic’s shop under the shade of another. A leathery trunk is a community billboard, with ads nailed to it for a plumber and an apartment for rent.

計程車司機清洗一排停在高速公路入口匝道附近一棵巨木下的計程車。引擎蓋大開的生鏽汽車則停在另一棵巨木樹蔭下的修車廠裡。粗糙的樹幹是社區公布欄，徵求水電工和公寓出租的廣告釘在上面。

Aliou Ndour stood on a crowded corner, pulled out his phone and scrolled past the pictures of friends and family to another precious photo: the baobab in his home village.

恩多站在擠滿人的角落，拿出手機，用手指滑過螢幕上親友的照片，來到另一張珍貴的相片：他老家村裡的猴麵包樹。

Fat baobabs, some more than half a millennium old, have endured across Senegal, passed over for lumber largely because their wood is too brittle and spongy for use in furniture. Baobab leaves are mixed with couscous and eaten, the trees’ bark stripped to make rope, their fruit and seeds used for drinks and oils.

胖胖的猴麵包樹在塞內加爾全國各地屹立，其中有些超過500歲，這種樹逃過砍伐，大致是因為木頭太脆太鬆軟，不能用作家具。猴麵包樹的葉子跟蒸粗麥粉混著吃，樹皮剝來做繩索，果實和種子則做成飲料和油。

Something else has helped preserve these giants: They are beloved.

另有一個因素讓這些巨木得以保存：它們受到喜愛。

“This,” said Adama Dieme, craning his neck to look up at the spread of branches of the baobab on his block, “is the pride of the neighborhood.”

迪艾米伸長脖子，仰望著他所在街區這棵猴麵包樹的樹枝伸展的幅度，他說：「這棵樹讓鄰里感到光榮。」

But baobabs, like many of the region’s trees, are in jeopardy, threatened by the same forces upending numerous facets of society — climate change, urbanization and population growth.

不過，猴麵包樹就像這區域的許多樹一樣陷入險境，受到顛覆社會諸多面向的同樣力量威脅，包括氣候變遷、都市化與人口成長。

West Africa has lost much of the natural resources once tied so closely to its cultural identity. Poaching has stolen most of its wildlife; lions, giraffes and desert elephants are sorely endangered.

西非已失去一度與其文化認同緊密相連的大半天然資源。盜獵行為竊奪了絕大多數野生動物：獅子、長頸鹿和沙漠象都瀕臨滅絕。

Huge swaths of forest are being razed to clear space for palm oil and cocoa plantations. Mangroves are being killed off by pollution. Even wispy acacias are hacked away for use in cooking fires to feed growing families.

極其大片的森林為了生產棕櫚油和種植可可樹而被夷為平地。紅樹林不敵汙染而毀滅。就連纖細脆弱的刺槐也被砍下作為烹飪用的柴火，以餵飽逐漸增加的家庭。

A recent study said climate change might be blamed for the deaths of some of Africa’s oldest and biggest baobabs. In Senegal, local researchers estimate the nation has lost half its baobabs in the past 50 years to drought and development.

最近一份研究顯示，非洲一些最老、最大的猴麵包樹死亡，可能要歸咎於氣候變遷。在塞內加爾，當地研究人員估計，該國50年來已因乾旱與人為開發而失去半數猴麵包樹。

One of the biggest developments in the country is outside Dakar, where Senegal’s president is building an entirely new city, in the middle of a baobab forest. Officials have pledged to replant any trees they raze.

塞內加爾最大的開發案之一在達卡市郊，塞內加爾總統正在一片猴麵包樹森林的中央建造一整座新城市。官方承諾要把所有連根拔起的樹種回去。

On the far edges of the development, construction workers were building new homes. The corpse of one baobab laid on the ground, a musty smell lingering at its exposed hollow interior. The smooth marks of an ax scarred its trunk.

在這開發案的遙遠邊緣，建築工人正在蓋新的住家房子。一棵猴麵包樹的殘骸躺在地上，一股霉味從暴露在外的空心木頭內部持續飄散出來。斧頭平滑的標記在樹幹上留下傷痕。

Other charred carcasses of baobabs lay nearby. A worker said those had been torched with gasoline.

另有些焦黑的猴麵包樹殘骸躺在附近，工人說都是用汽油燒過的。

“Whenever you see a baobab that has fallen down, you’re sad,” said Gorgui Kebbe, the worker. “It’s a symbol of our country. But having a house to live in takes priority.”

工人柯柏說：「每當你看到一棵猴麵包樹倒下，就會難過，那是我們國家的象徵，不過，有房子住最重要。」

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/333494/web/