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每日英語跟讀 Ep.871: Europe and COVID-19: Time for true solidarity

In 1790, following the American war of independence, Alexander Hamilton proposed that federal government should take on the huge debts incurred during the struggle by individual states. It had long been Hamilton’s view that this move would be a key moment in the forging of a true United States of America. “A national debt,” he had written, “if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing. It will be a powerful cement of our union.”

美國獨立戰爭結束後，亞歷山大‧漢彌爾頓〔美國憲法起草人之一、第一任財政部長、美國金融體系奠基者〕在一七○九年提出，聯邦政府應承擔各州在互相爭戰期間所欠下的巨額債務。漢彌爾頓長久以來認為，此舉會是打造真正的美利堅合眾國之關鍵時刻。他寫道：「國家的債務——只要不是過於龐大——對我們來說將是國家之福。這會是把我們團結起來的強大力量」。

Until now, this kind of thinking has never gained a foothold in the European Union. Despite periodic calls for deeper fiscal union, richer EU states have balked at the notion of pooling debt with weaker neighbors. After the crash of 2008, when Greece hovered on the edge of bankruptcy and a sovereign debt crisis threatened to engulf Italy, the EU went no further than the provision of emergency loans and cheap credit. The bailout money came with painful strings attached, as countries were obliged to launch deeply resented austerity programs in order to manage their growing debt mountain. The alternative — writing off debts in Hamiltonian fashion — was dismissed out of hand by Germany’s finance minister at the time, Wolfgang Schauble.

這種思維之前在歐盟從未有立足之地。雖然每隔一段時間就有聲音呼籲歐盟建立更深層次的財政聯盟，但歐盟中較富裕的國家卻不甘願與較弱的歐盟成員國共同分擔債務。二??八年金融危機發生後，希臘在破產邊緣徘徊，義大利深陷主權債務危機，但歐盟除了提供緊急貸款與低息信貸之外，並沒有其他作為。紓困金有令人痛苦的附加條件，讓接受紓困的國家為處理不斷增加的龐大債務，不得不實施撙節政策，而招致了深深的民怨。當時還有另一種解決方案，也就是漢彌爾頓式地把債務勾銷，但這卻立刻被時任德國財政部長的沃夫岡‧蕭伯樂擋下了。

That was then. On May 18, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron presented plans for a 500 billion-euro (approximately US$556 billion) EU recovery fund, which would distribute non-refundable grants (rather than loans) to the countries that have suffered most during the coronavirus pandemic. Crucially, the money would be borrowed by the European Commission (EC) on behalf of all member states, and sit within the EU budget to be agreed for 2021-27.

此一時彼一時。五月十八日，德國總理安格拉‧梅克爾與法總統艾曼紐‧馬克宏提出了一項五千億歐元的歐盟復甦基金計畫，將提供贈款（而非貸款）給在冠狀病毒疫情中受創最劇之國家，且日後不須歸還。關鍵的是，這筆錢將由歐盟執委會代表所有成員國借入，編列在歐盟二○二一至二七年之預算中。

This paved the way for EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who on May 27 unveiled a 750 billion-euro fund, dubbed Next Generation EU, which will be mostly made up of grants and tied to the common budget of the EU’s 27 member nations.

這為歐盟執委會主席烏蘇拉‧馮德萊恩鋪平了道路，五月二十七日，她便推出了七千五百億歐元（約二十五兆台幣）、名為「下一代歐盟」的基金計畫，主要為贈款，將由歐盟二十七個成員國共同編列預算。

This could be a watershed moment. Since the adoption of the euro, there has been fierce argument over whether a common currency should entail at least some degree of common debt. The countries of the prosperous north, led by Germany, have resisted such talk. Governments have been wary of seeing their borrowing costs rise and conscious that such a move would be domestically unpopular. But COVID-19 is challenging old taboos.

這或許會是歷史性的分水嶺。自從採用歐元以來，對於使用共同貨幣的同時，是否也需承擔至少一定程度的共同債務，一直有激烈的爭論。以德國為首之較富裕的北方國家拒絕了這種論調。政府一直深怕借貸所要付出的利息成本上升，也曉得這會讓他們在國內的支持度下降。但是，武漢肺炎正在挑戰舊的禁忌。

Deprived of tourism revenue and facing the sharpest economic downturn in modern times, southern Europe fears a regional meltdown. Loan packages already agreed via the European Stability Mechanism, while welcome, will contribute to unprecedented levels of sovereign debt. In these dire circumstances, both Macron and Merkel have recognized that unless the burden of reconstruction is seen to be genuinely shared, there will be existential implications for the future of the EU.

南歐國家因疫情而失去了旅遊業收入，並面臨現代最嚴重的經濟衰退，因此南歐地區恐怕會崩潰。已透過歐洲穩定機制商定的貸款計畫雖受到歡迎，但這將會讓主權債務高到前所未見的地步。在此嚴峻形勢下，馬克宏與梅克爾都認識到，除非重建的重擔真正被分攤，否則歐盟未來的存續將受到影響。

On May 18, Merkel said the devastation wrought by the pandemic was of a magnitude such that it could “endanger the European Union’s cohesion.” Macron has suggested the “European idea” itself will be in danger, unless there is a step-change in solidarity between the stronger and weaker eurozone states. They are both right.

梅克爾五月十八日表示，這場疫情所造成的破壞如此之大，而到了可能「危及歐盟凝聚力」的地步。馬克宏則暗示，除非歐元區實力較強國家與較弱國家之間的關係有所變革而團結起來，否則「歐洲」這個概念本身將岌岌可危。他們都說得很對。

The negotiations that begin on May 27 will not be easy. On May 23, the first signs of organized opposition to the Franco-German proposals emerged, led by the so-called “frugal four” of the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Austria. Eastern European countries, which have had far lower infection and death rates during the pandemic, have also balked at the idea of a jointly financed recovery fund. It is vital that the substance of the Merkel-Macron plan survives intact. Hamilton was right in thinking that debt assumption by Washington would consolidate the status of the emerging United States. The EU needs to act in the same spirit in these similarly dramatic times.

五月二十七日起開始進行的談判不會是件容易的事。對法德提案的有組織的反對，在五月二十三日便已初見，這是由荷蘭、丹麥、瑞典和奧地利這所謂「節儉四國」所提出。在武漢肺炎疫情中感染率及死亡率低得多的東歐國家，也不情願共同資助復甦基金。讓梅克爾—馬克宏之倡議保留其實質，是至關重要的。漢彌爾頓認為讓華府承擔債務將鞏固當時正在興起的美國，他是對的。在這些同樣充滿戲劇轉折的時代，歐盟也需要秉持這樣的精神來行動。

Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2020/06/02/2003737424

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.870: About odd news -Drink like a Mexican kingpin：’El Chapo’ beer launched by daughter

Have a cold one, have an “El Chapo” beer. That’s the message of Alejandrina Guzman, whose company has developed a craft beer dedicated to her infamous, incarcerated kingpin father Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

清涼一下，來個「矮子」啤酒。那是阿萊杭德里納．古茲曼的信息，她的公司開發了一款精釀啤酒，獻給她那聲名狼藉被關的毒梟老爸喬奎因．「矮子」．古茲曼。

The beer is part of the “El Chapo 701” brand, which has already launched a clothing line, and gets its name from when Forbes named him the 701st richest person in the world in 2009.

這支啤酒是「矮子701」品牌的一部分，這個品牌已開發一個服裝生產線，這個品牌名來自於《富比世》在2009年稱他為全球最富有人士第701名。

“This is an artisanal beer, with 4% alcohol. This prototype is a lager, and it’s made up of malt, rice and honey so it’s good,” said Adriana Ituarte, a salesperson for the brand. “And the idea is for it to be sold at bars that stock craft beer.”

「這是一款手工啤酒，酒精濃度4%。原型是拉格啤酒，由麥芽、米和蜂蜜製成，所以它很棒」，該品牌一位銷售員阿德里亞娜．伊圖阿特說。「而且打算讓它在供應精釀啤酒的酒吧銷售。」

A 355 ml bottle is due to be priced at 70.10 pesos.

一瓶355毫升的價格預計訂在70.1披索。

“El Chapo”, who shipped narcotics around the world and escaped two maximum security prisons before his final capture, was extradited to the United States in 2017 and found guilty in a U.S. court last year on a host of drug trafficking charges.

在全世界運送毒品且在最終落網前曾逃脫兩座安全等級最高監獄的「矮子」，2017年被引渡到美國，去年在美國法院因走私大量毒品指控被判有罪。

He was sentenced to life in prison.

他被判處終生監禁。

 

Next Article

 

Hong Kong shop offers ’tear gas’ flavor ice cream 香港商家推出「催淚彈」口味冰淇淋

Tear gas is among the new flavors at a Hong Kong ice cream shop.

催淚彈口味的冰淇淋，是香港一家冰淇淋店的新商品。

The main ingredient is black peppercorns, a reminder of the pungent, peppery rounds fired by police on the streets during months of demonstrations last year.

這款冰淇淋的主要食材是黑胡椒粒，能使人回想起去年好幾個月的（反送中）抗爭期間，警察在街上發射的辛辣、刺激性的催淚彈。

"It tastes like tear gas. It feels difficult to breathe at first, and it’s really pungent and irritating," said customer Anita Wong, who experienced tear gas at a protest. "It’s a flashback that reminds me of how painful I felt in the movement, and that I shouldn’t forget."

曾在示威中吞過催淚彈的客人安妮塔‧黃說：「嘗起來就像催淚彈，一開始會難以呼吸，真的很嗆辣。這讓我想起示威時感受到的痛苦，提醒我不能忘記。」

The flavor is a sign of support for the pro-democracy movement, which is seeking to regain its momentum during the coronavirus pandemic, the 31-year-old shop owner said. "We would like to make a flavor that reminds people that they still have to persist in the protest movement and don’t lose their passion," he said.

31歲的老闆說，這個口味象徵支持香港民主運動，盼敦促港人在冠狀病毒疫情下，重新找回抗爭動能，「我們希望做出一種口味，提醒人們必須在這場逆權運動中堅持下去，不要失去衝勁。」

The tear gas ice cream has been a hit. Prior to social distancing regulations over the coronavirus outbreak, 20-30 scoops were sold per day.

催淚彈冰淇淋很受歡迎，在為了防疫而實施社交距離前，一天可賣出20至30球。

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1375861 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1376286

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.869: College tests called unfair to homebound, tech-poor students

 

A group of high school students sued the College Entrance Examination Board, claiming its advanced placement tests are unfair to teens trapped at home by the coronavirus pandemic without adequate computers or Internet connections.

美國一群高中生對大學入學考試委員會提起告訴，稱委員會所舉辦的大學學分先修課程考試﹝AP測驗﹞，對因冠狀病毒疫情困在家而無足夠電腦或網路連線的青少年不公平。

The board, which offers college-level curriculum for courses and exams to high school students, and Educational Testing Services (ETS), which administers the advanced placement exams, discriminated against students without sufficient resources, those in remote locations and the disabled, according to a proposed class-action complaint filed last Tuesday in a Los Angeles federal court.

上週二向洛杉磯聯邦法院提出的訴狀寫道，為高中生提供大學程度課程與考試的大學入學考試委員會，及承辦AP測驗的美國教育測驗服務社（ETS）歧視資源不足的學生，也歧視偏遠地區學生與身障學生。

“It is unrealistic to think that all students have quiet, private spaces at home in which to test,” the students said. “Lower-income students are much more likely to face cramped housing, siblings and parents sharing the same workspace, Internet connectivity problems, noisy environments and less comfortable testing spaces.”

提出告訴的這群學生表示：「認為所有學生在家中都有安靜、獨立的空間來進行考試，是不符合實際情況的」。「低收入學生更有可能面臨住家擁擠、跟兄弟姐妹及父母共用工作空間、網路連線問題、環境嘈雜，以及較不舒適的考試空間等困境」。

The students were joined in the complaint by FairTest, an advocacy group that has been pushing colleges to drop the SAT and ACT as an admissions requirement because the standardized tests are allegedly biased against poor and minority students.

倡議組織「國家公平開放測試中心」（FairTest）也加入這些學生提出投訴，該組織已持續敦促大學取消將SAT及ACT測驗定為入學條件，因為據稱這些標準化的考試會對貧困及少數族裔學生有偏見。

Like most of higher education, standardized college exams have been upended during the pandemic. In-person SAT exams have been canceled and a number of selective schools have made the exams test optional, at least temporarily.

如同大多數高等教育之情況，標準化的大學考試在疫情肆虐期間已被打亂。考生親自出席應試的SAT測驗已被取消，一些名校也已將這些測驗改為選考（而非必考）──起碼暫時是如此。

Students take the AP exams often with the hopes of earning college credit. As many as 20 percent of students were unable to submit their responses through the testing platform in the first three days of the exam, according to the lawsuit. Others couldn’t finish their exams or log into the platform at all, although they practiced beforehand, according to the complaint.

學生參加AP測驗通常是希望能夠取得大學學分。訴訟稱，考試開始的頭三天中，有多達百分之二十的學生無法在測驗平台送出答案。投訴稱，也有人無法完成考試，或根本無法登入平台，即便已事先練習過。

The College Board said it would contest the lawsuit and expects to prevail. ETS referred a request for comment to the College Board.

大學入學考試委員會表示將對訴訟提出抗辯，且可望勝訴。ETS則表示此事要徵詢大考委員會之意見。

Peter Schwartz, general counsel for the College Board, said that almost three million AP exams were taken in the first week after the test was redesigned to be taken at home. Students who were unable to successfully submit their exam can still take a makeup and have the opportunity to earn college credit, he said.

大考委員會法律總顧問彼得‧史瓦茲表示，AP測驗重新設計為可自行在家應考後，第一週便有近三百萬人次參加。他說，未能成功送出答案的學生還可以補考，仍有機會獲得大學學分。

“This lawsuit is a PR stunt masquerading as a legal complaint being manufactured by an opportunistic organization that prioritizes media coverage for itself,” he said in an emailed statement. “It is wrong factually and baseless legally.”

史瓦茲透過電子郵件發出聲明：「這起訴訟是偽裝成法律投訴的宣傳手法，是投機取巧的組織所捏造的，只為了自己的媒體曝光率」。「這在事實上是錯誤的，在法律上則是毫無根據的」。

Watching videos of students who tried to submit their tests as the timer clicked down to zero are heartbreaking, said David Rion, Director of College Guidance at the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut, US.

康乃狄克州溫莎市盧米斯查菲中學的升學輔導主任大衛‧利昂說，在視訊中看到計時器漸漸倒數向零秒，而學生仍試圖送出答案，令人心碎。

“The College Board says somewhat cavalierly that students who weren’t able to submit can re-take the test in a few weeks, and that’s true,” Rion said in an email. “But it completely overlooks the in-the-moment trauma of having technical issues during an important test.”

利昂透過電子郵件說道：「大學入學考試委員會傲慢地說，那些無法送出答案的學生，可以在數週後重考。這的確是事實」；「但是，委員會完全忽略了在重要考試中遇到技術問題之當下，學生所受到的心理創傷」。

 Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2020/05/26/2003737015

 

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Welcome to 15mins.today the home of English Shadowing. I'm your host Gavin and this is InTense Episode 49. Well guys, we are busy with pronouns and we've done quite a few.

Today we're looking at demonstrative pronouns and these direct attention to a specific person, place or thing. There are only four of them, easy peasy right, this, that, these and those. So, these go together, this and that and then these and those. So, this, these, that, those. Ok, so this is singular these are plural and then that is singular and those are plural.

Now I have what I call Gavin English so it's English I try and teach people and so how do you know the difference between this and that? So, for me, I always tell students it's easy, if you could touch something, if it's like within reach, I would refer to it as this. The moment it sort of goes out of reach, I would call it that. So I would always teach a student by having a student walk up and I touch them on the shoulder and say this student and then I make them walk all the way to the back and then I point at them and say that student,again for the plural I would have two students walk to the front I would touch them both on the shoulder and say these studentsand then I would send them to the back of the class point at them and say those students.

Now is it perfect that way, no, but it works for the most part if something is close enough and in reach it's this. “I want this specific one.” and if it's out of your reach you say those, “I want those.” Ok, so this and these are close to you, that and those are away from you. I hope that helps, let's look at our examples!

 

Is this your car? Yes, this is my car.

Is this your car? No, this is not my car.

 

Is that your car over there? Yes, that is my car over there.

Is that your car over there? No, that is not my car over there.

 

Are these pencils on the table yours? Yes, these pencils are mine.

Are these pencils on the table yours? No, these pencils are not mine.

 

Is that mountain and beautiful? Yes, that mountain is beautiful.

Is that mountain beautiful? No, that mountain is not beautiful.

 

Are those lions dangerous? Yes, those lions are dangerous.

Are those lions dangerous? No, those lions are not dangerous.

 

Does that planet have water? Yes, that planet has water.

Does that planet have water? No, that planet does not have water.

 

Is this your phone? Yes, this is my phone.

Is this your phone? No, this is not my phone.

 

Is this your first time? Yes, this is my first time.

Is this your first time? No, this is not my first time.

 

Is that a beautiful cloud? Yes, that is a beautiful cloud.

Is that a beautiful cloud? No, that is not a beautiful cloud.

 

Was that a welcome rainstorm? Yes, that was a welcome rainstorm.

Was that a welcome rainstorm? No, that was not a welcome rainstorm.

 

Is this your favorite movie? Yes, this is my favorite movie.

Is this your favorite movie? No, this is not my favorite movie. 

Well guys, there you go. Now I should point out one thing I should have mentioned about this and that, sometimes if I'm standing over here and I'm holding your phone, but you are at the back or maybe a couple of meters away from me and I hold up your phone and say, “Is this your phone?” you would not answer, ”Yes, this is my phone.” Because you are far away, you would say “Yes that is my phone.” So, just be careful with that, what is your distance from the from the object or thing? So, if you are closer you would say this so if I was looking at your phone and it was lying on your desk I would say, “Hey, is that your phone?” and you would say “Yes, this is my phone.”

So, your answer would relate to your position to the object or thing that you are talking about, so if it's close to you, you would use this if it's far away from me I would use that. So sometimes a question and answer would differentiate in that way, I would use this you would use that, I would use that you would use this, depending on where the object is, of course if it was in the middle and was equal distance far away from us both out of reach I would use that and you would use that, if we were standing right next to each other and I'm pointing at it on the desk, then we both would use this. Ok, so I hope that helps, keep practicing an I'll catch you next one, bye!

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Summary:

This article talks about a new study that postulates that eating a big breakfast and smaller dinner leads to more calorie loss per day. So, eat up in the morning and lose weight.

This story states that air pollution shortens lives by up to 3 years and affects 8.8 million people. Cleaner air can add up to a year’s worth of life expectancy to people. The air is more dangerous than alcohol, aids and malaria! Asia is the area most affected.

原討論文章: https://www.15mins.today/blog/ep-822-about-science-2-eating-a-big-breakfast

 

Vocabulary and Sample Sentences:

Metabolism n. > the chemical process of changing food into energy

Do you have a fast metabolism?

Is a good metabolism key in being healthy?

Premature adj. > happen before expected time

Was the announcement of a cure premature?

Do premature deaths pose a problem for the world’s economy?

Mortality n. > being human and not living forever

Is the key to mortality a healthy lifestyle?

Has the mortality of humans impacted religion?

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.868: Blooper Reels From Films Raise Bar for Originality

 

When directors first began attaching blooper reels to their films’ end credits in the late 1970s and early ’80s, there wasn’t much to them. Actors flubbed a line, or laughed when they shouldn’t have.

1970年代末和1980年代初，電影導演剛剛開始在片尾打出字幕時，安插上穿幫的橋段，其實並沒有啥特別之處。大抵是演員念台詞吃螺絲，或是不該笑時卻笑了。

In the 1979 comedy-drama “Being There,” one of the pioneers of the tradition, Peter Sellers struggles for three minutes to get through three lines. Back then, watching actors botch their parts was such a novelty that the reels didn’t have to do much to make audiences laugh.

1979年的喜劇片《無為而治》是附上穿幫鏡頭這種傳統的先驅，彼得謝勒費了三分鐘才講完三句話。當時，觀看演員突槌就已經夠新鮮了，穿幫橋段本身不用特別搞笑。

Today, tongue twisters have taken a back seat to physical goofs and alternate takes – those extra bits of footage in which actors and directors try to improve what’s on the printed page. In “Hot Pursuit,” some of the blooper reel’s funniest bits are alternate takes of Sofia Vergara making cracks about her co-star Reese Witherspoon’s looks, as well as shots of Ms. Vergara experiencing a panties-baring wardrobe malfunction and getting hit in the face by a deer hoof.

時至今日，舌頭打結已不夠看，當道的是笨手笨腳和漏網鏡頭。在沒有被列入正片的橋段中，演員和導演嘗試改良劇本。在《辣妹雙拼》中，有些最好笑的穿幫片段來自蘇菲亞維格樂取笑瑞絲薇絲朋外貌的漏網鏡頭，以及維格樂不慎露出內褲和被鹿蹄踢到臉的畫面。

In the high school comedy “The DUFF,” the film’s few true bloopers are mixed in with cast selfies and scenes of Ken Jeong and Chris Wylde ad-libbing insults.

在高校喜劇片《恐龍尤物》裡面，由少數真正穿幫橋段與演員的自拍和鄭肯與克里斯懷德即興的互虧穿插而成。

Why would a director choose to end a film with mistakes? Certainly no one notices when a blooper reel is omitted, and critics will pounce on a bad one.

導演為何選擇以拍片過程犯下的錯誤來結束電影？穿幫橋段如果刪掉，沒有人會注意到，如果被影評人抓到小辮子，必然慘遭修理。

Appending bloopers to the end of “Hot Pursuit,” the director Anne Fletcher said, was never intentional. Initially created as a treat for the cast and crew at the wrap party, the reel got so many laughs that Ms. Fletcher figured she’d try it out on test audiences.

《辣味雙拼》導演安佛萊契女士說，在片尾安排穿幫橋段絕非出於蓄意。一開始只是用來在殺青酒會上慰勞劇組人員，卻由於獲得許多爆笑回應，讓佛萊契想到或許可以拿來試試觀眾的反應。

For her, the blooper reel was more about trying to give audiences one final taste of the fun. “It’s like, look, we have more for you.”

對安佛萊契來說，穿幫橋段更像是要讓觀眾最後再好好回味一下笑料：「這就像是說，請注意，我們還為各位多準備了那麼一點。」

Blooper reels are also a handy forum for all those alternate takes that would otherwise end up on the cutting-room floor. Mr. Jeong “would be riffing in the library, and it was hilarious – the crew was just cracking up,” said Ari Sandel, director of “The DUFF.” “But it was Ken, and you knew it was Ken, it wasn’t his character, Mr. Arthur. So as funny as it was, we just couldn’t use it.”

穿幫橋段對所有漏網鏡頭而言，也是個很方便的亮相場所，不然，這些鏡頭就只能棄置在剪輯室的地板上了。《恐龍尤物》導演艾里山德爾說，鄭肯「在圖書館裡即興來上了一段，超爆笑的，劇組都笑翻了。可是那是鄭肯，你知道他是鄭肯而不是他演出的角色亞瑟。因此，無論有多好笑，我們就是不能選用。」

Now actors routinely take measures to protect themselves from the worst of the mistake.

演員們現在通常都會採取自我保護的行動，讓自己出大糗的鏡頭不會曝光。

“For mid- to high-level actors, there’s usually a provision that says the artist shall have the right to preapprove in writing any bloopers or outtakes or DVD extras,” Richard Genow, an entertainment lawyer.

娛樂圈律師李察吉諾說：「中牌和大牌演員通常都會有條文規定，對於電影安排穿幫片段、漏網鏡頭或DVD的花絮，演員應有事前批准的權利。」

Over the years, certain gag reels have elevated the craft. Jackie Chan’s versions have been more about burnishing his legend as an action star than in exposing his on-set mistakes. And the gaffes created for Pixar hits like “A Bug’s Life” and “Toy Story 2” weren’t mistakes at all, but their originality and wit raised the bar for outtakes.

這些年來某些NG片段已提升至另一境界。成龍電影的NG片段與其說是自爆他在片場的失誤，不如說是用來擦亮身為動作片傳奇巨星的招牌。皮克斯賣座片《蟲蟲危機》和《玩具總動員2》的NG片段根本不是錯誤，其原創性和機智風趣提高了遺珠鏡頭的選拔標準。

“I think the bar is just as high for blooper reels now as it is for the rest of the movie,” said Jonathan Glickman, president of MGM’s film division and a producer of Mr. Chan’s “Rush Hour” trilogy. “But sometimes you’ll see outtake reels where they’ll throw in every single thing. Sometimes things that aren’t even funny.”

「我認為電影穿幫片段的選擇標準已經和正片一樣高，」米高梅影業公司電影部門總裁強納森．吉克曼這麼說，他同時也是成龍《尖峰時刻》三部曲的製片。他接著說：「不過有時候你會看見電影公司把所有遺珠和穿幫畫面全都加進來。有時候加進來的東西一點都不好笑。就只是演砸了的鏡頭而已。」

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/279790/web/#2L-5983240L

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.867: ‘We are on the eve of a genocide’: Brazil urged to save Amazon tribes from COVID-19

 

Brazil’s leaders must take immediate action to save the country’s indigenous peoples from a COVID-19 “genocide,” a global coalition of artists, celebrities, scientists and intellectuals has said.

全球多位藝人、名人、科學家及知識分子共同表示，巴西領導人必須立刻採取行動，以免武漢肺炎造成巴西原住民「種族滅絕」。

In an open letter to the Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, figures including Madonna, Oprah Winfrey, Brad Pitt, David Hockney and Paul McCartney warned the pandemic meant indigenous communities in the Amazon faced “an extreme threat to their very survival.”

在一封致巴西總統雅伊爾‧波索納洛的公開信中，包括瑪丹娜、歐普拉‧溫芙蕾、布萊德‧彼特、大衛‧霍克尼和保羅‧麥卡尼在內的人士警告說，武漢肺炎大流行意味亞馬遜河流域原住民族群面臨「對其生存的極端威脅」。

“Five centuries ago, these ethnic groups were decimated by diseases brought by European colonizers… Now, with this new scourge spreading rapidly across Brazil… [they] may disappear completely since they have no means of combating COVID-19,” they wrote 

他們寫道：「五個世紀前，這些族群大量死於歐洲殖民者所帶來的疾病……現在，隨著此新災禍在巴西迅速蔓延……這些族群可能會完全消失，因為他們無從抵抗武漢肺炎」。

The organizer of the petition, the Brazilian photojournalist Sebastiao Salgado, said trespassers including wildcat gold miners and illegal loggers must be expelled immediately from indigenous lands to stop them importing an illness that has killed more than 280,000 people around the world, including more than 11,000 in Brazil.

該請願書之發起者為巴西攝影記者塞巴斯蒂安‧薩爾加多，他表示，必須立即驅逐擅自入侵原住民土地的人，包括非法開採金礦者及盜伐木者，以阻止他們輸入已造成全世界逾二十八萬人死亡的武漢肺炎，其中包括巴西的一萬一千多人。

“We are on the eve of a genocide,” Salgado, who has spent nearly four decades documenting the Amazon and its inhabitants, told the Guardian. Even before COVID-19, Brazil’s indigenous peoples were locked in what activists call a historic struggle for survival. Critics accuse Bolsonaro, a far-right populist in power since January last year, of stimulating the invasion of indigenous reserves and dismantling the government agencies supposed to protect them.

「我們正處於種族滅絕的前夕」，薩爾加多對《衛報》表示。他花了將近四十年的光陰記錄亞馬遜地區及其住民。即便在武漢肺炎發生之前，巴西的原住民就已深陷於社運人士所形容的「歷史存亡之掙扎」。評論家譴責二○一九年一月上台的極右翼民粹主義者波索納洛，指控他鼓勵人們入侵原住民保護區，並解散了守護這些保護區的行政單位。

“Indigenous communities have never been so under attack… The government has no respect at all for the indigenous territories,” Salgado said, pointing to crippling budget cuts and the recent sacking of several of top environmental officials who had targeted illegal prospectors and loggers. But the letter said the pandemic had made an already bleak outlook under Bolsonaro even worse by paralyzing what protection efforts remained.

「原住民族群從未如此受到夾攻……政府根本就不尊重原住民的土地」，薩爾加多並指出，預算嚴重削減，且最近有數名對付非法採礦及伐木者的高級環境官員遭到解職。這封請願書寫道，武漢肺炎這大流行病使得僅存的保護工作陷入癱瘓，讓波索納洛執政下已然艱困的情況更是雪上加霜。

“As a result, there is nothing to protect indigenous peoples from the risk of genocide caused by an infection introduced by outsiders who enter their land illegally,” argued the signatories, who also include the supermodels Gisele Bundchen and Naomi Campbell, the author Mario Vargas Llosa, the artist Ai Weiwei, the architect Norman Foster and the actor Meryl Streep.

「結果是，沒有任何措施可以保護原住民，使其免於感染非法進入其土地之外來者所帶來的疾病，而可能導致種族滅絕」，請願書寫道。該請願書之簽署人還包括超模吉賽兒‧邦臣及娜歐蜜‧坎貝兒、作家馬利歐‧巴爾加斯‧尤薩、藝術家艾未未、建築師諾曼‧福斯特，以及演員梅莉‧史翠普。

Fears COVID-19 could devastate indigenous communities grew last month when the death of a Yanomami teenager revived horrific memories of epidemics caused by roadbuilders and gold prospectors in the 1970s and 1980s.

上個月，一名亞諾馬米族少年的死，喚醒了一九七○與八○年代築路工人及淘金者帶來流行病的可怕記憶，讓人越發恐懼武漢肺炎可能毀滅原住民族群。

“In some of the villages I knew, measles killed 50 percent of the population. If COVID does the same thing it would be a massacre,” said Carlo Zaquini, an Italian missionary who has spent decades working with the Yanomami.

「據我所知，麻疹在一些村莊造成了百分之五十的人口死亡。如果換做是武漢肺炎，那將會是一場大屠殺」，與亞諾馬米族人已共事數十年的義大利傳教士卡洛‧札奎尼表示。

Salgado — who is calling for the creation of an army-led taskforce to evict intruders from protected areas — admitted Bolsonaro would not act of his own volition. But he believed international pressure could force the government to do so, as happened last year when global outrage resulted in the military being deployed to extinguish fires in the Amazon.

薩爾加多呼籲建立一支由軍隊領導的特遣部隊，以驅逐入侵保護區的人——但他承認，波索納洛總統不會主動去做。不過他認為，國際壓力可以迫使政府行動，如同去年的亞馬遜森林大火，全球所激起的憤慨促使巴西政府派軍隊去滅火。

“Just in the Brazilian Amazon we have 103 indigenous groups which have never been contacted — they represent humanity’s pre-history,” Salgado said. “We cannot allow all of this to disappear.”

「亞馬遜河流域光是在巴西境內的地區，就有一百零三個從未與外界接觸過的原住民族群——他們代表了人類的史前歷史」，薩爾加多說道。「我們不能讓這一切都消失」。

Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2020/05/12/2003736208

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.866: About Australia - Australia wins AI ’Eurovision Song Contest’

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Next Article:

 

Night at the museum：Australian police arrest German student over break-in 博物館之夜：澳洲警方逮捕闖入的德國學生

Australian police on Monday charged a German student with breaking into a Sydney museum as security footage showed him allegedly taking selfies next to dinosaur exhibits.

澳洲警方週一指控一名德國學生闖入雪梨一間博物館，據稱安全監控影像顯示他當時在恐龍展品旁自拍。

New South Wales（NSW）Police said that Paul Kuhn broke into the Australian Museum on May 10 around 1 a.m. local time, using some nearby scaffolding to gain access, before exploring the exhibits for 40 minutes.

新南威爾斯州警方表示，保羅．孔恩探索展品長達40分鐘，之前他利用周圍一些鷹架，在當地時間5月10日上午1點左右闖入澳洲博物館。

“He’s taken some selfies with some of the displays. He’s also stolen a hat and a picture（from）the wall and eventually left,” Sean Heaney, chief inspector, NSW Police told reporters in Sydney.

新南威爾斯州警方總督察尚恩．希尼在雪梨告訴記者，「他和部分陳列品自拍了一下。他也從牆上偷了一頂帽子和一幅畫，最後離開。」

The 25-year-old student appeared on Monday in court where he faced charges of stealing a cowboy hat and a piece of artwork.

這名25歲的學生週一現身法院，當庭面臨偷竊一頂牛仔帽和一件藝術品的罪名指控。

He was granted bail on the condition that he surrenders his passport and adheres to a curfew.

在交出護照並遵守宵禁的條件下，他獲准保釋。

The Australian Museum is the country’s oldest. It has been closed to the public since August 2019 for renovations.

澳洲博物館是該國歷史最悠久的博物館。自2019年8月整修以來，就對大眾關閉。

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1374692; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1373759

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.865: About the US - Facebook will pay $52 million to employees who suffered PTSD

 

Facebook has agreed to pay $52 million to current and former moderators to compensate them for mental health issues developed on the job. In a preliminary settlement filed on Friday in San Mateo Superior Court, the social network agreed to pay damages to American moderators and provide more counseling to them while they work.

臉書（Facebook）已同意支付5200萬美元，給現任與前任的審核員，賠償他們因工作造成的心理健康問題。在聖馬提歐高等法院提出的初步和解案中，這家社群網路公司同意支付賠償金給美籍審核員，並在他們的工作期間提供更多諮商。

Each moderator will receive a minimum of $1,000 and will be eligible for additional compensation if they are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder or related conditions.

倘若被診斷出「創傷後壓力症候群」（PTSD）或其他相關疾病，每位審核員最少可以拿到1000美元，而且有資格獲得額外賠償。

In September 2018, former Facebook moderator Selena Scola sued Facebook, alleging that she developed PTSD after being placed in a role that required her to regularly view photos and images of rape, murder, and suicide. Scola developed symptoms of PTSD after nine months on the job. The complaint, which was ultimately joined by several other former Facebook moderators working in four states, alleged that Facebook had failed to provide them with a safe workspace.

2018年9月，前臉書審核員席琳娜．斯科拉控告臉書，指稱她被賦予必須經常觀看強姦、謀殺與自殺的圖片與影像的職務後，罹患PTSD。斯科拉在任職9個月後出現PTSD症狀。最終還有數名在其他4個州工作的前臉書審核員也加入，控訴臉書未提供他們安全的工作環境。

 

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Dinner with dummies: US eatery fills empty seats with mannequins與假人共進晚餐：美國餐廳用人形模特兒填滿空位

Their eyes are vacant, their smiles uncanny － but they’re dressed to the nines and they don’t need a reservation for some of America’s finest dining.

他們的眼神空洞，笑容詭異，但穿著正式，且不需訂位就能在美國高級餐廳入座。

A Michelin-starred restaurant in the US state of Virginia has found a fun － or creepy, depending on your tastes － way to enforce social distancing when it reopens at the end of May: costumed mannequins seated among the breathing guests.

位於美國維吉尼亞州的一家米其林星級餐廳，發現一套在餐廳5月底恢復營業時，實施社交距離的有趣—或者令人毛骨悚然，視你個人喜好而定—的方法：穿著打扮好的假人坐在真人顧客群中。

"This would allow plenty of space between real guests and elicit a few smiles and provide some fun photo ops," says chef Patrick O’Connell, owner of The Inn at Little Washington, in an e-mail to AFP.

「如此可在真人顧客之間保持很大空間，而且帶來一些笑容，並提供有趣的拍照場景」，小華盛頓酒店老闆、主廚歐康納在電子郵件中向法新社說。

"We’re all craving to gather and see other people right now. They don’t all necessarily need to be real people," O’Connell mischievously points out.

「現在我們都很想與人聚在一起、見見面，他們不一定非得是要真人」，歐康納開玩笑地指出。

"I’ve always had a thing for mannequins － they never complain about anything and you can have lots of fun dressing them up," he adds.

「我一向喜歡人形模特兒，他們從不抱怨任何事，而且幫他們打扮很有意思」，他說。

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1375375 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1375606

 

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.864: About Japan - Osaka mayor draws ire after saying women are slow shoppers

 

The mayor of the western Japanese city Osaka came under fire on social media on Friday after saying women take longer than men shopping for groceries as he tried to promote social distancing to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the city.

日本西部大城大阪市的市長，週五在社群媒體上遭到批評，因為他稍早在試圖推動社交距離，以遏阻新冠病毒在該市傳播時，指稱女性去超市購物比男性花更多時間。

Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui has been appealing to people to take steps to reduce the risk of virus infections, but his remarks over gender shopping behaviour stirred controversy.

大阪市長松井一郎近來一直呼籲民眾，採取可降低感染新冠病毒風險的措施，但他就兩性購物行為的發言，引發爭議。

"When a woman goes... it will take time," Matsui said when asked by a male reporter about possibly reducing shoppers’ entry to supermarkets to lower the risk of coronavirus infections.

「當女性去（購物）時，會花不少時間，」松井在被一名男記者問到或許可以減少購物者進入超市，以降低新冠病毒感染風險時，如是說。

Matsui, who also said married couples should avoid going shopping together, drew criticism on Japanese Twitter over his remarks, with users saying they were sexist.

還提及已婚夫妻應該避免一起去購物的松井，他的發言在日本「推特」上招致批評，推友指稱這些發言有性別歧視意味。

 

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Japan officials cut off thousands of roses to deter gatherings防止群聚 日本官員剪除數千朵玫瑰

Local authorities in Japan are sacrificing tens of thousands of flowers to deter visitors, as the country attempts to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

在日本試圖遏制冠狀病毒疫情之際，地方當局為了阻止遊客，犧牲成千上萬朵的鮮花。

Tiptoeing through the tulips or breathing in the scent of roses are popular spring rites in Japan, but there is concern that flower festivals could become the source of new infection clusters.

在日本，踮著腳走過鬱金香花田，或呼吸玫瑰的芬芳，是春季熱門活動，但有人擔心花卉節會成為新增群聚感染病例的源頭。

This week workers began severing the buds of about 3,000 rose bushes at Yono park in Saitama, north of Tokyo, in an attempt to keep flower viewers away.

為了不讓賞花者前來，本週東京北部埼玉縣與野公園的工作人員，開始剪除約3000株玫瑰的花苞。

The local government had already cancelled the annual rose festival, but the park is still open to the public, prompting the decision to rid the venue of its main attraction – 180 varieties of rose bushes that reach their peak from around the middle of May.

當地政府已經取消一年一度的玫瑰節，但公園仍然向公眾開放，促使當局做出去除主要景觀的決定—將在五月中旬前後迎來盛開期的180種玫瑰植株。

"It’s very painful, but we decided to take action after looking at the situation in other cities,” a local official told the Mainichi newspaper, adding that it would take about a week to remove all the buds.

一名當地官員告訴《每日新聞》說：「這很讓人心痛，但我們觀察其他城市的局勢後，決定採取這一行動。」他補充說，剪除所有花苞需要大約一週時間。

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1374312 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1373491

 

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