2016年12月26日 星期一

Week Eight- 英國脫歐

Voting to leave the EU was an act of national self-confidence. Politicians should be more optimistic about Brexit

26 DECEMBER 2016 • 4:55PM



When Mervyn King speaks about the economic future, it is generally a good idea to listen. The former governor of the Bank of England did not have a perfect record as an economic forecaster (no one does), but he does have a near-unique experience of economic policy built up over more than 30 years at the Bank. Lord King, a cross-bench peer aligned to no political party, says Britain should be more optimistic and “self-confident” about its prospects outside the European Union. 

Stephen Martin, the new head of the Institute of Directors, strikes a similar note, arguing that leaving the EU will “open our eyes” to the economic opportunities that lie outside Europe. Mr Martin, too, is politically non-partisan, interested only in what is good for British business. Both men are right and politicians should learn from them. Many of those who lead this country, or simply aspire to, should be approaching Brexit with a very different, more optimistic attitude. 
Asking for more optimism about Brexit is not, as some of its opponents suggest, a way of continuing the divisions of the referendum. As Theresa May proves, it is perfectly possible to have voted Remain in June and to argue today that Brexit can be good for Britain. Mrs May will soon give a major speech on Brexit which she says will offer a vision of the country Britain can become outside the EU.  
If it lives up to her promise, Mrs May’s speech will be exactly what the country needs, but her most important audience may be among her own colleagues and officials. Voters are largely positive about the future, believing in this country’s ability to thrive. Sadly, that belief is often lacking in some ministers and especially in the Civil Service. Too many still regard the Brexit vote as an error and the exit that must follow as a problem to be managed and mitigated, not an opportunity to be seized. 
Outside the EU, Britain will be able once again to decide its own laws on everything from immigration to industrial strategy. We must surely also get more scope to build closer trading relationships with dynamic economies around the world. These are the freedoms that the British people chose for themselves and their country in the biggest vote in our history: the referendum vote to leave the EU was a huge collective act of optimism and belief that this country’s best days are yet to come. Brexit is a good news story, and our leaders should do more to tell it that way. 


Structure of the Lead：
     WHO-Lord King
     WHEN-not given
     WHAT-says Britain should be more optimistic and “self-confident” about its prospects outside the European Union
     WHY-not given
     WHERE-United Kingdom
     HOW-not given


Keywords：
   1. brexit：脫歐
   2. forecaster：推測者
   3. aspire：嚮往、懷有大志
   4. division：分開
   5. referendum：公民投票
   6. thrive：興旺、繁榮
   7. mitigate：緩和、減輕
   8. dynamic：強而有力的
   9. freedom：自由權
   10. optimism：樂觀

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2016年12月12日 星期一

Week Seven- 白頭盔

White Helmets visit Montreal to discuss harrowing work in Syria


Published Friday, December 9, 2016 10:01PM EST 

Amid Syria’s brutal civil war, a team of brave volunteers are risking their lives to provide life-saving emergency aid to those living through the chaos.
The White Helmets, also known as the Syrian Civil Defence, are a group of nearly 3,000 unarmed volunteers who work daily to rescue those injured in the country’s ongoing bombings. Since it formed in 2013, the group estimates it has saved more than 73,530 lives.
Members of the group visited Concordia University in Montreal Thursday to discuss their harrowing but important work. The event coincided with a screening of the 40-minute Netflix documentary “The White Helmets,” directed by Oscar-nominated director Orlando von Einsiedel.
Farouq Habib, one of the group’s leaders, was a banker before he began volunteering.
“I feel on a personal level, I’m a better person now,” Habib told CTV News.
The group was expected to remain in Canada for several days for more screenings, but returned to Syria early to resume their work.
“To me it’s the genuine, genuine definition of heroism,” said James LeMesurier, another member of the group.
The work is undeniably dangerous. The White Helmets have run into active bombing zones and sniper fire to rescue injured civilians. To date, 154 volunteers have been killed in the line of duty, and they say that four of their warehouses have been hit by bombs.
The reason the White Helmets continue to risk their lives, they say, is dedication. The group is comprised of everyday men and women, including bakers, pharmacists and shopkeepers, who underwent first-aid and emergency training to be able to help out in the hardest hit areas of Syria. All volunteers take a pledge to three core principles: humanity, solidarity and impartiality.
“They go by a motto of, ‘To save one life is to save humanity.’ And I think that that is true,” said Lindsay Gladding, a senior program manager with World Vision Canada.
But the group is not without controversy. The White Helmets have been criticized for receiving financial backing from western governments and faced accusations that some members have faked rescue videos. In some cases, the group has even been accused of aligning with terrorists.
Habib says the White Helmets are clear about who they consider the enemy.
“Anyone who targets civilians in Syria, for us, is a criminal,” he said.
As the war rages on, the group says that there are many lives they are simply incapable of saving. For that reason, they say that Syrian refugees, including those in Canada, will be critical in efforts to one day rebuild the country’s future.



Structure of the Lead：
     WHO-a team of brave volunteers
     WHEN-not given
     WHAT-are risking their lives
     WHY-to provide life-saving emergency aid to those living through the chaos.
     WHERE-Syria
     HOW-not given


Keywords：
   1. brutal：殘忍的、粗暴的
   2. chaos：混亂
   3. harrowing：悲慘的
   4. resume：重新開始、繼續
   5. genuine：真誠的、坦率的
   6. heroism：英勇精神
   7. dedication：奉獻、貢獻
   8. humanity：人道、慈愛
   9. solidarity：團結
   10. impartiality：無私
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2016年12月5日 星期一

Week Six- 美古關係

U.S. Airlines Can Now Make Direct Flights to Cuba

  • by Reuters

Cuba said on Friday it was ready to receive U.S. commercial flights beginning next week and that it viewed their renewal after being suspended in 1961 as another positive step in a growing detente.
JetBlue  JBLU -0.14%  is scheduled to inaugurate direct flights between the long-time nemeses on Aug. 31, when it flies from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Villa Clara in central Cuba.
American Airlines  AAL -0.82%  in September will start flying from Miami to the provinces, followed by other airlines.
There will be 20 daily flights to Havana by the end of the year.
“It is a positive step and contribution to the improving relations between Cuba and the U.S.,” deputy transportation minister Eduardo Rodriguez told local media.
 Josefina Vidal, who heads Cuba’s U.S. diplomacy department, said Cuba had confirmed the JetBlue flight, removing the last technical hurdle of official approval.
Rodriguez said U.S. airlines would be handled in a similar fashion as the 110 airlines currently flying to Cuba and with equal attention to security issues that were already a normal part of the country’s system.
“Cuba is strong in matters of operational and aviation security, which are recognized internationally,” the Communist Party daily, Granma, quoted him as stating.
Seventeen U.S. charter flights land every day in Cuba, but they are expected to gradually succumb to competition from the airlines.
Cuba has been experiencing a tourism boom since the announcement in December 2014 that the U.S. would normalize diplomatic ties and work to solve various outstanding issues.
Last year, a record 3.5 million tourists visited, straining dilapidated infrastructure and pushing up prices, especially in the capital. Thousands of homes now rent out rooms, helping to ease the strain, and some 2,000 private restaurants have opened.
The Obama administration has focused on allowing normal travel, loosening restrictions despite a ban on tourism that only Congress can lift, and authorizing travel related businesses to set up shop in Cuba and communications companies and banks to provide support such as roaming and credit cards.
The direct flights follow the opening of the first U.S. administered hotel and arrival of the first U.S. cruise ship earlier this year.
Some 300,000 Cubans living in the U.S. now travel home annually. In 2015, the Cuban government reported 161,233 Americans visited, compared to 91,254 in 2014, and arrivals through June nearly doubled compared with the same period last year.

 Structure of the Lead：
     WHO-Cuba
     WHEN-on Friday
     WHAT-said 
     WHY-it was ready to receive U.S. commercial flights beginning next week and that it viewed their renewal after being suspended in 1961 as another positive step in a growing detente.
     WHERE-not given
     HOW-not given


Keywords：
   1. suspend：暫停、中止
   2. detente：緩和政策
   3. inaugurate：開始、開展
   4. airline：航線
   5. relations：國家之間的關係
   6. aviation：航空、飛行
   7. normalize：使正常化
   8. restriction：限制
   9. roaming：國際漫遊
   10. direct flight：直飛航線
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