每日口說挑戰【CNN10】通貨膨脹／航空業復甦／塑膠垃圾

【Transcript】本集逐字稿

Inflation in the U.S. 美國疫情復甦後通貨膨脹

The news today is about inflation, is it good for the economy? Well, it depends. Inflation, simply put, is when prices go up and your money doesn't buy as much furniture, airplane tickets, cars, food, or personal care items like soap. These have all become more expensive in the U.S. since March 2021. One reason is that gasoline prices have been skyrocketing, they were 22 and a half percent higher this March than the March of 2020. This is cutting into family budgets, the cost of living, and makes it more expensive to ship the items we buy. When more people were staying home and businesses were shut down, demand for gasoline dropped, and so did its price. With people getting back to the office, back to traveling, and businesses reopening, gas prices are shooting upward; supply and demand also became factors. Many Americans are in the market for new homes, new bicycles, and many other goods. But the inventory of these things is exceptionally low, so that's driving prices up. But if they go up too much too fast, people may pull back on spending and buy less, which can hurt the economy.

Many banking officials are comfortable with an inflation rate of two percent per year. They believe this is just the right amount to keep price-rises moderate, but also to keep the economy growing. But between last and this year of March, consumer prices rose by 2.6 percent, more than half a percentage point higher than bankers' comfort zone. However, is this inflation just temporary and likely to deflate as the year goes on? Or is it actually a warning for more sustained inflation ahead? One thing economists do agree on is that the cost of goods will probably keep rising through the summer. Parents, watch out!


Aviation Industry Revival in the U.S. 美國航空業復甦

With the inflation occurring in the U.S., plane tickets are also on the rise. Aviation is a huge industry in America. In a normal year, it accounts for more than five percent of America's gross domestic product (GDP). As you know, the industry took a tremendous hit during the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2020, experts say international travel decreased more than 80 percent from 2019, and a dramatic drop in business bookings, which typically make more money for airlines than leisure bookings do, was a major reason why the industry lost billions of dollars last year. Now, as airplane flights are gradually getting back to normal, booking numbers surged, which has brought a big challenge for the industry. Airline companies and their mechanic teams are conducting maintenance work with their aircraft. American Airlines says their pilots will be thoroughly rechecked in classrooms and simulators before coming back on the job. United Airlines just said they will hire new pilots for the first time in more than a year, while thousands of existing pilots will be coming back from pandemic time off.



Plastic Waste from the COVID-19 Pandemic 疫情造成的塑膠垃圾

Moving on to our final news of today’s show, and yes, it’s still Covid-related. A proliferation of plastic waste is a side effect of the coronavirus pandemic. With to-go orders increasing, restaurants had to resort to plastic takeout containers instead of washable dishes. And then there's the issue of personal protective equipment or PPE. In the early days of COVID-19, the dire shortage of PPE left many frontline healthcare workers painfully vulnerable. But now, so many masks are made each year they could even cover an area the size of Switzerland. Now, everybody is aware of PPE and everybody in health care is being asked to use more PPE. Manufacturers went into overdrive to produce billions of pieces of PPE. Things like gloves, garments, masks, beard nets, hair covers, shoe covers. Personal protective equipment has always been around, but due to COVID, it's now become a disaster. Waste coming from certain areas, like hospitals, does qualify as hazardous waste in many cases, which means people can't touch it, and even recyclers are afraid to collect material from hospitals, becoming a new side effect of COVID-19 and a big problem for the authorities.


【Sentence of the day】每日挑戰句子

American Airlines says its pilots will be thoroughly rechecked in classrooms and simulators before coming back on the job.

【Vocabulary】單字例句

1. pilot
a person who flies an aircraft

Ex: It is Tim’s biggest dream to become a pilot when he grows up.

2. thoroughly
in a detailed and careful way
Ex: We went through the report thoroughly but couldn't find the information anywhere.
3. simulator
a piece of equipment that is designed to represent real conditions

Ex: People learning to fly often practice on a flight simulator.


【Epilogue】結語

Alright, that’s all the time we have for today.
A big shout out to VoiceTuber, Eason, for sending me a private message,
Giving me some ideas for the CNN10 show,
There was news about the cross-strait tensions a week ago,
And it would be really meaningful to listen to Taiwan-related news.
So folks, if you find anything interesting in CNN10 videos or news that’s Taiwan-related,
Feel free to let me know, we might have a chance to include that in our show.

Thanks for joining, this is Ken Miao, and I’ll see you guys again next week.
Bye~

【Inflation(/ɪnˈfleɪ.ʃən/通貨膨脹) in the U.S.】
The news today is about inflation, is it good for the economy? Well, it depends. Inflation, simply put, is when prices go up and your money doesn't buy as much furniture, airplane tickets, cars, food, or personal care items like soap. These have all become more expensive in the U.S. since March 2021. One reason is that gasoline(n.石油) prices have been skyrocketing(快速上升), they were 22 and a half percent higher this March than the March of 2020. This is cutting into family budgets(n.預算), the cost of living(民生物價), and makes it more expensive to ship(v.運輸) the items we buy. When more people were staying home and businesses were shut down(關閉), demand(n.需求) for gasoline dropped, and so did its price. With people getting back to the office, back to traveling, and businesses reopening, gas prices are shooting upward(adv.向上地); supply and demand also became factors(n.因素). Many Americans are in the market for new homes, new bicycles, and many other goods. But the inventory(/ˈɪn.vən.tɔːr.i/存貨n.) of these things is exceptionally(/ɪkˈsep.ʃən.əl.i/異常地adv.) low, so that's driving(drive迫使v.) prices up. But if they go up too much too fast, people may *pull back(減少) on spending and buy less, which can hurt the economy.

■ pull back (sth) : 減少；移除
Stock prices(股價) pulled back Tuesday, as investors(投資者) continued to worry about interest rates(利率).

Many banking officials are comfortable(放心的a.) with an inflation rate of two percent per year. They believe this is just the right amount to keep price-rises(物價上揚) moderate(/ˈmɑː.dɚ.ət/適度的a.), but also to keep the economy growing. But between last and this year of March, consumer prices rose(rise上升v.) by 2.6 percent, more than half a percentage point higher than bankers'(n.銀行家) comfort zone(舒適區). However, is this inflation just temporary(a.短暫的) and likely to deflate(/dɪˈfleɪt/使通貨緊縮v.) as the year goes on? Or is it actually a warning for more sustained(持續的a.) inflation ahead? One thing economists(經濟學者) do agree on is that the cost of goods will probably keep rising through the summer. Parents, watch out!

■ deflate /dɪˈfleɪt/ v. to reduce the supply of money in an economy
使貨幣緊縮，使通貨緊縮

deflate (v.)（使）變癟；給…放氣；使灰心，使洩氣
to deflate a balloon/tyre : 給氣球／輪胎放氣

【Aviation(/ˌeɪ.viˈeɪ.ʃən/航空n.) Industry(工業) Revival(/rɪˈvaɪ.vəl/復甦n.) in the U.S.】
With the inflation occurring(發生) in the U.S., plane tickets are also on the rise(上漲n.). Aviation is a huge industry in America. In a normal(a.正常的) year, it accounts(報帳v.) for more than five percent of America's gross(a.總的=total) domestic(國內的) product (GDP 國內生產毛額). As you know, the industry took a tremendous(a.巨大的) hit(n.衝擊) during the outbreak(n.爆發) of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2020, experts(n.專家) say international(國際的) travel decreased more than 80 percent from 2019, and a dramatic(引人注目的) drop in business(商務) bookings(n.預訂), which typically(adv.通常) make more money for airlines(航空公司) than leisure(休閒n.) bookings do, was a major reason why the industry lost billions of dollars last year. Now, as airplane flights are gradually getting back to normal, booking numbers surged(激增v.), which has brought a big challenge for the industry. Airline companies and their mechanic(n?技師) teams are conducting(進行v.) maintenance(/ˈmeɪn.tən.əns/保養,維護) work with their aircraft. American Airlines says their pilots(機師n.) will be thoroughly(/ˈθɝː.oʊ.li/仔細地adv.) rechecked in classrooms and simulators(/ˈsɪm.jə.leɪ.t̬ɚ/模擬裝置n.) before coming back on the job. United Airlines just said they will hire(v.僱請) new pilots for the first time in more than a year, while thousands of existing(a.現存的) pilots will be coming back from pandemic time off(休假).

【Plastic Waste(塑膠垃圾) from the COVID-19 Pandemic】
Moving on to our final news of today’s show, and yes, it’s still Covid-related. A proliferation(/prə͵lifəˋreiʃən/激增n.) of plastic waste is a side effect(副作用) of the coronavirus pandemic. With to-go orders(外帶取餐n.) increasing, restaurants had to resort(採用v.) to plastic takeout(外帶餐點n.) containers(n.容器) instead of washable(耐洗的a.) dishes. And then there's the issue of personal protective equipment or PPE. In the early days of COVID-19, the dire(a.嚴重的) shortage(n.短缺) of PPE left many frontline(n.第一線) healthcare workers painfully(痛苦地adv.) vulnerable(易受傷害的a.). But now, so many masks are made each year they could even cover(v.覆蓋) an area the size of Switzerland. Now, everybody is aware(意識到的a.) of PPE and everybody in health care is being asked to use more PPE. Manufacturers (製造商n.) went into overdrive(/ˈoʊ.vɚ.draɪv/超速運作n.) to produce billions of pieces of PPE. Things like gloves, garments(防護衣n.), masks, beard nets(鬍套), hair covers, shoe covers. Personal protective equipment has always been around, but due to COVID, it's now become a disaster(n.災難). Waste coming from certain areas, like hospitals, does qualify(v.具有資格) as hazardous(/ˈhæz.ɚ.dəs/危險的=dangerous) waste in many cases, which means people can't touch it, and even recyclers(n.回收商) are afraid to collect(v.收集) material from hospitals, becoming a new side effect of COVID-19 and a big problem for the authorities(當局n.).

1. pilot [ˈpaɪlət] (n.)飛行員 = a person who flies an aircraft
It is Tim’s biggest dream to become a pilot when he grows up.

2. thoroughly [ˈθɜ:rəli] (adv.) 仔細地 = in a detailed and careful way
We went through the report thoroughly but couldn't find the information anywhere.

3. simulator [ˈsɪmjəˌletɚ] (n.) 模擬器 = a piece of equipment that is designed to represent(v.代表) real conditions
People learning to fly often practice on a flight simulator.

Alright, that’s all the time we have for today. A big shout out to VoiceTuber, Eason, for sending me a private message, giving me some ideas for the CNN10 show, there was news about the cross-strait(n.海峽) tensions(n.緊張) a week ago,
And it would be really meaningful to listen to Taiwan-related news. So folks, if you find anything interesting in CNN10 videos or news that’s Taiwan-related,feel free to let me know, we might have a chance to include that in our show.

Day 1867-Thank Ken and every who listens to my recordings.

☺American Airlines says its pilots will be thoroughly rechecked in classrooms and simulators before coming back on the job.
美國航空表示，公司內的所有機師都要在教室和飛行模擬器中進行徹底的複檢後才能重新回到工作崗位。
【心得】台灣最近有幾位機師確診了> <疫情越久大家都疲乏了，但看來還是不能掉以輕心啊!
■pilot [ˋpaɪlət] (n.C) (飛機等的)駕駛員、飛行員；領航員、領港員；舵手；嚮導；{美式用法}(機車等的)排障器；{機械}導向器、指示燈；(廣播或電視的)試播節目
(adj.)引導的；導向的；(小規模)試驗性的、試點的
(vt.)給(船等)領航[(+on/in/over)]；駕駛(飛機等)；帶領、引導；使(新的法律或制度等)順利通過[(+through)]；(在銷售前)試驗(新產品)
■thoroughly [ˋθɝolɪ] (adv.) 徹底地；完全地；仔細地；非常、極其
■simulator [ˈsɪmjəˌletɚ] (n.C) 模擬裝置(如用於飛行或宇宙飛船)、模擬器；模仿者

Day 855
I’m back again :-)
終於趕回進度了@@

Day366

不過最近很多國家確診人數還在爆炸中...講復甦會不會太樂觀？