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每日英語跟讀 Ep.953: Slow music: Chord change in Germany of 639-year organ piece

 

Hundreds of fans attended a special kind of musical happening on Sept. 5 at a church in Germany: a chord change in an organ piece that is supposed to last for an entirety of 639 years. The performance of the ORGAN2/ASLSP, or As Slow As Possible, composition began in September 2001 at the St. Burchardi Church in the eastern town of Halberstadt and is supposed to end in 2640 if all goes well.

數百名樂迷在九月五日齊聚德國一間教堂，參加一場特別的音樂活動：預計持續演奏整整六百三十九年的一首管風琴作品，在當天改變了和弦。這首名為《ORGAN2/ASLSP》，又名《愈慢愈好》的作品，從二○○一年九月開始在德國東部小鎮哈柏斯塔的聖布爾夏迪教堂演奏。如果一切順利，演奏將會於二六四○年結束。

The music piece by the American composer John Cage is played on a special organ inside the medieval church. The last sound has been the same one for the last six years and 11 months, and therefore the chord change on Saturday last week was a big event among fans of the John Cage Organ Project.

這首樂曲是由美國作曲家約翰‧凱吉所作，在這座中世紀教堂內由一台特製管風琴演奏。在過去六年又十一個月之間，這首樂曲一直持續著相同的聲音，也因此上週六轉換和弦，對「約翰‧凱吉管風琴計畫」的樂迷而言堪稱一大盛事。

A chord change means that the sound of the organ pipes changes either because new sounds are added or existing sounds end. On Sept. 5, two new organ pipes were added. Organizers say the performance is “one of the slowest realizations of an organ musical piece.”

轉換和弦意味著管風琴音管的聲音改變，變化來自於新聲音加入，或是原本持續的聲音停止。在九月五號當天，管風琴裝上了兩根新的音管。主辦單位則表示，這場演出是「實現一部最慢的管風琴音樂作品。」

A compressor in the basement creates energy to blow air into the organ to create a continuous sound. When a chord change happens, it’s done manually. On Sept. 5, soprano singer Johanna Vargas and organist Julian Lembke changed the chord. The new sound reminded some listeners of the metallic buzz inside a big ship’s engine room.

教堂地下室有一台壓縮機製造出動能，將氣體吹入管風琴，創造出持續不斷的聲音。當和弦改變時，這個任務則是以手動完成。當天，女高音喬安娜‧瓦加斯以及管風琴演奏家朱利安‧藍布克一起改變和弦。新的聲音讓某些聽眾聯想到大船引擎室裡帶有金屬感的嗡嗡聲。

The next chord change is planned for Feb. 5, 2022, the German news agency DPA reported. When the piece officially started on Sept. 5, 2001, it began without any sound. It was only on Feb. 5, 2003, the day of the first chord change, that the first organ pipe chords could actually be heard inside the church.

根據德國新聞媒體《德新社》報導，下一次的和弦改變預計於二○二二年二月五日進行。這首樂曲最初在二○○一年九月五日正式開演，開始時沒有聲音。一直到二○○三年二月五日，也就是第一次改變和弦那天，第一個管風琴和弦才真正能在教堂中聽到。

Cage was born in Los Angeles in 1912 and died in New York in 1992. He’s known not only as a composer, but also as a music theorist, artist and philosopher.

約翰‧凱吉於一九一二年生於洛杉磯，一九九二年於紐約逝世。他不只是以作曲家的身分聞名，同時也是一位音樂理論家、藝術家和哲學家。

The St. Burchardi church has a long, checkered history. It was built around 1050, and was used for more than 600 years as a Cistercian monastery. It was partially destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War, later rebuilt, at some point secularized and over the centuries also served as a barn, a distillery and a pigsty, the John Cage Organ Project said on its website.

聖布爾夏迪教堂有著悠久而興衰無常的歷史。教堂大約是在一○五○年間建造，六百多年來被用作天主教熙篤會的修道院。根據「約翰‧凱吉管風琴計畫」網站的介紹，該教堂在三十年戰爭期間部分遭到摧毀，後來經過重建，從某個時間點開始作為世俗用途。好幾個世紀以來，建築被用來作為穀倉、釀酒廠、豬舍。

Chord changes usually draw several thousand visitors to Halberstadt, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of guests allowed into the church was limited this year.

和弦改變通常會吸引數千名觀眾前往哈柏斯塔朝聖，然而因為武漢肺炎（新冠病毒，COVID-19）全球大流行，今年獲准進入教堂躬逢其盛的觀眾人數受到限制。

Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2020/09/13/2003743299

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.952: How low did it go? Scientists calculate Earth’s Ice Age temperatures

 

Guided by ocean plankton fossils and climate models, scientists have calculated just how cold it got on Earth during the depths of the last ice age, when immense ice sheets covered large parts of North America, South America, Europe and Asia.

在海洋浮游生物化石和氣候模型的引導之下，科學家近日計算出地球在上一次冰河時期最酷寒的期間，氣溫到底有多冷。浩瀚無際的冰原當時覆蓋著北美洲、南美洲、歐洲和亞洲的大多數區域。

The average global temperature during the period known as the Last Glacial Maximum from roughly 23,000 to 19,000 years ago was about 7.8°C, 7°C colder than last year, the researchers said Aug. 26. Certain regions were much cooler than the global average, they found. The polar regions cooled far more than the tropics, with the Arctic region 14°C colder than the global average.

研究人員於八月二十六日指出，大約在二萬三千年到一萬九千年前的「末次冰盛期」，地球平均溫度約為攝氏七‧八度，比去年均溫低了七度左右。他們發現，特定地區的溫度比全球平均還要冷上許多。極圈地區降溫的程度遠大於熱帶地區，像是北極圈就比全球平均溫度還要低十四度。

The researchers made their calculations with the aid of chemical measurements on tiny fossils of zooplankton and the preserved structures of fats from other types of plankton that change in response to water temperature — what they called a “temperature proxy.” This information was then plugged into climate model simulations to calculate average global temperatures.

研究人員藉由化學量測的輔助完成計算。他們測量了微小的浮游動物化石，以及其他種類浮游生物被保存下來的脂肪結構，這類隨著水溫改變而發生的變化被稱為「溫度替代指標」。接下來，研究人員再將這些資訊帶入氣候模式模擬，來算出全球平均溫度。

“Past climates are the only information we have about what really happens when the Earth cools or warms to a large degree. So by studying them, we can better construe what to expect in the future,” said University of Arizona paleoclimatologist Jessica Tierney, lead author of the research published in the journal Nature.

該研究的主要作者、美國亞利桑那大學的古氣候學家潔西卡‧提爾尼表示：「過去的氣候是我們擁有的唯一資訊，藉此得知地球在大幅度冷卻或暖化時實際發生過什麼。所以，藉由研究過去氣候，我們可以進一步推斷未來可預期的情況。」這份研究近日發表於《自然》科學期刊。

During the ice age, which lasted from about 115,000 to 11,000 years ago, large mammals well adapted to a cold climate, such as the mammoths, mastodons, woolly rhinos and saber-toothed cats, roamed the landscape.

冰河時期從十一萬五千年前持續到一萬一千年前。這段時期，對寒冷氣候適應良好的大型哺乳類動物，例如猛瑪象、乳齒象、披毛犀，以及劍齒虎，漫步於冰封的地貌中。

Humans entered North America for the first time during the ice age, crossing a land bridge that once connected Siberia to Alaska with sea levels much lower than they are today. Human hunting is believed to have contributed to mass extinctions globally of many species at the end of the ice age.

人類在冰河時期首度進入北美洲。由於當時的海平面比現在低很多，人類得以跨越曾經把西伯利亞和阿拉斯加連結起來的陸橋。人類的狩獵活動被認為是許多物種在冰河時期結尾發生全球性大滅絕的主因。

“What is interesting is that Alaska was not entirely covered with ice,” Tierney said. “There was an ice-free corridor that allowed humans to travel across the Bering Strait, into Alaska. Central Alaska was actually not that much colder than today, so for ice age humans it might have been a relatively nice place to settle.”

「有趣的是，阿拉斯加當時並非全面被冰覆蓋。」提爾尼指出：「當時那邊有一條無冰的『廊道』，讓人類得以穿過白令海峽，抵達阿拉斯加。另外，當時的阿拉斯加中部其實沒有比今日冷很多，所以對冰河時期的人類而言，當地也許曾經是一個相對舒適的定居地。」

Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2020/09/06/2003742869

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.951: Can Love Survive This Election?

 

For many couples, fighting about politics has become more common. Since President Donald Trump’s election, Ken Jewell, a New York City divorce lawyer, has had clients in his office regularly ranting about their partners’ outlooks on initiatives like Black Lives Matter.

許多情侶和夫妻比以往更常為政治議題爭執。自從川普當選美國總統以來，紐約離婚律師朱爾的辦公室經常有客戶抱怨，配偶對「黑人的命也是命」等倡議的看法與自己不同。

“Before that, it never really became much of an issue because you didn’t have the divisive candidate,” he said. And while people aren’t citing political differences as the sole reason for divorce, the topic is certainly compounding matters. “Presidential years are typically very quiet for divorces because of the uncertainty of the presidency,” Jewell said. “This year, it has been beyond insane.”

朱爾說：「在那之前，沒有如此引發分歧的候選人，政治觀點不同從來不是真正的問題。」政治看法歧異雖非離婚當事人舉出的唯一理由，卻的確會使關係惡化。朱爾說：「總統大選年通常是離婚淡季，因為不確定誰會當選，不過今年案件多到離譜。」

Pat Pierson, 72, a retired staffing executive in Denver, parted ways with her boyfriend of 12 years over conflicting opinions on the Trump administration. She’s more liberal and he’s conservative, but their views weren’t an issue before Trump.

72歲的派特．皮爾森是美國科羅拉多州首府丹佛市的退休人事主管，因為對川普政府的看法相左而與交往12年的男友分手。她偏向自由派，男友則較保守，不過在川普上台前政治立場的差異從來不是問題。

Political polarization has become such an issue that Maureen Tara Nelson, the owner of New York and Florida-based MTN Matchmaking, says her clients are requesting to only be paired with people who have similar political views. “My motto in the past was ‘work together and agree to disagree,’ but it has gotten to the point where people hate the other political side,” she said. “And if they hate them, how could they date them?”

政治立場兩極化變得如此嚴重，以致在紐約和佛州設有據點的聯誼社MTN Matchmaking的老闆莫琳．尼爾森表示，客戶要求只跟政治觀點相近者配對。她說：「過去，我的信念是『一起努力，存異求同』，但是現在情況變成大家痛恨政治主張對立的人，如果痛恨對方，又怎麼能約會呢？」

In years past, Nelson noted, singles wanted partners that were attractive, intelligent and successful. Now, finding someone politically compatible is non-negotiable.

尼爾森說，過去單身者想找富吸引力、聰明而且有成就的伴侶，如今，「政治立場相合」這個條件變得無可妥協。

Eighty-four percent of the singles using Dating.com won’t even consider dating someone with opposite political views, said Maria Sullivan, a vice president at the dating website.

Dating.com副總裁瑪麗亞．蘇利文說，使用這個網站的單身者，84%甚至不考慮與政治立場相反的人約會。

And then there are those whose relatives have insisted they date within family party lines, like Christina Mullins, 42, a legal assistant in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who grew up with a strict Republican father.

還有單身者的親人堅持，約會對象政治立場須與家族相符。奧克拉荷馬州土爾沙市42歲律師助理克莉絲汀娜．莫林斯，在共和黨籍嚴父教養下長大，就是一例。

“He put a clause that I would be written out of his trust if I married a registered Democrat,” she said, joking that yes, this does significantly limit her dating pool.

莫林斯說，「父親在生前信託中加了一項條款，就是如果我嫁給登記為民主黨人的選民，就喪失繼承遺產資格」，她還開玩笑說，沒錯，這的確大大侷限了她的約會對象。

These attitudes are behind a growing number of dating services dedicated to helping people on both sides of the aisle find inner-party love. DonaldDaters.com, whose slogan is, “Make America Date Again,” promises, “the RIGHT person is out there.” And Salvator Prano, who created LiberalHearts.com in 2002, deems his website more popular than ever.

擇偶時重視政治立場的態度，促使愈來愈多專門幫人找到相同政治立場伴侶的聯誼社出現。DonaldDaters.com的口號是「讓美國再度約會」，宣揚「合適（右派）的人就在眼前」。2002年創辦LiberalHearts.com的普拉諾則說，他的網站比先前更有人氣。

“Through 16 years of Bush and Obama, most partisans found a way to tolerate friends and family of different political persuasions,” Prano said. But this time, he said, it’s more about the man than the party.

普拉諾說，「小布希和歐巴馬在位的16年間，支持特定政黨的人多半能設法容忍政治立場不同的家人和朋友」，但這次，爭吵的重點與其說是政黨，不如說是川普這個人。

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/356788/web/

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.950: About Japan - Traveling to Japan? This is how to tell if neighborhood is dangerous

 

日本被譽為是世界上安全國家之一，然而，國內仍然有些地區相較其他區域犯罪率較高、較危險，那身為觀光客的台灣人，該如何判斷哪些地方比較危險呢？日本一名推特網友分享如何透過觀察當地「便利商店」來判斷此區是否危險。

Japan is often lauded as one of the safest countries in the world, even though there are many districts that are more dangerous than others. But, how can tourists differentiate which cities are safer? A Twitter user from Japan recently revealed a small trick: to use convenience stores as a determinator.

根據Sora News報導，日本網友（@teiji_oriental) 列出數項判斷標準，第一，危險地區的便利商店內會有成堆的低價杯麵，除此之外，還會放滿各種小報、以及其他專給中年男子閱讀的雜誌。反之，店內若擺放較多有機食物、高價礦物水，則相對代表此區較為安全。

SoraNews24 quoted Japanese Twitter user @teiji_oriental who came up with an original way to know if a neighborhood is less safe: low-price cup noodles. If a store sells a wide variety of low-price cup noodles then the odds are high that the neighborhood is not safe.

In addition, neighborhoods can also be deemed a bit more unsafe if the magazine racks hold mostly content that caters to middle-aged men, the social media user said. On the other hand, if the store holds more organic foods and water bottles, it’s likely an indication that the surrounding area is quite safe (and family-friendly).

第二，危險區域的店內通常不讓客人使用廁所；第三，垃圾桶放在外面代表此區治安較安全，若放在外面則反之。

More importantly, dangerous districts usually do not welcome customers to use their restrooms. Last but not least, trash cans placed outside the store indicate a safer neighborhood and vice versa.

同時，若超商內可見告示牌如「偷竊是犯罪」或「謝謝如廁後將環境保持清潔」，亦或是將含有酒精的飲品擺在超商店門口，通常表示此區較危險。

In addition, if you walk into a convenience store and immediately see signs that read “Shoplifting is a crime” or “Thank you for keeping the restroom clean after use,” and have alcoholic drinks placed near the front of the store, it usually indicates a less safe environment outside.

總而言之，男生比例較高、平均收入較低、和對酒精飲品有較強烈需求的社區較危險。

Overall, places where the male population is higher, have less income, and are more prone to drinking booze and, by extension, are deemed to be more dangerous.

 

 

Next Article:

 

吃泡麵也可以很健康？日本這款「神包裝」引轟動 | New packaging lets you enjoy instant noodles without damaging health

 

 

泡麵雖然相當美味，但因其納含量過高，攝取過量恐危害人體健康。日本食品大廠日清食品旗下的Myojo推出Umadashiya即食拉麵，外表看似沒什麼特別，其包裝小巧思絕對讓你大開眼界。

Most people agree that instant noodles are tasty even though they contain too much sodium which is harmful to health. Thanks to a new packaging developed by Japan-based Nisshin’s Myojo Foods, you can now enjoy your Umadashiya instant ramen with peace in mind.

根據Japan Today報導，打開Umadashiya速食麵，你會看到碗內有兩條線，上面那條就是一般泡麵的注水線，至於下面那條則是「喝湯停止線」，喝到底部那條代表你已經攝取足夠鈉攝取量。

According to Japan Today, inside the bowl of Umadashiya instant ramen feature two lines. The upper one shows how much water you should add like other popular brands of instant noodles. The bottom one, which is unique to this brand, indicate when you should stop drinking soup.

This “soup stop line” refrains you from drinking the last 150 milliliters of broth that could be harmful to your health by cutting down your sodium intake.

(Courtesy of Myojo Foods)此外，外包裝上也有印上貼心提醒，告訴你如果喝到停止線（剩下大約150毫升)，攝取鹽分會比整份含量少掉幾克。

There’s also a reminder printed on the packaging telling you that if you reach the stop line (about 150ml left), you’ll lose how many grams of salt compared to the full serving.

據報導， Umadashiya全系列產品，包括拉麵、速食烏龍麵、蕎麥麵，自9月份將全面採用這款貼心包裝。

All Umadashiya products, including ramen, instant udon and soba noodles, will be packaged in this Shio Care (“Sodium Care”) package starting in September, Japanese media reported.

 

Source article: https://chinapost.nownews.com/20200904-1724338 ; https://chinapost.nownews.com/20200915-1786385

 

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Welcome to 15 minutes dot today the home of English Shadowing, I am your host Gavin and this is In-Tense Episode 63. Well guys we have finished with Verbs and now we will go on to the next part which isadverbs and adverbs are words that describe verbs, adjectives and other adverbs. So, in this first part of adverbs we are going to be looking at adverbs. Oh I keep wanting to say adjectives, right? Yeah, we are gonna be looking at adverbs that describe verbs. Okay, now the first thing we have to speak about in this regard is “Good.” Now I watch a lot of YouTube, like many of you do, I am sure and when you watch YouTube from America you will hear it very, very commonly said, “You did good.” Now good is an adjective, the adverb for “good” is “well.” So, “You did well. I am well.” Meaning how I'm feeling. So, if you are telling somebody they did well, you say, “You did well.” But when you watch YouTube or you speak to an American person, they like to use good as an adverb, okay? Is this grammatically incorrect? Yes, NO , but that's how people speak, and I mean in the beginning it used to sound very crazy to me. But the more you listen to it, it is moving into American English in some ways, so “You did good.” I still struggle to say that I would rather say, “You did well.” But, personally I don't think it's such a huge issue. So, adverbs are words that describe the verb and one tip to recognise them easily is the fact that they have a ly so quickly, carefully, accurately. So, a lot of times we put a LY on an adjective and that changes it into an adverb. Not always though. Yeah, I wish it was that easy.

 

So, we have that strange one good and well. So, these are adverbs, and they tell us about the verb. About how it happened or what happened. “He ran quickly.” OK. “He ate his food happily.” So happily describes the eating. Okay, so let's get started. It's quite simple. Okay, let's look at our examples.

 

Did Peter do well? Yes, Peter did well.

Did Peter do well? No, Peter did not do well.

 

Does Jane run quickly? Yes, she runs quickly.

Does Jane run quickly? No, she does not run quickly.

 

Did the dog eat greedily? Yes, it ate greedily.

Did the dog eat greedily? No, it did not eat greedily.

 

Is the project being done successfully? Yes, it is. Being done successfully.

Is the project being done successfully? No, it is not. Being done successfully.

 

Was Jane swiftly punished? Yes, she was swiftly punished.

Was Jane swiftly punished? No, she was not swiftly punished.

 

Is the movie unbearably long? Yes, it is unbearably long.

Is the movie unbearably long? No, it is not unbearably long.

 

Are John and Peter utterly confused? Yes, they are utterly confused.

Are John and Peter utterly confused? No, they are not utterly confused.

 

Did Andrew answer truthfully? Yes, he answered truthfully.

Did Andrew answer truthfully? No, he did not answer truthfully.

 

Did Amanda arrive late? Yes, she arrived late.

Did Amanda arrive late? No, she did not arrive late.

 

Can James drive fast? Yes, he can drive fast.

Can James drive fast? No, he cannot drive fast.

 

Was Jeff viciously attacked? Yes, he was viciously attacked.

Was Jeff viciously attacked? No, he was not viciously attacked.

 

Did Susanna eat more? Yes, she ate more.

Did Susanna eat more? No, she did not eat more.

 

Did Sarah smile sweetly? Yes, she smiled sweetly.

Did Sarah smile sweetly? No, she did not smile sweetly.

 

Did the government act swiftly? Yes, they acted swiftly.

Did the government act swiftly? No, they did not act swiftly.

 

Well, there you go guys, some adverbs. Okay, so in this context we used adverbs that describe verbs now. The eagle eyed among you or the great listeners among you would have noticed they were a few of them that did not have ly. And again, pretty simple, if you want to know which ones those are use Google. Just Google a list of adverbs that do not have ly or ly on them, and you will find a list. I can honestly tell you this is so weird, to do it that I actually had to Google a list of adverbs and I found one to use them. Because for some reason I'm a pretty dumb today and I couldn't think of that many examples except for well and good. So, easy remember, adverbs describe in this context verbs. They also describe other things, but we will do those in the next few episodes. Well, thanks for listening. Listen to the questions, repeat answer and keep repeating, till you get it right. Have a great day and I'll catch you in the next episode. Bye.

 

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Summary:

Once the king of film, Kodak has struggled over the years to find their footing in the digital era. In 2013, the company emerged from bankruptcy and till today is looking to find business model to sustain itself. What used to be 200 buildings of Eastman Kodak’s business park, is now left with a few buildings, with the rest either demolished or sold off. The article mentions the story of Mr. Taber, a Kodak employee of 34 years, together with 300 other scientists and engineers are working through their legacy innovations in optics and chemistry can be turned into new business ventures. In July this year, Trump administration made a $765 million loan to the Eastman Kodak Co. for its launch of a business making pharmaceutical ingredients in the US.

 

原文討論: https://www.15mins.today/blog/ep-912-kodak-struggles-to-envision-a-viable-future-after-film

 

 

Vocabulary and Sample Sentences:

 

Capitalize v. – chance to gain advantage from / convert into capital.

Kodak has packaging sensor technology that they did not capitalize.

Entrepreneurs are constantly looking to capitalize on any market opportunities. 

 

Complacent adj. – showing smug / self-satisfaction with one’s achievement

The cash Kodak made from film made them complacent.

Having too much luxuries in life would make you complacent. 

 

IP – Intellectual Property (patent, copyright, trademark)

CEO of Kodak believes that they will not be able to capitalize on their IP through Kodak-branded sales.

Filing patents is a way to protect a company’s intellectual property. 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.949: Angry UK students force government U-turn over virus-hit exams

 

Like in many countries hit by COVID-19, A-level exams in Britain in April, May and June had to be abandoned because of the pandemic. A-levels (General Certificate of Education Advanced Level) are key school-leaving exams for 18-year-olds.

如同許多遭武漢肺炎（新型冠狀病毒病，COVID-19）疫情重創的國家，英國不得不取消四、五、六月的A-level聯合大會考。A-level（普通教育高級證書）考試為十八歲學生關鍵的畢業考。

So where do the grades come from? Teachers were asked instead to make an assessment of their students’ grades, which were then modified based on a school’s past performance. According to England’s exam regulator, the moderation is a process intended to avoid widespread grade inflation.

那成績要怎麼來？改由教師為學生評定分數，再由考試主辦單位根據該校過去之成績對此分數進行調整。英格蘭的考試監管機構表示，此調整是為了避免教師給分普遍過高的情況。

The publication of A-level results two weeks ago sparked outrage when it emerged that 39 percent of teachers’ assessments had been downgraded under an algorithm based on a school’s past performance.

兩週前A-level成績公布，點燃了怒火，因為有百分之三十九的學生收到的成績單，其分數低於教師原本之評分。此成績演算法所依據的是該生所屬學校之歷年學生成績。

Students took to the streets and threatened legal action, complaining that the system made it harder for bright children in disadvantaged areas to do well, while rewarding mediocre students in private schools.

學生們走上街頭，威脅要採取法律行動，控訴這種成績演算法讓貧困地區的聰明孩子更難出頭，卻讓貴族學校中的平庸學生得到好處。

More than 250,000 people had also signed a petition demanding a change, and two legal groups representing students threatened to take the government to court.

也有超過二十五萬人簽署了一份請願書，要求對此做出改變，兩個代表學生的法律團體還揚言要把政府告上法庭。

The director of one of them, Good Law Project’s Jolyon Maugham, said students had missed out on places at university, medical school and employer training, which all rely on final A-level grades. “It’s also affecting those students who are leaving school to enter the jobs market, the most difficult jobs market in the UK for many generations.”

其中一個法律團體「Good Law Project」之負責人喬林‧莫恩表示，學生錯過了大學、醫學院及雇主培訓的機會，這些都須仰賴A-level考試總成績。「這也影響到那些要離開學校進入就業市場的學生，英國的就業市場正面臨好幾世代以來最嚴峻之景況」。

After protests by students and warnings that it threatened the career prospects of the most disadvantaged students, the British government was forced last Monday to abandon its policy for grading exams, and said that it would accept at face value assessments made by teachers in lieu of high school exams.

迫於學生之抗議，以及最弱勢學生之就業機會恐受威脅，英國政府上週一宣布中止該成績調整政策，並表示將原封不動接受替代高中考試的教師評分。

Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2020/08/24/2003742164

 

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Himalaya VIP 社會人核心英語課程60天無限暢聽就在官網首頁上點擊優惠: www.15mins.today

 

每日英語跟讀 Ep.948: ‘Secret’ life of sharks: Study reveals their surprising social networks

Sharks have more complex social lives than previously known, as shown by a study finding that gray reef sharks in the Pacific Ocean cultivate surprising social networks with one another and develop bonds that can endure for years.

研究指出，鯊魚的社交生活比先前人類所知的還要複雜。該研究發現，太平洋的鈍吻真鯊（或稱灰礁鯊）族群會和彼此建立讓人驚異的社交網絡，並且發展出可以持續多年的連結。

The research focused on the social behavior of 41 reef sharks around the Palmyra Atoll, about 1,600km southwest of Hawaii, using acoustic transmitters to track them and camera tags to gain greater clarity into their interactions.

此研究聚焦於巴美拉環礁周圍四十一隻鈍吻真鯊的社交行為，該地區位於夏威夷西南方約一千六百公里處。科學家藉由聲音發報器來追蹤鯊魚，並利用攝影機標籤，對它們的互動獲得更清晰的了解。

Far from being solitary creatures, the sharks formed social communities that remained rather stable over time, with some of the same individuals remaining together during the four years of the study.

研究人員發現，這群鯊魚不但不是獨來獨往的生物，還建立起隨時間過去仍能保持相對穩定的數個社群，其中幾隻個體更在研究進行的四年之間一直聚在一起。

The researchers documented a daily pattern, with sharks spending mornings together in groups of sometimes close to 20 individuals in the same part of the reef, dispersing throughout the day and into the night, and reconvening the next morning.

研究人員記錄下每日固定的規律：鯊魚們會群聚在這座環礁的同一個地方共度早晨，有時聚集的個體將近二十隻；接下來整個白天直到入夜，它們各自行動；隔天早上，鯊魚又重新聚首。

“Sharks are incredible animals and still quite misunderstood,” said Florida International University marine biologist Yannis Papastamatiou, lead author of the research published on Aug. 12 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society. “I like to talk about their ‘secret social lives’ not because they want it to be a secret, but because only recently have we developed the tools to start seeing and understanding their social lives,” Papastamatiou added. “Not all sharks are social and some are likely solitary.”

這篇論文的主要作者、佛羅里達國際大學的海洋生物學家延尼斯‧帕帕斯塔馬狄奧說：「鯊魚是難以置信的奇妙動物，它們直到今天仍然受到相當大的誤解。」該研究在八月十二日發表於《皇家學會報告》期刊。「我喜歡談論它們的『秘密社交生活』並不是因為它們想要保持神秘，而是因為一直到最近，我們才發展出合適的研究工具，開始觀察並了解它們的社交生活。」帕帕斯塔馬狄奧補充說：「不是所有的鯊魚都喜歡交際，有些可能比較偏向獨居。」

The reef shark is medium-sized, reaching about 2m long. Its sociality bore similarities in terms of stability over time to certain birds and mammals but differed in that it did not involve nesting, mating, making vocalizations or friendly interactions.

鈍吻真鯊屬於中型鯊，身長大約可達兩公尺。就長時間的穩定性而言，這種鯊魚的社交性格相似於某些鳥類或哺乳類。差別在於，鯊魚的社交活動並不包含築巢、交配、發聲或友善的互動。

The researchers suspect the sharks hang out together because it may help ensure that the various individuals find prey. “For some time we have known that sharks are capable of recognizing particular group mates and having social preferences,” said marine biologist and study co-author David Jacoby of the Institute of Zoology in London.

研究人員懷疑，這些鯊魚聚在一起，可能是為了確保不同個體都有找到獵物。論文的共同作者、倫敦動物學研究所的海洋生物學家大衛‧雅克比表示：「我們已經知道，鯊魚能夠辨識出特定的族群夥伴，而且它們也有社交偏好。」

“Our study reveals for the first time that they are actually capable of maintaining social partners for multiple years. Further we offer a possible mechanism for such long-term social structure — namely that social groups likely operate as information centers from which individuals can follow one another to offshore feeding areas.”

雅克比進一步指出：「我們的研究首次揭露出，鯊魚其實有能力維持社交夥伴長達數年。進一步而言，我們提出這種長期社會結構的潛在機制──也就是說，社交團體可能像是資訊交換中心那樣運作，藉此機制，個體可以互相跟隨，前往外海的覓食區。」

Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2020/08/30/2003742492

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.947: Europe Said It Was Pandemic-Ready. Pride Was Its Downfall

 

Professor Chris Whitty, Britain’s chief medical adviser, stood before an auditorium in a London museum two years ago cataloging deadly epidemics.

兩年前，英國首席醫療顧問惠提教授站在倫敦一座博物館的禮堂前，細數歷來各種致命的流行病。

From the Black Death of the 14th century to cholera in war-torn Yemen, it was a baleful history. But Whitty, who had spent most of his career fighting infectious diseases in Africa, was reassuring. Britain, he said, had a special protection.

從14世紀的黑死病，到受戰火蹂躪的葉門所爆發的霍亂，這是一段悲慘的歷史，然而職涯大部分時間都在非洲對抗傳染病的惠提說法讓人放心。他說，英國有特別的保護罩。

“Being rich,” he explained.

他解釋道：「就是富裕。」

Wealth “massively hardens a society against epidemics,” he argued, and quality of life — food, housing, water and health care — was more effective than any medicine at stopping the diseases that ravaged the developing world.

他認為，財富「大大增強了社會抵抗流行病的能力」，而生活品質如食物、住房、用水及醫療，就阻止肆虐於發展中國家的那些疾病而言，比任何藥物都更有效。

Whitty’s confidence was hardly unique. As recently as February, when European health ministers met in Brussels to discuss the coronavirus emerging in China, they commended their own health systems and promised to send aid to poor and developing countries.

惠提並非唯一一個如此具有自信的人。遠得姑且不說，就在今年二月，當歐洲各國衛生部長在布魯塞爾開會討論在中國出現的新冠病毒時，他們還稱讚自家公衛體系，並承諾向窮國和發展中國家提供援助。

“Responsibility is incumbent on us, not only for Italy and Europe, but also for the African continent,” said Roberto Speranza, Italy’s health minister.

義大利衛生部長史貝蘭沙說：「我們責無旁貸，不僅應對義大利和歐洲負責，對非洲大陸亦復如此。」

“The European Union should be ready for support,” agreed Maggie De Block, Belgium’s then health minister.

時任比利時衛生部長的迪卜洛克也表同意，他說：「歐盟應該準備好提供支援。」

Barely a month later, the continent was overwhelmed. Instead of merely providing aid to former colonies, Western Europe became an epicenter of the pandemic. Officials once boastful about their preparedness were frantically trying to secure protective gear and materials for tests, as death rates soared in Britain, France, Spain, Italy and Belgium.

僅僅一個月之後，歐洲大陸就無力招架了。西歐國家不僅未能一如所言向前殖民地提供援助，自身反倒成了這場全球大流行疫病的中心。英國、法國、西班牙、義大利及比利時的死亡率飆升，只見曾經自詡已準備就緒的官員們一陣手忙腳亂，想盡辦法取得防護裝備以及用於檢測的物資。

This was not supposed to happen. The expertise and resources of Western Europe were expected to provide the antidote to viral outbreaks flowing out of poorer regions. Many European leaders felt so secure after the last pandemic — the 2009 swine flu — that they scaled back stockpiles of equipment and faulted medical experts for overreacting.

這不該發生。西歐的專業知識與資源理應為較貧窮地區傳出的病毒疫情提供解藥。許多歐洲領導人在上次2009年豬流感大流行過後對安全防護過度自信，以致削減了裝備庫存，並指責醫療專家反應過度。

But that confidence would prove their undoing. Their pandemic plans were built on a litany of miscalculations and false assumptions. European leaders boasted of the superiority of their world-class health systems but had weakened them with a decade of cutbacks. When COVID-19 arrived, those systems were unable to test widely enough to see the peak coming — or to guarantee the safety of health care workers after it hit.

而事實證明這個信心就是失敗的開始。他們應付病疫大流行的計畫建立在一系列錯誤的計算及假設之上。歐洲領導人吹噓自家世界一流公衛體系的優越性，但十年來的節縮減卻削弱了這些系統。當新冠肺炎出現時，這些系統無力以廣泛的檢測預見高峰期的到來，也無法在疫情爆發後確保醫護人員的安全。

Accountability mechanisms proved toothless. Thousands of pages of national pandemic planning turned out to be little more than exercises in bureaucratic busy work. Officials in some countries barely consulted their plans; in other countries, leaders ignored warnings about how quickly a virus could spread.

問責機制證明形同虛設。厚達數千頁的國家應對全球大流行疾情計劃書，只淪為行政作業上的官樣文章。一些國家的官員幾乎沒有參照計畫行事，各國領導人也忽視病毒會快速傳播的警告。

European Union checks of each country’s readiness had become rituals of self-congratulation. Mathematical models used to predict pandemic spreads — and to shape government policy — fed a false sense of security.

歐盟對各國準備就緒程度的檢查已成為自鳴得意的儀式。用以預測疫情蔓延並制定政府政策的數學模型，則助長了虛假的安全感。

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/356435/web/

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.946: About Japan -Female chef aims to revolutionize Japan’s restaurant industry

 

在日本，壽司師傅向來以男性為主，這項傳統時至今日仍深深影響日本。許多餐廳依舊禁止女性站在吧台後、在客人面前製作壽司。

Sushi chefs in Japan have always been men and this tradition continues to dominate. Many restaurants still do not allow women to stand behind the counter and make sushi in front of the customers.

對於Yuki來說，作為一名女性壽司師傅要面對的挑戰從採買新鮮魚貨就開始了。

For Yuki, the challenge of being a female sushi chef doesn’t begin with technique. It starts at the crack of dawn when she heads to the market to buy fish.

在魚市場裡，很少有魚販認真看待她，他們大多認為Yuki做壽司不過是場兒戲，因而對她冷眼相待，甚至拒絕賣魚給她。Yuki很清楚壽司產業對女性不友好的慘酷現實，她承認，不論她如何努力對抗惡意攻擊或刻板印象，她內心始終覺得自卑。

She is often ridiculed by market fish vendors for “playing kitchen” as they refuse to sell her any fish. Yuki recognizes the disheartening and brutal reality of the industry, admitting that while she “fought back against the criticisms and prejudice”, she still “felt inferior in her heart”.

不過，她並沒有因此被擊倒。她相信，只要持續精進自己的手藝，讓自己成為一名富有經驗與技術的壽司師傅，將幫助她成功開一間餐廳，並在壽司產業中開闢出一條屬於自己的道路。

However, Yuki smiles on. She believes that focusing on getting “more skilled and experienced” will help her achieve her goal: making a name for herself & her restaurant.

她期盼，透過開創一種嶄新的握壽司風格、重新定義壽司的極簡美學，能使她贏得尊重，讓大家用和男性同樣的標準檢視她，甚至超越同行的男性師傅。

Yuki hopes to be upheld to the same expectations as men by going above and beyond: innovating a different style of sushi by redefining simplicity.

Yuki表示：「壽司撼動了我的靈魂」，並稱，女性不應該試圖成為男性師傅，而要學會欣賞女性獨有的特質，以新的構思改變壽司產業。

“Discovering sushi shook my soul,” Yuki exclaims. She believes that females should not try to be like male chefs, but celebrate their unique qualities and change the status quo with new ideas.

許多女性壽司師傅都曾嘗試打進這個男性主導的行業，卻都以失敗告終，雖然大多數女性先輩都放棄了，但Yuki的壽司之路還在繼續。

Many female sushi chefs have attempted at breaking into the industry, to no avail. Most eventually gave up, but for Yuki, the battle continues.

 

Next Article

日本KitKat推新口味　老外試吃後傻眼：不是抹茶 | Foreigners puzzled at taste of Wasabi-flavored Kit Kats

日本奇巧巧克力(Kit Kat)繼2004年推出抹茶口味掀起風潮後，現在又推出另一款「綠色」巧克力新風味，然而，這次的口味可能沒有之前那麼容易下嚥。

Following the 2004 debut of the “Matcha Green Tea Kit Kat,” Japan has released a second green chocolate combo that will surely challenge customers’ palates: the Wasabi-flavored Kit Kat

據報導，目前雀巢已推出將近350種口味的奇巧巧克力，而背後的主因為日本便利商店需要不斷變動的擺設方式。

According to media reports, Nestle has released over 350 flavors to date, and the main reason behind such a wide variety of products is due to Japanese convenience stores’ constant demand for new items.

為了維持品牌銷售量，便必須不斷想出新口味和新點子；芥末口味的奇巧巧克力就是這麼誕生的。

To keep up, new flavors and ideas are in great need and that’s where the wasabi flavor comes in.

根據日本媒體報導，田丸屋本店是一家位在靜岡縣的芥末專賣店，日本芥末有將近80%都是在此區製作，於是它們和奇巧聯手打造出最能代表當地的口味。

According to local Japanese media, a specialty wasabi shop, Tamaruya Honten, located in the Shizuoka prefecture which produces 80 percent of Japan’s annual wasabi supply, partnered with Kit Kat and created the hybrid local flavor best representing both companies.

至於芥末奇巧巧克力到底好不好吃，外國人也積極參與論戰，許多人表示沒有想像中的嗆辣，也有人說雖然聞起來明顯的是芥末味，但是因為還是有白巧克力，吃起來還是很甜。

As for the million-dollar question of whether people outside Japan find it delicious or not, some described it as not extremely spicy, while others say though the smell is recognizably wasabi, it actually tastes sweet thanks to the white chocolate.

國外網友也在推特上大大讚賞，寫道：「這口味在一般商店買不到，完全值得生氣」。

Westerners also took to complimenting the flavor on Twitter, with one writing, “Yes, you should be mad you can’t find this in a regular store.”

然而也有網友質疑奇巧的最新搭配，並表示這口味他們「先不要」。

However, others seem to question the novel combination, commenting, “Nope. Not touching that with a ten-foot pole.”

Source article: https://chinapost.nownews.com/20200829-1697516 ; https://chinapost.nownews.com/20200901-1700846

 

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