Egypt’s Suez Canal: a maritime choke point

The 400-meter long, 220,000-ton MV [motor vessel ( )] Ever Given, classed as a so-called “megaship,” veered ( ) off course during a gale-force ( ) duststorm ( ).

The 59-meter-wide Taiwan-run, Panama-flagged vessel became stuck ( ) near the southern end of the Suez Canal, diagonally ( ) blocking the man-made ( ) waterway ( ) that connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea.

Opened 150 years ago, Egypt’s Suez Canal has been regularly expanded ( ) and modernized, and it is today capable of ( ) accommodating ( ) some of the world’s largest supertankers ( ), handling roughly 10 percent of international maritime trade. In 2019 around 50 ships used the canal daily, compared with three in 1869.

The majority ( ) of oil transported by sea passes through the Suez Canal, which is the fastest crossing ( ) from the North Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean, but demands hefty ( ) passage tolls ( ). The journey between ports in the Persian Gulf and London, for example, is roughly halved ( ) by going through the Suez Canal compared to the alternate ( ) route via the southern tip of Africa.

Most of the cargo ( ) traveling from the Persian Gulf to Western Europe is oil. In the opposite direction, it is mostly manufactured goods and grain ( ) from Europe and North America headed to the Far East and Asia.

The latest blockage ( ) highlights ( ) the risks faced by the shipping industry as more and more vessels transit ( ) maritime choke points including the Suez and Panama canals, the Strait of Hormuz and Southeast Asia’s Malacca Strait. Those routes ( ) are also having to accommodate increasingly larger ships that are more complex ( ) to rescue, while the container-carrying capacity of vessels has doubled in the past decade.

埃及蘇伊士運河：世界海運之吭

長達四百公尺、二十二萬噸，屬於所謂「超大型船舶」的內燃機船「長賜號」，在沙塵暴的大風中偏離了航道。

這艘五十九公尺寬，由台灣企業經營、以巴拿馬為船旗國的船卡在蘇伊士運河南端附近，以斜角堵住了這條連接地中海與紅海的人造水路。

埃及的蘇伊士運河一百五十年前開航，一直定期進行擴建及現代化改造，如今能夠容納世界上最大的一些超級油輪，經手大約百分之十的國際海洋貿易。二○一九年，每天約有五十艘船通過運河，在一八六九年則為每日三艘。

大部分經海路運輸的石油都會通過蘇伊士運河，但需付高額通行費，蘇伊士運河是由北大西洋通往印度洋最快的渡口。例如，要來往波斯灣諸港及倫敦之間，經由蘇伊士運河要比繞道非洲南端的替代路線縮短了大約一半的行程。

由波斯灣運往西歐的貨品大部分為石油；而反方向的運輸，主要是將歐洲及北美洲的製成品與穀物，運往遠東及亞洲。

近日的蘇伊士運河堵塞事件確實凸顯出航運業所面臨的風險，因為有越來越多的船通過海上戰略咽喉要塞，包括蘇伊士運河、巴拿馬運河、荷莫茲海峽，以及東南亞的麻六甲海峽。這些路線還必須容納體積越來越大的船舶，體積越大，救援起來就越複雜。船舶的裝載貨櫃容量在過去十年中整整翻了一倍。

#高雄人 #學習英文 請找 #多益達人林立英文
#高中英文 #成人英文
#多益家教班 #商用英文
#國立大學外國語文學系講師

剛剛收到朋友的消息

世界上最危險的盧卡拉機場出事了！！！

Summit Airline的小飛機滑行起飛時
突然轉向往一旁的直升機衝撞過去
一起掉到旁邊機場圍牆外
不幸造成3死3傷的悲劇

#我一個月前才在那邊搭飛機...

[時事英文] Gun Control

在佛州高中爆發槍擊事件幾週後，公共壓力 (public pressure)迅速迫使各企業採取具體行動，達美航空宣布終止提供全國步槍協會（National Rifle Association, NRA）成員的折扣優惠 ，且零售業者沃爾瑪、Dick對槍枝銷售機型祭出限制 (set gun restrictions)。特朗普總統也在一場白宮會議上表態支持施行槍支管制 (support gun control)，這比他之前發表的讓學校職員持槍的提議天差地別，當然也震驚多數共和黨成員。

由於同學常寫信問我美國槍械暴力的問題，以下編寫了關於關於此議題的時事英文詞彙，希望幫助大家了解和探討美國的槍枝政策。同時也感謝特朗普大大目前沒有繼續提議要老師在教書時帶槍枝。

★★★★★★★★★★★★

1. embrace gun control 樂意採納槍支管制
2. urge lawmakers 敦促議員
3. resurrect gun safety legislation 新啟動槍支安全立法
4. be opposed by 遭到…的反對
5. National Rifle Association (NRA) 美國步槍協會
6. vast majority of … 絕大多數…
7. call for comprehensive gun control legislation 呼籲制定全面的槍支管制法案
8. expand background checks 擴大背景核查
9. gun shows 槍支展
10. keep guns from the mentally ill 防止精神病患者獲得槍支
11. restrict gun sales from some young adults 限制某些年輕人購買槍支
12. a ban on assault weapons 攻擊性武器禁令
13. law enforcement authorities 執法當局
14. seize guns 奪取槍支
15. go through due process 走正當法律程序
16. NRA lobbyists 美國步槍協會的遊說者
17. issue statements 發表聲明
18. gun control measures 槍支管制措施
19. Constitutional protections 憲法保護
20. launch a lobbying campaign 發起一場遊說活動
21. universal background checks 全面背景核查
22. a bipartisan bill 兩黨共同提出的一個法案
23. gun-control advocate 槍支管控的倡導者
24. push for new gun restrictions 積極推行新的槍支限制措施
25. remain uncertain 依然不確定
26. polarize the country 分化全國

"President Trump stunned Republicans on live television by embracing gun control and urging a group of lawmakers at the White House to resurrect gun safety legislation that has been opposed for years by the powerful National Rifle Association and the vast majority of his party. In a remarkable meeting in the Roosevelt Room, the president veered wildly from the NRA playbook in front of giddy Democrats and stone-faced Republicans. He called for comprehensive gun control legislation that would expand background checks to weapons purchased at gun shows and on the internet , keep guns from the mentally ill, secure schools and restrict gun sales from some young adults. He even suggested a conversation on an assault weapons ban.

川普總統在電視直播中支持槍支管制，令共和黨人感到震驚。他在白宮敦促一群議員重新啟動槍支安全立法。該立法行動多年來一直遭到強大的美國步槍協會(National Rifle Association)和共和黨絕大多數成員的反對。在羅斯福廳舉行的一次引人注目的會議上，在欣喜的民主黨人和臉色陰沉的共和黨人面前，總統大大背離了美國步槍協會的主張。他呼籲制定全面的槍支管制法案，擴大對在槍支展和互聯網上購買武器的背景核查，防止精神病患者獲得槍支，保衛學校的安全，限制某些年輕人購買槍支。他甚至建議就攻擊性武器禁令展開對話。"

Complete article: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/us/politics/trump-gun-control.html

★★★★★★★★★★★★

美國為何就是不禁槍: http://hottopic.chinatimes.com/20160613004377-260803

美國槍械暴力問題: https://goo.gl/t1Decr

★★★★★★★★★★★★

時事英文新聞 (Breaking News): http://goo.gl/3EnOO6

★★★★★★★★★★★★

Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/us/politics/trump-gun-control.html
https://money.udn.com/money/story/5599/3012166
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/trad/world-43138634

For this video, we went back to Neo’s Kitchen to cook up and destroy a 5KG Collagen Seafood Noodles Challenge! CHU provided us with their Premium Chicken Collagen Soup packs for us to use as the gravy base. These Premium Collagen Soup packs are available at FairPrice Finest island-wide!

We veered from a more traditional Chinese-style seafood noodles by boiling all the noodles, meat and vegetables into the soup, similar to a hotpot. The alternate way would be to cook the meat and vegetables first, cooking the noodles separately (including a frying step), preparing the soup base and then combining them all together.

Thanks to CHU’s Collagen Soup, the soup base was a simple affair of emptying the contents of the pack into a pot. Then, we cooked all the ingredients one after another, which were: marinated pork loin, squid, shrimp, grouper, clay-pot noodles, fish cakes, crab sticks and bok choy. After seasoning to taste with oyster sauce and soy sauce, we topped the Seafood Noodles with an egg mixture that comprised of eggs boiled in the Collagen Soup. Finally, we plated the massive dish onto our giant plate and garnished with fried onions and spring onions. The result was a beautiful 5KG plate of Chicken Collagen Seafood Noodles!

The Collagen Broth was rich and deeply flavoured, reminiscent of a concentrated chicken stock. Surprisingly, while it had a distinct flavour, it was not overpowering nor salty. Using this pre-made pack allowed us to skip the fairly tedious process of creating your own which can involve chicken stock, aromatics and seasonings that you boil for some time. The seafood added a noticeable element to the broth that elevated the richness of it even further. Ultimately, I thought it was close to restaurant-level Seafood Noodles.

This was such a simple dish to prepare and I thoroughly enjoyed my homemade Chicken Collagen Seafood Noodles. The possibilities of what you can make with the Premium Chicken Collagen Soup are endless due to the rich yet not overpowering nature of it, be it a hotpot base, risotto or mui fan. Find it at your nearest FairPrice Finest or order it online!

Get CHU’s Premium Chicken Collagen Soup at: http://www.FairPrice.com.sg
IG: @FinestFoodSG

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Hong Kong residents can't believe their eyes as a giant ship heads straight towards university sports grounds.
Copyright: Corinne Vigniel/ To use this video in a commercial player or in broadcasts, please email licensing@storyful.com

A German-flagged container ship headed straight towards shore and briefly ran aground in Hong Kong on Sunday afternoon (April 6, 2014).
The 192.5-meter-long Hansa Constitution was travelling along the busy East Lamma shipping channel when it veered off course and headed straight towards shore.
The Hong Kong Marine Department said the ship's main engine broke down.
The crew dropped anchor, making loud screeching noises, to try and slow it down as it headed straight towards the sea wall of the University of Hong Kong sports grounds in Pok Fu Lam.
The ship ground to a halt at around 15.22 local. It then slowly reversed, as Marine, police and fire services headed towards the site. It was eventually towed free. No one was injured.
The ship was sailing from Yokohama to Chiwan port in Shenzhen, China.
目定口呆: 192.5米貨船, 行駛東博寮海峽期間, 突然偏離航線, 直沖香港大學何鴻燊體育中心..直至擱淺岸邊.
海事處表示是主要機件故障.
熟悉船務的人表示船長應是故意把船開離繁忙航道, 避免在停頓前撞倒其他船隻. 船後來被拖走.

Copyright: Corinne Vigniel
Location: Near Stanley Ho sports center, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong 何鴻燊體育中心
Date: 15:22 local time on April 6, 2014
Camera: iPhone 4S

Copyright: Corinne Vigniel
Location: Near Stanley Ho sports center, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong 何鴻燊體育中心
Date: 15:22 local time on April 6, 2014
Camera: iPhone 4S
Copyright: Corinne Vigniel/ To use this video in a commercial player or in broadcasts, please email licensing@storyful.com

Jaw dropping: a giant ship heads straight towards Hong Kong university's sports ground.
Copyright: Corinne Vigniel/ To use this video in a commercial player or in broadcasts, please email licensing@storyful.com

See background information below and link to longer version of story on YouTube.
http://youtu.be/9WK5s4g3APw

BACKGROUND
A German-flagged container ship headed straight towards shore and briefly ran aground in Hong Kong on Sunday afternoon (April 6, 2014).
The 192.5-meter-long Hansa Constitution was travelling along the busy East Lamma shipping channel when it suddenly veered off course.
The Hong Kong Marine Department said the ship's main engine broke down.
People familiar with the shipping industry say the captain and Hong Kong maritime authorities decided to the best course of action was to beach the vessel to prevent it from colliding with other ships on the busy shipping channel.
The crew dropped anchor at the last minute, making loud screeching noises, to slow Hansa Constitution as it headed straight towards the sea wall outside the University of Hong Kong sports grounds in Pok Fu Lam.
The ship ground to a halt at around 15.22 local. It then slowly reversed, as Marine, police and fire services rushed to the site. It was eventually towed free. No one was injured.
The ship was travelling from Yokohama in Japan to Chiwan port in Shenzhen, China.

目定口呆: 192.5米貨船, 行駛東博寮海峽期間, 突然偏離航線, 直沖香港大學何鴻燊體育中心..直至擱淺岸邊.
海事處表示是主要機件故障.
熟悉船務的人表示船長應是故意把船開離繁忙航道, 避免在停頓前撞倒其他船隻. 船後來被拖走.

Copyright: Corinne Vigniel
Location: Near Stanley Ho sports center, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong 何鴻燊體育中心
Date: 15:22 local time on April 6, 2014
Camera: iPhone 4S