通勤學英語 15Mins Today

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/

 

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

 

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每日跟讀#559: Leaving Facebook makes people happier but less informed

 

A new study has found that leaving Facebook may be good for your emotional wellbeing, but you could be less informed about current events.

 

一項新研究發現，離開臉書可能有利於你的情緒幸福感，但你可能會變得較不了解當前事件。

 

A new report from researchers at New York University and Stanford University looked at what happened to people who deactivated their accounts. To track social media’s effects, the researchers recruited 2,844 Facebook users and paid them $102 to turn-off their accounts for four weeks.

 

紐約大學與史丹福大學研究人員的一項新報告，檢視停用臉書帳號的人會變得怎麼樣。為了追蹤社群媒體的影響，研究人員招募2844名臉書用戶，並支付102美元要求他們關掉帳號4週。

 

The study found that temporarily quitting Facebook led to increased subjective wellbeing, less political drama and attention span agitation, and increased time spent with friends and family. On the other hand, it also led to a decrease in awareness of current events.

 

研究發現，暫時戒掉臉書導致主觀幸福感增加，減少政治是非及注意力不安，增進與親人和朋友的相處時間。另一方面，這也造成對當前活動的關注減少。

 

Psychologists have argued for years that the use of Facebook and other social media is linked to mental distress, especially in adolescents. Others have likened habitual Facebook use to a mental disorder.

 

心理學家多年來一直主張，使用臉書及其他社群媒體與精神痛苦有關，尤其是青少年。其他人則將習慣性使用臉書視為精神障礙。

 

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1266857

 

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#559: Leaving Facebook makes people happier but less informed

 

A new study has found that leaving Facebook may be good for your emotional wellbeing, but you could be less informed about current events.

 

一項新研究發現，離開臉書可能有利於你的情緒幸福感，但你可能會變得較不了解當前事件。

 

A new report from researchers at New York University and Stanford University looked at what happened to people who deactivated their accounts. To track social media’s effects, the researchers recruited 2,844 Facebook users and paid them $102 to turn-off their accounts for four weeks.

 

紐約大學與史丹福大學研究人員的一項新報告，檢視停用臉書帳號的人會變得怎麼樣。為了追蹤社群媒體的影響，研究人員招募2844名臉書用戶，並支付102美元要求他們關掉帳號4週。

 

The study found that temporarily quitting Facebook led to increased subjective wellbeing, less political drama and attention span agitation, and increased time spent with friends and family. On the other hand, it also led to a decrease in awareness of current events.

 

研究發現，暫時戒掉臉書導致主觀幸福感增加，減少政治是非及注意力不安，增進與親人和朋友的相處時間。另一方面，這也造成對當前活動的關注減少。

 

Psychologists have argued for years that the use of Facebook and other social media is linked to mental distress, especially in adolescents. Others have likened habitual Facebook use to a mental disorder.

 

心理學家多年來一直主張，使用臉書及其他社群媒體與精神痛苦有關，尤其是青少年。其他人則將習慣性使用臉書視為精神障礙。

 

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1266857

 

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#558: Tug of War in Fine Print of Your Electric Bill

 

It was only two years ago that Elroy Holtmann spent about $20,000 on a home solar array to help cover the costs of charging his new electric car. With the savings on his monthly electric bills, he figured the investment would pay for itself in about a dozen years.

 

But then the utilities regulators changed the equation.

 

不過才兩年前，霍特曼花了2萬美元安裝家戶太陽能發電系統，以省下錢來支應新購電動車的充電費。他盤算著每月節省的電費，估計這筆投資約能在12年內回本。

 

但後來公用事業管理單位改變了這個等式。

 

As a result, Pacific Gas & Electric recently did away with the rate schedule chosen by Holtmann, a retired electrical engineer, and many other solar customers in this part of California. The new schedule will make them pay much more for the electricity they draw from the grid in the evening, while paying those customers less for the excess power their solar panels send back to the grid on sunny summer days.

 

As a result, Holtmann’s solar setup may never pay for itself.

 

於是，太平洋煤電公司最近廢除霍特曼與加州這區域其他許多安裝太陽能板客戶選擇的費率表。霍特曼是退休電力工程師。新費率表會讓他們夜間從電網取用電力時要付的電費貴得多，至於他們的太陽能板在晴朗夏天送回電網的多餘電力，公司付給他們的收購費則會變少。

 

這麼一來，霍特曼的太陽能系統可能永遠無法回本。

 

“They’ve taken any possibility for payback away,” he said with resignation, looking up at the roof of his 1970s ranch-style house in this suburb a short drive east of Berkeley.

 

The paradox is playing out around the country. Even as policymakers at the federal and state levels promote clean energy to fight global warming, the economics of electricity can often be at odds with those goals.

 

霍特曼望著1970年代牧場風格的自家屋頂，無奈地說：「他們把回本的可能性完全拿走了。」他的家在柏克萊東郊，開車一下子就到了。

 

這種矛盾的情況在美國各地愈來愈多。聯邦與州決策者推廣潔淨能源以阻止全球暖化，電力的經濟因素卻常與這些目標牴觸。

 

Thrust in the middle are utility regulators. Even if they support greening the grid through technology adopters like Holtmann, the regulators are also responsible for ensuring that the utilities can afford to supply power to the largest number of customers at the most equitable rates. That includes people without the money or inclination to install solar collectors.

 

“The grid is no longer just a cheap way to get electrical commodities to people,” said Michael Picker, president of the California Public Utilities Commission. “People want choices, they want customized services,” he said. “And how do you make that fair to everybody, because not everybody is moving as adopters at the same pace?”

 

公用事業主管單位左右為難。雖然他們支持透過像霍特曼這樣勇於採用新科技的人來推廣綠色電力，但他們也有責任確保電廠能夠以最合理的費率對最大多數客戶供電，包括沒有財力或意願安裝太陽能板的人。

 

加州公用事業委員會主席皮克說：「電網不再只是為人們提供廉價電力商品的方式。人們想要有選擇，想要客製化服務。並不是每個人採用新科技的步調都一致，你要怎麼讓電費費率對每個人都公平？」

 

Similar dynamics are playing out in some parts of Europe, including Spain and Britain, as public officials push for green energy to justify its costs.

 

For more than a century in the United States, the public utility rate system assumed a one-way flow of electricity from central power plants to their customers. The role of utility regulators was to adjudicate reasonable rates for the consumer, while allowing an adequate rate of return on the money power companies spent generating and distributing the electricity.

 

類似的現象也在歐洲部分地區發生，包括西班牙與英國，官方要求綠色能源恢復合理價格。

 

100多年來，美國公用事業費率制度假定電力是從中央電廠單向輸送給客戶。電廠管理單位的角色是負責確保客戶有合理的費率，並允許電力公司花錢發電和配電後，有適當的投資報酬率。

 

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/302311/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#558: Tug of War in Fine Print of Your Electric Bill

 

It was only two years ago that Elroy Holtmann spent about $20,000 on a home solar array to help cover the costs of charging his new electric car. With the savings on his monthly electric bills, he figured the investment would pay for itself in about a dozen years.

 

But then the utilities regulators changed the equation.

 

不過才兩年前，霍特曼花了2萬美元安裝家戶太陽能發電系統，以省下錢來支應新購電動車的充電費。他盤算著每月節省的電費，估計這筆投資約能在12年內回本。

 

但後來公用事業管理單位改變了這個等式。

 

As a result, Pacific Gas & Electric recently did away with the rate schedule chosen by Holtmann, a retired electrical engineer, and many other solar customers in this part of California. The new schedule will make them pay much more for the electricity they draw from the grid in the evening, while paying those customers less for the excess power their solar panels send back to the grid on sunny summer days.

 

As a result, Holtmann’s solar setup may never pay for itself.

 

於是，太平洋煤電公司最近廢除霍特曼與加州這區域其他許多安裝太陽能板客戶選擇的費率表。霍特曼是退休電力工程師。新費率表會讓他們夜間從電網取用電力時要付的電費貴得多，至於他們的太陽能板在晴朗夏天送回電網的多餘電力，公司付給他們的收購費則會變少。

 

這麼一來，霍特曼的太陽能系統可能永遠無法回本。

 

“They’ve taken any possibility for payback away,” he said with resignation, looking up at the roof of his 1970s ranch-style house in this suburb a short drive east of Berkeley.

 

The paradox is playing out around the country. Even as policymakers at the federal and state levels promote clean energy to fight global warming, the economics of electricity can often be at odds with those goals.

 

霍特曼望著1970年代牧場風格的自家屋頂，無奈地說：「他們把回本的可能性完全拿走了。」他的家在柏克萊東郊，開車一下子就到了。

 

這種矛盾的情況在美國各地愈來愈多。聯邦與州決策者推廣潔淨能源以阻止全球暖化，電力的經濟因素卻常與這些目標牴觸。

 

Thrust in the middle are utility regulators. Even if they support greening the grid through technology adopters like Holtmann, the regulators are also responsible for ensuring that the utilities can afford to supply power to the largest number of customers at the most equitable rates. That includes people without the money or inclination to install solar collectors.

 

“The grid is no longer just a cheap way to get electrical commodities to people,” said Michael Picker, president of the California Public Utilities Commission. “People want choices, they want customized services,” he said. “And how do you make that fair to everybody, because not everybody is moving as adopters at the same pace?”

 

公用事業主管單位左右為難。雖然他們支持透過像霍特曼這樣勇於採用新科技的人來推廣綠色電力，但他們也有責任確保電廠能夠以最合理的費率對最大多數客戶供電，包括沒有財力或意願安裝太陽能板的人。

 

加州公用事業委員會主席皮克說：「電網不再只是為人們提供廉價電力商品的方式。人們想要有選擇，想要客製化服務。並不是每個人採用新科技的步調都一致，你要怎麼讓電費費率對每個人都公平？」

 

Similar dynamics are playing out in some parts of Europe, including Spain and Britain, as public officials push for green energy to justify its costs.

 

For more than a century in the United States, the public utility rate system assumed a one-way flow of electricity from central power plants to their customers. The role of utility regulators was to adjudicate reasonable rates for the consumer, while allowing an adequate rate of return on the money power companies spent generating and distributing the electricity.

 

類似的現象也在歐洲部分地區發生，包括西班牙與英國，官方要求綠色能源恢復合理價格。

 

100多年來，美國公用事業費率制度假定電力是從中央電廠單向輸送給客戶。電廠管理單位的角色是負責確保客戶有合理的費率，並允許電力公司花錢發電和配電後，有適當的投資報酬率。

 

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/302311/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。

Summary:

 

This article talks about the electric scooter market in Taiwan and the new products coming from the major manufacturers. The competition is heating up!

 

Refer to full article: https://www.15mins.today/blog/528-start-your-engines-electric-scooter-makers-prepare-to-do-battle-in

 

Vocabulary and sample sentence:

 

Head-to-head ( where 2 people or groups face each other directly in order to decide on a result/ a winner)

Are they to meet head-to-head in next week’s final?

Yes, they are going to meet head-to-head in next week's final.

Are Asus and Acer head-to-head competitors?

Yes, Asus and Acer are head-to-head competitors.

 

Subsidy (money that is paid by a government or organization to reduce the cost of a service or goods)

Do government subsidies help certain industries?

Yes, government subsidies do help certain industries.

Are subsidies driving the growth in renewable energy?

Yes, subsidies are the driving force of growth in renewable energy.

 

 

Incentive (something that encourages you to do something)

Do incentives help students to achieve better results?

Yes, incentives help students to achieve better results.

Are incentives the backbone of the sales industry?

Yes, incentives are the backbone of the sales industry.

 

15分鐘跟著John and Gavin探索世界時事趣聞的單字與詞彙

用email訂閱就可以收到所有15mins.Today最新節目通知。

Summary:

 

This article talks about the electric scooter market in Taiwan and the new products coming from the major manufacturers. The competition is heating up!

 

Refer to full article: https://www.15mins.today/blog/528-start-your-engines-electric-scooter-makers-prepare-to-do-battle-in

 

Vocabulary and sample sentence:

 

Head-to-head ( where 2 people or groups face each other directly in order to decide on a result/ a winner)

Are they to meet head-to-head in next week’s final?

Yes, they are going to meet head-to-head in next week's final.

Are Asus and Acer head-to-head competitors?

Yes, Asus and Acer are head-to-head competitors.

 

Subsidy (money that is paid by a government or organization to reduce the cost of a service or goods)

Do government subsidies help certain industries?

Yes, government subsidies do help certain industries.

Are subsidies driving the growth in renewable energy?

Yes, subsidies are the driving force of growth in renewable energy.

 

 

Incentive (something that encourages you to do something)

Do incentives help students to achieve better results?

Yes, incentives help students to achieve better results.

Are incentives the backbone of the sales industry?

Yes, incentives are the backbone of the sales industry.

 

15分鐘跟著John and Gavin探索世界時事趣聞的單字與詞彙

用email訂閱就可以收到所有15mins.Today最新節目通知。

每日跟讀#557: Greek minister caught taking a puff tells EU official to butt out

 

Greece’s deputy health minister has told the European Union’s top health official to butt out after getting a reprimand for smoking in public.

 

希臘衛生部副部長因當眾吸菸而遭訓斥後，告訴歐洲聯盟首席衛生官員少管閒事。

 

Deputy minister Pavlos Polakis was caught on video footage this week holding a cigarette while dancing in a club. It drew a rebuke from EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis, who was in Athens to mark World Cancer Day.

 

副部長帕夫洛斯‧波拉基斯本週被拍到在一間俱樂部一邊跳舞一邊拿著一根香菸的影片。此事引來當時在雅典宣導世界癌症日的歐盟衛生執行委員維特尼斯‧安德列凱提斯非難。

 

Andriukaitis said the practice was "shameful".

 

安德列凱提斯說，這種行為「可恥」。

 

Polakis, who is also a surgeon, said he was dealing with more pressing issues at the ministry than smoking. "Learn before you speak," Polakis wrote on his Facebook account in a post addressed to Andriukaitis.

 

也是一名外科醫師的波拉基斯說，他正在處理部內比吸菸更為迫切的議題。「講話前先搞清楚」，波拉基斯在他臉書帳戶送給安德列凱提斯的一篇貼文寫道。

 

"I’ll decide when to stop smoking, on my terms," Polakis said.

 

波拉基斯說，「我會根據我自己的意願，決定何時戒菸。」

 

Greece has the highest smoking rate in the European Union. It bans smoking in indoor public spaces, such as the nightclub where Polakis danced as red napkins fluttered around him.

 

希臘吸菸率居歐洲聯盟之冠。它禁止在室內公眾空間吸菸，諸如波拉基斯起舞的夜總會，當時他的周圍飄著紅色餐巾。

 

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1267813

 

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每日跟讀#557: Greek minister caught taking a puff tells EU official to butt out

 

Greece’s deputy health minister has told the European Union’s top health official to butt out after getting a reprimand for smoking in public.

 

希臘衛生部副部長因當眾吸菸而遭訓斥後，告訴歐洲聯盟首席衛生官員少管閒事。

 

Deputy minister Pavlos Polakis was caught on video footage this week holding a cigarette while dancing in a club. It drew a rebuke from EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis, who was in Athens to mark World Cancer Day.

 

副部長帕夫洛斯‧波拉基斯本週被拍到在一間俱樂部一邊跳舞一邊拿著一根香菸的影片。此事引來當時在雅典宣導世界癌症日的歐盟衛生執行委員維特尼斯‧安德列凱提斯非難。

 

Andriukaitis said the practice was "shameful".

 

安德列凱提斯說，這種行為「可恥」。

 

Polakis, who is also a surgeon, said he was dealing with more pressing issues at the ministry than smoking. "Learn before you speak," Polakis wrote on his Facebook account in a post addressed to Andriukaitis.

 

也是一名外科醫師的波拉基斯說，他正在處理部內比吸菸更為迫切的議題。「講話前先搞清楚」，波拉基斯在他臉書帳戶送給安德列凱提斯的一篇貼文寫道。

 

"I’ll decide when to stop smoking, on my terms," Polakis said.

 

波拉基斯說，「我會根據我自己的意願，決定何時戒菸。」

 

Greece has the highest smoking rate in the European Union. It bans smoking in indoor public spaces, such as the nightclub where Polakis danced as red napkins fluttered around him.

 

希臘吸菸率居歐洲聯盟之冠。它禁止在室內公眾空間吸菸，諸如波拉基斯起舞的夜總會，當時他的周圍飄著紅色餐巾。

 

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1267813

 

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每日跟讀#556: Making the world hotter: India’s expected AC explosion

 

Ratan Kumar once battled India’s brutal summers with damp bedsheets and midnight baths. Now he is among millions upon millions of Indians using air conditioning. India’s AC market is expected to explode from 30 million to a billion units by 2050.

 

拉坦‧庫瑪爾曾藉由濕床單及半夜沖澡，來抵抗印度的酷暑。現在，他和數百萬印度人一樣，已開始使用冷氣機。2050年前，印度的冷氣機市場可望從3000萬台飆升至10億台。

 

India is already the number-three spewer of greenhouse gases, burning through 800 million tonnes of coal every year. But for Indians enduring scorching, even deadly, summers, the air conditioners are a godsend.

 

印度已是全球第3大溫室氣體排放國，每年燃燒8億噸煤炭。但對於忍受灼熱、甚至致命性夏季的印度人來說，冷氣機宛如上天恩賜。

 

Currently just five percent of Indian households are equipped with AC compared to 90 percent in the United States and 60 percent in China, up from virtually zero 30 years ago.

 

印度30年前幾乎沒有任何家庭裝設冷氣機，目前也只有5％；相較之下，美國的比率為90％，中國則是60％。

 

But India’s AC market is catching up fast, seeing double-digit growth in the last decade as incomes rise and electricity supplies become more reliable.

 

 

不過，隨著所得增加，以及電力供應更為可靠，印度的冷氣機市場快速成長，過去10年呈現兩位數的增長。

 

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1272344

 

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