week1-臺中國家歌劇院

National Taichung Theater brings performance venue to central Taiwan

2014/11/23

By Christie Chen and Hau Hsueh-chin


Taipei, Nov. 23 (CNA) Central Taiwan's first opera house opened Sunday with a grand ceremony to inaugurate what Culture Minister Lung Ying-tai called "the pride of Taichung."

Designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning Japanese architect Toyo Ito, the eye-catchingly modern National Taichung Theater boasts a 2,014-seat grand theater, a 800-seat theater and a 200-seat black box.

The architecturally complex theater was an engineering challenge constructed entirely without beams or columns and relying instead on 58 curved wall units. It is believed to be the first theater in the world to employ such a construction technique.

While the outside walls appear to be smooth surfaces thanks to the installation of glass windows, the basic structure itself is a series of tubular voids connected together.

Called a "sound cave" by Ito, the state-of-the-art opera house took nearly 5 years to complete at a cost of NT$4.36 billion (US$141 million).

President Ma Ying-jeou, who attended the inauguration ceremony, expressed hope that the theater will help his administration reach its goal of "rejuvenating the country through culture."

He gave credit to Taichung Mayor Jason Hu, who is up for re-election next week, for turning the daunting architectural challenge into a reality.

Culture Minister Lung, meanwhile, thanked the workers who helped construct the building along with city government employees.

A series of performances by prominent local groups will take place at the opera house starting this month to celebrate its inauguration.

The series begins Sunday with a production of "Cat Man" by Taiwanese opera troupe Ming Hwa Yuan Arts and Cultural Group.

Paper Windmill Theater will then perform its production of "Don Quixote" Nov. 27 and Nov. 28, which will be followed by a concert by Taiwanese violinist Hu Nai-yuan and the Taiwan Connection Chamber Orchestra on Dec. 7. Ju Percussion Group will then give a performance on Dec. 13.

The National Taichung Theater is part of the government's efforts to strengthen support for and improve the quality and international competitiveness of Taiwan's performing arts.

It is being touted as a leg of the "golden triangle" for the performing arts in Taiwan, alongside Taipei's

National Theater and Concert Hall and Kaohsiung's Wei-Wu-Ying Center for the Arts, the latter of which is set to be completed next year.

The Ministry of Culture will take over the operation of the National Taichung Theater starting in January next year. 

source: http://focustaiwan.tw/news/aedu/201411230024.aspx

The keywords:

1.beams 樑 (n.)

2.columns 柱子 (n.)

3.inauguration 就職典禮 (n.)

4.rejuvenate 使年輕，使恢復 (v.)

5.daunting 使人畏縮的 (a.)

6.prominent 卓越的，顯著的 (a.)

7.competitiveness 競爭力 (n.) 

Structure of the Lead：

      WHO-  Toyo Ito

      WHEN- November 23,2014

      WHAT- A great architecture in Taichung City 

      WHY- No mentioned

      WHERE- Taichung City

      HOW- Designed by a Japanese anarchistic  

week-5天津爆炸

China explosions: What we know about what happened in Tianjin
17 August 2015

How did the blasts happen?

They took place at a warehouse at the port which contained hazardous and flammable chemicals, including calcium carbide, sodium cyanide, potassium nitrate, ammonium nitrate and sodium nitrate.

Officials insist it is not yet clear what triggered the blasts and say they are still investigating. Chinese media said that at least one member of staff from Tianjin Dongjiang Port Ruihai International Logistics, which owns the warehouse, has been arrested.
Before the explosions, several firefighters were already at the scene trying to control a blaze. There have been suggestions that water sprayed on some of the chemicals could have led to the blasts.

Calcium carbide, known to be at the site, reacts with water to create the highly explosive acetylene.

Chemical experts suggest an acetylene blast could then have detonated the other chemicals for a much larger blast.

How big were the explosions?

The China Earthquake Networks Centre said the initial explosion, in a city with a population of around 15 million, had a power equivalent to three tonnes of TNT detonating, while the second was the equivalent of 21 tonnes.

The second was so big that satellites orbiting Earth picked it up as well. Chinese data site Cnbeta published pictures showing the sudden flare.

How bad is the devastation?

The explosion destroyed a significant amount of goods stored at and around the port, in the Binhai New District.

Large shipping containers were tossed into the air like matchsticks and were crumpled by the blasts.

A logistics park containing several thousand cars was incinerated by the fireball. Renault says some 1,500 of its cars were lost, while Hyundai said it had around 4,000 cars on the site - although it has not yet assessed the level of damage.

The blast wave rippled out several kilometers from the port into residential areas. The impact rocked entire buildings, shattered windows and tore doors off their hinges.

More than 720 people were taken to hospital, of whom nearly 60 are either critically or seriously injured. Reuters reports that several thousand people living near the port have had to leave their homes, and are now staying in local schools.

How are the blasts being dealt with?

More than 1,000 firefighters were dispatched to the scene to contain the fires. On Monday, authorities said they were putting out one last area that was still burning, and the last of the toxic chemicals would be neutralized and disposed of by the end of the day. More than 200 chemical and biological experts from the military were on site earlier.

President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have vowed to hold a thorough investigation and ensure "open and transparent information disclosure to the public". 

China has also ordered a nationwide check on dangerous chemicals and explosives.

Is it safe?

About 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide was present at the site. It is soluble in water and, when dissolved or burned, it releases the highly poisonous gas hydrogen cyanide.

Authorities on Monday confirmed that three waste water discharge monitoring stations within the evacuated area saw excessive levels of cyanide, with one station recording a level 27.4 times the normal limit, reported People's Daily.

But authorities have insisted that the pollutants are contained and not at risk of spreading beyond the evacuated area.

What impact will this have on Tianjin port?

Tianjin is a significant industrial port near Beijing, and is a gateway for goods going in and out of the capital and China's industrial north. It is also a main trading hub for metals and steel.

The port remains partially open as the explosion was contained in one section.

But authorities have imposed stringent checks and movement in and out of the port has slowed down, which is likely to affect some industries, the Mysteel.com news portal reported.

Mining giant BHP Billiton saw some disruption to its port operations and shipments.

On Monday, car maker Toyota said it was closing production lines at its factories near Tianjin until the end of Wednesday, while agricultural machinery maker John Deere said it suspended work indefinitely. Both saw some of their workers injured by the blasts.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-33844084

Structure of the Lead：

      WHO-  Tianjin Dongjiang Port Ruihai International Logistics

      WHEN- August 12, 2015

      WHAT-  Explosions in China

      WHY- Hazardous and flammable chemicals were triggered the blasts

      WHERE- Tianjin port, China  

      HOW- The explosion destroyed a significant amount of goods stored at and around the port

1.ammonium (n.) 銨

2.acetylene (n.) 乙炔，俗稱風煤、電石氣、電土

3.detonated (v.) 使爆炸,使爆

4.incinerated (v.) 燒成灰,燒棄,灰化

5.dispatched (v.) 派遣
6.neutralized (v.) 使中立,使成中立地帶,使中和,抵銷

7.stringent (a.) 迫切的,嚴厲的

week-6-巴黎恐攻

Father's Talk With Son About Paris Terror Attack Goes Viral

NOV 17 2015
A heart-wrenching video of a French father reassuring his young son about the Paris terror massacre has been shared more than 11 million times on Facebook.

In the clip, which aired on Canal+ television show "Le Petit Journal," a reporter asks the boy if he understands why extremists killed people in Paris on Friday.

The father, later identified as Angel Le, tries to explain the floral tributes outside the Bataclan theatre, where the majority of the victims of Friday's attacks were killed.

"What about the baddies, Dad?" asks his son, Brandon. "They've got guns."

"They've got guns but we have flowers," Le replies.

In a comment posted on the Facebook clip, Le wrote: "I'm the dad with the little boy, thank you all for the great comments that you have posting for us. When I see all this support it tells me one thing: I'm proud to be French and proud of my fellow countrymen!"

Here is the interview in full:

Journalist: Do you understand what's happened? Do you understand why these people have done this?

Boy: Yes, because they are very, very, very bad. Bad people aren't very nice. And you have to be very careful because you need to move house.

Father: No, don't worry, we don't have to move. France is our home.

Boy: But what about the baddies, Dad?

Father: There are baddies everywhere. There are bad guys everywhere.

Boy: They've got guns. They can shoot us because they're very, very bad, Daddy.

Father: They've got guns but we have flowers.

Boy: But flowers don't do anything. They're for... they're for... they're for...

Father: Look, everyone is laying flowers here.

Boy: Yes.

Father: It's to fight against the guns.

Boy: Is it for protection?

Father: That's right.

Boy: And the candles too?

Father: They're so we don't forget the people who have gone.

Boy: Oh. The flowers and candles are there to protect us?

Father: Yes.

Journalist: Do you feel better now?

Boy: Yes, I feel better. 

source: http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/paris-terror-attacks/fathers-talk-son-about-paris-terror-attack-goes-viral-n464981

Structure of the Lead：

      WHO- A French father and his young son

      WHEN- November 17, 2015

      WHAT- A touching talk

      WHY- Not mention

      WHERE- Paris

      HOW- Not mention

week-4美醫師殺獅王

American Hunter Killed Cecil, Beloved Lion Who Was Lured Out of His Sanctuary

JULY 28, 2015

Cecil, a 13-year-old lion, wandered out of his sanctuary in a national park in Zimbabwe this month, following the scent of a potential snack. At the other end of Cecil’s search was a lure, placed there by hunters who, conservationists say, wanted their prey to cross into unprotected territory so they could kill him.

Cecil, well known to those who visited the Hwange National Park in western Zimbabwe for his jet-black mane, was beheaded, according to conservation officials. His corpse was left to rot in the sun.

Zimbabwean officials said that Dr. Walter J. Palmer, an American hunter known for killing big game with a bow and arrow, killed Cecil, and was being sought on poaching charges.

Johnny Rodrigues of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said Cecil was lured out of a protected game preserve one night in early July by a hunting party that tied a dead animal to a car.

The first shot, which the authorities say came from Dr. Palmer’s crossbow, was not enough to kill the lion. Cecil was tracked for nearly two days before Dr. Palmer killed him with a gun.

The details of the lion’s death have outraged nature enthusiasts and conservationists around the world who are troubled by wealthy big-game hunters who pay tens of thousands of dollars for licenses to kill protected animals for trophies and sport.

Hunting advocates and some conservationists argue that, if done responsibly, the selling of expensive licenses to big-game hunters can help pay for efforts to protect endangered species.

The group argued that a limited hunt helped thin the herd of weak rhinos so the population could grow, and that the $350,000 paid in 2014 by a reality show host to hunt the animal would help fund Namibia’s conservation efforts.

Structure of the Lead：

      WHO-  An American dentist 、 A male Southwest African lion

      WHEN- JULY 28, 2015

      WHAT-  An American dentist who killed the lion named Cecil in a brutal way

      WHY-  The dentist claimed that he just enjoyed his hobby and hunted in legally

      WHERE-  In the Hwange National Park in Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe

      HOW- He lured the Cecil out of the sancuay and shot and wounded with an arrow . 

                   The lion was then skinned and his head was removed.

keywords 

1.sanctuary(n.) 避難所

2.lure(v.) 引誘

souce: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/29/world/africa/american-hunter-is-accused-of-killing-cecil-a-beloved-lion-in-zimbabwe.html

week-3MERS

South Korea has first two Mers deaths

 

31 July 2015  By 

Dennis Normile

  Authorities in South Korea have declared “war” on what they say is the worst outbreak of a deadly respiratory Mers virus outside the Middle East. The country said it was stepping up its response on Friday after fourth victim died and the number of people infected with the disease rose to 41.

  More than 1,600 people have been placed now under quarantine, media reports said, while the outbreak of the disease, for which there is no vaccine, has led to the temporary closure of more than 1,000 schools and colleges.

  Thousands of people have called a government hotline seeking advice. It is the worst Mers outbreak outside Saudi Arabia, where the respiratory virus is thought to have originated three years ago.

  In echoes of the severe acute respiratory syndrome [Sars] outbreak more than a decade ago, anxious residents were stocking up on surgical masks and airports were stepping up screening efforts after the outbreak in South Korea was traced to a 68-year-old man who had been traveling in the Middle East. The fourth Mers patient to die was a 76-year-old man who had tested positive for the virus in late May. The victim, who was not named, had come into close contact with the first confirmed Mers patient, Yonhap news agency said.

  The World Health Organisation (WHO) said South Korea could expect more cases, but cautioned against unnecessary panic. Most of the cases are linked to a single hospital south of Seoul, and there is no evidence of “sustained transmission in the community,” the UN health body said.

  The mayor of Seoul, Park Won-soon, criticised the government for not reporting the Mers diagnosis of a doctor at a large hospital in Seoul who is believed to have been at a public meeting attended by about 1,500 people while infectious. “From now on, Seoul city is embarking on a war against Mers. We will take swift and stern measures to protect the lives and safety of our citizens,” Park told reporters Friday.

  Symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, with an average incubation period of five to six days. It can be contracted only through close contact with sufferers, but camels are also thought capable of spreading the virus. South Korea has quarantined 17 camels at the country’s zoos.

Source:http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/05/south-korea-declares-war-on-mers-virus-as-death-toll-rises

Structure of the Lead：

      WHO-  South Korea government

      WHEN- 31 July 2015

      WHAT-  MERS

      WHY-  The government didn't take good step of preventing MERS from spreading 

      WHERE-  South Korea 

      HOW- By respiratory infections

Key words:

1.quarantine (v.) 隔離，封鎖交通

2.vaccine (n.) 疫苗 (adj.) 疫苗的

3.incubation (n.) 潛伏期

• From the sectionAsia

week-1地中海船難

UN says 800 migrants dead in boat disaster as Italy launches rescue of two more vessels

Monday 20 April 2015

　The United Nations has confirmed that the death toll from the weekend’s Mediterranean boat disaster is at least 800 – with the victims being of multiple nationalities. 

　
　Following interviews with some of the 27 survivors from the tragedy who arrived at the Italian port of Catania, officials for both the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that some of the dead were children between the ages of 10 and 12.

　
　Police at the port also confirmed a Tunisian and a Syrian man who was among the survivors had been taken into custody over suspicions they were members of a smuggling gang thought to have organized the fatal voyage. 

　
　“There were a little over 800 people on board, including children aged between 10 and 12. There were Syrians, about 150 Eritreans, Somalians … They had left Tripoli at about 8 am on Saturday.” 

　
　“The only way you can stop the deaths is to stop the people smuggling trade. The only way you can stop the deaths is, in fact, to stop the boats,” Abbott told reporters in the nation’s capital, Canberra. “That’s why it is so urgent that the countries of Europe adopt very strong policies that will end the people smuggling trade across the Mediterranean.”

　
　Before Sunday’s disaster, aid agencies estimated that 20,000 migrants had reached the Italian coast this year and 900 had died.



http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/20/italy-pm-matteo-renzi-migrant-shipwreck-crisis-srebrenica-massacre

Structure of the Lead：

      WHO- migrants

      WHEN-19 April 2015

      WHAT- Mediterranean shipwreck

      WHY- No mentioned

      WHERE- Mediterranean Sea

      HOW- ship crash

week-2翁山蘇姬

Nobel Lecture by Aung San Suu Kyi 


 If I am asked why I am fighting for human rights in Burma the above passages will provide the answer. If I am asked why I am fighting for democracy in Burma, it is because I believe that democratic institutions and practices are necessary for the guarantee of human rights.

  Over the past year there have been signs that the endeavors of those who believe in democracy and human rights are beginning to bear fruit in Burma. There have been changes in a positive direction; steps towards democratization have been taken. If I advocate cautious optimism it is not because I do not have faith in the future but because I do not want to encourage blind faith. Without faith in the future, without the conviction that democratic values and fundamental human rights are not only necessary but possible for our society, our movement could not have been sustained throughout the destroying years. Some of our warriors fell at their post, some deserted us, but a dedicated core remained strong and committed. At times when I think of the years that have passed, I am amazed that so many remained staunch under the most trying circumstances. Their faith in our cause is not blind; it is based on a clear-eyed assessment of their own powers of endurance and a profound respect for the aspirations of our people.

  It is because of recent changes in my country that I am with you today; and these changes have come about because of you and other lovers of freedom and justice who contributed towards a global awareness of our situation. Before continuing to speak of my country, may I speak out for our prisoners of conscience. There still remain such prisoners in Burma. It is to be feared that because the best known detainees have been released, the remainder, the unknown ones, will be forgotten. I am standing here because I was once a prisoner of conscience. As you look at me and listen to me, please remember the often repeated truth that one prisoner of conscience is one too many. Those who have not yet been freed, those who have not yet been given access to the benefits of justice in my country number much more than one. Please remember them and do whatever is possible to effect their earliest, unconditional release.



Source: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1991/kyi-lecture_en.html

Structure of the Lead：

      WHO-  Aung San Suu Kyi

      WHEN- 16 June, 2012

      WHAT-  Speech for Nobel Prize

      WHY-

      WHERE- at a British Council and University of London

      HOW- 

1.endeavors (n.) 努力，盡力
2.advocate (v.) 主張，倡導
3.fundamental (adj.) 根本的