每日口說挑戰火山即將爆發？俯瞰紐西蘭的塔拉納基活火山 (The Circle Visible From Space)

[TRANSCRIPT]

What’s up, VoiceTubers? Leila here. Have you ever watched any of the live feed broadcast from the International Space Station as it slowly orbits our planet? It’s incredible to see the way that we have changed the landscape with our structures, roadways and lights. In fact, we’ve changed the ground so much that it’s almost more remarkable to see a spot on Earth that we haven’t touched–and that’s exactly what today’s video is about. Check it out if you haven’t already. The circle of untouched land around this New Zealand volcano is so dense with nature, so absent of a human hand, that it almost looks otherworldly.

"How did they do that?" you ask? Perfect timing, my dear VoiceTuber, because the answer to that lies in our Sentence of the Day:

This mountain is one of the natural features of New Zealand that's been granted the legal rights of a person, in sort of the same way that corporations are considered people in a lot of countries.
這座山是紐西蘭政府賦了法律上人權的自然景觀之一，有點像是許多國家會將公司法人視為一個「人」那樣。


Pronunciation tips:
1. Linking words
one + of
of + a
sort + of
lot + of
2. features
3. corporations


Vocabulary:

1. grant (v.) KK: /grænt/ IPA: /ɡrænt/
to give or allow someone something, usually in an official way
（通常指官方）同意，准予，授予
i.e. If you found a genie in a magic lamp who could grant you three wishes, what would you wish for?
如果你在一盞神燈裡找到一個可以滿足你三個願望的精靈，你會許什麼願望？


2. consider (v.) KK: /kənˋsɪdɚ/ IPA: /kənˈsɪd.ɚ/
to believe someone or something to be, or think of him, her, or it as something
認爲；把…當作
i.e. Amethyst Fort is considered to be one of the most important historic strongholds of the dynasty.
紫水晶堡被認為是王朝最重要的歷史要塞之一。


3. legal (adj.) KK: /ˋlig!/ IPA: /ˈliː.ɡəl/
connected with the law
法律的，法律上的，法律方面的
i.e. The therapy is still pretty new so the legal status is ambiguous depending on location.
該療法仍然很新穎，因此其法律地位仍因不同地區而異。


One of the things I love about Taiwan is the incredible natural beauty of the island. What’s even better is that all of that natural beauty is accessible via paved roads and an incredible system of parks and hiking trails.

Not long after first arriving in Taiwan, a friend took me on a hike along one of these trails. Now, coming from a country as huge as America, I’m used to things being really, really far away. The idea that you could go from the middle of the city to a remote trail on a mountain in about an hour or more–well, that just didn’t compute in my mind.

"You’ll see," said my friend.

My friend guided me through the Taipei MRT system, followed by a picturesque slow train to a small town outside of Taipei, and as I watched the train get smaller and smaller in the distance, it struck me just how quiet it was. We were in the middle of nowhere.

It was a good thing my friend knew the trail because I’m not sure I would have found the way by myself. We walked for hours along this trail, never coming across another person, and short of a trail marker now and then, there was very little around us to remind us of people. Until I heard the all-too-familiar sound, off in the distance, but still able to cut through the buzzing of insects and birdsong: Tekla Bądarzewska-Baranowska’s "A Maiden’s Prayer". There, in the middle of this seemingly untouched wilderness came this very clear reminder that civilization was just a stone’s throw away.

What about you? What’s the farthest away you’ve ever been from civilization? Did it freak you out to be so far away from other signs of human life? Let me know in the comments. And as always, hit that record button when you’re ready with your sentence. Catch ya next time.

That mountain is one of the natural features of New Zealand that's been granted the legal rights of a person, in sort of the same way that corporations are considered people in a lot of countries.

That mountain is one of the natural features of New Zealand that's been granted the legal rights of a person, in sort of the same way that corporations are considered people in a lot of countries.

#393

That mountain is one of the natural features of New Zealand that’s been granted the legal rights of a person, in sort of the same way that corporations are considered people in a lot of countries.

That mountain is one of the natural features of New Zealand that's been granted the legal rights of a person, in sort of the same way that corporations are considered people in a lot of countries.