通勤學英語 15Mins Today

每日跟讀#563: Take a Load Off. The Robots That Fold Laundry Are Coming

 

Cars can now drive themselves. Cellphones talk to us. How long will it be until the dreams of every college student and overworked parent come true — and laundry can fold itself?

 

At least two companies are promising to bring laundry-folding robots for the home to market by the end of 2017. Known as Laundroid and FoldiMate, both machines work by analyzing each garment they take in, figuring out its ideal folding shape and delivering a drawer-ready stack of smoothly folded clothes.

 

汽車現在會自駕。手機可以對我們說話。每個大學生和過勞父母的美夢─洗淨的衣物會自動摺疊，何時才能成真？

 

至少有兩家公司承諾在2017年年底前讓家用型洗衣摺疊機器人問世。這兩項名為Laundroid和FoldiMate的機器，運作的方式都是分析它們收進來的每件衣服，找出理想的摺疊形狀，再送出一疊摺疊平整，可放進抽屜的衣服。

 

Laundroid is slightly smaller than a typical refrigerator and looks like the monolith from “2001: A Space Odyssey,” except with drawers. The robot arms are inside.

 

The FoldiMate, more compact, has large clips dangling outside, making it look like a mashup of a clothesline and a plastic oven.

 

A working prototype of Laundroid — backed by about $90 million in investment capital, including funds from George Roberts and Henry Kravis of the buyout firm KKR — is set to be publicly demonstrated at the end of this month in Tokyo. It will retail — only in Japan, at first — for about $16,000. Seven Dreamers, the company introducing Laundroid, aims to bring the cost down to $2,000 a unit and begin international sales by next year.

 

Laundroid比典型的冰箱略小，外表類似電影《2001：太空漫遊》中那個巨型碑石，除了它多出數個抽屜。機器手臂藏在裡面。

 

FoldiMate更小些，有大夾子掛在外面，使它看起來像一個晾衣繩和塑膠烤箱的混合物。

 

Laundroid的一個工作原型機，預計本月底在東京公開展示，初期，將只在日本零售，每台訂價約1萬6千美元。

 

Laundroid約有9000萬美元投資資金撐腰，包括來自美國買斷公司KKR的喬治．羅伯茲和亨利．克拉維斯的資金。推出Laundroid的公司「七個夢想家」的目標是將成本降至每台2000美元，預計明年展開國際銷售。

 

Judging from the intensity of the entrepreneurship going on in the field of laundry, most people would rather watch a video of Marie Kondo, author of the book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,”folding a T-shirt so well it stands on its own than to actually do it with their own hands.

 

There’s the iBasket, a laundry hamper that automatically washes clothes when full; EcoWasher, promising “detergent-free laundry”; and DashLocker, an app-based urban laundry service.

 

從洗衣界正在發生的創業強度觀察，大多數人寧可只觀賞近藤麻里繪的影片，她也是《怦然心動的人生整理魔法》一書作者，也不願以自己的雙手實際實踐一下。她把Ｔ恤折疊得太好，好到讓人覺得事不關己地步。

 

還有iBasket這項產品，它是個洗衣籃，衣物滿時會自動洗衣；EcoWasher則保證讓你「零洗衣精洗衣」；DashLocker是以應用程式為基礎的城市洗衣服務。

 

The Whirlpool Corp., owner of the Maytag brand, is also aggressively tinkering. The company plans to introduce in January an all-in-one $1,700 washer/dryer hybrid featuring a detergent reservoir that decides on the proper portion per load, squirts it into the basin unassisted and wirelessly reorders from Amazon when empty.

 

“There is a high level of excitement around innovating in laundry,” said Danielle Whah, Whirlpool’s North America product director for laundry.

 

擁有「美泰克」品牌洗衣機的惠而浦公司也在積極改進中。該公司計畫明年1月推出一款訂價1700美元，一體化的的洗衣／烘乾混合機，特點是具有一個會自動決定每次洗衣適當用量的洗衣精槽，將洗衣精射入洗衣槽，洗衣精用罄時還會以無線方式向亞馬遜叫貨。

 

惠而浦洗衣部門北美產品主管丹尼艾爾．華說：「一股濃濃的興奮感正圍繞著洗衣的創新。」

 

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/314016/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。

Welcome to 15minutes.today the home of English Shadowing. I'm your host Gavin and this is InTense, Episode 1.

 

歡迎大家來到15mins.Today的新節目，我是節目主持人Gavin

 

新節目介紹

 

In this episode I will be talking about what InTense hopes to be, and why we decided to launch it. First off, InTense will be a grammar program, now that does not sound very exciting, but it will improve your English and of course it will use English Shadowing.

 

學文法並不是很有趣的事，不過要提升英語力，開口用跟讀法反覆練習也可以讓常用時態跟句型變成自己的。

 

如何使用

 

Now how will it work? To have some structure, I have decided on taking tenses and taking one tense at a time and exploring it. Now how will it work? Very simple, I will ask a question, I will leave a moment for you, as the audience to answer the question out loud or in your head, if you are in a crowded place, and then I will give you the answer.

 

這個新節目每次會專注在一個時態或句型，然後利用問句與回答作為每次的演練。在我問完一個問題後，會有一段空白，讓你跟讀問句，之後我會再給答案，這時你也可以跟讀此答案。

 

為何這樣做？

 

Now the idea behind this is that if you keep repeating, your English will improve naturally and that is the key ‘’naturally,’’ because at the end of the day, this is how we as people learn a language ‘’naturally.’’ As children we never learn the rules of grammar. When we are young we just Shadow our parents and this is the idea behind this. I will ask questions, you just answer the question.

 

背後的用意是，當你重複這樣的問答句型後，你將會很"自然"的在這樣常態開口的狀況下去自然地吸收英語的用法。畢盡學語言，自然地學習並應用英語在每日生活中才是我們想達到的狀態。從小時候，其實我們不太注重文法的規則的，多數是跟著爸爸媽媽學講的。

 

Now of course if you answer the question incorrectly, as in you make a mistake, I will need you to listen to my answer and then repeat it. Go back to question and do it again, and with this repetition, you will improve.

 

所以如果你跟讀發現自己開口有錯誤時，請倒回，在重複一遍。這樣才會幫助你的口誤導正。

 

Now of course at the end of the day it takes discipline and that is what makes this method quite tiresome for students and for teachers, because you have to constantly ask questions and check the answers, and re-ask until the answer is correct. And as a student you have to listen to the question for the grammar. It is also important in this as Chinese native speakers that you listen for the name, so if somebody asks you, “Is Peter happy?” You have to change, ”Peter” to a ”he or she.” Now why I ask that usually in particularly of students who are Chinese native speakers, is because they don't have the “he/she/it.” So many of my students struggle with that, so it is a point that I say to them, look, if I ask you “Is Peter happy?” your answer would be, “Yes or No he is happy.”

 

追根究底，這個方式很講究自律，對於老師跟學生都是會容易疲乏的方法。通常遇到錯誤時，不停的重複，直到能夠講出正確的句子是我們的最終目標。 很多華語學生對 Is Peter happy? 這個句子回答 he/she會出錯，因為在中文裡，並沒有她他發音的不同。所以這些常錯的句型或回答我都會重複的問我學生直到他們可以回應正確的答案。

 

The other thing I would like to stress is, please do not use contractions, and what those are, is where we say “isn't.” I don't like that because we are doing a grammar practice. If you think about the sentence, “He's happy.” Now “he is” is also “he’s” and “he has” is also, ‘’he’s.’’ So I would in particular like you to answer, “He is happy.” not ”He's happy.”

 

至於縮寫，我想強調在此練習中，盡量不要用。因為我們在練習完整的文法，所以句型都避免以縮寫去回答，例如 He is happy, 不是 He's happy.

 

So those are the key features of the system and I will do about five questions per episode and the idea is that I will do a “yes” question and a ‘’no” question for each question so as an example, “Is Peter happy?”…………There is your pause for you to answer, and I will then answer, ”Yes, he is happy.” Now the next one will be, “Is Peter happy?” and this we will do the ‘’no’’ question. And that would be, “No Peter…” sorry, “No, he is not happy.” You see is quite natural for me to want to put his name back in but as a learner I suggest you keep trying to change ‘’Peter’’ to ‘’he,’’ “Mary” to ‘’she,’’ the ‘’dog’’ to ‘’it’’ and again ‘’they’’ and things like that, but that you will see as we carry on with this concept or idea.

 

 

每個節目裡，我會有大約五個例句，每個例句都會有回答 Yes 或 No的句子。當我停下的時候就是大家開口講一次的時機。

 

Now I look forward to this, it's not going to be, as I said much fun, but the key for this whole system is that it does work. And I know it works because I've used it. Do I enjoy teaching this way? Not particularly, as I said it is very taxing. You got to keep asking questions and trust me when you do an hour and a half or two hours of questions you are tired and not just the fact that you would be tired, your student is also very tired.

 

我非常期待跟大家一起在新節目裡練習，雖然可能不太有趣，不過這樣的系統是對提升英語是很有用的。

 

So anyway that's an introduction of what I'm planning for InTense. I hope you stick with it, and again you know it'll be a whole bunch of short little practices and over time if you repeat them your English should get better. Now one thing, please, don't forget, you have to follow the grammar of the question. There's no ‘’yes’’ or ‘’no’,’’ it is, ‘’Yes, blah blah blah.’’ So if you hear an ‘’ing’’ give me back a ‘’ing.’’ Great, and that is in summary of what we are planning for InTense. Well that was episode 1, have a great day guys and look after yourselves and catch you on episode 2.

 

好了希望在新節目裡頭與大家見面，請大家要挺住，反覆的練習，將英語底子打好。請大家要記得，不要單純的回答 yes /no ，要完整的句子念出來。如果我的問句裡頭有ing 那你也要用ing回覆我。 下一集開始我們就啟動文法練習嚕。

 

更多文法跟讀練習單元，就在http://www.15mins.today

 

用email訂閱就可以收到所有15mins.Today最新節目通知。

Welcome to 15minutes.today the home of English Shadowing. I'm your host Gavin and this is InTense, Episode 1.

 

歡迎大家來到15mins.Today的新節目，我是節目主持人Gavin

 

新節目介紹

 

In this episode I will be talking about what InTense hopes to be, and why we decided to launch it. First off, InTense will be a grammar program, now that does not sound very exciting, but it will improve your English and of course it will use English Shadowing.

 

學文法並不是很有趣的事，不過要提升英語力，開口用跟讀法反覆練習也可以讓常用時態跟句型變成自己的。

 

如何使用

 

Now how will it work? To have some structure, I have decided on taking tenses and taking one tense at a time and exploring it. Now how will it work? Very simple, I will ask a question, I will leave a moment for you, as the audience to answer the question out loud or in your head, if you are in a crowded place, and then I will give you the answer.

 

這個新節目每次會專注在一個時態或句型，然後利用問句與回答作為每次的演練。在我問完一個問題後，會有一段空白，讓你跟讀問句，之後我會再給答案，這時你也可以跟讀此答案。

 

為何這樣做？

 

Now the idea behind this is that if you keep repeating, your English will improve naturally and that is the key ‘’naturally,’’ because at the end of the day, this is how we as people learn a language ‘’naturally.’’ As children we never learn the rules of grammar. When we are young we just Shadow our parents and this is the idea behind this. I will ask questions, you just answer the question.

 

背後的用意是，當你重複這樣的問答句型後，你將會很"自然"的在這樣常態開口的狀況下去自然地吸收英語的用法。畢盡學語言，自然地學習並應用英語在每日生活中才是我們想達到的狀態。從小時候，其實我們不太注重文法的規則的，多數是跟著爸爸媽媽學講的。

 

Now of course if you answer the question incorrectly, as in you make a mistake, I will need you to listen to my answer and then repeat it. Go back to question and do it again, and with this repetition, you will improve.

 

所以如果你跟讀發現自己開口有錯誤時，請倒回，在重複一遍。這樣才會幫助你的口誤導正。

 

Now of course at the end of the day it takes discipline and that is what makes this method quite tiresome for students and for teachers, because you have to constantly ask questions and check the answers, and re-ask until the answer is correct. And as a student you have to listen to the question for the grammar. It is also important in this as Chinese native speakers that you listen for the name, so if somebody asks you, “Is Peter happy?” You have to change, ”Peter” to a ”he or she.” Now why I ask that usually in particularly of students who are Chinese native speakers, is because they don't have the “he/she/it.” So many of my students struggle with that, so it is a point that I say to them, look, if I ask you “Is Peter happy?” your answer would be, “Yes or No he is happy.”

 

追根究底，這個方式很講究自律，對於老師跟學生都是會容易疲乏的方法。通常遇到錯誤時，不停的重複，直到能夠講出正確的句子是我們的最終目標。 很多華語學生對 Is Peter happy? 這個句子回答 he/she會出錯，因為在中文裡，並沒有她他發音的不同。所以這些常錯的句型或回答我都會重複的問我學生直到他們可以回應正確的答案。

 

The other thing I would like to stress is, please do not use contractions, and what those are, is where we say “isn't.” I don't like that because we are doing a grammar practice. If you think about the sentence, “He's happy.” Now “he is” is also “he’s” and “he has” is also, ‘’he’s.’’ So I would in particular like you to answer, “He is happy.” not ”He's happy.”

 

至於縮寫，我想強調在此練習中，盡量不要用。因為我們在練習完整的文法，所以句型都避免以縮寫去回答，例如 He is happy, 不是 He's happy.

 

So those are the key features of the system and I will do about five questions per episode and the idea is that I will do a “yes” question and a ‘’no” question for each question so as an example, “Is Peter happy?”…………There is your pause for you to answer, and I will then answer, ”Yes, he is happy.” Now the next one will be, “Is Peter happy?” and this we will do the ‘’no’’ question. And that would be, “No Peter…” sorry, “No, he is not happy.” You see is quite natural for me to want to put his name back in but as a learner I suggest you keep trying to change ‘’Peter’’ to ‘’he,’’ “Mary” to ‘’she,’’ the ‘’dog’’ to ‘’it’’ and again ‘’they’’ and things like that, but that you will see as we carry on with this concept or idea.

 

 

每個節目裡，我會有大約五個例句，每個例句都會有回答 Yes 或 No的句子。當我停下的時候就是大家開口講一次的時機。

 

Now I look forward to this, it's not going to be, as I said much fun, but the key for this whole system is that it does work. And I know it works because I've used it. Do I enjoy teaching this way? Not particularly, as I said it is very taxing. You got to keep asking questions and trust me when you do an hour and a half or two hours of questions you are tired and not just the fact that you would be tired, your student is also very tired.

 

我非常期待跟大家一起在新節目裡練習，雖然可能不太有趣，不過這樣的系統是對提升英語是很有用的。

 

So anyway that's an introduction of what I'm planning for InTense. I hope you stick with it, and again you know it'll be a whole bunch of short little practices and over time if you repeat them your English should get better. Now one thing, please, don't forget, you have to follow the grammar of the question. There's no ‘’yes’’ or ‘’no’,’’ it is, ‘’Yes, blah blah blah.’’ So if you hear an ‘’ing’’ give me back a ‘’ing.’’ Great, and that is in summary of what we are planning for InTense. Well that was episode 1, have a great day guys and look after yourselves and catch you on episode 2.

 

好了希望在新節目裡頭與大家見面，請大家要挺住，反覆的練習，將英語底子打好。請大家要記得，不要單純的回答 yes /no ，要完整的句子念出來。如果我的問句裡頭有ing 那你也要用ing回覆我。 下一集開始我們就啟動文法練習嚕。

 

更多文法跟讀練習單元，就在http://www.15mins.today

 

用email訂閱就可以收到所有15mins.Today最新節目通知。

Summary:

For 17 years, President Erdogan of Turkey has improved trade and military power and raised living standards through Economic growth. However in 2016, after a failed coup de tat against President Erdogan, he tightened his control of the country and the military power. In the past few years, Turkey’s economy and the currency, Lira, collapsed. As a result, people lost confidence in the government and began to leave the country in mass. In 2016, 178,000 people emigrated, and over 250,000 people emigrated in 2017.

Vocabulary and sample sentences:

 

1. Coup d’etat/coup - violent seizure of power from a government

Military leaders tried to overthrow President Erdogan with a coup in 2016.

 

2. Brain drain / exodus - immigration of talented people

The collapse of the Turkey economy and political instability is causing a brain drain in the country.

The exodus in Turkey is adding to its economic collapse. 

3. Deteriorate v. - become worse

The economic situation in Turkey deteriorated after the coup.

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

Summary:

For 17 years, President Erdogan of Turkey has improved trade and military power and raised living standards through Economic growth. However in 2016, after a failed coup de tat against President Erdogan, he tightened his control of the country and the military power. In the past few years, Turkey’s economy and the currency, Lira, collapsed. As a result, people lost confidence in the government and began to leave the country in mass. In 2016, 178,000 people emigrated, and over 250,000 people emigrated in 2017.

Vocabulary and sample sentences:

 

1. Coup d’etat/coup - violent seizure of power from a government

Military leaders tried to overthrow President Erdogan with a coup in 2016.

 

2. Brain drain / exodus - immigration of talented people

The collapse of the Turkey economy and political instability is causing a brain drain in the country.

The exodus in Turkey is adding to its economic collapse. 

3. Deteriorate v. - become worse

The economic situation in Turkey deteriorated after the coup.

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

每日跟讀#562: Crop prices to increase due to unusually warm winter

 

This winter has been the hottest for 72 years. High temperatures and low rainfall have affected crop growth. According to Council of Agriculture estimates, lychee farms, covering over 7,000 hectares in total, have been impacted, and the production of onions and garlic has fallen significantly. As a result, price fluctuations for these crops will be inevitable.

 

今年暖冬創下七十二年來新高紀錄，溫度高、雨水少，農作物生長不順。農委會初估荔枝受損面積恐將超過七千公頃，洋蔥、蒜頭產量大減，價格波動恐難免。

 

High temperatures and water shortages affect crop growth

According to the Agriculture and Food Agency, higher temperatures during warm winters retard crop growth, and water shortages reduce yields. Most seriously affected are onions, garlic and Yuherbao lychees. Pingtung’s Hengchun Peninsula is a major onion-growing area, Yunlin produces garlic, and Kaohsiung and Pingtung are major producers of Yuherbao lychees.

 

高溫缺水 影響農作物生長

農糧署說明，暖冬影響包含溫度過高，造成農作物生長不順，另有缺水導致產量下跌，目前較嚴重者有洋蔥、蒜頭和玉荷包。洋蔥主要種植地為屏東恆春半島、蒜頭則在雲林，玉荷包為高雄和屏東。

 

The Agriculture and Food Agency says that onions this year are smaller, with the number of large onions 20% lower than previous years, while some garlic bulbs are not fully grown. The Yuherbao variety of lychee has an earlier production season and is usually harvested in May. This time of year is usually the flowering season for the Yuherbao lychee trees, but this year many have yet to flower, due to the high winter temperatures and low rainfall. It is estimated that 6,500 to 7,800 hectares of lychee farms south of Taichung have been impacted.

 

農糧署指出，今年洋蔥「長不大」，大球洋蔥數量減少兩成以上；部分蒜頭生長的球莖也不夠飽滿；玉荷包則是荔枝品種中產季較早，通常五月可採收，但由於高溫缺水，原本這時期應陸續開花，但開花不順，台中以南估計恐將有六千五百到七千八百公頃荔枝園受影響。

 

Lower rainfall means sweeter pineapples

Warm winter and lower rainfall are not necessarily bad for all crops, however. Pineapple farmers in Kaohsiung said that the warm winter and drought increase the enzymes in pineapples. Pineapples are generally 30% sweet and 70% sour, but this year these flavors will be present in equal measure. Also, the pineapples produced this year will have a longer shelf life due to their reduced moisture content. Coffee beans grown in Yunlin’s Gukeng Township, too, are expected to be more plentiful and of better quality this year, as lower rainfall is regarded as conducive to the growth of coffee beans.

 

水分變少 鳳梨保存更久也更甜

但暖冬少雨對作物也不全然是壞處。高雄鳳梨農說，暖冬乾旱造成酵素多，過去冬天鳳梨三分甜、七分酸，今年半酸半甜，也因鳳梨水分變少，延長保存期限。另雲林古坑地區的咖啡因少雨有利生長，預估咖啡豆產量及品質都會提升。

 

Source article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2019/03/13/2003711355

 

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#562: Crop prices to increase due to unusually warm winter

 

This winter has been the hottest for 72 years. High temperatures and low rainfall have affected crop growth. According to Council of Agriculture estimates, lychee farms, covering over 7,000 hectares in total, have been impacted, and the production of onions and garlic has fallen significantly. As a result, price fluctuations for these crops will be inevitable.

 

今年暖冬創下七十二年來新高紀錄，溫度高、雨水少，農作物生長不順。農委會初估荔枝受損面積恐將超過七千公頃，洋蔥、蒜頭產量大減，價格波動恐難免。

 

High temperatures and water shortages affect crop growth

According to the Agriculture and Food Agency, higher temperatures during warm winters retard crop growth, and water shortages reduce yields. Most seriously affected are onions, garlic and Yuherbao lychees. Pingtung’s Hengchun Peninsula is a major onion-growing area, Yunlin produces garlic, and Kaohsiung and Pingtung are major producers of Yuherbao lychees.

 

高溫缺水 影響農作物生長

農糧署說明，暖冬影響包含溫度過高，造成農作物生長不順，另有缺水導致產量下跌，目前較嚴重者有洋蔥、蒜頭和玉荷包。洋蔥主要種植地為屏東恆春半島、蒜頭則在雲林，玉荷包為高雄和屏東。

 

The Agriculture and Food Agency says that onions this year are smaller, with the number of large onions 20% lower than previous years, while some garlic bulbs are not fully grown. The Yuherbao variety of lychee has an earlier production season and is usually harvested in May. This time of year is usually the flowering season for the Yuherbao lychee trees, but this year many have yet to flower, due to the high winter temperatures and low rainfall. It is estimated that 6,500 to 7,800 hectares of lychee farms south of Taichung have been impacted.

 

農糧署指出，今年洋蔥「長不大」，大球洋蔥數量減少兩成以上；部分蒜頭生長的球莖也不夠飽滿；玉荷包則是荔枝品種中產季較早，通常五月可採收，但由於高溫缺水，原本這時期應陸續開花，但開花不順，台中以南估計恐將有六千五百到七千八百公頃荔枝園受影響。

 

Lower rainfall means sweeter pineapples

Warm winter and lower rainfall are not necessarily bad for all crops, however. Pineapple farmers in Kaohsiung said that the warm winter and drought increase the enzymes in pineapples. Pineapples are generally 30% sweet and 70% sour, but this year these flavors will be present in equal measure. Also, the pineapples produced this year will have a longer shelf life due to their reduced moisture content. Coffee beans grown in Yunlin’s Gukeng Township, too, are expected to be more plentiful and of better quality this year, as lower rainfall is regarded as conducive to the growth of coffee beans.

 

水分變少 鳳梨保存更久也更甜

但暖冬少雨對作物也不全然是壞處。高雄鳳梨農說，暖冬乾旱造成酵素多，過去冬天鳳梨三分甜、七分酸，今年半酸半甜，也因鳳梨水分變少，延長保存期限。另雲林古坑地區的咖啡因少雨有利生長，預估咖啡豆產量及品質都會提升。

 

Source article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2019/03/13/2003711355

 

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每日跟讀#561: Curitiba: Brazil’s once model city, now frozen in the past

 

Curitiba, a city in southern Brazil of 1.7 million inhabitants, was the herald of durable development and urbanism 20 years ago.

 

人口170萬的巴西南方城市古里提巴，在20年前是永續發展及都市規劃的先驅。

 

 

Jaime Lerner, three-term mayor who was the architect behind much of the city’s layout, oversaw the creation of numerous parks, an integrated transport system, and a recycling system that was advanced for its time.

 

在古里提巴都市規劃幕後設計師、三度擔任市長的海梅．藍納監督下，該市建立大量公園、整合式交通系統，以及當時相當先進的回收系統。

 

In the 1980s, residents learned to sort their household waste under the slogan "Trash Is Not Trash." The tubular bus stops with raised platforms and ticketing, and special bus-only lanes, were also copied by 250 cities.

 

1980年代，居民已在「垃圾不是垃圾」口號中學習分類家庭廢棄物。有著抬高式月台及售票處的水管狀公車亭和公車專用道，也被250座城市仿效。

 

However, the population has not grown significantly since its innovative heyday. The vaunted recycling program has become obsolete. Also, the transport system is insufficient to move commuters between the city and their distant homes.

 

然而，在創新的全盛期過後，該市人口並未顯著成長。引以為傲的回收計畫變得過時，交通系統也不足以運載通勤族往返市內和遠方的住家。

 

Most policies put the focus on urban mobility without thinking about the development of suburban centers. And Public authorities turn a deaf ear to outside ideas.

 

大多數政策著重城市內的機動性，沒有考量到開拓郊區中心。而且，政府也對外部意見充耳不聞。

 

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1273909

 

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每日跟讀#561: Curitiba: Brazil’s once model city, now frozen in the past

 

Curitiba, a city in southern Brazil of 1.7 million inhabitants, was the herald of durable development and urbanism 20 years ago.

 

人口170萬的巴西南方城市古里提巴，在20年前是永續發展及都市規劃的先驅。

 

 

Jaime Lerner, three-term mayor who was the architect behind much of the city’s layout, oversaw the creation of numerous parks, an integrated transport system, and a recycling system that was advanced for its time.

 

在古里提巴都市規劃幕後設計師、三度擔任市長的海梅．藍納監督下，該市建立大量公園、整合式交通系統，以及當時相當先進的回收系統。

 

In the 1980s, residents learned to sort their household waste under the slogan "Trash Is Not Trash." The tubular bus stops with raised platforms and ticketing, and special bus-only lanes, were also copied by 250 cities.

 

1980年代，居民已在「垃圾不是垃圾」口號中學習分類家庭廢棄物。有著抬高式月台及售票處的水管狀公車亭和公車專用道，也被250座城市仿效。

 

However, the population has not grown significantly since its innovative heyday. The vaunted recycling program has become obsolete. Also, the transport system is insufficient to move commuters between the city and their distant homes.

 

然而，在創新的全盛期過後，該市人口並未顯著成長。引以為傲的回收計畫變得過時，交通系統也不足以運載通勤族往返市內和遠方的住家。

 

Most policies put the focus on urban mobility without thinking about the development of suburban centers. And Public authorities turn a deaf ear to outside ideas.

 

大多數政策著重城市內的機動性，沒有考量到開拓郊區中心。而且，政府也對外部意見充耳不聞。

 

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1273909

 

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每日跟讀#560: Autobahn Speed Limits? Voting With Lead Feet

 

It seemed like a no-brainer: Lower Germany’s embarrassingly high carbon emissions at no cost, and save some lives in the process.

 

這聽起來是個不費腦筋的好主意：不須付出成本，便減低德國高得使人羞愧的碳排放量，還可以順道拯救人命。

 

But when a government-appointed commission in January dared to float the idea of a speed limit on the autobahn, the country’s storied highway network, it almost caused rioting.

 

Irate drivers took to the airwaves. Union leaders menacingly put on their yellow vests, hinting at street protests. And the far-right opposition used the opportunity to rage against the “stranglehold” of the state.

 

然而，當政府指派的委員會元月大膽提出在德國名聞全球的高速公路上設速限的構想時，卻幾乎引發暴動。

 

暴怒的開車族在廣播裡抱怨，工會領袖意帶威脅地穿上黃背心，暗示將上街抗議。極右派反對黨趁機對國家的「箝制」大事撻伐。

 

A highway speed limit was “contrary to every common sense,” the transport minister, Andreas Scheuer, swiftly declared, contradicting his own experts.And that was that.

 

德國運輸部長安德烈・舒爾很快就宣布，給高速公路設速限「完全違反常情」，立場和自己的專家團隊相牴觸。此事就此打消。

 

As far as quasi-religious national obsessions go for large portions of a country’s population, the German aversion to speed limits on the autobahn is up there with gun control in America, whaling in Japan and sovereignty in Britain.

 

就一國高比例人口近乎宗教信仰式的執念而言，德國人對高速公路限速的反感之深，一如美國人對於槍枝管制，日本人對於捕鯨，和英國人對於主權。

 

With few exceptions, like Afghanistan and the Isle of Man, there are highway speed limits essentially everywhere else in the world.

 

世界上除了阿富汗和英國曼島等極少數例外，其他地方的公路基本上都有速限。

 

But this is Germany, the self-declared “auto nation,” where Carl Benz built the first automobile and where cars are not only the proudest export item but also a symbol of national identity.

 

但這可是自詡為「汽車王國」的德國，卡爾·賓士在這裡造出第一輛汽車，汽車不僅是令人驕傲的出口品，還是國家身分的象徵。

 

It’s also the country where, in darker times, Hitler laid the groundwork for a network of multilane highways that in the postwar years came to epitomize economic success — and freedom.

 

同樣的這個國家，在它較黯淡的時代，希特勒打下多車道高速公路系統的基礎，而這系統在戰後年月裡成為經濟成就和自由的典範。

 

Call it Germany’s Wild West: The autobahn is the one place in a highly regulated society where no rule is the rule — and that place is sacred.

 

把它想成德國的「大西部」吧：在一個受到高度規制的社會裡，高速公路是唯一沒有規矩就是它的規矩的地方，而此處神聖不可侵犯。

 

“It’s a very emotional topic,” confided Stefan Gerwens, head of transport and mobility at ADAC, an automobile club with 20 million members, which is opposed to any speed limit.

 

So emotional, apparently, that facts and figures count for little.

 

「這是個高度情緒化的議題。」全德汽車俱樂部的運輸流動主任史帝芬・葛文如此坦承。全德汽車俱樂部是有兩千萬會員的汽車社團，他們徹底反對給高速公路設下速限。這個議題顯然太具情緒性，以致事實和數據都變得無關痛癢。

 

Germany is woefully behind on meeting its 2020 climate goals, so the government appointed a group of experts to find ways to lower emissions in the transport sector. Cars account for 11 percent of total emissions, and their share is rising.

 

德國距離達成2020年的氣候目標已大幅落後，因此政府指派了專家團隊以找出減低運輸方面碳排放的方法。車輛的碳排放量佔去總排放量的一成一，而且比例還在增高。

 

A highway speed limit of 120 kph, or 75 mph, could cover a fifth of the gap to reach the 2020 goals for the transport sector, environmental experts say.

 

環境專家說，給高速公路設置時速120公里（或75英里）的速限，可以在交通方面填補五分之一的缺口，協助達成2020年的氣候目標。

 

“Of all the individual measures, it is the one that would be the most impactful — and it costs nothing,” said Dorothee Saar, of Deutsche Umwelthilfe, a nonprofit environmental organization that has lobbied for a speed limit.

 

「在所有個人可以達成的事項裡，這是最具影響力，也不須花費成本的方法。」非營利環保組織「德國環境救援」的朵樂絲・薩爾說，此組織長年力促給高速公度限速。

 

“But when it comes to cars,” Saar sighed, “the debate tends to become irrational.”

 

「可是一談到車，」薩爾嘆息道：「辯論往往就變得不理性了。」

 

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/337656/web/

 

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