B: Did your niece receive the birthday card? A: I have no idea. It’s been over two weeks, so I assume it has arrived, although there are still postal delays due to the pandemic. B: She must have got it. Since you made the effort to go and buy the card, include a handwritten message and send it, she could at least have shown some appreciation. She could have e-mailed or phoned. If I were you, I wouldn’t put myself through the trouble on her behalf next year. A: Give her a break. She’s only three. B: 你的姪女收到生日卡了嗎？ A: 我不知道，已經兩星期了。雖然郵件還是會被疫情延誤，我猜應該寄到了吧。 B: 她一定收到了，既然你特別去買卡片，親筆寫上賀詞才寄出，她至少也該表達謝意，寫封電子郵件或打通電話給你。像她這種表現，我要是你的話，明年才不會這麼麻煩寄生日卡給她咧。 A: 她才三歲，你就饒了她吧。 （Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩譯） Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
A: Hey, will you look at this Web site? I’m choosing a card. They have options for all occasions! B: Wow, they have all bases covered, don’t they? Let me see: they have cards for father’s day, mother’s day, passing your driving test, passing exams and graduation. A: Yes, and also for other major occasions in your life, like congratulating you on the arrival of a baby or retirement. A: 嗨，你能過來看一下這個網站嗎？我在挑選卡片，所有場合的卡片他們都有喔！ B: 哇，真是應有盡有，不是嗎？讓我看看︰有慶祝父親節的、母親節的、考到駕照的、考試及格的，還有畢業的卡片。 A: 對，還有其它人生大事呢，像是祝賀第一個寶寶出生，或退休。 （Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩譯）
B: So what did you do last year, when you couldn’t send your niece a birthday card? Did you send an e-card? A: No, I found a local UK company online that will send cards for you. B: That’s a good idea, but the point of sending a card is so that you can write a personal message inside. A: They will actually do that for you. You choose your card, tell them the message you want to include, and they’ll write it by hand for you. B: Nice. And I bet their handwriting will be much better than that unreadable scrawl you call writing. B: 去年不能寄生日卡給姪女時你怎麼辦？寄電子賀卡嗎？ A: 不是，我在線上找到一家當地英國公司，可以幫客人寄卡片。 B: 那真是個好點子，但寄卡片的重點，不就是為了在裡面寫上個人的訊息嗎？ A: 他們也可以幫你寫唷，你先挑選卡片，告訴他們附加的字句，然後他們就會幫你手寫上去了。 B: 不錯唷，而且我敢肯定他們手寫的筆跡，比你那個看不懂的鬼畫符要好太多啦。 (Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩譯) Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
The new Marvel film “Shang-chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings” smashed the record for Labor Day opening weekend with US$71.4 million (NT$2 billion) in North America. The movie featuring Marvel’s first leading Asian superhero Shang-chi scored the second-highest opening in the pandemic, after Marvel’s “Black Widow.” The blockbuster film stars Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu alongside Golden Globe-winning actress Awkwafina and Asian superstars Tony Leung and Michelle Yeoh. It tells the story of a kung fu master, who is forced to confront his past after being drawn into the notorious 10 Rings gang — which was founded by his father, who found the mystical “10 rings” many years ago that grant their owner immortality and superpowers. Despite the film’s huge success globally, it has failed to gain approval for distribution in China, the world’s second largest movie market. The controversy allegedly arises from the film’s casting problem, and the stereotyped perception of the original comic book series that the movie is based on. (Eddy Chang, Taipei Times) 漫威最新鉅作《尚氣與十環傳奇》，以七千一百多萬美元(近二十億台幣)，打破北美勞動節週末上映的前三天票房紀錄。該片是漫威首部以亞洲超級英雄徐尚氣為主角的電影，也是自疫情爆發以來，首映週末的票房亞軍，僅次於《黑寡婦》。 《尚氣》由華裔加拿大演員劉思慕所主演，陣容包括金球獎影后奧卡菲娜，及亞洲超級巨星梁朝偉、楊紫瓊。故事講述功夫大師尚氣被迫面對自己的過去，並捲入「十環幫」的糾紛——該地下組織是他的父親所創立，其父在多年前找到的神器「十環」，甚至還能讓神環的主人長生不死且威力無窮。 雖然全球票房超亮眼，該片卻遲遲無法在世界第二大電影市場中國獲准上演。據說爭議主要在於選角的問題，和原著漫畫系列對亞洲人的刻板看法，該片正是由漫畫改編。 (台北時報張聖恩)
A: Finally, I am able to send a birthday card to my niece in the UK. B: What was the problem before? Couldn’t you afford the price of a stamp? A: No, for a period of time there was no post to certain countries, due to the pandemic. The post office is now accepting mail to the UK again. B: That’s a relief. I have a care package that I want to send to my son, who is studying over there. A: You should check at the post office. I’m not sure they’re able to send large parcels. A: 我終於能寄生日卡給在英國的姪女了。 B: 之前不能寄嗎？難道你買不起郵票啊？ A: 不是啦，受到疫情影響，有一段時間沒辦法寄東西到某些國家，現在郵局重新接受寄往英國的郵件了。 B: 那就好，我正想寄個愛心包裹給我兒子，他在英國留學。 A: 你應該先向郵局確認，我不確定他們目前能不能寄大件包裹。 （Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩譯) Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
Many people choose to drink coffee for refreshment when they feel weary, but it would be wrong to think that coffee is the only thing that contains caffeine. There is caffeine in tea, cocoa, cola drinks and so on. Is caffeine good or bad for your health? Nutritionists say that getting an appropriate amount of caffeine can promote gastrointestinal peristalsis and perk you up, but remember not to take too much, otherwise it may put even more strain on your body. On Aug. 24, nutritionist Yu Chu-ching wrote a post on her “Julie dietician” Facebook page, saying that the main benefits of caffeine are lifting one’s spirits, promoting gastrointestinal peristalsis, reducing fluid retention and moderating one’s appetite. Caffeine has its strongest effect about one hour after drinking, and it takes about 40 hours to fully metabolize 200 milligrams (mg) of caffeine. However, people’s metabolic responses are not all exactly the same. In addition, people should beware of consuming too much, which can cause discomfort such as anxiety, palpitations and insomnia. Healthy adults can consume up to about 300mg in one day. The average commercially available large cup of coffee contains 200mg of caffeine, so drinking two cups will take you over the limit. Yu said that those who suffer from heart disease should reduce this amount to about one half and not take more than 150 to 200mg of caffeine a day. Children under 12 years old should not touch caffeine, while teenagers should not exceed 100mg a day. As for pregnant women, they should go easy on it and not consume more than 100 to 200mg in one day. Yu reminded her readers not to eat a load of excess sugar at the same time as consuming caffeine, otherwise it may cancel out many of the benefits. She also said that carbonated beverages
A: Do you need anything from the stationery store? I’m going to town this afternoon. B: I can’t think of anything right now; I’ll message you if I think of something later. What are you going for? A: I’m going to choose a nice card for my nephew. He’s just graduated, and I want to say congratulations. B: Can’t you just send him a message through social media? It’ll save you a lot of time. A: 你有需要什麼文具嗎？我今天下午會上街唷。 B: 我現在想不起來，等一下如果想到了再傳訊給你。你上街幹嘛？ A: 我要幫姪子選一張好看的賀卡，他剛畢業了，我想恭喜他。 B: 你就不能在社群媒體上傳訊給他嗎？這樣還能節省很多時間。 （Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩譯） Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
The world’s largest plant that sucks carbon dioxide directly from the air and deposits it underground started operating on Wednesday last week, the company behind the nascent green technology said. Swiss start-up Climeworks AG, which specializes in capturing carbon dioxide directly from the air, has partnered with Icelandic carbon storage firm Carbfix to develop a plant that sucks out up to 4,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. That’s the equivalent of the annual emissions from about 790 cars. Last year, global CO2 emissions totaled 31.5 billion tonnes, according to the International Energy Agency. Direct air capture is one of the few technologies extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and it is viewed by scientists as vital to limit global warming, blamed for causing more heatwaves, wildfires, floods and rising sea levels. The Orca plant, a reference to the Icelandic word for energy, consists of eight large containers similar in looks to those used in the shipping industry, which employ high-tech filters and fans to extract carbon dioxide. The isolated carbon is then mixed with water and pumped deep underground, where it slowly turns into rock. Both technologies are powered by renewable energy sourced from a nearby geothermal power plant. Direct air capture is still a fledgling and costly technology, but developers hope to drive down prices by scaling up as more companies and consumers look to reduce their carbon footprint. There are currently 15 direct air capture plants operating worldwide, capturing more than 9,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, according to the IEA. US oil firm Occidental is currently developing the largest direct-air-capture facility, to pull 1 million tonnes per year of carbon dioxide from the open air near some of its Texas oilfields. (Reuters) 世界上最大，可直接吸取空氣中之二氧化碳，並將其儲存於地底的工廠，已於上週三開始運作，提供該新興綠色科技之公司表示。 瑞士新創公司Climeworks AG專門從空氣中直接捕集二氧化碳，它與冰島碳儲存公司Carbfix合作開發了一座工廠，每年可吸收多達四千噸二氧化碳，這相當於大約七百九十輛汽車一年的排放量。根據國際能源署的統計，去年全球二氧化碳排放量總計為三百一十五億噸。 直接從空氣捕集是少數能夠從大氣中提取二氧化碳的技術之一，科學家認為它對限制全球暖化極為重要。全球暖化被認為是造成熱浪、野火、洪水更頻繁，以及海平面上升的罪魁禍首。 此工廠名為Orca，源於冰島語「能源」一詞，是由八個看似航運貨櫃的大容器組成，採用高科技過濾器與風扇來提取二氧化碳；所分離出的碳加入水混合後，再打入地底深處，讓它在地底慢慢變成岩石。這兩種技術所使用的動力，均來自附近地熱發電廠的可再生能源。 直接從空氣捕集碳仍屬新興且成本高昂的技術，但有越來越多的公司與消費者希望減少碳足跡，開發商盼通過擴大規模來降低價格。 據國際能源署統計，目前全球有十五座空氣捕集廠在營運，每年捕集的二氧化碳超過九千噸。美國西方石油公司目前正開發最大的直接空氣捕集設施，每年將在德州一些油田附近的空氣中提取一百萬噸二氧化碳。 (台北時報林俐凱編譯)
The blow caused to the airline industry by the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially felt by budget airlines, which mostly operate narrow-bodied passenger jets and have therefore been unable to develop a sideline in air freight during the pandemic. According to one academic’s analysis, when the outbreak stabilizes, businesses are targeting a trend in so-called “revenge travel.” However, she also hopes that, rather than the pre-pandemic price wars between budget airlines, the consolidation that has taken place during the pandemic will restore healthy competition in the industry. According to associate professor Melody Dai of National Cheng Kung University’s Department of Transportation and Communication Management Science, costs per flight have not changed during the pandemic, but if carriers are required to implement social-distancing seating plans, leaving empty seats between passengers, this would eat into airlines’ proft margins, causing a fresh headache for the industry. Dai says she hopes that budget airlines will manage to survive, since they help stimulate Taiwan’s domestic tourism sector as well as the wider economy. Dai says that choosing to operate flights during the pandemic is a test of airlines’ ability to sustain losses, but the crisis may also prove to be a turnaround for the industry. Dai says there are many variables to the pandemic. She says that once the outbreak stabilizes, if the demand for “revenge travel” exceeds supply, this could resolve the pre-pandemic situation of supply exceeding demand, which led to price wars among budget airlines. The consolidation that the pandemic has triggered within the airline industry could bring about a return to healthy competition, says Dai. One industry insider stated that, despite the lockdowns and reduced number of travelers and flights during the pandemic, the industry is bullish about post-pandemic prospects for both freight and passenger travel in the flourishing Asian region. The insider
A: No wonder they say that a new hairstyle can transform you: I feel like a new person. Next time I might try dyeing my hair. B: And I feel much more comfortable, too, after having a haircut. The barber even tidies up my nasal hair for me! A: What a comprehensive service! I also saw a young woman with really long, shiny hair, done up in a plait, and the hairdresser just cut it short with a single snip. B: Wow. Won’t she regret that? A: She said she wanted to donate it to charity, to make it into wigs. B: Hmm, I’ve also heard that some people collect hair that has been cut and use its absorbent properties to clean up oil spillages in the ocean. A: 難怪人家說換個髮型，就像換了心情，我現在覺得煥然一新。下次我要來試試看染頭髮。 B: 我剪過頭髮也覺得清爽很多。理髮師還幫我修剪鼻毛咧！ A: 服務真周到！我還看到一個女孩子，頭髮好長好亮，綁成辮子，然後美髮師一刀把它剪斷了！ B: 哇，她不會捨不得啊？ A: 她說要把頭髮捐給慈善機構，可以做成假髮什麼的。 B: 嗯，我也聽說有人收集剪下來的頭髮，利用它吸附油脂的特性來清理海洋中的漏油。 (Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱) Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
A: Oh, no. My hair is thinning. Every time I comb it, large clumps of hair come away. It’s a bit scary. B: What are you gonna do? Going bald is every man’s fate. It happens to quite a lot of women, too. A: Is there a hairstyle that will make it look like I have more hair? B: Well, some people comb hair over from the side to cover up the thinning part, but it doesn’t look very natural. Or you could drop a ton of cash and get a hair transplant. A: Like that tech mogul guy? He used to be an unsociable nerd, then he turned into a charming, handsome man: What a transformation! B: But I recommend that you either go for a crew cut or just shave your head, which would go well with your stocky physique. You’ll look just like an action movie star. A: 怎麼辦？我頭髮越來越少，每次梳頭看地上都掉了一大堆頭髮，怵目驚心。 B: 沒辦法，禿頭算是男生的宿命吧！不過蠻多女生也有掉髮的煩惱。 A: 有什麼髮型可以讓頭髮看起來比較多嗎？ B: 有些人是把旁邊的頭髮撥到上面來，蓋住比較稀疏的部分，不過看起來不太自然。也有人砸下重金去植髮。 A: 像那個科技大亨嗎？他從自閉的宅男，搖身一變成為風流倜儻的帥哥，真的很神奇。 B: 不過我是想建議你，可以理平頭，或是乾脆把頭髮剃光，配上你壯碩的身材，性格巨星就是你了。 (Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱) Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
A: Some of the foam has dripped onto my face and onto the cape. B: Sorry, I’ll wipe it away with a towel. Am I using too much strength, or is this OK? A: Could you put more into it here, that’s right. And a little lighter over here. B: OK, let’s go over there to rinse your hair. How is the water temperature? Not too hot? A: It’s fine. Please don’t apply any conditioner: I’ve heard it blocks up the follicles. B: OK. It’s washed. Let’s go over there for a blow dry. A: 有泡沫掉在我的臉上，還有斗篷上。 B: 不好意思，我幫你用毛巾擦一下。洗頭這樣的力道可以嗎？ A: 麻煩這邊抓用力一點，對對對。還有這邊輕一點。 B: 好了，我們到那邊去沖洗頭髮。水溫這樣可以嗎？ A: 可以。待會請不用幫我上潤絲精，因為聽說會阻塞毛孔。 B: OK。洗好了。我們到那邊去吹乾。 (Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱) Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
After over 26 years of services, Disney Channel Taiwan on CH23 announced late last month plans to terminate operations in Taiwan starting Jan. 1 next year. The decision was made to make way for Disney+, a “video on demand” over-the-top streaming platform that is set to hit the Taiwanese market in November. The Fox Networks Group’s Taiwan branch is also set to close five of its TV channels on Oct. 1. The five channels include Fox Crime, Fox Family Movies, FX, Channel V and Nat Geo People, which are currently available via Chunghwa Telecom Co’s multimedia-on-demand (MOD) or cable TV services. Its Fox News Channel is going to end on Jan. 1, too. As foreign channels withdraw from Taiwan, Central News Agency launched TaiwanPlus (Taiwan+), a new English-language streaming platform on Aug. 30. Funded by the Ministry of Culture, the free video platform is the country’s first streaming platform targeting the English-speaking audience, as it tries to promote Taiwan to the world. (Eddy Chang, Taipei Times) 來台已超過二十六年，迪士尼頻道（二十三頻道）於上月底宣布，將自明年一月一日起停止營運，以讓位給線上平台「Disney+」，該「隨選視訊」線上影音平台預計在十一月進軍台灣市場。 而福斯傳媒集團的台灣分公司亦宣布，將自十月一日起停播旗下的五個頻道。這些頻道包括︰福斯警匪頻道、福斯家庭電影頻道、FX、Channel V國際娛樂台、國家地理悠人頻道，他們目前是透過中華電信MOD平台或有線電視系統收看，此外福斯新聞頻道將自明年一月一日起停播。 隨著多家國外頻道將退出台灣，中央社推出的全英語串流平台「Taiwan+」則在八月三十日開播。該免費影音平台由文化部資助，是台灣第一個針對英語人士推出的本土平台，希望藉此將台灣行銷至全世界。 (台北時報張聖恩)
A: Hi, I’d like a haircut, and a hair wash since I’m here. B: How would you like it? A: Like this, but shorter, to about shoulder length. B: Have you thought about getting a perm? Wavy hair would really suit the shape of your face. A: Sure, but I don’t want tight curls. I had a perm some time ago and I ended up looking old, and I haven’t dared to have another one since. B: Don’t worry. Have a look through the styles in this magazine. We’ll give you a full hair treatment, on the house. A: 你好！我要剪頭髮，順便洗頭。 B: 那你要剪什麼樣式呢？ A: 按照這樣剪短就好，差不多到肩膀的長度。 B: 你要不要考慮燙頭髮？燙成大波浪捲的，會蠻適合你的臉型。 A: 只要不是燙成米粉頭就好，我很久以前燙過，看起來好老氣，害我之後都不敢燙頭髮了。 B: 不會啦！你可以參考這本雜誌裡的髮型，我們還會送一堂免費護髮。 (Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times / 台北時報林俐凱) Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
When children are at home with nothing to do and their parents are busy, consumer electronics products may well come in handy for keeping children quiet so that their parents can get on with their work well or maybe take a breather. Nutritionists say that children’s Internet and cellphone addiction is related to dopamine. If dopamine secretion is normal, people will feel happy and joyful, but when there is not enough of it, they can easily become addicted to substances or feel depressed. One way to deal with this is to regularly stimulate the body’s synthesis of dopamine through diet. In a post on her Facebook page “Dietician Ivy’s health classroom,” nutritionist Ivy Hsu said that dopamine is a brain neurotransmitter responsible for pleasurable feedback. When a child uses an electronic device, the colorful scenes full of special effects and the pleasure they get from competition stimulate the secretion of dopamine, which makes the child happy. However, when parents want to control their child’s use of the electronic device, the child may suddenly become frustrated and angry, and even lose control of its emotions and get into a tantrum. This happens because the child’s dopamine secretion is comparatively inadequate, so the child needs to seek it out for pleasure, and this is what causes the phenomenon of addiction. Hsu said that you can in fact stimulate your body’s synthesis of dopamine by adjusting your dietary and living habits, summed up in four main points. 1. Supplementation from food: Tyrosine, multivitamins (especially vitamin B6) and magnesium are the main nutrient raw materials for dopamine synthesis in the human body. Tyrosine can be derived from dairy products, meat, fish, eggs, nuts and beans. Vitamin B6 can be obtained from bananas, mangos, green vegetables, fish, pork, eggs and nuts. Magnesium can be found in grains, bananas,
A: How come you’re spending so long in the bathroom? Eh? What’s all this hair doing on the floor? B: I’m cutting my hair. The fringe is too long, it keeps falling over my eyes and it’s really uncomfortable. Also, I’ve got all these split ends, it’s taking me ages to get rid of them. A: You’re just snipping away, you’ve made your hair look all raggedy. B: Don’t exaggerate! Look, don’t you think my fringe looks straight now? A: It’s too straight; it looks unnatural. I think you should get yourself to a hairdresser. B: You can talk! Look at that unkempt hair and beard. A bird could nest in that. You should go to the barber. A: 你怎麼在浴室那麼久啊？咦？地上怎麼有那麼多頭髮？ B: 我在剪頭髮啦！唉，瀏海長太長，一直遮到眼睛，很不舒服。而且我髮尾有好多分岔喔，剪都剪不完。 A: 你這樣東剪剪西剪剪，把頭髮搞得像狗啃的一樣。 B: 哪有那麼誇張啦！欸你看，這樣我瀏海有齊嗎？ A: 太齊了，弄得很不自然。我覺得你還是乖乖的去找美髮師好了。 B: 你也是半斤八兩吧！你看你，頭髮鬍子亂糟糟的，鳥都可以來築巢了。你也該去理髮店報到了。 (Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱) Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
Where should you take used dry batteries for recycling? The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) is launching a recycling campaign during which customers shopping at 7-Eleven, FamilyMart and TSC Million convenience stores or Far Eastern A.Mart superstores will get a discount when they take in used batteries to recycle. Every 0.5kg of used batteries will be rewarded by an NT$11 discount at the checkout. The program will run at more than 10,000 stores across Taiwan from Sept. 8 to 21. Waste dry batteries contain heavy metals such as iron, manganese and zinc. If disposed of arbitrarily, they will pollute the environment, but if they are properly recycled, they can be reused in industrial processes. Hsieh Ping-hui, executive secretary of the EPA’s Recycling Fund Management Board (RFMB), says that about 11,000 tonnes of dry batteries are used each year in Taiwan, but only about 4,000 tonnes of them are recycled. This puts the recycling rate at about 40 percent, which still leaves room for improvement. RFMB deputy executive secretary Wei Wen-yi says that many people do not know where to take batteries for recycling. She says that “batteries can be recycled wherever they are bought.” For example, there are recycling services available in convenience stores, supermarkets and superstores. Cleaning squads’ recycling trucks and local communities’ recycling stations also provide regular service in recycling waste dry batteries, as do chain drugstores that sell dry batteries, wireless communication equipment stores, telecommunications equipment stores and photographic equipment stores. Wei also reminds the public that when batteries can no longer power high-power electric appliances, they are not completely dead or unusable. In fact, they still work at “reduced level” in low-power devices such as alarm clocks and remote controls before their electricity completely runs out. (Translated by Lin Lee-kai, Taipei Times) 用過的乾電池要去哪回收？環保署推出廢乾電池加碼回收活動，九月八日至二十一日，到統一超商、全家便利商店、台糖蜜鄰超市、愛買量販店全國一萬多個據點，每零點五公斤廢乾電池可折抵當次消費十一元。 廢乾電池含有重金屬鐵、錳、鋅等，若任意棄置，會污染環境，但如果妥善回收，可回到產業製程循環再利用。 環保署資源回收管理基金管理委員會執行秘書謝炳輝指出，我國每年約使用一萬一千公噸乾電池，但獲得回收僅約四千公噸，回收率維持在四成左右，仍有進步空間。 回收基管會副執秘魏文宜表示，許多民眾不知道電池要拿去哪裡回收，她強調「哪裡買電池，哪裡就可以回收」，例如便利商店、超市或量販店都有回收服務；另外如清潔隊資源回收車、村里資源回收站，以及販售乾電池的連鎖藥妝店、無線通訊器材行、各電信門市及攝影器材行等販售點，也都有常態協助回收廢乾電池。 她也提醒民眾，電池在高耗電電器用品中無法使用時，並非真的沒電可用了，其實還可先「降階使用」，將電池換到鬧鐘、遙控器等低耗電產品繼續使用。 （自由時報記者羅綺）
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