How are you finding the distance learning? (5/5) 你對遠距上課感想如何？（五）
A: How do you like distance learning compared to going to class in school? B: Well, apart from the fact that I no longer get to meet my friends and classmates, the technology can be a bit of a nuisance. A: How so? B: The Internet connection in my house is not very stable. Sometimes I can’t hear what the teacher is saying. And I’m still dreading the next power cut. A: That’s a shame. I would have thought that the technology would improve the experience. B: One thing I am enjoying, however, is giving class presentations. I no longer have to stand up in front of the class with all those people looking at me. I get stage fright pretty easily. A: 跟到學校上課比起來，你覺得遠距上課怎麼樣？ B: 除了沒辦法再跟朋友和同學見面，技術問題也有點煩。 A: 怎麼說？ B: 我家的網路連線不太穩定，有時候我聽不到老師講的話。而且我還擔心不知道什麼時候又會停電。 A: 真可惜。我還以為有科技的幫助，情況會比較好。 B: 不過有一件事我還蠻樂在其中的，那就是做課堂報告。因為這樣我就不用站在全班面前，讓大家盯著我看。我很容易怯場。 （Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱譯） Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
A: You’re a student, I bet you don’t have to spend much time on household chores. B: What’s that got to do with the price of fish? A: Well, one major boon to working from home is that I can get housework done during short breaks when I need to get away from the computer and stretch my legs. B: I spend more time doing homework than housework, but I also find I can get lots done in the 10-minute break between classes. Technically, at least. At the moment, I spend most breaks lying on my bed and zoning out. A: 你是學生，我猜你不需要花很多時間做家事。 B: 你這話跟我們討論的主題有什麼關聯啊？ A: 在家上班的一個主要優點是，在我需要離開電腦、舒展筋骨的休息時間，可以用來做家事。 B: 我做功課的時間比做家事還多，可是我也發現在十分鐘的下課時間，可以做好多事。至少就技術上來說是如此啦。不過目前我下課時間多半還是躺在床上放空。 （Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱譯） Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
A: One thing I don’t miss about working in the office, however, is the commute. Some people say they like to read on the bus, but I get travel sickness doing that, so time spent on public transport is dead time to me. B: Yeah, I love the fact that I can just roll out of bed two minutes before class starts, and don’t even need to get fully dressed. A: Ha, yeah, I just need to make sure I have a shirt and tie on when I attend virtual meetings. Other than that, it’s comfortable clothes all the way. B: Also, I don’t need to lug my books to school and back every day. All my materials are close at hand, on my desk or on the shelf. A: 可是有一件事，讓我不會想念到辦公室上班，那就是通勤。有些人說他們喜歡在公車上看書，可是我會暈車，所以花在大眾運輸上的時間，我什麼事都不能做。 B: 對呀，我現在只要在上課前兩分鐘起床就好了，而且還不需要穿戴整齊，這樣我很喜歡。 A: 哈，對呀，我參加視訊會議的時候，只要穿襯衫打領帶就可以了。除此之外，可以一整天都穿著舒服的衣服。 B: 而且我也不用每天把書扛到學校去，然後再扛回來。所有的教材都在手邊，在我書桌上或是書架上。 （Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱譯） Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
Since its debut early last month, firefighter-themed drama “Tears on Fire” has caused close attention from TV audiences. After the finale aired on TV, the show about the lives of four brave firefighters has continued to dominate the top spots on video platforms, and production is being planned for a second season. Starring Golden Horse-winning actors Austin Lin and Liu Kuan-ting, Golden Bell-winning actor James Wen and actress Annie Chen, the 10-episode series allows the audience a peek at the various challenges of this intense profession. Some viewers said that they have also learned many new terms from the show, such as “OHCA,” an acronym that means “Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.” Meanwhile, martial arts drama “Word of Honor” has generated much talk in recent months. The drama tells the exciting adventures of a former government assassin and the Ghost Valley leader. With their “bromance” in the show, the popularity of two leading actors Simon Gong and Zhang Zhehan has surged in recent months. (Eddy Chang, Taipei Times) 以消防員為主題的連續劇《火神的眼淚》，上月初開播後即吸引大批觀眾的目光。這部戲是關於四位勇敢消防員的故事，而大結局在電視上公開播放後，仍持續高居各影音平台的冠軍，製作單位已經準備開拍第二季。 《火神的眼淚》由金馬獎得主林柏宏、劉冠廷、金鐘獎得主溫昇豪，及女星陳庭妮所主演。透過十集內容，讓觀眾一窺這個危險職業所面臨的各項挑戰。有些觀眾還說他們從劇中學到不少專業術語，例如所謂的「OHCA」，就是「Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest」（到院前心肺功能停止）的首字母縮略字。 此外，武俠劇《山河令》近來亦話題不斷。該劇講述一位前任的朝廷刺客，和亦正亦邪的鬼谷谷主展開了一段冒險之旅。兩位主角龔俊、張哲瀚更因劇中展現的「兄弟情」，近日人氣暴增。 (台北時報張聖恩)
A: I think the main problem with working from home is the lack of social interaction. I spend whole days with nobody to talk to except Alexa, the smart assistant. B: I think that would be heaven. I live in a small apartment with my family. We have a yappy dog and a bawling baby. The constant noise is driving me to distraction. A: Distraction is an issue for me, too. I have to turn off all social media notifications while I work, and have to force myself not to wander onto online auction sites. A: 我想在家工作的主要問題是缺乏社交互動。我一整天都沒有人可以說話，除了對智慧型助理Alexa 講話。 B: 我覺得這樣對我來說是天堂。我跟家人住在一個小公寓裡，有一隻叫個不停的狗，還有哭個不停的小嬰兒。噪音從來沒停過，吵死了，讓我一直分心。 A: 容易分心也是我的問題。我工作的時候，必須把社群媒體的通知關掉，也要強迫自己不要去逛拍賣網站。 （Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱譯） Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
With the COVID-19 outbreak heating up all over Taiwan, to prevent gatherings of homeless people from becoming a breach in the wall of disease prevention, social workers from Kaohsiung’s Social Affairs Bureau have been hastily going out every day to places where homeless people often sleep outdoors to hand out masks and remind people to wear masks and maintain social distancing. The bureau said on Monday last week that social workers over the preceding few days had been making on-site visits to places where homeless people often sleep outside. They found that, with many public spaces having been closed off, there were only a few homeless people left in the hotspots where they often hang out, while others had gone off to rest in nearby nooks and corners. A homeless man named “A-chen” said that he spends his time in a shady, cool corner of a park where not many people go. He said that he did not approach other people or go shopping, and that most people do not approach him either. He said that people steer clear of him, and although he only looks a little bit dirty, many people who catch sight of him act as if they had seen a virus. For the duration of the outbreak, the Social Affairs Bureau, in addition to short-term placements at homeless people’s service centers, has also launched a system of short-term placements in contract hotels, and as of Monday last week, 42 of them have moved in. The Social Affairs Bureau will go on stepping up its efforts to urging homeless people to find a place to stay and visit them to make sure they are wearing masks and joining in the effort to fight the outbreak. As soon as this news got out on Monday last week, many Internet users reposted it.
A: So, how are you finding the distance learning? B: It took a bit of getting used to at first, but I’m gradually getting to understand there are advantages and disadvantages. A: I know exactly what you mean. I’ve been working from home for the last six months, and it’s not without its benefits. B: I agree, on balance I would say the pros largely outweigh the cons. A: 你對遠距上課感想如何？ B: 一開始要花點時間適應，不過我慢慢了解到它的好處跟壞處。 A: 我完全知道你的意思。我已經在家工作六個月了，發現這也不是沒有好處。 B: 我同意。總體來說，我覺得好處比壞處多。 （Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱譯） Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
Germany plans to pay vaccine manufacturers an annual reservation fee to build up reserve capacity of 600-700 million doses per year to help it fight future pandemics, Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Wednesday. The government plans to launch a call for tenders for so-called pandemic preparedness contracts with a five-year term, he told a news conference. “We in the government have agreed that we want to provide capacity for production of vaccines in and for Germany,” Spahn said, adding that this could be activated very quickly so that vaccine production could start at short notice. Manufacturing setbacks and an over-reliance on European Union approval for supplies slowed Germany’s rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. It wants to boost domestic production to ensure that it is not deprived of shots in future pandemics. In February, it set up a vaccine production task force with the aim of building up domestic production and reducing bottlenecks in the supply chain. Germany will also set up a center for pandemic vaccines at its vaccine regulator, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, Spahn said. Germany is home to BioNTech and CureVac, two of the leading developers of mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, as well as pharmaceutical giants Bayer and Merck and many small and medium-sized suppliers. The German plan is one of more than half a dozen by governments around the world to avert shortages by supporting drug companies’ local production. Some, including Australia, Brazil, Japan and Thailand, are setting up manufacturing partnerships with drugmaker AstraZeneca PLC. Elsewhere, Italy has pledged state backing for a public-private vaccine production centre, while Austria, Denmark and Israel plan a joint research and development fund and will explore whether to produce their own next-generation vaccines. (Reuters) 德國衛生部長延斯‧史巴恩上週三表示，德國計劃支付疫苗生產商年度訂金，以建立每年六至七億劑的儲備生產量能，幫助抵抗未來之疫病。 史巴恩在記者會中表示，德國政府規劃了以五年為一期的所謂疫情戰備合約，並將進行招標。 「政府已同意要提供疫苗產能，以在德國製造疫苗，並供德國使用」，史巴恩表示，並補充說這可能會很快啟動，以便疫苗生產可在接獲命令後立即開始。 製造上的挫折，以及過度依賴歐盟批准其供應，減緩了德國推出COVID-19疫苗之速度。德國希望提高國內產量，以確保在未來的疫情中不會發生疫苗數量不足的窘境。 德國在二月成立了一個疫苗生產專門小組，旨在增進國內生產，並減少供應鏈中的瓶頸。 史巴恩表示，德國亦將在負責審批疫苗的官方機構「保羅艾爾立希研究所」設立一個大流行疫情之疫苗中心。 德國是BioNTech及CureVac這兩家mRNA疫苗開發領頭羊之所在地，境內並有製藥巨頭拜耳、默克，以及許多中小型供應商。 與德國此計畫類同，已有六個以上的國家以政府之力來支持藥商在本土製造疫苗，以避免疫苗供應短缺。 包括澳洲、巴西、日本及泰國在內的一些國家，正與製藥商阿斯特捷利康建立製造合作夥伴關係。 而在其他國家，義大利已承諾以國家之力支持建立民間與政府合作的疫苗生產中心，奧地利、丹麥與以色列則計劃設置聯合研發基金，並將研究是否自行生產新一代的疫苗。 （台北時報林俐凱編譯）
Planted three decades ago, a row of terminalia mantaly trees flank Jiousi Road, Section 2 in Changhua County’s Beidou Township. Over time, the trees have formed a natural “green tunnel” and turned the area into a picturesque rural vista. However, along one section of the tunnel with a greenhouse farm on the other side of the embankment, 12 terminalia mantaly trees have shed all their leaves and appear to be on the verge of dying. On close inspection, it was discovered that each of the trees have had a ring cut around the entire circumference of their trunks. A member of the public, surnamed Hsiao, said, “The cuts on the trunks are a specialized technique intended to kill the trees.” Hsiao added that he was dumbfounded as to why someone would decide to damage the trees at this moment in time, since they have been there for so many years. Using a chainsaw to cut into a tree’s bark effectively cuts off its water supply, Hsiao said, adding that the act is particularly reprehensible, given that the road is a major thoroughfare: If the trees keel over onto the road, and in doing so injure a road user, then what? Furthermore, he said, if the trees were to die, with their roots no longer providing support to the soil, the embankment would be liable to collapse at any time, the effects of which would be too horrible to contemplate. We must apprehend the culprit, he said. A spokesperson from Changhua County Government Department of Water Resources says the department has already reported the matter to Beidou Township Government and will assemble a joint investigation team as soon as possible to find the culprit. The spokesperson added: the team will also preemptively remove the trees if they are confirmed to be dying
A: Ah! I get that e-books have all those advantages, but from where I’m sitting they have a fatal flaw, and that is they don’t have the smell of books. B: You mean they don’t have any gravitas? A: You could put it like that. But don’t you just love the smell of books? Whenever I buy a new book, I love the smell of the paper, especially with a certain type of recycled paper, it just smells so nice! I just hold it close to me and smell it. B: Ha, I know what you mean, but I’m not quite that bonkers. A: And another thing. Some catalogs are printed using heavyweight matt art paper. The colors and the texture are simply wonderful, you just don’t want to put them down! B: Well, yes, but wait until you move house, then you will really understand what “heavyweight” means. A: 唉！雖然電子書有那麼多優點，但是對我來說它有一個致命的缺點，就是它沒有書香！ B: 你是說很沒氣質嗎？ A: 也是啦，不過你不覺得書好香嗎？我每次買了新書，都好愛那個紙的味道，尤其是一種再生紙，好香喔！我就抱著書一直聞。 B: 哈哈我知道你的意思，可是我沒你那麼痴狂。 A: 而且啊，有些圖錄用重磅雪銅紙印刷，那個色彩、質感，真是太精美、太令人愛不釋手了！ B: 對啦，等你搬家的時候，就可以好好體會「重磅」的感覺了。 （Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱） English 英文: Chinese 中文:
A: If you buy an e-book, do you need to buy an e-reader? B: You don’t have to. Most computers or tablets will do the trick. Having said that, there are many advantages to having an e-reader. A: Aren’t all e-readers black and white, with small screens? B: But the e-Paper display technology actually imitates printed paper, and gives off very little blue light, so it’s better for your eyes. A: Hmm, I spend a lot of time looking at my phone or tablet, and when I do, my eyes get really tired. B: E-book readers have another plus to them: they use very little electricity! A: 買電子書的話，需不需要買電子書閱讀器啊？ B: 不需要，一般的電腦或是平板都可以看啊。不過我有一個閱讀器，覺得好處多多。 A: 閱讀器不都是黑白的，螢幕好小？ B: 可是它用的「電子紙」顯示技術，模仿紙上的印刷，發出的藍光很少，所以對眼睛比較好。 A: 嗯，我每次看手機和平板久了，眼睛都很痠。 B: 電子書閱讀器還有一個優點，就是非常省電！ （Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱） English 英文: Chinese 中文:
A: E-books have another advantage. They’re more environmentally friendly: you don’t have to cut down any trees. B: Yep. Think about it, if you print a paper book, you don’t only have to cut down trees to make the paper, you also have the ink and the shipping, all of which will add to the carbon emissions. A: If I really need to buy a physical book, I prefer to go to a bricks-and-mortar store. It might be a bit more expensive, but this way the bookstore can stay afloat. B: I tend to browse books in a bookstore first, to leaf through the books to see what they look like, and then I go and buy them online. A: Yeah, I know your kind and how they think. It’s no wonder bookstores are going under left, right and center. In the end, it will be you that will lose out. A: 電子書還有一個優點，就是比較環保，不用砍樹！ B: 對呀，你想想看，印一本書，不但要砍樹做成紙，還要用到油墨和運輸，這些都會造成碳排放。 A: 如果真的要買紙本書，我比較偏向到實體書店去買，雖然稍微貴一點，可是這樣書店才能夠生存下來。 B: 我都在實體書店逛，翻翻書看它長什麼樣子，然後在網路上買。 A: 哼，我就知道你們這些人的心態，難怪書店都倒光了，到時候受害的也是你們自己。 （Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱) English 英文: Chinese 中文:
K-pop supergroup BTS is taking over the world, and it’s taking over McDonald’s as well, with the “BTS Meal,” available in nearly 50 countries around the world as of May 26. Devised by the seven-member group, the “BTS Meal” featuring 10 pieces of McNuggets, special sauces, medium fries and a coke will be available in Taiwan starting June 9. Meanwhile, BTS applied their fashion trick of mixing high- and low-cost styles to a new level in marketing deals. According to Reuters, after agreeing to collaborate with McDonald’s, the boyband has been named a “global brand ambassador” for Louis Vuitton (LV). Some diehard fans have said that they plan to buy the meal wearing LV clothing. BTS won four awards late last month at the Billboard Music Awards, where they gave the debut TV performance of their new English single “Butter.” The boys even broke their own record for most YouTube views in the first 24 hours of release with the song, hitting 113 million views in one day. (Eddy Chang, Taipei Times) 南韓防彈少年團（BTS）不但席捲了全世界，現在還席捲了麥當勞，推出該團聯名「BTS套餐」！自五月二十六日起在全球近五十個國家販售。由七位團員親自設計的套餐，包括十塊麥克雞塊、特製沾醬、中薯及可樂，六月九日即將在台開賣。 BTS並將他們高低價服飾混搭穿著的時尚技巧，運用在全新層次的市場行銷上。根據路透報導，同意和麥當勞合作後，該團近日被路易威登（LV）欽點為「全球品牌大使」，有些鐵粉還計劃要穿著LV去買「BTS套餐」。 上月底，BTS才剛在告示牌音樂獎勇奪四項大獎，在頒獎典禮上首度公開表演最新英文單曲《Butter》。這群男孩們的新歌甚至打破了自己所保持的YouTube首日觀賞紀錄，在一天之內點閱率就突破了一億一千多萬次。 （台北時報張聖恩）
A: You prefer e-books to printed paper books, don’t you? B: Actually, not necessarily, it depends. For example, I’ll buy the e-book version of comics, novels, books on finance or biographies, but for intensive reading, like with language textbooks, I’ll buy the actual book. A: Hmm, that makes sense. I’ll put several books in my bag, thinking to read them during the course of the day, and I lug them around every day, breaking my back, and it always turns out that the book I want to read I didn’t bring out with me. B: Ha, you like doing things the hard way, don’t you? A: So, I’m thinking, if I had the e-book, I could bring hundreds of books with me when I go out, just like that. B: You’re absolutely right. A: 跟紙本書比起來，你比較偏好電子書，對不對？ B: 其實也不見得啦，看情況。比如說漫畫小說財經傳記，我就買電子書，需要精讀的，比如說語言課本，我就會買實體書。 A: 嗯，還蠻有道理的。我包包裡都會放幾本書，想說出去會看，每天帶來帶去，重得要死，偏偏最後想讀的那本書，是沒帶出來的！ B: 哈哈，你還蠻會折磨自己的嘛！ A: 所以我想說，如果是電子書，我就可以一下子把好幾百本帶出門！ B: 百分之百正確！ （Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱） English 英文: Chinese 中文:
A traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) compound formula called Taiwan Chingguan Yihau or NRICM101, which was developed by Taiwan’s National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine (NRICM), and has been selling very well in Europe and America. On May 18, in view of the local outbreak of COVID-19, some pharmaceutical companies received emergency authorization from the Ministry of Health and Welfare to manufacture the compound for clinical treatment in Taiwan. Tsai Chia-i, director of the Department of TCM at the Veterans’ General Hospital, Taichung (VGHTC), says that NRICM101, having received emergency authorization and a license to be manufactured and used for clinical treatment in Taiwan, will be helpful for controlling of the outbreak. He said it is a proprietary TCM formula that is convenient to take. Especially, given that there are currently many mild cases of COVID-19 in Taiwan, NRICM101 can reduce the number of days of illness for patients with mild symptoms, and it can also be used to prevent infection in high-risk groups. As for severe cases, the use of decocted medicine is recommended to make it more effective. Tsai said that the Tri-Service General Hospital and VGHTC had conducted an evidence-based clinical trial on NRICM101 that analyzed 33 COVID-19 patients, 12 of whom received TCM treatment. The study found that this treatment could reduce fever, stabilize heart and lung function, reduce the number of days in hospital and shorten to about nine days the time needed to achieve three consecutive negative tests. It found that the treatment produced no significant adverse effects or interactions between TCM and Western medicines. A TCM formula for the 10 herbal ingredients of NRICM101 is currently circulating online. Tsai stressed that although the formula is accessible the public, NRICM101 is classified as a medicine to be prescribed by TCM practitioners. Each patient’s condition is different, so
A: What am I to do? I was going to buy a book online today, and I discovered that there is also an e-book version, and it is much less expensive. I’m conflicted. B: What more is there to say? Get the e-book! A: But I’m not used to reading e-books, and it makes highlighting the important parts difficult. B: E-books also have the ability to highlight, make notes and add bookmarks. A: I’m still unsure about them. I don’t feel right using them. I like to be able to hold an actual object, and to flip through the pages and jump back and forth. A: 怎麼辦，我今天上網路書店想買一本書，發現它也有電子書的版本耶，而且價錢便宜蠻多的，我好掙扎喔！ B: 那還用說，當然是買電子書啊！ A: 可是我覺得電子書我看不習慣欸，要劃重點也很不方便。 B: 電子書也有劃重點、做筆記和標書籤的功能啊！ A: 我還是覺得這有點太虛無飄渺、很沒安全感。我喜歡一個實體拿在手上，還可以前後快速翻頁瀏覽。 （Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱） English 英文: Chinese 中文:
People working from home during lockdown spend more time at their jobs and are less likely to be promoted or take time off sick, but are paid above average wages, according to an official study in the UK. Documenting the shift to remote work during the pandemic, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the number of people who did some work at home in 2020 rose by 9.4 percentage points from a year earlier to 35.9 percent of the workforce — representing more than 11 million employees. However, there were substantial variations between occupations and parts of the country, reflecting the differing experiences of the pandemic for workers as some were hit harder by the crisis than others. Although suggesting that the majority of people continued to travel to work during the pandemic, the figures reveal a divergent impact on home workers. According to the research, those using office studies, converted bedroom workplaces and kitchen tables did two-thirds more unpaid overtime in 2020 and were more likely to work after 6pm. However, they were generally higher qualified and better paid, took longer and more frequent breaks, and started work later in the day. Staff based at home took less than half the amount of sick leave, with two days compared with four for other employees, reflecting the reduced risk of catching an infection. The ONS said people might also feel well enough to work from home while sick if they did not have to travel. However, while there is no daily commute and apparent greater flexibility, the research found that those who work consistently from home are less likely to be promoted, in a sign that they could be overlooked due to reduced face-to-face interaction with colleagues and managers. The study comes as companies across advanced economies adapt to new ways of working, accelerated by the
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