每日口說挑戰【CNN10】美選第二輪投票程序、三角龍的骨骼、NASA重返月球任務

【Timecode】

00:35-02:17 News: Runoff Election in Georgia 美選第二輪投票程序
02:18-03:51 News: Triceratops Fossils 三角龍的骨骼化石
03:52-04:58 News: NASA Project "Artemis" NASA重返月球任務
05:04-05:20 Watch Video: Airbus A380 made by flowers 插滿鮮花朵朵的A380空中巴士

【本集逐字稿】

First, let’s begin with the topic that all of you love the most, yes, US politics! (boo). Guys, bear with me ok? Just one more month. When the US Congress convenes on January 3rd, current projections indicate that at least 48 seats will be controlled by Democrats and at least 50 by Republicans. However, that does not add up to the total of 100 seats. There are two Senate seats from the state of Georgia that haven't been determined yet, and they'll likely be decided by a runoff election on January 5th. A runoff election is the second round voting which occurs when no candidate meets a certain threshold, certain number or levels of votes to be declared the winner. If Republicans win at least one of those seats, they'll have the simple majority they need to keep control of the Senate, it'll be easier for them to limit the Democrats' power and require compromise on new laws. If Democrats win both of these seats, the Senate will be split with 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, and it will be much easier for them to pass laws and enact their priorities for the country. Let’s just hope that before inauguration day when the next president takes office, the society can be as peaceful as possible with COVID-19 cases lowered and controlled.

The skeletons of a triceratops dinosaur were discovered in 2014 on a private property in Montana, US. The fossil was 87% complete, according to experts, and weighs more than 1000 kg and is estimated to be 6 to 7 meters long, with a height of over 2 meters. Triceratops, one of the last known dinosaurs, lived 68-66 million years ago. The dinosaur fossil will be on display from 2021 in the Melbourne Museum, in Australia. What’s your favorite dinosaur? The tall, big and mighty ones with little tiny arms are called the Tyrannosaurus Rex, or the T-Rex. The mid-sized ones that can run very fast are called the Velociraptors. And last but not least, the big ones with long necks that eat plants are called the Brachiosaurus. I don’t know why I’m telling you this, but I do wanna point out the fact the chickens we see today, are actually close descendents of the T-Rex. Yes, perhaps T-Rex looked like chickens in the past with furs and wings, and the T-Rex meat could taste like chicken. How mind-blowing!

NASA has been trying to send astronauts back to the moon again in recent years. Now they have a new mission called the “Artemis 3”. Its goal is to put a man and for the first time a woman on the moon in 2024. As we all know, mankind first stepped on the moon back in 1969, which was the Apollo mission. And now after 50 years later, NASA is planning to go back, and this time to stay. They wanna prove how to live and work on another world, and then take all of that knowledge to Mars. (audio excerpts: I remember where I was uh, in fifth grade, Miss Powers' class, when Challenger exploded, the whole world was watching. I remember where I was on that day. We need to do these stunning achievements to inspire the next generation.) NASA estimates total cost could hit 30 billion dollars over five years. However challenging it may be, it’s definitely one of the biggest things to look forward to. To infinity and beyond!

Hey folks, for today’s CNN10, watch the video to find out the most beautiful airplane in the world---An Airbus A380 that was made entirely out of 40 tons of flowers, pretty cool!

【@mrkenmiao / podcast更新】

Xmas即將來臨，聖誕歌曲你知道幾首呢？
快來聽肯苗老師的佳節祝福，帶你完整認識聖誕節！
【Spotify】https://tinyurl.com/y82rzh6a
【Apple Podcast】https://tinyurl.com/yafqufrt

☺If Republicans maintain control of the Senate, it'll be easier for them to limit the Democrats' power and require compromise on new laws.
如果共和黨維持對參議院的控制權，他們就更容易限制民主黨的權力，並要求他們對新法律妥協。
【心得】下個月川普真的會乖乖地搬出白宮嗎?!
■senate [ˋsɛnɪt] [大寫]參議院；[大寫](大學的)評議會、理事會；立法機構；立法機構的全體成員；(古羅馬的)元老院；參議院的會議廳
■limit [ˋlɪmɪt] 限制；限定[(+to)]
限制；界線；限度；極限
the limit{口語}令人無法容忍的人/事/物；最高限度
limits範圍；境界
■compromise [ˋkɑmprə͵maɪz] 妥協、讓步、折衷[(+on)]
放棄；背離、違背；降低；損害、危及
妥協、和解[(+between)]
妥協方案、折衷辦法；折衷物
連累、危及[(+of)]；放棄[(+of)]

不小心刪除前一個錄音，全部砍掉重練⋯
5:21 And now, here are sentence of the day: “ If Republicans maintain control of the Senate, it'll be easier for them to limit the Democrats' power and require compromise on new laws.” Alright, let’s take a look at the vocab we’ve got here.

1. Senate [ˋsɛnɪt] (n.)參議院 one of the two groups of politicians([͵pɑləˋtɪʃən]政治家) who make laws in some political systems. And the person who are elected to the Senate will be called the Senators, in Taiwan we call them legislators([ˋlɛdʒɪs͵letɚ]立法委員).
*The US Senate has 100 members.
*The UK doesn’t have a Senate, it has a House of Lords(英國上議院，直譯為貴族院).

2 limit [ˈlɪm.ɪt] (v.)限額；限制 As a verb for limit, it means to control something so that it’s under a particular amount.
*Emily has been asked to limit her speech to 10 minutes maximum([ˋmæksəməm]n.最大限度).

3. compromise [ˈkɑːm.prə.maɪz] (n.)妥協；折衷 to reduce demands in order to reach an agreement.
*I’m positive that we can reach a compromise.
The government has said that there will be no compromise with terrorists([ˋtɛrərɪst]n.恐怖主義者).

Alright, folks, that’s all the time we have for today. Christmas is just around the corner, and I wish you all the best. Please check out my podcast for a broad([brɔd]n.寬廣) content.

【lounge around】（在…）悠閒度日，消磨時間
- To relax or spend time idly; to do nothing or very little.
■ The president can't wait to go on his vacation and just lounge around on the beach for the rest of his life! (咁對? 又亂造句了)

If Republicans maintain control of the Senate, it'll be easier for them to limit the Democrats' power and require compromise on new laws.

Day233

Day 725

Day 6