通勤學英語 15Mins Today

Summary:

In Mexico City where 21 odd million people commute to and from work everyday, the solution to overcoming traffic jams and inefficient bus systems is the cable car system. The mexicable is a seven-stop line that was built in the most crowded municipality of Ecatepec. Now commuters use the mexicable system to transfer or commute directly to work, saving people up to two hours every day! Other intercity cable car system around the world include the Medellin in Columbia, Caracas of Venezuela, La Paz of Bolivia, and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

 

Vocabulary and sample sentences:

 

Congestion – being congested (meaning crowded and being unable to move) 

Traffic congestion in Mexico City has been a problem for many year until they built the Mexcable.

My nose is blocked, so I need to use nasal spray to relieve my nasal congestion.

 

Commute – travel regularly between home and work

Commuter (person who travel daily to and from work) 

I commute 1 and a half hours to work everyday.

As a commuter, I prefer to take the mrt over the bus.

 

Cramped – feeling uncomfortably confined (difficult to move) 

When I take the mrt, I prefer to wait for a train that has more space to stand. I dislike being cramped on the train.

 

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每日跟讀#577: Singapore plans S$300m to spur innovation in digital push

 

Singapore will allocate a further S$300 million (US$222 million) to spur research in digital innovation as the government transforms the economy through technology.

 

新加坡將再提撥3億星幣（約2億2200萬美元）鼓勵數位化創新研究，做為政府藉由科技改變經濟的政策。

 

The amount, almost double the current budget, is part of the next phase of the National Research Foundation’s five-year plan ending 2020, Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran said during a parliamentary session. It will be used for research in the services and digital economy.

 

通訊及新聞部長易華仁告訴國會，該筆預算金額約為當前預算的兩倍，是下一階段「國家研究基金」五年計畫（至2020年截止）的一部分。它將用於數位化經濟服務研究。

 

Singapore will roll out artificial-intelligence and cloud-based solutions to every business sector by 2020, Iswaran said. The nation introduced a nationwide electronic invoicing network for businesses in January, and also has an initiative to help businesses securely exchange digital trade documents.

 

易華仁表示，新加坡將在2020年前針對各個商業領域，推出人工智慧與以雲端為基礎的解決方案。星國一月間推出企業的全國性電子發票網路，並主動協助企業安全地交換數位化貿易文件。

 

The Infocomm Media Development Authority plans to begin rolling out fifth-generation, or 5G, mobile-phone networks by 2020 to maintain Singapore’s "competitive edge in connectivity," Iswaran said.

 

易華仁說，資訊通信媒體發展局擬於2020年前開展第五代（5G）行動通訊，以維持新加坡的「通訊競爭優勢」。

 

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1279952

 

更多跟讀練習單元，就在http://www.15mins.today/daily-shadowing

 

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每日跟讀#577: Singapore plans S$300m to spur innovation in digital push

 

Singapore will allocate a further S$300 million (US$222 million) to spur research in digital innovation as the government transforms the economy through technology.

 

新加坡將再提撥3億星幣（約2億2200萬美元）鼓勵數位化創新研究，做為政府藉由科技改變經濟的政策。

 

The amount, almost double the current budget, is part of the next phase of the National Research Foundation’s five-year plan ending 2020, Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran said during a parliamentary session. It will be used for research in the services and digital economy.

 

通訊及新聞部長易華仁告訴國會，該筆預算金額約為當前預算的兩倍，是下一階段「國家研究基金」五年計畫（至2020年截止）的一部分。它將用於數位化經濟服務研究。

 

Singapore will roll out artificial-intelligence and cloud-based solutions to every business sector by 2020, Iswaran said. The nation introduced a nationwide electronic invoicing network for businesses in January, and also has an initiative to help businesses securely exchange digital trade documents.

 

易華仁表示，新加坡將在2020年前針對各個商業領域，推出人工智慧與以雲端為基礎的解決方案。星國一月間推出企業的全國性電子發票網路，並主動協助企業安全地交換數位化貿易文件。

 

The Infocomm Media Development Authority plans to begin rolling out fifth-generation, or 5G, mobile-phone networks by 2020 to maintain Singapore’s "competitive edge in connectivity," Iswaran said.

 

易華仁說，資訊通信媒體發展局擬於2020年前開展第五代（5G）行動通訊，以維持新加坡的「通訊競爭優勢」。

 

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1279952

 

更多跟讀練習單元，就在http://www.15mins.today/daily-shadowing

 

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每日跟讀#576: 2,700 elderly drivers return licenses under Seoul program

 

The Seoul Metropolitan Government unveiled a plan, under which people aged 70 or older who return their licenses will receive a 100,000 won public transport card.

 

「首爾特別市」政府公布一項計畫，據此，繳回駕照的70歲（含）以上民眾，將獲得一張儲值10萬韓元的公共交通卡。

 

The program aims to reduce the increasing number of car accidents for which elderly people are responsible. As of March 21, 2,691 people had returned their licenses. According to the city government, 500 transport cards will be given to applicants in order of age, while 500 will be given by lottery among the elderly drivers who returned their licenses in advance.

 

該計畫旨在減少愈來愈多起肇事者為高齡人士的車禍。截至3月21日，已有2691人繳回駕照。首爾市政府表示，提供的500張公交卡，將按申請者的年齡大小發放。另外500張將由提前繳回駕照的高齡駕駛人，以抽獎方式發送。

 

The Busan Metropolitan Government also introduced the incentive system for older drivers who stop driving. Along with the transport card, it also offers discounts for a variety of services, ranging from hospitals, restaurants and clothing stores to opticians.

 

「釜山廣域市」政府也引進這種對放棄開車的高齡駕駛的獎勵制度。除了致贈公交卡，還提供從醫院、餐廳和服飾店到眼鏡行的種種服務優惠。

 

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1279676

 

更多跟讀練習單元，就在http://www.15mins.today/daily-shadowing

 

用email訂閱就可以收到所有15mins.Today最新節目通知。

每日跟讀#576: 2,700 elderly drivers return licenses under Seoul program

 

The Seoul Metropolitan Government unveiled a plan, under which people aged 70 or older who return their licenses will receive a 100,000 won public transport card.

 

「首爾特別市」政府公布一項計畫，據此，繳回駕照的70歲（含）以上民眾，將獲得一張儲值10萬韓元的公共交通卡。

 

The program aims to reduce the increasing number of car accidents for which elderly people are responsible. As of March 21, 2,691 people had returned their licenses. According to the city government, 500 transport cards will be given to applicants in order of age, while 500 will be given by lottery among the elderly drivers who returned their licenses in advance.

 

該計畫旨在減少愈來愈多起肇事者為高齡人士的車禍。截至3月21日，已有2691人繳回駕照。首爾市政府表示，提供的500張公交卡，將按申請者的年齡大小發放。另外500張將由提前繳回駕照的高齡駕駛人，以抽獎方式發送。

 

The Busan Metropolitan Government also introduced the incentive system for older drivers who stop driving. Along with the transport card, it also offers discounts for a variety of services, ranging from hospitals, restaurants and clothing stores to opticians.

 

「釜山廣域市」政府也引進這種對放棄開車的高齡駕駛的獎勵制度。除了致贈公交卡，還提供從醫院、餐廳和服飾店到眼鏡行的種種服務優惠。

 

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1279676

 

更多跟讀練習單元，就在http://www.15mins.today/daily-shadowing

 

用email訂閱就可以收到所有15mins.Today最新節目通知。

每日跟讀#575: Measuring the Rise of the Doughy, but Desirable, Dad Body

 

The Internet has burned recently with commentary about women’s alleged new interest in the soft, doughy “dad bod.”

 

網路最近發燒的話題是，柔軟不結實的「爸爸肚」成為女性的新寵。

 

How much softer a man’s body gets, on average, when he becomes a father?

 

為人父後，男性身材平均會變多軟？

 

Every few years the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the United States herds about 5,000 men and women into medical trailers to be poked, prodded, measured and weighed.

 

每隔幾年，美國「國家健康與營養體檢調查」就會召集約五千名男女上醫檢車，撥撥戳戳、量量稱稱。

 

On average, dads are 5 kilos heavier than non-dads; they’re carrying nearly an extra five centimeters on their waist; and their bellies stick out an extra centimeter or so.

 

平均而言，當爸爸比沒當爸爸的人重五公斤，腰圍差不多變寬5公分，小腹凸出約1公分。

 

Health care workers measure the sagittal abdominal diameter by having the subject lie flat on a table so that they can measure how high the navel sits above the table surface to get an objective, scientific assessment of the gut.

 

健檢人員讓受檢者平躺桌上，測量腹部矢狀面直徑，以測得肚臍高於桌面多少，對腹部有一個客觀科學的評估。

 

In the latest data from this survey, half the non-dads in the 18-to-45 bracket had a sagittal abdominal diameter of less than 20 centimeters, but only 29 percent of the dads did. But dads seem to wear their extra paunch with some degree of comfort. Despite the extra five kilos, nearly as many dads described themselves as being “about the right weight” as those who are not dads. (The exact proportions are 49 percent and 53 percent.)

 

最新的調查數據顯示，18到45歲年齡層腹部矢狀面直徑不到20公分者，非爸爸有一半達此標準，爸爸只有29%。但是爸爸們對鮪魚肚似乎怡然自得。儘管重了5公斤，自認體重「剛剛好」的爸爸人數卻和非爸爸不相上下。（精確的比率是49%與53%）。

 

Call this fatherly self-satisfaction a result of diminished expectations: When asked their ideal weight, dads volunteered a number that was two kilos heavier than what non-dads did.

 

父親們這種自我感覺良好，可說是期望降低的結果：被問到理想體重時，爸爸們自報的重量比非爸爸們重兩公斤。

 

And fathers seemed to be making no particular effort to fight the dad bod. They were no more likely than non-dads to say they had tried to lose weight in the last year, with 70 percent saying they hadn’t.

 

而且爸爸們似乎並未特別努力去對抗爸爸肚。與非爸爸們相比，他們表示過去一年曾試圖減肥的可能性沒有更高，七成的爸爸表示沒有試圖減肥。

 

We can’t definitively say that the dad bod is a consequence, rather than a cause, of fatherhood. After all, if the Internet is right that men with an extra layer of cushioning really are more attractive, perhaps they’re more likely to reproduce.

 

我們無法斷言爸爸肚究竟是父親身分產生的結果，還是成因。畢竟，如果網路所言為真，身上多幾層肉的男性確實較有魅力，或許是因為更能傳宗接代。

 

But two pieces of evidence suggest there is something about dads’ lives that causes the dad bod. Although dads weigh five kilos more than non-dads, when those 27 and older in both groups are asked how much they weighed at age 25, the weight difference was much smaller, only a kilo.

 

但是兩項證據顯示爸爸肚的生成與爸爸的生活有關。儘管爸爸比非爸爸重5公斤，兩組當中27歲及以上的男性被問到25歲時有多重時，體重差異小得多，只有1公斤。

 

And the dad bod is barely evident among recent dads while it is much more prominent among those with older children. Over the years, as these men relax into fatherhood, their waistline seems to relax with them.

 

爸爸肚在剛為人父的男性身上還看不太出來，但在子女比較大的爸爸身上就很明顯。隨著時間過去，男性放寬心成為人父，腰圍似乎也跟著放寬。

 

That relaxation does not seem to be just about getting older. Of the five-kilo difference found between dads and non-dads, one kilo can be attributed to age: In part, dads tend to be a little heavier than non-dads because they tend to be a little older. And married men tend to be heavier than unmarried ones. But even after adjusting for differences in age and marital status, a noticeable difference between dad and non-dad bods persists.

 

這樣的放鬆似乎不僅與年齡增長有關。爸爸和非爸爸的5公斤體重差異，有1公斤可以歸因於年紀：某種程度上，爸爸可能比非爸爸重，那是因為爸爸年齡通常比較大。而已婚男性又可能比未婚男性重。但即使是調整過年齡和婚姻狀態造成的差異後，爸爸與非爸爸之間的一個顯著差異仍舊存在。

 

Some in the news media have called the “dad bod” phenomenon a double standard. Nobody’s talking approvingly about the “mom bod,” even though the same data show approximately equal parenthood gains in weight, waistline and belly size for men and women.

 

有些新聞媒體人士認為爸爸肚的現象代表雙重標準。談起媽媽肚時，沒有人語帶肯定，縱然同樣的數據顯示為人父母後，體重、腰圍、腹部尺寸的增加，男女差不多。

 

Parents of both sexes adjust their expectations in the same way: Moms in our age bracket were four kilos heavier than the non-moms, but much like the dads, they adjusted their average desired weight targets up (by less than two kilos). Yet both moms and non-moms are much more likely than dads and non-dads to report that they tried to lose weight in the last year, and on average women report they would like to lose about twice as much weight as men.

 

為人父母後，男女用同樣的方式調整期望：媽媽在相同年齡層比非媽媽重4公斤，但是與爸爸很像的是，媽媽們調高理想體重的目標值（不到2公斤）。但是媽媽和非媽媽們，比起爸爸和非爸爸們，更可能表示過去一年曾試圖減肥。平均來說，女性表示希望減掉的重量是男性的兩倍。

 

The “dad bod” fascination seems to be one of the manifestations of the double standard, and perhaps it’s something men have already internalized, by deciding it’s O.K. to let themselves go at least a little.

 

「爸爸肚」的狂熱似乎是雙重標準的證明之一，而且可能是男性已經內化的一部分，決定讓自己稍微放縱一下，也無妨。

 

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/281328/web/

 

更多跟讀練習單元，就在http://www.15mins.today/daily-shadowing

 

用email訂閱就可以收到所有15mins.Today最新節目通知。

每日跟讀#575: Measuring the Rise of the Doughy, but Desirable, Dad Body

 

The Internet has burned recently with commentary about women’s alleged new interest in the soft, doughy “dad bod.”

 

網路最近發燒的話題是，柔軟不結實的「爸爸肚」成為女性的新寵。

 

How much softer a man’s body gets, on average, when he becomes a father?

 

為人父後，男性身材平均會變多軟？

 

Every few years the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the United States herds about 5,000 men and women into medical trailers to be poked, prodded, measured and weighed.

 

每隔幾年，美國「國家健康與營養體檢調查」就會召集約五千名男女上醫檢車，撥撥戳戳、量量稱稱。

 

On average, dads are 5 kilos heavier than non-dads; they’re carrying nearly an extra five centimeters on their waist; and their bellies stick out an extra centimeter or so.

 

平均而言，當爸爸比沒當爸爸的人重五公斤，腰圍差不多變寬5公分，小腹凸出約1公分。

 

Health care workers measure the sagittal abdominal diameter by having the subject lie flat on a table so that they can measure how high the navel sits above the table surface to get an objective, scientific assessment of the gut.

 

健檢人員讓受檢者平躺桌上，測量腹部矢狀面直徑，以測得肚臍高於桌面多少，對腹部有一個客觀科學的評估。

 

In the latest data from this survey, half the non-dads in the 18-to-45 bracket had a sagittal abdominal diameter of less than 20 centimeters, but only 29 percent of the dads did. But dads seem to wear their extra paunch with some degree of comfort. Despite the extra five kilos, nearly as many dads described themselves as being “about the right weight” as those who are not dads. (The exact proportions are 49 percent and 53 percent.)

 

最新的調查數據顯示，18到45歲年齡層腹部矢狀面直徑不到20公分者，非爸爸有一半達此標準，爸爸只有29%。但是爸爸們對鮪魚肚似乎怡然自得。儘管重了5公斤，自認體重「剛剛好」的爸爸人數卻和非爸爸不相上下。（精確的比率是49%與53%）。

 

Call this fatherly self-satisfaction a result of diminished expectations: When asked their ideal weight, dads volunteered a number that was two kilos heavier than what non-dads did.

 

父親們這種自我感覺良好，可說是期望降低的結果：被問到理想體重時，爸爸們自報的重量比非爸爸們重兩公斤。

 

And fathers seemed to be making no particular effort to fight the dad bod. They were no more likely than non-dads to say they had tried to lose weight in the last year, with 70 percent saying they hadn’t.

 

而且爸爸們似乎並未特別努力去對抗爸爸肚。與非爸爸們相比，他們表示過去一年曾試圖減肥的可能性沒有更高，七成的爸爸表示沒有試圖減肥。

 

We can’t definitively say that the dad bod is a consequence, rather than a cause, of fatherhood. After all, if the Internet is right that men with an extra layer of cushioning really are more attractive, perhaps they’re more likely to reproduce.

 

我們無法斷言爸爸肚究竟是父親身分產生的結果，還是成因。畢竟，如果網路所言為真，身上多幾層肉的男性確實較有魅力，或許是因為更能傳宗接代。

 

But two pieces of evidence suggest there is something about dads’ lives that causes the dad bod. Although dads weigh five kilos more than non-dads, when those 27 and older in both groups are asked how much they weighed at age 25, the weight difference was much smaller, only a kilo.

 

但是兩項證據顯示爸爸肚的生成與爸爸的生活有關。儘管爸爸比非爸爸重5公斤，兩組當中27歲及以上的男性被問到25歲時有多重時，體重差異小得多，只有1公斤。

 

And the dad bod is barely evident among recent dads while it is much more prominent among those with older children. Over the years, as these men relax into fatherhood, their waistline seems to relax with them.

 

爸爸肚在剛為人父的男性身上還看不太出來，但在子女比較大的爸爸身上就很明顯。隨著時間過去，男性放寬心成為人父，腰圍似乎也跟著放寬。

 

That relaxation does not seem to be just about getting older. Of the five-kilo difference found between dads and non-dads, one kilo can be attributed to age: In part, dads tend to be a little heavier than non-dads because they tend to be a little older. And married men tend to be heavier than unmarried ones. But even after adjusting for differences in age and marital status, a noticeable difference between dad and non-dad bods persists.

 

這樣的放鬆似乎不僅與年齡增長有關。爸爸和非爸爸的5公斤體重差異，有1公斤可以歸因於年紀：某種程度上，爸爸可能比非爸爸重，那是因為爸爸年齡通常比較大。而已婚男性又可能比未婚男性重。但即使是調整過年齡和婚姻狀態造成的差異後，爸爸與非爸爸之間的一個顯著差異仍舊存在。

 

Some in the news media have called the “dad bod” phenomenon a double standard. Nobody’s talking approvingly about the “mom bod,” even though the same data show approximately equal parenthood gains in weight, waistline and belly size for men and women.

 

有些新聞媒體人士認為爸爸肚的現象代表雙重標準。談起媽媽肚時，沒有人語帶肯定，縱然同樣的數據顯示為人父母後，體重、腰圍、腹部尺寸的增加，男女差不多。

 

Parents of both sexes adjust their expectations in the same way: Moms in our age bracket were four kilos heavier than the non-moms, but much like the dads, they adjusted their average desired weight targets up (by less than two kilos). Yet both moms and non-moms are much more likely than dads and non-dads to report that they tried to lose weight in the last year, and on average women report they would like to lose about twice as much weight as men.

 

為人父母後，男女用同樣的方式調整期望：媽媽在相同年齡層比非媽媽重4公斤，但是與爸爸很像的是，媽媽們調高理想體重的目標值（不到2公斤）。但是媽媽和非媽媽們，比起爸爸和非爸爸們，更可能表示過去一年曾試圖減肥。平均來說，女性表示希望減掉的重量是男性的兩倍。

 

The “dad bod” fascination seems to be one of the manifestations of the double standard, and perhaps it’s something men have already internalized, by deciding it’s O.K. to let themselves go at least a little.

 

「爸爸肚」的狂熱似乎是雙重標準的證明之一，而且可能是男性已經內化的一部分，決定讓自己稍微放縱一下，也無妨。

 

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/281328/web/

 

更多跟讀練習單元，就在http://www.15mins.today/daily-shadowing

 

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每日跟讀#574: Hong Kong Recast As Hub of Creativity

 

When Candace Campos moved from the United States to Hong Kong six years ago, she encountered few hurdles to opening her own interior design company.

 

康妲絲．坎波斯6年前自美國搬到香港時，設立她的室內設計公司，過程順利。

 

She started small, transforming her 70-square-meter home from a gutted commercial rental into a bright living space styled like a New York loft. A 2008 cover piece featuring her apartment in the Hong Kong magazine Home Journal drew interest from expatriates who wanted to bring Western aesthetics into their Hong Kong homes.

 

她從小處著手，把她的70平方公尺住家從破舊出租商辦空間，變成有如紐約閣樓的明亮居住空間。香港「美好家居」雜誌2008年以她的公寓為封面，立刻引起旅港外籍人士的興趣。他們想把西式的美學元素融入自己的香港住處。

 

“The idea of leaving pipes exposed, beams and columns raw, and floors as concrete was not a design aesthetic found in Hong Kong,” said Ms. Campos, 34. “So it was easy to stand apart from other designers.”

 

34歲的坎波斯說：「管子外露、樑柱不多加修飾處理、地上鋪水泥，在香港看不到這樣的設計美學概念。因此，你很容易與其他設計師區隔。」

 

Her company, ID Interiors & Identity Design, has produced designs for restaurants like the Michelin-starred Tate Dining Room & Bar . Ms. Campos said the absence of homegrown talent has given her an advantage. Her biggest competition, she noted, comes from other expatriates .

 

她的ID室內裝潢及形象設計公司已經為一些餐廳做了設計，包括中環米其林級的泰特餐廳。坎波斯說，香港缺少本土人才使她占有優勢。她最主要的競爭來自其他外籍人士。

 

But Hong Kong, known more for its cargo ports and financial sector than for a vibrant cultural or creative scene, is working to move past an economy based on manufacturing and reproduction of goods to one based on innovation, branding and design, said Stanley Chu, 64, of the Adsale Group, which organizes international trade shows in Asia.

 

香港以它的貨物港口及金融業聞名，有活力的文化或創意領域相對乏善可陳。雅式集團專門在亞洲各地籌辦國際商展，64歲的董事長兼創辦人朱裕倫表示，香港正致力將經濟基礎由貨品製造及再生產，轉向創意、品牌及設計。

 

In 2009, the government established CreateHK, an office dedicated to developing creative industries, which broadly include advertising, architecture, design, cultural heritage, the performing arts and film.

 

2009年，香港政府設立「創意香港」辦公室，負責開發各種創意產業，涵蓋廣告、建築、設計、文化遺產、表演藝術與電影。

 

The office has also worked with the local educational system, from primary schools to colleges, to develop curriculums for teaching film, animation and architecture.

 

該辦公室還與從小學到大學的當地教育系統合作，開發電影、動畫與建築的教學內容。

 

The initiatives are starting to pay off. The contribution of the creative industries to the territory’s gross domestic product increased to 4.9 percent in 2012 from 3.9 percent in 2007, according to the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department — about 97.8 billion Hong Kong dollars, or $12.6 billion. The number of people employed in those fields also increased by 20,000 from 2007 to 2012, to 200,370.

 

這項構想已經開始展現成果。香港政府統計處指出，創意產業占香港GDP的比重已由2007年的3.9%增至2012年的4.9%，總額約978億港幣（約126億美元），雇用的人力則於2007至2012年之間增加2萬人，來到20萬零370人。

 

The former Police Married Quarters, barracks from the colonial era, were transformed under a conservation plan. The site, now known as PMQ, opened in April and now houses studios for more than 100 entrepreneurs in the creative industries, many of whom are product and fashion designers. It holds workshops on marketing and branding and has received more than 1.5 million visitors since it opened.

 

建於英國殖民時期的前荷李活道已婚警察宿舍根據一項保存計畫改建。它現在改名為「元創方」，今年4月啟用，已有100多名創意產業的創業家進駐，其中許多人是產品與時裝設計師。它經常舉辦有關行銷與品牌包裝的研討會，開張至今造訪人次已超過150萬。

 

Executives in creative fields say that although the local talent pool may be deepening, customers’ views on creative work can remain stuck in the past.

 

創意領域的主管們表示，雖然本地人才可能不斷增加，顧客對創意產品的看法卻可能還停留在過去。

 

The Savannah College of Art and Design, an American university, is joining other efforts to bring credibility to the creative fields in the territory, said Robert Dickensheets, the college’s vice president in Hong Kong. It opened its Hong Kong campus in 2010. Enrollment increased to 600 in this year’s incoming class from 141 in 2010.

 

美國薩凡納藝術設計學院香港分校副校長迪根希茲表示，該校正與其他方面合作，試圖為香港的創意領域建立信譽。該校2010年設立香港分校，入學人數已由2010年的141人增至今年的600人。

 

Lucia Ho, 21, who attended the university, works full time for Peninsula Merchandising Limited, which produces merchandise for the Peninsula hotel chain. She helped design the packaging for the hotel’s mooncakes. She noted that of the 13 graphic design majors in the school’s first class, 11 had job offers before graduation in June.

 

半島商品有限公司為半島連鎖酒店生產商品，該校的21歲學生露絲亞．何是其全職員工。她協助設計該酒店的月餅包裝。她說，在該校第一年主修平面造型設計的13名學生中，11人6月畢業前即有工作上門。

 

As more people like her find work in the nascent creative industries, they will begin to change the general perception of such work in Hong Kong, Mr. Dickensheets said.

 

迪根希茲說，隨著像她這樣的更多人才在新興的創意產業找到工作，他們將開始改變社會大眾對這種工作的看法。

 

The long-term goal for Hong Kong, he said, is to create a culture in which “the designer can be valued as much as a banker.”

 

他說，香港的長期目標是，創造一種「設計師受到尊重的程度與銀行家相當」的文化。

 

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/271173/web/#2L-5361749L

 

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每日跟讀#574: Hong Kong Recast As Hub of Creativity

 

When Candace Campos moved from the United States to Hong Kong six years ago, she encountered few hurdles to opening her own interior design company.

 

康妲絲．坎波斯6年前自美國搬到香港時，設立她的室內設計公司，過程順利。

 

She started small, transforming her 70-square-meter home from a gutted commercial rental into a bright living space styled like a New York loft. A 2008 cover piece featuring her apartment in the Hong Kong magazine Home Journal drew interest from expatriates who wanted to bring Western aesthetics into their Hong Kong homes.

 

她從小處著手，把她的70平方公尺住家從破舊出租商辦空間，變成有如紐約閣樓的明亮居住空間。香港「美好家居」雜誌2008年以她的公寓為封面，立刻引起旅港外籍人士的興趣。他們想把西式的美學元素融入自己的香港住處。

 

“The idea of leaving pipes exposed, beams and columns raw, and floors as concrete was not a design aesthetic found in Hong Kong,” said Ms. Campos, 34. “So it was easy to stand apart from other designers.”

 

34歲的坎波斯說：「管子外露、樑柱不多加修飾處理、地上鋪水泥，在香港看不到這樣的設計美學概念。因此，你很容易與其他設計師區隔。」

 

Her company, ID Interiors & Identity Design, has produced designs for restaurants like the Michelin-starred Tate Dining Room & Bar . Ms. Campos said the absence of homegrown talent has given her an advantage. Her biggest competition, she noted, comes from other expatriates .

 

她的ID室內裝潢及形象設計公司已經為一些餐廳做了設計，包括中環米其林級的泰特餐廳。坎波斯說，香港缺少本土人才使她占有優勢。她最主要的競爭來自其他外籍人士。

 

But Hong Kong, known more for its cargo ports and financial sector than for a vibrant cultural or creative scene, is working to move past an economy based on manufacturing and reproduction of goods to one based on innovation, branding and design, said Stanley Chu, 64, of the Adsale Group, which organizes international trade shows in Asia.

 

香港以它的貨物港口及金融業聞名，有活力的文化或創意領域相對乏善可陳。雅式集團專門在亞洲各地籌辦國際商展，64歲的董事長兼創辦人朱裕倫表示，香港正致力將經濟基礎由貨品製造及再生產，轉向創意、品牌及設計。

 

In 2009, the government established CreateHK, an office dedicated to developing creative industries, which broadly include advertising, architecture, design, cultural heritage, the performing arts and film.

 

2009年，香港政府設立「創意香港」辦公室，負責開發各種創意產業，涵蓋廣告、建築、設計、文化遺產、表演藝術與電影。

 

The office has also worked with the local educational system, from primary schools to colleges, to develop curriculums for teaching film, animation and architecture.

 

該辦公室還與從小學到大學的當地教育系統合作，開發電影、動畫與建築的教學內容。

 

The initiatives are starting to pay off. The contribution of the creative industries to the territory’s gross domestic product increased to 4.9 percent in 2012 from 3.9 percent in 2007, according to the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department — about 97.8 billion Hong Kong dollars, or $12.6 billion. The number of people employed in those fields also increased by 20,000 from 2007 to 2012, to 200,370.

 

這項構想已經開始展現成果。香港政府統計處指出，創意產業占香港GDP的比重已由2007年的3.9%增至2012年的4.9%，總額約978億港幣（約126億美元），雇用的人力則於2007至2012年之間增加2萬人，來到20萬零370人。

 

The former Police Married Quarters, barracks from the colonial era, were transformed under a conservation plan. The site, now known as PMQ, opened in April and now houses studios for more than 100 entrepreneurs in the creative industries, many of whom are product and fashion designers. It holds workshops on marketing and branding and has received more than 1.5 million visitors since it opened.

 

建於英國殖民時期的前荷李活道已婚警察宿舍根據一項保存計畫改建。它現在改名為「元創方」，今年4月啟用，已有100多名創意產業的創業家進駐，其中許多人是產品與時裝設計師。它經常舉辦有關行銷與品牌包裝的研討會，開張至今造訪人次已超過150萬。

 

Executives in creative fields say that although the local talent pool may be deepening, customers’ views on creative work can remain stuck in the past.

 

創意領域的主管們表示，雖然本地人才可能不斷增加，顧客對創意產品的看法卻可能還停留在過去。

 

The Savannah College of Art and Design, an American university, is joining other efforts to bring credibility to the creative fields in the territory, said Robert Dickensheets, the college’s vice president in Hong Kong. It opened its Hong Kong campus in 2010. Enrollment increased to 600 in this year’s incoming class from 141 in 2010.

 

美國薩凡納藝術設計學院香港分校副校長迪根希茲表示，該校正與其他方面合作，試圖為香港的創意領域建立信譽。該校2010年設立香港分校，入學人數已由2010年的141人增至今年的600人。

 

Lucia Ho, 21, who attended the university, works full time for Peninsula Merchandising Limited, which produces merchandise for the Peninsula hotel chain. She helped design the packaging for the hotel’s mooncakes. She noted that of the 13 graphic design majors in the school’s first class, 11 had job offers before graduation in June.

 

半島商品有限公司為半島連鎖酒店生產商品，該校的21歲學生露絲亞．何是其全職員工。她協助設計該酒店的月餅包裝。她說，在該校第一年主修平面造型設計的13名學生中，11人6月畢業前即有工作上門。

 

As more people like her find work in the nascent creative industries, they will begin to change the general perception of such work in Hong Kong, Mr. Dickensheets said.

 

迪根希茲說，隨著像她這樣的更多人才在新興的創意產業找到工作，他們將開始改變社會大眾對這種工作的看法。

 

The long-term goal for Hong Kong, he said, is to create a culture in which “the designer can be valued as much as a banker.”

 

他說，香港的長期目標是，創造一種「設計師受到尊重的程度與銀行家相當」的文化。

 

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/271173/web/#2L-5361749L

 

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每日跟讀#573: Mushrooms may ’reduce the risk of mild brain decline’

 

Eating mushrooms more than twice a week could prevent memory and language problems occurring in the over-60s, research from Singapore suggests.

 

每週吃兩次以上香菇，或可預防逾60歲時發生的記憶與語言問題，新加坡的研究顯示。

 

A unique antioxidant present in mushrooms could have a protective effect on the brain, the study found. The more mushrooms people ate, the better they performed in tests of thinking and processing speed.

 

香菇有一種獨特的抗氧化物，或許對大腦有保護效果，該研究發現。吃越多香菇的人，他們在思考與處理速度測驗中的表現愈佳。

 

The National University of Singapore study’s findings were based on 663 Chinese adults, aged over 60, whose diet and lifestyle were tracked from 2011 to 2017.

 

新加坡國立大學的這項研究成果，來自於2011年至2017年追蹤663名60歲以上華裔成人的飲食與生活型態。

 

Over the six-year study, the researchers found that eating mushrooms lowered the chances of mild cognitive impairment, so that roughly nine out of 100 people who ate more than two portions（300g）a week were diagnosed, compared with 19 out of 100 among those who ate fewer than one portion.

 

在超過6年的研究期間，研究人員發現，攝取菇類可降低輕度認知障礙的機率，因此100人中約有9人每週吃兩份（300公克）以上香菇者被確診，相較於吃不到一份者，每100人中有19人被診斷出來。

 

Mild cognitive impairment can make people forgetful, affect their memory and cause problems with language, attention and locating objects in spaces - but the changes can be subtle. It is not serious enough to be defined as dementia.

輕度認知障礙會讓人們健忘，影響他們的記憶，並引發語言、注意力及空間物體定位的問題—但這種變化可能是隱約的，並未嚴重到足以被界定為失智。

 

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1280479

 

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