week 4 Taiwan sees record low temperatures, snow

Taiwan sees record low temperatures, snow

2016-01-24

A cold front has brought record-breaking temperatures throughout Taiwan and snow to mountainous areas and even parts of Taipei City.

One weather station on Yangmingshan, in the mountains of northern Taipei, recorded a nearly 80 year record low temperature. The mercury dropped to 3.2 degrees below zero Celsius (about 26 F) at the Anbu meteorological station in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Sunday morning also saw low temperatures across Taiwan dipping to between 3-5 C for areas north of the southern city of Tainan. That’s between 37-41 F. The rest of Taiwan saw temperatures ranging between 7-9 C.

The cold temperatures and humidity brought snow to many mountainous regions in Taiwan, including areas of Taipei city. Residents reported flurries within the city itself, something which hasn’t happened in recent memory.

Temperatures in the capital city dipped to 4 C (39 F). By comparison, winter lows in Taipei usually hover around 8 C (46 F).

But forecasters are warning that the true brunt of the cold front will be felt strongest on Sunday night going into the early hours of Monday morning. They say that the wind chill in western Taiwan could dip as low as two degrees below zero Celsius (28.4 F).

http://english.rti.org.tw/news/?recordId=40949

Structure of the Lead:

        WHO-not given

        WHAT- The cold temperatures and humidity brought snow to many mountainous regions in Taiwan, including areas of Taipei city.

        WHEN-2016.1.24

        WHERE-Taipei city

        HOW-not given

Keywords:

1.      cold front 冷鋒

2.      mercury 汞

3.      Celsius 攝氏

4.      meteorological 氣象

5.      flurries 飄雪

6.      brunt 首當其衝

Week 3 Twelve Nights

6:31 am HKT
Dec 13, 2013

ARTS & CULTURE

Film Triggers Debate on Plight of Taiwan’s Homeless Dogs

By

JENNY W. HSU

A new documentary about the plight of animals in Taiwan’s shelters has sparked a public discussion about the treatment of stray dogs and cats on the island, prompting the government to amend its policies.

“Twelve Nights,” shot almost entirely inside a government-run animal shelter in southern Taiwan, follows the fate of several stray dogs, starting from their initial capture on the streets. After 12 days in the shelter, the animals are destroyed, have died of disease, or, if they are lucky, end up in the arms of a new owner.

Although the problem of street dogs isn’t a fresh one in Taiwan, the movie has attracted a throng of animal lovers. As of the beginning of this week, “Twelve Nights” had pulled in more 30 million New Taiwan dollars (US$1 million) since its release on Nov. 29, according to the film’s distributor, a considerable amount for a documentary in Taiwan.

The film opens with a black-and-white puppy named Jumpy prancing happily in a well-manicured neighborhood and other harmless-looking dogs wandering the streets.

The scene quickly changes. Animals — including a kitten and a basket full of puppies — are jerked and tossed around by workers as they are taken to the shelter.

http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2013/12/13/film-triggers-debate-on-plight-of-taiwans-homeless-dogs/

Structure of the Lead:

      WHO-not given

      WHAT- Twelve Nights

      WHEN- Nov. 29

      WHY- prompting the government to amend its policies

WHERE- government-run animal shelter in southern Taiwan

HOW-not given

Keywords:

1.    documentary 紀錄

2.      plight 困境

3.    amend 修改

4.      government-run 官辦

5.      a throng of 一大群

6.      prancing 躍馬

7.    manicured 修剪

8.    jerk 抖

Week 2 Beyond Beauty, Taiwan from Above

8:05 pm HKT
Nov 27, 2013

LIFE & LEISURE

Documentary ‘Beyond Beauty’ Captures Taiwan From Above

By

JENNY W. HSU

It has been said that when the early Portuguese explorers first laid eyes on Taiwan in the 1500s, they were so impressed with the island’s lush green mountains and pristine turquoise shorelines that they decided to name the place “Ilha Formosa” — beautiful island — on the spot.

More than 500 years later, as Taiwan transforms from an agrarian society to a high-tech-dominated economy, many of the majestic peaks that took the settlers’ breath away have been sullied by residential blocks, tea plantations, and high-end hotels. The once clear waters off its beaches are also discolored by the massive amount of chemical waste discharged by factories each year.

“In a way, what happened in Taiwan is a reflection of what’s happening in many parts of the world,” said Chi Po-lin, the director of this year’s Golden Horse Awards winner for best documentary, “Beyond Beauty, Taiwan from Above.”

The 48-year-old aerial photographer-turned-filmmaker used to work for the government’s National Highway Engineering Bureau, taking tens of thousands images of the island during helicopter trips over the past two decades.

Sitting in his small Taipei office, lined with books on Taiwan’s landscape and geography, he said he had long wanted to make a movie based on his photographs, but for years it seemed like a far-fetched dream. That changed in 2009, when French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand released his aerial documentary “Home” on climate change and global warming.

Mr. Chi said his motivation for making “Beyond” was not to point a finger at a certain industry or even the government, but to present a realistic view of Taiwan’s growing environmental problems. His hope is to make people think twice the next time they throw out the garbage or turn on the faucet.

In his 93-minute film, audiences are taken on a bird’s-eye journey by helicopter across Taiwan’s various landscapes, with background music by award-winning composer Ricky Ho. While the movie documents Taiwan’s rich biodiversity, it also bears witness to the worsening devastation wrought by humans.

http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2013/11/27/documentary-beyond-beauty-captures-taiwan-from-above/

Structure of the Lead:

           WHO- Chi Po-lin

           WHEN- Nov 27, 2013

           WHAT- Beyond Beauty, Taiwan from Above

           WHY- to present a realistic view of Taiwan’s growing environmental problems

          WHERE-Taiwan

           HOW-not given

Keywords:

1.          pristine 質樸

2.             turquoise 綠松石

3.          sullied 玷汙

4.             tea plantations 茶園

5.          documentary 紀錄

6.          biodiversity 生物多樣性

7.              worsening 惡化

8.            devastation 毀壞

          

Week 1 Volkswagen's diesel emissions cheating scandal

·                                  Reuters

·                                  Mar. 8, 2016, 5:41 AM

WOLFSBURG, Germany — German prosecutors have widened their investigation of Volkswagen's diesel emissions cheating scandal and are now investigating 17 employees, up from six previously, prosecutor Klaus Ziehe said on Tuesday.

"This is part of the diesel investigation, the number of suspects has risen, although none are from the management board," Ziehe said in Braunschweig, near VW's Wolfsburg headquarters.

Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller on Tuesday told employees gathered at the Wolfsburg that the emissions scandal would inflict "substantial and painful" financial damage on the carmaker.

The scandal will keep VW busy "for a long time," the CEO said, adding the carmaker had made no attempts to conceal its wrongdoings.

Volkswagen last year set aside 6.7 billion euros ($7.39 billion) to cover costs of recalling of about 11 million diesel vehicles globally.

Volkswagen's second-largest shareholder expects more "unpleasant news" to emerge from an emissions-test rigging scandal after the carmaker in September admitted to manipulating pollution tests in the United States.

"We will this year probably every now and then be confronted with unpleasant news related to dieselgate," Stephan Weil, prime minister of Lower Saxony, on Tuesday told a gathering of workers at Volkswagen's (VW) main factory in Wolfsburg.

Europe's largest automaker should be able to cope with the fallout of its manipulation, Weil said.

"The damage will, on balance, not be minor, as much as that can already be said today, but Volkswagen luckily has a strong economic substance," Weil told the gathering, attended by thousands of workers.

Lower Saxony, which holds 20% of VW's common shares, has "no reason" to alter its commitment to the carmaker, Weil said.

The rise in the number of suspects was first reported by Braunschweiger Zeitung.

(Reporting by Andreas Cremer and Edward Taylor; Editing by Keith Weir, Greg Mahlich)

Read the original article on Reuters. Copyright 2016. Follow Reuters on Twitter.

http://www.businessinsider.com/r-vw-faces-more-bad-news-from-emissions-scandal-lower-saxony-pm-2016-3

Structure of the Lead:

       WHO- not given

       WHEN- Mar. 8, 2016

       WHAT- Volkswagen's diesel emissions cheating scandal

       WHY-not given

       WHERE-German

       HOW- widening their investigation

Keywords:

1. prosecutors 檢察官
2. widened 擴大
3. diesel 柴油機
4. emissions 排放
5. headquarters 司令部
6.  inflict 加以
7.  conceal 隱藏
8. shareholder 股東
9. manipulate 操縱
10. confronted 面對