Week 4 茲卡病毒

First Zika virus case detected in Taiwan (update)

Taipei, Jan. 19 (CNA) The Zika virus has arrived in Taiwan, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday, after a Thai national coming to Taiwan to work for the first time was confirmed to be infected with the virus.

The 24-year-old man was detected with a fever when he arrived at Taoyuan International Airport on Jan. 10. Further tests showed that he had the mosquito-borne[1] disease, and he is now being observed at a local hospital.

Liu Ting-ping (劉定萍), director of the Epidemic Intelligence Center[2] under the Centers for Disease Control, said the Thai national had a fever and a headache before coming to Taiwan and was stopped at the fever screening station at the airport.

The man said he had lived in northern Thailand during the previous three months and was coming to Taiwan to work for the first time.

Two other people from northern Thailand accompanied the patient to Taiwan, but neither tested positive for the Zika or dengue fever virus.

CDC Director-General Steve Kuo (郭旭崧) said this was the first Zika virus case detected in Taiwan since the agency began to monitor and test for the virus.

The CDC has listed the Zika virus as a second-category notifiable infectious disease[3], meaning that doctors should notify the CDC of suspected cases within 24 hours.

The agency has updated its travel advisory[4] for several countries in view of the spreading outbreak based on its three-level system -- watch, alert and warning -- in order of severity[5].

It has issued an "alert" advisory for Central and South America and the Caribbean. It also issued a "watch' advisory for Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Maldives.

Liu said the Zika virus spread quickly in Central and South America in the latter part of 2015.

There have also been cases in Cabo Verde in Africa and in Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia and sporadic[6] imported cases in Europe, Canada and the United States from Central and South America.

The symptoms of the Zika virus include fevers, mild[7] headaches, skin rashes[8], joint pain[9] and conjunctivitis[10].

Liu noted the Zika virus has been linked to microcephaly[11] -- a condition where a child is born with a smaller-than-normal head and impaired[12] brain development -- in Brazil and Hawaii, where pregnant woman may have contracted the mosquito-borne virus and transmitted to their babies.

But Liu said it has "yet to be determined" whether microcephaly is in fact connected to the Zika virus. 

(By Lung Pei-ning and Lilian Wu)
Enditem/ls

http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201601190018.aspx

keywords

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[1] mosquito-borne 蚊子傳播的

[2] Epidemic Intelligence Center 流行病情報中心

[3] a second-category notifiable infectious disease 第二類法定傳染病

[4] Advisory 諮詢

[5] Severity 嚴重

[6] Sporadic 零星的

[7] Mild 輕微的

[8] skin rashes 皮疹

[9] joint pain 關節痛

[10] Conjunctivitis 結膜炎

[11] Microcephaly 小頭畸形

[12] Impaired 受損的

Week 3 牛津字典2015代表字

Oxford Dictionaries word of the year is...not a word

Sarah Whitten | @sarahwhit10

Tuesday, 17 Nov 2015 | 11:49 AM ET

Oxford Dictionaries revealed its "word of the year" for 2015 and it's not a word at all.

Instead, the publisher chose an emoji as the "'word' that best reflected the ethos[1], mood and preoccupations[2] of 2015."

The pictograph called "face with tears and joy" beat out words like "ad blocker[3]," "on fleek[4]," "lumbersexual[5]," "refugee," "sharing economy[6]" and "they" for the title.

The emoji was chosen by Oxford Dictionaries because it was the most used emoji in the world, according to SwiftKey, a mobile technology business. The pictograph made up 20 percent of all the emojis used in the United Kingdom and 17 percent in the United States.

"Emojis are no longer the preserve of texting[7] teens — instead, they have been embraced[8] as a nuanced form[9] of expression, and one which can cross language barriers," the publisher said in a statement.

Of course, the decision to name an emoji "word of the year" received criticism on social media — and that was probably the point.

In the frequently asked questions section of how the "word of the year" is chosen Oxford Dictionaries said "The final Word of the Year selection team is made up of lexicographers[10] and consultants to the dictionary team, and editorial, marketing, and publicity staff."

Emphasis on the marketing and publicity staff, according to some Twitter users.

Oxford Dictionaries, which focuses on current English and includes modern meanings and uses of words, has chosen colloquial[11] and fleeting[12] verbiage[13] in recent years including: hypermiling[14], squeezed middle[15] and locavore[16]. However, it has also picked words that are still very much a part of modern language — podcast[17], unfriend[18], GIF, selfie and vape[19].

Just because a word — or, in this case, image — is named the "word of the year" doesn't mean that it will be added to the Oxford English Dictionary. In fact, the publisher has no plans to add any emojis to its publications.

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/11/17/oxford-dictionaries-word-of-the-year-isnot-a-word.html

Keywords

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[1] Ethos 社會思潮;風氣

[2] Preoccupation 使人全神關注的事物

[3] ad blocker 廣告欄截

[4] on fleek 特別有型;獨樹一幟

[5] Lumbersexual 粗獷男

[6] sharing economy 共享經濟

[7] Texting teens發訊息的青少年

[8] Embrace 接受

[9] nuanced form 微妙的形式

[10] Lexicographer字典編纂者

[11] Colloquial 口語

[12] fleeting 稍縱即逝的

[13] Verbiage 用語;廢話

[14] Hypermiling 惜油的

[15] squeezed middle 被皮帶緊束的腰

[16] Locavore 吃本土的食物

[17] Podcast 播客

[18] Unfriend 刪除好友

[19] Vape 吸電子菸

Week 2 看見臺灣

Film Review: ‘Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above’

Maggie Lee

JANUARY 13, 2014 | 09:07AM PT

Directed by Chi Po-lin, Taiwan's first aerial[1] documentary[2] is a visually rapturous[3] survey of environmental crimes[4].

Starting off[5] like a tourist promo[6], “Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above” swiftly[7] morphs into[8] an ecological[9] cautionary tale[10]. Inspired[11] by Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s “Home” (2009), this first aerial documentary from Taiwan, produced by Hou Hsiao Hsien and helmed[12] and lensed[13] by Chi Po-lin, juxtaposes[14] the island’s breathtaking natural scenery with its alarming despoliation[15] by human greed and negligence[16]. Visually rapturous, yet increasingly dour[17] as it rattles off[18] a litany of[19] environmental crimes, the pic[20] managed to raise widespread media and public consciousness at home with its tough-love attitude and fresh cinematic[21] angle. Already Taiwan’s highest-grossing[22] domestic docu, it could catch the eyes of nature-themed festivals, National Geographic or similar educational channels.

Following its world premiere[23] at the first Taoyuan Film Festival, the film went on to win the Golden Horse Award for best documentary and even inspired a Facebook post by President Ma Ying-jeou, announcing that the government would start work on 16 of the environmental problems highlighted by the film.

Combining[24] extensive knowledge[25] of Taiwan’s geography (drawn from a long stint[26] at the National Highway Engineering Bureau[27]) with 20 years’ experience as a professional aerial photographer, Chi spent about 400 hours’ flying time over three years to capture his images. The approximately $9 million project has an advantage over “Home” in focusing on one territory with its specific culture and ecosystem, thus avoiding the sort of sanctimonious[28] tone that can come with generalizations. Via the sincere, approachable[29] voiceover[30] of masterful[31] Taiwan New Wave screenwriter-helmer Wu Nien-jen (“A Borrowed Life”), the narration, though often mournful[32], also evokes a Chinese-style poetic romanticism[33].

As the camera swoops over[34] the verdurous[35] topography[36], its roads and tributaries[37] intertwined like branches of a tree, Wu promises to show Taiwan as never seen before; quoting the title of Yasunari Kawabata’s novel, he proceeds to chronicle[38] the island’s “beauty and sorrow.” However, after less than 10 minutes of aerial images that extol[39] the exquisite beauty of Taiwan’s mountains and coastline, the rest of the docu rests heavily on the sorrowful side. Noting the frequency of supposedly “natural” disasters like floods and landslides, the film points a finger at numerous byproducts[40] of unchecked economic expansion[41].

High mountains that occupy two-thirds of the land are ravaged[42] by heavy logging[43], roadwork, and over-harvesting of minerals and cash crops like tea and betel nut[44]. Moving from land to water, things only get worse. Mud and stone deposits from construction projects pollute reservoirs[45] and reduce their life expectancy[46]. The building of breakwaters[47] for farming has nearly cordoned off[48] the coastline from the ocean. One-half of Taiwan’s wetlands are disappearing, ruining her once-abundant biodiversity[49]. Air pollution from factories is compounded[50] by massive electricity use on a national scale, epitomized[51] by the little-known fact that the world’s largest coal-fired power plant is located in Taichung.

All this environmental malpractice[52] may not be unique to Taiwan, but the statistics will register strongly even for international aids, such as the 7.4 million tons of refuse produced yearly, or the 19 million tons of cement mined yearly, of which half is exported purely for profit.

Viewed from such a high altitude, the degree of devastation looks especially grave, yet it’s hard to look away[53]. Chi is expert at capturing images with powerful impact, such as condos[54] perched[55] precariously[56] on a visibly eroded[57] precipice[58], or canals with water as black as squid ink running through large residential areas, or woodland’s bald patches[59] after being razed[60] for limestone[61] and silica[62] mining.

The last 15 minutes or so lighten up with the introduction of nature-conscious entrepreneurs[63] who operate organic farms against all odds[64]. The closing shots provide a change of scenery with truly wondrous[65] vistas[66] of Taiwan’s multi-hued[67] landscape, but increasing the proportion of such positive material would actually strengthen the film’s argument for dealing with these crises pronto[68].

Considered Taiwan’s top aerial photographer, Chi, lensing in Cineflex Hidef, immerses the viewer in a sense of perpetual[69] fluidity[70]. The score by Singapore’s Ricky Ho (“Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale”), which features three aboriginal songs written by “Warriors'” pastor-turned-lead-actor Lin Ching-tai, brim[71] with uplifting[72] spirituality, especially when sung by a choir that appears to have been airdropped onto an unnervingly tall mountain peak.

http://variety.com/2014/film/global/film-review-beyond-beauty-taiwan-from-above-1201050029/

Keywords

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[1] Aerial 空中的

[2] Documentary 紀錄片

[3] Rapturous 興高采烈的;狂喜的

[4] Crime 罪行;犯罪

[5] Start off 出發

[6] Promo 宣傳活動

[7] Swiftly 迅速地

[8] Morph into 變為

[9] Ecological 生態的

[10] Cautionary tale 警示

[11] Inspire啟發

[12] Helm 執導

[13] Lense 攝影

[14] Juxtapose 對比

[15] Despoliation 掠奪

[16] Negligence 疏忽;忽視

[17] Dour 憂鬱

[18] Rattle off 滔滔不絕的說出

[19] A litany of 一連串的

[20] Pic圖片

[21] Cinematic 電影的;劇院的

[22] Gross 票房

[23] Premiere 首映

[24] Combine 結合

[25] extensive knowledge 廣博的知識

[26] Stint 限制

[27] National Highway Engineering Bureau 國家公路工程局

[28] Sanctimonious 假裝神聖的

[29] Approachable 平易近人的

[30] Voiceover 旁白

[31] Masterful 高超的

[32] Mournful 悲傷的

[33] Romanticism 浪漫主義

[34] swoop over 俯衝

[35] Verdurous 蔥綠的

[36] Topography 地形

[37] Tributary 支流

[38] Chronicle 編年

[39] Extol 稱頌;褒揚

[40] Byproducts 副產品

[41] economic expansion 經濟發展

[42] Ravage 摧殘;蹂躪

[43] Log 伐木

[44] betel nut 檳榔

[45] Reservoir 水庫

[46] Expectancy 期待

[47] Breakwater 防波堤

[48] cordon off 封鎖

[49] once-abundant biodiversity 曾經豐富的生物多樣性

[50] Compound 合成

[51] Epitomize 極;概括

[52] Malpractice 弊病

[53] look away 看遠

[54] Condo 公寓

[55] Perch 位於

[56] Precariously 危險地

[57] Erode 侵蝕

[58] Precipice 懸崖

[59] Patch 補丁

[60] Raze 夷為平地

[61] Limestone 石灰岩

[62] Silica 矽

[63] Entrepreneurs 企業家

[64] against all odds 不顧一切

[65] Wondrous 令人驚奇的

[66] Vistas 美景

[67] multi-hued 多樣的;多色調的

[68] Pronto 很快的

[69] Perpetual永久的

[70] Fluidity 流動性

[71] Brim 滿

[72] Uplifting 振奮