Russia joins race to make quantum dreams a reality俄羅斯加入量子戰局

【摘要2019.12.30.自由】◎劉宜庭

Russia has launched an effort to build a working quantum computer, in a bid to catch up to other countries in the race for practical quantum technologies.

俄羅斯開始致力建造可投入應用的量子電腦，以期在實作量子技術的競爭中，趕上其他國家。

The government will inject around 50 billion roubles （US$790 million）over the next 5 years into basic and applied quantum research carried out at leading Russian laboratories, the country’s deputy prime minister, Maxim Akimov, announced on 6 December at a technology forum in Sochi.

俄羅斯副總理馬克司米．阿基莫夫12月6日在索契的一場科技論壇宣布，未來5年政府將投入約500億盧布（7.9億美元），推動國家重點實驗室在量子科學的基礎研究及應用。

Quantum technology already receives massive governmental support in a number of countries. The European Union’s €1-billion （US$1.1-billion） Quantum Flagship programme, first announced in 2016. Germany announced a €650-million national quantum initiative in August 2019. The Chinese and US governments are also spending billions on quantum science and technology programmes.

量子技術已獲得多國政府大力支持。歐盟2016年率先宣布一項10億歐元（11億美元）的量子旗艦計畫。德國2019年8月發表一項6.5億歐元的國家量子計畫。中國和美國政府同樣也在量子科學和技術項目投入數十億經費。

新聞辭典

quantum：名詞，量子。例句：Quantum bits can in theory process information faster than the binary bits.（理論上，量子位元的處理資訊速度快過二進制位元。）

quantum computer：名詞，量子電腦。例句：Quantum computers use elementary particles, which can exist in multiple quantum states at once, to carry out calculations.（量子電腦使用可同時存在數個量子態的基本粒子進行計算。）

practical：形容詞，實用、實作。例句：National initiative aims to develop practical technologies that could create ultra-secure communication networks.（國家計畫旨在發展實作科技，以創建超級安全的通訊網路。）

Why Do Tennis Players Grunt?喊那麼大聲，嚇到我了！

【摘要2019.12.30.蘋果】

The sounds of tennis are unlike those in other sports. Before most players hit the ball, they let out a loud grunt. The question is: Does this grunt help them play better? To find out, researchers carried out a study. They measured the speed of college tennis players hitting tennis balls over the net.

The first time, the players were told not to make any sounds. The second time, they were allowed to grunt. The results showed that, on average, players hit the ball 4-5% faster when they grunted.

打網球的聲音不同於做其他運動的聲音。多數球員擊球前，他們會發出一聲響亮的吼叫聲。問題在於：這樣的吼叫聲會幫助他們發揮得更好嗎？研究人員為了找出答案進行了一項研究。他們測量了大學網球選手擊球過網的球速。

第一次測試時，選手被指示不能發出任何聲音。第二次，他們則被允許吼叫。研究結果顯示，選手平均而言發出吼叫時的擊球速度提升了 4% 至 5%。

生活必備字詞

◎let out...　　發出⋯⋯（的聲音）
Andrea let out a scream when she saw the muddy dog jump on her white sofa.
◎measure vt. 測量
The carpenter carefully measured the length of the floor.

末期慢性腎衰竭免洗腎?! "腸道淨化雞尾酒療法"新曙光!

(GTV健康NO.1)2017.09.05 末期慢性腎衰竭免洗腎?! "腸道淨化雞尾酒療法"新曙光!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o6uose-WDw&feature=youtu.be

For college students, Samsung Electronics remains most coveted employer「三星電子」仍是韓大學生最夢寐以求的雇主

【摘要2019.12.29.自由】◎茅毅

According to a survey of 473 male students and 586 female students conducted by online job portal JobKorea, 10.6 percent chose Samsung Electronics as the company where they would most like to work.

根據網路的求才求職入口（網站）JobKorea，對473名男（大）學生和586名女（大）學生所做的調查，其中共10.6%選擇三星電子為他們最想進入的公司。

Since 2004, when JobKorea began conducting the annual survey, Samsung Electronics topped the list every year until 2016, when food manufacturer CJ CheilJedang took the top spot. But Samsung Electronics reclaimed its lead in 2017 and has remained No. 1 ever since.

JobKorea自2004年起開始實施這項年度調查，三星電子每年皆獨占鰲頭。直到2016年，才由食品公司「CJ第一製糖」奪走寶座。但三星電子翌年即拿回第一，並蟬聯至今。

Respondents cited a high salary as the most important factor when choosing a potential employer. Other factors included benefits, the working environment and the image of the president of the company.

（今年該調查的）受訪者舉出高薪為選擇潛在雇主時的最重要因素。其他因素包括福利、工作環境與公司社長的形象。

新聞辭典

coveted：形容詞，夢寐以求（渴望得到、嚮往）的。I won the coveted position.（我得到嚮往的職位。）

reclaim：動詞，取（拿、收）回、開墾（拓）、使…改過（悔改）。I reclaimed my suitcase.（我領回我的手提箱。）

respondent：名詞，受訪者（回答者）、被告。A majority of respondents were against nuclear weapons.（大多數受訪者反對核武。）

THE RISE OF NETFLIX網飛的崛起

【摘要2019.12.29.蘋果】

Netflix has come a long way from its days as a DVD rental company. It now produces original movies and TV shows that have become big hits across the globe. Netflix was founded in 1997 by software engineers, Reed Hastings and Marc Rudolph.

At the time, it was a competitor of the once popular and now out-of-business movie and video game rental chain, Blockbuster. A famous story claims that Hastings created the company after being charged a $40 late fee by Blockbuster.

When Netflix began their streaming service in 2007, things really started picking up. The Netflix original House of Cards, which was first released in 2013, got them eight Emmy nominations and put them on everyone’s radar.

網飛從一開始以 DVD 出租公司型態經營到現在已有了長足的進展。它現在會製作原創電影與電視影集，而且它們都成為了風靡世界各地的作品。網飛是由軟體工程師瑞德•哈思廷斯與馬克•魯道夫於 1997 年創立的。

當時，它是曾經很受歡迎、如今已歇業的電影及電玩出租連鎖店百視達的競爭對手。一個很有名的故事聲稱哈思廷斯是在被百視達收取四十美元的逾期金後才創立該公司的。

網飛於 2007 年開始其線上影音串流服務後，一切開始有了起色。於 2013年首播的網飛原創影集《紙牌屋》讓他們獲得了八項艾美獎提名並使大家注意到他們。

生活必備字詞

◎rental a. 出租的
◎competitor n. 競爭者
◎out-of-business a. 歇業的
◎pick up （生意、經濟等）改進，好轉
The economy is starting to pick up again this year.

Man who ate $120,000 banana at art show says ’I’m not sorry’在藝術展吃掉12萬美元香蕉的男子說「我不感愧疚」

【摘要2019.12.28.自由】◎周虹汶

A performance artist who ate a banana taped to a wall that was an artwork valued at $120,000 said his actions were not vandalism and he does not regret his snack at Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida.

一名吃掉一根以膠帶貼在牆上之價值12萬美元香蕉藝術品的行為藝術家說，他的行為並非糟蹋作品，而且他對在佛羅里達州邁阿密海灘市舉行的「巴塞爾藝術展」吃起點心不感愧疚。

Artist Maurizio Cattelan’s piece - a banana duct-taped to a wall and called "Comedian" - sold for $120,000.

藝術家莫瑞吉奧‧卡特蘭之作──一根香蕉以強力膠帶貼在牆上，名為「喜劇演員」──以12萬美元賣出。

Performance artist David Datuna joined the crowd taking selfies with the banana on Saturday and then pulled off the tape and ate the banana in a video widely shared on social media.

在一支社群媒體廣為流傳的影片中，行為藝術家戴維‧達圖納週六擠入和這根香蕉自拍的人潮，接著撕下膠帶並把香蕉吃了。

"First of all, I very respect this artist. For me, he is one of the top artists in the world," Datuna said. "And I think this is the first one in art history when one artist eat concept of another artist. People ask me, you eat banana? Physically it was banana, but banana is just a tool. So I eat the concept of the art."

「首先，我很尊敬這名藝術家。對我而言，他是世界頂尖藝術家之一」，達圖納說。「然後我想，這是藝術史上一名藝術家吃掉另一名藝術家概念的頭一遭。民眾問我，你吃了香蕉？形體上，它是香蕉，但香蕉只是一個工具。所以我吃的是藝術的概念。」

He added that the artwork tasted good.

他補充說，這件藝術品吃起來味道很好。

"So it’s not like, again, vandalism. It was art performance from me. And absolutely, I’m not sorry," he said. "I call performance ’Hungry Artist’. Yeah, because I was hungry and I just eat it." (Reuters)

「所以，再次重申，這不像是糟蹋作品。這是我的行為藝術。而且我絕不感愧疚」，他說。「我以『飢餓的藝術家』稱此表演。是的，因為我餓了，所以我就吃了它。」（路透）

【新聞辭典】

vandalism：名詞，指恣意毀壞他人財產罪、糟蹋好東西。例句：This area is vulnerable to vandalism.（這個地區的公共財常遭蓄意破壞。）

snack：名詞，指快餐、小吃、點心、一份；動詞，指吃快餐、吃點心。例句：He often snacks on french fries.（他常把薯條當點心吃。）

pull off：片語動詞，指使勁摘掉、成功完成、路邊停車。例句：You really pulled it off.（你真的表現得很棒。）

Circus Roncalli：The Circus Of The Future 3D 奇幻馬戲團

【摘要2019.12.28.蘋果】

Circus Roncalli went through a high-tech makeover, trading its live performance animals for holograms. These virtual animals are created using a 360-degree laser projector. Through this 3D hologram system, virtual elephants, horses, and even a giant goldfish perform tricks before the audience. The circus is amazing, and it is all presented without harming any living animals.

龍卡里馬戲團經歷了一番高科技革新，把所有活生生的表演動物都換成全像投影。這些虛擬動物用三百六十度雷射投影機打造。透過這個3D 全像投影系統，虛擬大象、馬、甚至巨大金魚等影像都能在觀眾眼前表演把戲。這個馬戲團很精彩，而且表演呈現方式都不會傷害任何活生生的動物。

生活必備字詞

go through...　　經歷..
Stella went through a series of interviews before being offered the job.
makeover n.大革新，改頭換面
hologram n.全像投影

A plumber fixed the boiler of a 91-year-old terminally ill woman. He billed her $0水電工修好91歲罹患絕症老婦的鍋爐，收費0元

【摘要2019.12.27.自由】◎張沛元

"It’s totally free of charge." These are words you wouldn’t normally associate with a broken boiler.

「完全免費」這幾個字，通常不會跟一個壞掉的鍋爐扯上關係。

That was until a plumber in the British town of Burnley, gained internet stardom after a receipt from one of his jobs went viral.

直到英國班來鎮的一名水電工因為工作收據被瘋傳而成為網紅。

James Anderson, originally from Liverpool, is being lauded for his bill of £0 sent to a 91-year-old woman with leukaemia.

出生於利物浦的詹姆斯．安德森因為對一名91歲又罹患白血病的婦人開出一張0元英鎊的帳單而備受讚譽。

The bill, initially shared on Facebook by the woman’s daughter, Christine Rowlands, was accompanied by the message：’No charge for this lady under any circumstances. We will be available 24 hours to help her and keep her as comfortable as possible.’

這張最初是由婦人的女兒克麗絲汀．羅蘭茲分享於臉書的帳單，還附上這樣一段話：「在任何情況下都不跟這位女士收費。我們24小時待命，以便協助與讓她儘可能過得舒適。」

Anderson insists that she will have "free plumbing for life."

安德森堅持，老婦享有「終身免費的水電服務」。

But this isn’t a first act of kindness for Anderson. Since turning his plumbing business into a community project for vulnerable people, he says he’s helped and assisted thousands of people.

這並非安德森的首次善舉。自從他把他的水電事業轉為服務弱勢者的社區計畫，他說，他已幫忙與協助數千人。

That’s 2,389 people since March 2017 to be precise, he told CNN.

他告訴美國有線電視新聞網，確切來說，自2017年3月起的人數是2389人。

新聞辭典

free of charge：慣用語，不收錢，免費。charge，費用（名詞），索價（動詞）。例句：How much should I charge for my services?（我該對我的服務開多少價？）

under any circumstances：慣用語，在任何情況下。例句：Gender inequality is wholly unacceptable under any circumstances.（任何情況下的性別不平等都令人完全無法接受的。）

to be precise：片語，確切地說，準確來說。例句：There was a good turnout for the pre-conference workshop yesterday - 20 of us to be precise.（昨天的會前研討會出席率很不錯──準確來說，有20人到場。）

Tours, Tragedy, and Trash on Mount Everest多災多難的聖母峰

【摘要2019.12.26.蘋果】

Climbing Mount Everest is a dream for adventure lovers worldwide. Unfortunately, this situation doesn’t happen anymore. The highest mountain in the world has become so crowded that sometimes climbers must wait in long lines before they reach the top.

The increase in climbers has caused a number of accidents and deaths. During the 2019 climbing season, 11 people died climbing Mount Everest. That made this one of the most dangerous seasons in the mountain’s history.

攀登聖母峰是全世界愛好冒險者的夢想。不幸的是，這種情況不會再發生。這座世界上最高的山峰已經變得很擁擠，以至於有時登山者在到達山頂之前必須大排長龍。

登山者的增加已經導致了若干起事故和死亡。在 2019 年的登山旺季間，已經有十一人在攀登聖母峰時死亡。這使今年成為該山歷史上最危險的登山季之一。

生活必備字詞

crowded a. 擁擠的
The bus is too crowded for us to get on.

Woman offers $7K reward, hires plane in search of stolen dog為搜尋失竊愛犬，女子懸賞7000美元，還租飛機

【摘要2019.12.26.自由】◎孫宇青

Emilie Talermo from San Francisco offered a $7,000 reward and has hired a plane to fly over the city to search for her blue-eyed miniature Australian Shepherd stolen from outside a grocery store.

來自舊金山的艾蜜莉．塔勒摩，提供7000美元（逾21萬台幣）報酬，並租下一架飛機，飛越整座城市搜尋她的藍眼睛迷你澳洲牧羊犬。這隻狗狗在一家商店外被人拐走。

The small plane, which cost an additional $1,200 flied a banner with the website she set up to find her 5-year-old dog, Jackson. "I am just one person and I really need to get the word out there," she said.

這架另花1200美元（逾3.6萬台幣）租下的小飛機，掛上寫有一串網址的旗幟，那是她為了搜尋5歲的傑克森特地架設的網站。她說：「我只有一個人，真的很需要把消息散播出去。」

Talermo and her friends have distributed thousands of flyers with the photo of the 13-kilogram dog with a white, black, and gray fur and bright blue eyes.

塔勒摩和她的朋友已發送數千張傳單，上頭印有這隻13公斤重、毛色為白、黑、灰相間，並擁有明亮雙眼的狗狗照片。

To help finance her search, Talermo launched a GoFundMe, where she has raised more than $7,000. She plans to donate the extra money to Rocket Dog Rescue.

為了資助她的搜尋計畫，塔勒摩還透過群眾募資平台「GoFundMe」籌措資金，已募集逾7000美元。她計畫將剩餘的錢捐給動物救援組織「Rocket Dog Rescue」。

"Those people I’ve met throughout the years know my love for this dog. I’m just blown away by everyone’s support," she said.（AP）

她說：「這幾年我遇到的人都知道我有多愛這隻狗狗，對於眾人鼎力相助，我感到受寵若驚。」（美聯社）

新聞辭典

miniature：名詞或形容詞，小型的；縮樣。例句：The miniature of the Taipei 101 is highly popular.（台北101大樓的模型非常受歡迎。）

get the word out：慣用片語，宣傳；散布消息。例句：Let’s get the word out to everyone that we won the global contract.（我們把爭取到國際訂單的消息告訴大家吧！）

flyer：名詞，廣告傳單。例句：Our mailbox is stuffed with flyers.（我們家的信箱被傳單塞爆了。）