通勤學英語 15Mins Today

每日跟讀#674: About Japan -Govt wants surname 1st in Roman letters

 

日政府有意進行「正名」運動，將羅馬拼音的日文名字順序，改回符合日本傳統的先寫姓氏後寫名字。

 

The government is coordinating over issuing recommendations to use the Japanese “surname-first” order when names are written in Roman letters.

 

這項提議由文部科學大臣柴山昌彥及外相河野太郎在五月二十一日於記者會上共同提出。

 

The idea was proposed by Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Masahiko Shibayama and Foreign Minister Taro Kono at a press conference on May 21.

 

早在2000年十二月，日本官方語言單位便向政府提議改回姓氏在前。

 

The ministers have in mind a report submitted in December 2000 by the then Council on National Language, an advisory panel to the education minister.

 

當時的報告中提到：「人類語言和文化的多樣性應當被認可與使用，若能將姓氏寫在前面會是極好的。」

 

The report stated that “the diversity of human language and culture should be recognized and put to use by the entire human race,” concluding that “it would be desirable to adopt the surname-first order.”

 

日本文化部在2000年收到報告後就將中學生的英文教科書改為符合日本傳統的寫法，可惜並未成為主流。

 

After the Cultural Affairs Agency issued its notice in 2000, all English textbooks used at junior high schools adopted the surname-first order, but the practice did not take root.

 

不過，在許多官方部門和機構單位中規範要求將名字寫在前面，若要改變這個風俗，就必須從整個體制中的法律開始改起。

 

On the other hand, at some ministries and agencies, laws and regulations require that documents use the given-name-first order. Changing this would require regulations to be revised or systems to be modified.

 

和歌山大學(Wakayama University)一名教授Haruo Erikawa指出，日本自明治時代以來採取的西化政策及英文教育對日本文化的影響根深柢固，先寫名字後寫姓氏就是最好的例子。

 

The order of given name first began to permeate society as a result of the Westernization policies of the mid-Meiji era (1868-1912) and took root through English education, according to Haruo Erikawa, a professor at Wakayama University and chairman of the Society for Historical Studies of English Learning and Teaching in Japan.

 

自1900年後英文教科書便一直採用西式的名字寫法，早已成為主流習慣。

 

He said that around the year 1900, English textbooks adopted the given-name-first order, which then became mainstream.

 

Erikawa指出：「即使文化部重視此事，日本社會長期以來對西方文化的崇拜也非一天兩就能導正的。」

 

“The Cultural Affairs Agency notice has not permeated because of a long cultural history of ‘admiration of the West,’” Erikawa said.

 

Next

 

Japanese high schoolers spend concerning amount of time using their phone

 

根據日媒The Japan News報導，日本政府週五公布的調查指出，超過六成的日本高二生在假日時使用手機三小時以上。

 

A Japan government survey, published on Friday, showed that more than 60 percent of second-year high schooler use mobile phones for three hours or more on holiday.

 

這份日本教育及健康署的長期研究對象是2001年一月及七月出生的日本小孩。週五公布的這份報告是第17次針對這批在去年已經長成十七歲青少年的孩子進行調查，從逾三萬個學生中取得將近兩萬五千份回復。

 

This is a long-term survey conducted by the education and health ministries investigating children born in January or July 2001. The latest research was the 17th checking the situations of 2018 when they were 17 years old. The research had collected answers from 24,866 of the three thousand students participating in the survey.

 

調查顯示，逾六成半的學生表示在假日時使用手機三小時或以上，其中將近兩成表示使用手機三至四小時，而百分之19則表示使用超過六小時。

 

The survey showed that 65.4 percent of student using mobile phones for three hours or more on holiday. Among these students, 19.9 percent said they use the devices for three to four hours while 19 percent said they use them for more than six hours.

 

另外，調查亦顯示使用手機時間越多的學生，也越不喜歡待在家裡或補習班念書。那些使用超過六小時手機的青少年有一半以上表示不會在學校以外的時間念書。

 

Moreover, students who spent longer time on mobile phones were less likely to study at home or cram schools. For instance, more than half of those who use devices for six hours or more said they would not spend time study after school.

 

官員指出，使用手機的時間長不一定是壞事，因為手機的功能不只是看影片及社交網站，也可以用來學習或蒐集資訊。

 

However, an official said children can use phones not only for leisure activities such as watching videos or surfing social media but also study and to collect information.

 

Source article: https://chinapost.nownews.com/20190903-724873 ; https://chinapost.nownews.com/20190905-728659

 

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每日跟讀#673: Things to know about Greenland

 

US President Donald Trump earlier confirmed he was keen to buy Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory rich in natural resources and of increasing geopolitical relevance as the Arctic ice sheet melts.

 

美國總統唐納．川普明白表示他亟欲買下格陵蘭。該島為丹麥的自治區，自然資源豐富；隨著北極冰蓋逐漸融化，格陵蘭在地緣政治上也愈顯重要。

 

Trump’s bid for Greenland was not a first for the US. In 1867, the State Department expressed interest in the island, and in 1946 former US president Harry Truman offered US$100 million in gold, or parts of Alaska, in exchange for Greenland.

 

川普此次開口，並非美國第一次想買下格陵蘭。一八六七年，美國國務院便表達了對該島的興趣；一九四六年，美國前總統哈利．杜魯門為取得格陵蘭島，出價等值一億美元的黃金，也提出以阿拉斯加的部分地區為交換。

 

But last week Denmark, a NATO ally, swiftly retorted that the island, located between the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, is not for sale, prompting Trump to cancel a planned state visit.

 

但在上週，美國在北大西洋公約組織的盟國丹麥旋即反駁川普說，格陵蘭這座位於北大西洋和北極海之間的島嶼是非賣品，這讓川普憤而取消原訂訪問丹麥的計畫。

 

The name “Greenland” is misleading as the 2 million square km island, the world’s largest island that is not a continent, has three quarters bordering the Arctic Ocean and is 85 percent covered in ice. Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953, when it became part of the Danish realm. In 1979, it gained “autonomous territory” status. Today, the island’s economy depends heavily on subsidies from Copenhagen.

 

「Greenland」（「格陵蘭」，字面意義為「綠色的土地」）這個名稱很容易讓人誤解，因為它是個面積有兩百萬平方公里的島嶼，也是世界上最大的非大陸島嶼，有四分之三的海岸線臨北極海、百分之八十五的面積覆蓋著冰。格陵蘭在一九五三年之前是丹麥的殖民地，之後才成為丹麥領土。一九七九年，格陵蘭取得「自治區」的地位。現今，該島的經濟極度仰賴哥本哈根的補助。

 

Greenland has been essential to US defense since World War II, when it was a base for monitoring Nazi ships and submarines passing through the Arctic on their way to the north Atlantic. In 1943, the US Air Force built its farthest-north air base at Thule, crucial during the Cold War as a first line of monitoring against a potential Russian attack.

 

自第二次世界大戰以來，格陵蘭一直是美國國防不可或缺的一環。它是二戰時期美國在北極的基地，以監視納粹借道北極、駛向北大西洋的船隻和潛艇。一九四三年，美國在格陵蘭的圖勒建立了美國空軍最北的基地，在第一線監測俄羅斯可能發動的攻擊，這在冷戰時期至關重要。

 

As the polar ice sheet melts, opening up potentially major shipping routes, other global powers have moved in. Russia has become more active, and, while it has no geographical claim to the region, China has also begun to show interest in the region. China’s massive commercial shipping industry would benefit from the new polar routes.

 

隨著極地冰蓋融化，有潛力成為主要航運路線的水路也開闢出來，全球其他強權紛紛湧入。

俄羅斯變得更加積極，新崛起的中國也開始對北極地區表示興趣，雖然中國對該地區並無主張領土。新的北極航線將會讓中國龐大的航運業受益。

 

This massive territory is also on the front line of melting Arctic ice in a region that is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet.

 

北極的暖化速度是地球其他地方的兩倍，冰凍的北極正逐漸融化。而格陵蘭這片巨大的土地，正位於北極的最前線。

 

According to the World Meteorological Organization, Greenland’s ocean levels are rising by about 3.3mm per year.

If Greenland’s ice sheet were to disappear completely, it would raise the ocean level by 7m.

 

世界氣象組織的報告指出，格陵蘭的海平面每年持續上升約三點三公釐。

如果格陵蘭的冰蓋完全融化，將會使海平面升高七公尺。

 

Nonetheless, Greenland’s melting ice has a silver lining. Greenland’s subsoil is rich in gold, rubies and uranium, as well as iron, aluminium, nickel, platinum, tungsten, titanium, and copper, which could attract foreign investment.

Although Trump failed to buy Greenland, the US government is opening a consulate in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, next year; the last time the US had a consulate in Greenland was from 1940 to 1953.

 

儘管如此，格陵蘭冰層的融化還是有那麼一點好處。格陵蘭的底土富含金、紅寶石和鈾，以及鐵、鋁、鎳、鉑、鎢、鈦和銅，這些都可以吸引外國投資。雖然川普購買格陵蘭未果，但美國政府計畫明年在格陵蘭首府努克設立領事館；上次美國在格陵蘭設有領事館，是在一九四○年至一九五三年之間。

 

Source article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2019/08/27/2003721166/2

 

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Welcome to 15mins.today the home of English Shadowing.

I'm your host Gavin and this is InTense Episode 22, and in this episode we will be reviewing the past continuous or past progressive tense.

 

Great, okay let's get started.

 

Drill Sentences:

 

Was Jane sending the email? Yes, she was sending the email.

Was Jane sending the email? No, she was not sending the email.

 

Was the conference finishing on time? Yes, it was finishing on time.

Was the conference finishing on time? No, it was not finishing on time.

 

Were you attending the meeting? Yes, I was attending the meeting.

Were you attending the meeting? No, I was not attending the meeting.

 

Was Peter completing the report? Yes, he was completing the report.

Was Peter completing the report? No, he was not completing the report.

 

Were you staying at a hotel? Yes, I was staying at a hotel.

Were you staying at a hotel? No, I was not staying at a hotel.

 

Were John and Jane booking the tickets? Yes, they were booking the tickets.

Were John and Jane booking the tickets? No, they were not booking the tickets.

 

Were you visiting the museum? Yes, I was visiting the museum.

Were you visiting the museum? No, I was not visiting the museum.

 

Was Jeff rebooting the computer? Yes, he was rebooting the computer.

Was Jeff rebooting the computer? No, he was not rebooting the computer.

 

Was Anna backing up the files? Yes, she was backing up the files.

Was Anna backing up the files? No, she was not backing up the files.

 

Were you updating the drivers? Yes, I was updating the drivers.

Were you updating the drivers? No, I was not updating the drivers.

 

 

Great job everyone, keep repeating and I'll catch you in the next episode, bye-bye!

 

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Summary:

 

This article covers new measures to crack down on noise pollution from after-market exhaust systems, installed on scooters and motorcycles.

 

Full article: https://www.15mins.today/blog/633-cracking-down-on-noisy-scooters-during-joyriding-season

 

 

Vocabulary and Sample Sentences:

 

Joyriding n.: the crime of stealing a car and driving it for pleasure, usually dangerously

 

Is joyriding common in Taiwan?

Do Americans consider joyriding a minor offense?

 

Reinstate v.: return something to its previous position or status / give a person back their previous position

 

Was the project reinstated as important?

Was Mary reinstated as manager?

 

Bane n. : something that makes people unhappy or causes trouble

 

Are your neighbors the bane of your life?

Is work the bane of your existence?

 

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每日跟讀#672: Israel’s Energy Dilemma: More Natural Gas Than It Can Use or Export

 

For decades, Israel was an energy-starved country surrounded by hostile, oil-rich neighbors.

 

數十年來，以色列一直是能源緊缺的國家，被敵對且富藏石油的鄰國環繞。

 

Now it has a different problem. Thanks to major offshore discoveries over the past decade, it has more natural gas than it can use or readily export.

 

如今，以色列面對的問題已然不同。由於過去十年來以色列在近海發現大量天然氣，以色列擁有的天然氣已比國內用量和願意出口的份量還多。

 

Having plenty of gas is hardly a burden, and it offers a cleaner-burning alternative to Israel’s longtime power sources. But it presents challenges for a country that wants to extract geopolitical and economic benefits from a rare energy windfall, including building better relations with its neighbors and Europe.

 

天然氣儲量豐富難說是個負擔，而且讓以色列在依靠已久的電力來源之外，多了一個更乾淨的燃氣選項。不過，擁有大量天然氣也對以色列構成挑戰，以色列想藉由這罕見的意外發現的能源，獲取地緣政治和經濟利益，包括與鄰國和歐洲改善關係。

 

Part of the problem is timing. Just as Israel prepares to produce and export large amounts of gas, the United States, Australia, Qatar and Russia are flooding the market with cheap gas. The other is math: Israel’s 8.5 million people use in a year less than 1% of the gas that has been found in the country’s waters.

 

問題之一是時機。就在以色列準備生產大量天然氣並出口時，美國、澳洲、卡達和俄國都把廉價天然氣傾銷到市場上。另一個問題是供需，以色列人口850萬，一年用掉的份量不到海域已探明儲量的1%。

 

“We have a surplus of gas,” Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said in an interview. “Israeli waters are swimming in gas, and what we have discovered is only the beginning.”

 

以色列能源部長史坦尼茲受訪時說：「我們有多餘的天然氣，以色列海域滿是天然氣，而且我們探明的只是一小部分。」

 

Noble Energy, a Houston-based company that made its first discovery of gas in Israel in 1999, has found more than 30 trillion cubic feet of gas off the country’s coast over the past decade. Some experts say new discoveries could double that.

 

諾伯爾能源公司總部設在美國德州休士頓，1999年發現以色列的天然氣，是這家公司首次，過去十年來在以色列近海發現的天然氣超過30兆立方英尺。一些專家說，接下來發現的量可能兩倍於此。

 

As a result, Israel is phasing out diesel and coal-fired electricity, replacing it mostly with gas-fired generation and some solar power. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet is considering banning the import of gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2030 and gradually switching to vehicles fueled by compressed natural gas or electricity.

 

自然而然，以色列逐步淘汰燃燒柴油與燃煤發電，取而代之的主要是燃氣發電，還有一些太陽能。總理內唐亞胡內閣考慮從2030年起，禁止進口汽油與柴油車，並逐步改用壓縮天然氣汽車或電動車。

 

Israel is also stepping up exports to neighbors like Jordan and Egypt. There are even plans to supply gas to a power plant in the West Bank for Palestinian customers.

 

以色列還加強把天然氣出口到約旦和埃及等鄰國，甚至打算把天然氣供應給約旦河西岸一家發電廠，讓巴勒斯坦客戶使用.

 

Yet these efforts will make only a dent in the country’s reserves.

 

不過，這些舉動對解決以色列天然氣儲量豐富的問題只略有幫助。

 

“We want to export,” said Jacob Nagel, former head of Israel’s National Security Council. “The question is: How much will it cost? Is it possible? How much time will it take?”

 

以色列國家安全會議前主席內格爾說：「我們是想把天然氣出口，問題是，成本有多高？可行嗎？要花多少時間？」

 

For decades, Israel depended on Russia and other sources for fuel, while its industries and homes relied on coal and oil power plants that blanketed its cities with smog.

 

數十年來，以色列靠俄國等國家取得能源，工業和民生用電則仰賴燃煤和燃油，使城市煙霧彌漫。

 

The switch to gas has helped clear the air in cities like Tel Aviv and Haifa that have converted diesel-fueled plants.Israel’s biggest coal plant — in Hadera, a coastal city — will be converted over the next three years, cutting national coal consumption by 30%. Officials say they expect to eliminate coal use in 11 years.

 

改用天然氣使特拉維夫、海法等城市空氣變得清新。特拉維夫和海法已將柴油火力發電廠轉換成燃氣電廠。以色列最大燃煤電廠在濱海城市哈德拉，將在三年內轉換為燃氣電廠，能使全國煤炭消耗量減少三成。官員說，希望能在11年內淘汰煤電。

 

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/343671/web/#2L-15341939L

 

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每日跟讀#671: A New Generation of Chefs Reframes Taiwanese Cuisine in America

 

When Richard Ho opened Ho Foods, a tiny storefront in New York’s East Village last year, his goal was to serve the best possible version of a single Taiwanese dish: beef noodle soup.

 

去年，何瑞運在紐約東村地區一個小小店面開了「何家麵店」，當時他的目標是做出台灣餐點牛肉麵最棒的口味。

 

His goal was not to become the host of what his employees describe as Manhattan’s first Taiwanese food community center.

 

雖然在他的員工口中，何家麵館是曼哈坦第一個台灣料理交流中心，但這其實不是何瑞運當初開店的目標。

 

But because the dish is so beloved, everyone from Chinatown aunties to fellow Taiwanese-American chefs to curious tourists showed up to see if his soup was up to their particular standards.

 

然而，由於牛肉麵深受人們喜愛，從中國城的婆婆媽媽、其他台裔美國廚師，到好奇的觀光客，大家都來光顧，想嘗嘗湯頭是否達到他們特定的標準。

 

“Every Taiwanese mom who comes in tells me a different ‘secret’ to the broth,” Ho said. “Apples, cilantro stems, star anise.”

 

何瑞運說：「每個進來店裡的台灣媽媽，都向我傳授不同的湯頭『秘方』，從蘋果、香菜梗到八角都有。」

 

Beef noodle soup is widely considered the national dish of modern Taiwan, assembled from the island’s tumultuous history, celebrated with an annual festival in Taipei and fought over in a cooking competition with multiple winning categories. But it is only one of countless dishes that make Taiwan’s cooking remarkable and rewarding.

 

牛肉麵普遍被認為是現代台灣的國民美食，由台灣動盪的歷史匯集而成，在一年一度的台北牛肉麵節中受到讚揚，並在一場有多個獲獎類別的烹飪比賽中成為競賽項目。不過，使台菜不同凡響且令人滿足的菜色多得數不清，牛肉麵只是其中一種。

 

Much of its cuisine can be traced to somewhere else, but — like the United States — Taiwan has experienced so many transformations of demography and culture, technology and taste, that the food now has its own identity.

 

台菜的根源多半能追溯到台灣以外的其他地方，這點跟美國菜一樣，不過，台灣經歷過許多次人口、文化、技術和口味的轉變，使台菜獨樹一格。

 

Because the modern history of the island includes centuries of immigration and colonization, 50 years of Japanese occupation (from 1895 through World War II), and an influx of 2 million refugees from mainland China when the Communist Party took power in 1949, modern Taiwanese food is a particularly kaleidoscopic mix. (Today, the island exists in political limbo between independence from and absorption into greater China.)

 

“Taiwan itself is a melting pot,” said chef Vivian Ku, of the restaurant Pine & Crane in Los Angeles.

 

台灣島的現代史包括持續幾世紀的移民和殖民、日本占領50年（從1895年到二次世界大戰結束）及1949年中共掌權後從中國大陸湧進200萬人，使現代台菜的面貌格外五花八門。（現今台灣處於政治不確定狀態，對獨立或與大陸統一莫衷一是。）洛杉磯台菜餐廳「松鶴麵莊」主廚薇薇安．顧說：「台灣本身就是一個大熔爐。」

 

In the United States, Taiwanese dishes have often been swept under the vast umbrella of “Chinese food.” Until recently, only people who know their food geography could spot a restaurant with a particular specialty — beef noodle soup; box lunches of rice, pork and cabbage; braised beef rolled in scallion pancakes — and identify it as Taiwanese.

 

在美國，台菜往往劃歸「中國菜」這個統稱下，直到不久之前，只有了解菜色地域特性的人，才能認出一家餐廳提供台灣特色菜，包括牛肉麵、盒裝米飯午餐、豬肉炒高麗菜、蔥餅牛肉捲等，並確定那是台菜餐廳。

 

Now, Taiwanese food is announcing itself. It is not new to the United States, but it is being newly celebrated, and transformed, by young Taiwanese-American chefs and restaurateurs like Ho, Vivian Ku, Eric Sze of 886 in Manhattan and Joshua Ku of Win Son in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

 

如今，台菜開始宣示自己的地位。台菜對美國來說不是新東西，但一批年輕的台裔美國主廚及餐館老闆，最近為台菜賦予新面貌，像是：何瑞運、薇薇安．顧、曼哈坦台菜餐廳「886」老闆史官及紐約布魯克林區東威廉斯堡地區台菜館「盈成餐館」老闆顧文宇。

 

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/343671/web/#2L-15341939L

 

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每日跟讀#670: Arctic wildfires spew soot and smoke cloud bigger than EU

 

A cloud of smoke and soot bigger than the EU is billowing across Siberia as wildfires in the Arctic Circle rage into an unprecedented third month. The normally frozen region, which is a crucial part of the planet’s cooling system, is spewing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and worsening the manmade climate disruption that created the tinderbox conditions.

 

隨著北極圈內多起野火持續肆虐，史無前例地延燒了三個月，煙霧和煤灰形成的烏雲範圍已超過整個歐盟面積，並且如波濤般席捲西伯利亞。這片平常結凍的地區，是地球冷卻系統中至關緊要的一部分，現在卻不斷將二氧化碳噴入大氣層。人為的氣候擾亂原本就已造成一觸即發的危險情勢，卻又因此更加惡化。

 

A spate of huge fires in northern Russia, Alaska, Greenland and Canada discharged 50 megatonnes of CO2 in June and 79 megatonnes in July, far exceeding the previous record for the Arctic. The intensity of the blazes continues with 25 megatonnes in the first 11 days of August — extending the duration beyond even the most persistent fires in the 17-year dataset of Europe’s satellite monitoring system.

 

在俄國北部、阿拉斯加、格陵蘭以及加拿大陸續爆發的大火，在六月釋放出五千萬噸的二氧化碳，七月更增加到七千九百萬噸，遠超過北極圈先前的紀錄。在八月一號開始的十一天內，熊熊火焰的強度持續釋放出兩千五百萬噸的二氧化碳──延燒時間甚至已超過歐洲衛星監測系統十七年來的資料組中最頑劣的大火紀錄。

 

Mark Parrington, a scientist in the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, said the previous record was just a few weeks. “We haven’t seen this before,” he said. “The fire intensity is still well above average.” He said the affected regions previously registered unusually high temperatures and a low level of soil moisture, which created the perfect conditions for ignition. Globally, June and July were the hottest months ever measured.

 

哥白尼大氣監控機構的科學家馬克‧派靈頓表示，先前的紀錄僅有數週之久，「我們從未看過這般景象。」他更指出：「野火的劇烈程度仍然遠高於平均。」派靈頓表示，遭到肆虐的地區先前都記錄到不尋常的高溫和低土壤濕度，這些都是引燃大火的最佳條件。在全球方面，今年六月和七月已成為測量溫度最高的兩個月份。

 

The Earth observation scientist Josef Aschbacher said that in Siberia alone, the two-month inferno had destroyed 4.3 million hectares of taiga forest. The smoke has spread further still. Antti Lipponen, of the Finnish Meteorological Institute, estimates the affected area at 5 million square kilometers. “For comparison, the area of EU is about 4.5 million square kilometers and the area of contiguous US about 8.1 million square kilometers,” he tweeted.

 

地球觀測科學家約瑟夫‧亞許巴赫表示，光是在西伯利亞當地，持續兩個月的火焰煉獄已摧毀四百三十萬公頃的北方針葉林。煙霧則向外擴散得更遠。芬蘭氣象研究所的專家安堤‧利波寧哥估計，受影響的區域可達到五百萬平方公里。他在推特上表示：「作為對照，歐盟的佔地面積約為四百五十萬平方公里，而美國本土地區約為八百一十萬平方公里。」

 

The cloud is billowing northeast and is forecast to reach Alaska, where this year’s fires have already scorched an area bigger than all the wildfires that devastated California last year. Carly Phillips, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, said Alaskan fires had burned 7.32 million hectares of forest since 2000, more than double the amount over the previous 20 years.

 

這片煙霧正在向東北方洶湧翻騰，預計將抵達阿拉斯加，當地今年遭到祝融肆虐燒焦的區域大小早已超過去年摧殘加州的全部野火總合。「憂思科學家聯盟」的成員卡莉‧菲力普斯指出，自從二○○○年以來，阿拉斯加發生的火災已焚毀七百三十二萬公頃的森林，超過千禧年前二十年的兩倍。

 

“Carbon emissions from these wildfires could exacerbate climate warming for decades to come,” she wrote in a blogpost. “Alaska’s ecosystems store huge quantities of carbon both as permafrost and soil that has accumulated over millennia. Wildfires destabilize these stores of carbon by combusting soil and accelerating permafrost thaw, both of which release heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere.”

 

卡莉‧菲力普斯在部落格文章中寫道：「來自這些野火的碳排放量恐怕會加劇未來幾十年的氣候暖化」她進一步解釋：「阿拉斯加的生態系在數千年來累積的永凍層和土壤中，儲存了大量的碳。野火會因為燃燒土壤，並且加速永凍層解凍，使得這些碳儲存變得不穩定，這兩個過程都會將吸熱氣體釋放到大氣層中。

 

The black soot also settles on what is left of the Arctic ice, weakening its ability to reflect the heat of the sun. In Greenland, satellite images this month revealed fires stretching across an area 380km wide, adding to the pressures of an Arctic heatwave that caused a record melt-off of the world’s second biggest ice sheet.

 

黑色的煤灰也會附著在北極圈殘留的冰上，讓冰塊反射太陽高溫的能力減弱。這個月的衛星照片顯示，格陵蘭多起火災的範圍橫跨三百八十公里寬。北極圈近日一場熱浪，造成世界第二大的冰層發生破紀錄的大量融冰，這些火災無疑是對此壓力火上加油。

 

Since the start of the year, more than 13.1 million hectares have burned, according to Greenpeace, which says this has released as much carbon dioxide as a year’s worth of exhaust fumes from 36 million cars. The Arctic is not the only afflicted region. So far this year, the EU has had 1,600 fires bigger than 30 hectares, which is four times the annual average over the previous decade, according to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.

 

綠色和平組織表示，今年初以來已有超過一千三百點一萬公頃的林地遭到焚毀，這些火災釋放出的二氧化碳相當於三千六百萬台車輛一整年的廢氣排放量總和。根據哥白尼大氣監控機構的資料顯示，今年至今，歐盟國家已發生一千六百多起燃燒範圍超過三十公頃的火災，比上一個十年的年平均值超出四倍。

 

Source article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2019/08/25/2003721057/2

 

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每日跟讀#669: Jamie Oliver’s restaurant chain ‘on brink of collapse’

 

英國名廚傑米·奧利佛(Jamie Oliver)開的餐飲連鎖店正處於破產的邊 緣，破產管理人員預計很快就會被引入。天空新聞今天早些時候報導說，這家連 鎖餐飲業在未能「自行維持生計」後，即將召集破產管理人員接管。

 

Jamie Oliver’s restaurant chain is reportedly on the brink of collapse with administrators expected to be brought in any time soon, according to various reports. Sky said earlier today that the restaurant chain is about to call in the administrators after failing to “stay afloat on its own.”

 

此舉可能會造成英國傑米·奧利佛(Jamie Oliver’s restaurant chain)25 家餐 廳的 1,300 位員工面臨失業風險。 去年，鏡報報導說，該餐飲帝國已積欠員工 220 萬英鎊，對外負債更高達 7,150 萬英鎊。

 

The move could put 1,300 jobs at risk across 25 restaurants in the UK. Last year, the Mirror reported that the restaurant empire owed staff £2.2 million and was in £71.5 million of debt.

 

英國名廚傑米奧利佛於 2008 年在牛津開設了他的第一家連鎖餐廳。2018 年 2 月， 為了不讓持續虧損的餐廳王國崩盤，該公司宣布關閉 37 家餐廳中的 12 家分店，在布里斯托爾，雷丁和哈羅蓋特等地區共有 450 人失業。

 

In February 2018, the company announced the closure of 12 of its 37 restaurants, seeing 450 job losses in places including Bristol, Reading, and Harrogate. The celebrity chef opened his first chain outlet in Oxford in 2008.

 

去年，奧利佛指責英國脫離歐盟造成英鎊疲軟，導致義大利經營成本提高，不得 不關閉了六家傑米義大利分店。 他表示，交易條件惡劣，進口食品成本的增加 和人員工資的上漲，英鎊疲軟等導致經營困難。 不過英國名廚奧利佛（Jamie Oliver）旗下的「Jamie’s Italian」義大利餐廳仍在台北設有一家分店。

 

Last year, Oliver blamed Brexit on the closure of six of his Jamie’s Italian branches. He said poor trading conditions, rising food and staffing costs, and a weakening pound. The company still operates a restaurant in Taipei.

 

這已經不是這位電視名廚第一次被迫關閉餐館了，奧利佛去年關了位於倫敦皮卡迪利的 燒烤牛排餐廳，以及 12 家分店。

 

It’s not the first time the TV chef has been forced to shut restaurants. Oliver closed his Barbecoa steak restaurant in London’s Piccadilly Last year, as well as 12 branches.

 

在關閉部分分店後，餐飲業顧問休理查德賴特(Hugh Richard Wright)告訴《鏡 報》記者，他認為由於客戶支出減少和商業成本增加，中型連鎖店正「苦於掙扎」。

 

After the closure, restaurant consultant Hugh Richard Wright told the Mirror he thinks medium-sized chains are “struggling due to reduced customer spend, and higher business costs.”

 

他補充說，通常目前市場盛行以較低的價格提供優質食品，而這樣的市場「可以 說是達到飽和的」。

 

He added that the availability of great food, often for less, is having an impact; the market is “arguably saturated.”

 

休(Hugh)補充說：「對於傑米的義大利餐廳以及像斯特拉達和拜倫這樣規模的餐 廳集團，我認為這歸因於消費者放棄『中等階層市場』，他們意識到他們可以從 當地的其他義大利餐廳那裡獲得更優質的食物，或以相同或較低的價格去其他漢 堡連鎖店消費。」

 

“In the case of Jamie’s Italian and similar groups of this size such as Strada and Byron,” Hugh further explained. “I think it’s also attributable to consumers abandoning the ‘middle market’ having realized they can get better quality food from (say) their local Italian or burger joint at the same price or less.”

 

Source article: https://chinapost.nownews.com/20190521-576998

 

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每日跟讀#668: US exports to lobster-loving China go off cliff amid tariffs

 

因應報復性關稅戰，中國減少從美國進口龍蝦，轉而將進口目標往北移。

 

U.S. lobster exports to China have fallen off a cliff this year as new retaliatory tariffs shift the seafood business farther north.

 

中國的龍蝦市場大且很有潛力，但從去年七月起，中美政府間關係緊張，兩國貿易受到影響，美國龍蝦及許多其他產品都被中國課徵高額的關稅。

 

China, a huge and growing customer for lobster, placed heavy tariffs on U.S. lobsters — and many other food products — in July 2018 amid rising trade hostilities between the Chinese and the Trump administration.

 

然而，美國北邊的加拿大相關產業卻因此受益。貨機進出加拿大諾瓦斯科西亞省的哈利法克斯及新伯倫瑞克省的蒙克頓運送劇增的出口龍蝦，且加拿大漁夫捕撈的龍蝦與美國緬因州蝦農捕捉的品種相同。

 

Meanwhile, business is booming in Canada, where cargo planes are coming to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Moncton, New Brunswick, to handle a growing bump in exports. Canadian fishermen catch the same species of lobster as American lobstermen, who are based mostly in Maine.

 

緬因州的部分公司由於出口驟減，必須裁員。像是龍蝦公司The Lobster Co., of Arundel的老闆Stephanie Nadeau已將半數員工裁撤。

 

The loss of business has brought layoffs to some Maine businesses, such as The Lobster Co., of Arundel, where owner Stephanie Nadeau has laid off half the 14 people she once had working in wholesale.

 

Nadeau表示：「掌握權都在中美政府，我別無選擇，成了輸家。沒有任何市場可取代中國。」

 

“They picked winners, and they picked losers, and they picked me a loser,” Nadeau said. “There is no market that’s going to replace China.”

 

美國聯邦政府的數據顯示，截至六月，美國今年對中國的龍蝦出口少了220萬磅（一百萬公斤）。去年同期的出口量是1200萬磅。另一方面，加拿大今年對中國的龍蝦出口則已經達到3300萬磅，幾乎是2018年全年的出口。

 

America has exported less than 2.2 million pounds (1 million kilograms) of lobster to China this year through June, according to data from the U.S. federal government. The country exported nearly 12 million pounds during that same period last year. In Canada, exports to China through June were already approaching 33 million pounds, which is nearly as much as all of 2018.

 

加拿大今年一至六月的出口額將近2億美金(約60億台幣)，直追去年總額2.23億美金(約台幣70億)。美國今年到六月的出口額少於1900萬，比去年同期少了7000萬。

 

The value of Canada’s exports was nearing $200 million in U.S. dollars through June and was almost sure to outstrip last year’s total of more than $223 million. America’s exports through June were valued at less than $19 million, more than $70 million behind where they were through June 2018.

 

關稅戰期間美國境內的龍蝦價位震盪不大，且內需穩定。過去十多年來美國對中國的海鮮出口只增不減，例如2010年時美國總共出口了80萬磅的龍蝦到中國，比前一年還多了20倍。然而美國卻在這一年失去了中國龐大市場。

 

Lobster prices paid by American consumers have remained fairly steady during the trade dispute, and there remain many buyers for U.S. lobster. But the loss of China as an overseas market is happening at the end of a decade in which the U.S. seafood industry has experienced exponential growth in lobster exports to the country. The U.S. exported about 800,000 pounds of lobster to China in 2010 and more than 20 times that last year.

 

緬因州龍蝦市場協會（Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative）的總監Marianne LaCroix表示，美國龍蝦產業正在尋找新市場以彌補失去中國市場的損失。為了推廣美國龍蝦，LaCroix表示緬因州的龍蝦農Brian Rapp會出席香港的商展並參加九月前往杜拜的貿易訪問團。

 

The American lobster industry is looking to open up new domestic and international markets to make up for the loss of China, said Marianne LaCroix, who directs the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative. Maine lobsterman Brian Rapp will attend a trade show in Hong Kong and a trade mission to Dubai in September to promote U.S. lobster, she said.

 

LaCroix說倒：「中國市場實在太大了，所以我們必須找到數個新市場才能取代原本在中國的生意。」

 

“China is so large that you have to look at a number of new markets to replace that business,” LaCroix said.

 

加拿大龍蝦理事會（Lobster Council of Canada）執行長Geoff Irvine表示，加拿大的龍蝦市場變大對產業當然有助益，但也為龍蝦業的未來帶來了不確定。

 

In Canada, the boost to business has helped the industry but also led to uncertainty about its future, said Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada.

 

他指出，美國與加拿大的龍蝦產業是有重疊的，有些公司在兩邊都有營運，而暢通兩邊的貿易是對產業最有利的。

 

The American and Canadian lobster industries overlap, with some businesses operating on both sides of the border, and it’s more beneficial to the lobster industry at large for trade to go on unimpeded, he said.

 

他說道：「未來的不確定性令人擔心。」並指出：「所有人都希望整個龍蝦產業開放且自由。」

 

“Whenever there’s any kind of uncertainty, it makes people worry,” Irvine said. “Everybody would like to see the entire lobster industry open and free.”

 

Source article: https://chinapost.nownews.com/20190827-712986

 

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Welcome to 15mins.today the home of English Shadowing.

I'm your host Gavin and this is InTense Episode 21, and in this episode we will be reviewing the present perfect tense. So get ready and let's go!

 

 

Has Jane sent the email? Yes, she has sent the email.

Has Jane sent the email? No, she has not sent the emai.l

 

Has the conference finished on time? Yes, it has finished on time.

Has the conference finished on time? No, it has not finished on time.

 

Have you attended the meeting? Yes, I have attended the meeting.

Have you attended the meeting? No, I have not attended the meeting.

 

Has Peter completed the report? Yes, he has completed the report.

Has Peter completed the report? No, he has not completed the report.

 

Have you stayed at a hotel? Yes, I have stayed at a hotel.

Have you stayed at a hotel? No, I have never stayed at a hotel.

 

Have John and Jane booked the tickets? Yes, they have booked the tickets.

Have John and Jane book the tickets? No, they have not booked the tickets.

 

Have you visited the museum? Yes, I have visited the museum.

Have you visited the museum? No, I have not visited the museum.

 

Has Jeff rebooted the computer? Yes, he has rebooted the computer

Has Jeff rebooted the computer? No, he has not rebooted the computer.

 

Has Anne backed up the files? Yes, she has backed up the files.

Has Anne backed up the files? No, she has not backed up the files.

 

Have you updated the drivers? Yes, I have updated the drivers.

Have you updated the drivers? No, I have not updated the drivers.

 

Great job everyone, keep repeating and I'll catch you in the next one, bye!

 

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