通勤學英語 15Mins Today

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—— 以上為 Firstory Podcast 廣告 ——



Hi there! 歡迎收聽 Look Back Sunday 回顧星期天，在這個節目 John 老師會彙整過去不同國家與主題的熱門跟讀文章，讓你可以在十五分鐘內吸收最精華的世界時事趣聞！我們這週聽聽墨西哥相關的文章，Let's get started!

Topic 1: Oldest and largest ancient Maya structure found in Mexico

Scientists using an aerial remote-sensing method have discovered the largest and oldest-known structure built by the ancient Maya civilization — a colossal rectangular elevated platform built between 1,000 and 800 BC in Mexico's Tabasco state. 科學家日前利用空中遙測技術，發現馬雅古文明迄今所知最大規模、最古老的建築結構。該遺址是一座巨大的長方形高台，位在墨西哥的塔巴斯戈州，建造於西元前一千年到前八百年間。

The structure, unlike the soaring Maya pyramids at cities like Tikal in Guatemala and Palenque in Mexico erected some 1,500 years later, was not built of stone but rather of clay and earth, and likely was used for mass rituals, researchers said on June 3. 研究人員六月三日表示，該遺址迥異於馬雅文明一千五百多年後於瓜地馬拉的提卡爾和墨西哥的帕倫克等城市建造的高聳金字塔，並非由巨石堆砌而成，而是用黏土和泥土建成，可能是用來舉行大型祭祀活動。

Located at a site called Aguada Fenix near the Guatemalan border, the structure measured nearly 400m wide and 1,400m long and stood 10m to 15m high. In total volume, it exceeded ancient Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza built 1,500 years earlier. 此建築座落於一處稱為「阿瓜達芬尼克斯」的遺址，靠近瓜地馬拉的邊界，長一千四百公尺、寬幾乎達四百公尺，高度約為十到十五公尺。從總體積來看，此結構超過古埃及早一千五百年（即西元前兩千五百年）建造的吉薩大金字塔。

There were no signs of sculptures depicting high-status individuals, suggesting Maya culture at this early stage was more communal and only later developed social inequality and a hierarchical society led by royalty, the researchers said. "Because it is so large horizontally, if you walk on it, it just looks like natural landscape," said University of Arizona archaeologist Takeshi Inomata, who led the research published in the journal Nature. "But its form comes out nicely in lidar." 研究人員指出，這處遺址並未出現刻畫身居高位的個人雕塑，意味著馬雅文化在這個早期階段較為偏向「共治」，直到稍晚才發展出社會不平等的現象，以及由王室主導的階級制社會。美國亞利桑那大學的考古學家豬俁健是研究主持人，他表示：「因為這個結構和地面平行，規模又如此巨大，當人走在上面時，感覺就像是走在自然形成的地理景觀上。」豬俁健進一步補充說：「不過，透過光學雷達，遺址的結構就清楚地展現出來。」這份研究日前刊登於《自然》期刊。

Lidar, short for Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote-sensing technique that employs a pulsed laser and other data obtained flying over a site to generate three-dimensional information about the shape of surface characteristics. Nine large causeways and a series of reservoirs were linked to the structure. Some parts of the rural Aguada Fenix site today are covered with cattle ranches. Other parts are wooded. 「光達」是「光線檢測與測距」的簡稱，是一種運用脈衝雷射的遙測技術，配合受測地點上空獲得的其它資料，產生地貌特徵的 3D 資訊。這次發現的大型結構，與九條大型堤道和一系列蓄水設施相連。地處鄉間的阿瓜達芬尼克斯遺址，今日部分地區被養牛的牧場覆蓋，其它部分則被繁茂的樹林遮蔽。

"It is probable that many people from surrounding areas gathered for special occasions, possibly tied to calendrical cycles," Inomata said. "The rituals probably involved processions along the causeways and within the rectangular plaza. The people also deposited symbolic objects such as jade axes in the center of the plateau." 豬俁健表示：「許多來自周圍地區的人，可能會在特殊場合在此聚會，或許和曆法的週期有關。」他進一步推測：「這些儀式可能包括沿著堤道、在矩形廣場內列隊遊行。這些人也會在高台中央放置玉斧這類具有象徵性的物品。」

Topic 2: Doggy ice cream has tails wagging in Mexico City

Dogs with a sweet tooth can finally satisfy their ice cream cravings — at the Don Paletto parlor in Mexico City. 愛吃甜食的狗狗們，終於可以滿足牠們對冰淇淋的渴望了─在墨西哥市冰淇淋店「倍樂托先生」的接待廳。

Owners can satisfy their pets' sweet cravings at the shop in the Mexican capital, which offers a variety of frozen cone and lollipop treats especially made for the animals. 飼主可以滿足他們寵物的甜點魂，在這間位於墨西哥首都的商店裡，它提供各式各樣特別為動物製作的甜筒與棒棒糖點心。

Made of natural yogurt and lactobacilli bacteria, it can help digestion while normal ice cream can cause pain and diarrhea in dogs, according to shop owner Mauricio Montoya, who said the food is also safe for humans. 根據商店老闆毛里奇奧．蒙托亞的說法，這食物對人類也安全，由天然優格與乳酸菌製成，它能幫助消化，一般冰淇淋則可導致狗兒疼痛與腹瀉。

Flavors such as "Gentleman" and "Lucky Lucky" are advertised on the shop's board, where the pets lick the treats off a stick, a cone or out of a bowl. 諸如「紳士」和「幸運幸運」口味，被該店看板拿來打廣告，寵物們就在那裡把棍上、甜筒或碗裡點心舔掉。

"To eat the same food every day must be pretty boring for them," customer Liliana said, holding an ice cream lollipop for her dog. "I come (here) to pamper him a bit." 「每天吃一樣的食物，對牠們而言一定是相當無趣」，幫她的狗狗拿著一根冰淇淋棒棒糖的顧客莉莉安娜說。「我來（這裡）小小縱容牠。」

Topic 3: Near Mexico City, Cable Car Lets Commuters Glide Over Traffic

Coasting above Mexico City's infernal congestion is normally a prerogative of the well-heeled, who take helicopters or pay to use the upper deck of two-tier highways to avoid the chaos below. In October, however, thousands of residents of this ragged industrial suburb began getting to work or school in brightly colored pods that glide along the city's first commuter cable-car route. 從墨西哥市地獄般壅塞交通的上方越過，通常是有錢人的特權，他們乘坐直升機或付費使用雙層高速公路的上層，避開下方的混亂世界。然而，去年 10 月，這破敗工業郊區的數千居民，開始可以坐在色彩亮麗的車廂內，沿該市一條通勤纜車線滑動，去上班上學。

The Mexicable, a seven-stop line that runs just over three miles through a furrow of poor hillside neighborhoods, is part of a growing constellation of cable cars around Latin America that links marginalized communities to their cities' metropolitan hearts. In Ecatepec, the largest and most dangerous municipality in the 21 million-strong expanse of greater Mexico City, the Mexicable has brought new visitors, shorter commutes, a burst of street art and a new sense of inclusion in city life, residents said. 「墨西哥纜車線」是條有 7 個站、穿越一片貧窮山坡社區的路線，全長僅略多於三哩，是拉丁美洲日益星羅棋布的纜車線之一，用以銜接邊緣社區與城市的都會心臟。整個大墨西哥市人口逾 2100 萬，埃卡堤佩是這廣大區域中最大最危險的市區，居民說，墨西哥纜車線帶來新遊客，縮短通勤時間，街頭藝術蓬勃發展，還予人一種融入城市生活的新歸屬感。

"It's great," said Marco Antonio Gonzalez, who used to spend an hour in a cramped bus to get from his home in San Andres de la Canada, the Mexicable's final stop, to his job at a warehouse in the center of Ecatepec. He now has a smooth, 17-minute cable ride over dun-colored rooftops, half-bald soccer pitches and narrow streets strung with glittery bunting. The new transport system has made him proud. "People never build something as impressive as this in a neighborhood like ours," he said. 馬可．安東尼奧．龔薩雷茲說：「這真的很棒。」以往，他必須花 1 小時擠公車從他在聖安德列斯德拉加拿達的家，也是墨西哥纜車線的終點站，前往埃卡堤佩市中心的一座倉庫工作。現在他可以搭纜車，順暢地花 17 分鐘，穿越過一個個暗褐色的屋頂、半禿的足球場，以及掛著閃亮彩旗的狹窄街道。新的運輸系統令他引以為傲。他說：「人們從沒有在我們這樣的社區，建造過這麼令人感動的東西。」

Ecatepec stretches north from the tip of the capital's subway network into steep hills where square cinder-block houses are stacked like Lego pieces. Many who use the cable car also catch a bus and then a subway to reach jobs — at restaurants, homes, offices or construction sites — in more affluent parts of town. Nancy Montoya, a housekeeper who lives in Esperanza, near the sixth Mexicable stop, said she saved about two hours per day using the new system — time she spends doing homework with her children or buying groceries. Over the past 12 years, gondola systems have been built in cities that include Cali and Medellin in Colombia; Caracas, Venezuela; La Paz, Bolivia; and Rio de Janeiro. There are plans to build systems in half a dozen other Latin American cities, according to the Gondola Project, which tracks cable car programs worldwide. 埃卡堤佩從首都墨西哥市地鐵網的頂端向北延伸到陡峭的山丘地區，在那裡，正方形的煤渣塊房子如樂高積木般堆疊。許多纜車使用者得再搭一段公車並再換一次地鐵，才能抵達位在墨西哥市較富裕地區的工作地點，如餐館、住家、辦公室或建築工地。南西．蒙托亞是名管家，家住靠近墨西哥纜車線第六站的艾斯佩蘭沙。她說使用新系統每天約可節省 2 小時，她拿這些時間陪子女做功課或購買雜貨。過去 12 年，建造纜車系統的城市包括哥倫比亞的卡利和美德殷，委內瑞拉首都卡拉卡斯，玻利維亞首都拉巴斯，巴西里約熱內盧。據追蹤全球纜車計畫的「纜車計畫」，另有 6 個拉丁美洲城市欲興建纜車系統。

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—— 以上為 Firstory Podcast 廣告 ——



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你是不是也有這種尷尬：茶水間遇到外國同事，腦袋一片空白，只能擠出一句 "How's your weekend?"——然後就沒了。這集 John老師跟阿鍵老師要帶你用最近的國際時事，學怎麼開話頭、怎麼讓對話繼續，不冷場、不變考試、不失禮。

時事這麼嚴肅，怎麼拿來small talk？

國際新聞聽起來都是大事，癌症疫苗、太空任務、半導體股價——感覺在茶水間講這種東西，好像在開研討會。但問題不是話題本身，是你開口的方式。

阿鍵老師說，最容易翻車的是把 small talk 變成問答題。Did you see that? Did you read this? 問一問對方覺得自己在被考試，氣氛立刻尷尬。真正有效的商用英文會話是讓對方有空間回應——說個你的想法，留個缺口，邀請對方進來。

這集示範了幾個場景，聽完你會發現其實不難。

VIP文章大補帖：這週哪些時事值得聊
這集順便幫大家整理了最近幾篇VIP國際時事跟讀的重點，讓你即使沒時間每篇都看，也能抓到可以聊的方向。

Apple換執行長—Tim Cook正式交棒給 John Turnus。聊法是：Wow, I didn't expect Apple to change leadership so soon. Did you see the news? 不需要很懂苹果内部，光是 leadership change 這個話題，就可以帶出你們公司的八卦、你老闆的 leadership style，哈拉個十分鐘沒問題。

Michael Jackson傳記電影—上映第一週票房冠軍，Apple Music 同步六首歌衝上百大。這種 entertainment 話題是最安全的破冰，而且年齡跨度大，從阿公輩的 Jackson 5 時代到現在的年輕人都能接。聊法就更輕鬆了：It's interesting how people are still into Michael Jackson after all these years. 然後問對方最愛哪首，對話自己就走了。

Intel可能要回來了—股價、財報、跟Elon Musk的新合作，2026年第一季財報直接漲20%。這個話題對台灣的竹科工程師來說根本不是 small talk，是 must talk。開法是：Intel looks like it might actually be turning things around. What do you think? 點個話頭，讓對方發表意見，自己聽就好。

台裔太空人 Kjell Lindgren——Artemis II 登月任務，第一位有台灣血統的太空人。這個本來就是台灣人的驕傲，拿去跟外國同事聊也有梗：Did you know the first Taiwanese-American astronaut just went to the moon? Pretty cool, right?

聊天是有技術的，不是見人說人話
John老師最後講了一件很重要的事：台灣人聊股票是日常，你在辦公室問同事「最近有沒有買台積電」沒人覺得奇怪，但拿這句話問外國同事，對方可能直接愣住。

文化敏感度是真實存在的。聊股票可以，但不能直接問「你有沒有投資Intel」——太直接。可以換個說法：The market is going crazy over Intel right now. Feels like a comeback, right? 這樣是在分享觀點、邀請討論，不是在打探別人的財務狀況。

安全牌依序是：sports、天氣、電影、音樂。時事可以聊，但要看對象——對方是主管級或IT業的，可以深聊；對方是初階同事，就 keep it light。這種彈性，才是真正的辦公室英文會話能力。

TOYOTA The 60th -COROLLA六十週年典藏版特仕登場
這一次，換你來寫下，屬於你的 COROLLA 故事。
https://fstry.pse.is/93d4ek


—— 以上為 Firstory Podcast 廣告 ——



Summary:

Senator Kamala Harris was nominated as the as the vice-presidential candidate, running alongside ex-Vice President Joe Biden. Many people suddenly realized that she has a Chinese name. So where did she get her Chinese name? The story goes that Kamala has a Taiwanese-American friend Su Jung-Li who helped her come up with a Chinese name when she asked for advice on how to win over a Chinese-dominated population. According to reports, Kamala didn’t like the word “Li” meaning beauty initially, because she wanted people to associate with her intelligence and not her beauty.

原文章討論: https://www.15mins.today/blog/ep-931-kamala-harris-unveils-meaning-story-behind

Vocabulary and Sample Sentences

Ethnicity n. belonging to a social group that has a common cultural tradition Senator Kamala Harris was the first black woman with Asian ethnicity to be nominated as vice presidential candidate. Maria wanted to research the roots of her ethnicity.

Candidate n. a person who is applying for a job or is nominated for election We are going to interview two candidates for the design position that is open. Joe Biden nominated Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential candidate.

Nominate v. propose or enter as candidate in an election John Wick was nominated for best action movie. I never nominate any friends to be class captain.

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你上一次去熱炒店是什麼時候？那個紅色塑膠椅、歡鬧的氣氛、還有空氣中飄著的九層塔和蒜香⋯⋯光是想像就讓人肚子餓了！本週的《英語咖啡館》John 老師和 Klim 老師要帶大家聊聊這個超有台灣味的飲食文化。

從怎麼辨認一間正宗熱炒店開始，到酒促小姐文化，再到兩位老師各自的必點菜單，當然，也少不了那些讓人又愛又怕的「挑戰級」料理：龍珠、九轉肥腸、蒸臭豆腐⋯⋯你敢吃這些菜嗎？

When was the last time you went to a re chao (Taiwanese stir-fry) restaurant? Those red plastic chairs, the lively atmosphere, and the smell of Thai basil and garlic wafting through the air... just imagining it makes you hungry! This week on English Cafe, John and Klim take everyone to discuss this quintessentially Taiwanese late night dining culture.

Starting with how to identify an authentic re chao restaurant, to the beer promotion girl culture, to each teacher's must-order menu items, and of course, those "challenge-level" dishes that people both love and fear: dragon balls, braised intestine, steamed stinky tofu... Would you dare to eat these dishes?

「挺你所想！與你一起生活的銀行」
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