A: How does a CtrlMovie work? B: You download an app on your mobile phone, then you scan a QR code before the movie starts. Throughout the movie, options flash up on the movie screen and you use your phone to decide what the main character does next. A: So it’s like a kind of democratic vote on the direction of the plot? B: Exactly. A: 那互動式電影要怎麼運作呢？ B: 你要下載一個手機應用程式，然後在電影開始前掃描QR碼。在播放過程中，電影院的螢幕會跳出選項，你就可以用手機決定主角接下來要做什麼。 A: 所以，這就像是民主選舉決定電影情節的方向囉？ B: 沒錯。 English 英文: Chinese 中文:
Most people understand the importance of avoiding second-hand smoke, but doctors say that the risk of third-hand tobacco in one’s living environment is not only as dangerous, but that small children are more likely to come into contact with it and could develop a cough as a result. For this reason, parents should be aware of the dangers. According to Chiu Chen-fong, director of the thoracic medicine department of Feng Yuan Hospital in Taichung, third-hand tobacco occurs when a person smokes in a closed environment, and the tobacco smoke particles settle on surfaces in the room, including the smokers’ own clothing and hair, as well as the curtains, sofa, walls and floor within the living space. Once the smoke has settled on the curtains or furniture, even if one opens the windows to let the air circulate to freshen up the room and allow the tobacco odor to dissipate, or even if one wipes down or washes the surfaces, this will not necessarily thoroughly remove the settled particles. In some cases it will actually require replacing the furniture entirely, before the room can be returned to a living space completely devoid of tobacco hazards. Chiu says that the second-hand smoke we are all familiar with is easily avoided, but once third-hand tobacco has been produced the people in the immediate environs are not really aware of it, and it will be invisible to the naked eye by family and friends sharing the same space. As a result, it can often lead to the development of respiratory problems with no obvious cause, such as a chronic cough or excessive sputum. Importantly, small children are particularly at risk of coming into contact with third-hand tobacco hazards, because they will tend to climb over furniture and touch surfaces, unknowingly exposing themselves to the
A: How was your weekend? B: Great. I had a pretty chilled out two days. On Saturday I watched a movie called "Late Shift." It’s a new type of movie format called “CtrlMovie.” A: Oh? What’s a CtrlMovie? B: It’s an interactive movie: The audience makes decisions on behalf of the main character. A: 你週末過得怎麼樣呀？ B: 超棒。我過了超放鬆的兩天。星期六我看了一部電影，叫《夜班》。是一種新的電影類型，稱為「互動電影」。 A: 哦？什麼是互動電影啊？ B: 就是互動式的電影：觀眾代替主角，在劇情中做出決定。 English 英文: Chinese 中文:
Ennio Morricone, arguably the world’s greatest and most prolific composer for the cinema, had originally intended to write “serious” music and saw his film-writing career more as a lucrative sideline. “My real purpose was to write classical music,” said Morricone, who is perhaps best known for his scores to Sergio Leone’s “spaghetti westerns” and who belatedly won an Oscar in 2016 for Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight.” “Since the conservatoire, that was my ambition. Then, of course, you have to live — and you can make money from film music. That’s just how my life went,” he told AFP in an interview in 2016. Born in Rome on Nov. 10, 1928, Morricone started composing at the tender age of six, and at just 10 he enrolled in a trumpet school at the prestigious Saint-Cecilia conservatory in Rome. He studied composition, orchestration and the organ and would cite Karlheinz Stockhausen, Pierre Boulez, Luigi Nono and Aldo Clementi as composers who influenced him. In fact, Morricone wrote more than 80 “classical” pieces, ranging from solo piano to chamber and orchestral music. Nevertheless, he didn’t mind knowing that he was most famous for film soundtracks, of which he composed more than 500 across a 60-year career. “I was able to compose music freely, and in such different forms, not only because I could rely on technology, but also because it was essential that I change my style for every film. Every movie required it,” he said. Morricone also made forays into Italian pop song and collaborated with Portuguese Fado star Dulce Pontes and French chanteuse Mireille Mathieu. He played the trumpet in jazz bands in the 1940s before he started ghost writing for film and theater. It was in the 1960s that his film-writing career really took off with the scores to his childhood friend Sergio Leone’s westerns,
A : Mask, check. Gloves, check. Anything else we need to do? B : First, we need to tip the diluted bleach solution onto the balcony since rats might have been there. After 30 minutes we can begin cleaning. A : We need to do the same in the storeroom, right? B : Yep, that’s your task. Remember to open the doors and windows, and carefully wipe down the cupboards with disinfectant. A : 口罩戴好、手套也準備好了，還有什麼需要注意的嗎？ B : 首先，我們把稀釋過的漂白水潑在陽台上吧，那裡可能有老鼠經過，三十分鐘後再開始清理。 A : 後面那間儲藏室也要這麼做吧？ B : 那就麻煩你了，記得先把門窗打開，再用消毒水仔細擦拭櫃子哦。 English 英文: Chinese 中文:
A : It’s strange: how come the hantavirus is so prevalent this year? B : Doctors believe it may be a result of COVID-19: With people staying indoors and stocking up on food, rats have been drawn into people’s homes. A : Then, I’m going to store away all the food. B : So we must be careful while cleaning, and wear masks and rubber gloves. A : 真奇怪，為什麼今年的漢他病毒病例特別多？ B : 醫生研判是在武漢肺炎期間，民眾因為少出門，就容易在家囤積食物，這會吸引老鼠進入民宅。 A : 那我把食物都藏起來總可以了吧。 B : 我們打掃時也要注意呀，所以才需要佩戴口罩和橡膠手套。 English 英文: Chinese 中文:
The 22nd Taipei Film Festival kicked off on June 25 and is closing tomorrow with the Taipei Film Awards, which will take place at Taipei Zhongshan Hall. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the event is the world’s first large-scale physical film festival since the pandemic broke out early this year. Director Chang Jung-chi’s We Are Champions is the strongest contestant this year, leading the nominees with 14 nods, including Best Feature Film. Other nominees for this category include: Days, Nina Wu, Detention and Boluomi. Nominees for Best Leading Actor are Fandy Fan, Lee Kang-sheng, Tseng Jing-hua, Wu Nien-hsuan and Morning Mo; nominees for Best Leading Actress are Lu Hsueh-feng, Gingle Wang, Yu Chia-hsuan, Chang Ya-ling and Laila Putli Pagtitahan Ulao. This year’s Yang Shih-chi Outstanding Contribution Award will go to senior film projectionist Chiang Tai-tun for his longtime dedication to Taiwanese cinema over the past 50 years. The ceremony will be broadcast live at 7pm tomorrow on TVBS Entertainment Channel (CH42) and online. (Eddy Chang, Taipei Times) 第二十二屆台北電影節於六月二十五日起跑，壓軸的台北電影獎明日在中山堂舉行。受到武漢肺炎（新冠病毒，COVID-19）衝擊，本屆電影節是自今年初疫情爆發以來，全球首個大型實體影展。 導演張榮吉的《下半場》入圍十四項大獎，包括最佳劇情長片獎，是本屆最強的參賽者。入圍該獎項的其它幾部作品為︰《日子》、《灼人秘密》、《返校》、《菠蘿蜜》。最佳男主角入圍的有︰范少勳、李康生、曾敬驊、吳念軒、莫子儀；最佳女主角入圍的有︰呂雪鳳、王淨、游珈瑄、張雅玲、萊拉烏勞。 今年的「楊士琪卓越貢獻獎」將頒發給電影放映師江泰暾，表揚他過去五十年來，對於影壇的長期奉獻。頒獎典禮明晚七點起，在TVBS歡樂台（第四十二台〉和網路上直播。（台北時報張聖恩〉
A : There have been very few cases of the hantavirus in recent years. How did doctors detect it? B : A female street vendor saw a doctor for fever, muscle and joint pain and was admitted to hospital. Doctors ran tests and discovered the virus. A : It sounds similar to a common cold. Are there any other symptoms? B : Headache, fatigue, nausea and bleeding. A : 既然這些年來台灣很少發生漢他病毒出血症的病例，醫生是怎麼發現的啊？ B : 有一名女攤販因為發燒、肌肉關節痠痛等症狀去看醫生，收治住院後醫生檢驗出漢他病毒。 A : 這聽起來很像普通感冒耶，漢他病毒還有別的症狀嗎？ B : 頭痛、倦怠、噁心，還有不等程度的出血現象都是。 English 英文: Chinese 中文:
Russia-based face-changing application “FaceApp” took social media by storm last summer, as people used its filter to find out how they’d look like when they get old. Now, the app is back again with a gender-swapping function that transforms photos of faces into a different gender, and the filter has gone viral. FaceApp may be a fun tool, but such facial recognition apps raise security concerns, and they could pose a threat to your privacy. Late last year, the FBI even issued a warning about the app, which enjoys access to millions of photos, calling FaceApp and some other apps developed in Russia a “potential counterintelligence threat.” To dispel doubts, FaceApp has clarified that photos will be deleted after editing. “Photos remain in the cloud for 24 to 48 hours after you have last edited them,” the company claims, adding that it only uses third-party cloud providers to process its photos — such as Google Cloud Platform and Amazon Web Services. (Eddy Chang, Taipei Times) 來自俄國的臉孔轉換應用程式「FaceApp」去年夏天席捲各大社群媒體，使用者紛紛透過它的變老濾鏡，查看自己變老的模樣。現在，這個程式又回來啦。不過這次是推出性別轉換功能，將臉部照片轉換成不同的性別，變性濾鏡近日推出後一夕爆紅。 雖然「FaceApp」很有趣，但是此類臉部辨識應用程式仍引發安全疑慮，還有可能對你的隱私造成威脅！去年底，美國聯邦調查局就針對掌握數百萬張臉部照片的「FaceApp」提出警告，說這類由俄國開發的程式具有「潛在情資威脅」。為了消除疑慮，該公司澄清說照片在編輯後將被刪除。 該公司並宣稱︰「照片被編輯後，只會停留在雲端伺服器二十四至四十八小時。」還強調，只使用第三方雲端供應商來處理照片—像是Google Cloud Platform和Amazon Web Services。 （台北時報張聖恩〉
A : If rats are the main source of the disease, all we need to do is keep the doors and windows shut and there should be no problem! B : I wish it were that easy. The problem is, hantavirus is spread through the air in dust contaminated by rat droppings. A : So this is why you want me to wear a mask? B : Yep, and after we’ve finished cleaning we should take a shower. A : 如果是老鼠帶原的病毒，我們只要確實把門窗緊閉，不要讓老鼠進門就好了吧！ B : 要是那麼簡單就好了。問題在於，漢他病毒會經由遭到老鼠排泄物污染的塵土在空氣中傳播。 A : 所以你才要我戴口罩囉？ B : 是啊，而且我們最好打掃完就去洗澡。 English 英文: Chinese 中文:
Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) last week confirmed the first domestic cases of a zoonotic vector-borne emerging infectious disease called the Tembusu virus in northern and central areas of the country. Detection of the virus within the nation’s borders follows previously confirmed cases in Malaysia, China and Thailand, making Taiwan the fourth country in the world with cases of the disease. The Tembusu virus was first discovered within duck farms in eastern China in 2010. According to Animal Health Research Institute Director-General Chiou Chwei-jang, in November last year the institute began to investigate a duck farm which was experiencing reduced egg production. Testing initially failed to provide an answer, but a meeting of experts in December confirmed the existence of Tembusu virus at the farm. The virus is mainly spread by mosquitoes during the summer months. Chiou says the virus primarily affects egg laying and the mortality rate among poultry is quite low; as such the risk to the poultry industry is limited. However, Chiou advises duck farms to guard against secondary infection, which could lead to increased mortality rates if ducks are infected by the virus a second time. For consumers, eating poultry meat and eggs does not pose a health risk, so long as it is cooked through, Chiou adds. According to CDC researcher Shu Pei-yun, in 2005 the CDC established a vector mosquito monitoring program to monitor dengue fever and Japanese encephalitis vectors, and which also checks for the Tembusu virus. Last year, the Tembusu virus was detected in culex mosquitoes within a northern wetland area and in tiger mosquitoes near a pigsty in central Taiwan. Shu says the strain of Tembusu virus detected in Taiwan is different from that found in other countries, suggesting that a new strain has developed in Taiwan. Shu adds that although the virus was
A: I think I heard of the Hantavirus ages ago, but where does it come from? B: It is a type of zoonotic disease, mainly transferred by rodents such as rats, instead of human-to-human transmission. A: Eh? Our home is really clean, so we’ve never had rats, although there is a night market at the end of the alley. It could be dangerous. A: 我好像很久以前有聽過漢他病毒，但這是從哪裡來的啊？ B: 漢他病毒出血症是一種人畜共通傳染病，它的宿主主要是嚙齒類動物，最常見的就是老鼠，但是不會藉由人傳人感染啦。 A: 啊……。我們屋子是很乾淨，沒出現過老鼠，但是巷口外面就是夜市，感覺有點危險。 English 英文: Chinese 中文:
Last Wednesday, Tesla Inc. displaced Toyota Motor Corp. as the world’s most valuable automaker, underscoring investor enthusiasm for a company trying to transform an industry that has relied on internal combustion engines for more than 130 years. Tesla Inc.’s market value also surpassed Exxon Mobil Corp.’s last Tuesday in a sign that investors are increasingly betting on a global energy transition away from fossil fuels. Exxon is the world’s second biggest energy company after Saudi state-controlled oil giant Aramco went public late last year. Shares of Tesla, which have more than doubled since the start of the year, climbed as much as 3.5 percent in intraday trading last Wednesday, giving it a market capitalization of US$207.2 billion, surpassing Toyota’s US$201.9 billion. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has ignored or broken many of the established auto industry’s rules and norms in the 10 years since he took Tesla public, selling cars online and assembling vehicles in high-cost California. But while his company’s value has soared, there remains a gulf in the scale of his company and the world’s biggest car manufacturers. Tesla produced 103,000 vehicles in the first quarter, or about 4 percent of the almost 2.4 million made by Toyota, which built its brand on affordability and reliability backed by innovations in large-scale manufacturing. Tesla became the world’s second most valuable automaker in January, when it surpassed Volkswagen AG. It is now worth more than twice the German giant. After pioneering gas-electric vehicles with the Prius hybrid, Toyota was late to shift to fully electric autos and has wagered heavily on hydrogen fuel cells. The company is now making a series of high-profile investments in electric vehicles (EVs) and self-driving cars. The manufacturer has forecast an 80 percent plunge in profit this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and expects it could take until the first half
A: I don’t want to wear a mask while cleaning in this hot weather. B: Your nose is really sensitive, so you should wear a mask or you’ll have a sneezing fit from the dust. The mask will also protect against disease. A: Wait, what disease? We’re just cleaning inside and doing the balcony. B: Haven’t you seen the news? There’s been an uptick in cases of hantavirus in Taiwan this year. A: 我不想在打掃的時候戴口罩耶，天氣已經夠熱了。 B: 你的鼻子那麼容易過敏，最好戴著口罩，以免灰塵讓你噴嚏打不停，戴口罩也可以阻擋病毒。 A: 等等︰什麼病毒？我們只是要打掃屋內跟陽台啊。 B: 你沒看新聞嗎？今年台灣的漢他病毒出血症病例增加了哦。 English 英文: Chinese 中文:
Forget your pepperoni or other pizza toppings: Pizza Hut Taiwan has teamed up with Menya Musashi, a popular Japanese ramen restaurant chain, to serve up the world’s first ramen pizza, and it has attracted global interest after a CNN report about the new mashup was published on the front-page of its Japanese version. The new pizza has the toppings of a Japanese-style barbecue pork ramen — complete with thick noodles, barbecue pork slices, fresh chilies and white sesame, as well as a half-boiled egg sitting in the middle. It is also garnished with green onions and bamboo shoots on the side. Pizza Hut Taiwan told CNN that its creative pizzas are just a way to introduce some fun into the customer experience. “Taiwanese consumers live a high-pressure life with long working hours and a high cost of living. The food scene has become an exciting and creative escape,” said Lily Chou, the company’s marketing director, adding that it is definitely the first ramen to be served as a slice. The Taiwanese are known for their creativity in making special food and drinks: some of their previous mashups have included matcha green tea pizza, durian pizza, stinky tofu pizza, and even bubble tea pizza. Also known as “boba tea” or “pearl milk tea,” the famous tea of Taiwanese origin mixed with milk and small tapioca balls has become a global sensation in recent years. Domino’s Taiwan even caused a pizza war by launching its “bubble tea pizza” late last year. “It might be the ultimate meeting of eastern and western cuisine — Taiwan’s famous bubble tea as a topping on a Domino’s pizza,” CNN reported. Domino’s Taiwan originally planned to offer the dessert pizza covered in brown sugar pearls, cheese and honey for a month, but the popularity of the bubble tea pizza secured
A: I’m going to buy some cleaning materials and pesticide. Is there anything you need? B: Oh, are you going to do a deep clean? Great minds think alike! A: Yep, we should take preemptive action to prevent insects from multiplying in accumulated water after a typhoon or afternoon thundershowers. B: Could you pick up some masks? A: 我要去買打掃工具跟殺蟲劑，你有需要什麼嗎？ B: 哦，你要大掃除嗎？真是英雄所見略同。 A: 嗯，為了防止颱風或午後雷陣雨造成積水，孳生蚊蟲，我們最好超前部署。 B: 那你可以順便買些口罩嗎？ English 英文: Chinese 中文:
Europe has lost a vastly increased area of forest to harvesting in recent years, data suggest, reducing the continent’s carbon absorption capacity and possibly indicating wider problems with the EU’s attempts to combat the climate crisis. Many of the EU’s forests — which account for about 38 percent of its land surface area — are managed for timber production, and thus harvested regularly. But the loss of biomass increased by 69 percent in the period from 2016 to 2018, compared with the period from 2011 to 2015, according to satellite data. The area of forest harvested increased by 49 percent in the same comparison, published in the journal Nature Research. This indicates that much more harvesting has occurred in a short period, even accounting for natural cycles and the impact of events such as forest fires and heavy snows. The harvested area could be expected to vary by less than about 10 percent owing to cycles of growing and planting and similar effects, according to Guido Ceccherini of the EU Joint Research Center, lead author of the study. Other factors are therefore likely to be in play, and these could include increased demand for wood as a fuel, and bigger markets for timber and other wood products. The satellite data could therefore be an early indicator of unsustainable demands being placed on the EU’s forests. The loss of forest biomass is most pronounced in Sweden, which accounted for 29 percent of the increase in harvesting, and Finland, for about 22 percent. Much less affected were Poland, Spain, Latvia, Portugal and Estonia, which jointly accounted for about 30 percent of the increase in the 26 countries studied. Ceccherini told the Guardian that the observed increase in harvesting and the loss of biomass was unlikely to result in a decline in the area of the EU that
A: I tried setting the air-conditioning on a timer for my cat: It worked a treat. He’s drinking much less water during the daytime now. B: Great. Maybe I should consider doing the same for my shiba. Actually, I just ordered a cooling mat for her. A: I’m feeling a little jealous. In this heat, I wish I could snooze on a cooling mat all day. A: 我試著幫我家貓咪預設冷氣開機了，超有效。牠現在白天喝的水少多了。 B: 太棒了。或許我也該考慮為我的柴犬做一樣的事。其實，我才剛幫牠訂購了一個降溫墊。 A: 我開始感到有一點嫉妒了。在這種酷熱中，我真希望可以躺在降溫墊上呼呼大睡。 English 英文: Chinese 中文:
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