I have recently perused Nicholas Kristof’s NYT piece “China’s Man in Washington, Named Trump”(https://nyti.ms/3h2JXh8). One paragraph in particular caught my attention: “A joke in China suggests that Trump’s Chinese name is Chuan Jianguo, or “Build-the-Country Trump.” That’s because Build-the-Country is a common revolutionary name among Communist patriots, and it’s mockingly suggested that Trump’s misrule of the United States is actually bolstering Xi’s regime.”
Kristoff also avows that since Trump’s ascension to presidency, the American nation became highly polarized. This is reflected in the current administration’s policies on climate change, foreign relations with established U.S. allies, and COVID-19 prevention, all of which are rather ineffective. It also seems like Mr. Trump and his team diverged from the traditional priorities, including promoting free trade, human rights, and other quintessentially American values. As described thoroughly by John Bolton, all these factors contributed to the declining standing of the U.S. in global politics.
What is more, many people fall prey to CCP’s propaganda and its interpretations of Trump’s actions, which only enhances China’s reputation.
But that might not exactly be the case.
The CCP apparently failed to utilize the window of opportunity created by the ineptness of the Trump administration, as China could have grown to the position of a leader by filling in the void left by the U.S.
During the 2016 APEC Ministerial Meeting in Lima, Peru, Xi Jinping and his team actively supported the plans to establish the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific, or FTAAP. In contrast, the United States withdrew its signature from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in early 2017. Coupled with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank (AIIB), this move bolstered China’s capacity to influence global investments and trade, high-tech mergers and acquisitions, and, overall, expand its geostrategic influence on the entire globe.
At the same time, various propaganda films about great power competition, military industry, and science and technology surged all at once, and gained remarkable following around the world.
All this provided a window of opportunity for the CCP to slowly change its course. Around the same time, the distrust for POTUS among U.S. allies’ reached its apex. According to polls conducted by the Pew Research Center, the distrust for the U.S. president in the U.K. reached 75%, 72% in Japan, 70% in Australia, and stunning 86% in France.
Had the C.C.P,. begun to open up at that time, or at least resumed the governance style of the Hu-Wen administration, it could have reaped the benefits of promoting liberalism where the U.S. failed to deliver. It was the time for Beijing to gradually enhance freedom of speech domestically, pursue sustainable infrastructural projects, gradually reform unfair barriers to trade, transform its S.O.E.s, strengthen protections for private ownership, and vitalize its start-ups and enterprises.
Moreover, were China to cease the genocide in East Turkestan and refrain from cracking down on Hong Kong's semi-autonomy, it would have greatly enhanced its global international image. Additionally, if paired with slow but steady reforms, Beijing’s respect for sovereignty of its peoples would have attracted a large amount of foreign investment, which in turn would have continued to buttress the country’s growth.
It is China prerogative to remain idle.
It might still be possible for Chinese “Dream” to come true.
Yet, a historic window of opportunity is now closed.
Xi assumed the tools of proscribing and stalling, which are completely antithetical to the aforementioned window of opportunity.
Today, China is more authoritarian, less flexible, and fully deprived of horizontal accountability. Its reliance on wolf warrior diplomacy backfired: for example, the Swedish parliament sought to expel the Chinese ambassador to Stockholm. Also, Prague, the capital of Czechia, terminated its sister-city agreement with Shanghai and instead signed a new one with Taipei. Last but not least, we ought not to forget about the recent fiasco in the relations with the United States who ordered the shutdown of China’s consulate in Houston. All of this took its toll on China’s reputation.
Its international standing and inability to replace the U.S. as the major global power are not the only issues China is currently facing.
As it experiences multiple domestic and international shocks, China struggles to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and tame the disastrous floods of Yangtze River. The swarm of locusts of biblical proportions is also crippling Beijing’s institutional capacity and may soon lead to food shortages. In fact, the precarity of food supply further diminishes the level of trust for Chinese authorities.
In 2019, the Pew Research Center conducted a public opinion survey to examine the international views of China. In the U.S., Argentina, the U.K., Canada, Germany, and Ukraine, only about 30% of respondents claim a favorable view of China.
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages in the U.S., as many as 73% of U.S. respondents view China unfavorably.
Recently, the C.C.P. is losing its focus by continuously shifting targets. In fact, I believe there is no need for the C.C.P.to rely on nationalistic appeals, since in this new century values, business relations, and fair competition are all far more important than greater than delusive blood ties.
China lies only 130 kilometers away from us. Of course, we welcome dialogue and seek to avoid misjudgments. But we also distinguish between the C.C.P. and China. While we do welcome dialogue, but we will not be coerced to talk under unjust preconditions or in fear.
The only fair prerequisites are those of reciprocity, mutual respect as well as fairness and openness with respect for the rule of law.
Source: Pew Research Center
最近看到紐約時報中文版的一篇文章
<美國的川普,中國的「川建國」>,其中一小段是這樣的
「在中國,人們戲稱川普的中文名字是川建國。那是因為建國是共產黨愛國者中一個普遍的革命人名。它在諷刺地暗示川普對美國的治理不當實際上是在鞏固習近平的政權。」
裡面也提到,川普在任的幾年,國家更分裂,對於氣候變遷,傳統美國盟友,乃至於疫情處理等都相當拙劣,對於美國傳統的自由貿易、人權等價值也基本上都沒有太大興趣。這些方針,導致美國在世界的評價降低,波頓的新書也多有描述。
除此之外,許多不幸相信中共宣傳,又或者是中共圈養的小粉紅,特別故意愛宣傳川普增強中國的威望。
但這不是真的。
中共完全沒有掌握美國做得不夠好的地方,去增強其在世界的領導力。
在2016年時,秘魯的亞太峰會舉行期間,習近平政權爭取(RCEP)及亞太自由貿易區(FTAAP)談判;對比2017年初,美國剛宣布退出TPP,加上中國到「一帶一路」和亞洲基礎設施投資銀行,中國當時在世界全面發揮投資貿易、高科技併購還有其地緣戰略的影響力。
也是那個時候,各種的大國崛起、大國軍工、大國科技的宣傳影片此起彼落,似乎正準備要在世界舞台發光發熱。
這曾經是中共慢慢轉向的一個機會之窗。彼時(2017)美國盟友對美國總統的不信任度達到歷史新高,根據皮尤研究中心的資訊,英國對於美國總統的不信任度達到75%、日本72% 澳洲70% 法國更高達86%
如果那時中共開始有限度的改革,對內放寬言論自由,或者至少維持在胡溫當時的水中,對外追求有責任的基礎建設,逐步緩慢減低不公平的貿易壁壘,對於國有企業改革,增強私營企業、新創企業的活力。
停止對新疆迫害,不干預香港自治,不僅國際形象會大幅改善,哪怕是緩慢但是穩健的改革,也會讓大量吸引外資,讓中國的活力持續前進。
哪怕是什麼都不做也好
那或許有這麽一點可能性,中國「夢」是可以前行的
但是歷史機緣的大門已經關上。
習、禁、停、放棄了這個機會之窗,徹底的走向相反的方向。
更專制、更沒有彈性,更沒有任何制衡的力量。各種戰狼外交,讓瑞典議員提案驅逐中國大使,捷克布拉格市長與台北簽訂姊妹是,就解散上海與該市關係、被美國關閉領事館、各種讓中國形象低下的事情,中共都沒有少做。
中共不但完全沒有辦法取代美國,在多重國內外的衝擊之下,又是瘟疫,又是超大水患,緊接著蝗害,還有進來的糧食不足問題,正在面臨巨大的瓶頸。
而糧食的命脈,卻恰恰又在對他最不信任,對中共價值最反對的國家聯盟
根據皮尤研究中心:Pew Research Center2019調查各國對中國的喜好度,美國、阿根廷、英國、加拿大、德國、烏克蘭等,對於中國的喜好度都在30%上下
而2020疫情後美國對於中國的不信任度,更高達73%。
最近中共在演習,又要玩轉移目標的手段,對於中共,其實不必再有民族主義的同情,因為新的世紀,價值、商業模式、公平競爭的制度大於血緣幻想。
中國離我們只有130公里的距離,我們當然歡迎對話,避免誤判。但我們同時也區分中共與中國,歡迎對話,但不在前提、條件、恐懼之下對話。
如果真的要有前提,那就是對等、尊重,還有公平公開法治的方式會晤。
資料來源:皮尤研究中心:Pew Research Center
(美國著名的民調機構和智庫機構,https://www.pewresearch.org/)
同時也有1部Youtube影片,追蹤數超過3萬的網紅Eric's English Lounge,也在其Youtube影片中提到,同學期待的政治英文影片第一集總算出爐了! 在此先聲明,我跟Howard老師純粹是分析英文,兩位總統都是神人級的第二語言使用者! 此影片的目的不在於比較兩者的英文能力,而是提供學習者英文口語的實際操作和可以注意的小細節。 以下是影片中提到的一些資訊,請看完再發表評論: 馬英九(1950年7月13日...
are we there yet germany 在 李怡 Facebook 的最佳解答
No Forbidden Zones in Reading (Lee Yee)
German philosopher Hegel said, “The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.”
In April 1979, the post-Cultural Revolution era of China, the first article of the first issue of Beijing-based literary magazine, Dushu [meaning “Reading” in Chinese]," shook up the Chinese literary world. The article, titled “No Forbidden Zones in Reading”, was penned by Li Honglin. At the time, the CCP had not yet emerged from the darkness of the Cultural Revolution. What was it like in the Cultural Revolution? Except for masterpieces by Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao, and a small fraction of practical books, all books were banned, and all libraries were closed. The Cultural Revolution ended in 1976, and 2 years later in 1978, the National Publishing Bureau decided to allow 35 books to be “unbanned”. An interlude: When the ban was first lifted, there was no paper on which to print the books because the person with authority over paper was Wang Dongxing, a long-term personal security of Mao’s, who would only give authorization to print Mao. The access to use paper to print books other than Mao was a procedural issue. The Cultural Revolution was already on its way to be overturned. The door to printing these books was opened only after several hang-ups.
“No Forbidden Zones in Reading” in the first issue of Dushu raised a question of common sense: Do citizens have the freedom to read? “We have not enacted laws that restrict people’s freedom of reading. Instead, our Constitution stipulates that people have the freedom of speech and publication, as well as the freedom to engage in cultural activities. Reading ought to be a cultural activity,” argued Li. It was not even about the freedom of speech, but simply reading. Yet this common sense would appear as a subversion of the paralyzing rigid ideas formulated during the Cultural Revolution, like a tossed stone that raises a thousand ripples. Dushu’s editorial department received a large number of objections: first, that there would be no gatekeeper and mentally immature minors would be influenced by trashy literature; second, that with the opening of the Pandora box, feudalism, capitalism and revisionism would now occupy our cultural stage. The article also aroused waves of debates within the CCP. Hu Yaobang, then Minister of Central Propaganda, transferred and appointed Li Honglin as the Deputy Director of the Theory Bureau in his department. A colleague asked him directly, “Can primary school students read Jin Pin Mei [also known in English as The Plum in the Golden Vase, a Chinese novel of manners composed in late Ming dynasty with explicit depiction of sexuality]?”
“All Four Doors of the Library Should be Open” was published in the second issue of Dushu, as an extension to “No Forbidden Zones in Reading”. The author was Fan Yuming, but was really Zeng Yansiu, president of the People’s Publishing House.
In the old days, there was a shorthand for the three Chinese characters for “library”: “book” within a “mouth”. The four sides of the book are all wide open, meaning that all the shackles of the banned books are released. “No Forbidden Zones in Reading” explains this on a theoretical level: the people have the freedom to read; “All Four Doors of the Library Should be Open” states that other than special collection books, all other books should be available for the public to loan.
The controversy caused by “No Forbidden Zones in Reading” lasted 2 years, and in April 1981, at the second anniversary of Dushu, Director of the Publishing Bureau, Chen Hanbo, penned an article that reiterated that there are “No Forbidden Zones in Reading”, and that was targeting an “unprecedented ban on books that did happen”.
Books are records of human wisdom, including strange, boring, vulgar thoughts, which are all valuable as long as they remain. After Emperor Qin Shihuang burned the books, he buried the scholars. In history, the ban on books and literary crimes have never ceased.
Engraved on the entrance to Dachau concentration camp in Germany, a famous poem cautions: When a regime begins to burn books, if it is not stopped, they will turn to burn people; when a regime begins to silent words, if it is not stopped, they will turn to silent the person. At the exit, a famous admonishment: When the world forgets these things, they will continue to happen.
Heine, a German poet of the 19th century, came up with “burning books and burning people”. There was a line before this: This is just foreplay.
Yes, all burning and banning of books are just foreplay. Next comes the literary crimes, and then “burning people”.
I started working at a publishing house with a high school degree at 18, and lived my entire life in a pile of books. 42 years ago, when I read “No Forbidden Zones in Reading” in Dushu, I thought that banned books were a thing of the past. Half a century since and here we are, encountering the exact same thing in the freest zone for reading in the past century in the place which enlightened Sun Yat-sen and the rest of modern intellectuals, a place called Hong Kong.
Oh, Hegel’s words are the most genuine.
are we there yet germany 在 Eric's English Lounge Facebook 的最佳解答
[時事英文] 各國如何面對新冠疫情?
讓我最有感觸的一句:
"The rise of populism has exacerbated the problem by reducing the incentives of countries to cooperate. "
「民粹主義的興起減少了各國合作的意願,使問題更加嚴重。」
—NY Times
★★★★★★★★
In Frankfurt, the president of the European Central Bank warned that the coronavirus could trigger an economic crash as dire as that of 2008. In Berlin, the German chancellor warned the virus could infect two-thirds of her country’s population. In London, the British prime minister rolled out a nearly $40 billion rescue package to cushion his economy from the shock.
1. trigger an economic crash 引發經濟崩潰
2. dire 嚴重的;危急的
3. roll out 推出
4. rescue package 救助計劃
5. to cushion sth from… 對(某事物的影響或力量)起緩衝作用
在法蘭克福,歐洲央行行長警告說,冠狀病毒可能引發與2008年一樣嚴重的經濟崩潰。在柏林,德國總理警告說,病毒可能導致該國三分之二的人口感染。在倫敦,英國首相推出了將近400億美元的一系列救助計劃,以緩解經濟受到的衝擊。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
As the toll of those afflicted by the virus continued to soar and financial markets from Tokyo to New York continued to swoon, world leaders are finally starting to find their voices about the gravity of what is now officially a pandemic.
6. the toll of… 的傷亡;損失;破壞
7. the death toll 死亡人數
8. afflict 使痛苦;使苦惱;折磨
9. swoon 低迷*
10. find their voices about 願意開口談及
11. the gravity of …的嚴重性
隨著感染者的死亡人數持續飆升,從東京到紐約的金融市場持續低迷,世界各國領導人終於開始談及這場已正式定性為大流行病的疫情的嚴重性。
*http://bit.ly/3b7PZK8
★★★★★★★★★★★★
Yet it remains less a choir than a cacophony — a dissonant babble of politicians all struggling, in their own way, to cope with the manifold challenges posed by the virus, from its crushing burden on hospitals and health care workers to its economic devastation and rising death toll.
12. cacophony 刺耳嘈雜的聲音;雜音
13. a dissonant babble of... 七嘴八舌的...
14. manifold challenges 多種多樣的挑戰
15. economic devastation 經濟崩解
然而,與其說是合唱,這更像一種刺耳的喧囂——一群七嘴八舌的政客用各自的方式努力應對這種病毒所帶來的各種挑戰,從超負荷的醫院和醫護人員到崩潰的經濟和與日俱增的死亡人數。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
The choir also lacks a conductor, a role played through most of the post-World War II era by the United States.
這個合唱團還欠缺指揮,在二戰戰後的大部分時間裡,這個角色是由美國扮演的。
President Trump has failed to work with other leaders to fashion a common response, preferring to promote travel bans and his border wall over the scientific advice of his own medical experts. Mr. Trump’s secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has taken to calling it the “Wuhan virus,” vilifying the country where it originated and complicating efforts to coordinate a global response.
16. lack (v.) 缺少,缺乏*
17. to fashion a common response 形成一致的回應
18. travel ban 旅行禁令
19. take to sth 開始從事;形成…的習慣
20. vilify 詆毀,誣衊;醜化;貶低
21. complicate 使複雜化;使更難懂;使更麻煩
川普總統未能與其他領導人合作形成一致的回應,他寧願推動旅行禁令和他的邊境牆,而不是他自己的醫學專家的科學建議。川普的國務卿邁克·龐皮歐(Mike Pompeo)把它叫做「武漢病毒」,醜化其發源國,使協調全球響應的工作更加艱難。
*lack, lack of, lacking: http://bit.ly/33LrOhw
★★★★★★★★★★★★
週三,川普總統在白宮會見了銀行家,討論如何應對冠狀病毒。
The same denigration of science and urge to block outsiders has characterized leaders from China to Iran, as well as right-wing populists in Europe, which is sowing cynicism and leaving people uncertain of who to believe. Far from trying to stamp out the virus, strongmen like President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia have seized on the upheaval it is causing as cover for steps to consolidate their power.
22. the denigration of science 對科學的詆毀
23. characterize (v.) 是…的特徵;為…所特有
24. right-wing populists 右翼民粹主義者
25. sow a seed of 播下了…的種子
26. cynicism 犬儒主義;憤世嫉俗
27. stamp sth out 消除,消滅
28. upheaval 動盪
29. consolidate their power 鞏固自己的力量
從中國到伊朗的領導人,乃至歐洲的右翼民粹主義者,都有同樣的對科學的詆毀和對外人的排斥,這播下了疑神疑鬼的種子,讓人們不知道該相信誰。俄羅斯總統弗拉基米爾·V·普丁(Vladimir V. Putin)和沙烏地阿拉伯王儲穆罕默德·本·薩勒曼(Mohammed bin Salman)等強人領袖並沒有去試圖消滅病毒,而是趁機以其引發的動盪為掩護,鞏固自己的力量。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
Yet it is too simple to lay all this at Mr. Trump’s door, or on world leaders collectively. Part of the problem is simply the fiendish nature of the pathogen.
30. lay sth at sb's door 將…歸咎於(某人)
31. fiendish 惡魔般的;殘忍的
32. pathogen 病原體
然而,將一切推到川普身上,或一股腦推到各國領導人身上,都過於簡單了。部分問題實際上源於病原體的殘忍特性。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
Coronavirus has resisted the tools that countries have brought to bear against previous global scourges. Mysterious in its transmission and relentless in its spread, it has led countries to try wildly divergent responses. The lack of common standards on testing, on the cancellation of public gatherings and on quarantines have deepened the anxiety of people and eroded confidence in their leaders.
33. to bear against 抵禦
34. global scourges 全球災禍
35. wildly divergent responses 截然不同的應對方式
36. quarantine 隔離
37. eroded confidence 削弱對…的信心
各國為抵禦先前的全球災禍而使用的工具,被冠狀病毒一一擊敗。詭異的感染方式,持續不懈的傳播,已經導致各國不得不嘗試各種截然不同的應對方式。在病毒測試、取消公共聚會和隔離方法上缺乏一致的標準,這加劇了人們的焦慮,並削弱了他們對領導者的信心。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
The simultaneous shocks to supply and demand — shuttered iPhone factories in China; empty gondolas in Venice; and passengers abandoning cruises, hotels and airlines everywhere else — is a new phenomenon that may not respond to the weapons government wielded against the dislocation that followed the September 2001 terrorist attacks and the financial crisis of 2008.
38. simultaneous shocks 同時衝擊
39. supply and demand 供需
40. the weapons wielded against... 為抵禦...所鍛造的武器
供給和需求在同一時刻受到衝擊——被關閉的中國iPhone工廠;威尼斯空無一人的貢多拉;以及其他地方旅客放棄前往的郵輪、旅館和航班——政府在2001年9月的恐怖襲擊以及2008年金融危機後為抵禦混亂所鍛造的武器,恐怕難以用來對付這種新的現象。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
“The nature of this crisis is qualitatively different than the one in 2008 because the traditional tools are not as effective,” said Richard N. Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations. “Even if the U.S. took a leadership role, the traditional playbook would not be all that relevant here.”
41. the nature of …的性質
42. be qualitatively different 有本質區別
43. playbook 方案
「這次危機的性質,與2008年危機有本質區別,因為傳統手段的效果不佳,」外交關係委員會(Council on Foreign Relations)主席理查德·N·哈斯(Richard N. Haass)說。「即使美國發揮領導作用,傳統方案用在現在的情況沒有多大意義。」
★★★★★★★★★★★★
Britain, for example, won praise for its robust economic response, which, in addition to billions of pounds for hospitals and workers sidelined by illness, included a sharp interest rate cut by the Bank of England.
44. won praise for 贏得讚譽
45. robust economic response 強勁的經濟反應
46. in addition to 此外
47. be sidelined by illness 因疾病而停工
48. a sharp interest rate cut大幅降息
例如,英國因其強勁的經濟應對而贏得讚譽,他們不僅為醫院和因疾病而停工的工人提供了數十億英鎊撥款,還包括英格蘭銀行的大幅降息。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
Yet stocks in London still tumbled, if not as steeply as on Wall Street, where investors brushed off Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s proposal to allow Americans to delay paying their income taxes, which he claimed would pump $200 billion into the economy.
49. tumbled (價值)暴跌,驟降
50. steeply 徒峭地;險峻地
51. brush off 漠視,不理睬
然而,倫敦股市仍然下跌,儘管跌幅不及華爾街。面對財政部長史蒂芬·馬努欽(Steven Mnuchin)提出的允許美國人緩交所得稅的提議,華爾街投資人不為所動,馬努欽聲稱此舉將為經濟注入2000億美元。
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Mr. Trump’s other big idea, a cut in the payroll tax, was pronounced a “non-starter” by House Democrats, who scrambled instead to introduce legislation to provide financial help to patients, workers and families affected by the fast-moving epidemic and speed it to a House vote on Thursday.
52. payroll tax 薪金稅
53. non-starter 無成功希望的人(或想法、計劃)
54. House Democrats 眾議院民主黨議員
55. scramble to 爭搶(去做)
川普先生的另一個大想法是削減薪金稅,眾議院民主黨議員宣布這「不可能」,他們慌忙提出立法,在財務上幫助受迅速傳播的流行病影響的患者、工人和家庭,並且快速提交至週四的眾議院投票。
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To Mr. Haass, the intense focus on limiting the economic blow was understandable, given the carnage in the markets, but premature. He said countries needed to put their energy into slowing and mitigating the spread of the virus before they embarked on fiscal programs to repair the economic damage.
56. carnage (尤指戰爭中的)大屠殺,殘殺
57. carnage in the markets 市場的慘狀
58. premature 過早的;不成熟的;倉促的
59. mitigate 減緩
60. embarked on sth 開始,著手做(新的或重要的事情)
61. fiscal programs 財政計劃
哈斯認為,考慮到市場的慘狀,集中精力抑制經濟衝擊是可以理解的,但為時過早。他說,各國在開始實施財政計劃以修復經濟損失之前,需要投入精力以減慢並緩和病毒的傳播。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
The trouble is that, with few exceptions, their efforts have been hapless. In the United States, the delay in developing coronavirus test kits and the scarcity of tests has made it impossible for officials, even weeks after the first cases appeared in the country, to get a true picture of the scale of the outbreak.
62. hapless幸運的;不愉快的
63. the scarcity of …的缺乏
64. the scale of the outbreak 疫情的真實規模
問題是,除了少數例外,他們的努力都沒有什麼好結果。在美國,由於開發冠狀病毒檢測工具的進度遲緩,以及檢測手段的缺乏,官員們甚至在出現本國第一例病例數週後仍無法了解疫情的真實規模。
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In hard-hit Italy, quarrels broke out between politicians and medical experts over whether the authorities were testing too many people in Lombardy, inflating the infection figures and fueling panic in the public. Italy’s response could be weakened further by the anti-vaccination movement that was once embraced by the populist Five Star Movement, which took power in the last government.
65. hard-hit 受災嚴重的
66. inflate 抬高;誇大
67. fueling panic加劇恐慌
68. anti-vaccination movement 反疫苗運動
69. populist 民粹主義政黨
70. took power 執政
在受災嚴重的義大利,政界人士和醫學專家爭論當局是否在倫巴第對太多人進行測試,誇大感染人數,加劇公眾恐慌。義大利的反應可能會遭到反疫苗運動的進一步削弱。該運動曾受上屆執政的民粹主義政黨五星運動(Five Star Movement)的支持。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
義大利倫巴第地區是世界上受災最嚴重的地區之一,人們戴著口罩。
Even comparing one country’s case count to another’s is almost impossible, given the different testing procedures and diagnostic criteria around the world, said Dr. Chris Smith, a specialist in virology at the University of Cambridge.
71. testing procedures 檢測程序
72. diagnostic criteria 診斷標準
劍橋大學(University of Cambridge)病毒學專家克里斯·史密斯(Chris Smith)博士表示,考慮到世界各地不同的檢測程序和診斷標準,連對兩個國家的病例數進行比較幾乎都是不可能的。
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In the most extreme example, China’s case count skyrocketed when it began recording positives based on people’s symptoms, rather than a lab test, the method most countries are still using. But even lab tests might yield different results in different places, depending on the targets labs are using and the ways health workers collect and process specimens.
73. based on people’s symptom 根據某人癥狀
74. case count skyrocketed 病例數大幅飆升
75. yield different results 產生不同的結果
最極端的例子是,當中國開始根據癥狀而不是大多數國家仍在使用的實驗室檢測來計算確診病例時,病例數出現了大幅飆升。但即使是實驗室測試,不同的地方也可能產生不同的結果,這取決於實驗室使用的對象以及醫務人員收集和處理標本的方式。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
“Different countries are doing different things,” Dr. Smith said of the testing programs. “You’re not comparing apples to apples.”
「不同的國家正在做不同的事情,」史密斯談到測試項目時說。「這不是蘋果和蘋果之間的對比。」
The rise of populism has exacerbated the problem by reducing the incentives of countries to cooperate. European leaders, in a three-hour teleconference on Tuesday night, agreed to set up a 25 billion euro investment fund, or $28.1 billion, and to relax rules governing airlines to curb the economic fallout.
76. exacerbated the problem 使問題更加嚴重
77. the incentives of 誘因
78. teleconference 電話會議
79. curb the economic fallout 遏制經濟危機的影響
民粹主義的興起減少了各國合作的意願,使問題更加嚴重。歐洲領導人週二晚間舉行了三小時的電話會議,同意設立一個250億歐元(合1930億元人民幣)的投資基金,並放鬆對航空公司的監管,以遏制經濟危機的影響。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
But they failed to overcome national objections to sharing medical equipment like face masks and respirators, given that health issues are the responsibility of national governments. Germany, the Czech Republic and other countries have tightened export restrictions on this gear to keep it for their own citizens.
80. failed to overcome 未能克服
81. respirator 呼吸器
82. tightened export restrictions on… 加強了…的出口限制
83. gear (從事某活動的)裝備,用具,衣服
但他們未能克服各國對分享口罩和呼吸器等醫療器械的反對,因為健康問題是國家政府的責任。德國、捷克共和國等國家已經加強了對這些設備的出口限制,以便將其留給本國公民。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s warning that the virus would infect 60 percent to 70 percent of people in Germany — a figure she attributed to the “consensus among experts” — was the most forthright admission of the scale of the problem by any world leader. It was fully in character for a physicist-turned-politician, reinforcing her status as the liberal West’s foil to Mr. Trump.
84. attributed to 歸於
85. consensus among experts 專家共識
86. forthright (過於)坦誠的,直率的;直截了當的
87. reinforce 強化,加深,進一步證實(觀點、看法等)
88. the liberal West’s foil 自由主義西方世界中的對比
89. foil 陪襯物*
德國總理安哥拉·梅克爾(Angela Merkel)警告說,這種病毒將感染德國60%到70%的人——她稱這一數字來自「專家共識」——這是世界各國領導人對該問題嚴重性最坦率的承認態度。這完全符合從物理學家轉型為政治家的梅克爾的性格,令她進一步成為自由主義西方世界中川普的一個鮮明對比。
*http://bit.ly/3deYyVe
★★★★★★★★★★★★
“We will do whatever is needed,” she said. “We won’t ask every day, ‘What does this mean for our deficit?’”
90. deficit 赤字
「我們會竭盡所能,」她說。「我們不會每天都問,『這對我們的赤字有什麼影響?』」
Yet even Ms. Merkel’s position has been weakened by the resurgence of the far right in Germany. Germany rebuffed a request for medical equipment from Italy, only to see China offer the Italians an aid package that includes two million face masks and 100,000 respirators.
91. a resurgence of 復甦;復興;再次興起
92. far right 極右翼勢力
93. rebuff 斷然拒絕
94. only to do sth 不料卻,沒想到卻
然而,就連梅克爾的地位也被德國極右翼勢力的復甦削弱了。德國拒絕了義大利提供醫療器械的請求,中國卻向義大利提供了包括200萬隻口罩和10萬隻呼吸器在內的援助。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
In Britain, which left the European Union in January, there are already fears that the country will not have access to a vaccine, or will have to pay more for it than other European countries. Mr. Johnson’s government, which won its recent election on a populist-inflected platform of “Get Brexit Done,” is now struggling with how to communicate the risks of the outbreak to its public.
95. a vaccine 疫苗
96. platform 綱領,政綱,宣言
在今年1月脫離歐盟的英國,已經有人擔心該國將無法獲得疫苗,或者將不得不支付比其他歐洲國家更多的費用。強生的政府在最近的選舉中獲勝,憑藉的是受民粹主義影響的「完成脫歐」(Get Brexit Done)宣言。如今這個政府正在吃力地向民眾宣講疫情暴發的風險。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
The Johnson government has put a lot of stock in a so-called nudge unit in Downing Street that specializes in behavioral psychology. But in trying to calibrate its response to what it deemed people capable of processing, the government risked condescending to Britons, said John Ashton, a former regional director of public health for the northwest of England.
97. put a lot of stock in 投入了大量資金
98. so-called 所謂
99. nudge unit 哄勸部門
100. behavioral psychology 行為心理學
101. calibrate 判斷;劃分刻度,標定
102. deem 認為,視為;覺得
103. condescending 表現出高…一等的姿態的,帶有優越感地對待…的
強生政府在唐寧街設立了一個擅長行為心理學的所謂「哄勸」部門,為此投入了大量資金。但前英格蘭西北部地區公共衛生主任約翰·阿什頓(John Ashton)說,政府在判斷人們的接受限度,並以這個限度為依據來制定自己的應對措施,這可能是在用一種假惺惺的屈就方式對待英國人民。
★★★★★★★★★★★★
Britain has only recently started publishing broad breakdowns of where people are contracting the virus. Mr. Ashton said they should be giving much more detailed information, as in Hong Kong, which has published building-level maps of patients who have gotten sick, when they were there and how they contracted the virus.
英國直到最近才開始公布感染髮生的具體地點。阿什頓說,他們應該提供更詳細的信息,就像香港一樣。香港公布了具體到建築的患者地圖,並提供他們在那裡的時間和感染病毒的方式。
“I think it’s patronizing — they need to keep the public fully in the picture,” Mr. Ashton said. “You have to treat the public as adults, instead of keeping them in the dark. That’s where you get rumor and hysteria. They actually create panic by not being open with people.”
104. patronizing 屈尊俯就的;自以為高人一等的
105. keep sb in the picture 使(某人)了解情況
106. keeping sb in the dark 蒙在鼓裡
107. rumor and hysteria 謠言和歇斯底里
「我認為這是一種哄人的姿態——他們需要讓公眾充分了解情況,」阿什頓說。「你必須像對待成年人一樣對待公眾,而不是把他們蒙在鼓裡。謠言和歇斯底里就是這麼來的。他們不向人民開誠布公,實際上是在製造恐慌。」
★★★★★★★★★★★★
完整報導: https://nyti.ms/2J070dm
圖片來源: http://bit.ly/2U1tgJS
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這篇文章你最喜歡哪一句? 辛苦的小編把所有的關鍵片語都列出來了! 同學會持續的看到這些關鍵詞彙和句型出現在我們所有的時事英文喔!
★★★★★★★★★★★★
台灣的應對: http://bit.ly/3a6NSGu
保健心智圖: https://goo.gl/seqt5k
保健相關單字: https://wp.me/p44l9b-Tt (+mp3)
時事英文大全: http://bit.ly/2WtAqop
★★★★★★★★★★★★
這一週的「時事英文」講義和使用方式: https://bit.ly/3a9rr38
are we there yet germany 在 Eric's English Lounge Youtube 的精選貼文
同學期待的政治英文影片第一集總算出爐了! 在此先聲明,我跟Howard老師純粹是分析英文,兩位總統都是神人級的第二語言使用者! 此影片的目的不在於比較兩者的英文能力,而是提供學習者英文口語的實際操作和可以注意的小細節。 以下是影片中提到的一些資訊,請看完再發表評論:
馬英九(1950年7月13日-),中華民國政治人物,曾任中華民國第12、13任總統、國民黨主席等職。畢業於國立台灣大學法律學系,其後前往美國深造,獲紐約大學法學碩士學位,哈佛大學司法學博士學位。曾經擔任蔣經國總統的英文翻譯。
影片: https://youtu.be/lRACKQkgFqc?t=32
Former President of Taiwan Ma Ying-jeou, in conversation with Jerome A. Cohen, discusses student exchanges between Germany and France.
●沒有看稿子
●非常有經驗的講者
●發音大致上標準 (Prussia 普魯士, herald, tribune, presidency)
●good use of stress (enhancements)
●流暢度有練過特別停頓來思考
●提連貫性跟內容組織的部分
●會以故事的方式去切入重點
用的評分系統: https://www.ielts.org/-/media/pdfs/sp...
●wide range and skillful use of vocabulary: are aware of, feel uneasy, visionary leaders, engage in a massive student exchange, worked miracles, became cornerstones
●mistakes: skip school, quit school, tense--become cornerstone
●short, concise sentences suited for clear public speaking
●lexically dense sentences
★★★★★★★★★★★★
蔡英文(1956年8月31日-)是中華民國(臺灣)的政治人物、法律學者、律師,為現任中華民國總統,原擔任民主進步黨主席。她先後獲得國立臺灣大學法律學系法學士、康奈爾法學院法學碩士、及倫敦政治經濟學院法學博士,曾任教於國立政治大學法學院和東吳大學法學院。
影片: https://youtu.be/5ygpAnK02uk?t=55
President Tsai Ing-wen in Harvard giving advice to students on policy challenges, choices, and leadership in the next decade
●沒有看稿子
●英式發音* (taught, good), 非常清楚
*其實很多英國人不喜歡英式口音這個標籤,英國人覺得他們自己講的才是真正標準的英文,是美國人才有口音
而且現在的英國(聯合王國)也是四個國家組成的,每個區域的發音都有一些區別。
用的評分系統: https://www.ielts.org/-/media/pdfs/sp...
●用詞豐富: rebellious, challenge your teachers and contemporaries, make yourself suited for changes, sharing values, expediting
●流暢度, 有些停頓, 但是思考內容的停頓絕對是自然的!
●文法沒有任何的錯誤 (a rebellious one, meaning...分詞構句, everything that is taught 形容詞子句, what is true today...名詞子句)
★★★★★★★★★★★★
對我而言,英文是一種工具,不覺得每一個政治人物都需要英文,有專業和可靠的翻譯輔助,就足夠了。
媒體報導: https://wp.me/p44l9b-1G4
在此提供我的「心智圖詞彙攻略」課程: https://bit.ly/2teELDq
也獻上Howard老師會走路的翻譯機,《會走路的翻譯機,神級英文學習攻略本》 http://bit.ly/2DfGrhH
最後要感謝炙瞳夢 RED FILM幾位大導演的友情協助,幫我們拍出一級棒的影片!
★★★★★★★★★★★★
NOTE: Thank you for the comments, everyone, both the positive and negative ones. We'll continue to do our best to produce entertaining yet educational videos.
There is a lot of information that we could not fit in a 10 min video, and some parts could be more clearly presented. For example, pauses are entirely natural when one searches for content. This point was stated in the video but went unnoticed by many commenters. Some have also expressed concerns about the clips selected. We selected them based on the following criteria: be related to education, have "spontaneous" interaction, and be in the public domain. Not many clips on the net meet these criteria, and the two above were the only ones we had access to. Last, some comments (from both sides) have accused us of bias. We tried to be as impartial as possible, and if you require more information on our thoughts, please refer to our notes in the video description. As previously stated, both candidates are advanced second language users, and it is not our aim to compare or criticize them. Again, thank you all for your feedback. We will strive to do better in the future.
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