A: Aside from the weekend, what other new units will feature in the “Bilingual Times” on weekdays?
B: I heard that the Taipei Times will also be collaborating with other publications, and we can expect new and exciting articles every week.
A: That’s awesome. I can finally fix my broken English.
Photo: Eddy Chang, Taipei Times 照片:台北時報張聖恩
B: Let’s study English together with new units from the “Bilingual Times!”
A: 「雙語版」除了週末以外,平日有什麼新單元嗎?
B: 聽說他們還會和其它刊物合作,以後每週都能看到最新最精彩的文章。
A: 太棒了,那我的菜英文有救啦。
B: 一起看「雙語版」新單元學英文吧!
(Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
A: Finally! Cantopop superstar Andy Lau is touring Taipei starting tonight. B: Yeah, he is set to perform at the Taipei Arena for four nights. A: It seems like he is still energetic on stage even at the age of 63. B: Lau, Jacky Cheung, Leon Lai and Arron Kwok are dubbed Hong Kong’s “Four Heavenly Kings.” A: Hopefully, the four “kings” can visit Taiwan more often. A: 終於啊!香港天王劉德華今晚起將在台北開唱。 B: 他預計在台北小巨蛋,一連熱唱4天! A: 看來劉天王雖然63歲了,在舞台上還是一尾活龍。 B: 他和張學友、黎明、郭富城還被稱為香港「四大天王」。 A: 希望天王們以後能更常來台灣。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
A: Originally, supergroup Mayday was also going to launch four charity concerts starting today. B: I know, they were trying to boost Hualien’s tourism industry. A: And all 14 artists from B’in Music were going to join the free concerts. B: But they just announced all shows will be postponed due to Typhoon Kong-Rey. A: Well, safety first. A: 原本今天起,天團五月天的公益演唱會也將開跑。 B: 我知道,主要是為了振興花蓮的觀光業。 A: 「相信音樂」旗下14組歌手,聽說這次都會共襄盛舉。 B: 結果主辦單位宣布所有演出因颱風康芮延期。 A: 嗯安全至上吧。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
For people with hearing loss, clear communication can seem like a distant dream. However, advancements in technology are __1__ this barrier. TranscribeGlass, a wearable device, can translate spoken words into text displayed on a transparent screen directly in the user’s field of vision. This innovation enables people with hearing disabilities to fully engage in conversations. Assistive technology like captioning is an important means of communication for people with hearing loss. Captioning software on cellphones can be a helpful option, but it has limitations. Many users often find themselves __2__ to constantly glance down at the phone screen, which disrupts eye contact
Floods that killed more than 200 people in eastern Spain last week were caused by a storm that dumped a year’s worth of rainfall in less than 24 hours. The tragedy has raised questions about whether earlier warnings could have prevented so many deaths, while the widespread damage shows how many cities are not adapted to withstand rainfall amplified by climate change. An extremely hot Mediterranean and warmer air temperatures exacerbated a type of storm system becoming more common in the Iberian peninsula due to global warming. Experts said that a building boom in the region in recent decades might have put