Week 4 - 我想念我自己

Julianne Moore takes best actress Oscar for 'Still Alice'

Thomson Reuters Feb 23, 2015 @ 12:30 AM

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Julianne Moore won the best actress Oscar on Sunday for her role as a university professor with Alzheimer's disease in "Still Alice".

The win marked Moore's first Academy Award after being nominated four times previously. The 54-year-old actress was favored to win this year's prize after picking up Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA awards earlier this year.

"I read an article that said that winning an Oscar could lead to living five years longer," Moore said while accepting her award. "If that's true I'd really like to thank the Academy because my husband is younger than me."

In "Still Alice," the veteran actress plays a brilliant lecturer and beautiful redhead who is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at 50. The small budget film was picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures only in September, thanks to Moore's award-winning potential.

Last year, she said she was attracted to the role because she had never seen Alzheimer's portrayed from the point of view of the patient.

The film was adapted from the novel "Still Alice" by Lisa Genova and was directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland.

Moore has been among Hollywood's most celebrated actresses for the last 20 years, earning Oscar nominations for previous roles in "Boogie Nights," "The End of the Affair," "The Hours" and "Far from Heaven."

She also won an Emmy in 2012 for her acclaimed turn as politician Sarah Palin in the television movie "Game Change."

(Reporting By Nichola Groom; Editing by Sandra Maler and Ken Wills)

http://www.globalpost.com/article/6399772/2015/02/22/julianne-moore-takes-best-actress-oscar-still-alice

Structure of the lead

WHO - Julianne Moore

WHAT - Julianne Moore won the best actress Oscar.

WHEN - Sunday

WHERE - not given

WHY - Because of Julianne Moore's role as a university professor with Alzheimer's disease in "Still Alice"

HOW - not given

Keywords

1. veteran (n.) 老兵；老手；富有經驗的人

2. be diagnosed with 被診斷...

3. be attracted to 被...吸引

4. portray (v.) 扮演；表現

5. acclaim (v.n.) 歡呼；喝采；稱讚

Week 3 - 上海跨年踩踏致死

Shanghai new year crush kills 36

1 January 2015

A crush at New Year's Eve celebrations in Shanghai has killed 36 people and injured some 47 others, Chinese officials say.

The crush happened in Chenyi Square in Shanghai's historic Bund district overlooking the Huangpu river.

Thousands of people had gathered to see in 2015.

Social media reports suggest the stampede was triggered by people stopping to pick up fake money thrown from the balcony of a nightclub.

The Shanghai City government said the situation began to deteriorate at 23:35 local time (15:35 GMT) and that a "working group" had been set up to handle the incident.

Many of the dead are believed to be students, with 25 of them women, state media report.

President Xi Jinping has told the Shanghai government to find the causes of the crush as soon as possible, according to state TV.

A traditional new year fireworks display on the Bund had already been cancelled due to official fears of overcrowding, the Shanghai Daily reports.

The BBC's John Sudworth in Shanghai says the investigation may focus on why so many people turned out despite the cancellation and whether there were enough police resources in place to look after them.

'Too many people'

English tourist Rebecca Thomas from Manchester told the BBC she had seen dead bodies on the ground.

Another Sino Weibo user, Small Metal Makes Steel, said: "At the time there were lots of people, police at the scene maintained order and wouldn't let people near [the scene of the injuries]."

"Lots of people spontaneously linked hands to block the crowds, so the injured had space to settle down, and to allow a clear passage for ambulances," he added.

In a statement, the Shanghai City government said that those hurt had been transferred to hospitals across the city, and that the Shanghai party secretary had visited some of the injured.

Earlier, Shanghai's police department wrote on its verified social media account that some "tourists" had "fallen over" at the Bund, and urged people to leave the area in an orderly fashion.

According to the Shanghai Daily, close to 300,000 people turned up for New Year's Eve celebrations last year, leading to traffic problems.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-30646918

Structure of Lead :

Who - 83 people from all over the world 

When - December 31th in 2014

Where - Shanghai's historic Bund District

What - A crush at New Year's Eve celebrations in Shanghai has killed 36 people and injured some 47 others.

Why - Because thousands of people had gathered to see in 2015 New Year's Eve celebrations, it caused the incident of trampling

How - Not given

Keywords:

1. overlook 俯瞰

2. stampede 使亂擁 蜂擁

3. trigger 引起 觸發

4. deteriorate 使惡化 

5. overcrowd 使過度擁擠

6. spontaneously 自發地

7. settle down 安頓下來

8. party 政黨

Week 2 - 台中歌劇院

National Taichung Theater brings performance venue to central Taiwan

2014/11/23 21:00:17

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 reelection 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 Theatre 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.

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

Structure of the Lead：

WHO- National Taichung Theater

WHEN- Nov. 23

WHAT- Central Taiwan's first opera house opened Sunday with a grand ceremony and will then perform its production of "Don Quixote" Nov. 27 and Nov. 28. There were more and more performance showed there.

WHY- 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.

WHERE- Taichung

HOW- 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.

Keywords：

1. venue 場所

2. inaugurate 為...舉行開幕式

3. architect 建築師

4. beam 橫樑 (裝潢用)

5. column 圓柱

6. curved wall 拱型的牆

7. tubular voids 管狀的空隙

8. rejuvenate 使更有活力

9. daunt 使氣餒 使...膽怯

10. tout 吹捧

Week 1 - 頂新毒油

FOOD SCANDAL: Ting Hsin Oil & Fat chairman detained

Wed, Oct 15, 2014

By Chang Wen-chuan  /  Staff reporter, with CAN

A top executive of Ting Hsin Oil and Fat Industrial Co (頂新製油實業) and two from Cheng I Food Co (正義股份) were detained yesterday in connection with the ongoing cooking oil scandals. 

Ting Hsin Oil & Fat acting chairman and former general manager Chen Mao-chia (陳茂嘉) was detained after more than 10 hours of questioning by prosecutors in Changhua County overnight, following a search of the company headquarters. 

In Greater Kaohsiung, Cheng I president Ho Yu-jen (何育仁) and deputy chief procurement officer Hu Chin-min (胡金忞) were also detained. 

The two companies, both units of food conglomerate Ting Hsin International Group (頂新集團), are accused of using lard meant for animal feed in their cooking oil products. The incident — the third oil-related scandal to hit the conglomerate within a year — has sparked widespread outrage among consumers in Taiwan, leading to a campaign to boycott the group’s products and brands. Former Cheng I and Ting Hsin Oil & Fat chairman Wei Ying-chun (魏應充) held a news conference on Saturday to apologize to the public. He also announced that the two subsidiaries would suspend their operations until their procedures were improved. He is now under investigation by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. The Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said a meeting is to be held today among prosecutors from 13 local prosecutors’ offices who currently have food-related cases on hand. The meeting aims to integrate information and communications among the local prosecutors in a bid to enhance the efficiency of the investigations. The Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said a total of 48 food-related cases have been undertaken by prosecutors in Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Greater Taichung, Chuanghua County, Yunlin County, Chiayi, Greater Tainan, Greater Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Yilan County and Penghu. Althought the 48 cases may not all be of major food security concerns, particiants at the meeting today are to nonetheless discuss the cases and decide whether any warrant an expansion in terms of its probes, the office said. Meanwhile, according to the Pingtung District Prosecutors’ Office, Ting Hsin Oil & Fat Industrial had been indicted well before the latest revelations surfaced. The indictment against Ting Hsin Oil & Fat Industrial and three of its executives was handed down on Aug. 21 and covered charges of fraud, faking product labels and violating food safety regulations, charges dating back to an oil scandal that emerged late last year, the office said. Prosecutors said Ting Hsin Oil & Fat purchased low-cost oils from Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory Co (大統長基) that contained artificial coloring and cottonseed oil, but were marketed as more expensive products. It then processed those oils and also sold them as high-priced pure olive oil or grapeseed oil, making illicit gains, prosecutors said. Chang Chi Foodstuff’s scheme to pawn cheaper oils off as more expensive ones was not publicly exposed until October last year, when the Ting Hsin Group’s flagship Wei Chuan Foods Corp (味全食品工業) brand was also found to have sold the adulterated oil products for several years. After an investigation, prosecutors determined that Ting Hsin Oil & Fat was selling its adulterated oils to Wei Chuan on a contract basis. In the indictment, prosecutors alleged that the three of its executives knew the oils the company bought from Chang Chi were adulterated, yet continued to purchase and ship them to the Pingtung factory to be processed and packaged for Wei Chuan.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2014/10/15/2003602097

Structure of the lead :

WHO - A top executive of Ting Hsin Oil and Fat Industrial Co (頂新製油實業) and two from Cheng I Food Co.

WHEN - not given

WHAT - Top executives were detained.

WHY -  In connection with the ongoing cooking oil scandals

WHERE - not given

HOW - These executives processed those oils and also sold them as high-priced pure olive oil or grapeseed oil, making illicit gains.

Keywords :

1. scandal 醜聞

2. executive 執行者 決策者

3. detain 扣留 拘留

4. in connection with 與...有關

5. prosecutor 檢舉人 起訴人

6. deputy 代理的 

7. procurement 採購

8. conglomerate 企業集團

9. outrage 憤慨

10. boycott 抵制

11. subsidiary 子公司

12. undertake 著手做 從事 擔保 

13. probe 探查 探究

14. indictment 控告

15. grapeseed oil 葡萄仔油

16. illicit 非法的

17. adulterate 摻雜的

18. allege 宣稱 斷言

Week 7 - 喜馬拉雅山雪崩

Nepal blizzards and avalanches claim many lives

15 October 2014

A blizzard and several avalanches in the Himalayas in central Nepal are reported to have killed at least 26 trekkers and three farmers.

The highest number of deaths - two Israelis, two Poles and eight Nepalese - happened when a blizzard hit a point on the Annapurna Circuit. Many trekkers returning from the circuit remain out of contact. BBC South Asia Editor Charles Haviland says it is one the deadliest spells of bad weather ever seen in the region. Avalanches to the east and west have left 10 more people dead or presumed dead, among them Canadians, Slovaks and an Indian as well as local people. A French man also died after slipping into the Budhi Gandaki river in heavy rains. Severe rain and snowstorms in Nepal appear to have been triggered by Cyclone Hudhud in neighbouring India.

Analysis: Phanindra Dahal, BBC Nepali, Kathmandu

It has not been good a year for Nepal's trekking and mountaineering industry. An avalanche on Mount Everest in April killed 16 Sherpas - and resulted in a massive reduction of expeditions to the world's highest peak during the spring season.

The latest disaster comes during the peak trekking period. Thousands of tourists head to Nepal in October, and many of them enjoy its high altitude mountain passes and pristine beauty. The freak heavy snowfall caught the trekkers off guard.

The tragedy will badly hurt Nepal's tourism, with officials worried about the wider negative message it sends. Trekking and mountaineering are the key backbones of the industry - the major foreign exchange earner for Nepal.

An army official co-ordinating the search operation said two military helicopters had been sent from the capital Kathmandu to assist the rescue operation. Thousands of trekkers visit the Annapurna Circuit every October, when weather conditions are usually favourable for hiking trips. What appears to be a freak snowstorm a little under the highest pass caused mayhem, with many people still believed to be trapped in snow. Only a little to the east, near Mount Manaslu, a French man died after being swept into a river. The deaths come just months after 16 Sherpa mountain guides died in Nepal's worst ever accident on Mount Everest. Nepal's high peaks attract some of the world's best climbers - but trekking is generally safe and appeals to masses of ordinary outdoor enthusiasts.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29625605

Structure of the lead :

WHO - 26 trekkers and three farmers

WHEN - 15 October 2014

WHAT - A blizzard and several avalanches in the Himalayas in central Nepal are reported to have killed at least 26 trekkers and three farmers.

WHY - the bad weather and the freak heavy snowfall such as severe rain and snowstorms in Nepal 

WHERE - In the Himalayas in central Nepal

HOW - not given

Keywords :

1. avalanche (n.) 雪崩

2. trekker (n.) 登山者

3. out of contact 失聯

4. presume (v.) 推測 ; 假定

5. hudhud 炫風

6. mountaineering (n.) 登山運動

7. expedition (n.) 探險隊

8. pristine (a.) 清新的 ; 美麗的

9. freak (a.) 反常的

10. co-ordinating (a.) 協調的

11. favourable (a.) 有利的

12. mayhem (n.) 大混亂

Week 6 - 年輕演員吸毒

Jackie Chan's actor son Jaycee formally arrested on drug charges

Thursday, 18 September, 2014

Jaycee Chan has been formally arrested on drug charges, nearly a month after he was caught smoking marijuana in Beijing.

The prosecutor's office, or procuratorate, in Beijing's Dongcheng district approved the arrest of Jaycee Fong Cho-ming, son of international kung fu icon Jackie Chan, on suspicion of "accommodating drug users".

This signals that authorities are moving forward with the case against Jaycee, who is currently in detention.

Jaycee, 32, was taken away by police on August 14 with his friend Taiwanese actor Ko Chen-tung, 23, for doing drugs at a foot massage parlour in Beijing.

Police recovered more than 100 grams of marijuana from Chan's home in Beijing.

Mainland media reported that Jaycee Chan admitted that he first abused drugs in the Netherlands in 2006, while Ko did so for the first time in Jaycee’s home two years ago.

The public security bureau of Dongcheng had sought the procuratorate’s approval for Chan’s arrest on September 10, the statement on Weibo said.

Chinese police need official approval from prosecutors to formally arrest a suspect. During a period of formal arrest, police can continue to investigate. If they decide to criminally charge him, a trial would follow.

The maximum sentence for allowing others to take drugs in a property, workplace or hotel is three years’ imprisonment.

Ko was given a sentence of 14 days in administrative detention after he admitted using marijiuana.

On his release, he appeared at a news conference with his parents and agent and apologized for smoking the drug.

Jackie Chan, who was named an anti-drug ambassador in 2009 by Chinese authorities, has publicly apologized for his son’s drug use and pledged to work with him on his recovery.

A series of celebrities have been detained on drug charges following a declaration in June by President Xi Jinping that illegal drugs should be wiped out and that offenders would be severely punished.

Performing arts associations and theater companies in Beijing have pledged not to hire any actors connected with drugs, and national associations representing film actors, directors and producers have reportedly issued a notice saying members who repeatedly take drugs will be expelled and banned from making movies.

http://www.scmp.com/article/1594668/procuratorate-approves-arrest-jaycee-chan-drug-charges

Structure of the lead:

WHO - Jaycee Chan with his friend Taiwanese actor Ko Chen-tung,

WHEN - August 14

WHAT - Jaycee Chan has been formally arrested on drug charges, nearly a month after he was caught smoking marijuana in Beijing.

WHY - not given

WHERE – Beijing

HOW – Jaycee and his friend Taiwanese actor Ko Chen-tung,23, did drugs at a foot massage parlour in Beijing. Jaycee Chan admitted that he first abused drugs in the Netherlands in 2006, while Ko did so for the first time in Jaycee’s home two years ago. Ko was given a sentence of 14 days in administrative detention. On his release, he apologized for smoking the drugs.

Keywords:

1. marijuana (n.) 大麻

2. prosecutor (n.) 起訴人

3. procuratorate (n.) 檢查機關

4. suspicion (n.) 懷疑

5. detention (n.) 拘留

6. parlour (n.) 會客室

7. seek (sought) (v.) 搜索

8. trail (n.) 蹤跡

9. anti-drug (a.) 反毒的

10. ambassador (n.) 大使

11. pledge (v.) 發誓

12. detain (v.) 扣押

13. wipe out 徹底摧毀

14. offender (n.) 冒犯者

15. expel (v.) 驅逐

Week 5 - 高雄氣爆

Kaohsiung rocked by underground blasts

By Alison Hsiao  /  Staff reporter

Sat, Aug 02, 2014

A series of suspected gas explosions that shook Greater Kaohsiung from late Thursday night to early yesterday morning claimed at least 26 lives and injured 269 people.

The blasts tore through the city’s roads and dug a 100m trench up to 1.8m deep. At least 1.5km of roadways were damaged.

Cars and fire trucks were trapped and overturned in the rubble. Vehicles were hurled through the air, landing on the roofs of houses. Flames erupted from manholes after their covers were blasted off, with gouts of fire reaching 15 stories high.

According to the Greater Kaohsiung Government, at 8:46pm on Thursday it received reports of manholes spewing white smoke and the suspected smell of gas near Kaisyuan 3rd Road and Ersheng 1st Road in Cianjhen District (前鎮). A few hours after the first report, a series of explosions took place on Yisin Road, Ersheng Road, Sanduo Road and Guanghua Road in the same district, and in neighboring Lingya District (苓雅).

At press time, city government information showed that the incident had claimed 26 lives and injured 269. Among the 26 confirmed dead were three firefighters and one volunteer who rushed to the scene after residents smelled gas. Rescuers were also searching for two others who went missing.

At 8:30pm yesterday, two people were reportedly discovered alive under debris, and rescue workers were trying to free them using excavators, shovels and their bare hands. It has not been confirmed whether the two men are the two firefighters who were reported missing.

Some of the fatalities were homeowners checking out their properties after being informed about the first blasts.

Two injured people rescued from a fourth-floor balcony said that they had been propelled to the rooftop by the blasts.

The Chinese-language Apple Daily newspaper’s reporter Wei Bin (魏斌) was injured by the explosions, receiving second and third-degree burns over about 50 percent of his body, the paper reported.

Schools and work were called off in Cianjhen and Lingya districts yesterday.

Hundreds of troops and firefighters from neighboring Greater Tainan, Chiayi City, Taitung County and Pingtung County were deployed to support the rescue effort.

Yesterday morning, fires still burned on the streets, but the local government said that they were left burning to avoid further explosions, adding that the firefighting crew was on the scene to keep the fire from consuming nearby buildings.

The cause of the explosions had not been determined, with authorities now focusing on the volatile chemical propene — which is carried in pipelines that run alongside the city’s underground sewage system in the area — as the suspected cause.

Chemical companies such as CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油), China Petrochemical Development Corp (中石化), China General Terminal and Distribution Corp (CGTD, 華運), LCY Chemical Corp (李長榮化學) and Hsin Kao Gas Co Ltd (欣高), which have pipelines in the area, were called in by the city government’s emergency response center amid the inquiry into the cause of the fatal blasts.

Minister of Economic Affairs Chang Chia-juch (張家祝) said yesterday morning that natural gas has been excluded from the list of possible causes, adding that gas check valves in the area have been closed.

The Greater Kaohsiung Government said a 4-inch pipeline carrying propene was found to have encountered a pressure anomaly between 8:40pm and 9pm on Thursday night.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2014/08/02/2003596471

Structure of the lead:

WHO - gas explosion

WHEN -  late Thursday night to early yesterday morning

WHAT - A series of suspected gas explosion claimed at least 26 lives and injured 269 people.

WHY - The volatile chemical propene, which is carried in pipelines that run alongside the city’s underground sewage system in the area.

WHERE -  Kaisyuan 3rd Road and Ersheng 1st Road in Cianjhen District. Later, the explosion took place on Yisin Road, Ersheng Road, Sanduo Road and Guanghua Road in the same district, and in neighboring Lingya District (苓雅).

HOW - Cars and fire trucks were trapped and overturned in the rubble. Vehicles were hurled through the air, landing on the roofs of houses.Flames erupted from manholes after their covers were blasted off, with gouts of fire reaching 15 stories high.

Keywords:

1. suspected (a.) 可疑的

2. shake (v.) 使震驚 ; 使心煩意亂

3. claim (v.) 奪走

4. trench (n.) 溝渠

5. trapped (v.) 被困住的

6. rubble (n.) 碎石 ; 瓦礫

7. hurl (v.) 用力投擲

8. gout (n.) 一團

9. spew (v.) 噴出

10. press time 緊迫時刻

11. debris (n.) 殘骸 ; 碎片

12. excavator (n.) 挖掘機

13. shovel (n.) 鏟子

14. fatality (n.) 死亡

15. propel (v.) 驅使 ; 推動

16. call off 取消

17. crew (n.) 全體人員

18. consume (v.) 毀滅 ; 燒毀

19. volatile (a.) 不穩定的 ; 爆炸性的

20. propene (n.) 丙烯

21. sewage (n.) 下水道 ; 污水

22. valve (n.) 閥門

23. anomaly (n.) 不規則