通勤學英語 15Mins Today

台灣英雄來奪金，運彩乎你抽現金！
10/15前，投注「台灣運彩」滿兩百元並上網登錄，就能參加抽獎！
台灣每奪一面金牌加碼抽十萬，奪牌越多獎金就更多！
詳情快上台灣運彩官網查詢： https://fstry.pse.is/9nbdg3
提醒您，未成年人不得購買或兌領彩券


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國際時事跟讀 Ep. L277: Taiwan's Six-Week Fuel Freeze Breaks

Highlights 主題摘要
CPC raised gasoline by NT$0.7 and diesel by NT$0.6 a liter on Monday, ending a six-week price freeze.
Middle East fighting pushed CPC's benchmark crude price to US$115.61 a barrel, lifting its purchasing costs 12.29 percent.
Absorbing the gap has cost CPC NT$19.85 billion since February, and the subsidy budget now awaits legislative approval.
Drivers pulling into filling stations across Taiwan on Monday morning paid a little more than they had for the previous month and a half. CPC Corp., the state-owned oil supplier, lifted gasoline prices by NT$0.7 per liter and diesel by NT$0.6, bringing an end to a six-week freeze that had been maintained to ease inflationary pressure on households. Ninety-five-octane unleaded now sells at NT$32.7 a liter, with 92-octane at NT$31.2 and 98-octane at NT$34.7, while premium diesel reaches NT$29.9, levels that will hold until Sunday night.
週一清晨進加油站的車主，發現油價比過去一個半月都貴了一些。國營的台灣中油宣布，汽油每公升調漲0.7元、柴油調漲0.6元，結束連續六週的凍漲；先前凍漲，是為了減輕物價對家庭的壓力。95無鉛目前每公升32.7元，92無鉛31.2元、98無鉛34.7元，超級柴油則是29.9元，價格一路維持到週日深夜。
The pressure originates several thousand kilometers away. Escalating military conflict in the Middle East has heightened risks to crude supply and tanker transport, and CPC's floating price mechanism, weighted 70 percent towards Dubai crude and 30 percent towards Brent, put last week's average at US$115.61 a barrel, compared with US$99.82 a week earlier. The company calculated that its crude purchasing costs rose 12.29 percent, an increase only partly offset by a firmer New Taiwan dollar, which averaged NT$31.556 against the greenback.
壓力來自數千公里外。中東戰事升溫，原油供應與油輪運輸風險同步拉高。中油的浮動油價機制以杜拜原油七成、布蘭特原油三成加權計算，上週均價來到每桶115.61美元，前一週還是99.82美元。中油估算，原油採購成本因此上漲12.29%，新台幣走強只抵銷掉一部分，上週兌美元平均匯率為31.556元。
What drivers were shielded from is the distance between that figure and what they were actually charged. By the economics ministry's reckoning, 95-octane gasoline ought to have risen NT$11.2 a liter and diesel NT$11.4. An expanded commodity tax reduction and CPC's own stabilisation measures absorbed NT$10.5 and NT$10.8 respectively, which leaves the company swallowing a loss of NT$6.8 on every liter of gasoline sold this week and NT$8.7 on diesel. Since the conflict began in late February, those absorbed losses have reached roughly NT$19.85 billion.
車主沒有付到的，是另一個數字。依經濟部試算，95無鉛原本應該漲11.2元、柴油應該漲11.4元。貨物稅減徵擴大，加上中油自行啟動的平穩措施，分別吸收10.5元與10.8元，也讓中油本週每賣出一公升汽油就賠6.8元，柴油更賠8.7元。二月底戰事爆發以來，累計吸收金額已接近198.5億元。
Someone, eventually, has to bear the brunt. The Ministry of Economic Affairs is pressing the opposition-controlled Legislative Yuan to approve NT$180.94 billion in subsidies for state-owned energy companies, a component of the record supplementary budget the Cabinet finalised on September 3. Approval is far from assured. The central bank, meanwhile, holds its quarterly meeting on Thursday with consumer price growth above the 2 percent alert level for a fourth consecutive month, making a rate rise look considerably less far-fetched than it did in June.
成本終究要有人扛。經濟部正在爭取由在野黨掌握多數的立法院通過1,809.35億元，撥補國營能源事業；這筆錢屬於行政院9月3日拍板的史上最大追加預算，能否過關仍有變數。另一方面，中央銀行週四召開季度理監事會，消費者物價漲幅已連續四個月站上2%警戒線，升息不再像六月時那樣遙遠。
Keyword Drills 關鍵字
Freeze [noun, a period during which prices or wages are deliberately held unchanged]: The government announced a six-week freeze on fuel prices.
Floating price mechanism [noun phrase, a system that adjusts prices automatically according to market costs]: Fuel prices here follow a floating price mechanism.
Shield [verb, to protect someone from something harmful or costly]: Subsidies shield drivers from the full price increase.
Swallow [verb, to absorb a loss or cost without passing it on]: The company had to swallow the extra shipping costs.
Bear the brunt [idiom, to take the worst part of something unpleasant]: Small businesses bear the brunt of rising fuel costs.

Reference article:
https://udn.com/news/story/7238/9750953
https://focustaiwan.tw/business/202609120011
https://focustaiwan.tw/business/202609120009

台灣英雄來奪金，運彩乎你抽現金！
10/15前，投注「台灣運彩」滿兩百元並上網登錄，就能參加抽獎！
台灣每奪一面金牌加碼抽十萬，奪牌越多獎金就更多！
詳情快上台灣運彩官網查詢： https://fstry.pse.is/9nbdg3
提醒您，未成年人不得購買或兌領彩券


—— 以上為 FMTaiwan 與 Firstory Podcast 廣告 ——



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—— 以上為 Firstory Podcast 廣告 ——



Hello通勤家族，歡迎你收聽15mins Live Podcast直播，這個我在Mixerbox 做語音互動時，側錄下來的單元。
我們這一集的主題是，必修的英語網路火星文，shownotes裡有簡易大綱給你參考。
英語網路火星文如何來的？ - 電報時代 --> 簡訊 --> 網際網路 --> 行動通訊軟體(LINE/Whatsapp)
用字母取代單字 (諧音) - be 變 b - see 變 c - are 變 r - you 變 u - why 變 y - OK 變 k
或者是用數字取代單字 - ate 變 8 - for 變 4 - to 或 too 變 2 - one 或 won 變 1 later 變 l8r tomorrow 變 2mro for or fore 變 4 Your and You're 變 ur 或 yr
常見英語網路火星文
- atm --> at the moment
- brb --> be right back
- bff --> best friends forever
- btw --> by the way
- idc / idk --> i don't care / i don't know
- imo / imho --> in my opinion / in my humble opinion
- ppl --> people
- plz / pls --> please
- ttyl --> talk to you later
- thx / tks --> thanks
- ty / tyvm --> thank you / thank you very much

台灣英雄來奪金，運彩乎你抽現金！
10/15前，投注「台灣運彩」滿兩百元並上網登錄，就能參加抽獎！
台灣每奪一面金牌加碼抽十萬，奪牌越多獎金就更多！
詳情快上台灣運彩官網查詢： https://fstry.pse.is/9nbdg3
提醒您，未成年人不得購買或兌領彩券


—— 以上為 FMTaiwan 與 Firstory Podcast 廣告 ——



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聽 English Cafe 的時候,你是純聽爽的,還是會偷偷把老師嘴裡那句話記下來?
John老師說,歡迎大家來偷。這集幕後教師室就是幫你消化——你這禮拜聽了 Cafe、聽了跟讀、聽了單字,吸收是吸收了,但有沒有消化?這集挑出五個 Cafe 裡冒出來的英文慣用語,通勤路上剛好收進口袋。
順帶一提,那兩集的主題是 Cariya老師帶的 Agentic E-Commerce——讓 AI 代理人幫你買東西。John老師的態度很務實:衛生紙、日用品這種可以放手,包包跟車子還是自己來。不然哪天叫它幫你搶一台 Tesla,回頭一看卡刷了三百多萬,只能哭。
台灣人最該學的一個詞:price sensitive
講難聽一點就是小氣、摳門,英文有 stingy、cheapskate,鐵公雞的那種感覺。但你總不能在會議上說我們客戶很 stingy。
這時候就用 price sensitive,或是 price conscious。我們的 TA 是 price sensitive users,我們這群客人 price conscious。同一件事,換個說法就變成商業用語,聽起來還有點高級感。
這就是英文裡的 sugar coating——把話包一層糖衣。台灣人逛蝦皮比價比到半夜、雙十一開三個分頁對價格,這個詞你一輩子用得到。
Pinch pennies:把一塊錢從水溝裡撈起來的那種人
跟 price sensitive 異曲同工,但語氣諷刺多了。
美國的 penny 是一分錢,小小一枚,比我們的一塊錢還小。pinch pennies 就是連這種零頭你都要捏在手裡數——斤斤計較到極致。
把動詞換成名詞,就變成 penny pincher。John老師的示範畫面很有效:一塊錢掉進水溝,你手伸下去撈,旁邊的人說算了啦我這邊有一塊給你,你說不用,手還在水溝裡撈。
記英文慣用語就要這樣記。不要背定義,去想一個畫面,越好笑越好,它自己就黏在你腦袋裡了。
Godsend:中年男子的感恩告白
Godsend 字面上是上天送來的禮物,雪中送炭、久旱逢甘霖都算。可能是一樣東西救了你,也可能是你正需要的時候,剛好有人出現。
John老師說他以前很少用這個字,最近兩個月記下來四五次。為什麼?年輕的時候你覺得 you're invincible,沒什麼打得倒你。年紀上來之後,長輩的事、家裡柴米油鹽的事,一件一件疊上來,你會發現有些東西真的不在你的控制範圍內。所以特別感恩。
外國人本來就常講這種話:You're an angel、This is a godsend, I needed this。台灣人聽了會覺得,哪有這麼誇張、別三八。但人家是真心的。
這大概是這集最有溫度的一段,也是很典型的 oral English——書面新聞裡你不太看得到,只有在對話裡才長出來。
For argument's sake:老派,但雅思很吃這套
我們平常講 for example、for instance,是要舉個真實例子。但如果那件事根本還沒發生、沒有例子可舉呢?
那就 for argument's sake, what if...。就當我們來討論看看、假設一下。特別適合兩個人意見不同,你想請對方換位思考的時候。
John老師直說這算老派用法。日常 email 跟商務對話其實直來直往就好,不用繞圈。但 IELTS 口說就不一樣了,考官想看的就是你的詞彙量、邏輯順序、怎麼開一個話題,這種句型剛好都能展現。
What's so special about it? 這不是在嗆你
「這個到底有什麼特別的?」用中文講出來,基本上就是在挑釁了,聽起來很機車。
但英文裡這句多半只是好奇。對方說他很喜歡某個東西、很嚮往某件事,你說 OK, so tell me what's so special about this——意思是我不懂,說來聽聽。跟 why do you like it 是同一件事,只是換句話說。很多 podcast 主持人也會問 what does this mean to you。
問題出在翻譯。照字面翻成中文,語氣整個變掉,你就會覺得這個外國人講話怎麼這麼衝。其實他沒有,他只是像小孩一樣單純在問。
例外是英國人。話中有話那套他們玩得很熟,同一句可能就是在秤秤你幾斤幾兩,進可攻退可守。不過那個層級的語言遊戲,除非你要去當首相,不然不用特別學。我們直來直往就好。

【惠宇永益THE ALPHA】
高鐵門戶×萬坪綠海×超級商城
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即刻來電 (04)3606-5666
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Summary:
According to a new paper by the economists, the industry most affected by automation is manufacturing. For every robot per thousand workers, up to six workers lost their jobs and wages fell by as much as three-fourths of a percent. Economists say blue-collar men without college degrees will be the biggest hit.
原跟讀文章: https://www.15mins.today/blog/ep-1016-evidence-that-robots-are-winning-the-race-for-american
Vocabulary and Sample Sentences:
Come out ahead – end up with profit, benefit or advantage In the race of industrial automation, the robots will come out ahead. My company came out ahead in the bid for the government tender.
Automation n. (automate v.) the use of automatic equipment in manufacturing or production process TSMC has the world’s most advanced foundry automation technology in the world. My boss wants software automation in our office to promote a paperless working environment.
On/ off sb’s radar – whether sb was aware or not aware of the issue According to the US Treasury Secretary, AI’s displacement of human jobs was not on his radar. JK Rowling has been on my radar for a long time, but I have not read any of her books.

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📜 單集逐字稿 & 內容摘要（播放器字數有限，完整逐字稿請到官網查看）
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你習慣「它」的新名字了嗎？法國公司家樂福已經全面撤出台灣，從前我們在週末採購或是推推車逛街的地方，換上了一個你可能還不太習慣的名字。本週的《英語咖啡館》John 老師和 Patrick 老師做了這集品牌故事要來送它一程，下次見面可能要在法國啦。
Carrefour 這個法文字原來的意思是什麼呢？他在台灣的第一家店開在哪座城市，答案可能會讓南部的聽眾有點驕傲。本集也有提到了便利商店、超市、量販店、倉儲賣場到底差在哪，想知道各種規模的賣場在英文怎麼稱呼的話，別錯過本集的學習筆記喔。
Have you gotten used to its new name yet? French company Carrefour has completely withdrawn from Taiwan, and the place where we used to do weekend shopping and push carts around has been replaced with a name you might not be quite used to yet. This week on English Cafe, John and Patrick tell this brand story as a send-off—next time we meet might have to be in France.
What does the French word "Carrefour" originally mean? Which city did its first store in Taiwan open in? The answer might make southern listeners feel a bit proud. This episode also explains the differences between convenience stores, supermarkets, warehouse clubs, and bulk retailers, and how these different types of stores are called in English. If you want to know the English terminology for various scales of retail spaces, don't miss the study notes in this episode!