Newspaper Cutting 013 - Coronavirus: German military asked to secure transport of face masks after US initially accused of ‘piracy’

Vocabulary : 
(1) Coronavirus = 冠狀病毒 
(2) military = 軍隊 
(3) secure = 確保安全 
(4) accused = 被指控 
(5) piracy = 海盜行為 
(6) troop support = 軍隊支持 
(7) destined for = 寄往 
(8) was diverted en route from = 被從…中轉移 
(9) lay blame on = 責怪某人 
(10) diversion = 轉移 
(11) an act of modern piracy = 現代海盜行為 
(12) surgical masks = 手術口罩 
(13) conflicting reports = 矛盾的報告 
(14) mysterious disappearance = 神秘失踪 
(15) airlifting = 空運 
(16) had criticised = 曾批評 
(17) confiscated = 沒收 
(18) transatlantic partners = 跨太平洋伙伴 
(19) retract = 收回 
(20) embassy = 大使館 
(21) amid = 之中 
(22) reluctant = 不情願 
(23) private carriers = 私人的運輸工具 
(24) civilian = 平民 
(25) exhausted = 筋疲力盡 
(26) fatalities = 死亡人數 
(27) criticise = 批評 
(28) medical gowns = 醫用保護衣 
(29) in the meantime = 與此同時 
(30) opposition party = 反對黨 
(31) state assembly = 州議會 
(32) deliberately misleading = 故意誤導 
(33) disinformation = 虛假信息 
(34) fate = 命運 
(35) scapegoat = 代罪羔羊 
(36) conceal = 隱藏 
(37) incompetence = 無能 
(38) eagerness = 渴望 
(39) urge = 敦促 

#############################

Coronavirus: German military asked to secure transport of face masks after US initially accused of ‘piracy’ 

Request for troop support came after a delivery of 200,000 face masks destined for the German capital was diverted en route from China 

German officials initially laid blame on US, one calling diversion of shipment ‘an act of modern piracy’ 

The Berlin city government has asked the German military for assistance in securing the transport of surgical masks and other protective medical clothing after conflicting reports about the mysterious disappearance of 200,000 face masks Berlin had bought for its police department. 

A spokesman for the Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces, confirmed a request for the military help had been made and was being studied after Dilek Kalayci, the city’s minister for health, said on Sunday the city urgently needed its assistance in airlifting medical supplies to Germany’s largest city for the battle against the coronavirus crisis. 

Another senior Berlin city government official, Interior Minister Andreas Geisel, had criticised the United States on Friday, saying that 200,000 FFP2 masks made by American firm 3M in China had been “confiscated” at Bangkok’s airport with “wild west methods”. 

He said the diversion was “an act of modern piracy. This is no way to treat transatlantic partners”. 

The comments were later retracted and city officials said they were investigating the disappearance of the face masks. 

Similar criticism came from France where officials have accused unidentified Americans of paying higher prices to secure masks in China that had already been headed to France. 

The US embassy in Paris was quoted saying any suggestion that the US government was involved in such practices was “completely false”. 

“We’ve made an official request to the Bundeswehr for assistance,” Kalayci, the Berlin health minister, told the Berliner Morgenpost newspaper amid the uncertainty about the fate of the missing face masks. “I’ve made an urgent appeal to the defence minister for the Bundeswehr to take over the transport and fly the protective medical materials to Berlin.” 

During the coronavirus crisis, the Bundeswehr has been on occasion involved in helping transport medical supplies across Germany in an emergency situation but has not yet been involved in any overseas transport mission. In general, the Bundeswehr transport mission flights do not carry any weapons. 

German officials also point that the German military was reluctant to get involved in transporting materials on routes where commercial airlines were available because it does not want to compete with private carriers. 

“Civilian and commercial options should be used first,” a Bundeswehr spokesman told the South China Morning Post. “The Bundeswehr will hold back as long as possible and only act when the civilian and commercial options are exhausted.” 

The scramble for medical-grade face masks has escalated in recent days as the numbers of confirmed Covid-19 cases and fatalities continued to rise. In Germany more than 95,000 people are now infected, and 1,447 have died. Worldwide, more than 1.2 million had been infected and almost 69,000 have died. 

Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller, who had also criticised the United States as “irresponsible” on Friday, later announced that two million face masks and 300,000 medical gowns made in China had made it safely to Berlin on Sunday. 

“Good news,” Mueller wrote on Twitter (@RegBerlin). “In the meantime, more than two million face masks and 300,000 protective gowns have arrived in Berlin.” 

The leader of the main opposition party in the Berlin state assembly, Burkhard Dregger of the conservative Christian Democrats, accused Mueller of “deliberately misleading” the public with “disinformation” about the fate of the missing masks. 

“The government is looking for a scapegoat and trying to conceal its own incompetence for failing to secure enough protective gear,” said Dregger. 

The public’s growing eagerness to wear face masks has increased sharply in recent days, especially after Germany’s Robert Koch Institute disease control agency changed its recommendations on cloth face masks, urging Germans to wear them in public. 

“The face masks could help to protect others but they don’t help protect the wearer themselves,” said Lothar Wieler, the head of the Robert Koch Institute, at a news conference late last week. “That’s important to understand.” 

The about-face came after Austria and the east German city of Jena said that face masks would be required for anyone going into shops or public areas from Monday. Previously, the Koch institute had only recommended that people with respiratory infections should wear the masks to protect others. 

More German scientists and experts are now pointing out that wearing even non-medical grade masks in public can protect others, which is contributed to a major shift in public opinion and the more widespread use of masks that had long been common in Asia. 

An opinion poll by the Forsa polling institute for RTL television recently found that 57 per cent of 1,004 Germans surveyed are in favour of requiring Germans to wear face masks in public while 35 per cent were opposed.

Source : https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3078565/coronavirus-german-military-asked-secure-transport-face-masks

回主頁

Newspaper Cutting 012 - Falling through the cracks: Many Americans won't get coronavirus checks

Vocabulary : 
(1) falling through the cracks = 遭遺漏、被遺忘 
(2) trillion = 兆 (萬億) 
(3) immigrant = 移民 
(4) disabled = 傷殘人士 
(5) urgency = 緊急 
(6) fine-tune = 微調 
(7) the bill = 法案 
(8) contingency = 可能發生的事 
(9) opted = 選擇了 
(10) eligibility = 合格 
(11) tax returns = 報稅表 
(12) Congress = 國會 
(13) livelihoods = 生計 
(14) pandemic = 大流行 
(15) qualify = 合資格 
(16) dependent = 依賴的 
(17) roughly = 大概 
(18) Social Security Administration = (美國)社會安全局 
(19) Veterans Affairs = 退伍軍人事務部 
(20) nonverbal = 非語言 
(21) another nail in the coffin = 棺材的另一口釘 (意指送你一程) 
(22) entirely = 完全 
(23) discouraging = 不鼓勵 
(24) struggle = 鬥爭 
(25) aliens = 外僑 
(26) wipes = 濕巾 
(27) diapers = 尿布 
(28) stimulus = 刺激 
(29) scale down = 縮小 
(30) split = 分裂 
(31) custody = 保管 
(32) divorced = 離婚 
(33) estranged = 分居 
(34) spouse = 伴侶 
(35) tax refund = 退稅 
(36) garnish (v) = 裝飾 
(37) overdue = 逾期 
(38) decade = 十年 
(39) a huge chunk = 一大部分 

#######################

Falling through the cracks: Many Americans won't get coronavirus checks 

Although the $2 trillion stimulus bill passed last month includes payments of up to $1,200 for everyone who makes less than the limit, many Americans will fall through the cracks. That includes most college kids, immigrants without Social Security numbers and some disabled adults. 

Why so many gaps? Part of it is the urgency that faced Congress as it rushed to get money to Americans as fast as possible. There wasn't much time to fine-tune the bill to address every contingency. Lawmakers opted to base eligibility on tax returns, even though many people don't file them. 

Congress also wanted to ensure that the money goes to those who really need it now. Most Americans could use some extra cash even in the best of times. But some people's livelihoods have been more directly affected by the pandemic than others. 

For those who qualify, payments will start going out from the IRS in mid-April. The IRS is using 2019 tax returns to determine eligibility or 2018 returns for those who haven't filed for 2019 yet. 

Here's a look at who falls through the cracks: 

College students and 17-year-olds 

If someone else claims you as a dependent on their taxes, you won't get your own check. Parents will get an extra $500 payment per child, but that's only for kids under 17. 

Most 17-year-olds, some young adults and many of the country's roughly 20 million college students are claimed by their parents as dependents. They won't get checks, and their parents won't get an extra $500. 

"They're not on their own. And so you feed them and you still provide for them," said Susan Anderson of Lubbock, Texas, who has a 19-year-old at home and a 23-year-old about to graduate from college. "So you're not getting anything, and they're not getting anything. There's a huge gap." 

Disabled people whose parents support them 

People who get disability benefits from the Social Security Administration or Veterans Affairs are eligible for the payments — but not disabled adults who are claimed as dependents by their parents or other relatives on their taxes. 

Jennifer Irwin's son Simon, 21, who is nonverbal, lives about an hour's drive from her Delaware home at a center for disabled adults, where he was placed by the state. Because she claims him on her taxes, he won't get a check — a blow Irwin described as "another nail in the coffin." 

"Just because he's not under 17 doesn't mean he should be excluded from the credit parents are getting. He's still entirely dependent. I still buy all his clothes," Irwin said. "It's discouraging. I mean, we struggle enough as it is." 

Seniors living with their kids 

Senior citizens who are on Social Security or make less than the income cap are eligible. But the "dependent" rule applies to them, too. Some seniors who live with their adult children or other relatives are claimed by them as dependents on their taxes. Those seniors won't get checks. 

Immigrants without Social Security numbers 

You don't have to be a U.S. citizen to get a payment. But you do need a valid Social Security number. That means immigrants with green cards and those on H-1B and H-2A visas will get payments. Nonresident aliens, temporary workers and immigrants in the U.S. illegally won't. 

Babies born in 2020 

The $500 payment per child, like the individual payments, is based on 2019 taxes. So parents who welcomed babies into the world in the first months of this year won't get money for them now. Instead, they'll likely get $500 credits next year when they file their 2020 taxes. 

Craig Schoenberger and his wife had their first child, Aaron, in February. He said they're finding that the pandemic is driving up prices for things like baby wipes and diapers. 

"He has a Social Security number now. In some branch of the government, he does exist. But I guess as far as the stimulus package, he doesn't exist," Schoenberger said. 

High earners who lost their jobs 

The size of the payments starts scaling down for those who made more than $75,000 last year and zeroes out at $98,000 or more. 

But what if you exceeded the limit in 2019 only to lose your job or get a lower-paying job this year? You won't get a payment now, but you will get a credit on your taxes next year when the system catches up. 

Parents who split custody 

Some parents who aren't married and split custody of their kids take turns each year claiming them on their taxes. Because the payments go off your 2019 tax return, whoever has the even years is out of luck. 

Recently divorced or estranged 

Not everyone who filed taxes jointly with a spouse in 2019 is still married to that spouse — or on speaking terms. 

Couples who filed their taxes jointly last year get a single, combined payment of up to $2,400. The funds will be deposited into whatever bank account was used to deposit your most recent tax refund, unless you update your direct deposit information with the IRS. But there's no system to inform the IRS that you have divorced or are estranged. 

People who owe back child support 

The stimulus law puts on hold other debts that typically lead to tax refunds' being garnished, such as overdue student loans or back taxes. But not child support. The coronavirus money can still be garnished if you're overdue on those payments. 

Lydia Carloni said she and her partner, Steve, have had their hours cut because of the coronavirus. She said her partner owes back child support from about a decade ago but pays it back in weekly installments. 

She said not getting the full coronavirus payment means she'll be short on "a huge chunk of my rent." 

"That's exactly what I was planning on," Carloni said. "I'm getting ready to pay this month's rent. Now I've got it. I'm not going to have it next month."

Source : https://us.yahoo.com/news/falling-cracks-many-americans-wont-090029581.html

回主頁

Newspaper Cutting 011 - World at risk of second Great Depression due to coronavirus, says Chinese central bank

Vocabulary : 
(1) Great Depression = 1929年大蕭條 
(2) coronavirus = 冠狀病毒 
(3) alert = 警報 
(4) threat = 威脅
(5) international community = 國際社會
(6) rule out = 排除 
(7) deterioration = 惡化 
(8) eruption = 噴發 
(9) prompted warning = 提出警告 
(10) economic shock = 經濟震盪 
(11) severe = 嚴重 
(12) credit market = 信貸市場 
(13) freezing up = 凍結 
(14) massive = 龐大的 
(15) bankruptcy = 破產 
(16) optimistic = 樂觀 
(17) global contraction = 全球(經濟)收縮 
(18) slump = 暴跌 
(19) ease off restrictions = 放寬限制 
(20) disruption = 破壞 
(21) shortage = 短缺 
(22) social unrest = 社會動盪 
(23) rebound = 反彈 
(24) mass unemployment = 大量失業 
(25) have seized up = 失靈 
(26) mainstream = 主流 
(27) uncertainty = 不確定性 
(28) swift = 迅速 
(29) forceful = 有力 
(30) sentiment = 情緒 
(31) hidden risks = 隱藏風險 
(32) panics = 恐慌 
(33) tighter market liquidity = 更緊絀的市場流動性 
(34) triggering = 引發 
(35) contagion = 傳染 
(36) asset classes = 資產級別 
(37) corporate = 企業 
(38) defaults = 默認 
(39) abyss = 深淵 
(40) bail out = 紓困 
(41) backstop = 支撐 
(42) struggling = 掙扎 
(43) in the blink of an eye = 一眨眼之間

############################################

World at risk of second Great Depression due to coronavirus, says Chinese central bank 

Zhu Jun from the People’s Bank of China says the risk is small, but the world must be alert to the threat 

Economies around the world have been hit by the measures taken to stop the spread of Covid-19 

China’s central bank has warned the international community to be alert to the risk of a “Great Depression” in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, although it said the chances of this occurring was low. 

“The possibility of a ‘Great Depression’ cannot be ruled out if the epidemic continues to run out of control, and the deterioration of the real economy is compounded by an eruption of financial risks,” Zhu Jun, director of the international department of the People's Bank of China, was quoted by local media as saying last week. 

The difficult trade-off between the need to protect public health and the economic cost of shutting almost all face-to-face human activity has prompted warnings from many economists that the economic shock from Covid-19 may be more severe than the 2008 global financial crisis or even the Great Depression. 

The latter, which began with the Wall Street Crash of 1929, saw credit markets freezing up, massive bankruptcies, US GDP falling by more than 10 per cent and unemployment rates that touched 25 per cent. 

Professor Terence Chong Tai-leung from the department of economics at the Chinese University in Hong Kong, said he was optimistic the global contraction would not be as severe as the 1930s slump. 

“Governments are likely to decide to ease off restrictions by July. They need to prevent disruptions that would cause food shortages, social unrest or greater damage to human lives and the economy than if the restrictions continued,” Chong said. “The economy will naturally rebound when restrictions are lifted.” 

But there is evidence the major toll this crisis is already having a massive impact on the US employment situation. US initial jobless claims of 6.65 million last week, up from 3.3 million the week previous week, highlighted fears of mass unemployment. 

Currently global markets are already down 35 per cent, credit markets have seized up to 2008 levels. Even mainstream financial firms such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley expect US GDP to fall by an annualised rate of 6 per cent in the first quarter, and by 24 per cent to 30 per cent in the second. 

Moody’s has warned that 30 per cent of US home loans may stop being serviced as a result of job losses and a lack of support for small businesses. 

Zhu from the Chinese central bank said the biggest market uncertainty came from the fact that central banks’ swift and forceful actions could not directly help to control the epidemic but stopping its spread would help market confidence. 

He said the policies of advanced economies had helped stabilise stock market sentiment but hidden risks continued to exist in the global financial system. 

For example, stock markets in developed countries have been rising for many years so their valuations are under pressure. 

If the market panics due to the intensifying impact of the epidemic, that could lead to tighter market liquidity, triggering market contagion across different asset classes. 

The corporate sector, which has a relatively high level of debt, could also see an increase of defaults on banks’ non-performing assets and corporate bonds. 

Nouriel Roubini, professor of economics at New York University's Stern School of Business, said the public-health response in advanced economies has fallen far short of what is needed to contain the pandemic and so the risk of a “greater depression” was rising by the day. 

He warned that if a series of virus-related negative supply shocks reduced potential growth, the fiscal response of many countries could hit a wall as they would not be able to borrow enough in their own currency. 

“After the 2008 crash, a forceful (though delayed) response pulled the global economy back from the abyss. We may not be so lucky this time,” Roubini said. “Who will bail out governments, corporations, banks and households in emerging markets?” 

Despite a US$349 billion government backstop, US banks are refusing to lend to struggling small businesses at 0.5 per cent, and choosing to make the loans at 1.0 per cent instead. 

Michael Every, global strategist at Rabobank said, in reality these financial packages can be hard to access, and may not be really effective. 

“That is a Great Depression happening in the blink of an eye,” Every said. “Who knows where the damage will spread to, and when, if we are going to see 25 per cent unemployment across much of the developed world for an extended period?” 

Source : https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3078519/world-risk-second-great-depression-due-coronavirus-says

回主頁

Newspaper Cutting 001 - 010 (Vocabulary List)

a lack of trust = 缺乏信任	010-15
a variety of materials = 不同的物料	004-20
a vast majority = 大多數	010-41
abundant = 豐富	005-03
accessibility = 可接近性	005-20
accuse = 指控	008-01	008-12
acknowledge = 確認	004-05
affordable = 負擔得起的	005-37
allegation = 指控	008-19
amid = 之中	009-08
appetite = 胃口	002-34
appointment = 約定	004-36
asteriods = 小行星	002-30
Astronomer = 天文學家	002-06
astronomical figure = 天文數字	009-28
Astrophysical journal = 天文物理期刊	002-19
asymmetry = 不對稱	010-40
asymptomatic = 無症狀的	004-11
at odds with = 不一致	004-44
availability = 可用性	005-19
awareness = 意識	010-08
Ayutthaya Elephant Palace = 阿瑜陀耶 (旅遊景點)	003-08
bandana = 頭巾	004-58
being strained = 緊張	010-37
beleaguered = 陷入困境的	004-19
beyond = 超越	010-33
beyond expectations = 出乎意料	001-07
billion = 10億	009-14
black dwaft = 黑矮星	002-22
bleaker = 嚴峻	007-04
buffalo = 水牛	003-33
business process outsourcing (BPO) industry = 業務流程外包的行業	010-20
carbon emissions = 碳排放	005-39
carer = 照顧者	003-18
cautious = 謹慎	004-15
claw back = 奪回	006-18
clue = 線索	002-23
coin (v) = to invent a new word or expression, or to use a particular way for the first time.	002-07
collective responsibility = 集體責任	004-47
collective value = 集體價值	006-41
community = 社區	001-13	004-41
competitive advantage = 競爭優勢	005-14
complement = 補充	005-21
computer simulation = 電腦模擬	002-27
confiscating = 沒收	008-13
consortium = 財團	009-31
contain the spread of = 遏止	004-06
contention = 爭奪	004-45
contradict = 抵觸	010-19
convertible bonds = 可換股債券	009-29
Coronavirus = 冠狀病毒	001-01	004-01
coronavirus pandemic = 冠狀病毒大流行	003-01
corpse = 屍體	002-17
cottage industry = 手工業	004-51
cough = 咳嗽	004-29
cover-ups = 掩蓋	006-19
crew = 船員	009-22
critical = 危急	006-14
critical case = 危急情況	006-38
criticism = 批評	003-26
crucial = 關鍵	004-55
cruise liner = 遊輪	009-24
cruise ship = 遊輪	009-04
cultural norm = 文化規範	004-46
cumbersome = 麻煩的	006-35
curb = 抑制	004-28
customised = 訂造	004-52
death toll = 死亡人數	006-11
decade = 10年	007-03
decent = 體面的	005-38
declare = 宣布	001-09
declined = 拒絕	008-41
deepest dive on record = 最深的潛水紀錄	007-32
deer = 鹿	003-23
depleted = 耗盡的	005-11
deploy = 部署	010-31
depreciating in value = 價值折舊	009-03
deprive = 剝奪	004-56
deputy director = 副主任	010-46
desirability = 希求	009-15
desperately = 絕望地	006-04
despite = 儘管	005-18
determine = 決定	006-05
devastating = 毀滅性	007-16
devouring = 吞食	002-10
dim outlook = 前景暗淡	007-29
dimming = 變暗淡	002-12
dirty tricks = 骯髒的把戲	008-03
disastrous = 災難性的	009-20
discourage = 不鼓勵	004-17
disintegrate = 瓦解	002-33
disrupt = 打亂	003-20
disruption = 破壞	002-32	010-23
distress = 苦惱	008-34
distrust = 懷疑	008-25
diverse = 多樣的	005-30
dominate = 支配	008-22
dongles = 加密狗 (一種軟件加密方式)	010-27
donors = 捐贈者	003-45
doom = 厄運	002-26
downturn = 低迷	007-17
drought and wildfires = 乾旱和野火	003-50
dry-run = 預演	007-30
earmark = 做左記號	008-16
eclipsing the record before = 破盡以前的紀錄	007-12
Economist = 經濟學家	007-02
elephant keepers =  大象飼養員	003-17
elephant sanctuary = 大象避難所	003-43
embassy = 大使館	008-17
emergency decree = 緊急法令	003-15
emerging = 新興	010-14
emerging economies = 新興經濟	010-01
encapsulate = 將…裝入膠囊	007-08
endure = 忍受	002-28
enormously = 極大地	005-09
entire second quarter = 整個第二季	007-10
entrance fees = 入場費	003-32
epidemic = 流行性	001-14
essential = 必要的	004-35
exemptions = 豁免	010-22
exoplanet = 系外行星	002-25
false sense of security = 錯誤的安全感	004-42
fatalities = 死亡人數	006-15
federal government = 聯邦政府	008-18
fields = 田	003-14
flat out = 全速地	006-06
flout = 嘲笑	004-43
folks = 鄉親	004-25	007-28
forage = 飼料	003-38
foraging for food = 覓食	003-13
forecast = 預測	009-16
forthcoming = 即將來臨	004-34
fossil fuel = 化石燃料	005-06
founder = 創辨人	003-31
frequent handwashing = 勤洗手	001-17
friction = 摩擦力	007-13
frustration = 挫折	010-42
fueling tensions = 加劇緊張	008-10
geographical = 地域性	001-08
Global cruise ship fleets = 環球遊輪艦隊	009-01
global travel restrictions = 全球旅遊限制	003-44
gobble something up = 狼吞虎嚥	002-20
Great Depression = 1929年的大蕭條	007-01
Greek = 希臘的	002-11
grocery = 雜貨鋪	004-37
gross tonnage = 總噸位	009-13
Guidance = 指引	004-10
habitat = 棲息地	003-21
halting supplies = 停止供應	008-37
hamper = 阻止	009-27	010-35
hampering = 妨礙	008-04	010-04
has been declared = 被宣布	001-03
has temporarily closed = 臨時關閉	003-30
heartbreaking = 心碎	007-05
highlight = 突出	008-24
hire out = 租出	003-19
hotspot = 熱點	006-22
hubs = 集線器	010-21
hydro resource = 水資源	005-26
hydropower = 水力發電	005-02
hydropower dams = 水力發電水壩	005-15
hygiene = 衛生	001-16
hypoxaemia = 低氧血症	006-28
idle = 閒	009-25
idle industry = 閒置行業	009-02
immunity = 免疫	001-05
impact = 影響	005-17
in transit through = 在途中	008-14
incident = 事件	008-23
indigenous = 原住民	005-28
infectious particles = 傳染物質	004-27
inflicted = 造成	006-26
inspection = 檢查	002-14
intensive care units = ICU 加護病房	006-39
interconnect = 相互聯繫	005-36
intervention = 介入	003-27
irregular rate = 不規則的速度	002-13
KPMG = 四大會計師樓之一	007-06
lagged = 落後	004-49
leaseback sales = 售後回租	009-30
life threatening = 威脅生命	006-30
life-saving ventilator = 拯救生命的呼吸機	006-07
light-year = 光年	002-09
linen = 麻布	004-22
literally = 從字面上看	006-10
litter = 扔(垃圾)	002-24
lockdown = 封鎖	010-10
lockdowns = 鎖定	010-26
lodging = 住宿	003-47
logging = 伐木	003-53
logistical = 後勤	010-25
lost its appeal = 失去吸引力	009-07
lucrative = 有利可圖	009-06
mad scramble = 瘋狂爭奪	006-17
mahouts = 馴象員	003-16
mainstream = 主流	010-17
maintaining a safe distance from people = 與人保持安全距離	001-18
mantle = 斗篷	002-29
marmoset = 狨 (中南美洲熱帶雨林中的一種非常小的猴子)	003-34
mask = 口罩	004-02
mass closure of businesses = 大量生意的關門	007-23
massive bank failures = 大量銀行倒閉	007-19
meantime = 與此同時	007-26
meanwhile = 與此同時	007-21
medical ventilator = 醫學呼吸機	006-01
medical-grade masks = 醫學級的口罩	004-18
meerkats = 貓鼬	003-39
mental health = 精神健康	010-44
micro-hydro and solar hybrid = 小型水力及太陽混合	005-31
Milan = 米蘭	006-02
military aircraft = 軍用飛機	006-24
mother of all financial crises = 所有金融危機之母	007-33
narrative = 敘述	008-08
nation = 國家	008-09
near standstill = 接近停滯	009-18
Necro = 壞死	002-04
new normal = 新常態	010-09
non-invasive = 非入侵性	006-40
notably = 明顯地	003-28
novel coronavirus = 新冠狀病毒	010-12
OECD = Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development = 經合組織	010-18
official guideline = 官方指引	004-04
ordinarily = 通常地	006-37
organ damage = 器官損傷	006-29
outbid = 勝過	008-32
outbreak = 爆發	001-02	003-02
outsourcing firm = 外包公司	010-06
overbid = 出價過高	008-33
overwhelmed = 不知所措的	004-50
pandemic = 大流行	001-04	006-03	010-47
pandemic-induced downturn = 大流行引致的低迷	007-31
papaya = 木瓜	003-37
para grass grounds = 巴拉草草地	003-42
pathogen = 病原	006-21
persist = 持續	009-10
personnel training = 人員培訓	006-34
perspective = 透視	007-27
pharmacy = 藥房	004-38
physical distancing = 物理距離	004-14
piracy = 海盜行為	008-02
planetology = 行星學	002-05
plea = 懇求	003-49
plummet = 暴跌	009-26
pollutants = 污染物	005-08
power grid = 電網	005-24
precede = 先於	007-18
precipitously = 險峻地	006-27
Pre-print = 預印本 (研究成果但未正式出版)	002-18
problematic = 有問題的	010-24
prolonged = 延長	007-15
protocols = 協議	001-15
quarantine = 被隔離	009-21	010-11
quilter = 縫被子的人	004-53
racing against the clock to = 爭分奪秒	006-25
raid = 襲擊	003-29
ramp up = 逐步加大	006-32
ramp up production = 逐步加大生產	008-42
raw chickens = 生雞	003-41
realized = 實現	002-15
reconfigure = 重新配置	006-31
record-breaking = 破紀錄	007-11
recreational site = 娛樂場所	003-04
reinforce = 加強	004-13
reliance = 依賴	005-10
rely on = 依靠	003-25
remote = 遠程	005-33
renewable = 再生	005-01
research and development = 研究及開發	006-09
resources-intensive = 資源密集	006-33
retribution = 報應	008-38
reversal = 逆轉	004-16
rivals = 對手	008-39
roam = 漫遊	003-24
roar = 怒吼	006-23
ruins = 廢墟	003-12
rural communities = 農村社區	005-34
safety measures = 安全措施	004-24
sanctuary = 避難所	003-51
savior = 救世主	006-20
scarve = 圍巾	004-59
scattered = 分散的	005-32
scepticism = 懷疑論	008-29
Scientist = 科學家	002-01
scooping up water = 兜起水	003-09
scramble = 爭奪	007-20
scramble = 爭奪	010-13
SDGs = sustainable development goals = 可持續發展目標	005-35
seamless = 無縫	007-25	010-38
second wave = 第二波	001-12
seek = 尋找	006-12
serious setback = 嚴重挫折	003-05
severe = 嚴重	006-13
sew = 縫	004-57
shift gears = 突然改變講法	004-09
shipyard = 造船廠	009-12
shun = 避開	009-05
significant humanitarian implications = 重大人道意義	008-36
significantly = 重要地	005-07
signoffs = 簽收	010-30
silk = 絲綢	004-21
skunk = 臭鼬	003-36
sneeze = 噴嚏	004-30
social safety net = 社會安全網	007-07
solar energy = 太陽能	005-12
solar farm = 太陽能農場 (即一大片地方放滿太陽能板)	005-29
Solar System = 太陽系	002-03
sorting = 篩選	007-24
spiraled = 螺旋式	007-14
splashing it on = 潑濺	003-11
spread = 傳播	001-06
spree = 狂熱	009-32
standstill = 停頓	008-28
stark contrast to = 與之形成鮮明對比	006-36
startling = 吃驚的	004-48
state = 州	004-03
state-owned = 國有	005-16
stranding = 擱淺、滯留、被困	009-19
stray = 流浪	003-52
string = 弦	008-30
struck = 打擊	009-17
struggle = 鬥爭	010-34
substitute = 替代品	004-23
supernova = 超新星	002-21
suspicion = 懷疑	004-07
suspicion = 懷疑	008-07
suspicious = 可疑	010-03
sustainable = 可持續的	005-04
swathes = 大片	010-39
swooping = 猛撲	008-31
symptomatic = 有症狀的	004-40
symptoms = 症狀	004-31
tackle = 應對	008-05	008-26
take a toll on = 付出代價	010-43
take selfies with = 與...自拍	003-06
tarmac = 停機坪	008-40
template = 模板	005-40
temporary closure = 臨時關閉	003-03
terawatt = 太瓦 (即10的12次方瓦)	005-05
Thailand's Songkran festival = 泰國潑水節	003-07
thermal energy = 熱能	005-27
three shifts = 三更	006-08
threshold = 門檻	001-10
thriving = 興旺	002-35
tidal disruption = 潮汐瓦解	002-16
tight grip = 緊握	010-45
tirelessly = 孜孜不倦	010-29
transatlantic allies = 跨大平洋聯盟	008-11
transatlantic partners = 跨大平洋伙伴	008-20
transitional period = 過渡時期	010-32
transmission  = 傳染	004-12
triage = 分流	006-16
tropical monsoon climate = 熱帶季風氣候	005-23
trunks = 樹幹	003-10
tune = 論調	004-33
ultimate decision = 最後決定	001-11
undersupply = 供不應求	004-54
unidentified = 身份不明	008-15
unleash = 發揮	008-27
unleashed = 釋放	008-06
unnecessary = 多餘	004-08
unprecedented = 前所未有的	010-28
unprecedented surge of = 前所未有的巨浪	008-35
urge = 敦促	004-39	010-36
urgency = 緊急	003-48
utilities = 公用事業	005-25
vast majority = 絕大多數	007-09
vast sums of money = 巨額資金	009-11
vessel = 船隻	009-09
veterinary surgeons' advice = 獸醫的建議	003-40
visionary = 有遠見的	010-07
vitally = 至關重要的	004-26
volunteers = 義工	003-46
voyage = 旅行	009-23
waged war = 發動戰爭	003-22
was sparked by = 被激發	007-22
waterway = 水路	005-22
white dwarf star = 白矮星	002-08
widespread = 廣泛	004-32
wild west = (美國初期的) 西大荒	008-21
wildcats = 野貓	003-35
wind energy = 風能	005-13
withstand = 抵擋	002-31
Witness = 見證	002-02
work in progress = 工作進行中	010-02
work-from-home schemes = 在家工作計劃	010-05
working remotely = 遙距工作	010-16

回主頁