通勤學英語 15Mins Today

每日跟讀#484 : To Innovate, the Workplace Comes to Class

In a sleek laboratory at Marshall University last month, four high school teachers hunched over a miniature steam-electric boiler, a tabletop replica of the gigantic machinery found in power plants.

 

 

They hooked the boiler to a small, whirring generator and tinkered with valves and knobs, looking for the most efficient way to turn coal, natural gas, nuclear or solar energy into electricity.

 

 

上個月在美國西維吉尼亞州馬歇爾大學一間造型優美的實驗室裡，四名高中老師朝向一台微型蒸氣電熱鍋爐弓下身。這是發電廠裡巨大鍋爐的桌上型複製品。

 

他們把鍋爐連接上一台嗡嗡作響的小發電機，調整閥門和旋鈕，尋找把煤、天然氣、核能或太陽能轉為電力最有效的方式。

 

 

The teachers, who were attending a summer training program, are helping West Virginia in another kind of transformation. Long one of the poorest states, it is now leading the way in turning vocational education from a Plan B for underachieving students into what policymakers hope will be a fuel source for the state’s economic revival.

 

這些參加暑期訓練專案的老師正在幫助西維吉尼亞州進行另一種轉型。向來是美國最貧窮的州之一的西維吉尼亞現在打起頭陣，要把職業教育從成績不佳學生的次要選擇，轉變成決策者希望的、這個州經濟復甦的一股原動力。

 Simulated workplaces, overseen by teachers newly trained in important state industries like health, coal and even fracking — the energy industry's technique to extract oil and gas from rock by injecting high-pressure water, other mixtures, and chemicals, are now operating in schools across the state. Students punch a time clock, are assigned professional roles like foreman or safety supervisor, and are even offered several vacation days of their choice in addition to regular school breaks. (Many take time off during deer hunting season.)

 

現在，西維吉尼亞全州各地都有學校開辦模擬工作場所，指導老師都在這個州重要的產業如醫療、煤礦甚至水力壓裂受過最新訓練。水力壓裂是能源業的技術，透過注入高壓水、其他混合物和化學物，從岩石開採石油和天然氣。學生上下班打卡，被指派擔任領班或安全監督員等專業角色，甚至在學校例行假期之外可以自選幾天休假。（許多人在獵鹿季休假。）

 

Traditional math and English teachers have been reassigned to technical high schools, to make sure students on the vocational track still gain reading, writing and math skills.

 

 

And this fall, students enrolled in simulated workplaces will need to participate in one of the program’s boldest elements: random drug testing.

 

傳統的數學和英文老師被調派到職業高中，以確保技職體系的學生仍掌握讀、寫、算技能。

 

 

今年秋天，參加模擬職場專案的學生必須參與專案最大膽的項目之一：毒品隨機檢測。

 Given the extent of the state’s opioid crisis, employers “wouldn’t take anything we were doing seriously until we passed that hurdle,” said Barry Crist, principal of the Fayette Institute of Technology in Oak Hill.

西維吉尼亞州橡樹山市「費耶特技術學院」校長克里斯特說，由於西維吉尼亞州有嚴重的鴉片類藥物危機，雇主「不會把我們做的當一回事，除非我們通過毒品這道關卡」。

 

 

West Virginia’s heavy push on vocational education comes as leaders of both parties have talked about making it a priority, a shift from the No Child Left Behind era of education reform, in which college for everyone was often the goal. In 2015, fewer than half of 25- to 34-year-olds nationwide had earned an associate or bachelor’s degree, according to census figures.

 

 

西維吉尼亞州力推職業教育之際，兩黨領袖也在討論優先推動技職教育，不啻告別「不放棄任何孩子」的教育改革時代，這種改革經常以「人人上大學」為目標。根據人口普查數據，2015年全美25到34歲的族群，獲有副學士或學士學位者不到一半。

 

 

“Vocational training is a great thing,” President Donald Trump said a week before Election Day. “We’re going to start it up big league.” In June, he signed an executive order that redirected federal job training funds toward apprenticeships, in which students learn skills at actual work sites.

 

 

美國總統川普在總統大選投票日的一周前說：「職業教育很棒，我們會大刀闊斧開辦。」他6月簽署行政命令，把聯邦政府職業訓練的專款改撥給學徒制，這種制度讓學生在實際工作場所學習技能。

 

Source: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/317475/web/

文／Dana Goldstein譯／李京倫

 

For more English shadowing articles, please visit www.15mins.today

每日跟讀#483: In Italian Schools, Reading, Writing and Recognizing Fake News

Italian students will soon tackle work sheets with a list of what amounts to a new set of Ten Commandments for the digital age. 

Among them: Thou shalt not share unverified news; thou shall ask for sources and evidence; thou shall remember that the internet and social networks can be manipulated.

 

義大利學生很快就要寫一份習題，習題中列舉的東西相當於數位時代的新十誡。

 

其中包括：不可分享未經證實的消息；要求來源與證據；記住網路和社群網站可以被操縱。

 

The lessons, prepared by reporters from the national broadcaster RAI, are part of an extraordinary experiment by the Italian government, in cooperation with leading digital companies including Facebook, to train a generation of students steeped in social media how to recognize fake news and conspiracy theories online.

 

“Fake news drips drops of poison into our daily web diet and we end up infected without even realizing it,” said Laura Boldrini, the president of the Italian lower house of Parliament, who has spearheaded the project with the Italian Ministry of Education.

 

這些課題由國家廣播公司「義大利廣播電視公司」的記者擬訂，是義大利政府與臉書等一線數位公司合作進行的一場特殊實驗的一環，要訓練被社群媒體包圍的這一代學子認出網路上的假新聞和陰謀論。

 

義大利眾議院議長勞拉．博爾德里尼與義大利教育部共同主導這個計畫，她說：「假新聞在我們每天消化的網路資訊中滴下毒藥，結果我們中毒了還不知道。」

 

“It's only right to give these kids the possibility to defend themselves from lies,” said Boldrini, who is left-leaning but not affiliated with any political party. The initiative will be rolled out in 8,000 high schools across the country starting on Oct. 31.

 

Italy, of course, is not alone in trying to find a way to grapple with the global proliferation of propaganda that has sown public confusion and undermined the credibility of powerful institutions.

 

博爾德里尼說：「讓孩子有機會保護自己不受騙，才是對的。」她的政治立場左傾，卻不屬於任何政黨。這個計畫將從10月31日起在全國各地8000所中學推行。

 

宣傳言詞在全球擴散，讓大眾疑惑並損害權威機構的公信力，義大利企圖解決這個問題，當然它並不孤單。

 

Pope Francis recently announced that he would dedicate his 2018 World Communications Day address to the topic of fake news, and the U.S. Congress is investigating how Russian agents manipulated Facebook and Twitter to spread false stories and stoke conspiracy theories to sway the 2016 presidential election.

 

But before crucial Italian elections early next year, the country has become an especially fertile ground for digital deceit. Frustrated by economic woes, upset by a migrant crisis and fed a steady diet of partisan media, many Italians subscribe to all kinds of conspiracy theories.

 

Boldrini, sponsor of the new student curriculum, asserts the government must teach the next generation of Italian voters how to defend themselves against falsehoods and conspiracy theories.

 

教宗方濟各最近宣布，他的2018年世界社會傳播日演說將以假新聞為主題，而美國國會正在調查俄國特工如何用臉書和推特散播假消息並煽動陰謀論，以影響2016年總統大選。

 

不過，在義大利明年初重要選舉前，這個國家已成數位詐欺大溫床。許多義大利人為經濟所苦，為移民危機心煩，常接觸的媒體又充斥黨派偏見，不免對各式各樣陰謀論照單全收。

 

博爾德里尼是這個學生新課程的發起人，她堅決主張政府應教導下一代義大利選民保護自己，不要誤信謊言和陰謀論。

 

Source: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/319898/web/

文／Jason Horowitz譯／李京倫

For more English shadowing articles, please visit www.15mins.today

每日跟讀#483: In Italian Schools, Reading, Writing and Recognizing Fake News

Italian students will soon tackle work sheets with a list of what amounts to a new set of Ten Commandments for the digital age. 

Among them: Thou shalt not share unverified news; thou shall ask for sources and evidence; thou shall remember that the internet and social networks can be manipulated.

 

義大利學生很快就要寫一份習題，習題中列舉的東西相當於數位時代的新十誡。

 

其中包括：不可分享未經證實的消息；要求來源與證據；記住網路和社群網站可以被操縱。

 

The lessons, prepared by reporters from the national broadcaster RAI, are part of an extraordinary experiment by the Italian government, in cooperation with leading digital companies including Facebook, to train a generation of students steeped in social media how to recognize fake news and conspiracy theories online.

 

“Fake news drips drops of poison into our daily web diet and we end up infected without even realizing it,” said Laura Boldrini, the president of the Italian lower house of Parliament, who has spearheaded the project with the Italian Ministry of Education.

 

這些課題由國家廣播公司「義大利廣播電視公司」的記者擬訂，是義大利政府與臉書等一線數位公司合作進行的一場特殊實驗的一環，要訓練被社群媒體包圍的這一代學子認出網路上的假新聞和陰謀論。

 

義大利眾議院議長勞拉．博爾德里尼與義大利教育部共同主導這個計畫，她說：「假新聞在我們每天消化的網路資訊中滴下毒藥，結果我們中毒了還不知道。」

 

“It's only right to give these kids the possibility to defend themselves from lies,” said Boldrini, who is left-leaning but not affiliated with any political party. The initiative will be rolled out in 8,000 high schools across the country starting on Oct. 31.

 

Italy, of course, is not alone in trying to find a way to grapple with the global proliferation of propaganda that has sown public confusion and undermined the credibility of powerful institutions.

 

博爾德里尼說：「讓孩子有機會保護自己不受騙，才是對的。」她的政治立場左傾，卻不屬於任何政黨。這個計畫將從10月31日起在全國各地8000所中學推行。

 

宣傳言詞在全球擴散，讓大眾疑惑並損害權威機構的公信力，義大利企圖解決這個問題，當然它並不孤單。

 

Pope Francis recently announced that he would dedicate his 2018 World Communications Day address to the topic of fake news, and the U.S. Congress is investigating how Russian agents manipulated Facebook and Twitter to spread false stories and stoke conspiracy theories to sway the 2016 presidential election.

 

But before crucial Italian elections early next year, the country has become an especially fertile ground for digital deceit. Frustrated by economic woes, upset by a migrant crisis and fed a steady diet of partisan media, many Italians subscribe to all kinds of conspiracy theories.

 

Boldrini, sponsor of the new student curriculum, asserts the government must teach the next generation of Italian voters how to defend themselves against falsehoods and conspiracy theories.

 

教宗方濟各最近宣布，他的2018年世界社會傳播日演說將以假新聞為主題，而美國國會正在調查俄國特工如何用臉書和推特散播假消息並煽動陰謀論，以影響2016年總統大選。

 

不過，在義大利明年初重要選舉前，這個國家已成數位詐欺大溫床。許多義大利人為經濟所苦，為移民危機心煩，常接觸的媒體又充斥黨派偏見，不免對各式各樣陰謀論照單全收。

 

博爾德里尼是這個學生新課程的發起人，她堅決主張政府應教導下一代義大利選民保護自己，不要誤信謊言和陰謀論。

 

Source: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/319898/web/

文／Jason Horowitz譯／李京倫

For more English shadowing articles, please visit www.15mins.today

每日跟讀#482: Medtech firms get personal with digital twins

Armed with a mouse and computer screen instead of a scalpel and operating theater, cardiologist Benjamin Meder carefully places the electrodes of a pacemaker in a beating, digital heart. Using this “digital twin” that mimics the electrical and physical properties of the cells in patient 7497’s heart, Meder runs simulations to see if the pacemaker can keep the congestive heart failure sufferer alive — before he has inserted a knife.

 

 

心臟科醫師班雅明‧梅德爾沒有拿手術刀，人也不在手術室，只準備了一隻滑鼠和電腦螢幕，就在一顆跳動的數位心臟裡面細心裝設心律調節器的電極。藉由這個「數位雙胞胎」，模擬出編號7497病人心臟內細胞的電子與物理特性。在真正下刀前，梅德爾跑了多次模擬，確認這個心律調節器能否讓一位鬱血性心臟衰竭的患者存活下來。

 

 

The digital heart twin developed by Siemens Healthineers is one example of how medical device makers are using artificial intelligence (AI) to help doctors make more precise diagnoses as medicine enters an increasingly personalized age. Experts say the success of AI in medical technology will hinge on access to reliable data, not only to create models for diagnosis but also to predict how effective treatments will be for a specific patient in the days and years to come.

 

隨著醫學邁入愈趨個人化的時代，醫療器材製造商開始運用人工智慧來協助醫生做出更精確的診斷，西門子醫療研發的數位心臟雙胞胎只是其中的一個例子。專家認為，人工智慧能否在醫學技術領域獲得成功，將取決於可信賴數據的存取權限，這不只是為了製造出診斷用的模型，同時也是為了預測治療方式對某位特定病人日後或未來數年的有效程度。

“Imagine that in the future, we have a patient with all their organ functions, all their cellular functions, and we are able to simulate this complexity,” said Meder, a cardiologist at Heidelberg University Hospital in Germany who is testing Siemens Healthineers’ digital heart software. “We would be able to predict weeks or months in advance which patients will get ill, how a particular patient will react to a certain therapy, which patients will benefit the most. That could revolutionize medicine.”

梅德爾表示：「想像一下，未來有一位病人具備完整的器官功能、細胞功能，然後我們能夠模擬這樣的複雜性。」梅德爾是德國海德堡大學醫院的心臟科醫師，目前正在試用西門子醫療的數位心臟軟體。他指出：「我們可能有能力在數星期或數個月之前就預測出哪一位病人會生病、某一位特定病人將會對某種療法產生什麼樣的反應，哪些病人會受惠最多。這可能對醫學帶來革命。」

To this end, Siemens Healthineers has built up a vast database of more than 250 million annotated images, reports and operational data on which to train its new algorithms. In the example of the digital twin, the AI system was trained to weave together data about the electrical and physical properties and the structure of a heart into a 3D image. One of the main challenges was hiding the complexity and creating an interface that is easy to use, said Tommaso Mansi, a senior R&D director at Siemens Healthineers who developed the software.

為了這個目標，西門子醫療建置了一個巨大資料庫，收錄超過兩億五千萬張附有註解的影像、報告，以及運算數據，藉此訓練出新的演算機制。以數位雙胞胎為例，人工智慧系統被訓練為能把某顆心臟的電子與物理特性、以及其結構的種種數據編製成3D影像。開發出該軟體的西門子醫療研發部門資深主管托瑪索‧曼西表示，主要的挑戰之一在於把複雜性隱藏起來，設計出容易使用的介面。 

To test the technology, Meder’s team created 100 digital heart twins of patients being treated for heart failure in a six-year trial. The computer makes predictions based on the digital twin and they are then compared with actual outcomes. His team hopes to finish evaluating the predictions by the end of this year. If the results are promising, the system will be tested in a larger, multi-center trial as the next step to getting the software approved by regulators for commercial use.

(Reuters)

 

為了測試這項技術，梅德爾的團隊在為期六年的臨床試驗中，為因心臟衰竭而接受治療的病人們創造出一百顆數位雙胞胎心臟。電腦根據這些數位雙胞胎做出預測，然後這些預測會被拿來和實際結果進行比較。該團隊希望能在二○一八年底完成預測的評估。如果評估結果前景看好，這個系統將會以更大的規模，並在多間醫學中心進行臨床試驗，讓該軟體邁向下一步，以期獲得有關當局核准可供商業使用。

（台北時報章厚明譯）

For more English shadowing articles, please visit www.15mins.today

每日跟讀#482: Medtech firms get personal with digital twins

Armed with a mouse and computer screen instead of a scalpel and operating theater, cardiologist Benjamin Meder carefully places the electrodes of a pacemaker in a beating, digital heart. Using this “digital twin” that mimics the electrical and physical properties of the cells in patient 7497’s heart, Meder runs simulations to see if the pacemaker can keep the congestive heart failure sufferer alive — before he has inserted a knife.

 

 

心臟科醫師班雅明‧梅德爾沒有拿手術刀，人也不在手術室，只準備了一隻滑鼠和電腦螢幕，就在一顆跳動的數位心臟裡面細心裝設心律調節器的電極。藉由這個「數位雙胞胎」，模擬出編號7497病人心臟內細胞的電子與物理特性。在真正下刀前，梅德爾跑了多次模擬，確認這個心律調節器能否讓一位鬱血性心臟衰竭的患者存活下來。

 

 

The digital heart twin developed by Siemens Healthineers is one example of how medical device makers are using artificial intelligence (AI) to help doctors make more precise diagnoses as medicine enters an increasingly personalized age. Experts say the success of AI in medical technology will hinge on access to reliable data, not only to create models for diagnosis but also to predict how effective treatments will be for a specific patient in the days and years to come.

 

隨著醫學邁入愈趨個人化的時代，醫療器材製造商開始運用人工智慧來協助醫生做出更精確的診斷，西門子醫療研發的數位心臟雙胞胎只是其中的一個例子。專家認為，人工智慧能否在醫學技術領域獲得成功，將取決於可信賴數據的存取權限，這不只是為了製造出診斷用的模型，同時也是為了預測治療方式對某位特定病人日後或未來數年的有效程度。

“Imagine that in the future, we have a patient with all their organ functions, all their cellular functions, and we are able to simulate this complexity,” said Meder, a cardiologist at Heidelberg University Hospital in Germany who is testing Siemens Healthineers’ digital heart software. “We would be able to predict weeks or months in advance which patients will get ill, how a particular patient will react to a certain therapy, which patients will benefit the most. That could revolutionize medicine.”

梅德爾表示：「想像一下，未來有一位病人具備完整的器官功能、細胞功能，然後我們能夠模擬這樣的複雜性。」梅德爾是德國海德堡大學醫院的心臟科醫師，目前正在試用西門子醫療的數位心臟軟體。他指出：「我們可能有能力在數星期或數個月之前就預測出哪一位病人會生病、某一位特定病人將會對某種療法產生什麼樣的反應，哪些病人會受惠最多。這可能對醫學帶來革命。」

To this end, Siemens Healthineers has built up a vast database of more than 250 million annotated images, reports and operational data on which to train its new algorithms. In the example of the digital twin, the AI system was trained to weave together data about the electrical and physical properties and the structure of a heart into a 3D image. One of the main challenges was hiding the complexity and creating an interface that is easy to use, said Tommaso Mansi, a senior R&D director at Siemens Healthineers who developed the software.

為了這個目標，西門子醫療建置了一個巨大資料庫，收錄超過兩億五千萬張附有註解的影像、報告，以及運算數據，藉此訓練出新的演算機制。以數位雙胞胎為例，人工智慧系統被訓練為能把某顆心臟的電子與物理特性、以及其結構的種種數據編製成3D影像。開發出該軟體的西門子醫療研發部門資深主管托瑪索‧曼西表示，主要的挑戰之一在於把複雜性隱藏起來，設計出容易使用的介面。 

To test the technology, Meder’s team created 100 digital heart twins of patients being treated for heart failure in a six-year trial. The computer makes predictions based on the digital twin and they are then compared with actual outcomes. His team hopes to finish evaluating the predictions by the end of this year. If the results are promising, the system will be tested in a larger, multi-center trial as the next step to getting the software approved by regulators for commercial use.

(Reuters)

 

為了測試這項技術，梅德爾的團隊在為期六年的臨床試驗中，為因心臟衰竭而接受治療的病人們創造出一百顆數位雙胞胎心臟。電腦根據這些數位雙胞胎做出預測，然後這些預測會被拿來和實際結果進行比較。該團隊希望能在二○一八年底完成預測的評估。如果評估結果前景看好，這個系統將會以更大的規模，並在多間醫學中心進行臨床試驗，讓該軟體邁向下一步，以期獲得有關當局核准可供商業使用。

（台北時報章厚明譯）

For more English shadowing articles, please visit www.15mins.today

每日跟讀#481: Luxury toilet paper a surprise hit with Taiwanese consumers

In Taiwan, which variety of toilet paper currently sells the best? The answer may not be the one you were expecting. Household sanitary paper manufacturers have this year discovered that 3-ply toilet tissue has emerged as a force to be reckoned with within the market, with sales volumes jumping 20 percent. Toilet tissue impregnated with balsam and forest-friendly, recycled alternatives have all exhibited strong sales performance. The industry is speculating that Taiwan is gradually moving toward becoming an M-shaped society, as consumer purchasing power becomes more polarized.

在台灣，現在哪一種衛生紙最好賣？答案可能跌破不少人眼鏡。家用紙業者發現，今年以來價格較高的三層衛生紙異軍突起，銷售量大增二成；添加乳霜的衛生紙、不砍樹的再生紙衛生紙，也都有不錯的銷售成績。業者推測，應與台灣走向Ｍ型社會，消費力逐漸兩極化有關。

 

Household sanitary paper manufacturers have discovered that 3-ply loo paper is selling like hot cakes. For example, for US wholesaler Costco, in addition to its own-brand Kirkland toilet paper, other 3-ply offerings from Kleenex and established brand May Flower, have all been selling well. According to papermaking conglomerate YFY, although 2-ply toilet paper still constitutes the bulk of the market, sales volumes of 3-ply have been gradually increasing, with some lines becoming best-sellers. Papermakers are now rushing to ramp up production and supply of 3-ply. 

家紙業者發現，「三層衛生紙超好賣」，以美式賣場好市多為例，除了自有品牌Kirkland外，目前銷售的舒潔以及先前銷售的五月花都相當受歡迎，這些都是「三層衛生紙」。永豐餘控股指出，雖然目前二層衛生紙仍是市場主流，但三層衛生紙的銷售額逐年成長，部分通路甚至是「三層衛生紙最好賣」，因此紙廠會儘可能將產能供應三層衛生紙。

According to YFY, in 2016 sales revenue for 3-ply toilet paper totalled NT$870 million but broke the NT$1billion mark last year: a year-on-year increase of nearly 19 percent and 16 percent market share.

永豐餘指出，二○一六年台灣市場三層衛生紙銷售金額僅八．七億元，二○一七年已突破十億元，年增近百分之十九，且在衛生紙產品的占比提升至百分之十六。

This year, YFY launched a premium 3-ply version of its flagship May Flower toilet paper to appeal to consumers who demand a superior quality feel and softness. Cheng Loong Corp, which markets a top-of-the-range 3-ply extra-thick, 50-percent-more-absorbent toilet paper under the Andante brand, has seen a 20 percent increase in sales of the product since the beginning of this year.

 

永豐餘今年就主打旗下「五月花」三層衛生紙，訴求高質感、柔軟的特性。正隆的「春風」三層衛生紙，則主打「三層厚手、吸水力提升百分之五十」，今年以來銷售量大增二成。

  

As for the cause of mushrooming sales of 3-ply toilet paper, the industry believes Taiwan’s consumer market is becoming “M-shaped.” Although many Taiwanese consumers still count every penny, consumers on the right lobe of the “M” curve attach a greater degree of importance to quality, the environment and functionality, and are willing to fork out more cash to buy products perceived to be of a higher quality.

(Liberty Times, translated by Edward Jones)

對於三層衛生紙銷售成長的主因，業者認為，台灣的消費市場出現Ｍ型化趨勢，雖然有不少消費者仍對價格錙銖必較，但在Ｍ型右方的消費者更重視品質、環保、功能等，願意花較多的錢買品質更好的產品。

(自由時報記者李靚慧)

 

For more English shadowing articles, please visit www.15mins.today

每日跟讀#481: Luxury toilet paper a surprise hit with Taiwanese consumers

In Taiwan, which variety of toilet paper currently sells the best? The answer may not be the one you were expecting. Household sanitary paper manufacturers have this year discovered that 3-ply toilet tissue has emerged as a force to be reckoned with within the market, with sales volumes jumping 20 percent. Toilet tissue impregnated with balsam and forest-friendly, recycled alternatives have all exhibited strong sales performance. The industry is speculating that Taiwan is gradually moving toward becoming an M-shaped society, as consumer purchasing power becomes more polarized.

在台灣，現在哪一種衛生紙最好賣？答案可能跌破不少人眼鏡。家用紙業者發現，今年以來價格較高的三層衛生紙異軍突起，銷售量大增二成；添加乳霜的衛生紙、不砍樹的再生紙衛生紙，也都有不錯的銷售成績。業者推測，應與台灣走向Ｍ型社會，消費力逐漸兩極化有關。

 

Household sanitary paper manufacturers have discovered that 3-ply loo paper is selling like hot cakes. For example, for US wholesaler Costco, in addition to its own-brand Kirkland toilet paper, other 3-ply offerings from Kleenex and established brand May Flower, have all been selling well. According to papermaking conglomerate YFY, although 2-ply toilet paper still constitutes the bulk of the market, sales volumes of 3-ply have been gradually increasing, with some lines becoming best-sellers. Papermakers are now rushing to ramp up production and supply of 3-ply. 

家紙業者發現，「三層衛生紙超好賣」，以美式賣場好市多為例，除了自有品牌Kirkland外，目前銷售的舒潔以及先前銷售的五月花都相當受歡迎，這些都是「三層衛生紙」。永豐餘控股指出，雖然目前二層衛生紙仍是市場主流，但三層衛生紙的銷售額逐年成長，部分通路甚至是「三層衛生紙最好賣」，因此紙廠會儘可能將產能供應三層衛生紙。

According to YFY, in 2016 sales revenue for 3-ply toilet paper totalled NT$870 million but broke the NT$1billion mark last year: a year-on-year increase of nearly 19 percent and 16 percent market share.

永豐餘指出，二○一六年台灣市場三層衛生紙銷售金額僅八．七億元，二○一七年已突破十億元，年增近百分之十九，且在衛生紙產品的占比提升至百分之十六。

This year, YFY launched a premium 3-ply version of its flagship May Flower toilet paper to appeal to consumers who demand a superior quality feel and softness. Cheng Loong Corp, which markets a top-of-the-range 3-ply extra-thick, 50-percent-more-absorbent toilet paper under the Andante brand, has seen a 20 percent increase in sales of the product since the beginning of this year.

 

永豐餘今年就主打旗下「五月花」三層衛生紙，訴求高質感、柔軟的特性。正隆的「春風」三層衛生紙，則主打「三層厚手、吸水力提升百分之五十」，今年以來銷售量大增二成。

  

As for the cause of mushrooming sales of 3-ply toilet paper, the industry believes Taiwan’s consumer market is becoming “M-shaped.” Although many Taiwanese consumers still count every penny, consumers on the right lobe of the “M” curve attach a greater degree of importance to quality, the environment and functionality, and are willing to fork out more cash to buy products perceived to be of a higher quality.

(Liberty Times, translated by Edward Jones)

對於三層衛生紙銷售成長的主因，業者認為，台灣的消費市場出現Ｍ型化趨勢，雖然有不少消費者仍對價格錙銖必較，但在Ｍ型右方的消費者更重視品質、環保、功能等，願意花較多的錢買品質更好的產品。

(自由時報記者李靚慧)

 

For more English shadowing articles, please visit www.15mins.today

每日跟讀#480: UK renewable energy capacity surpasses fossil fuels for first time

The capacity of renewable energy has overtaken that of fossil fuels in the UK for the first time, in a milestone that experts said would have been unthinkable a few years ago.

在英國，再生能源的發電量首次超過了化石燃料，樹立了一個里程碑，專家說這在幾年前是無法想像的。

In the past five years, the amount of renewable capacity has tripled while fossil fuels’ has fallen by one-third, as power stations reached the end of their life or became uneconomic.

過去五年中，再生能源的發電量增加了三倍，而化石燃料則因發電廠達到使用年限或變得不符成本效益，其發電量減少了三分之一。

The result is that between July and September, the capacity of wind, solar, biomass and hydropower reached 41.9 gigawatts, exceeding the 41.2GW capacity of coal, gas and oil-fired power plants.

Imperial College London, which compiled the figures, said the rate at which renewables had been built in the past few years was greater than the “dash for gas” in the 1990s.

 

 

於是在七月至九月間，風力、太陽能、生質能和水力發電量達到四一‧九百萬瓩（GW），超越了燃煤、燃氣和燃油發電廠的四一‧二GW。

收集這些數據的倫敦帝國學院表示，過去幾年再生能源的建設速度，高於一九九○年代的「改用天然氣」風潮。

Dr Iain Staffell, who undertook the research, said: “Britain’s power system is slowly but surely walking away from fossil fuels, and this quarter saw a major milestone on the journey.”

進行這項研究的伊恩‧史代佛博士說：「英國的電力系統正與化石燃料漸行漸遠，而在本季跨越了一個重要里程碑。」

However, the amount of power from fossil fuels was still greater over the quarter, at about 40% of electricity generation compared with 28% for renewable sources. In total, 57% of electricity generation was low carbon over the period, produced either by renewables or nuclear power stations.

In terms of installed capacity, wind is the biggest source of renewables at more than 20GW, followed by solar spread across nearly 1m rooftops and in fields. Biomass is third.

然而，本季化石燃料發電量仍較大，約佔發電量的百分之四十，而再生能源則為百分之二十八。在這期間，共有百分之五十七的發電量是低碳排放發電，由再生能源或核電廠產出。

在發電裝置容量方面，風能是再生能源的最大來源，有超過二十GW的裝置容量，其次是太陽能，其裝置遍布近一百萬戶的屋頂以及田野。生質能源則是佔第三位。

In the past year, coal capacity has fallen by one quarter, and there are only six coal-fired plants left in the UK. Coal operators have been affected by the UK’s carbon tax on electricity generation, as well as competition from gas, though they have enjoyed a recent fillip from high gas prices.

 

在過去一年中，燃煤電廠的發電量下降了四分之一，英國只剩下六座燃煤電廠。雖然煤炭業者最近因高油價而得利，但他們仍受到英國對發電徵收碳稅、油氣發電之競爭等影響。

 

Fortunes for new gas power stations are mixed. Last week, the German energy company RWE said it was freezing plans for a new 2.5GW gas plant in Tilbury, Essex. However, UK-listed SSE said it had broken ground last Tuesday on a new 840MW gas power station in Lincolnshire.

 

新建天然氣發電廠的命運則是憂喜參半。德國能源公司萊茵集團上週表示，將凍結在艾賽克斯郡提伯利新建二‧五GW天然氣發電廠的計畫。而英國上市公司蘇格蘭電力則表示，該公司在林肯郡新建的八四○百萬瓦（MW）天然氣發電廠，已於上週二動工。

 

The Imperial College London research, which was commissioned by the gas, coal and biomass company Drax, also found the cost of balancing the energy system had risen to a 10-year high of 3.8m pounds (US$4.9m) per day between July and September.

(The Guardian)

倫敦帝國學院的這項研究，是由經營天然氣、煤炭及生質能源的Drax公司委託進行，該研究也發現，平衡能源系統的成本，在七月至九月間已升至每日三八○萬英鎊，達到十年新高點。

（台北時報林俐凱編譯）

 

For more English shadowing articles, please visit www.15mins.today

每日跟讀#480: UK renewable energy capacity surpasses fossil fuels for first time

The capacity of renewable energy has overtaken that of fossil fuels in the UK for the first time, in a milestone that experts said would have been unthinkable a few years ago.

在英國，再生能源的發電量首次超過了化石燃料，樹立了一個里程碑，專家說這在幾年前是無法想像的。

In the past five years, the amount of renewable capacity has tripled while fossil fuels’ has fallen by one-third, as power stations reached the end of their life or became uneconomic.

過去五年中，再生能源的發電量增加了三倍，而化石燃料則因發電廠達到使用年限或變得不符成本效益，其發電量減少了三分之一。

The result is that between July and September, the capacity of wind, solar, biomass and hydropower reached 41.9 gigawatts, exceeding the 41.2GW capacity of coal, gas and oil-fired power plants.

Imperial College London, which compiled the figures, said the rate at which renewables had been built in the past few years was greater than the “dash for gas” in the 1990s.

 

 

於是在七月至九月間，風力、太陽能、生質能和水力發電量達到四一‧九百萬瓩（GW），超越了燃煤、燃氣和燃油發電廠的四一‧二GW。

收集這些數據的倫敦帝國學院表示，過去幾年再生能源的建設速度，高於一九九○年代的「改用天然氣」風潮。

Dr Iain Staffell, who undertook the research, said: “Britain’s power system is slowly but surely walking away from fossil fuels, and this quarter saw a major milestone on the journey.”

進行這項研究的伊恩‧史代佛博士說：「英國的電力系統正與化石燃料漸行漸遠，而在本季跨越了一個重要里程碑。」

However, the amount of power from fossil fuels was still greater over the quarter, at about 40% of electricity generation compared with 28% for renewable sources. In total, 57% of electricity generation was low carbon over the period, produced either by renewables or nuclear power stations.

In terms of installed capacity, wind is the biggest source of renewables at more than 20GW, followed by solar spread across nearly 1m rooftops and in fields. Biomass is third.

然而，本季化石燃料發電量仍較大，約佔發電量的百分之四十，而再生能源則為百分之二十八。在這期間，共有百分之五十七的發電量是低碳排放發電，由再生能源或核電廠產出。

在發電裝置容量方面，風能是再生能源的最大來源，有超過二十GW的裝置容量，其次是太陽能，其裝置遍布近一百萬戶的屋頂以及田野。生質能源則是佔第三位。

In the past year, coal capacity has fallen by one quarter, and there are only six coal-fired plants left in the UK. Coal operators have been affected by the UK’s carbon tax on electricity generation, as well as competition from gas, though they have enjoyed a recent fillip from high gas prices.

 

在過去一年中，燃煤電廠的發電量下降了四分之一，英國只剩下六座燃煤電廠。雖然煤炭業者最近因高油價而得利，但他們仍受到英國對發電徵收碳稅、油氣發電之競爭等影響。

 

Fortunes for new gas power stations are mixed. Last week, the German energy company RWE said it was freezing plans for a new 2.5GW gas plant in Tilbury, Essex. However, UK-listed SSE said it had broken ground last Tuesday on a new 840MW gas power station in Lincolnshire.

 

新建天然氣發電廠的命運則是憂喜參半。德國能源公司萊茵集團上週表示，將凍結在艾賽克斯郡提伯利新建二‧五GW天然氣發電廠的計畫。而英國上市公司蘇格蘭電力則表示，該公司在林肯郡新建的八四○百萬瓦（MW）天然氣發電廠，已於上週二動工。

 

The Imperial College London research, which was commissioned by the gas, coal and biomass company Drax, also found the cost of balancing the energy system had risen to a 10-year high of 3.8m pounds (US$4.9m) per day between July and September.

(The Guardian)

倫敦帝國學院的這項研究，是由經營天然氣、煤炭及生質能源的Drax公司委託進行，該研究也發現，平衡能源系統的成本，在七月至九月間已升至每日三八○萬英鎊，達到十年新高點。

（台北時報林俐凱編譯）

 

For more English shadowing articles, please visit www.15mins.today

每日跟讀#479: End of an Era for world’s most famous fish market

The end of an era has finally come for the world’s oldest, biggest — and arguably most famous — fish market.

On Oct. 6, Japan’s Tsukiji fish market began the move from its current spot near the upmarket Tokyo shopping area of Ginza to a location that used to house a gasworks close to Tokyo Bay, a move that had been under discussion since 2001. The new market opened its doors on Oct. 11.

世界上最古老、最大──且可說是最著名的魚貨市場，終於面臨其時代的終結。

十月六日，日本的築地市場由東京銀座高檔購物區附近的舊址，搬遷到東京灣附近原為瓦斯廠的新址。築地市場的搬遷，早在二○○一年便已開始研議。市場新址已於十月十一日開張。

On a typical day, about 1,628 tons of seafood passed through Tsukiji, with a value of about 1.6 billion yen (US$14 million). The bustling inner-city market carried about 480 types of seafood and 270 types of other produce.

The history of the Tsukiji area could be traced back to 1657, when the government reclaimed land along Tokyo Bay and named it “Tsukiji” — literally translated as “constructed land.” In 1923 the Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed much of central Tokyo, along with the Nihonbashi fish market. In 1935 the market was relocated to its recent site near Ginza, where it transformed the Tsukiji area into a bustling town.

一般來說，築地市場每天經手約一千六百二十八噸、價值約十六億日元（一千四百萬美元）的海產。這個位於市中心的熱鬧市場，販售約四百八十種海產，以及其他兩百七十種產品。

築地地區的歷史可追溯到西元一六五七年，當時政府在東京灣沿岸填海造地，並將之命名為「築地」──字面翻譯為「建造土地」。一九二三年關東大地震摧毀了東京市中心很多地方，包括位於日本橋的魚貨市場。一九三五年，魚市場搬遷到銀座附近的築地，將築地變成了熱鬧的地區。

The market was one of the top tourist destinations in Tokyo, attracting as many as 42,000 visitors a day. Each year the symbolic New Year auction often attracted media attention, as buyers battled to outbid each other. Bidders used hand signals to dictate their price, with the fish usually selling within seconds.

築地市場是東京最熱門的旅遊景點之一，每天吸引多達四萬兩千名遊客。每年最具象徵意義的新年拍賣會上，買家爭相競標的盛況，常引起媒體關注。競標者用手勢來表示所出的價，魚通常在幾秒內就賣出。

Kiyomura Corp., whose owner Kiyoshi Kimura runs the Sushi Zanmai restaurant chain, was frequently the highest bidder. The most expensive tuna sold at the market went to Kiyomura in 2013 for 155.4 million yen (US$1.36 million).

出最高價的人常是木村清，他是喜代村株式會社的老闆，經營「三昧壽司」連鎖餐廳。築地市場所賣出的最高價鮪魚，是在二○一三年以一億五千五百四十萬日元（一百三十六萬美元）的價格，賣給了喜代村株式會社。

In August 2017, a fire broke out at Tsukiji, burning for 15 hours before it was extinguished, according to media reports. Safety concerns were cited as a key reason to push through the move to a new location.

二○一七年八月，築地市場發生了火災，據媒體報導，大火延燒了十五小時才被撲滅。安全問題是促成築地市場搬遷的關鍵原因。

Moving the market proved no easy task. Tokyo Metropolitan Government first decided on the relocation to Tokyo Bay in 2001, but concerns over tainted soil at the new site and the cost of the move led to more than a decade and a half of delays.

事實證明，市場的搬遷並非易事。東京都政府原在二○○一年已決定把魚市場搬遷到東京灣，但對新址土壤汙染和搬遷成本的疑慮，使得搬遷計畫延宕逾十五年。

Tsukiji wasn’t just a place to buy fish. The outer market shops and vendors sold everything from dried foods to kitchenware. Visitors wandered in search of soba and ramen noodle restaurants, and could satisfy a sweet tooth with Japanese confectionery.

築地不僅僅是買魚的地方。場外市場的店鋪和小販所賣的，從乾貨到廚具，應有盡有。遊客漫步其中，可找到蕎麥麵及拉麵餐廳，愛吃甜食的人，也可以買得到日式糖果糕點。

Not everyone was happy about the move to Toyosu. While some shop owners decided to relocate to the new site, others chose to close down.

(Bloomberg)

不是每個人都樂意搬到豐洲。有些店主決定搬遷到新的魚市場，但也有些店家選擇結束營業。

（台北時報林俐凱編譯）

Source article: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2018/10/17/2003702499

 

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