With water in short supply all over Taiwan, zone-by-zone water restrictions have been implemented in Miaoli County, Taichung and the northern part of Changhua County. The Fong-Yi Group has responded to the government’s call to save water by launching a water-saving campaign in 104 communities throughout Taiwan. Any household whose water bill for March and April this year shows that it has used less water compared to the same period last year, with a reduction of more than 5 percent, will have the chance to win a luxury cookware set worth nearly NT$10,000.
Taichung faces a serious water shortage, with everyone sharing in the hardship and cutting back on water use. The Fong-Yi Group says that in most cases the biggest household water users are mothers and grandmothers who use it for kitchen and housework purposes, and this is why it decided to offer luxury cookware sets as the prize.
Residents have responded enthusiastically to the water-saving publicity in communities under the Fong-Yi banner by exchanging ideas and sharing tips about how to save water. For example, you can use water collected from air conditioners to water plants or mop the floor, or water from washing clothes or baths and showers to flush the toilet. Rice-washing water can be used to do the washing-up, thus reducing pollution as well as saving water. You can also sweep the floor instead of mopping it or mop the floor less frequently.
Photo courtesy of the Fong-Yi Group 照片:豐邑機構提供
A female Fong-Yi community resident surnamed Tsai says that since the water restrictions started in Taichung on April 6, with the water supply restricted to only five days in the week, she has been telling her children not to spend more than five minutes in the shower and to collect the shower water to flush the toilet. She has also been placing a small washbowl in the hand basin to collect water, which can be used to water the plants. Manager Gan of the Silaideng Community has been reminding people not to use running water to defrost food, but to put it on a metal pot instead, because it conducts heat better, which speeds up the defrosting. Gan advises people not to wash clothes until there are enough to fill the washing machine up to about 80 percent full, which allows for the most efficient use of water and electricity.
The Fong-Yi Group says that by combining many people’s efforts to save water, if it can get 100 communities to save water, with each household saving 5 percent — or about 14 liters of water — it can achieve total savings of 670,000 liters of water per day, a significant amount. Households that have used at least 5 percent less water in March and April compared to the same period last year can take a photograph of their water bills and upload it to the Fong-Yi Group’s Facebook page before June 25, making them eligible to join a draw to win a luxury cookware set. The Fong-Yi Group hopes this water-saving competition will achieve big results for a small outlay by getting the public to understand water-saving techniques. In this way, they can put into practice the idea of saving water to love the Earth while also guarding their wallets, and to contribute to fighting the current drought.
(Translated by Julian Clegg, Taipei Times)
Photo courtesy of the Fong-Yi Group 照片:豐邑機構提供
全台水情吃緊,台中、苗栗及北彰已實施分區供水,豐邑機構響應政府節水,在全台一百零四個社區發起省水大作戰,只要家庭用水今年三至四月水單與去年同期用水量比較,節省超過百分之五者,即可有機會抽中價值近萬元的豪華鍋具組。
台灣水情嚴峻,全民共體時艱節水,豐邑機構表示,家庭用水的大宗多是婆婆媽媽的廚房與家事用水,所以特別祭出豪華鍋具當省水比賽獎勵。
豐邑旗下社區省水宣導,居民反應熱烈,互相意見交流,分享節水小撇步,如除濕機收集的水,可以用來澆花或擦地板;洗衣水、洗澡水可用來沖馬桶;洗米水可以拿來洗碗盤,不但省水還可以減少汙染;還有以掃地代替拖地,減少拖地次數……等等。
家住豐邑社區的蔡女士說,台中四月六日開始限水,供五停二,會要求家裡小孩限時五分鐘洗完澡,淋浴的水收集起來沖馬桶,洗手台放個小臉盆接水,可以用來澆花。喜來登社區甘經理也提醒,解凍食物別用水沖,放在金屬鍋具上,溫度傳導快,能加速解凍;衣服累積到洗衣機八分滿再洗,最省水省電。
豐邑機構強調,集合眾人的力量節水,如果可以推動一百個社區省水,如果每戶都可以省下百分之五、約十四公升水量的話,每日總計就可省下六十七萬公升的水,相當可觀,因此只要家庭用水今年水單與去年同期用水量比較,節省超過百分之五者,將水單收據於六月二十五日前拍照上傳豐邑豐生活臉書粉絲專頁,就有機會抽豪華鍋具組。豐邑機構期盼透過這次省水比賽,拋磚引玉來讓民眾了解省水小技巧,落實節水愛地球,並守住荷包,共同為台灣乾旱盡份心力。
(自由時報)
A: Yet another shopping mall has just opened in Taipei. B: Do you mean the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang? A: Yeah, the shopping mall run by Japanese Mitsui & Co. opened last week. B: I hear the mall features about 300 stores, Vieshow Cinemas and Japanese Lopia supermarket. A: With the opening, a war is breaking out between Taipei’s department stores. A: 台北又有新的購物商場可逛啦。 B: 你是說Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport 南港? A: 對啊這家日本三井集團旗下的商場上週開幕。 B: 聽說商場有威秀影城、樂比亞日系超市,還有多達300家專櫃。 A: 新商場一開幕,看來又要掀起一場百貨大戰啦! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張迪)
A: Hey, didn’t you go to the opening of the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang last week? B: Yeah, there are about 300 shops, including the first overseas branch of Japan’s Mahou Dokoro — a famous Harry Potter-themed store. A: Wow, I’ve always wanted to get a magic wand. B: There are also a bunch of great restaurants, such as Smart Fish hotpot restaurant. A: I wish I had Harry Potter’s “apparition” and “disapparition” magic, so I could teleport to the mall right now. A: 你上週不是有去LaLaport南港的盛大開幕嗎?有什麼特別的? B: 那裡有多達300家專櫃,包括魔法之地的海外首店——它可是日本知名的《哈利波特》專賣店。 A: 哇我一直想買根魔杖。 B: 另外還有各式各樣的美食,像是林聰明沙鍋魚頭。 A: 真希望我也有哈利波特的「現影術/消影術」魔法,能瞬間移動到商場去! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張迪)
When it comes to movies, some people delight in watching spine-chilling horror films. Surprisingly, apart from containing a few scares, horror movies may also offer an unexpected __1__. According to a study, watching 90 minutes of a scary movie can burn an average of 113 calories, which is roughly __2__ to taking a 30-minute walk. Researchers from the University of Westminster carried out an experiment in which they __3__ participants’ oxygen intake, carbon dioxide output, and heart rates while they were watching horror movies without any distractions. The results revealed that physiological responses to fear play a crucial role
Dos & Don’ts — 想想看,這句話英語該怎麼說? 1. 你覺得這部電影怎樣? ˇ What do you think of the movie? χ How do you like the movie? χ How do you think of the movie? 註︰What do you think of = What is your opinion of。 think 的受詞是 what,不能用 how。 2. 你認為哪一個歌星唱得最好? ˇ Which singer do you think is the best? χ Do you think which singer is the best? 註︰英語中 which singer 似乎是 do you think 的受詞,實則 do you think 是插入語,其他例子如下: 你以為他喜歡誰? Who do you think he likes? 你以為我住在哪裏? Where do you think I live? 你想我昨天在公園裏碰到了誰? Whom/Who do you think I met in the park yesterday? 3. 他不論到什麼地方,總是帶著一把雨傘。 ˇ No matter where he goes, he