每日口說挑戰【CNN10】感恩節及以後的日子

Thanks Ken! 
2:58 And now, here’s the sentence of the day: “Local governments using the QR codes have publicly posted they will discontinue them as soon as the outbreak ends.” Alright let’s take a look at vocab(=vocabulary) we’ve got here.

1. discontinue (v.) 停止，終止 It means a product or service that is no longer being produced or offered. For example: *Microsoft had announced that internet explorer support will be discontinued as of August 2021.

2. QR code (n.) 二維(矩陣)碼 It is an abbreviation(n.[ə͵brivɪˋeʃən] 縮寫) for quick response code. Most commonly seen as an electronic barcode which can be scanned by smartphones for various functions. For example: *To visit our official website, simply scan our QR code at top right hand corner(右上角).

3. outbreak (n.) 爆發，突然發生It means a time when something suddenly begins, especially a disease, or something dangerous or unpleasant. For example, you can say: *Our future generations will be astonished on how we lived in 2020, the year of the coronavirus outbreak.

Hi folks, thanks for joining us today. I don’t know about you but I’m probably getting tired of COVID-19 related news. I hope things go back to normal for everyone as quickly as possible. Before I let you go today, I’m curious how you guys think about governments contact tracing measures. Are you worried that your privacy might be [at stake([stek]賭注n.)] with your personal information whereabouts([ˋhwɛrəˋbaʊts]adv.在何處) being monitored secretly? Or it’s okay for you since it doesn’t affect your life and it’s only for a good cause. Please leave a comment below and let me know. 

【Transcript】

As most of you might know, November and December are the holiday seasons, which is the period of the late fall and early winter when several holidays occur, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. It is during this time of the year when people return to their families, go out to have fun and do some shopping, oops, I mean BIG shopping! Cities and states in the US enacted shutdowns earlier this year to try to slow down the spread of coronavirus, but some businesses like Target, Costco and Amazon were allowed to stay open because they sell groceries, which are considered essential. While clothing stores and retailers like Macy's, were forced to close, which caused Macy's to lose sales to its competitors.

So, when is it going to be normal again? Before the vaccine comes out and before it’s really proven effective, wearing a mask and avoiding public gatherings as much as possible seem to be the only way to keep us safe. Some health officials also promote contact tracing as a way to slow the spread of coronavirus. It keeps track of where people go and wherever they might have come in contact with the disease. However, some people have concerns on privacy issues because personal information would be tracked by an outside company or the government. The Chinese government is promoting QR codes or electronic barcodes as a means of tracking people's travel and health history. Walking into a restaurant hotel shopping mall, you're expected to show your QR code, a green one means you're clear to go in, yellow or red suggests you've been in an area with high exposure to the virus and it could mean quarantine.

The technology can really be a double-edged sword. A government might promise its people to delete and discontinue using the personal information after the pandemic ends, but who’s going to determine that? When is the end point? When should governments or companies actually delete the personal data or the tracing data that they're actually collecting? CNN 10 will surely keep us posted in future news updates to come, please stay tuned.

☺Local governments using the QR (codes) have publicly posted they will discontinue them as soon as the outbreak ends.
使用QR碼來追蹤個人行蹤和健康狀況的那些地方政府已公開表示，一旦疫情結束，他們就會立即停用。
【心得】自己停用手機還比較實際。
■discontinue [͵dɪskənˋtɪnju] 停止、中斷
{法律}中止(訴訟程序)
■QR Code [kjuˈɑr kod] 二維(矩陣)碼、二維條碼
■outbreak [ˈaʊt.breɪk] (尤指疾病、危險或不快之事的)發作、暴發、突然發生[(+of)]；暴動

資料早就被看光光惹！

Thank Ken and every friend who listens to my recordings.

【unswerving】（信任或信仰）堅定的，不懈的，始終如一的
- If someone's trust or belief is unswerving, it is always strong and never becomes weaker.
■ unswerving loyalty/devotion/support/faith
始終如一的忠誠／奉獻／支援／信念
■ His unswerving dedication and commitment has been a potent force throughout his life.

Local governments using the QR (codes) have publicly posted they will discontinue them as soon as the outbreak ends.

Don't know when the outbreak will end...

Day219