作者: 超凡遠距英語口筆譯

bottom line由於字面意義，所以常被誤以為是「底線」的意思，但其實是「重要事情」的意思。中文的底線這個字，通常指的是人們忍耐極限，可用limit這個字來表示，例如Don’t test my limits. 別測試我的底線。I’ve reached my limit for making offers. 這是我提議的最底線了。

1. The bottom line盈虧；最重要的事情
   說明: 財務報表底行的結算數字，因為顯示盈虧，所以用以表示最重要事情。
   How will the transaction exchange loss affect our bottom line?
   該筆匯兌損失對我們的盈虧狀況會有甚麽影響？
2. To get a foot in the door具備開始進行某事的權利或優勢
3. To have a slice of the pie分一杯羹
4. To have a finger in every pie甚麼都要涉及
5. To hold the fort要挺住；堅守立場
   說明: fort堡壘
6. Red tape繁文縟節
   說明: 過去正式文件紙本多由紅色膠帶綑綁。
7. To get the ball rolling開始做某事
8. A ballpark figure大概數字
   說明: If you can’t tell me the exact cost, please give me a ballpark number.
   假如你不能告訴我確切的成本，請給我一個大約的數字。
9. In black and white白紙黑字
10. To blow a deal 搞砸了
11. A cash cow搖錢樹
12. Dog eat dog 現實；不講情面
13. To work flat out 累到趴下去
14. To be snowed under 做不完的事情
    I’m absolutely snowed under with work at the moment.
    眼前我正爲手頭的工作忙得不可開交。
15. Without further ado… 不多說… (開始進行某事)

39 deaths were found in a container in Britain

Key Words:

1. container (n.) 貨櫃
2. investigation (n.) 調查
3. suspicion (n.) 懷疑
4. manslaughter (n.) 殺人
5. traffic/ trafficking (v.) 偷渡
6. circumstance (n.) 情形；條件
7. speculate (n.) 預測
8. coroner’s (n.) 驗屍官

10月23號，英格蘭東部的Essex一輛貨櫃車中發現39具屍體。整個事件正朝向謀殺的方向進行調查。包括司機在內已經有4人被逮捕，這四人除了被懷疑殺害這些人，並且密謀將這些人偷渡至英國。警方正在抽絲剝繭，勾勒出這整個驚人事件過程。

火車上的有一些人是來自於越南，然而警方目前尚無法預測所有人的國籍。根據警方的說法，這些受害者身上的身分證明文件非常少，警方只能夠從這些人身上的刺青、胎記、疤痕已確定可能身分。

這些屍體是由救護車人員所發現，然而尚不知道這些人如何獲得密報。所有的屍體正在經由驗屍官查證死亡原因中，警方會試著確定每個人的身分。 ~待續~

The dead bodies of 39 people were found in a lorry container in Essex in eastern England on 23 October. A murder investigation has been launched. Four people, including the driver, have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and trafficking people. The police are still working to piece together the circumstances of this horrific event.

Some of those on board may have been from Vietnam. However, the police cannot speculate on the nationality at this time. According to the police, there were very few identification papers found among the victims and they can only look for tattoos, marks or scars that could help the identification process.

The bodies were discovered by ambulance staff. However, it is not yet known who gave them the tip-off. All of the dead will undergo a coroner‘s examination to establish the cause of death. The police will then attempt to identify each individual.

~to be continued~

A Political Snapshot

Key Words
1. tycoon 商業巨擘
2. duel決鬥
3. farce 鬧劇
4. face–off 正面對決
5. threshold 門檻

由於富士康集團商業巨擘郭台銘已經決定退出2020總統選戰，所以這場競賽將會是兩個主要政黨之間的決鬥。

郭台銘說明他不想要參與一場政治鬧劇，而且他不能忍受看到他的支持者被霸凌。

郭台銘的退出總統大選已經將這場選舉變成綠營跟藍營之間的正面對決。一般認為，即使前副總統呂秀蓮女士通過連署門檻，她對於整個大選的影響非常有限的。

Now that Foxconn tycoon Terry Gou has dropped out of the 2020 presidential election, the race will be a duel between the two main political parties.

Gou explained that he did not want to participate in a political farce and could not bear to see his supporters bullied.

Gou’s exit from the presidential election has turned it to a face–off between the green camp and the blue camp. It is widely believed that even if former Vice President Annette Lu passes the threshold for signatures, her influence on the election will be very limited.

ESP全文英語說寫輸出訓練就是<專業文章聽說讀寫的訓練>，是練習<連續兩分鐘以上的專業資訊分享>。ESP是English for Specific Purpose的縮寫，也就是以特定領域進行全文輸入輸出訓練，目的是強化個人專業領域的競爭力。學習者可針對財經或科技進行全文輸入輸出訓練。每次訓練可以幫助學員提升三種能力(1)閱讀理解、(2)專業知識、(3)英語競爭力。

以下是一個政治大學大二學員進行財經英文摘要的實例。學員先閱讀下列文章

HE1STC1
Climbing the Income Ladder Takes Generations, Depending on Where You Live

1. Since the 1990s, social mobility in the world’s most developed countries has stalled. The low-income is restraining people’s opportunity to well-being. How should countries make economic growth more inclusive?
2. Most of us, especially in developed nations, expect to grow up to earn more than our parents. But as a new in-depth report by the *OECD shows, this is becoming less likely. In fact, things have been trending this way for decades.
3. Families and communities in many countries are increasingly trapped on the bottom rungs of the social ladder. Children born into low-income families have less chance of moving up in the world. Meanwhile, those at the top of the income ladder are holding on to their wealth.
4. One way of understanding income mobility is to look at how long it would take someone from a poor family to earn the average income in their home country. The answer varies dramatically depending on where that person lives.
5. At the current rate of income mobility in Colombia, for example, it would take 11 generations for someone born into a low-income family to earn an average wage. But in Denmark it would only take two generations, while the average rate is 4.5 generations.
6. Why is Social Mobility important? The lack of social mobility can test the resilience of a society – people can feel trapped in their low income status and worry about the lack of opportunities for their children to progress. This has an impact on social cohesion, as well as on economics and politics.
7. But that’s not all. If people are unable to progress in their career or improve their lifestyle, much potential talent remains underdeveloped. In addition, knowing that you have the opportunity to improve your family living situation has a positive influence on life satisfaction and well-being.
8. In 2018, the World Economic Forum unveiled the *Inclusive Development Index (IDI). The IDI takes measuring income, employment opportunity, economic security and quality of life into account, instead of looking at countries’ performance from a purely economic standpoint.
9. Northern European countries are at the top of the index, with Norway, Iceland, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Denmark taking the first five places.

參考單字

1. social mobility 社會流動
2. stall 把…關入畜舍；使動彈不得
3. inclusive 包含的；全部納入的
4. *OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) 經濟合作暨發展組織
5. rung 梯子之橫檔；椅腳之橫木
6. resilience 彈性；恢復力
7. cohesion 凝聚；團結力；附著
8. unveil 除去面紗（或覆蓋物）；揭幕
9. take…into account 把,,,列入考慮
10. standpoint 立場，觀點

訓練中學員的輸出實例

Area bigger than Taiwan burning in Amazon

        While the Amazon rainforest is typically humid, forest fires are common during the dry season from July to October. They can be caused by naturally occurring events, such as lightning, but also by farmers and loggers.

        Many people are deeply concerned about the fires because more than 2,500 spots are burning now.

        The Amazon basin is crucial to regulating global warming, with its forests absorbing millions of tons of carbon emissions every year. When trees are burned, the carbon they are storing is released into the atmosphere. This makes the planet’s overall temperature rise, followed by extreme weather events such as droughts, further affecting biodiversity, agriculture and human health. 

        亞馬遜雨林通常潮溼，但是在每年7到10月的乾旱季節，森林火災是常見現象。森林火災可能是自然因素造成，例如閃電，也有可能是人為，例如農耕或伐木。

        許多人非常關心這場森林大火，因為現在總共有超過2500個點在燃燒中。

        亞馬遜盆地對於控制全球暖化是非常重要的，因為亞馬遜雨林吸收了每年好幾百萬噸的二氧化碳碳排放。當樹木燃燒，樹木吸收的二氧化碳就排放到大氣層中。這使得整個地球整體溫度上升，緊接著就是極端氣候會出現，像是乾旱，最終會影響到生物多樣性、農業發展、以及人類健康。

Key Words:

1. humid (a.) 潮濕的
2. crucial (a.) 重要的
3. regulate (v.) 控管
4. emission (n.) 排放
5. atmosphere (n.) 大氣層；氣氛
6. drought (n.) 旱災
7. biodiversity (n.) 生物多樣性

Side hustles

Key Words:

1. side hustle 副業
2. tedious task 單調的工作
3. salary 工資，薪水
4. satisfaction 滿足
5. to make ends meet 收支平衡
6. to put…into practice付諸實行
7. entrepreneurial創業精神的

在這個世界上，工作是艱困的，時間長、乏味的工作、壓力。但是工作工作也是可以帶來些好處，例如穩定的薪水，還有工作滿足感。

越來越多人現在擁有副業。對有些人而言，擁有兩個工作的是一種讓收支平衡的方式，然而，有些人只是想要把他們的熱情付諸實施。這些創意精神的人想要在主要收入之外，還能夠將自己的計劃執行。

一個研究報告顯示，今天25到34歲的人當中，37% 擁有副業。

The world of work can be tough – long hours, tedious tasks and stress. But it can bring benefits too, such as a regular salary and job satisfaction.

More people are now taking on a side hustle, or a second job. For some, having two jobs is a way to make ends meet. However, some people just want to put their passions into practice to make money. These entrepreneurial people want to work on their own projects alongside their main source of income.

A study shows that today 37% of people aged 25 to 34 are most likely to have a side hustle.