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  1. 3 HR AGO

    第2827期:Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time

    Huntington's is one of the most brutal and devastating of all diseases. It's caused by a faulty gene which progressively destroys brain cells, which then affects all parts of the body. Symptoms tend to first appear in your 30s or 40s, leading to death within 20 years.亨廷顿病是最凶残和最具破坏性的疾病之一。这种疾病是由一种基因缺陷引起的，这种基因缺陷会渐进性地破坏脑细胞，进而影响身体的所有部位。亨廷顿病的症状通常在 30 多岁或 40 多岁时首次出现，然后会在 20 年内导致死亡。 The treatment is a gene therapy which is injected deep into the brain during lengthy surgery. The drug enters cells and delivers a new piece of DNA, which blocks the production of a faulty protein. The trial involved 29 patients. Only the topline results have been released by the company, but these show that three years after surgery, the disease was slowed by an average of 75%, based on measures including cognition, movement and the ability to manage in daily life.本次用于治疗这种疾病的新手段是一种基因疗法，这种疗法通过漫长的手术将药物注射到大脑深处。药物会进入细胞并传递一段新的 DNA，从而阻断有缺陷的蛋白质的产生。这个疗法的试验有 29 名病人参与。相关公司只公布了试验的主要结果，但这些结果显示在手术三年后，疾病的发展速度被平均减缓了 75%，这一结论基于包括认知能力、运动能力和应对日常生活能力等多项指标。 Researchers at University College London, who were part of the trial, said the results were spectacular and would give hope to thousands of patients affected by the disease, and to their children, who have a 50/50 chance of inheriting the condition.参与了本次试验的伦敦大学学院的研究人员表示，试验结果令人惊叹，将能为成千上万名罹患这一疾病的患者带来希望，对他们有 50% 的概率会经遗传获得该疾病的子女来说也是如此。 The drug could be licensed as soon as next year. It is certain to be expensive. Another gene therapy costs more than £2 million per patient.该药物最早在明年就可能获得上市许可。它肯定会十分昂贵。另一种基因疗法治疗每个病人的费用超过了 200 万英镑。

    1 min

  2. 1 DAY AGO

    第2826期:The way you move may be as unique as your fingerprint

    Have you ever been alone in a room, heard someone coming, and been able to identify who it was based solely on the recognisable stomp of their shoes? Maybe you've experienced seeing a group in the distance, too far to recognise faces, but you're absolutely sure one blurry figure is your friend because of the way they're swinging their arms when they walk. Research suggests that a person's movement signature, or the way they move, could be as unique as a fingerprint. So, what makes up a person's movement signature?您是否曾经独自一人待在一个房间里，听到有人走过来，并且仅根据可识别的鞋子踩踏声就能够识别出是谁？ 也许您曾经历过在远处看到一群人，距离太远而无法识别面孔，但您绝对确定一个模糊的人物是您的朋友，因为他们走路时摆动手臂的方式。 研究表明，一个人的运动特征或运动方式可能像指纹一样独特。 那么，一个人的动作特征是由什么组成的呢？ We all have a particular way of moving our faces. One person might purse their lips when they're angry. Another might squint their eyes or pull their face into a grimace, and these movement patterns help us recognise familiar people, even in poor visibility. Another reliable clue for identifying people is their gait. The combination of stride length, limb movement, pace and posture form a movement signature that is very difficult to fake. Researchers in a 2005 study called 'Person identification from biological motion' put small lights on key parts of some male walkers' bodies. When the room was dark and their bodies invisible, observers were able to distinguish the walkers using the lights at an impressively high rate.我们都有一种特定的移动脸部的方式。 一个人生气时可能会撅起嘴唇。 另一些人可能会眯起眼睛或做鬼脸，这些动作模式可以帮助我们识别熟悉的人，即使在能见度很低的情况下也是如此。 识别人的另一个可靠线索是他们的步态。 步幅、肢体运动、步速和姿势的结合形成了很难伪造的运动特征。 2005 年，研究人员进行了一项名为“根据生物运动进行身份识别”的研究，他们在一些男性步行者身体的关键部位放置了小灯。 当房间漆黑且看不见他们的身体时，观察者能够利用灯光以惊人的高速度区分步行者。 Movement signatures are deeply human and expressive. "Dance has always been a part of my life." Brenda Loukes is a dancer and artist who uses ink and bleach to portray bodies in motion. "It occurred to me that each body has a unique blueprint for the way it moves". For dance writer Nancy Wozny, dancers who make it onto her list of 'ones to watch' are those who move in a way she's never seen before, like Stephanie Troyak who has a 'sublime awkwardness', reminding Nancy of a foal's 'first steps out of the womb', or how Ching Ching Wong can divide her body between 'wiggly-squiggly' and completely still.动作特征非常人性化且富有表现力。 “舞蹈一直是我生活的一部分。” 布伦达·洛克斯 (Brenda Loukes) 是一位舞蹈家和艺术家，她使用墨水和漂白剂来描绘运动中的身体。 “我突然想到，每个身体的移动方式都有一个独特的蓝图”。 对于舞蹈作家南希·沃兹尼来说，列入她“值得观看”名单的舞者都是那些以她以前从未见过的方式移动的舞者，比如斯蒂芬妮·特罗亚克(Stephanie Troyak)，她有一种“极其尴尬”的感觉，让南希想起小马驹“走出子宫的第一步”，或者黄青青如何将她的身体分为“摇摆不定”和完全静止之间。 Whether you're dancing professionally or just walking down the street, your movements reveal who you are and tell a story that no one else can replicate.无论您是专业跳舞还是只是走在街上，您的动作都会揭示您是谁，并讲述一个其他人无法复制的故事。

    2 min

  3. 2 DAYS AGO

    第2825期:E-business means business

    Things turned upside down for many businesses earlier this year. We're looking at how two companies made changes to survive. So, OK, Richard, what happened? In March 2020, companies in the UK, they were told that they weren't allowed to offer over-the-counter services.今年年初，许多企业的经营状况被彻底颠覆。我们今天要看看两家公司是如何调整策略以求生存的。好的，Richard，当时发生了什么？2020年3月，英国政府宣布企业不得提供柜台服务。 So obviously that would affect many high-street shops. Yes, indeed, all high-street shops and including those who sell fish and chips. So the Chesterfield Group in the UK owns 40 fish and chip restaurants, serving about 50,000 people every week.显然，这一规定会影响许多街边商店。没错，所有街头商铺都受到了影响，其中包括炸鱼薯条店。英国的切斯特菲尔德集团拥有40家炸鱼薯条餐厅，每周为大约五万人提供餐饮服务。 However, of course, the coronavirus lockdown forced the restaurants to close for all walk-in customers. So therefore no customers at all then? They lost all their customers in one fail swoop. Right.然而，由于新冠封锁政策，这些餐厅不得不关闭所有堂食服务。那么，这是不是意味着他们一个顾客都没有了？没错，他们在一夜之间失去了所有顾客。 So what the CEO, James Lipscomb, did was he realised the company was running out of cash fast, so he had to do something really quickly. And within two weeks, he created a new way for the company to continue in business. OK, so what did he do? He started a click and collect system.公司的首席执行官詹姆斯·利普斯康意识到公司资金正在迅速枯竭，因此他必须立刻采取行动。两周之内，他为公司创造了一种全新的经营方式。好的，他做了什么？他启动了“线上点餐、到店取餐”的系统。 So they designed an app and they started taking food orders online, cashless payments only. Right. So customers go on the app and they turn up and they just tap their card at the store so there's no interaction with staff whatsoever.他们开发了一个应用程序，通过线上接收点餐，并只接受非现金支付。对的，顾客只需在应用上下单，然后到店刷卡取餐，全程无需与员工接触。 So click is on the app and collect is at the shop. Exactly. Right.“Click”代表线上点单，“Collect”就是到店取餐。没错，完全正确。 And actually they also introduced home delivery as well on a similar sort of basis. OK. So two new systems.实际上，他们还推出了类似模式的外送服务。好的，也就是说他们建立了两个新系统。 Did that work? Yes. He kept 70% of the staff and they worked throughout the lockdown and this very fast decision prevented the business from closing down.那这样做有效果吗？非常有效。他保留了70%的员工，并让他们在封锁期间继续工作。这一快速决策挽救了公司的命运，使其避免倒闭。 Well, another company... another example of a company adapting to the new situation, Richard, is Boohoo. You won't have heard of them. I certainly haven't. Who are they? Well, they're a fashion brand but they already sell online.好吧，另一家公司——也就是另一家成功适应新形势的例子，Richard，是Boohoo。你可能没听过这个名字。确实没有。他们是谁？这是一家时尚品牌公司，但他们本来就是做线上销售的。 OK, so how were they affected then? Well, the problem with them was that they sold a lot of clothes to women who wanted to buy fancy dresses and shoes for the weekend. It's a quick turnover, right? So come Friday or Saturday, big night out, big sales. But of course no one was going out so no one was buying these dresses.那他们又受到了怎样的影响呢？问题在于，他们的客户主要是那些准备在周末外出、想买漂亮裙子和鞋子的女性。这类商品周转速度快——到了周五、周六夜晚，销量通常很高。但封锁期间没人外出，自然没人再买这些裙子了。 And no one was ordering anything online at all. OK, so what did they do then? Well, again, two things. First of all, the company had all this stock that no one was buying so they advertised and everything must go flash sale.而且那时几乎没人上网购物。那么他们怎么办？他们也采取了两步措施。首先，公司仓库里堆满了没人买的库存，于是他们推出了“清仓特卖”活动。 70% of all stock and 50% of 500 dresses. Wow. And then they replaced the range.所有库存商品七折出售，五百款连衣裙五折优惠。哇！然后他们更新了产品线。 They introduced a whole new range of clothes. Lounge wear. Ah, stairs home wear then. Clothes for the sofa. Exactly. Fancy pyjamas to wear all day and attractive leggings and tops.他们推出了全新的服装系列——家居服。啊，就是在家穿的衣服。对，沙发服,没错，是那种可以整天穿的漂亮睡衣，还有舒适又时尚的紧身裤和上衣。 Still attractive clothing but for watching TV instead. So their strategy was to clear out the old stock... Yep. ...and bring in a totally new line at speed. Yep.依然是好看的衣服，但这次是为了在家看电视时穿的。所以他们的策略是——先清掉旧库存……对……再快速推出全新的系列产品。没错。 So did that work? Absolutely. A few weeks later the company announced that it had not only survived the first few weeks of the crisis but increased its April sales against the previous year.那他们的策略奏效了吗？完全奏效。几周后，公司宣布他们不仅成功度过危机初期的几周，而且四月的销售额甚至超过了去年同期。 So two companies that adapted. One with how they sold their product and the other with new products. But they both relied on being online.这就是两家成功适应变化的公司——一家改变了销售方式，另一家则更新了产品类型。但它们有一个共同点：都依靠线上平台。 Yes, so that simply means e-commerce is definitely the way to go.没错，这充分说明了电子商务才是未来的发展方向。

    4 min

  4. 3 DAYS AGO

    第2824期:Digital nomads

    When we moved to Portugal, it was the third country that we had lived in while working on our podcasting website. Yeah, we realised that, of course, working digitally, you can live anywhere in the world. And with online teaching these days, it's become even easier.当我们搬到葡萄牙时，那已经是我们在经营播客网站期间居住过的第三个国家了。是啊，我们意识到，既然是数字化工作，那其实你可以生活在世界的任何角落。而如今随着线上教学的普及，这变得更加容易了。 Yes, and perhaps it's not surprising that there's been a really sharp increase in the no longer work from a set office. So if you can do your job by opening a laptop in any location in the world, why not move from one virtual desk in your home country to another on the other side of the globe? We're talking about digital nomads. Yes, and interestingly, there are actually some countries which are actively encouraging business people to move to their country.是的，也许并不奇怪，如今越来越多人不再局限于固定的办公室工作。如果你只需打开笔电，就能在世界上任何地方完成工作，那为何不从祖国的“虚拟办公桌”，搬到地球另一端的“虚拟办公桌”呢？我们今天要谈的就是“数字游民”。有趣的是，现在确实有一些国家在积极鼓励专业人士迁居到他们那里。 Yeah, I mean, it's interesting, isn't it, the reasons why? I mean, recently, the tourism industry has suffered a lot, hasn't it? So it's a way for countries to attract visitors and they offer a good incentive to work there. Yes, one country I noticed, which sounds very nice, the bar is Barbados. Yeah, fancy living on a Caribbean island for a year.是啊，这背后的原因也挺有趣的。近年来旅游业受到了很大打击，对吧？因此，这成为各国吸引外国访客、刺激经济的一种新方式——他们提供良好的条件，邀请人们来当地工作。没错，我注意到有个听起来很诱人的国家——巴巴多斯。想象一下，在加勒比海的岛上住上一年，多么惬意啊。 Exactly, and I saw on their website, there's a personal message from the Prime Minister and he asks... No, she... She asks... Do you need a change of scenery? Can you work anywhere as long as you have access to the internet? Come to Barbados. Yeah, absolutely. So what do you need to do? You need to buy a welcome stamp, which is basically a visa really, isn't it? Which costs about one and a half thousand pounds.没错，我还在他们的网站上看到总理的亲自留言。他——不，是她——写道：“你是否需要换个环境？只要能上网，你是否就能在任何地方工作？那就来巴巴多斯吧！”完全没错。那么要怎么做呢？你需要购买一种叫做“欢迎印章”的签证，本质上就是一种工作签证，费用大约是1500英镑。 Yes, and the other thing is they're only after people who can earn at least £37,000 a year. But people do that, Richard. Yes, true enough, true enough.是的，另外一个条件是——他们只接受年收入至少三万七千英镑的人。不过，Richard，很多人其实都能达到这个标准。没错，确实如此。 Yeah, I think that's quite tempting. But it's a bit hot, maybe, if you're tempted to go to a cooler climate. Estonia, one of the Baltic states, has also got a scheme, haven't they? They've opened applications for what they call a digital nomad visa.我觉得这确实很诱人。不过那地方有点太热了。如果你更向往凉爽的气候，那么波罗的海国家之一——爱沙尼亚，也推出了类似的计划。他们开放申请一种名为“数字游民签证”的项目。 And you have to earn about the same amount there as well, don't you? It's about £40,000. And I think Estonia is at the forefront of digitisation anyway. They've got fantastic coverage of the internet there, I know that.而且在那里你也需要差不多的收入，对吧？大约四万英镑一年。我认为爱沙尼亚本来就在数字化领域走在前沿，他们的网络覆盖非常出色，我知道那一点。 So it's interesting. But obviously there are some drawbacks. Yes, obviously moving country is always going to be stressful, isn't it? But of course one of the main issues, of course, is tax, as always.这确实很有趣。不过显然也有一些缺点。是啊，搬到另一个国家总是会带来压力。而且最主要的问题之一——当然，还是税务问题。 And anyone who works abroad, even for a short time, they need to be completely aware of who they should pay their taxes to. And also, Richard, there are those complicated corporate tax rules as well, aren't there? So if a company allows an employee to work in another country, they can be negatively affected by that. Yes, there's been a number of cases in the news recently, hasn't there? Now, the other interesting thing to consider, Richard, is if you have clients or customers on the other side of the world, because there's a huge time difference.任何在国外工作的人，即使只是短期，也必须完全清楚自己该向哪个国家缴税。而且，Richard，还有那些复杂的公司税规定，对吧？如果一家公司允许员工在另一国家远程工作，它自己也可能因此受到不利影响。没错，最近新闻里已经出现了不少这样的案例。另外，还有一点值得注意——如果你的客户在地球的另一边，那巨大的时差会是个问题。 So if you're having to set up meetings, or you want to respond to emails in a timely manner, something to think about. Yes, time-sensitive jobs can be difficult. So, Jackie, if anyone is interested in becoming a digital nomad, what do you suggest they do first off? Well, I think going on to nomadlist.com, which is a fascinating website.如果你需要安排会议，或者希望及时回复邮件，那就必须仔细考虑时差问题。是的，对于时间敏感型的工作来说，这确实很棘手。那么，Jackie，如果有人想成为数字游民，你建议他们首先做什么呢？嗯，我认为可以先上一个非常有趣的网站——nomadlist.com。 It gives information about cities all around the world. So, Richard, you went on to the website. I did, yes.这个网站提供世界各地城市的相关资讯。Richard，你上去看过吧？是的，我看过。 So which city is number one? Number one city for digital nomads, Lisbon. So at least we're in the right country!那么排名第一的城市是哪一个？数字游民最喜欢的第一名城市是——里斯本。至少我们现在住的国家选对了！

    4 min

  5. 4 DAYS AGO

    第2823期:Stand out

    My friend Anne says that when her children were very small and they received presents, it was the packaging that excited them the most. First they would play with the brightly coloured wrapping paper, then they would play with the box, opening and closing it and when it was empty, filling it with toys they already had. It wasn't until some time later that their attention was drawn to the actual present that had been inside.我的朋友安妮说，她的孩子在很小的时候，每当收到礼物，最让他们兴奋的其实是包装。起初，他们会先玩那色彩鲜艳的包装纸，然后再玩盒子——开开关关，等到盒子空了，还会把自己已有的玩具放进去。直到过了好一阵子，他们才会注意到盒子里真正的礼物。 That is so true. We're talking about the importance of packaging, in particular the design. Yeah, because adults too are drawn towards a product because of the packaging.的确如此。我们今天要谈的是包装的重要性，尤其是包装的设计。是的，因为成年人也常常因为包装而被某个产品吸引。 Now if you go to any supermarket, you'll see the shelves are completely stacked with similar products from different brands. So what do you choose? Yes, and as you know, Jackie, you can often find me in the supermarket staring at bottles of wine. And actually wine labels are becoming a dominant factor for consumers when deciding which actual bottle of wine to buy.现在如果你去任何一家超市，你会看到货架上摆满了不同品牌但种类相似的产品。那么你会怎么选择呢？没错，正如你知道的，Jackie，我常常在超市里盯着酒瓶看。事实上，葡萄酒的标签已经成为消费者决定买哪一瓶酒的重要因素。 And in fact, in one supermarket study, the most visible wine bottles were noticed by up to 77% more consumers than less visible bottles. Sorry, so what do you mean by visible? Well, it seemed that consumers gravitated towards the brightly coloured labels, especially red, orange and gold. And also the owners of small size shops agreed.事实上，在一项超市研究中，最显眼的酒瓶比不显眼的酒瓶多吸引了高达77%的消费者注意。抱歉，你说的“显眼”是什么意思？嗯，看起来消费者更容易被色彩鲜艳的标签吸引，尤其是红色、橙色和金色。而且，小型商店的老板们也同意这一点。 They said that if a consumer is unsure of what they're looking for, it only makes sense that they actually end up choosing the most eye-catching bottle. Yeah, so standing in front of hundreds of bottles which all contain the same thing, it's the labels that help you make the choice. Now, if further proof of the importance of packaging design is needed, then the story of Tropicana needs telling.他们说，如果消费者并不确定自己想买什么，那么选择最显眼的瓶子就是合乎逻辑的。没错，当你站在摆满上百瓶内容相同的饮品前，正是那些标签帮助你做出选择。现在，如果你还需要更多关于包装设计重要性的证明，那就必须提到Tropicana的故事。 Now, Tropicana, as you know, Richard, is an American company that sells fruit-based drinks. Yeah, it's orange drinks in a carton, isn't it? Yeah. Now, way back in February 2009, for some reason, the company decided to change the design on the orange juice carton.Tropicana，正如你知道的，Richard，是一家销售果汁饮料的美国公司。对，就是那种纸盒装的橙汁。是的。早在2009年2月，这家公司不知出于什么原因，决定更改橙汁包装盒的设计。 After less than two months and a 20% drop in sales, worth about $20 million, Tropicana switched back to its original design, and that had cost them $35 million. So what was the big mistake then? What did they do? Well, for some bizarre reason, Tropicana took a distinctive characteristic brand look. And that's the orange with the straw, isn't it, coming out of it? Yeah, and then they replaced it with a bland, nothing special design, just a glass of orange juice.不到两个月，销量就下降了20%，损失约两千万美元。于是Tropicana被迫恢复原有的包装设计，而这一折腾共花费了三千五百万美元。那么，他们到底犯了什么大错？他们做了什么？嗯，奇怪的是，Tropicana放弃了原本极具辨识度的品牌形象——就是那个插着吸管的橙子，对吧？没错，他们把它换成了一种平淡无奇的设计——仅仅是一杯橙汁。 And so the carton instantly disappeared in the masses of no-name juice cartons. Right, so the people were actually looking for that design which they were so used to, and then they couldn't find it, so they picked something else. The product had lost its visual identity, so it was more about the packaging than the content.结果，这种新包装瞬间淹没在众多无名果汁盒中。没错，人们其实在寻找他们熟悉的那个设计，当他们找不到时，就转而选择其他品牌。产品失去了视觉上的识别度，这说明问题更多出在包装而非内容本身。 Mm-hmm. Now, interesting, brands of all sizes now are starting to see the value of doing extensive research. Now, in particular, Richard, they're using this eye-tracking technology.嗯，现在有趣的是，无论大小品牌都开始意识到深入研究消费者行为的重要性。尤其是，Richard，他们正在使用一种叫做“眼动追踪技术”的工具。 Yes, they can tell now what exactly the consumers are looking at, can't they? They can track their eyes over the products. So they can make comparisons with different designs and which ones attract the eye of the possible consumer the most. Well, actually, I can certainly see from the consumer's point of view, it'd be interesting to see why you actually chose one bottle or one packet over another.是的，他们现在能确切知道消费者在看什么，不是吗？他们可以追踪消费者在商品上的视线移动，从而比较不同的设计，看看哪一种最能吸引潜在顾客的注意。其实，从消费者的角度来看，了解自己为什么会选择某一瓶或某一包产品，也确实挺有趣的。 Yeah, and it's certainly, from a manufacturer's point of view, something that they need to know.没错，而从制造商的角度来看，这无疑是他们必须了解的关键信息。

    4 min
  6. 第2822期:Wine decline

    5 DAYS AGO

    第2822期:Wine decline

    We're looking at the wine industry. Yeah, we're looking at two countries whose wine industries have faced two very different problems recently. Richard, we're starting with South Africa.我们来看看葡萄酒产业。是的，我们要谈的是两个国家，它们的葡萄酒产业最近面临着截然不同的问题。理查德，我们先从南非开始吧。 Tell us about that. Yes, well they've been making wine for quite some time, since 1659, and they are the eighth largest wine producer, producing 3.3% of the world's wine. Who do they export to? Mainly to Europe.说说南非的情况吧。好的，他们酿酒的历史可以追溯到1659年，是世界第八大葡萄酒生产国，占全球葡萄酒产量的3.3%。那他们主要出口到哪里呢？主要是欧洲。 It's 13% to the UK, 11% to Germany and 3% toFrance. So they're doing quite well. Well, as it happens, wine production in South Africa has actually been gradually falling.出口比例是：英国13%、德国11%、法国3%。所以总体来说，他们的表现还不错。不过事实上，南非的葡萄酒产量近年来一直在逐渐下降。 Now it's mainly because of the drought that they've been having over the last few years. Right, but for this podcast, we're talking about a specific problem they have now. Yes, they have had a specific problem this year, is that they've got a surplus stock of about 300 million litres of wine, which is about 400 million bottles.主要原因是过去几年他们经历了严重的干旱。没错，但在这期节目中，我们要讨论的是他们现在面临的一个特殊问题。是的，今年他们面临的问题是，出现了大约3亿升葡萄酒的库存过剩，相当于4亿瓶酒。 That's a lot. It's about the total wine sales for them for one year. So how has that happened? I'll give you one guess.这可不少啊，这个数量几乎相当于他们一年的葡萄酒总销量。那这是怎么发生的？我让你猜猜看。 Covid. Now, South Africa has the most Covid-19 deaths of any African country and the President, he decided to introduce some serious measures and these included the total ban on alcohol sales in the country. A complete total ban? Yes, the President argued that it was necessary to reduce alcohol-related illnesses and injuries so that hospitals could instead focus just on Covid-19.新冠疫情。南非是非洲新冠死亡人数最多的国家，总统决定采取严厉措施，其中包括全国范围内全面禁止酒类销售。全面禁止？是的，总统认为这样做是为了减少酒精相关疾病和伤害，好让医院能专注于治疗新冠患者。 Right, OK. Now, what was the result of that? Well, the domestic wine sales decreased by 20% and, of course, exports declined as well because people in Europe were drinking less because of the pandemic. And actually, in addition, some winemakers were unable to launch any new products and the industry actually fears a loss of 27,000 jobs across the industry.好的。那么结果如何？国内葡萄酒销量下降了20%，当然出口也下降了，因为疫情期间欧洲人也减少了饮酒量。此外，一些酿酒商无法推出新产品，整个行业预计可能会失去约27,000个工作岗位。 That is 10% of the total workforce of 265,000. Not looking good for South Africa then. So what's your country then, Jackie? Well, the second country produces a lot more than South Africa, between three to four billion bottles of wine.这相当于全国26.5万名葡萄酒从业者中的10%。南非的情况看起来不太乐观。那么，杰基，你说的另一个国家是哪一个？第二个国家的产量比南非高得多，每年在30到40亿瓶之间。 That's got to beFrance, hasn't it? Yeah. Now, but interestingly, Richard, over the last few years, the French wine industry too has seen a steady decline. And why is that then? A number of reasons.那一定是法国，对吧？没错。不过有趣的是，理查德，近年来法国的葡萄酒产业也在持续下滑。那是为什么呢？原因有好几个。 The US has imposed import taxes on French wine. The UK left, so Brexit also caused a problem. Sales to the UK dropped.美国对法国葡萄酒征收了进口税；英国脱欧也带来了问题，对英出口量下降了。 And also, interestingly, competition with many New World wines. Such as South Africa. Well, exactly, exactly.还有一个原因是来自“新世界葡萄酒”的激烈竞争。比如南非。没错，正是如此。 Yes, French wine's always more expensive, isn't it? But there is now a specific problem. At least a third of French wine production, worth almost 2 billion euros, will be lost this year. Wow.是的，法国葡萄酒一直比较昂贵，对吧？不过现在他们也面临一个特殊问题。今年至少三分之一的法国葡萄酒产量将损失，价值近20亿欧元。哇。 Is that Covid-related? Not because of Covid. Why then? The weather. Rare freezing temperatures have devastated many vines across the country.这也是因为新冠疫情吗？不是。那是什么原因？天气。罕见的低温冻结摧毁了全国许多葡萄藤。 But it's not just the bitter frost and ice, which is the worst in decades, Richard. But the problem was, it came after a bout of warm weather. So the vines started to develop earlier than usual.不仅仅是几十年来最严重的冰霜灾害，理查德，问题在于它发生在一段温暖天气之后。葡萄藤因此提前萌芽。 And then they were killed off. And then they were killed off by the frost, yeah. 80% of vineyards have been affected inFrance.然后这些嫩芽就被霜冻毁掉了。是的，被冻死了。法国80%的葡萄园受到了影响。 Wow, that's a lot. That's a lot, yeah. And some areas have lost all of their crops, 100% of their crops, and they don't think they'll produce a single bottle.哇，那可真严重。是的，确实如此。一些地区的葡萄作物全部被毁，100%绝收，他们甚至预计今年一瓶酒都酿不出来。 It's been devastating. I'm sure. Yeah.这太毁灭性了。是啊，确实如此。 But, Richard, one wine country has done well. No US tariffs, no limits on drinking during Covid and no bad weather. Wow, where's that then?Portugal.不过，理查德，有一个葡萄酒生产国的情况相当不错。没有美国关税，没有新冠期间的饮酒限制，也没有恶劣天气。哇，那是哪儿？葡萄牙。

    4 min

  7. 6 DAYS AGO

    第2821期:Not in front of the children

    Since TV advertising began, there has always been food adverts aimed at children. Yes, sweets, chocolate, ice cream. But that may be about to change.自从电视广告诞生以来，就一直有针对儿童的食品广告。是的，糖果、巧克力、冰淇淋——但这种情况可能即将改变。 We're looking at the UK's radical plans for advertising of junk food for children.我们今天要看看英国针对儿童垃圾食品广告的一项激进计划。 There's growing concern, isn't there, Richard, that children's health is being negatively affected by how food products are marketed to children.人们越来越担心，不是吗，理查德？孩子们的健康正受到食品广告营销方式的不良影响。 Yes, in the UK, the government have estimated that children under the age of 16 are exposed to billions of food adverts online every year.是的，据英国政府估计，16岁以下的儿童每年在网上接触到数十亿条食品广告。 But now the government's decided to do something about it. They plan to ban all junk food adverts on TV before nine o'clock in the evening and a total ban online.但现在，政府决定采取行动。他们计划在晚上九点前禁止所有垃圾食品电视广告，并在网络上全面禁止此类广告。 The total ban online. This is not just for children, is it?网络上的全面禁令。这不仅仅是针对儿童的，对吧？ No, because online advertisers aren't able to effectively identify which users are children and which are adults.没错，因为网络广告商无法有效区分哪些用户是儿童、哪些是成年人。 So restricting all advertising is the best way to ensure that children aren't exposed to and harmed by highly influential but unhealthy food adverts.因此，全面限制广告是确保儿童不受这些具有强大影响力但不健康的食品广告伤害的最佳方法。 Now, they say that if implemented, the ban would affect ads on Facebook, Google, social media activity.他们表示，如果该禁令实施，将影响Facebook、Google等平台上的广告，以及社交媒体活动。 I mean, we're talking Twitter and Instagram. How on earth are they going to do that?也就是说，还包括Twitter和Instagram。他们到底打算怎么做到这一点？ I have absolutely no idea. What are they talking about?我完全不知道。他们到底在说什么？ They're talking about products like burgers, meat pizzas, ice cream, chocolate, crisps.他们指的是像汉堡、肉类披萨、冰淇淋、巧克力、薯片等产品。 All of these products won't be able to be advertised online.所有这些产品都将不能在网上投放广告。 It may not come as a great surprise to you, but the number one advertising company in the UK is McDonald's and they spend over £85 million on advertising every year.这可能并不让人惊讶，但英国最大的广告主是麦当劳，他们每年在广告上花费超过8500万英镑。 So why are they doing it, Richard? What's this big thing now?那么，他们为什么要这样做呢，理查德？这次的大动作是为了什么？ Well, let's face facts. Britain is the second fattest European nation and obesity is thought to be a factor that could have worsened the country's death toll during the pandemic.说实话，英国是欧洲第二肥胖的国家，而肥胖被认为是导致新冠疫情中死亡人数更高的一个因素。 Yeah. Research has shown that one in three children leaving primary school are overweight or obese.是的，研究表明，每三名小学毕业的孩子中，就有一人超重或肥胖。 That's a third of 11-year-olds. That's terrible, isn't it?也就是说，三分之一的11岁儿童。真是可怕，不是吗？ And obese children, I think they're five times more likely to remain obese into adulthood.而肥胖儿童成年后继续肥胖的可能性高达五倍。 Yeah. Now, we mentioned how much McDonald's spends on their advertising, right?是的。我们刚提到麦当劳在广告上的花费，对吧？ Now, compare that to the government's healthy eating campaign. What's the budget for that? £5.2 million.现在，把它和政府的健康饮食宣传活动预算相比——只有520万英镑。 And then on top of that, the NHS spends an estimated £38 million a year on weight loss surgery.此外，英国国家医疗服务体系（NHS）每年还花费约3800万英镑用于减肥手术。 Yes, but wait for it. It's a further £5.1 billion a year on treating obesity-related conditions such as diabetes, which is really increasing.是的，但更惊人的是——每年还要额外花费约51亿英镑来治疗与肥胖相关的疾病，比如糖尿病，而且这些病例正在不断增加。 I think the interesting thing though, Richard, is why has Boris Johnson really taken these companies to task now?不过有趣的是，理查德，鲍里斯·约翰逊为什么现在才决定对这些公司出手？ Well, in 2020, a number of UK ministers got Covid but only the Prime Minister. He was the only one who was seriously ill and needed to go into intensive care.2020年，英国有几位部长感染了新冠病毒，但只有首相本人病得很重，还被送进了重症监护室。 He admitted himself he was too fat and he thought his weight was a factor in why he became so ill.他后来亲口承认，自己太胖了，并认为体重是导致病情严重的一个重要原因。 So there we go, Richard. No more chocolate adverts on the telly.所以就是这样，理查德——电视上再也不会有巧克力广告了。

    4 min

  8. 28 OCT

    第2820期:The human touch

    It has been suggested that one in three jobs that exist today will eventually be done by smart machines, robots and software. Some say as soon as 2025. The robots, it seems, are taking over.有人指出，当今存在的工作中有三分之一最终将由智能机器、机器人和软件来完成。有些人甚至认为这一切最早会在2025年发生。看来，机器人正逐步接管人类的工作。 Now we have some podcasts about the rise of automation, we're looking at jobs that only humans can do. Right then, Jackie, give me a job then that robots can't do that humans can. Well, they can't taste like humans.现在，我们有一些关于自动化崛起的播客，来探讨那些“只有人类能做的工作”。好吧，杰姬，那你给我举个例子，机器人无法胜任而人类可以完成的工作。——“嗯，它们不会像人类那样‘品尝’。” Already in the food industry, robot vision is used to grade food, it can identify foreign components, plastic for example. Yes, it can see things, can't it, with cameras. Read barcodes, etc, etc.其实在食品行业，机器视觉已经被用来为食品分级，它还能识别异物，比如塑料。——“是啊，它能通过摄像头‘看见’东西，还能读取条形码之类的。” Now, there are e-noses that can prevent food poisoning. E-noses? Well, they can smell for things like salmonella or e.coli.现在还有“电子鼻”，可以用来预防食物中毒。——“电子鼻？那是什么？”——“它们能嗅出像沙门氏菌或大肠杆菌这样的致病物质。” Wow, things that... Well, that'll make you ill. But they can't, obviously robots, they can't smell or taste as humans do.哇，那些……会让人得病的东西啊。但显然，机器人并不能像人类那样真正地闻或尝。 In fact, scientists don't really understand how smell works. Because we all taste differently as well, don't we? Or taste things differently, rather, and have different food preferences. So presumably, chefs are going to be fairly safe then.事实上，科学家们至今仍未完全理解嗅觉的工作原理。而且每个人的味觉也不同，对食物的偏好也各异。所以，厨师这个职业大概还是相当安全的吧。 Exactly. Now, you mentioned vision, Jackie. That's a sense that robots can do.没错。杰姬，你刚才提到了视觉——这是机器人可以具备的感知能力。 But there are still some jobs which humans are better at. That involves vision. And one is the fire lookout.不过，仍有一些依赖视觉的工作是人类更擅长的，比如“森林防火观察员”。 OK, so what fire lookout? Well, these are the people in the fire towers that stare at the horizon looking for the first signs of fire, which obviously is smoke.“防火观察员”？——“他们是在瞭望塔上观察地平线的人，负责发现火灾的最初迹象——通常是烟雾。” And perhaps they can even see a small puff of smoke in the distance. The problem is, in environments with fog, low cloud or haze, smoke can be very difficult to spot and robots can't do it.他们甚至能在远处看到一缕细微的烟。但问题是，在有雾、低云或霾的环境下，烟雾很难辨认，机器人在这种情况下几乎无能为力。 OK, so differentiate between a low cloud on the horizon or a puff of smoke. The humans can do that much better. Exactly.“也就是说，人类能更好地区分地平线上的低云和一缕烟，对吧？”——“没错，人类确实更擅长。” They do use high-tech cameras and satellites and drones, etc. But they're not quite as good as people.虽然现在确实使用高科技摄像机、卫星、无人机等设备，但它们的表现仍不如人类观察员。 Now, there are huge fires in the west of the US at the moment. Are they being detected by humans?目前，美国西部正在发生大规模森林火灾——这些火灾是由人类发现的吗？ Well, as I said, they do use high-tech cameras, drones, etc. And there are fewer lookouts. But human lookouts remain crucial.就像我刚才说的，确实有高科技设备在使用，也有越来越少的人工观察员，但人类观察员仍然是不可或缺的。 Maybe they need more. Indeed. A dangerous job though, perhaps.“也许他们需要更多人手。”——“确实，不过这工作挺危险的。” The last thing, Richard. What makes people happy? It seems that it's not the things that people have, it's the things that people do.最后一个问题，理查德——是什么让人们感到幸福？看起来，并不是人们“拥有”的东西，而是人们“做”的事情。 Yeah, so experiences are much more important than possessions.是的，经历远比物质更重要。 Yes. And it seems that the interest in outdoor life and adventure tourism is increasing these days. And as a result, tour guides will be pleased to hear that they are much more in demand.没错。如今人们对户外生活和探险旅游的兴趣日益增长。因此，导游们应该会很高兴听到，他们的需求也大大增加了。 Yes, because these are the people who can show you the best of these places and where to go, what to do, sharing their knowledge and expertise.是的，因为导游能带你领略这些地方的精华，告诉你该去哪里、该做什么，并分享他们的知识与经验。 Exactly, exactly. And we've been on city walks, haven't we, with a tour guide? Yes. Fascinating. Exactly. Much better than listening to something on your phone or... Or the headphones.没错没错。我们也曾经参加过城市导览，对吧？——“是的，非常有趣。”——“确实，比听手机导览或戴耳机要好得多。” Exactly. You can ask questions, you can interact. Obviously, there are, you know, you can have your GPS on your smartphone.没错。你可以提问、可以互动。当然，现在每个人手机上都有GPS导航。 But at the end of the day, that might replace a map. But a robot can't replace a tour guide. And that personal experience.不过归根结底，那或许能取代地图，但机器人永远无法取代导游——尤其是那种人与人之间的交流体验。 Exactly. Well, those jobs seem to be pretty safe, don't they? And let's just hope teachers are safe as well.没错。看来这些职业还是相当安全的，对吧？希望教师这个职业也同样安全。

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