通勤學英語 15Mins Today

每日英語跟讀 Ep.938: New Thoughts on Math Of Effective Baby Talk

 

It has been nearly 20 years since a landmark education study found that, by age 3, children from low-income families have heard 30 million fewer words than more affluent children, putting them at an educational disadvantage before they have begun school.

將近20年前，一項具有里程碑意義的教育研究發現，低收入戶兒童到了3歲時，已比家庭較富裕的兒童少聽到3000萬個字彙，以致就學前即已處於教育上的劣勢。

Now, a growing body of research is challenging the notion that merely exposing poor children to more language is enough to overcome the deficits they face. The quality of the communication between children and their parents and caregivers, the researchers say, is of much greater importance than the number of words a child hears.

如今，越來越多的研究向此一觀念提出挑戰，不認為光是讓貧窮兒童暴露於更多語言，就能克服他們所面對的不足。這些研究人員指出，兒童與父母及看顧者之間的溝通品質，遠比兒童聽到多少字彙來得重要。

A study presented last month at a White House conference on “bridging the word gap” found that among 2-year-olds from low-income families, quality interactions involving words — the use of shared symbols (“Look, a dog!”); rituals (“Want a bottle after your bath?”); and conversational fluency (“Yes, that is a bus!”) — were a far better predictor of language skills at age 3 than any other factor .

上月在白宮「縮小字彙差距」會議中發表的一項研究結果發現，對2歲的低收入戶兒童而言，和字彙相關的優質互動，例如使用共通的符號（「看哪，一隻狗！」）；固定程序（「洗完澡想喝瓶奶？」）；流暢的對話（「是的，這是一輛公車！」），在預測3歲兒童語言技巧方面，是遠勝於其他因素的更好指標。

“It’s not just about shoving words in,” said Kathryn Hirsh- Pasek, a professor of psychology at Temple University in Philadelphia and lead author of the study. “It’s about having these fluid conversations around shared rituals and objects, like pretending to have morning coffee together or using the banana as a phone. ”

費城天普大學心理學教授、該研究報告主要作者凱瑟琳．赫許─巴塞克說：「它不光是塞進字彙而已，它與圍繞著共有的固定程序和物件的流暢對話有關，例如佯裝一起喝晨間咖啡，或是拿香蕉當電話打。」

In a related finding, published in April, researchers who observed 11- and 14-month-old children in their homes found that the prevalence of one-on-one interactions and frequent use of parentese — the slow, highpitched voice commonly used for talking to babies — were reliable predictors of language ability at age 2. The total number of words had no correlation with future ability.

四月發表的一項相關研究中，研究人員觀察11個月和14個月大孩子在家中的生活情形，發現經常一對一互動，以及頻繁使用「父母語」，也就是父母常用的，對嬰兒說話的那種緩慢、高音調聲音，是2歲兒童語言能力的可靠預測指標。字彙的總數量與兒童的未來能力無關。

Even the 1995 study that introduced the notion of the 30-million- word gap, conducted by the University of Kansas psychologists Betty Hart and Todd R. Risley, found that parental tone, responsiveness and use of symbols affected a child’s I.Q. and vocabulary.

引進3000萬字彙差距概念的那項研究發表於1995年，由堪薩斯大學心理學家貝蒂．哈特和陶德．Ｒ．里斯利所完成，即使那項研究也發現，父母的語氣、反應和符號的使用，對兒童的智商高低和詞彙多寡均有影響。

But this year’s studies are the first time researchers have compared the impact of word quantity with quality of communication.

不過，今年的研究，是研究人員首次將字彙數量和溝通品質的影響作比較。

For the new study, Dr. Hirsh- Pasek and colleagues selected 60 low-income 3-year-olds with varying degrees of language proficiency from a long-term study of 1,300 children from birth to age 15.

在新研究中，赫許─巴塞克和同事，在參與一項從出生到15歲長期研究的1300名兒童中，挑選出60名3歲的低收入戶兒童，語言能力程度各不相同。

The quality of communication accounted for 27 percent of variation in expressive language skills one year later, Dr. Hirsh-Pasek said.

赫許─巴塞克說，1年後，優質溝通占表達語言技巧差異的27％。

But those who urge parents to talk to their children more say increased quantity of language inevitably leads to better quality.

但是，那些呼籲家長多跟自己孩子說話的專家表示，提高語言數量，定會帶來更高的品質。

Anne Fernald, a developmental psychologist at Stanford University in California, said, “When you learn to talk more, you tend to speak in more diverse ways and elaborate more, and that helps the child’s cognitive development.”

加州史丹福大學發展心理學家安妮．費納德說：「當你學會說得更多時，你會以更多樣、更複雜的方式說話，這有助兒童的認知發展。」

Still, Ann O’Leary, director of Too Small to Fail, a joint effort of the nonprofit Next Generation and the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation that focuses on closing the word gap, acknowledged that messages to parents could do more to emphasize quality.

「小到不能失敗」計畫負責人安．奧利里說，在提供給家長的訊息上，確實可多強調質。「小到不能失敗」由非營利組織「下一代」和「比爾、希拉蕊、雀兒喜．柯林頓基金會」共同設置，致力於縮小兒童字彙差距。

“When we’re doing these campaigns to close the word gap, they do capture the imagination, they do get people understanding that we do need to do a lot more talking,” she said. “But we also need to be more mindful that part of what we need to do is model what that talking looks like.”

她說：「當我們從事縮小兒童字彙差距努力時，它確實引起我們注意，它也讓人們理解，我們確實需要多說點話。但我們同時需要更注意的是，在我們必須從事的工作中，有一部分是提供那種談話的模範，那種談話中該有的東西。」

 

 

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/269227/web/#2L-5280944L

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.937: Real Korean Flavor For a YouTube Table

 

During the years that she was addicted to online gaming, life for Emily Kim began when she got home from work at 6 p.m.

艾蜜莉．金沉迷網路遊戲那些年，她的生活從下午6點下班到家開始。

“I would shower quick, and eat something, no matter what, so I could start playing my game,” said Ms. Kim, a.k.a the YouTube Korean-cooking star Maangchi. “And I wouldn’t stop till 3 a.m.”

「我會很快沖個澡，隨便吃點東西，然後就玩遊戲，一直玩到凌晨3點。」這位金女士，也就是YouTube上的韓國料理烹飪明星Maangchi，如是說。

In 2003, divorced and with her two grown children out of the house, Ms. Kim ventured into the online role-playing battle game City of Heroes and couldn’t pull herself away. Maangchi, pronounced MAHNG-chee and meaning “hammer” in Korean, was the name of her online avatar, who specialized in destruction, wielding a huge scimitar and wearing a tiny miniskirt.

2003年，她離了婚，兩個孩子也長大離家，她投入線上角色扮演打鬥遊戲《城市英雄》，難以自拔。Maangchi是她的網名，發音似「忙起」，在韓語中是「鐵鎚」的意思。Maangchi揮舞巨大的短彎刀，穿超短裙，擅長破壞。

In 2007, her children persuaded her to try a more nourishing form of Internet expression: cooking videos. “I had no idea if anyone would watch me,” she said, “but the Korean recipes I saw in English were full of mistakes, and I wanted to show the real way we do things.”

2007年，孩子們勸她嘗試一種更有營養的網路表達方式：烹飪視頻。「我不知道有沒有人想看我，」她說，「不過，我看到的英文韓國菜食譜充滿錯誤，所以我想展示我們道地的烹飪方法。」

Now, Ms. Kim has more than 619,000 YouTube subscribers.

如今，她的YouTube頻道訂戶超過65萬。

At age 58, she has just published a cookbook, “Maangchi’s Real Korean Cooking,” one of the few comprehensive books on Korean cooking written for Americans, but without major adjustments to make the food more accessible.

58歲的她剛出版了《Maangchi的正宗韓餐食譜》，這是少數寫給美國人看、內容詳盡的韓餐食譜，但沒有為方便讀者而做重大調整。

From watching her videos, it is hard to envision Ms. Kim as a reclusive gamer. In extravagant eye makeup and bright pink lipstick, she cooks huge batches of bibimbap, bulgogi and KFC, sweet-sticky-spicy Korean fried chicken. She demonstrates the endless variations of kimchi and schools her viewers in the pronunciation of dishes like soegogi-muguk (pronounced SAY-go-gee moo-GUHK), beef and radish soup.

看她的視頻，很難想像她是個宅在家的網路玩家。她打著濃厚的眼影，塗著亮粉色口紅，烹調石鍋拌飯、韓國烤肉，以及肯德基式的甜辣韓國炸雞。她向觀眾展示種類繁多的韓國泡菜，傳授食物的正確發音，比如牛肉蘿蔔湯。

Although she presents herself as lighthearted, Ms. Kim is first and foremost a teacher, and a strict one at that. “I have to do everything correctly,” she said. “Otherwise I will hear about it from the Koreans.”

儘管擺出一副輕鬆模樣，但首先她是位老師，而且是位嚴師。「我每件事都得做好，」她說。「否則會被韓國人批評。」

This is a phrase she often repeated to the editors of her cookbook when they quailed at including recipes for fermented sardines, jellyfish salad and kelp stock. This, Ms. Kim believes, is the problem with virtually every Korean restaurant in the United States: The food is sweeter, saltier, less spicy, less fishy and less rich with umami than it should be.

這是食譜編輯怯於把某些菜單，例如發酵沙丁魚、涼拌海蜇皮和海帶高湯加到書裡時，她屢屢對他們重申的話。她認為這正是幾乎所有美國韓餐館都有的問題：食物比正宗的韓國料理更甜或更鹹，但是辣味、魚味和鮮味不足。

Ms. Kim was raised in Yeosu, near the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula, where her family was in the seafood business. She learned from her mother, aunts and grandmothers how to not only cook but also pickle, smoke, dry and ferment.

她在靠近朝鮮半島南端的港市麗水長大，家族經營海鮮生意。她從母親、阿姨和阿嬤那裡不僅學習如何烹飪，還學習如何醃製、燻製、風乾和發酵食品。

Ms. Kim first came to the United States in 1992 with her husband, who emigrated to take a teaching job in Missouri. In the Midwest, she would lead fellow expatriates on expeditions in search of Japanese or Chinese restaurants.

1992年，她隨丈夫首次來到美國。她的丈夫移民美國，在密蘇里州教書。在美國中西部，她帶領其他韓僑尋找日本或中國餐館。

Now, she lives and shoots her videos in a compact apartment perched above Times Square. She shares the apartment with David Seguin, a web developer at The New York Times, whom she married in 2009. There, she practices the slow and ancient art of fermenting, making gochujang (chile paste) and doenjang (soybean paste), an umami-rich flavor element pervasive in Korean cooking. The recipe calls for an electric blanket, about four liters of salt and hay; it takes almost a year to complete.

現在，她住在紐約市時報廣場邊一個高樓層小公寓裡，也在這裡拍攝視頻。她和丈夫大衛．塞金同住，塞金是《紐約時報》的網頁開發者，兩人於2009年結婚。就在這個公寓裡，她用古法緩慢發酵製作辣醬和豆瓣醬。豆瓣醬在韓餐中非常普遍，鮮味十足。烹飪書指定要有電熱毯，四公升的鹽巴與乾草，需要近一年時間才能做好。

Traditionally, even a basic family dinner consists of 8 to 10 different dishes: soup or stew, rice, kimchi, often a stir-fry of protein and vegetables, and at least three side dishes like spicy cucumber salad or steamed eggplant.

按照韓國傳統，最基本的家庭晚餐也包括八至十種不同的菜肴：湯或燉菜、米飯、泡菜、通常是炒蛋和炒蔬菜、至少三份小菜，例如辣拌黃瓜或蒸茄子。

“There is nothing Koreans love more than sitting around a table where every inch is covered with food,” Ms. Kim said. “And if there is a grill in the middle of it, that is even better.”

「韓國人最喜歡圍坐在擺滿食物的桌邊，」她說，「如果桌子正中有烤肉，就更好了。」

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/282065/web/

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.936: About Japan - Osaka Expo logo chosen for its originality, humorous style

 

A little weird, a little scary and a little playful, this googly-eyed, doughnut-shaped design stood out among nearly 6,000 submissions vying to represent the Osaka Kansai Expo.

有點奇怪、有點嚇人又有點有趣，這個有著玩偶眼睛的甜甜圈形狀的設計，在近6000件爭取代表大阪關西世界博覽會的提交作品中，脫穎而出。

The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, which operates the Osaka Kansai Expo, announced Aug. 25 that it selected the vivid red design as the Expo’s official logo for its humor and originality.

負責籌辦大阪關西世博的2025年日本世界博覽會協會8月25日宣布，他們因幽默與原創性而挑選這個鮮紅色的設計，做為世博的官方標誌。

Tamotsu Shimada, 55, who runs a local design office, created the logo with his team.

該標誌是由55歲、在當地經營一家設計工作室的嶋田保及其團隊所設計。

He said the red circles and ellipses represent cells, the basic building blocks of life, and that he expressed the ’’brilliance of life’’ in the design by having different cell shapes connect to each other in a ring.

嶋田說，紅色圈圈與橢圓形代表生命的基本建構——細胞，他透過不同形狀的細胞彼此相連成為一個環的設計，來表達「生命的光輝」。

 

Next Article

 

No fear of coronavirus at drive-through haunted house in Tokyo 東京「自駕鬼屋」開張 不必害怕接觸冠狀病毒

It’s a living nightmare － but a socially distanced one.

這是活生生的夢魘，卻可以保持社交距離。

"Zombies" attack vehicles, smearing them with artificial blood. But the customers inside the cars are safely separated from their stalkers by the windows.

「喪屍」大舉攻擊車輛，車子被濺滿人工血，但車窗將裡面的顧客和這群死纏爛打的喪屍安全地隔開。

Haunted house production company Kowagarasetai has launched a drive-through haunted house in Tokyo in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

為了因應冠狀病毒疫情，鬼屋製作公司Kowagarasetai在東京推出一種可以開車進入的鬼屋。

"We have started this drive-in because we cannot get close to customers at a traditional haunted house," explains Daichi Ono, a cast member.

團隊成員小野大地解釋：「我們是因為無法在傳統鬼屋裡靠近顧客，才開始做這種得來速服務的。」

Unlike a traditional haunted house, where guests can flee if frightened, customers are confined to their cars and cannot escape the horrors during the 13-minute performance.

不同於傳統鬼屋的顧客可在害怕時逃跑，這裡的顧客只能待在自家車內，13分鐘的鬼屋秀結束前都無法逃避恐懼。

 

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1396041 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1395823

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.935: Philippines store rolls out ingenious face masks for bubble tea lovers

 

珍珠奶茶在國際舞台上幾乎與台灣劃上等號，在台灣時常能看到人手一杯手搖飲。然而礙於疫情，戴著口罩要喝飲料變得麻煩許多，一間菲律賓飲料店為了解決這個問題，最近推出了一款讓人無需脫口罩就能吸到珍奶的超神口罩。

In recent years, bubble tea has become synonymous with Taiwan among members and friends of the foreign community, and many locals can often be seen drinking hand-shaken beverages wherever they go.

With the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent requirements of wearing face masks in crowded areas, however, drinking soft drinks has become a bit of a hassle.

To solve this problem, a beverage store in the Philippines recently released a new line of face masks that you won’t need to take off to enjoy a sip from your favorite drink.

此店Gallontea將口罩命名為「吸吸罩」(Sippy Mask) ，表面看起來與一般布口罩差不多，但是口罩的嘴巴邊卻有一個小開口，上面附著一個蓋子讓喜愛喝珍奶的人可以邊喝邊防疫。

The “Sippy Mask” released by Gallontea looks like an ordinary cloth face mask, but if you look closely, you’ll find that there is a small opening near the mouth, with a small-cap for bubble-tea lovers to enjoy a safe drink.

店家也特別在官網上表示，只要消費有達1,000披索（約新台幣605.56元）就會贈送此口罩。而雖然口罩預購期已於昨日截止，目前也只在菲律賓販售，然而因為銷量不賴，期望未來有機會進軍台灣；不過大家需特別注意，喝完飲料要再將開口關上，才不會白帶口罩。

On their official Instagram page, Gallontea announced that customers can receive a free face mask with a minimum purchase of 1,000 pesos (US$20.59).

Although the pre-order time was only till Aug. 18 and the masks are currently only being sold in the Philippines, with the way it’s selling out, many people have expressed hope that customers will see this ingenious invention on Taiwan racks very soon.

However, users of the face masks should be mindful of closing the opening once they’ve taken a sip from the drinks or else the act of wearing face masks would be rendered useless.

Source article: https://chinapost.nownews.com/20200819-1696789

 

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Welcome to 15mins.today the home of English Shadowing. I am your host Gavin, and this is InTense Episode 61. Well guys were busy with verbs and we have done the first lot, which are action verbs and they can be transitive or intransitive, and we've covered all of that, so we're going to look at the next major kind of verb. Those are linking verbs, and these are a bit confusing in some ways, because what they do is, they link the subject and the predicate.

 

Now the predicate is a part of the sentence that tells us about the subject. So, for example, “The manager was happy about the job change.” So, what was he happy about? The job change. ” He is a good worker.” The “good worker” what is he? “He is a good worker.” it joins those two parts of the sentence. It tells us more about the subject. So, there's no real object, but it tells us more about the subject. Okay, “John is very happy.” So, very happy is linked to John who is the subject of the sentence and that is is a linking verb. OK, so it links the subject with the phrase or part of the sentence that tells us more about the subject. Okay, so again, I will reiterate this every episode, you don't have to worry about recognising linking verbs. You only need to know that it is a verb and that verb there is “is/was”. So, they tend to be those all the forms of be > was, is,am, was having,feel,grow,seem,smell,remain. You can go on Google and you can type in “List of Linking Verbs” and you will find a list of the most common ones.

 

Okay, but as long as you can recognise that is or was or taste you will know that is a verb. In this case if it is a sentence with no object, as far as I can tell. If so, it's basically a subject and then a verb and then it links to a little bit of a sentence that tells us more about the subject. That verb that links it, that would be a linking verb. Wow! So, let's get started with some examples.

 

Drill Sentences:

Has Mary become successful? Yes, she has become successful.

Has Mary become successful? No, she has not become successful.

 

Did that sound like a good idea? Yes, it sounded like a good idea.

Did that sound like a good idea. No, it did not sound like a good idea.

 

Did the cake taste delicious? Yes, it tasted delicious.

Did the cake taste delicious? No, it did not taste delicious.

 

Did John stay at home? Yes, he stayed at home.

Did John stay at home? No, he did not stay at home.

 

Do you feel satisfied? Yes, I feel satisfied.

Do you feel satisfied? No, I do not feel satisfied.

 

Did Peter remain at the office? Yes, he remained at the office.

Did Peter remain at the office? No, he did not remain at the office.

 

Did the customer appear to be angry? Yes, the customer appeared to be angry.

Did the customer appear to be angry? No, the customer did not appear to be angry.

 

Are you happy? Yes, I am happy.

Are you happy? No, I am not happy.

 

Did the boy grow a lot? Yes, he grew a lot.

Did the boy grow a lot? No, he did not grow a lot.

 

Do the Flowers smell lovely? Yes, the Flowers smell lovely.

Do the Flowers smell lovely? No, the Flowers do not smell lovely.

 

Was Lisa being truthful? No, she was not being truthful.

Was Lisa being truthful? No, she was not being truthful.

 

Well there you go guys. Just a few quick examples of linking verbs. Again, don't worry about it, just be able to recognise the verbs, but for those of you who really care, those are linking verbs. Again, look on Google, find a list if you are really into it and you can get more examples. Thanks for listening and I'll catch you in the next episode, bye!

 

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Sure?

 

 

Summary:

This article talks about recent developments in the USA. In particular the removal and defacing of statues of historical figures who did terrible things, in the minds of some people.

 

原文章討論: https://www.15mins.today/blog/ep-906-reconsidering-the-past-one-statue-at-a-time

 

 

Vocabulary and Sample Sentences:

 

Deface v.: damage the appearance of something

Did the protesters deface the building?

Are walls in Taipei defaced with graffiti?

 

Indigenous adj: belonging to a particular place

Are the indigenous people of Taiwan represented in government?

Does Taiwan have indigenous animals?

 

Inflection n.: turning, bending / change in the form of a word especially regarding grammar / change in the pitch of your voice

Does the inflection of adding and “s” in English make it more difficult to learn? 

Are lectures with no inflection boring?

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線下聚會如下在哪裡: 臺北市松山區復興北路1號6樓之3-603 (小樹屋)日期時間: 9/12 星期六 14:00-15:30 (可閒聊到16:00)

報名截止日: 9/6 星期日

每日英語跟讀 Ep.933: About Technology - These brands spend nearly $100 billion on ads. They want Facebook and Google to raise their game

 

Some of the world’s biggest advertisers have joined forces with Facebook, YouTube and Twitter in an attempt to prevent harmful online content messing with their campaigns.

部分全球最大廣告主已與臉書、YouTube及推特合作，試圖避免有害的線上內容與他們打的廣告扯上關係。

Companies such as Procter & Gamble, Kellogg, Adidas, Unilever, and PepsiCola, are worried that their ads can pop up next to content they don’t want associated with their brands, such as violent or terrorist videos and hate speech.

寶僑、家樂氏、愛迪達、聯合利華與百事可樂等大企業，都擔心他們的（線上）廣告，會出現在他們不希望與其品牌扯上關係的內容旁邊，例如暴力或恐怖份子影片，以及仇恨言論。

The Global Alliance for Responsible Media, which represents 60 companies, ad agencies, industry associations and digital platforms, announced at the World Economic Forum on Thursday a series of measures it says will help keep harmful content offline and away from advertisements.

代表60家企業、廣告公司、產業協會與數位平台的「全球負責任媒體聯盟」，週四在世界經濟論壇上宣布一系列有助於讓有害內容不上線以及遠離廣告的措施。

 

Next Article

 

’Touchless touchscreen’ could fight future epidemics, researchers say 研究人員：「非觸摸式觸控螢幕」或可對抗未來疫病

Cambridge University researchers have developed a ”no-touch touchscreen” that uses artificial intelligence to predict a user’s intention before their hand reaches the display.

劍橋大學的研究人員開發出一種「非觸摸式觸控螢幕」，該觸控螢幕使用人工智慧（AI），在用戶的手到達螢幕之前，預測其意圖。

The screen was originally designed for use in cars, but the engineers who built it claim it could also have widespread applications during a pandemic.

該螢幕最初是為汽車使用設計的，但製造它的工程師聲稱，在疫病大流行期間它也可能具有廣泛的應用。

The "predictive touch" technology can be retrofitted to existing displays and could be used to prevent the spread of pathogens on touchscreens at supermarket check-outs, ATMs and ticket terminals at railway stations.

這種「預測觸摸」技術可以改裝到現有的螢幕上，並可以用於防止病原體在超市結帳處、自動提款機和火車站的售票機上的觸控螢幕上傳播。

The technology works by predicting where a user intends to touch the screen as they begin the hand movement towards the screen. A combination of AI and sensors determine the user’s intent in real time by also tracking contextual information like the user’s profile, environmental conditions and an eye-gaze tracker.

該技術是透過預測用戶的手開始朝螢幕移動時他們打算在哪裡觸摸螢幕來運作。AI和感測器的結合，還可以透過追蹤來龍去脈的訊息，像是用戶的個人資料、環境條件和視線追蹤器等，即時判定用戶的意圖。

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1392127 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1394556

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.932: About Germany - Big cats’ droppings help German circus weather coronavirus crisis

 

One creature’s droppings can be another’s treasure, as Germany’s Krone Circus is finding out during the new coronavirus pandemic.

一個生物的糞便，可能是另一個生物的寶藏，正如德國王冠馬戲團在新型冠狀病毒大流行期間所發現。

Home to 26 lions and tigers, the circus has found an unusual side income and raised money despite coronavirus-related restrictions：selling jars of big cats’ droppings.

儘管受到冠狀病毒相關的限制，這個養了26隻獅子和老虎的馬戲團發現了一種不尋常的外快並攢了錢：販售裝有大貓糞便的瓶罐。

Customers have told lion tamer Martin Lacey they swear by the stuff.

顧客告訴馴獅人馬丁．拉西，他們相信這玩意兒有用。

"I am told it keeps cats away from the garden, and since then we have learned that also it keeps the animals away from the car, where they eat all the electric cables," Lacey said.

拉西說，「我聽說這讓貓遠離花園，從此我們知道，它也能讓這些動物遠離車輛，牠們之前把裡頭所有電纜都吃掉。」

The jars sell for 5 euros each, with some of the money going towards a charity to improve the living conditions of captive animals.

每罐賣5歐元，有些錢用在慈善機構，以改善圈養動物的生活條件。

And if you don’t have a garden pest problem but find your neighbours pesky? – "Put some in the garden, and the neighbours will go away," Lacey chuckles.

而若你沒有花園動物蟲害問題，但覺得你的鄰居很討厭？—拉西竊笑表示，「放一點在花園裡，然後那些鄰居就會走開。」

 

Next Article

 

Berlin brothels reopen after lockdown, but no sex allowed 柏林妓院歷經封鎖後恢復營業，但是不准性愛

Berlin’s brothels were allowed to reopen last week after months of closure due to coronavirus restrictions － but full-on sex is still off-limits.

柏林妓院因為新冠病毒防疫限制而關閉數月後，上週獲准恢復營業，但是仍然禁止全套性服務。

Instead, clients looking for sexual healing in the German capital will have to make do with erotic massages until regulations are further relaxed in September.

顧客想在這座德國首都找性愛療癒，將得先將就情趣按摩，直到9月防疫規定進一步放寬為止。

At the brothel where longtime sex worker Jana plies her trade, beds have been made, animal-print pillows fluffed and fresh flowers placed in vases.

資深性工作者雅納工作的妓院，床舖準備好了，印著動物圖紋的枕頭蓬鬆柔軟，花瓶裡也插上了鮮花。

But Jana, 49, is looking forward to next month when she can offer the full service again.

但是49歲的雅納在期待下個月恢復提供全套服務。

Sex work had been banned in Berlin since mid-March as part of efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus.

柏林自3月中起禁止性工作業，做為控制新冠病毒蔓延的一部分措施。

 

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1394745 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1395609

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.931: Kamala Harris unveils meaning, story behind Chinese name

 

美國民主黨總統候選人拜登日前公布副手名單，將由卡瑪拉‧哈里斯擔任要職，此舉也讓她成為美國史上首位非亞裔女性副總統候選人。事實上，這位副總統候選人有一個中文名字—賀錦麗。身為台灣人，你可能會些驚訝，為什麼她有中文名字呢？

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden made history by selecting Kamala Harris as his running mate, making her the first black woman with Asian ethnicity to be nominated as a vice presidential candidate. When Biden’s campaign first announced the news, many Taiwanese were quite surprised to find out that, in fact, Kamala Harris has a Chinese name — He Chin-li (賀錦麗).

哈里斯會有中文名字主要是因為根據美國聯邦選舉法案，當選區內一定比例的選民為非英文母語人士，不論華裔或非華裔，競選公職人員的候選人需提供他國語言的競選資料，其中包括競選人的名字皆需有相對應的翻譯。

The main reason behind Harris’ Chinese name is due to the federal Voting Rights Act which dictates that every candidate in San Francisco running for political office, no matter the race, has to register a Chinese name. This is required when a significant percentage of voting-age citizens speak limited English.

然而，賀錦麗的名字究竟是誰取的呢？舊金山婦女委員蘇榮麗和賀錦麗是多年好友，當時賀錦麗向她談到爭取華裔選票的策略時，她建議賀錦麗取一個讓華裔選民更容易記得的正統中文名。賀錦麗非常喜歡這個想法，便請蘇榮麗和蘇已故的僑領父親蘇錫芬幫忙。

As many noticed that Harris’ Chinese name was not a direct translation of her English name, many wondered who helped picked her name. According to local media, Su Jung-li, a Taiwanese-American who has been friends with Harris for several years was the mastermind behind her name. When Harris first came to Su for advice on how to win the votes of the Chinese-dominated population, Su suggested that having a Chinese name might be helpful for securing Chinese-speaking votes. Harris loved this idea and asked Su and her father for help.

蘇榮麗說，賀即是「祝賀」之意，祝福賀錦麗仕途順遂。蘇榮麗也表示，當年賀錦麗最不喜歡「麗」，因為她希望她能以智慧取勝，而不是單靠美貌。不過，經過蘇榮麗仔細解釋華人取名傳統以及自己的名字也含有「麗」字，她便接受了。後來，每當賀錦麗到華人社區拜票時，必定會用賀錦麗介紹自己。

According to reports, Su said the last name “He” (賀) implies “congratulations”, and wished Harris a bright future in the public service. In addition, Su revealed that Harris initially disliked the word “Li” (麗), meaning “beauty” in Chinese as she wanted to be known for her intelligence rather than her looks. However, Harris soon came to appreciate her name after Su pointed out that her name also had the same Chinese character and explained more of the traditions and history behind the word.

談及自己的好友，蘇榮麗表示：「我相信賀錦麗將可團結全美不同族裔文化的人民。」同時，她也表示雖然自己並非百分百支持賀錦麗的每項政見，但卻深信賀錦麗有團結大家的能力。

When speaking of her good friend, Su stated that though she doesn’t necessarily support every item on Harris’ policy proposal, she firmly believes Harris has the ability to unite people of all races.

Source article: https://chinapost.nownews.com/20200813-1685720

 

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