通勤學英語 15Mins Today

每日英語跟讀 Ep.792: Did asteroid that hit Australia help thaw ancient ‘snowball Earth’?

Scientists have identified Earth’s oldest-known impact crater, and in doing so may have solved a mystery about how our planet emerged from one of its most dire periods.

科學家日前鑑定出地球目前已知最古老的隕石撞擊坑，並在研究過程中有望解開一項謎團：那就是，我們的地球當時是如何擺脫一段最為極端的時期。

Researchers have determined that the 70km-wide Yarrabubba crater in Australia formed when an asteroid struck Earth just over 2.2 billion years ago. The collision occurred at a time when the planet was believed to have been encased in ice and the impact may have driven climate warming that led to a global thaw.

研究人員近日確定，寬達七十公里的澳洲亞拉布巴隕石坑，是在二十二億年前，因為一顆小行星撞擊地球而形成。這場撞擊發生在科學家認為地球被冰層包覆的時期，而當時的撞擊可能促使氣候暖化，進一步導致全球解凍。

“Looking at our planet from space, it would have looked very different,” said isotope geology professor Chris Kirkland of Curtin University in Australia, one of the researchers in the study published in the journal Nature Communications. “You would see a white ball, not our familiar blue marble.”

澳洲科廷大學的同位素地質學教授克里斯‧柯克蘭是研究團隊的一員，他表示：「如果當時從太空看地球，我們這顆行星看起來會非常不一樣。」柯克蘭指出：「你會看到一顆雪白的球體，而不是我們熟悉的藍色彈珠。」這份研究日前發表於期刊《自然通訊》。

The researchers suspect the region was covered in an ice sheet up to 5km thick at the time. They calculated that the violent asteroid strike may have transformed immense amounts of ice into water vapor — sending perhaps 200 billion tonnes of it billowing into the atmosphere. It would have served as a greenhouse gas trapping heat in the atmosphere.

研究人員懷疑，該地區當時被厚達五公里的冰層所覆蓋。根據科學家計算，那次激烈的小行星撞擊很可能讓數量龐大的冰變成水蒸氣──並且釋放出大約兩千億噸的水蒸氣奔騰進入大氣層中。大量水蒸氣可能在當時發揮溫室氣體的作用，鎖住大氣層中的熱能。

The researchers are wondering whether this thaw helped shepherd Earth into a climate more favorable for the simple microbes that inhabited the planet at the time to thrive and evolve, possibly making it a pivotal event in the history of life on Earth.

研究人員目前在猜想，這次解凍是否有助於引導地球氣候改變，變得更有利於當時地球棲息的簡單微生物進行繁衍與演化，成為地球上生命歷史的一個關鍵事件。

The planet descended into one of its two primordial “snowball Earth” periods 2.4 billion years ago amid a rise in oxygen, which consumed the greenhouse gases — methane and carbon dioxide — that formerly dominated the atmosphere. The asteroid, estimated at 7km wide, landed at Yarrabubba in the state of Western Australia, coinciding with the end of the deep freeze.

地球曾經兩度進入原始的「雪球地球」時期，第一次發生在二十四億年前：原本充斥著甲烷和二氧化碳的大氣層中，氧氣逐漸增加，消耗溫室氣體，使得地球進入冰封狀態。這顆估計直徑七公里的小行星，墜落在西澳洲亞拉布巴的時間點剛好發生於地球冰封的尾聲。

“During the time of the Yarrabubba impact, life was more simple but did contain organisms like stromatolites, algal mounds that are still in existence today,” said study lead author Timmons Erickson, a NASA research scientist at the Johnson Space Center’s Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science division. “It is curious to think of an asteroid impact shifting the Earth’s atmosphere to something more clement for life than a ‘snowball’ scenario,” Erickson added.

該研究的主要作者提蒙斯‧艾瑞克森是美國太空總署的研究科學家，任職於詹森太空中心的天體物質研究和探索科學部門。他指出：「在亞拉布巴撞擊當時，生命形態較為簡單，但是已經出現疊層石、藻丘這類今日仍然存在的有機體。」他補充說：「想像一場小行星撞擊，讓地球大氣層變得對生命較為仁慈，勝過『雪球』情境，這相當引人思索。」

The researchers determined the crater’s age by examining tiny crystals of the minerals monazite and zircon formed in the asteroid impact. Earth has been hit by space rocks many times since it formed 4.5 billion years ago. For example, an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. But the inexorable movement of Earth’s tectonic plates and surface erosion have erased most of the oldest craters.

小行星撞擊產生獨居石（磷鈰鑭礦）和鋯石等礦物的微小結晶體，而研究人員藉由檢驗這些結晶體來判定撞擊坑的年代。地球自從在四十五億年前形成後，已經多次遭到來自太空的岩石撞擊。六千六百萬年前毀滅恐龍的小行星就是一個例子。只是，地球勢不可擋的地殼板塊移動和表面侵蝕幾乎抹去了絕大多數的古老撞擊坑。

Until now, the oldest-known impact crater was one in South Africa with a diameter of more than 200km that formed just over 2 billion years ago. The other “snowball Earth” period lasted from 700 million to 600 million years ago.

在此之前，科學家所知最古老的小行星撞擊坑位於南非，直徑超過兩百公里，大約形成於二十億年前。另一次「雪球地球」時期則是介於七億年前到六億年前之間。

Source article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2020/02/09/2003730611/2

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.791: Coronavirus misinformation spreads over social media

The novel coronavirus roiling financial markets and prompting travel bans is taking on a life of its own on the Internet, once again putting US-based social media companies on the defensive about their efforts to curb the spread of false or dangerous information.

擾亂金融市場、讓多國發布旅行禁令的新型冠狀病毒，現在也佔據了網路各角落，再度讓總部位於美國的社群媒體公司疲於辨解他們對防堵不實或危險資訊的傳播所做的努力。

Researchers and journalists have documented a growing number of cases of misinformation about the virus, ranging from racist explanations for the disease’s origin to false claims about miracle cures. Conspiracy theorists, trolls and cynics hoping to use the panic to boost traffic to their own accounts have all contributed to the cloud of bad information.

研究人員和記者發現，關於該病毒的錯誤訊息越來越多，從對該病起源的種族歧視的解釋，到奇蹟式療癒的不實說法都有。陰謀論者、惡搞的人及酸民利用恐慌來增加他們自己網路帳號的流量，這一切都助長了這些有害的資訊。

“It’s the perfect intersection of fear, racism and distrust of the government and Big Pharma,” said Maarten Schenk, co-founder of the fact-checking site Lead Stories. “People don’t trust the official narrative.”

事實查核網站「Lead Stories」的共同創辦人馬丁‧申克表示：「這是恐懼、種族歧視、對政府之不信任，以及電玩遊戲『Big Pharma』（大藥廠）的完美結合」。「人們不信任官方的說法。」

The novel coronavirus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, so far has killed at least 900 people and infected over 40,000, with cases in more than 20 countries.

自中國武漢市發源的新型冠狀病毒，目前已造成九百多人死亡、逾四萬人感染，有二十多國出現確診病例。

One set of tweets and Facebook posts from US conspiracy theory accounts said drinking bleach could protect against the virus or even cure it. “Rumors can travel more quickly and more widely than they could” in an era before social media, said Thomas Rid, a professor of strategic studies at Johns Hopkins University, who has a forthcoming book on the history of disinformation. “That of course lends itself to conspiracies spreading more quickly.

美國一些持陰謀論的帳號在推特和臉書發出訊息稱，喝漂白水可預防甚至治癒這種病毒。

約翰霍普金斯大學戰略研究教授托馬斯‧里德表示，在這有社群媒體的年代，「謠言可以比過去傳播得更快、更廣」。他有一本探討假消息歷史的書即將出版。「這當然也讓陰謀活動傳播得更快。它們散佈得更廣，並因訊息無法刪除，所以更是揮之不去。」

They spread more widely and they are more persistent in the sense that you can’t undo them.”

Some of the Internet traffic and misinformation has been outright racist against Chinese people and Asians in general. Posts attributing the coronavirus to Chinese culinary practices have blown up, and a review of a new Chinese restaurant in Toronto was swarmed by racist trolls. “There’s a lot of misinformation out there, and some of that can be quite dangerous,” Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO’s emerging diseases unit, said at a press conference in Geneva on Jan. 29.

有些網路點閱量和假消息完全是針對中國人和所有亞洲人的種族歧視。將冠狀病毒歸咎於中國烹飪方式的貼文快速傳開，多倫多一家新開張中餐館在網路上的評價，被種族歧視的惡搞酸民灌爆。「有很多錯誤訊息，其中有的可能非常危險」，世界衛生組織新興疾病部門主管瑪利亞‧范科霍芙一月二十九日在日內瓦的記者會上表示。

Viruses have always sparked fear and misinformation, striking panic as rumors spread and people desperate for information latch onto whatever snippets they can find — whether they’re true or not. But the advent of social media has supercharged this process, leading to waves of misinformation over elections, mass shootings, plane crashes and natural disasters. 

病毒總是引發恐懼和假消息，隨著謠言的傳播造成人們恐慌、迫切希望獲取資訊，找到任何關於病毒的隻字片語便照單全收──不論這些資訊是否屬實。社群媒體的出現則加劇了這個過程，導致有關選舉、大規模槍擊案、飛機失事及自然災害等之假消息層出不窮。

The outbreak is just the latest test of social networks’ ability to handle the spread of false and dangerous information. “Early days in an outbreak, there’s so much uncertainty. People don’t like uncertainty. They want answers,” said Timothy Caulfield, a health law professor at the University of Alberta. “Social media is a polarization machine where the loudest voices win,” he said.

此次的疫情爆發，是對社群網站能力的最新測試，考驗它如何處理不實與危險訊息的散布。「在疫情爆發的早期，不確定的事太多了。人們不喜歡不確定性。他們要的是答案」。亞伯達大學健康法教授提莫西‧考菲爾德說，「社群媒體是兩極分化的機器，誰聲音最大誰就贏」。

Source article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2020/02/11/2003730723/2

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.790: Pingtung resident swaps weddings for organic tomatoes

Chiu Meng-hsien, from Pingtung County’s Neipu Township, gave up an earlier career as a wedding banquet designer to become a farmer, buying land and constructing a greenhouse to grow cherry tomatoes. This year, Chiu started to harvest his crop before the start of the Lunar New Year and has been working non-stop throughout the holiday period to be ready to sell to the market.

原從事結婚喜宴會場佈置的屏東縣內埔鄉農民邱孟賢，轉換跑道務農，買地、建溫室細心呵護玉女番茄，今年在春節前採收上市，連年假期間也不得閒。

The 51-year-old, who had no prior experience of farming, says he developed a strong interest toward farming and agriculture while working as a wedding banquet designer, which uses flowers and plants for decoration. Ten years ago, Chiu changed careers, moving to Neipu Township and purchasing 0.4 hectares of land. On two of the plots Chiu constructed a greenhouse to grow cherry tomatoes and oriental melons.

五十一歲的邱孟賢原是農業門外漢，因婚宴會場佈置需要植物花卉材料，接觸到農業後他產生很大興趣，十年前轉行，到內埔鄉購得近四分地，其中兩分地搭設溫室種植玉女番茄及洋香瓜。

Chiu says that, although a native of Kaohsiung, after seeing the favorable environmental conditions in Neipu Township, he decided to buy land there, aided by an introduction from a friend. He began learning how to grow tomatoes and spent nearly NT$1 million installing facilities. Chiu says he pampers his cherry tomatoes: “You definitely need to give them a house to live in to protect them from the elements, then they will grow really well.”

他表示，老家住高雄，看到內埔環境清優，在朋友介紹下購地，開始學種番茄，並花近百萬元搭設施，玉女番茄非常嬌貴，「一定要蓋房子給它們住」，才能擋住風雨長得好。

Out of consideration for food safety and ecology, Chiu decided to apply for organic certification. Since he cannot use chemical fertilizers, Chiu’s orchard is often attacked by tobacco cutworm. To get around this problem, Chiu uses fly papers and employs green lacewings as natural pest control, and also sprays organic pesticides. In order to verify the efficacy of his preventative techniques and treatments, Chiu plucks off leaves and examines them under a microscope to check for signs of hatched insect eggs. Chiu says that although he has no specialist scientific training, he carries out more research than most of his peers and has even received praise from experts at the Pingtung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station.

為了食安及生態環境，他還申請到有機驗證，因為不能用農藥，果園常遭斜紋夜盜蟲侵襲，除了放黏板，還放草蛉當天敵防治，噴用有機防治資材，為確定有無效果，還摘葉子放到專程買來的顯微鏡下觀察，看看有無蟲卵孵化，雖非科班出身，但功課做得比別人多，連農改場專家也稱讚他的用心。

Chiu says that cherry tomatoes are currently the main variety of small-sized tomato in Taiwan, and their organic variety, in addition to satisfying food safety and health considerations, also have the benefit of not being cloyingly-sweet, with a slight acidity to their flavor profile. Only organic cherry tomatoes can provide consumers with the flavor they are looking for, he says.

邱孟賢強調，玉女番茄是目前小番茄的主流，而有機玉女小番茄，除了安全健康，也沒有「死甜」味，略帶微酸，才能讓消費者吃到真美味。

Source article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2020/02/05/2003730357

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每日英語跟讀 Ep.789: About Science - ’Earth sandwich’ made by two men 20,000km apart

Sierra and Naude have created an "Earth sandwich" - by placing bread on precise points, either side of the planet, at the same time.

塞拉與諾德創造了1個「地球三明治」，透過將麵包同時擺在地球兩側精確的點上。

Naude from New Zealand wanted to make one for years, but had struggled to find someone in Spain, on the other side of the globe.

紐西蘭的諾德想做地球三明治好幾年了，他花費許多心力尋找一個在地球另一端─西班牙的人。

Two months ago, he posted on the Spain section of the online message board Reddit. He got "a few replies" and found one person close to the precise location.

2個月前，他在線上留言版Reddit的西班牙區塊發文後，他收到一些回覆，並且找到一個距離該確切位置較近的人。

The men used longitude and latitude to make sure they were precisely opposite.

他們利用經緯度確保彼此在地球另一端的精準「對面」。

According to World Atlas, only around 15% of "territorial land" is antipodal to other land. Naude only had to travel a few hundred metres to find a suitable public spot on his side of the world. Mr Sierra had to travel 11 km .

根據世界地圖，只有約15％「國家屬地」的對面也是土地。在諾德這側，他只需要移動幾百公尺，就可以找到合適的公共場所。塞拉則必須移動11公里。

Next Article:

Human ’screenome’ may give insight into human health 人類「螢幕特質」可探究人類健康

To understand how people use digital media, researchers need to move beyond screen time and capture everything we do and see on our screens.

要了解人們如何使用數位媒體，研究者必須超越螢幕的使用時間，進一步截錄一切我們在螢幕上的所為與所見。

Digital media — in particular, social media — have powerful and invariable effects on human behaviour. Policies and advice must be informed by accurate assessments of media use. These should involve moment-by-moment capture of what people are doing and when, and machine analysis of the content on their screens and the order in which it appears.

數位媒體，尤其是社群媒體，對人類的行為具有威力強大且不會消失的影響。政策和報告必須根據精確的媒體使用評估。而這些評量應該包括時刻截錄人們在什麼時候做了哪些事情，機器分析螢幕顯示的內容與指示。

According to a 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis, over the past 12 years, 226 studies have examined how media use is related to psychological well-being.

根據一項2019年的系統性回顧與統合分析，過去逾12年來，已有226項研究驗證媒體使用與心理福祉有關聯性。

The meta-analysis found almost no systematic relationship between people’s levels of exposure to digital media and their well-being. But almost all of these 226 studies used responses to interviews or questionnaires about how long people had spent on social media.

統合分析發現，人們接觸數位媒體的程度，與他們的心理福祉之間，幾乎沒有一致的關聯性。但226項研究中，幾乎所有研究都使用訪談或問卷調查，讓人們回答曾花多少時間在社群媒體上。

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1349576; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1350930

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Welcome to 15mins.today the home of English Shadowing. I'm your host Gavin and this is In-Tense Episode 35.

Well guys, in this episode we are carrying on with our use of the definite article “the,” actually the non use, where we do not use “the.” So today's one we will be looking at is, languages. So when you talk about a language, we do not use “the” in front of a language as in, “I speak English.” or “You speak Chinese.” So, it's very simple, I don't think there's any exception that I can honestly think of. So, let's get started with our questions!

Drill Sentences:

Does Jane speak Japanese? No, she does not speak Japanese.

Do Andrew and John speak Chinese? Yes, they speak Chinese.

Do Andrew and John speak Chinese? No, they do not speak Chinese.

Is German easy to learn? Yes, German is easy to learn.

Is German easy to learn? No, German is not easy to learn.

Is Italian a popular language? Yes, Italian is a popular language.

Is Italian a popular language? No, Italian is not a popular language.

Is Chinese the most difficult language to learn? Yes, Chinese is the most difficult language to learn.

Is Chinese the most difficult language to learn? No, Chinese is not the most difficult language to learn.

Is Latin a dead language? Yes, Latin is a dead language.

Is Latin a dead language? No, Latin is not a dead language.

Can Susan write Thai? Yes, she can write Thai.

Can Susan write Thai? No, she cannot write Thai.

Can you speak French? Yes, I can speak French.

Can you speak French? No, I cannot speak French.

What language do they speak in Brazil? They speak Portuguese in Brazil.

Is Spanish prevalent in South America? Yes, Spanish is prevalent in South America.

Is Spanish prevalent in South America? No, Spanish is not prevalent in South America.

What languages can you speak? I can speak Chinese and English.

Can you read Japanese? Yes, I can read Japanese.

Can you read Japanese? No, I cannot read Japanese.

Is learning English easy? Yes, learning English is easy.

Is learning English easy? No, learning English is not easy

Well guys, there you go. Repeat the questions and do the answers and keep repeating and I'll catch you in the next one, bye!

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