通勤學英語 15Mins Today

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Summary:

During the COVID-19 outbreak, Malaysia enforced what is called “MCO” – Movement Control Order which only allows the “head” of the family to leave the house to purchase necessities. What went viral on social media was the men who were considered the head of household at the supermarket being clueless in their mission to shop for groceries, and also supermarkets creating guides to help these men to buy the right groceries.

Next article is about the endangered elephants in Malaysia being killed, not by poachers for their tusks, but poisoned so that they would not destroy the palm plantation.

原討論文章: https://www.15mins.today/blog/ep-834-about-malaysia-malaysia-supermarket-creates-grocery-shopping

Vocabulary:

Clueless adj. – having no knowledge, understanding or ability.

The clueless men shopped for hours in the supermarket, trying to find the groceries they need at home.

One should always write down a shopping list before visiting the supermarket cluelessly(adv.).

Necessities n. – something that is indispensable (can’t do without)

Grocery shopping is all about shopping for your daily necessities.

Your daily necessities include tooth brush, detergents, food and drinks.

Plantation n. – area where trees are planted /crops cultivated by resident labor

My mother grew up near rice paddies and bamboo plantations.

Plantations of any sort would require a large piece of flat land.

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.878: About books -JK Rowling to publish fairy tale free for locked-down children JK

The creator of the "Harry Potter" books JK Rowling said on Tuesday she would release a free online serialisation of a bed-time story she wrote for her children 10 years ago.

哈利波特系列著作的作者JK羅琳週二表示，她將在網路上免費釋出10年前寫給孩子的床邊故事集。

Rowling said she decided to pull "The Ickabog" story "down from the attic" and publish it for children forced to stay at home during the coronavirus lockdown.

羅琳表示，她決定把《The Ickabog》從閣樓裡拉出來，出版給因為武漢肺炎封鎖令，被迫待在家裡的孩子們。

She would post the first two chapters on a dedicated website on Tuesday, with 34 further instalments released each weekday until July 10.

她會在週二將前2章放在專屬網站上，其他34章會在7月10日前每週刊出。

"The Ickabog" is unrelated to any of Rowling’s other previous works, though she noted it was penned "in fits and starts" between her "Harry Potter" books.

《The Ickabog》與羅琳以前的其他作品沒有關聯，儘管這部作品是在出版《哈利波特》期間開始動筆的。

She then intends to publish the story in English in November and other languages later on. All royalties will be given to projects assisting groups particularly affected by the pandemic.

她打算在今年11月以英文與其他語言出版這部故事。所有版稅都會捐給援助團體的計畫，尤其是受武漢肺炎大流行影響的團體。

Next Article

Book sales soar as French lockdown eases 法國逐步解封 圖書銷量飆升

Book sales in France have soared since the country began to ease its lockdown, rocketing more than 230 percent in a week, a survey showed Monday.

一項調查週一指出，自從法國開始放寬封鎖令，境內圖書銷量也飆升，在一週內激增逾230％。

A study for the trade weekly Livres Hebdo found that from May 11 to 17 bookshops did a roaring trade, with readers desperate to stock up while public libraries remained shut.

根據貿易週刊「圖書週刊」（ Livres Hebdo）所做的調查，5月11日至17日書店銷量大增，因為讀者在公共圖書館仍持續關閉的情況下，拚命購買書籍囤積。

Many French bookshops had partially reopened in the last weeks of the country’s strict eight-week confinement for takeaway or click and collect sales.

在為期8週嚴格居家令的最後幾週，法國許多書店已局部重新開放，提供外帶或線上預定、再到店取貨的服務。

Even so, overall, sales were 60 percent down compared the corresponding period in 2019.

即使如此，總體而言，銷售額還是比2019年同期下降60％。

Despite the proliferation of online reading groups during the lockdown, the French publishing industry has been badly hit, with publishers claiming that revenues have dropped by 80 percent.

儘管在疫情封鎖期間電子書讀書會激增，但法國出版業仍受到嚴重衝擊。出版商聲稱，這段時間的營收下降80％。

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1378546 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1378293

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.878: Study Sees ‘Cliff Edge’ Of Die-Offs Over Climate

Climate change could result in a more abrupt collapse of many animal species than previously thought, starting in the next decade if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced, according to a study published last month in Nature.

根據發表在四月號「自然」期刊的一項研究結果，如果溫室氣體排放沒有減少，從下一個十年開始，氣候變遷可能使許多動物物種比先前以為的更驟然消亡。

The study predicted that large swaths of ecosystems would falter in waves, creating sudden die-offs that would be catastrophic not only for wildlife but also for the humans who depend on it.

這項研究預測，大面積的生態系統可能在這波浪潮中衰敗，造成驟然出現的接連死亡，不只對野生動物而言是個大災難，對賴以生存的人類亦復如此。

“For a long time things can seem OK, and then suddenly they're not,” said Alex L. Pigot, a scientist at University College London and one of the study's authors. “Then, it's too late to do anything about it because you've already fallen over this cliff edge.”

「在很長的時間一切看來都好，接著突然就不行了。」倫敦大學學院科學家，這項研究報告作者之一的艾力克斯．皮卓說。「然後，做任何事都太遲了，因為你已經從懸崖邊緣跌落。」

The latest research adds to an already bleak picture for the world's wildlife unless urgent action is taken to preserve habitats and limit climate change. More than 1 million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction because of the myriad ways humans are changing the Earth by farming, fishing, logging, mining, poaching and burning fossil fuels.

人們原已明瞭，除非採取緊急行動以保留其棲息地並限制氣候變遷，世上野生動物前景淒涼，這項最新研究為這景象又添上了一筆。超過100萬種植物和動物有滅絕的風險，因為人類正以各種方式改變地球，像是農墾、魚撈、伐木、採礦、盜獵及焚燒化石燃料。

The study looked at more than 30,000 species on land and in water to predict how soon climate change would affect population levels and whether those levels would change gradually or suddenly. To answer these questions, the authors determined the hottest temperature that a species is known to have withstood and then predicted when that temperature would be surpassed around the world under different emissions scenarios.

這項研究檢視超過三萬種陸地和水中生物，以預測氣候變遷多快會影響種群數層級，以及這些層級會逐漸改變或是突然改變。為回答這些問題，作者們找出了一個物種已知可承受的最高溫度，接著預測在不同排放情況下，世界各地何時會超過這個溫度上限。

When they examined the projections, the researchers were surprised that sudden collapses appeared across almost all species — fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals — and across almost all regions.

研究人員檢視這些預測時，驚訝地發現，幾乎所有物種和所有地區都出現突然的族群崩解，包括魚類、爬蟲類、兩棲類、鳥類及哺乳動物。

If greenhouse gas emissions remain on current trajectories, the research showed that abrupt collapses in tropical oceans could begin in the next decade. Coral bleaching events over the last several years suggest that these losses have already started, the scientists said. Collapse in tropical forests, home to some of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, could follow by the 2040s.

如果溫室氣體排放維持目前的曲線，研究顯示，熱帶海洋裡的動物突然消亡將在下一個十年開始。科學家說，近幾年來的珊瑚白化現象顯示，這些減損已經開始。地球一些最具多樣性的生態系統所在的熱帶森林，可能在2040年代之前繼之崩解。

But if global warming was held to below 2 degrees Celsius, the number of species exposed to dangerous climate change would drop by 60%. That, in turn, would limit the number of ecosystems exposed to catastrophic collapse to about 2%.

但是，若全球暖化能控制在攝氏兩度以下，暴露於危險氣候變遷的物種數量將減少60%。如此一來，暴露於災難性崩解的生態系數量可限制至2%左右。

The study does not take into account other factors that could help or hurt a species' survival. For example, some species may tolerate or adapt to higher temperatures; on the other hand, if their food sources could not, they would die off just the same.

這項研究並未考慮其他可幫助或傷害族群生存的因素，例如，有些物種或許可忍耐或適應更高的溫度。然而，如果牠們的食物來源無法生存，牠們也一樣會相繼死亡。 

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/353154/web/

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.876: History Recorded and Archived in Real Time

Sherri Denney was in the fourth day of quarantine in her home in Springboro, Ohio, when she thought about the toll the coronavirus was taking. She sat in her recliner chair and cried as the state’s governor checked off the number of dead and sickened, knowing there would be more the next day. Overwhelmed, Denney, 55, tried to put her feelings into words.

雪莉·丹尼在俄亥俄州斯普林伯勒市進行居家隔離的第四天，想到了新冠病毒造成的災情。她坐在躺椅上，當州長清點死亡和染病者人數時，她哭了，因為她知道第二天會有更多人死亡。55歲的丹尼悲不自勝，嘗試將感受訴諸文字。

“Wow,” she began writing on an old sketch pad, quickly realizing the precise words would not come easy. “That’s all I can say. My emotions are ranging from sadness to fear to anger.”

她開始在一個舊畫板上書寫，很快就意識到要找到精確的文字並不容易。 「哇，我能說的就只有這些。我的情緒包括悲傷、恐懼和憤怒。」

The week before, a woman in Nevada turned to her own version of journaling. Mimi J. Premo recorded a video on her cellphone, giving voice to a kind of stunned weariness so many Americans are feeling. And in Indianapolis, in an interview recorded by two university research assistants, a man who is diabetic and HIV positive talked about how the speed and unclear ways of transmission “freaks me out.”

在前一周，一位內華達州婦女米咪·普雷莫開始用自己的方式寫日記，用手機錄了一段影片，讓令許多美國人感到震驚的疲倦感有了發聲的管道。在印第安納波利斯市，兩名大學研究助理錄製的一段專訪中，一名患有糖尿病和愛滋病的男子談到，新冠傳播速度之快與方式不明「嚇壞了我」。

The three accounts, snapshots of intimate moments during the pandemic, are a response to a call from historians and archivists across the country to document this extraordinary moment in history.

這三個紀錄是疫情大流行期間私密時刻的速寫，同時也是對全國各地歷史學家和檔案工作者呼籲記錄這個歷史上不平凡時刻的回應。

Universities, archives and historical societies, ranging from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History to a tiny college radio station in Pennsylvania, are rushing to collect and curate the personal accounts of how people are experiencing this sprawling public health crisis as told in letters and journals, audio and video oral histories, and on social media.

大學、檔案館與歷史學會，從史密森國立美國歷史博物館到賓州一個小型大學的廣播電台，均爭相收集和整理個人對於人們如何經歷這場不斷蔓延的公衛危機所做的敘述，這些敘述分別見於信件與日記、影音口述歷史及社群媒體中。

They are inviting people such as Denney and Premo to share stories and material from the 2020 coronavirus and its aftermath in real time. The idea is to bridge communal history and offer a fully realized look at the outbreak that can help the public, researchers and policymakers better understand how the pandemic permeated our lives.

他們邀請像丹尼和普雷莫這樣的人即時分享2020年新冠病毒及其影響的故事和材料。這一想法是為了彌合社區歷史與全面了解疫情，幫助公眾、研究人員與決策者更了解這一全球大流行疾病如何滲透我們的生活。

Whether a somber handwritten journal or an endearing Instagram post, the contributions will offer a look at a nation attacked by a virus coast to coast. The stories document sickness and death. The profound disruption of American rhythms and rituals, evidenced by empty shelves and streets. The gnawing restlessness of sheltering in place. The ways people showed resilience and managed to still find joy.

無論是一份憂鬱的手寫日記，還是可愛的Instagram貼文，這些來件，將讓人們看到從東岸到西岸全境均遭病毒攻擊的國家的一個樣貌。這些故事記錄了病與死。空蕩蕩的貨架和街道證明了美國人的生活節奏與常軌大遭破壞。居家避疫令帶來的痛苦和不安。人們如何展現韌性並仍能設法找到快樂。

“What we as contributors record is what the future generations will remember,” said Mark Tebeau, one of the project directors of a virtual archive founded at Arizona State University.

亞利桑納州立大學建立的虛擬檔案計畫負責人之一馬克‧特伯說：「作為資料提供者，我們紀錄的是後世會記住的東西。」

The team of historians and artists launched A Journal of the Plague Year: An Archive of COVID-19 on March 13, two days after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic. The name was inspired by Daniel Defoe’s novel “A Journal of the Plague Year,” which chronicles the bubonic plague in 1665 London through the lens of one man.

在世界衛生組織宣布新冠病毒大流行兩天後的3月13日，前述由歷史學家和藝術家組成的團隊發起了《大疫年紀事：新冠病毒檔案》。這一名稱的靈感來自丹尼爾‧狄福的小說《大疫年紀事》，該書透過一個人的視角記錄了1665年倫敦的黑死病疫情。

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/353402/web/

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.875: Mask-clad music lovers trickle in as Vienna concert houses reopen

After months of lying silent because of the coronavirus pandemic, Vienna’s illustrious classical music venues are throwing open their doors — but their vast halls can now play host to only 100 audience members at a time. Those eager concert-goers have snapped up the few available tickets for the first shows to be put on since Austria’s concert houses shut their doors in March under a strict lockdown to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.

受到新冠病毒全球大流行影響，維也納顯赫的古典音樂場館已經沉寂數月，這些演奏廳近日重新敞開大門──但是寬闊的觀眾席現在一次只能容納一百名觀眾。在遏止新冠病毒傳播的嚴格封城禁令下，奧地利的演奏廳從今年三月紛紛關閉至今。為了這幾場重新登台的音樂會，熱切的樂迷很快就把為數甚少的票券搶購一空。

As the increase in infections has abated and the country eases its restrictions, venues such as Vienna’s State Opera are now allowed to reopen after hundreds of shows were canceled.

隨著新增感染人數逐漸趨緩，奧地利政府開始放寬限制。數百場演出被迫取消後，像維也納國立歌劇院這樣的場館現在獲准重新開放。

“I watched live streams, from Paris, New York, Vienna, but it’s something else when you sit in the concert hall and so I’m so happy that it’s starting again now,” said Evelyne Strobel. The 64-year-old teacher was among the lucky ones who trickled into the imposing foyer of the 1,709-seat State Opera on Monday, wearing a mask matching her pastel-colored outfit, to watch its first post-shutdown show.

伊芙琳‧史卓貝表示：「我看了網路直播，巴黎、紐約、維也納的表演都有，但是實際坐在觀眾席裡面是另一回事，所以我現在很開心看到現場演出重新開始。」這名六十四歲的教師戴著搭配粉色服裝的口罩，是週一稀稀落落走進維也納國立歌劇院的氣派門廳、欣賞後封城時代第一場演出的幸運兒之一。

Another audience member, 57-year-old Ulrike Grunenwald, drove 16 hours from France’s northeastern Alsace region to Vienna to attend the recital by Austrian operatic bass Guenther Groissboeck with her daughter. She said she was armed with a negative coronavirus test in case of any border controls.

另一名觀眾是五十七歲的烏爾麗克‧葛呂能瓦爾德，她開了十六小時的車，從法國東北部的阿爾薩斯地區來到維也納，和女兒一起參加奧地利歌劇男低音鈞特‧格萊斯博克的獨唱會。她表示，身上已準備好新冠病毒篩檢陰性的報告，以防萬一遇到邊境管制需要檢查。

State Opera Director Dominique Meyer told AFP that while it was “frustrating” to have to cap audience numbers — and of course not economically viable in the long term — the resumption of concerts was a “symbol.” “It’s important for the soul, for people’s mental health and the well-being of society,” he said, adding that tickets priced at 100 euros or less for the opera’s 14 shows in June were all snapped up within half an hour when they went on sale last week.

國立歌劇院總監多明尼克‧邁耶爾向法新社表示，儘管必須限制觀眾人數上限「讓人洩氣」──而且想必長期經濟上並不可行──音樂會重新開演仍是一個「象徵」。他指出：「這對靈魂、人們的心理健康，以及社會的幸福感都是很重要的，」並且補充表示歌劇院六月份的十四場演出，在上星期開賣後半小時內，價格一百歐元以下的票券全部銷售一空。

Meyer said he “could not hold back a little tear” when attending one of the very first classical concerts since the shutdown on Friday last week, a performance of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by the world-famous Daniel Barenboim at the city’s Musikverein. “It was extremely beautiful... and Daniel Barenboim, who conducted and played Mozart’s 27th concerto, told me that he had played this concerto a hundred times but had never heard it played so well, and I never heard a sound so beautiful,” he said.

邁耶爾表示，他上週五參加封城以來的第一場音樂會時，「感動得幾乎止不住眼淚」。當天的音樂會是由世界知名的丹尼爾‧巴倫波因，在維也納音樂協會金色大廳指揮維也納愛樂管弦樂團。他說：「實在是太美了……而且巴倫波因當天指揮兼演奏莫札特第二十七號鋼琴協奏曲，他告訴我說，他起碼演奏過這首曲子一百次，但從來沒聽過它被演奏得這麼好，我則是從來沒聽過那麼美的音色。」

Barenboim told reporters last week ahead of his performances that it was “a very important moment when the music starts again.” “For us it’s just important that we can play,” said an emotional Daniel Froschauer, first violinist and section leader of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. All orchestra members tested negative for COVID-19 last week and so played without masks. Spectators too are allowed to take off their masks once they reach their seats in the new chequerboard-like layout devised to observe social distancing rules.

巴倫波因上星期在演出前向記者表示，那是「非常重要的一個時刻，從此音樂重新開始。」維也納愛樂的第一小提琴分部首席丹尼爾．弗羅紹爾則說：「能夠演出對我們來說是一樣重要的。」樂團成員上週全數接受新冠病毒篩檢並呈現陰性，因此演奏時能夠不用戴口罩。觀眾也在抵達座位後獲准摘下口罩，新的座位安排呈現出像是西洋棋盤的設計，藉此遵守社交距離規範。

But the smaller audiences affect the sound, commentators noted. “There is a difference because each body absorbs sound, so when the room is empty, there is less absorption and therefore a little more echo,” Meyer said. Gerlinde Kraft, who attended a concert at the Austrian capital’s famous Konzerthaus on Saturday last week, told AFP that being among so few spectators “doesn’t bother me but it is very unusual.”

不過，有評論家指出，較少的觀眾會對聲音造成影響。邁耶爾指出：「差異確實存在，因為人的身體會吸收聲波，所以當場地空無一人時，吸音較少、也因此回音會稍微增強。」葛琳德‧克拉夫特上週六在奧地利首都著名的維也納音樂廳參加另一場音樂會，她向法新社表示身為非常少數觀眾的一員「並不會困擾我，但這真的很不尋常。」

Nonetheless, concert houses are looking to the future with trepidation, especially the prospect of a new wave of coronavirus infections. “For us it’s pure joy to hear the music again in the places where it belongs,” Konzerthaus director Matthias Naske told AFP. He added, however, that audience limitations were “absurd” from an economic point of view.

儘管如此，各音樂廳對於未來仍然戒慎恐懼，特別是考量到之後可能出現新的一波冠狀病毒感染。維也納音樂廳總監馬蒂亞斯‧納斯科向法新社表示：「聽到音樂在它屬於的地方再次響起，我們感到純粹的喜悅。」然而，他也補充說，從經濟的角度而言，限制觀眾人數是「荒謬」的。

From July 1, up to 250 spectators are to be allowed, and the limit will be raised again in August. A return to full concert halls — and larger-scale productions — is expected from September. The opera and other concert venues have asked the government for special support for musicians — many of whom lost their income entirely when concert halls shut down.

七月一日開始，觀眾人數可增加到兩百五十人，人數限制到八月時還會再次鬆綁。至於全場坐滿的音樂廳──以及大規模的製作──目前預期要等到九月。歌劇院和其他演奏會場館要求奧地利政府對音樂家提供特別紓困支援──畢竟在音樂廳關門期間，許多音樂家完全失去收入來源。

Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2020/06/14/2003738162

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.874: About SKorea - More ’Korean bananas’ to be harvested this year amid climate change

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

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

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

根據忠清北道農業技術中心，投資香蕉種植的人數近年來已急遽增加。

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

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

Next Article

South Korean football club fined $81,300 after filling stands with ’sex dolls’ 南韓足球隊在看台上擺放充氣娃娃後被罰款8萬1300美元

South Korean football team FC Seoul has said it has been handed a 100 million KRW（$81,300）fine after being accused of placing sex dolls in its stands to add to the atmosphere during a closed match.

南韓足球隊FC首爾隊表示，該隊在被控於看台上擺放充氣娃娃，以便在一場閉門比賽時增添氣氛後，遭罰款1億韓圜（8萬1300美元）。

FC Seoul sparked controversy on Sunday during its home match against Gwangju in South Korea’s top football championship, with the club being accused of using sex dolls to fill its stands.

FC首爾隊週日在主場出戰光州隊的南韓頂級足球聯賽中引發爭議，被控在看台上擺放充氣娃娃。

Fans criticized the club online and said it had blown the chance to show off the K League to an international audience.

球迷在網路上痛批該隊，指稱該隊讓向各國觀賽者展現南韓足球聯盟的大好良機告吹。

"FC Seoul messed it up making the league look salacious," wrote one. "It’s really ugly and dirty."

「FC首爾隊搞砸了，讓聯盟看起來很淫蕩，」一名球迷寫道。「真的又醜又髒。」

However others said the whole incident had been blown out of proportion.

但也有其他人覺得，整件事情未免小題大作。

"Those who don’t even watch football normally are turning this into a thing," wrote another fan.

「通常是那些連足球都沒在看的人才會把這個當一回事，」一名球迷寫道。

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1379287; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1379517

 

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Welcome to 15mins.today the home of English Shadowing. I'm your host Gavin and this is InTense Episode 50. Well guys, we're still looking at pronouns and today, we are looking at relative pronouns and what they do is, they begin what is called a subordinate clause. Don't worry about that, there are only five of them right, that, which, who, whom, those.

So, those are the ones so you'll notice that that could also have been demonstrative pronouns, but you have to look at the sentence to see if it's not. Don't worry about it, for the most part I would not worry about what these things are in particular. I mean great if you know the difference between a relative pronoun and a demonstrative one as long as you could recognize it as a pronoun that's all you need to do, if you have to do that I'm pretty sure. So, let's look at some examples of these and again don't worry about it too much. Just try and recognize the pronouns.

 

Did he say that he was hungry? Yes, he said that he was hungry.

Did he say that he was hungry? No, he did not say that he was hungry.

 

Is that the dog which bit you? Yes, that is the dog which bit me.

Is that the dog which bit you? No, that is not the dog which bit me.

 

Is that the girl whom you spoke of? Yes, that is the girl whom I spoke of.

Is that the girl whom you spoke of? No, that is not the girl whom I spoke of.

 

Is that the boy whose phone rang? Yes, that is the boy whose phone rang.

Is that the boy whose phone rang? No, that is not the boy whose phone rang.

 

Is the person who ate the cake in trouble? Yes, the person who ate the cake is in trouble.

Is the person who ate the cake in trouble? No, the person who ate the cake is not in trouble.

 

Is that the man of whom you spoke? Yes, that is the man of whom I spoke.

Is that of the man of whom you spoke? No, that is not the man of whom I spoke.

 

Is that the ball which was inflated? Yes, that is the ball which was inflated.

Is that the ball which was inflated? No, that is not the ball which was inflated.

 

Is that the boy who cried wolf? Yes, that is the boy who cried wolf.

Is that the boy who cried wolf? No, that is not the boy who cried wolf.

 

Did the man who cheated you apologize? Yes, the man who cheated me apologized.

Did the man who cheated you apologize? No, the man who cheated me did not apologize.

 

Well there you go guys! I can honestly tell you, I struggled very hard with this one. Again, what I had to do, I had to go on Google. What I did find? That on Google they actually showed some other ones that they called the same as relative pronouns, but in my grammar book, or the grammar book that I'm busy using for this, they say they only have five. So, it's quite confusing again, sometimes you get things that some people agree with and some don't. I recently had compound nouns, I remember those and I remember I thought baseball was not a compound noun and then I found out it was a compound noun, but strangely if you search that on Google most people say it's a compound noun, but there were a few who said it wasn't.

So, yeah it’s not always good fast or easy, but the bottom line is you know that these are pronouns. Now so as long as you recognize it as a pronoun, what it is reflexive, relative ,whatever it's okay. It doesn't matter as long as you know what part of speech it is and these are not nouns per se, they are pronouns. Ok, so keep practicing and I'll catch you in the next one, bye!

 

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Summary:

This article discusses how cultural changes in the US have caused that parents are more in favor of having girls because of a bias in society against males.

Vocabulary and Sample Sentence:

Preference n. > more desire / interest for one choice compared to another

Do Asian cultures still have a preference for males?

Do you have a preference for drip coffee?

Equity n. > situation where all are treated equally

Is there equity in the workplace?

Does equity guarantee success? 

Bias n.> a feeling towards a choice not based on a fair judgement

Is there a bias towards Apple in the world?

Do you have a bias for black clothes?

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.873: Outrage Could Endanger the Economy

美國經濟處於自由落體狀態，數千萬人失業，無數企業面臨倒閉的危險。美國國會已撥出近3兆美元來遏制這場危機，但咸信這麼做還不夠。

Yet with stunning speed, the political conversation has pivoted from whatever-it-takes determination toward a different feeling: outrage.

然而，政治對話已以驚人速度從不惜一切的決心，轉向一種不同的感覺：憤怒。

Increasingly, lawmakers, media coverage and ordinary voters are focused not on preventing a potential depression, but on litigating which recipients of federal rescue are morally worthy and which are not.

愈來愈多國會議員、媒體報導與選民不再把關注重點置於防止潛在的經濟蕭條，而是置於爭論收受聯邦救助的對象在道德上哪些站得住腳，哪些則否。

For many on the political left, that has expressed itself as outrage at big corporations taking advantage of government rescues or cheap credit supplied by the Federal Reserve. On the right, it has included anger at federal government support for state and local governments, and at expanded unemployment insurance benefits supporting the jobless. For the news media, it has meant articles about rescue money going to arguably unworthy organizations like prep schools and steakhouse chains.

對許多左派人士來說，這自行表達了對大企業利用政府救助或聯準會所提供廉價貸款的憤怒。在右派方面，這包括了對聯邦政府支持州與地方政府，以及對擴大失業保險福利以支持失業者的憤怒。對新聞媒體來說，這意味著針對救助資金流向預備學校跟連鎖牛排館等顯然不適格組織所做報導。

In effect, a scramble is underway to define who counts as deserving of a piece of the multi-trillion dollar federal rescues. The risk is that this fuels a sense of scarcity, of zero-sum jockeying. It has the potential to limit the government’s response and suspend help to affected individuals, businesses and governments before the crisis is anywhere close to ending.

實際上，一場爭奪戰已然展開，以界定誰才夠資格從這數兆美元聯邦救助金中分得一杯羹。風險在於，這助長了稀缺感，即零和的競爭。在危機尚不知何時方能結束以際，這可能會限制政府的反應，並中斷對受影響個人、企業與政府的援助。

“My conservative friends don’t think states and cities deserve help,” said Tony Fratto, who worked in the George W. Bush White House and is now a partner at Hamilton Place Strategies. “My progressive friends think certain businesses don’t deserve help. And my libertarian friends don’t want anyone to get help.”

曾在小布希總統任內於白宮工作、現為漢密爾頓地方策略公司合夥人的法拉托說：「保守派朋友認為州跟城市不值得幫助。進步派朋友認為某些企業不值得幫助。自由派朋友則不希望任何人獲得幫助。」

“These are the seeds of long, slow, painful recoveries,” he said.

他說道：「這些都是讓復甦漫長、緩慢且痛苦的種子。」

In particular, there is an emerging tendency to apply a lens that made more sense in the 2008 global financial crisis and its aftermath: the idea of “moral hazard.” Economists use the term to refer to the bad incentives that are created when people or companies know they will be rescued from their mistakes.

尤其是現在出現一種新趨勢，即採用一種用於2008年全球金融危機及餘波時期更為合理的觀點：「道德風險」的概念。經濟學家使用該術語來指在人們或公司知道他們犯了錯卻能獲得救援的情形下，祭出的不良激勵措施。

In the last crisis, conservatives complained about mortgage relief for home buyers who had borrowed more than they could afford.

在上次危機中，保守派不滿超過自身承受能力貸款購房者獲得房貸減免。

The bank bailouts of that era involved huge moral hazard problems, in that the very financial institutions that had fueled a mortgage bubble were being protected from its full consequences.

那時對銀行的紓困涉及巨大的道德風險問題，因為獲得保護，使其免於承擔全部後果的金融機構，正是那些助長抵押貸款泡沫的禍首。

But arguments that similar concerns should apply in the COVID-19 crisis are less persuasive.

可是，類似顧慮也應適用於2019新型冠狀病毒疫情危機的論點，則較不具說服力。

But that crucial difference — that corporations are victims of the coronavirus, not the cause of it — is ignored by an emerging thread of commentary.

然而，企業是新冠疫情的受害者，而非造成疫情的原因這一關鍵差異，卻被一系列新興評論所忽視。

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/353154/web/

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.872: Steep fall in emissions during coronavirus is no cause for celebration

The sudden sharp fall in greenhouse gas emissions recorded in the early part of this year may seem like an environmental blessing, a breathing space as the world fights climate breakdown. Skies clear of aircrafts and streets free of cars have encouraged the return of nature and brought visions of a cleaner world.

今年前幾個月記錄到溫室氣體排放量急遽下降，乍看是環境的福氣，讓世界各國在對抗氣候崩壞之餘獲得喘息的空間。不再有飛機經過的天空、沒有車輛的街道，這些變化促進自然界恢復，同時帶來世界更乾淨的願景。

Carbon dioxide emissions had fallen by 17 percent on average by early April, according to a definitive study published in Nature Climate Change on May 19, as a result of the lockdown measures put in place around the world to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

五月十九日刊登於《自然氣候變遷》的一篇決定性研究顯示，世界各國為了對抗武漢肺炎全球大流行，紛紛採取封城措施，導致四月上旬二氧化碳排放量平均降低百分之十七。

In fact, the unprecedented decline is “nothing to celebrate,” according to leading experts. It will be temporary and will make little difference to the world’s ability to meet the goals of the Paris agreement and stave off catastrophic levels of global heating. The causes of the steep fall, the economic convulsions and the possibility of lasting economic damage also mean urgent work must be done to repair the economy.

事實上，專家指出，這次史無前例的碳排放量下降「並不是值得慶賀的事」。它只是暫時性的，而且對於世界達成巴黎氣候協定目標、並且暫時阻止災難性全球熱化程度的能力，都不會造成太大的影響。導致碳排放量急遽下滑的原因、經濟的劇烈震盪，以及經濟重創恐將持續多年的可能性，意味著各國政府必須採取緊急措施以修復經濟。

“This decline in emissions, the biggest in history, is the result of economic trauma,” said Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, whose own analysis backs up the Nature paper in showing that this is the biggest drop in carbon in history. “It is nothing to celebrate. It is not the result of policy. This decline will be easily erased if the right policy measures are not put in place." 

國際能源總署執行董事法提赫·比羅爾表示：「這次史上規模最大的碳排放下滑，是經濟受到重創的結果。」比羅爾自己的分析也為發表於《自然》子期刊的該篇研究背書，顯示這次碳排放量減少確實是史上最大降幅。不過，他指出：「這不是一件值得慶祝的事。它並不是政策的成果。如果正確的政策措施沒有到位，這次碳排放減少的成果很容易就會遭到抹滅。」

Dave Reay, a professor of carbon management at Edinburgh University, called the paper “sobering stuff” as it revealed that the massive changes made to cope with the pandemic would have only a minor effect on emissions, and the climate. “All those billions of lockdown sacrifices and privations have made just a small and likely transient dent in global greenhouse gas emissions. COVID-19 is no help on climate change — it is a devastating scourge.”

愛丁堡大學的碳管理教授戴夫‧瑞稱這篇論文「足以讓人警醒」，因為它揭露人類對抗全球疫情大流行做出的大規模改變，對於碳排放與氣候的影響非常小。他指出：「數十億人口在封城中做出的犧牲，忍受資源貧乏的生活，對於全球溫室氣體排放只造成規模很小、而且可能相當短暫的影響。新冠肺炎對於氣候變遷沒有幫助──這是一場毀滅性的災禍。」

“None of this is good news for anyone,” added Joeri Rogelj, a lecturer in climate change at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London. “It is the symptom of a massive economic disruption caused by the pandemic and the measures to contain it. For the climate, this month-long wake in otherwise record-high emissions is entirely insignificant.”

倫敦帝國學院格蘭瑟姆研究所的氣候變遷講師喬爾利‧羅傑利補充表示：「這些新聞對任何人來說都不是好消息。」他解釋說：「（碳排放量降低）只是這場大規模經濟破壞的症狀，歸因於新冠肺炎全球大流行以及為防堵疫情採取的多項措施。對氣候而言，這一個月的醒悟，在其他時候屢屢創下紀錄新高的碳排放量中，顯得無足輕重。」

What is to come might be worse still, he warned, if governments around the world seek to kickstart the global economy out of its pandemic recession by pouring public money into projects that prop up existing industries and increase our dependence on fossil fuels. For instance, sectors including aviation, car manufacturing and fossil fuel production have been hard hit by the lockdowns, and many companies are hoping for bailouts using public money.

羅傑利警告，如果各國政府為了強力推動全球經濟，脫離疫情造成的衰退，因而把人民的納稅錢大量投入振興計畫，用來支持現有的產業，並且增加我們對化石燃料的依賴，那樣接下來的情況只會更糟。舉例而言，航空、汽車製造、以及化石燃料生產等產業都因為封城遭受巨大打擊，許多公司現在都在殷殷期盼來自稅金的紓困方案。

“Massive economic stimulus measures are now being announced and there is a high risk that short-sightedness will lead governments to lose track of the bigger picture by putting their money towards highly polluting sectors that have no place in a zero-pollution and zero-carbon society,” said Rogelj.

羅傑利指出：「現在各國政府開始公布巨型經濟刺激措施，在此同時，短視近利的風險也很高，這會導致政府失去對大局的掌握，將預算投入不受零污染和零碳社會歡迎的高污染產業。」

Campaigners said the world must make the right choices on how to rebuild after the pandemic. They have called, along with leading economists, for a green recovery that would concentrate any stimulus cash on projects that cut greenhouse gas emissions and other forms of pollution, as well as generating jobs and increasing prosperity.

環團人士表示，世界各國在研擬疫後重建時，必須做出正確的選擇。他們和多位重要經濟學者要求政府提出重視環保的復甦方案，將振興經濟的現金流集中在減少溫室氣體排放或其他污染型態的計畫，同時藉此創造就業機會，促進社會繁榮。

“When we move forward from this terrible situation, we have to make sure we hold on to the gains we’ve made in better air quality, lower carbon emissions and simple things like hearing birdsong,” said Jenny Bates, a campaigner at Friends of the Earth. “Councils should start by permanently changing how road space is used, allocating more to encourage walking and cycling, and making public transport work for everyone. Now is the time to scrap plans to expand airports and introduce a levy on the most frequent flyers.”

非政府組織「地球之友」的環保人士珍妮‧貝茨表示：「當我們逐漸走出這個可怕情況的同時，也要確保我們能守住努力的成果，包括較好的空氣品質、較低的碳排放量以及一些生活中的簡單事物，像是聽得見鳥鳴聲。」她建議：「議會開議時，應該從永久改變道路空間使用方式開始討論，把更多空間分給行人和自行車騎士，鼓勵無碳運輸，同時真正普及大眾運輸。現在，是時候中止各種擴建機場的計畫，並且對最頻繁搭乘飛機的乘客課稅。」

Governments facing such choices have a clear blueprint on how to ensure the recovery is green and sustainable, said Paul Morozzo, a senior climate campaigner at Greenpeace UK. “We know how to do it. We have to rebuild our cities around walking, cycling and public transport. We’ve got to create hundreds of thousands of jobs upscaling renewable energy and insulating people’s homes. Let’s learn from this tragedy, build back better and not make the mistake of ignoring the next crisis [of climate breakdown] heading our way.”

英國綠色和平組織的資深氣候倡議者保羅‧莫羅佐表示，目前正在面對這些選擇的政府，對於如何確保經濟復甦兼顧環保與永續發展，有著清楚的藍圖。他說：「我們知道該怎麼做。我們必須以步行、自行車、大眾運輸等作為重心，進行城市重建。我們也必須創造出數十萬個工作，協助再生能源升級、或是對一般民眾房屋進行隔熱絕緣工程。讓我們從這場悲劇中學到經驗，重建出更好的城市，不要犯下錯誤，忽略下一個朝我們迎面而來的（氣候崩壞）危機。」

Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2020/05/31/2003737322

 

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