通勤學英語 15Mins Today

每日跟讀#630: Electric Scooters Are Sweeping the Country. New York Says Not So Fast.

 

When Helmis Ortega visited Atlanta not long ago, he toured the city on an electric scooter. Once back in New York City, he was struck by the scooter-free streets.

 

赫爾米斯．奧特加不久前去到亞特蘭大，騎乘電動滑板車遊覽了這座城市。回返紐約後，卻因街上竟然沒有滑板車而感到訝異。

 

“It blew my mind,” said Ortega, a paralegal who lives in Upper Manhattan. “How do we not have this here?”

 

奧特加是住在曼哈頓上城的一位律師助理，他說：「這讓我想不透，我們這裡怎會沒有滑板車。」

 

The answer is simple: Officials do not believe the biggest — and most crowded — city in the country is ready for scooters.

 

答案很簡單：紐約的官員們不認為這座全美最大—也最擁擠—的城市已為迎接滑板車做好了準備。

 

Companies like Bird and Lime that rent scooters in other cities have stayed away from New York because the devices are technically illegal. Rule breakers could get hit with a $500 fine or have their scooter confiscated.

 

柏德和萊姆這類在其他城市出租滑板車的公司一直沒進駐紐約，因為嚴格說來此裝置在紐約不合法。違規者可處500美元罰款或沒收其滑板車。

 

So New Yorkers, long proud of their status as cultural trendsetters on everything from fashion to Cronuts, have been left out of the scooter craze sweeping the nation.

 

因此，在包括時尚、可頌甜甜圈在內的一切事物上素來都以引領文化潮流自豪的紐約人，已被席捲全國的滑板車熱潮排除在外。

 

Electric scooters have appeared in dozens of cities — from Los Angeles to Washington and across the Midwest — winning plenty of fans and at least as many enemies who view them as a nuisance. They are a cheap way to get around, for fun or commuting, and are faster than walking and more enjoyable than sitting in traffic.

 

從洛杉磯到華盛頓，乃至整個中西部地區，電動滑板車已在數十個城市出現，贏得大量粉絲，而樹敵之多也不在粉絲之下，反對者認為滑板車是個麻煩。電動滑板車是很便宜的代步工具，可用於娛樂或通勤，且速度比走路快，也比困在車陣中有趣。

 

The devices recently became legal in New Jersey, where they have already flooded the streets of Hoboken, just across the Hudson River. But it appears that electric scooters are unlikely to arrive in New York City anytime soon.

 

滑板車不久前在紐澤西州取得合法地位，並且已在哈德遜河對岸的霍博肯市街道上大量湧現，但看來電動滑板車短時間內還不太可能打進紐約。

 

Leaders in New York are reluctant to change the law and worry that scooters are too dangerous, especially in an increasingly congested Manhattan where cars, pedestrians and cyclists are already competing for limited street space.

 

紐約市的領袖們不太願意修改法律，也擔心滑板車太危險，尤其是在車流日益壅塞的曼哈頓，這個區域汽車、行人與單車騎士已經在爭奪有限的街道空間了。

 

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is known to work out on a stationary bike at the gym, has scoffed at the idea of riding a scooter.“I just don’t like the idea personally, because I’m like, ‘If you’re going to move around why are you not getting some exercise?’” the mayor told reporters last fall. “It seems really passive to me.”

 

紐約市長白思豪以常上健身房騎健身腳踏車聞名，去年秋天他向記者說：「我個人就是不喜歡電動滑板車這點子，因為我覺得：『如果你想到某個地方去，何不趁機運動運動？』我對這個點子真不來電。」

 

His lack of enthusiasm has not stopped rental companies from lobbying local leaders. The companies have spent at least $475,000 on lobbying for electric scooters and bikes at the state and city level during the first four months of this year, according to state records. Bird and Jump Bikes, an Uber subsidiary, each spent at least $100,000 on lobbying.

 

儘管他興趣缺缺，電動滑板車租賃公司卻依然在向當地領袖進行遊說。州政府數據顯示，今年頭四個月，這些公司至少已投注47萬5,000美元遊說州、市層級開放電動滑板車和電動自行車。柏德公司和優步子公司跳躍單車在遊說上至少各花了10萬美元。

 

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每日跟讀#629: The coming age of 5G and the Internet of Things

 

In the era of 5G data communication, downloading a high-definition movie will take just one second. It’s much more than just ultra-fast communication speeds, however. Imagine this: while riding in an autonomous car you’re wearing a pair of smart glasses and watching the 2022 Qatar World Cup opening ceremony from far away in Southwest Asia. Meanwhile, your friend sitting next to you is discussing with their chief physician the next stage of their post-chemoresistance cancer treatment.

 

5G時代，下載一部高畫質電影只需要1秒鐘，不僅是傳輸速度快，想像一下，坐在無人車內，戴上智慧眼鏡，觀看遠在亞洲西南方的卡達（二零二二年國際足協世界盃主辦國），正在舉行的世界盃開幕典禮。而坐在旁邊的朋友，則是透過車上的後座螢幕，正與他的主治醫生討論癌症抗藥性後的下一步治療方式。

 

While heading to the seaside in your driverless car you suddenly feel thirsty. You find a store using your smart glasses and amend the car’s route to stop outside the shop. You get out of the car and buy a bottle of mineral water, which you pay for using facial recognition.

 

無人車往海邊行駛的途中，口渴了，透過智慧眼鏡，發現一家小商店，調整設定，讓無人車行駛到商店門口，下車拿了瓶礦泉水，透過刷臉就完成交易。

 

Once at the beach, after meeting up with some other friends, everyone dons a pair of smart glasses and, using holographic technology, watch a rock band perform their hits.

 

到了海灘，跟其他朋友碰面後，每個人都戴上智慧眼鏡，透過全息投影讓搖滾樂團帶來的一首又一首的熱門歌曲…。

 

In fact, the greatest change will come from the way that 5G alters our lives through the Internet of Things (IoT), both at home and at work. In homes today we have smart speakers, but this will be just one component of IoT. Just like in a science fiction movie, an AI-driven personal assistant will be at your beck and call, conjured up with a verbal command anytime, anywhere.

 

事實上，5G生活最大的改變，來自於物聯網改變了生活，包括家庭、工作等，在家裡，因為萬物聯網，就像現在的智慧音箱，它只是其中的一部分，大家想像很多科幻電影的畫面，家裡就像有一個AI（人工智慧），人們可以用語言指揮它，無所不能。

 

As for work, you won’t need to leave your house, and can take part in a face-to-face meeting with colleagues using a virtual reality (VR) headset. If you need to hold a multi-party meeting, no longer will participants need to travel far and wide to a central, physical location: through 5G technology and VR, you can all assemble in a virtual meeting room.

 

在工作上，人們不用出門，要跟同事開一個「面對面」會議，只要戴上VR（虛擬實境）頭戴式裝置，想跟幾個人一起開會都可以，不用穿山越嶺、甚至遠渡重洋，節省許多時間。

 

If you do leave your home, the biggest change 5G will usher in is the advent of self-driving vehicles. This year, South Korea has already taken the lead, rolling out the first 5G-connected self-driving vehicles. Within the streets of downtown Seoul, vehicles were able to cover a distance of 8km in 20 minutes, and were not only able to change lanes and adjust their speeds, but were also able to automatically recognize traffic signals. This was facilitated by the 5G equipment loaded onboard, multiple times faster than 4G speeds. The faster data speeds vastly increase the safety of self-driving vehicles. Many of the world’s car manufacturers have begun testing their own self-driving vehicles. Once 5G becomes available, self-driving vehicles will no longer be a distant dream.

 

如果要出門，5G最大的改變就是自駕車時代來臨，今年韓國率先推出5G自駕車，在首爾市區上路二十分鐘，跑了八公里，車子不但能變換車道、調節車速，還能自動辨識交通號誌。這是因為自駕車上的5G設備，聯網速度比4G快了數十倍，透過強大運算及5G高速連網能力，大大提高自駕的安全性，許多國際車廠都陸續展開自駕車試驗，在5G上路後，自駕車就不再是遙不可及的夢想。

 

However, telecommunication companies have yet to realize a return on their investment in the existing 4G network, and the required investment for 5G will be much greater. The question is, how much money and effort will they be willing to spend on building a 5G network? Some telecom companies are even predicting that 4G and 5G networks will function concurrently for more than a decade. Moreover, since 5G technology is still being developed, there remain many unknown variables around the emerging technology.

 

不過，電信業者在4G的投資尚未回本，5G投資龐大，電信業者初期會花多少心力拚5G建設？甚至電信業者預估，4G、5G會並存十年以上。更何況，技術還在發展中，仍有許多未知數。

 

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每日跟讀#628: YouTube updates hate speech guidelines to prohibit videos

 

YouTube updated its hate speech policies on June 5 to prohibit videos with white supremacy and neo-Nazi viewpoints.

 

YouTube六月五日更新了有關仇恨言論的規定，以禁止含有白人至上主義和新納粹主義意涵的影片。

 

The video streaming company says it has already made it more difficult to find and promote such videos, but it’s now removing them outright. YouTube will also prohibit videos that deny certain proven events have taken place, such as the Holocaust.

 

該影音串流媒體公司表示，他們已降低此類影片被搜尋到和曝光的機會，但他們現正著手徹底刪除這些影片。YouTube所禁止的還包括對某些確實發生過的事──例如大屠殺──加以否認的影片。

 

The changes come as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other online services face mounting concern that the services allow, and in some cases foster, extremism.

 

YouTube、Facebook（臉書）、Twitter（推特）和其他線上服務平台面臨越來越多的疑慮，擔憂這些平台允許──某些情況甚至是助長了極端主義。YouTube 也因此做出這改變。

 

YouTube’s new policies will take effect immediately. Specifically, the service is banning videos “alleging that a group is superior in order to justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion.” The ban applies to a range of characteristics, including race, sexual orientation and veteran status.

 

YouTube 的新規定立即生效。具體來說，它禁止影片「聲稱某一群體的優越，而將歧視、隔離或排斥合理化」。該禁令適用的範圍也包括對種族、性傾向和退伍軍人的歧視。

 

YouTube, which is owned by Google, said it’s removing thousands of channels that violate the new policies.

YouTube’s changes follow moves from Facebook to prohibit not only white supremacy, but also white nationalism and white separatism.

 

Google（谷歌）旗下的 YouTube 表示，該公司正著手刪除數千個違反新規定的頻道。

YouTube 的改變是跟隨 Facebook 的腳步，不光是禁止白人至上主義，還禁止白人民族主義和白人分離主義。

 

The two services, which allow people to create and upload their own materials, have faced considerable backlash about offensive videos on their services — and for how long they allowed live video feeds to stay online, such as during the mosque shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand.

 

Facebook 和 YouTube 皆可讓人自己創建和上傳影音，這兩家公司也因此面臨大量強烈批評──由於這些影音的攻擊性內容，以及對直播影片可在線上保留多久的爭議，例如紐西蘭基督城清真寺槍擊案的直播。

 

The companies have said they are walking the balance between creating safe spaces while also protecting freedom of expression.

 

Facebook 和 YouTube 表示，他們在創造安全網路空間和保護言論自由之間尋求平衡。

 

With little government oversight on online material, Internet companies have become the arbiters for what is and isn’t allowed. The policies don’t always fall into clean, delineated lines. YouTube is facing controversy over its refusal to remove videos from conservative commentator Steven Crowder, in which he uses homophobic slurs to describe Vox reporter Carlos Maza. YouTube said Crowder hasn’t told people to harass Maza, and the primary point of his video is to offer opinion, and thus it didn’t violate YouTube’s anti-harassment policies. Criticism of the decision has poured out online. YouTube later said it had removed Crowder’s ability to make money on YouTube.

 

由於政府對網路資訊的監督很少，因此網路公司成了仲裁者，決定什麼可以、什麼不可以，而這些規定卻不總是界線分明的。YouTube 因拒絕刪除保守派評論者史蒂芬‧克勞德的影片而面臨爭議──克勞德在影片中用恐同的誹謗話語來形容美國網路媒體 Vox 的記者卡洛斯‧馬薩。YouTube 表示克勞德並未唆使他人去騷擾馬薩，克勞德的影片主要是在表達意見，因此沒有違反 YouTube 的反騷擾規定。對於 YouTube 這個決定，網路上湧現大量批評。後來 YouTube 表示，該公司已取消了克勞德在 YouTube 上賺錢的權限。

 

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Welcome to 15mins.today the home of English Shadowing I'm your host Gavin and this is InTense Episode 14. In this episode we will be looking at the future perfect tense.

This is a tense that we use for the future, but we use it for something that we know will have finished at some point in the future, as in, “I will have spent all my money by tomorrow.” So, “I know that I would have spent all my money by tomorrow” is something that's going to happen, I have planned it and I know or have an idea of when it will finish. How do we know something is the future perfect tense? What we find is a “ will have” and the past participle of the verb. Great, so that is the future perfect tense. Let's get started with all questions.

Drill Questions:

Will Jane have sent the email by tomorrow? Yes. she will have sent the email by tomorrow.Will Jane have sent the email by tomorrow? No. she will not have sent the email by tomorrow.

Will the conference have finished by lunch? Yes. the conference will have finished by lunch.Will the conference have finished by lunch? No, the conference will not have finished by lunch.

Will you have attended the meeting by 2? Yes, I will have attended the meeting by 2.Will you have attended the meeting by 2? No, I will not have attended the meeting by 2.

Will Peter have completed the report by dinner time? Yes, he will have completed the report by dinner time.Will Peter have completed the report by dinner time? No, he will not have completed the report by dinner time.

Will you have stayed at hotel by this time tomorrow? Yes, I will have stayed at a hotel by this time tomorrow.Will you have stayed at a hotel by this time tomorrow? No, I will not have stayed at a hotel by this time tomorrow

Will John and Jane have booked the tickets by July? Yes, John and Jane will have booked the tickets by July.

Will John and Jane have booked the tickets by July? No, they will not have booked the tickets by July.

Will you have visited the museum by January next year? Yes, I will have visited the museum by January next year.Will you have visited the museum by January next year? No, I will not have visited the museum by January next year.

Will Jeff have rebooted the computer by the time we come back? Yes, he will have rebooted the computer by the time we come back.Will Jeff have rebooted the computer by the time we come back? No, he will not have rebooted the computer by the time we come back.

Will Anna has backed up the files before the supervisor returns? Yes, she will have backed up the files before the supervisor returns.Will Anna have backed up the files before her supervisor returns? No, she will not have backed up the files before the supervisor returns.

Will you have updated the drivers before your computer dies? Yes, I will have updated the drivers on my computer before it dies.Will you have updated the drivers on your computer before it dies? No, I will not have updated the drivers on my computer before it dies.

And a bonus question.Will you have visited Japan before you die? Yes, I will have visited Japan before I die.Will you have visited Japan before you die? No, I will not have visited Japan before I die.

Great guys! Thanks for listening don't forget keep repeating. Follow the questions and answers and keep practicing! Bye!

 

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Summary:

 

With the rising trends of e-sports, more and more gamers are looking for ways to improve their game. On top of their regular training on games and strategies, now the players have to train physically too. For the team, it is also important to set themselves up to meet the needs of the sponsors and investors.

 

Full article: https://www.15mins.today/blog/595-gaming-s-new-lifestyle-less-pizza-more-yoga

 

Vocabulary and Sample Sentences:

 

 

 

Compete v. competition n. - to win by defeating the others who are doing the same

Origen is a League of Legends team that competes in the European League.

Origen is in competition for sponsorships with other e-sport teams.

 

 

 

Sweating v. - to exude sweat

Five young men had to sweat through an hourlong workout at the gym.

 

 

 

Endorsement n. - act of giving one's public approval of something

Top e-sport professionals nowadays earn 6-figure salaries and big endorsement deals from brands.

 

 

 

Prize money n. - money that is used as a prize for the winner

E-sport professional participates in competitions to try and win prize money.

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Sure?

 

 

每日跟讀#627: Mothra: Yin to Godzilla’s Yang

 

Of all the legendary Japanese beasts in the new film “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” from Warner Bros., Mothra is perhaps the unlikeliest of terrors. There’s Godzilla, of course, a T. rex-like creature with atomic breath, and Rodan, a turbocharged pterodactyl. King Ghidorah, the villain of the piece, is an enormous dragon with batlike wings and three flame-throwing heads.

 

在華納兄弟新電影《哥吉拉II：怪獸之王》中的所有日本傳奇怪獸中，摩斯拉可能是最不恐怖的。片中當然還有會原子吐息、長得像暴龍的生物哥吉拉、渦輪增壓翼龍拉頓，而這部作品中的反派王者基多拉，則是個有著蝙蝠般翅膀，而且會噴火的三頭巨龍。

 

Mothra? At the beginning of the picture, she’s a newly hatched caterpillar.

 

摩斯拉？在片子一開始的時候，她是隻剛孵化的毛毛蟲。

 

What Mothra might lack in apparent fierceness, however, she more than makes up for in fans, at least in her native Japan. Since her first appearance in the Toho Studios film “Mothra” in 1961, the supersized moth has appeared in 16 movies, including the 1964 classic “Mothra vs. Godzilla,” the first cinematic meeting of the two titans.

 

摩斯拉雖然看起來不夠兇猛，卻由於她有眾多粉絲而瑕不掩瑜，別具魅力，至少在她的家鄉日本是如此。自她1961年在東寶影業的《摩斯拉》一片中首度亮相以來，這隻超大飛蛾共出現在16部電影中，包括1964年經典的《摩斯拉對哥吉拉》，兩隻巨獸首次在電影中碰頭。

 

Among the dozens of fearsome creatures in Toho’s 87-year history, Mothra is second only to Godzilla in appearances and starring roles.

 

在東寶87年歷史中出現的數十隻可怕生物中，摩斯拉在出場與擔任主角次數上僅次於哥吉拉。

 

“Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” which debuts May 31, is surprisingly Mothra’s first appearance in an American film.

 

5月31日首映的《哥吉拉II：怪獸之王》，令人驚訝的是摩斯拉第一次出現在美國電影中。

 

Mothra has always been a force for good, communicating with us puny humans through a telepathic link with two even punier beings, the foot-tall Shobijin, twin female fairies played in the original 1961 film by the Japanese pop duo the Peanuts.

 

摩斯拉一直是個善良的力量，透過跟2個更小的生命、僅1英尺高的小美人進行心靈感應來跟我們這些弱小的人類溝通，而在1961年摩斯拉初登場電影中出現的這對雙胞胎女精靈，是由日本流行雙人組「花生」成員所飾演。

 

Unlike the capricious Godzilla, who goes from stomping Japan to bits in one movie to protecting it in another, Mothra is always a heroine, saving Japan from reptilian hotheads like Godzilla and protecting the cave-dwelling residents of Infant Island, who worship her as a goddess.

 

哥吉拉善變，在一部電影中將日本踩到破碎不堪，卻在另一部中保護日本，摩斯拉則不同，一直是位女英雄，從哥吉拉之屬魯莽爬蟲手中拯救日本，並保護將她當作神崇拜、聖嬰島上山洞中的居民。

 

Sometimes she’s an egg, sometimes she’s a caterpillar, her life cycle repeated over and over, as the old Mothra “dies” and a new one hatches. “There’s even this theme of Christian imagery associated with her,” William Tsutsui, author of “Godzilla on My Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters,” said.

 

她有時是蛋，有時是毛毛蟲，她的生命週期一遍又一遍地重複，舊的摩斯拉「死」了，一個新的又孵化出來。著有《我心中的哥吉拉：怪獸之王的五十年》的威廉．筒井說：「甚至還有與她有關的基督教意象主題。」

 

In his latest incarnation, Godzilla is about three times the size he was back in the 1950s, and the other monsters, it seems, have followed suit. How’s a moth, even a giant one, to compete?

 

在他最新化身中，哥吉拉體型大約是1950年代的三倍，而其他的怪物似乎也比照辦理。那麼一隻飛蛾，即使是隻巨大的飛蛾，又該如何競爭呢？

 

To keep the fights fair, the filmmakers created a fiercer, more weaponized Mothra, borrowing design elements from more intimidating members of the insect family (praying mantises, wasps).

 

為了讓戰鬥公平，製片公司創造出更兇猛、武器化程度更高的摩斯拉，借用了昆蟲家族中更具威脅的成員（螳螂，黃蜂）的設計元素。

 

Even so, the director of the new film, Michael Dougherty, didn’t want to change the core elements that have made Mothra one of Toho’s most beloved monsters.

 

即便如此，這部新片的導演麥可道格堤卻也不想改變那些使摩斯拉成為東寶最受喜愛怪物之一的核心元素。

 

“She’s a very benevolent character, whereas all the other kaiju are obviously a bit more prone to destruction,” he added, using the Japanese term for these movie monsters. “She’s the yin to Godzilla’s yang.”

 

他還用日文稱呼這些電影怪物的名詞說道：「她是個非常仁慈的角色，而所有其他怪獸顯然都更具有破壞傾向。相對於哥吉拉的陽，她屬於陰。」

 

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每日跟讀#626: Beware the Mideast’s Falling Pillars

 

For the last half-century the politics of the Middle East has been shaped by five key pillars, but all five are now crumbling. A new Middle East is aborning — but not necessarily the flourishing one that people imagined in the 1990s.

 

中東政治在過去半世紀裡一直由五大支柱所形塑支撐，而如今這五大支柱都在倒塌。一個新的中東正在形成，但未必會如1990年代人們想像的那樣繁榮。

 

This one is being shaped more by Twitter memes than by U.S. diplomats, more by unemployment than by terrorism, more by upheavals on the streets than by leaders in palaces, more by women than by men. Can’t say where it will all settle out, but for now, beware falling pillars.

 

說起形塑這個新中東的諸般力量，推特模因大過美國外交官，失業問題大過恐怖主義，街頭動亂大過廟堂之上的領導者，女性大過男性。無法預知大勢最終如何底定，但現在，要小心正在傾倒的柱子。

 

How so? For starters, there was always a deep U.S. involvement in shaping the future of this region. But just look around today: The U.S. doesn’t even have ambassadors in Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan or Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. ambassador to Israel, a former Trump bankruptcy lawyer, is so enthralled with the right-wing Jewish settler movement that he is more a propagandist than a diplomat. Bye-bye American pie.

 

怎會如此？首先，美國過去一直積極介入該地區前途的形塑，然而看看當前的情況，美國甚至沒有在埃及、土耳其、伊拉克、阿拉伯聯合大公國、約旦及沙烏地阿拉伯派駐大使，而曾任川普破產問題律師的美國駐以色列大使，則醉心於右翼猶太屯墾運動，以致與其說他是位外交官員，不如說他是個宣傳人員。掰掰美國派。

 

Second, there has always been some kind of Israeli-Palestinian peace process pushing for the best two-state solution. Again, bye-bye. Today, in truth, the U.S. and Israel seem to be engaged in a search for the best one-state solution, meaning permanent Israeli security control over the West Bank and East Jerusalem, along with some form of deep Palestinian autonomy.

 

其次，以巴之間始終存在著某種推向最佳兩國方案的和平進程，而這也掰掰了。事實上，現在美國跟以色列似乎正致力尋求最佳的一國方案，這意味以色列將對約旦河西岸跟東耶路撒冷進行永久性安全管控，佐以某種形式的巴勒斯坦高度自治。

 

Third, Arab governments could always guarantee jobs for their populations in their bureaucracies or security services — jobs where you could come late, leave early and work another job on the side. Also, bye-bye. With falling oil prices and rising populations, virtually every Arab state today is trying to figure out how to shed government workers and outsource services.

 

第三，阿拉伯各國政府一向能保證他們的人民可在行政體系與安全機構裡找到工作，做這些工作可以遲到、早退，還能在外兼差，但這也掰掰了。隨著油價下跌、人口上升，今天幾乎每個阿拉伯國家都在設法裁減政府人員，並把一些服務外包出去。

 

The fourth crumbling pillar: The days when information flowed only from the top down, and Arab governments could control the voices in their countries, are long gone. With Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp widely diffused in the Arab world, information now moves horizontally and people — using their real names — now tweet the most insulting things at their leaders.

 

第四根正在傾倒的支柱是，資訊只從上向下流動，阿拉伯各國政府能控制國內聲音的時代早已遠去。隨著推特、臉書跟WhatsApp在阿拉伯世界廣泛傳播，資訊如今水平移動，使用他們真實姓名的人們如今在推特上發布對他們領導人最具侮辱性的言詞。

 

Finally, men could dominate women through formal and informal religious, cultural and legal norms. But the recent high-profile cases of young women fleeing male control in Saudi Arabia and the UAE spoke for many Arab women who are no longer so willing to submit to male guardianship. This is especially true because women in many countries, Jordan, for instance, are now out-graduating men in both high school and universities.

 

最後則是，男性過去可透過正式與非正式的宗教、文化和法律規範宰制女性，但最近沙烏地阿拉伯與阿聯年輕女性逃離男性控制的高調案例顯示，許多阿拉伯婦女不再願意接受男性監護。這點尤其真確，因為在許多國家高中和大學畢業女性數量，都多過男性，約旦即為一例。

 

Welcome to the new Middle East! ！

 

歡迎來到新中東！

 

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每日跟讀#625: Toxic air ’tears apart’ families in Mongolia

 

In the world’s coldest capital, Ulaanbaatar of Mongolia, many burn coal and plastic just to survive temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees － but warmth comes at a price.

 

在全球最寒冷的首都—蒙古烏蘭巴托，許多人必須焚燒煤和塑膠，才能在攝氏零下40度的環境中存活，但溫暖有其代價。

 

The levels of PM2.5 in Ulaanbaatar reached 3,320 in January, 133 times than what the WHO considers safe. Gers, which are warmed by coal, or any other flammable material available, are blamed for the pollution.

 

1月，烏市的細懸浮微粒（PM2.5）濃度高達3320，比世界衛生組織（WHO）視為安全的數值高上133倍。人們將空污歸咎於必須透過燒煤或其他可燃材料來保持溫暖的蒙古包。

 

The air pollution are chiefly terrible for children, in part because they breathe faster, taking in more air and pollutants. As they are smaller, children are also closer to the ground, where some pollutants concentrate, and their still-developing lungs, brains, and other key organs are more vulnerable to damage.

 

空污對兒童的影響尤其嚴重，部分原因是他們呼吸的次數更頻繁，會吸入更多空氣和污染物。又因兒童較為矮小、距離地面較近，而部分污染物就聚積在地上；加上他們的肺部、大腦和其他主要器官都還在發育，因此更容易受損。

 

Buyan-Ulzii Badamkhand and her husband have decided to send their two-year-old son Temuulen to his grandparents in the countryside. "I tell myself that it doesn’t matter that I miss him and who raises him, as long as he is healthy, I am content."

 

布揚—烏吉．巴達姆汗德和丈夫已經決定，將2歲的兒子特姆藍送到鄉下的祖父母家。「我告訴自己，我想不想念孩子或由誰撫養都不重要，只要他健康，我就心滿意足了。」

 

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每日跟讀#624: Labor’s Hard Choice in Amazon Age: Play Along or Get Tough

 

It’s one of the most vexing challenges facing the labor movement: how to wield influence in an era increasingly dominated by technology giants that are often resistant to unions.

 

Are workers best served when unions take an adversarial stance toward such companies? Or should labor groups seek cooperation with employers, even if the resulting deals do little to advance labor’s broader goals?

 

這是勞工運動面臨的最苦惱挑戰之一：在經常抗拒工會的科技巨頭日益掌握主導權的時代，如何發揮影響力？

 

工會對這類公司採取對立態度，是否對勞工最有利？抑或勞工團體該設法跟雇主合作，就算因而產生的協商結果對推進勞工更廣泛的目標幾無助益？

 

The debate has flared up around labor’s efforts to make inroads with the likes of Uber and Airbnb, businesses that allow drivers and homeowners to earn income as contractors. And it was on vivid display in the political battle over Amazon’s plan to create a new headquarters in New York with 25,000 jobs.

 

在勞工努力向優步和Airbnb這類公司爭取權益之際，這種討論也隨之熱烈起來。這兩家公司允許駕駛人和屋主作為承包商賺取收入。電商巨擘亞馬遜計畫在紐約設置第二總部並創造兩萬五千個工作機會，在這場政治角力中，這種爭論清晰呈現。

 

The plan fell apart in the face of a backlash over public subsidies, resentment of the covert process in which the city and the state negotiated the deal, and concern about its neighborhood impact. But labor issues were also a factor, giving rise to tensions even among unions.

 

亞馬遜的計畫胎死腹中，因為面臨大眾對公家補貼的反彈、對紐約市和州政府協商交易過程不透明的厭惡、以及對新總部衝擊鄰近社區的憂慮。不過，勞工議題也是因素之一，以致就連工會之間都關係緊張。

 

In the more confrontational camp were labor groups led by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which called on the city and the state to withhold nearly $3 billion in subsidies unless Amazon established a “fair process” for its warehouse workers in the city to unionize. The retail workers said they were open to negotiating what that meant.

 

採取較為對抗態度的陣營是由「零售、批發與百貨公司工會」領軍的一些勞工團體，這個工會要求紐約市與州政府先扣留近30億美元補貼，直到亞馬遜建立「公平程序」，讓亞馬遜在紐約市的倉庫工人能組成或加入工會。這群零售業勞工說，他們願意就公平程序的實質內容進行協商。

 

“I think we stood on principle,” said Stuart Appelbaum, the retail workers’ president. “If you’re aggressively anti-union, we shouldn’t be giving you subsidies.”

 

零售工會主席艾普鮑姆說：「我認為我們堅守著原則，如果你大力反對工會，我們就不該給你補貼。」

 

A company executive told the City Council in January that Amazon would not remain neutral in an organizing campaign at its local facilities, though an Amazon spokesman said last month“We respect the rights of our employees to choose to join or not join a union.”

 

亞馬遜一名高階主管1月對紐約市議會說，亞馬遜不會對其紐約設施組織工會的活動保持中立，不過亞馬遜一名發言人上個月說：「我們尊重員工選擇加入或不加入工會的權利。」

 

In the engagement camp was the local council of building trade unions, whose members were likely to get work from Amazon’s Queens construction. They were joined by a Service Employees International Union local, which had gained the right to represent janitors and other service workers at the Queens complex.

 

採取接觸態度的陣營則是建築工會紐約委員會，其成員很可能取得亞馬遜在紐約皇后區的建案工程。「服務業雇員國際工會」紐約分會也加入他們的行列，紐約分會已獲得權利，能代表亞馬遜皇后區建築群的管理員與其他服務業勞工。

 

“Their presence in New York — a progressive community, a union town — was eventually going to lead to some potential change down the road,” said Héctor J. Figueroa, president of the service employees local, known as 32BJ.

 

服務業雇員工會紐約分會通稱「32BJ」，主席費格羅亞說：「他們存在於紐約這個進步社區和工會重鎮，終將導致未來一些潛在的改變。」

 

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每日跟讀#623: How to Counter Online Complaints

 

For the California restaurateur Andrew Gruel, poor online reviews demand rapid responses.

 

One of his new Slapfish restaurants, serving sustainable seafood, was hit this year with dozens of bad reviews that complained about its prices (too high) and portions (too small).

 

So Gruel pulled out all the stops. He sent emails to customers begging them to come back. And he rejiggered menu prices, increased portion size and even introduced combo meal deals. Quickly, those one-star reviews shifted into five stars.

 

對加州餐廳老闆安德魯．葛路爾來說，網路惡評必須盡速回應。

 

今年他旗下供應永續海鮮的新餐廳Slapfish中的一家，引起幾十則惡評，抱怨價格（太高），份量（太少）。

 

於是，葛路爾使出了一切辦法。他寄電子郵件給顧客，懇求他們回來。他並且更改菜單價格，把份量放大，甚至推出套餐優惠。很快地，那些一顆星評價變成了五顆星。

 

"You can get buried by bad reviews," said Gruel, whose fast-casual restaurants serve food like fish tacos and lobster burgers. "So it's a race to stop the bleeding."

 

The payoff, he added, can be tremendous. Turning around one-star reviews creates lifetime customers — and better reviews draw more customers.

 

Gruel's extreme approach to bad reviews may sound like overkill. But studies show that consumers overwhelmingly choose businesses based mainly on star ratings. Even a decline of one star, on a scale from one to five, can hurt revenue and send a business into a slide.

 

於是，葛路爾使出了一切辦法。他寄電子郵件給顧客，懇求他們回來。他並且更改菜單價格，把份量放大，甚至推出套餐優惠。很快地，那些一顆星評價變成了五顆星。

 

葛路爾說：「你可能會被惡評淹沒。所以，這是場止血比賽。」葛路爾的快速休閒餐廳提供諸如魚肉玉米餅及龍蝦漢堡之類食物。

 

他接著說，回報可能會非常之大。扭轉一顆星評價會創造出終生顧客，更好的評價會吸引到更多客人。

 

"Star ratings persist forever," said Daniel Lemin, author of "ManipuRated: How Business Owners Can Fight Fraudulent Online Ratings and Reviews." "Meanwhile, actual reviews can fall off the first pages of review sites. And consumers rarely read reviews older than three months." After problems are addressed and solved, he added, there's a high chance that disgruntled customers can become avid advocates.

 

葛路爾處理惡評的極端方法可能聽起來有點小題大作。但有研究顯示，絕大多數消費者主要是根據星級評等選擇商家。在分為5顆星的評比中即使只下滑一顆星，都可能傷害到營收且令業績下滑。

 

「操縱星級：企業主如何對抗不實線上評分以及評論」一書作者丹尼爾．雷明說：「星級評比永遠存在。同時，實評會從評論網站的第一頁被洗到下方。消費者很少會去看超過3個月的評論。」他接著說，在問題獲得處理與解決後，不滿的顧客很有可能變成死忠。

 

So small businesses have nothing to lose by engaging their critics, Lemin said. The recipe is simply apologizing and asking for another chance. The criticism may hurt, he adds, but the way a business responds matters.

 

Gruel, a trained chef who started his business in a food truck, prefers to respond to reviews himself. He fears using "canned responses that aren't personal." If he cannot respond quickly, he asks an employee to do it for him."The minute you see a bad review, look for a shard of truth," she said. "Is this something you can improve? Look for what you can fix." But don't fight fire with fire by getting into an argument with a reviewer, she added.

 

雷明說，因此小企業與批評者接觸互動不會有任何損失。方法很簡單，就是道歉並請求對方再給一次機會。他並補充道，批評可能帶來傷害，但更重要的是企業的回應方式。

 

葛路爾喜歡親自回覆評論。他害怕使用「非由本人親自為之的自動回覆功能」。若他無法迅速回覆，他會要求一名員工幫他回覆。葛路爾是個訓練有素的大廚，從一輛餐車開始打造事業。她說：「你一看到惡評，就去盡力找出真實性。這是你能改善的地方嗎？找出你能改正的辦法。」 她並補充道，別跟評論者陷入爭論，用以牙還牙的方式回覆。

 

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