The world finally says goodbye to 2020. To welcome the new year, CNN recently ran a report titled: “21 things to look forward to in 2021. . . if everything works out.” In the report, some highly-anticipated things worldwide include the Tokyo Olympics, which were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic but are now rescheduled for July this year.
Oct. 1 will mark the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World in Florida. A number of new TV shows and movies are scheduled for this year, such as the long-awaited “Friends” reunion special set to air in March, and the new 007 film “No Time to Die.” The extremely popular Eurovision Song Contest, which was postponed from last year, is likely to stage a comeback.
Other highlights include: NASA’s “Perseverance” will land on Mars, widespread COVID-19 immunity, new climate policies and action, 6G technology, artificial intelligence and drone delivery. And, last but not least: hugs. Hopefully, people can start hugging each other again this year when the pandemic fades.
Photo: AFP 照片:法新社
(Eddy Chang, Taipei Times)
世界終於向去年道別!為了迎接新年,CNN近日刊出一則報導︰《二○二一年期待的二十一件事……如果一切都順利的話》。報導中,全球最值得期待的事包括因武漢肺炎(新冠病毒,COVID-19)延期的東京奧運,重新安排在七月登場。
美國佛羅里達州的迪士尼世界,十月一日將歡慶開幕五十週年。今年也將會有不少新的電視或電影強片上映,例如等待多時將在三月播出的《六人行》大團圓特別節目,和最新的007系列電影《生死交戰》。超熱門的歐洲歌唱大賽去年因疫情被迫延期,可望在今年捲土重來。
其它亮點包括︰美國太空總署「毅力號」終於將登上火星、新冠病毒的免疫力將更為普遍、新的氣候政策與行動、6G科技、人工智慧、無人機運送。排在最後但同等重要的是——擁抱,疫情在今年消散以後,期待人們能再次開始擁抱彼此。
(台北時報張聖恩)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
It’s another school day with the same ritual. You wake up to your smartphone’s alarm, scroll through messages during your commute, and listen to your favorite playlist with your wireless earbuds between classes. These devices, integrated smoothly into your daily routine, certainly make life more convenient. However, where do these devices end up after you replace them? In fact, the issue of electronic waste is a growing global concern. According to the United Nations, in 2019 alone, we generated an astonishing 53.6 million tons of e-waste—an average of 7.3kg per person. Projections hint at the figure soaring to 110