WEEK8:英國脫歐

Lord King says Brexit brings 'real opportunities'

Lord King, the former governor of the Bank of England, has said that the UK should be "self-confident" about leaving the European Union.

He said there were "real opportunities" for economic reform and new trade deals which meant Brexit could be a success.

He highlighted agricultural reform and a developing relationship with the Republic of Ireland as areas where the UK could be positive.

After Brexit, the Irish border will be the only EU-UK land border.

"I think the challenges we face mean it's not a bed of roses, no one should pretend that, but equally it is not the end of the world and there are some real opportunities that arise from the fact of Brexit we might take," he said in an interview with Radio 4's Today programme.

"There are many opportunities and I think we should look at it in a much more self-confident way than either side is approaching it at present.

"Being out of what is a pretty unsuccessful European Union - particularly in the economic sense - gives us opportunities as well as obviously great political difficulties."

Trade deals

Lord King suggested that Britain would be better off economically completely out of the EU single market and that there were "question marks" about staying in the customs union as that may constrain the government's ability to sign trade deals with countries outside the Union.

"I think it's more difficult to take advantage of those opportunities," Lord King said when asked about staying inside the customs union after leaving the EU - a position, for example, adopted by Turkey.

"I don't think it makes sense for us to pretend we should remain in the single market and I think there are real question marks about whether it makes sense to remain in the customs union.

"Clearly if we do that we cannot make our own trade deals with other countries."

Immigration

The government has made it clear it wants to control immigration laws and be outside the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, two positions which appear to be incompatible with membership of the single market.

Lord King said the government should outline its policies on immigration "sooner rather than later" and that it would be a mistake to put the issue into the "basket" to be negotiated once Article 50 is triggered next year and the formal process of leaving the EU begins.

Lord King defended his successor, Mark Carney, who has faced criticism for being too "political" in warning about the possible economic consequences of leaving the EU.

The former governor said Mr Carney had been put in an "almost impossible position" because of the polarised nature of the debate and had remained well within the Bank of England's remit to outline the possible path of economic growth in the short term should Britain vote to leave the EU.

Lord King said it was too early to tell what the overall effect on the economy would be, despite data since the referendum result being more positive than many economists predicted.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-38421769

Structure of the Lead：

Who-Lord King, the former governor of the Bank of England

What-said that the UK should be "self-confident" about leaving the European Union

How-Lord King, the former governor of the Bank of England, has said that the UK should be "self-confident" about leaving the European Union.

Why-not given

Where-not given

When-not given

Keywords:

1.self-confident:自信心

2.Brexit:英國脫歐

3.pretend:假裝

4.incompatible:不相容的

5.debate:爭論

6.referendum:公投

WEEK7:白頭盔

Syria's White Helmets win 'alternative Nobel Prize'

The Syria Civil Defence, a volunteer rescue service also known as the White Helmets, has won this year's Right Livelihood Award.

The award is worth €315,000 (£271,184) split between four recipients.

The White Helmets were recognised for "outstanding bravery, compassion and humanitarian engagement in rescuing civilians".

The group has almost 3,000 volunteers, and claims to have saved 60,000 lives in the Syrian conflict.

The three other recipients sharing the prize, dubbed the "alternative Nobel Prize", are Mozn Hassan, an Egyptian feminist; Svetlana Gannushkina, a Russian human rights activist; and Cumhuriyet, a Turkish newspaper.

The White Helmets are internationally recognised for their rescue efforts, and have been nominated for the "real" Nobel Peace Prize, which will be announced in October.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, however, downplayed the importance of the organisation's work.

In an interview with the APTN news agency, Mr Assad asked: "What did they achieve in Syria?

"How unpoliticised is the Nobel Prize? That's the other question," he said.

"I would only give a prize to whoever worked for the peace in Syria first of all by stopping the terrorists from blowing war on Syria, only."

What are the White Helmets?

• started early 2013 as a volunteer workforce
• includes bakers, tailors, carpenters, electricians
• 130 killed out of about 3,000 members
• say they are neutral, have no political affiliation and save people from all sides of conflict
• also do repair works, reconnect electrical cables and secure the buildings
• run by donations, also helped by US Aid and Dutch foreign ministry

In a statement announcing the laureates, the award's organisers said the Syria Civil Defence's "deep commitment to humanitarian action" had "drawn international attention to the plight of Syria's citizens and the devastation caused by barrel bombs".

Speaking about all four recipients, executive director of the prize, Ole von Uexkull, said: "We do not only celebrate their courage, compassion and commitment; we also celebrate the success of their work, against all odds, and the real difference they are making in the world today."

In response to the award, the group tweeted that it was "humbled" and "proud".

The White Helmets are also the subject of a documentary film released on streaming service Netflix earlier this month.

Previous winners of the Right Livelihood Award include US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, Alan Rusbridger, editor of UK newspaper The Guardian, and Gino Strada, an Italian war surgeon.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37442277

Structure of the Lead：

Who-The Syria Civil Defence

What-won this year's Right Livelihood Award

How-a volunteer rescue service also known as the White Helmets, has won this year's Right Livelihood Award

Why-not given

Where-not given

When-not given

Keywords:

1.recipient:收件人

2.humanitarian:人道主義

3.dub:授予...稱號

4.nominat:提名

5.downplay:低估

6.affiliation:加入

7.ministry:外交部

8.commitment:承諾

WEEK6:上海迪士尼

Shanghai Disneyland Opens With Fireworks, Presidential Nods

Walt Disney Co.’s $5.5 billion Shanghai theme park, its first in mainland China, opened with fireworks, a dancing Mickey Mouse, dignitaries and messages of support from two of the most powerful presidents in the world.

“I hope that Shanghai Disney can provide visitors with safe and premium experiences and become a world class theme park. I hope it promotes exchanges across cultures of the world,” according to a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping, read by Vice Premier Wang Yang at the park’s opening ceremony Thursday morning.

Tens of thousands streamed into Shanghai Disneyland on its debut, an event that was nearly two decades in the making. The resort is the largest foreign investment ever for the Burbank, California-based company, as it intensifies the race to dominate China’s $610 billion tourism industry.

About 60 more parks will open by then to serve Chinese consumers, including Dalian Wanda Group Co.’s chain of 15 “Wanda Cities.” DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc’s $2.4 billion DreamCenter is scheduled for 2017, while Haichang Ocean Park Holdings plans a marine park an hour from Disneyland and Six Flags Entertainment Corp.’s Shanghai park will be its first outside North America. 

“The Shanghai resort shows the confidence of the international business community in China’s economic potential,” said Wang, one of the four vice premiers in the country’s State Council, in a speech as a drizzle fell during the ceremony. Rain marks “a good and auspicious start” according to Chinese culture, Wang said.

Amid the activities surrounding the Shanghai park debut, Iger offered his sympathies to the family of a child who died in an incident at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The company said Thursday beaches in the Florida resort area remain closed until further notice after the death of the 2-year-old boy who was dragged by an alligator into a man-made lake.

China Bet

Iger, who is also the company’s chairman, first stepped foot on land that would become the Disney site in Shanghai’s Pudong district 17 years ago. The construction of the resort, a joint venture between Disney and the state-owned Shanghai Shendi Group, broke ground in 2011.

“It’s a big bet on a big market and it represents not only our biggest entrance into this market but the potential to deliver great growth for the company long term,” Iger said in a Bloomberg TV interview June 9.

Disney fell 0.1 percent to $98.27 by the close of trading in New York on Wednesday. The shares have fallen 6.5 percent this year, compared with the 1.3 percent gain in Standard and Poor’s 500 Index.

There’s big money at stake. About 25 percent of Chinese consumers surveyed in 2015 plan to spend more of their income on leisure and entertainment, according to a March report from McKinsey & Co. They’re also showing an increasing willingness to pay a premium for better goods, with half of those surveyed seeking the “best and most expensive” products.

Chinese Preferences

From the peony flower design on the turret of the park’s centerpiece castle, to a comedic Beijing opera interlude in the Mandarin version of the Lion King musical, Disney has taken pains to incorporate Chinese elements at the 963-acre resort. 

“We didn’t build Disneyland in China, we built China’s Disneyland,” said Iger.

Leia Mi, the concept designer for the Shanghai park’s castle, said that Disney conducted thorough market research into Chinese preferences. For example, while other Disneylands showcase a castle that guests walk through, the Shanghai park castle was designed with eating and retail space within them to meet Chinese expectations.

While the castles in Hong Kong and Anaheim are a tribute to the Disney character, Sleeping Beauty, the designers also chose to represent all the Disney princesses inside Shanghai’s castle. For most Chinese, there isn’t one Disney princess that stands out, Mi said.

“The Chinese can learn the princesses over time and this gives them an opportunity to have an introduction to all of the princess stories,” said executive producer Ali Rubinstein.

Most Ambitious

Disney’s designers and engineers said that the park was the grandest and most ambitious they have created, aided by new 3-D design technology that allowed them to identify and solve problems before construction began. 

“We certainly invented a few things for this in terms of technology development,” said the resort’s executive producer, Jodi Mclaughlin. “We worked hard to be very daring with this project and raise the bar in terms of what a Disney experience is. You’ll see things here that you won’t see any place else.”

At the park on Thursday, Su Xuanjun, a native of western Sichuan province, complained about the pricey tickets but gushed about an attraction based on the “Pirates of the Carribean” movie.

“It’s very impressive how they use technology in this ride,” said Su, who was accompanied by his wife, daughter and 4-year-old grandson. Still, he thinks Disney could have gone a bit further to make the park more “China-like”.

“Doesn’t look like China to me at all. They could have incorporated more Chinese elements,” said the 60-year-old retiree. “In the Pirates ride, they could have had the setting be the Yangtze River.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-15/shanghai-disney-to-open-with-fanfare-in-race-for-tourism-yuan

Structure of the Lead：

Who-a dancing Mickey Mouse, dignitaries and messages of support from two of the most powerful presidents in the world

What-Walt Disney Co.’s $5.5 billion Shanghai theme park, its first in mainland China

How-Walt Disney opened with fireworks, a dancing Mickey Mouse, dignitaries and messages of support from two of the most powerful presidents in the world

Where-in mainland China

Why-not given

When-not given

Keywords:

1.dignitary:高官

2.premium:優質的

3.debut:首次登場

4.auspicious:吉利的

5.centerpiece:在正中央的東西

6.tribute:進貢物

7.grandest:最富麗堂皇的

WEEK5:VR虛擬實境

How to Pursue the Perfect Virtual Reality Experience

Virtually everyone is smitten with VR. But it's not going to go far unless entrepreneurs fix its problems first.

Even in today’s tech-driven, gadget-filled world, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who isn’t completely enamored with virtual reality. Just the concept of strapping on a pair of goggles and being whisked into a different world awakens the dreamer in all of us.

Related: Why Virtual Reality Is Vital

Devices such as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are already ushering in a new generation of VR. Tech experts predict that this industry will continue to grow into a market worth $150 billion by 2020.

Yes, the VR industry could be on the cusp of a major revolution -- if it only can overcome its growing pains.

A recent New York Times article highlighted some significant flaws that still plague the VR market. If entrepreneurs and startups don’t address these issues soon, further negative press could keep VR technology from going mainstream -- or put a stop to the VR revolution altogether.

Improving the VR experience to advance the industry

The appeal of VR technology is that the possibilities seem endless. By simply donning a headset, users are thrust into environments where their senses of touch, hearing and sight are immersed in stimuli, allowing them to participate in any number of unique, life-like experiences.

Yet, as it stands today, VR has a long way to go before it can expect mainstream success. Recent critiques have indicated that the technology is too immersive, too isolating and too incompatible with how users engage with the digital world. Others argue that it’s just too gimmicky and limited with regard to content.

But perhaps the largest obstacle holding VR back from widespread popularity is vergence-accommodation conflict, or “VR sickness,” a condition of users’ eyes having trouble focusing on the conflicting images put before them in a VR simulation. VR sickness often causes discomfort and fatigue and can cause users to shorten VR experiences -- or develop aversions to VR altogether.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/281595

Structure of the Lead：

Who-everyone

What-Virtually everyone is smitten with VR

How-But it's not going to go far unless entrepreneurs fix its problems first

Why-not given

Where-not given

When-not given

Keywords:

1.smitten:重擊

2:enamored:著迷的

3:ushering:引導

4:on the cusp of:處於...的開端

5:mainstream:主流
6:immersive:身歷其境的
7:incompatible:不相容的
8:gimmicky:耍花招的
9:simulation:模擬
10:fatigue:疲勞

WEEK4:巴黎氣候高峰會

COP21: Paris climate deal 'more likely' after terror attacks

Nearly 150 global leaders are gathering in Paris amid tight security for a critical UN climate meeting.

The conference, known as COP21, starts on Monday and will try to craft a long-term deal to limit carbon emissions.

Observers say that the recent terror attacks on the French capital will increase the chances of a new agreement.

Around 40,000 people are expected to participate in the event, which runs until 11 December.

The gathering of 147 heads of state and government is set to be far bigger than the 115 or so who came to Copenhagen in 2009, the last time the world came close to agreeing a long term deal on climate change.

Rallies call for action

One important part of the conference started on Sunday evening. The Adhoc Durban Platform on enhanced action was brought forward to "offer an opportunity to make the best possible use of the very limited time available", the UN said.

While many leaders including Presidents Obama and Xi Jinping were always set to attend this conference, the recent violent attacks in Paris have encouraged others to come in an expression of solidarity with the French people.

Unlike at Copenhagen, the French organizers are bringing the leaders in at the start of the conference rather than waiting for them to come in at the end, a tactic which failed spectacularly in the Danish capital.

On Sunday hundreds of thousands of people took part in demonstrations worldwide to demand they take firm action.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-34950442

Structure of the Lead：

Who-Nearly 150 global leaders

What-gathering in Paris amid tight security for a critical UN climate meeting

How-gathering in Paris amid tight security for a critical UN climate meeting

Where-in Paris

Why-not given

When-not given

Keywords:

1.amid:在...之間

2.craft:精巧地製作

3.emission:排放物

4.solidarity:團結

5.tactic:策略

6.demonstrations:示威行動

WEEK3:巴黎恐攻

How do you explain the Paris terror attacks to a child? This father found the most beautiful way

The dad has been praised for how he responded to his young son's comments - and it's even allowing some French people to 'let go of their tears'.

Since Friday, France and the rest of the world have been trying to make sense of devastating terror attacks that rocked Paris , leaving 129 people dead.

We have seen footage of people laying flowers at the site of the massacres, or silently weeping during yesterday's two-minute silence.

But one heartwarming video circulating on social media shows the 'humanity in the face of inhumanity' we have come to recognise in response to the devastation - and is even helping French people come to terms with their grief.

In an interview with Le Petit Journal in front of floral tributes left for the dead, a young boy is asked if he understands what has happened.

He responds: "Yes, because they are very, very, very bad. Baddies are not very nice. We need to be really careful because we will have to move home."

Patting his head and telling him not to worry, his father replies: "We don't have to move home. France is our home."

Still concerned, the boy says: "But they are baddies, daddy," to which his dad responds: "Yes, but there are bad people everywhere."

When the boy expresses a worry that the bad people can 'shoot at us' with their guns, the conversation takes a beautiful turn.

"But flowers do nothing," comes the response, to which Dad replies that the flowers are there to fight against the guns.

"It will protect us?" he innocently asks. "And the candles too?"

Suddenly, the boy looks visibly comforted. His worry slowly melting away, he asks again: "The flowers and candles will protect us?" - a heartwarming smile creeping across his face as his father says yes.

The interviewer asks the youngster if he feels better now, to which he replies: "Yes, I feel better."

The man has won praise for the way he dealt with his son's questions and comments - and the beautiful exchange has even enabled some French viewers to come to terms with their own grief.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/how-you-explain-paris-terror-6845913

Structure of the Lead：

Who-the dad, his son and French people

What-the dad responded to his young son's comments - and it's even allowing some French people to 'let go of their tears'

How-the dad responded to his young son's comments - and it's even allowing some French people to 'let go of their tears'

Why-not given

When-not given

Where-not given

Keywords:

1.devastating:毀滅性的

2.footage:以尺計算長度

3.massacre:屠殺

4.inhumanity:不人道

5.grief:悲痛

6.floral tributes(片語):獻花

7.pat:輕拍

8.innocently:天真地

9.creep:漸漸綻開