English News

I started listening CNBC short news while on shuttle to company at morning. I think it is good idea to note down new things.

Ether reclaims $1900, and Nasdaq halts crypto custody plans

• reclaim/ei/: recover, obtain the return of sth previously lost, given.
• custody/ˈkʌstədi/: protective care
• second straight /stret/ day
• money laundering
• bipartisan: agreement or cooperation of two political parties, bipartisan approval
• senator: a member of senate
• don’t hear back right away: immediately
• legislation: laws
• coincide/ˌkoʊɪnˈsaɪd/: occur at or during the same time. publication is timed to coincide with a major exhibition. n.: by coincidence.
• maxmium publicity: attention given by the media
• extravagant/ɪkˈstrævəɡənt/: cost too much money
• multi-million: millions
• leaving … in the dust: outpaces others or leaves them far behind in terms of progress, quality, or success.
• fraudster: a person who commits fraud, especially in business dealings.
• self-policing: the process of keeping order or maintaining control within a community without accountability or reference to an external authority 自我监督

How EV range is determined and why the process is flawed

• tailpipe
• range anxiety
• critic/ˈkrɪtɪk/: a person who expresses an unfavorable opinion of something.
• steady-state: an unvarying condition in a physical process
• prohibitive: forbidding or restricting something
• EV regenerative braking/breɪk/

How Big Banks Like JPMorgan And Citi Want To Put Wall Street On A Blockchain

• goldman sachs
• 24x7x365: x does not pronounce
• turbocharge the financial system
• killer app: extremely positive impact and can essentially “kill off” the competition.
• proponent says it …: person who advocate/ˈædvəkeɪt/ a proposal
• tightens crackdown on …: severe measures to restrict

How China Is Threatening U.S. GPS Dominance

• BeiDou: big dipper
• drone: /droʊn/
• GPS(global positioning system) constellation: /ˌkɑːnstəˈleɪʃn/
• the tech also becomes indispensable to lives of civilians /səˈvɪliən/, with cases going far beyond…
• over the course of the past decade, …
• this is a rapid advancement: 发展
• China’s BeiDou is the newest entrant among this system.
• you the user are agnostic /æɡˈnɑːstɪk/ to the GPS selected by the phone.
• Taiwan strait /streɪt/ crisis
• Chinese state media
• real wake up call
• surveillance /sɜːrˈveɪləns/: close observation, especially of a suspected spy or criminal.
• subsidizing ground infrastructure investment for Beidou adoption in the area where is not well served by GPS.
• system being used in a much more pervasive /pərˈveɪsɪv/ way.
• self-driving or autonomous /ɔːˈtɑːnəməs/ car

How To Fix America’s Labor Shortage

• technician/labor shortage.
• the pandemic exacerbated /ɪɡˈzæsərbeɪt/ the problem.
• apprentice /əˈprentɪs/, apprenticeship /əˈprentɪʃɪp/ program: an arrangement in which someone learns an ari, trade or job under a more experienced person.
• concerted action: jointly arranged, planned, or carried out; coordinated.
• the US economy is quickly approaching a make or break moment.

What’s Going On With Reddit?

• news, memes /mi:m/
• Y combinator
• cracking down hate speech
• purge of offensive content, bans racist communities
• double down on: double a bet

The End Of Free Money At The Federal Reserve

• federal /ˈfedərəl/ reserve.
• deflation: reduction of the general level of prices in an economy.
• long-feared corporate debt woes/woʊ/ start to hit home击中要害: troubles.
• monetary/ˈmɑːnɪteri/ tightening and U.S. bank fragility in 2023.

Where Thousands Of Tech Workers Went After Mass Layoffs

• Tech sector: an area or portion that is distinct from others
• new college grads
• known for its boom and bust cycles
• the industry has faced headwinds related to crypto crash and the failure of Silicon Valley Bank.
• a sense of optimism
• a handful of coastal /ˈkoʊstl/ areas
• Google parent Alphabet
• trim/trimmed the rosters: another way to express layoff
• downturn: a decline in economic, business, or other activity: a downturn in the housing market.
• companys overbuild during the pandemic
• Holy crap(天哪): an informal and somewhat stronger way of expressing surprise, astonishment, or disbelief
• I have longevity /lɔːnˈdʒevəti/ in this company.
• the blow has been cushioned/ˈkʊʃn/ in many cases by generous severance/'sɛvərəns/ packages.
• absurd /əbˈsɜːrd/ amounts of money is getting funneled into generative AI startups.

Where Did Americans’ Savings Go?

• overspending
• the top/bottom/lower half …
• had about 5 days of liquid savings: 流动性储蓄
• be pessimistic /ˌpesɪˈmɪstɪk/ about the current situation, that’s all time high
• was supposed to: 本应该, the recession that we were supposed to have this year.
• they will stop consuming(消费) and it can be a self-fulfilling prophecy /ˈprɑːfəsi/.
• stockpile: a large accumulated stock of goods or materials.
• these dynamics(n. 动态: 特定系统或一组元素的行为和相互作用所遵循的模式、力量或过程) are observable around the world.

Rent vs. Buy: Which Makes More Sense In The Current Real Estate Market?

• it was always/others are out of picture: Not Included or Considered / Physically Absent.
• I was living paycheck to paycheck: a person’s income is just enough to cover their immediate expenses.
• ever changing housing market: constantly and continuously undergoing alterations.
• extraordinary(very unusual) / ordinary(normal, commonplace)
• it makes more sense to make this move.
• the numbers fluctuated /ˈflʌktʃueɪt/(rise and fall irregularly in number or amount) throughout (during) 2022
• more cost effective to rent than buy.
• metro: /ˈmetroʊ/: a major city.

How Americans Are Struggling With Car Loans

• auto loan is at a record high.
• outside of work: 工作之余
• the average price is $724 up/down from $654 in 2023.
• up 2% from the prior /ˈpraɪər/ year.
• signing the bottom line: the final total of an account.
• markup is the additional amount added to the cost price to determine the selling price, while profit is the positive difference between total revenue and total costs after all expenses have been accounted for.
• shopping around and come back: 再看看
• even if it’s been a long, exhausting and mentally draining day.

Why Low Economic Growth Is So Dangerous

company’s bottom line: net income or profit. improve people’s livelihood: a means of securing the necessities of life. the topic of AI is at fever pitch: a state of extreme excitement. derisk(take steps to make less risky) the portfolios(a range of investments).

How America Plans To Get Teens Back To Work

• reinvigorate /ˌriɪnˈvɪɡəˌret/ the youth /juːθ/ labor force: give new energy or strength to.
• In summary, youth is a more inclusive term that can cover a wider age range beyond just the teenage years, while teen(teenager) specifically refers to the age range between 13 and 19.
• minor: a person under the age of full legal responsibility.
• passed laws rolling back child laber.
• keeping industries afloat /əˈfloʊt/ when there are work shortages: out of debt or difficulty; not sinking.
• It’s extremely rough when people can’t recognize they’re being taken advantage of.
• Companies will do anything but pay workers more.

How Amazon Is Making Custom Chips To Catch Up In Generative A.I. Race

• $300M: 亿, $30M: 千万
• that provides acceleration in terms of speed, cost efficiency and power for every general web-based workloads.
• the open source ChatGPT rival /ˈraɪvl/.

Why Prosecuting Insider Trading Is So Problematic

• insider trading: the illegal practice of trading on the stock exchange to one’s own advantage through having access to confidential information.
• she was convicted(定罪) of the obstruction of justice.
• they were prosecuted(起诉) for obstruction of highway.
• market manipulation(操纵), manipluate stock: control or influence (a person or situation) cleverly, unfairly.
• smoking gun: a piece of evidence or information that is indisputable proof of a certain fact or wrongdoing.
• 2 types of insider trading: classical and misappropriation: dishonestly or unfairly take.
• spokesperson: 发言人, 代言人
• white collar crime: non-violent, financially motivated criminal activities that are typically carried out by individuals, professionals, or organizations in positions of trust, authority, or respectability.
• pump and dump scheme/skiːm/: investment scam that involves artificially inflating the price of a stock or other financial asset through false or misleading statements. Once the price has been pumped up, the fraudsters then “dump” their own holdings of the asset at the inflated price, making a profit, while other investors who were deceived into buying suffer losses.
• meme stock: gain sudden popularity on the internet and lead to sky-high price.

How Temu Makes Money From $10 Smartwatches From China

• 100 thousand: 十万
• 100 billion: 千亿
• Temu is addictive/ə’dɪktɪv/
• countdown clock/watch
• team payment/group buy: team up, price down
• they are paying big bounties /'baʊnti/ and referral fees to help bring people to the site.
• go across the social sphere: collective interactions, relationships, and activities that occur within a specific social context or environment. 社会领域.
• if you are an influencer you can earn up to 500$ a month
• Temu is the retailer’s/ˈriːteɪlər/ major push to overseas market, where its competitiors jd.com, etc already have footprint.
• supply chain advantage
• not pay for the brand name

How Modelo Dethroned Bud Light In The U.S.

• Mexican beer brand: Modelo(now bestseller), Corona, Bud light.
• Hispanic: people who have a connection to, or an origin from, Spanish-speaking countries, such as Spain, Mexico, Cuba, etc.
• brewery /'bruəri/

How Did The Sriracha Shortage Happen?

• condiment/'kɑndɪmənt/: used to add flavor to food.
• sriracha hot sauce
• chili pepper: 红辣椒
• smooth paste: 糊状物, 膏, such as sriracha.
• ranch: a large farm
• 50 truck and trailer loads:
• renege/rɪˈneɡ/ on that deal: go back on a promise.

Why Penny Stocks Are So Dangerous

• trillion: a million million
• OTC(Over-The-Counter): decentralized market where financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, derivatives, and other securities are traded directly between buyers and sellers.
• penny stock: often under $1 or $5
• penny stock schemer: a person who is involved in making secret or dishonest plans.
• hgih-stakes gambler.
• Low-priced securities tend to be volatile/ˈvɑːlətl/ and trade in low volume.
• at a particular time: 特定时间
• Don’t let fear of missing out control your investment decisions.
• make the pitch: 推销

How Space Factories Are Becoming A Reality

• in-space manufacturing sounds like science fiction, still a very nascent/ˈneɪsnt/ market: just coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential.
• ISS: International Space Station.
• there is huge queue and backlog of people waiting to use space station.
• drug therapy: treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder
• capsule/vehicle: spacecraft
• drug delivery to the patients much easier
• royalty/ˈrɔɪəlti/: a sum of money paid to a patentee for the use of a patent, not loyatly!

How to Invest in Real Estate Without Buying A Home

• REITs: real estate investment trusts, such as data center REITs(DLR, EQIX), residential REITs: INVH(Invitation homes), AMH(american homes 4 rent)
• sarcasm/ˈsɑːrkæzəm/: the use of irony/ˈaɪrəni/ to mock or convey contempt.
• Philadelphia/ˌfilə’delfjə/.

Why Youth Unemployment Is Surging In China

• soaring/surging
• tertiary/ˈtɜːrʃieri/ industry, in China it is service industry, has tapered/'tepɚ/ off in the last 6 months compared to a year ago.
• China’s National Bureau/ˈbjʊroʊ/ of Statistics
• Imports and exports to and from the country are down in most sectors.
• limited spending 消费
• They do not wish to disclose too much of it, as a result, there are more speculation and more fear in the market.
• Their parents lived through China’s big economic boom in the last couple of decades.
• The housing market has skyrocketed in the last 10/15 years in China.
• First, second tiers city.
• sixfold, tenfold: To express an increase by a multiple of a certain number of times, you can use the “fold” suffix along with a specific number.
• China’s overall urban unemployment rate has remained relatively steady all year, hovering around 5.2%.
• Finanically affected.
• lie/lying flat/flæt/: tang ping vs rat race: an exhausting, usually competitive routine.
• Laber intensive manufacturing.

Qualcomm Turns To Auto And AI With Future Apple Business Uncertain

• Qualcomm is a fabless chip company: designs microchips but contracts out their production rather than owning its own factory.
• OEMs, such as Intel, Samsung: original equipment manufacturer, produce components, parts, or products that are used by other companies.

Why The U.S. Won’t Pay Down Its Debt

• the national debt clock: https://www.usdebtclock.org/
• owe/oʊ/ you 25 cents.
• intragovernmental debt holdings: government owes itself that money.
• the debt in some way is a contingency plan: a provision for an unforeseen event or circumstance
• with no long term benefit, you are actually deteriorating/dɪˈtɪriəreɪt/ your financial or fiscal future over the long run.
• Debt to GDP ratio
• service the debt: pay back the debt and the interest on the amount to the lender.
• windfall: a piece of unexpected good fortune
• fiscal solvency crisis:ability to pay one’s debts.
• Japan has been running fiscal deficits basically for the last 3 decades.
• be supposed to: 本应该
• sluggish/ˈslʌɡɪʃ/: slow-moving or inactive

Why You Should Buy Everything With Credit Cards

• that’s a really big hole you are contining to dig and it’s going to be really hard to get out of.
• credit card balance: In banking and accounting, the balance is the amount of money owed/oʊ/ (or due) on an account.
• how do you build your credit history?
• the higher your credit score, the more responsible you are deemed.
• it depends on your personal circumstances: a fact or condition connected with or relevant to an event or action.

Why The NYC Subway Is Such A Mess

• revenue in 2022 plummeted/ˈplʌmɪt/ 37% from its 2019 levels.
• fare/fer/ evader/i’veidə/, fare revenue, fare gate
• public transit/ˈtrænzɪt/: more commonly used in North America, particularly in the United States and Canada.
• train/treɪn/, bridge, tunnel
• subway bench
• weekend vs weekday
• the system is decaying/dɪˈkeɪ/ rapidly, I think of it as a heart attack.

President Biden’s Ambitious New Plan To Help Student Debt, Explained

• student loan relief
• one in four student loan borrowers are in delinquency/dɪˈlɪŋkwənsi/ or default: mainly US: a failure to pay an outstanding debt.
• income-driven repayment plan
• discretionary/dɪˈskreʃəneri/ plan: 自行决策计划
• discretionary income: income remaining after deduction of taxes, other mandatory charges, and expenditure on necessary items
• not all of its beneifts will go into effect right away.

How Consumers Can Manifest Inflation

• manifest: reveal, indicate; consumers have a role or influence in the occurrence or increase of inflation through their actions or behaviors.
• prices have slowly begun to descend.
• people really do behave in accordance with their expectations and with their sentiments and attitudes/ˈætɪtuːd/ towards the economy.
• price in: market has already taken into account and adjusted for that particular information or event, and it is now reflected in the asset’s current valuation.
• inflation expectation.
• consumers had some recognition over the last year that there were factors that were peculiar/pɪˈkjuːliər/ to the current situation, even if they might last for a while, they didn’t expect them to last forever.
• inflation is here to stay: something has become a permanent or long-lasting part of a situation or context
• preliminary/prɪˈlɪmɪneri/ results from the Sept survey…
• Wage-price spiral/ˈspaɪrəl/: rising wages lead to higher prices for goods and services, which in turn lead to demands for even higher wages.

Could Deep-Sea Mining Fix The Global Minerals Shortage

• Minerals/ˈmɪnərəl/ vital/ˈvaɪtl/ to electric vehicle batteries and clean energy transition as a whole are found in abundance/əˈbʌndəns/ …
• fragile/ˈfrædʒl/
• transfer, transmit(transmission), transit, transport

The Truth Behind ‘Unlimited’ Vacation Plans

• offer this perk/pɜːrk/.
• it is not a formal promise but just a catchphrase/'kætʃfreiz/: 醒目的广告用语
• accrued/ə’krud/ benefits: received or accumulated in regular or increasing amounts over time
• pension/ˈpenʃn/
• liability: costs associated with running a business, such as rent, payroll and interest payments

Why Tesla May Be The Big Winner Of The UAW Strikes

• automaker Detroit/di’trɔit/ three(D three): GM, Ford and Stellantis
• worker union
• intensity of the strike
• audacious/ɔːˈdeɪʃəs/: showing an impudent lack of respect.
• This time they caught the industry off guard: unprepared for a surprise or difficulty
• foreign or homegrown company
• has slashed prices considerably throughout 2023
• speak out: express one’s feelings or opinions frankly and publicly
• wishful thinking: 如意算盘；痴心妄想
• stockholm/'stɔkhəum/ syndrome/ˈsɪndroʊm/: 斯德哥尔摩综合症(被劫持人质对劫持者产生好感 并同情、宽容他)

Why GlobalFoundries’ Chips Are So Important To The U.S.

• wafer/'wefɚ/: 晶片
• foundry: a workshop or factory for casting metal
• Roughly we put out(create or produce) about a million chips a day.
• isn’t the microchip company with most hype/haɪp/ right now: 夸张地宣传.
• making chip at the bleeding edge: the very forefront of technological development
• behind the scenes: out of sight of the public at a theater or organization
• misnomer/ˌmɪsˈnoʊmər/: a wrong or inaccurate name or designation, 用词不当 that’s patently false: easily recognizable; obvious
• technological tug of war/tʌɡ/: 拔河
• older node: 老节点 In computer science and networking, the term “older node” typically refers to a node or device within a network that has been in operation for a longer period of time compared to other nodes or devices in the same network.
• legacy node: 遗留节点 refers to a node or device within a network that uses older, often outdated, technology, protocols, or hardware.
• back out: withdraw from a commitment
• reshore: (of a company) transfer (a business operation that was moved overseas) back to the country from which it was originally relocated, eg: increasing numbers of US-based manufacturing businesses are planning to reshore production from China back to the US

Why Tornadoes Are More Destructive Than Ever

• tornado alley/ˈæli/: a narrow passageway between or behind buildings.
• the cost of disasters each year is just skyrocketing: (of a price, rate, or amount) increase very steeply or rapidly
• We are seeing …happening more and more regularly
• building code: a set of regulations and standards that specify the minimum requirements for the design, construction, and maintenance of buildings and structures.
• including but not limited to: xxx
• hailstorm/'helstɔrm/: 雹暴

Can The U.S. Compete With Chinese Drones?

• warfare, combat, conflict
• civilian/səˈvɪliən/ drone: non-military purposes, 民用无人机
• trusted allies /ˈælaɪ/
• fears of xx espionage /ˈespiənɑːʒ/: the practice of spying or of using spies
• concerns are overblown: 过分渲染
• the war in Ukraine has elevated the need for cheap, reliable drones
• has a large lead on cost effective and capable/ˈkeɪpəbl/ 能干的 drones
• some in the US think this dynamic(see again) is not permanent
• they are known for being well-made and come with the great support in the form of DJI care.
• ministry of commerce/ˈkɑːmɜːrs/ released export restrictions on certain drones: long flight times or certain(specific but not explicitly named or stated) sensors
• don’t have all of the requisite supply chain …
• putting that aside 抛开这个不谈
• overreliance/'ovɚrɪ’faɪn/: excessive dependence on or trust in someone or something

Why The U.S. Is Now Obsessed With Soybeans

• soybean is used as food/fuel/feed crop/krɑːp/
• valuable commodity/kəˈmɑːdəti/: a raw material or primary agricultural product that can be bought and sold, such as copper or coffee
• soybeans take nitrogen/ˈnaɪtrədʒən/ from the air and replenish/rɪˈplenɪʃ/ the soil: restore, fill up again
• soybean crop yield 收益；产量
• soybean’s primary use is protein for producing livestock, such pork, poultry/ˈpoʊltri/, aquaculture /'ækwəkʌltʃɚ/, even dairy/ˈderi/
• global demand for animal protein is on the rise
• the us-china relationship soured/ˈsaʊər/ as the trade dispute escalated in 2018
• subsidies to offset farmer’s losses
• renewable diesel/ˈdiːzl/柴油, biofuel, drop-in fuel

Why EVs Are Piling/paɪl/ Up At Dealerships In The U.S.

• these efforts have hit unnerving/ˌʌn’nɝv/ speed bump: make (someone) lose courage or confidence
• gas/fuel burning vehicle
• ICE(internal combustion engine) car
• the demand of EVs has leveled off: begin to fly horizontally after climbing or diving
• that number has since fallen to 67% in 2023.
• the market for EVs is upside down. 颠倒，混乱
• sticker price(initial or advertised price of a product or service) or MSRP(manufacturer’s suggested retail price).
• pain point = sore/sɔːr/ spot 痛处；伤心事
• current, past or prospective: expected or expecting to be something particular in the future
• there is a fair amount of feedback…: considerable though not outstanding in size or amount.
• if perhaps we could hit the rewind button and do things differently than we have.

Quiet Cutting: How Power In U.S. Offices May Be Shifting Back To Bosses

• quiet cutting: reorg, take or leave it
• quiet quitting: doing the bare minimum of your job and putting in no more time, effort, or enthusiasm than necessary, employee has the upper hand: advantage
• buzzword term: 流行术语
• companies are fearful what lies ahead.

Why It’s Becoming Harder To Get Into Airport Lounges

• airport lounge/laʊndʒ/, loyalty or elite/eɪˈliːt/ status.
• but as the popularity increases, so do the challenges of operating them, like overcrowding.
• there is a lot of ways that you can qualify to get into them.
• Status at an airline comes with a host of(a large number or multitude of something) benefits like free seat upgrade, free checked bags, premium customer service, lounge access.
• modern lounge often includes amenities/ə’mɛnəti/…
• taproom: a room in which alcoholic drinks, especially beer, are available on tap

How Walmart Is Beating Everyone In Groceries

• supermarket checkout counter
• price sensitive customer
• along with its rivals/ˈraɪvl/, has also faced criticism that it does not compete fairly with small independent grocers/ˈɡroʊsər/
• grocery chain
• automation could make some jobs obsolete: no longer produced or used; out of date
• move cutomers to high margin discretionary(the freedom to decide what should be done) spending categories like apparel/ə’pærəl/(clothes) and home furnishings
• waterbed effect: used in economics and finance to describe a situation where a change or intervention in one area has ripple effects or unintended consequences in other related areas.

Should The U.S. Bury Its Power Lines?

• bury/ˈberi/ power line underground (vs overhead line): put or hide under ground
• utility-caused fire devastated towns throughout California: an organization supplying the community with electricity, gas, water, or sewerage/'suərɪdʒ/
• the result blaze destoryed the town of…: a very large or fiercely burning fire
• vegetation maintenance cost: plants considered collectively, especially those found in a particular area or habitat:

Why The U.S. Is Getting Serious About UFOs

• UFO: unidentified flying objects
• conspiracy/kənˈspɪrəsi/ theory around the U.S. concealing/kənˈsiːl/ alien life and technology in secret compounds like Area 51 have run rampant/ˈræmpənt/.
• science fiction movies and novels/ˈnɑːvl/
• the poll found that 68% of respondents believe …
• UAP: unidentified anomalous/əˈnɑːmələs/ phenomane/fə’nɒmɪnə/
• shift the converstaion about UAPs from sensationalism/sen’seɪʃ(ə)n(ə)lɪz(ə)m/ to science. <贬>(指行文或报道)耸人听闻,哗众取宠
• this could be attributed to ordinary explanations like drones, balloons, etc: regard something as being caused by.
• uncharacterized 未定性的
• flying saucer: 飞碟
• capitol/'kæpɪtl/ hill 美国国会
• the possibility cannot be completely discounted: 不考虑；不全信

The Recession Has Finally Begun, But Only For America’s Rich

• the recession fears fade
• sticky inflation and a weakened stock market continue to disproportionately pressure wealthy Americans
• fewer people buy fewer things can lead to a stagnant/ˈstæɡnənt/ economy
• stock market was down very sharply
• market has rebounded in 2023
• the budgets are stretched: 预算捉襟见肘
• credit card debt has swelled to more than $1 trillion
• buy discretionary items: 购买非必需品
• non-discretionary: essential

Why Americans Fell Out Of Love With Canned Tuna

• canned/kænd/ tuna, tuna rich zone, tune migration pattern
• learn to be more adaptable: able to adjust to new conditions
• a decline mainly triggered by shifting consumer preference
• price fixing scandal/ˈskændl/
• illegal/illegitimate, unregulated, unreported fishing is a major concern
• third party suppliers
• vessel costs are rising, import tariffs/'tærɪf/ are pricey /'praɪsi/, oil prices are constantly fluctuating
• not a high margin business with profit margin only 3%, tight margin industry

How Homeowners Associations Took Over American Neighborhoods

• HOA: Homeowners associations: organizations that oversee properties in a community
• cozy/ˈkoʊzi/: giving a feeling of comfort, warmth, and relaxation
• board director
• lien/'liən/: a right to keep possession of property belonging to another person until a debt owed by that person is discharged
• foreclosing home 查封房屋
• garnishing/ˈɡɑːrnɪʃ/ wage: take (money, especially part of a person’s salary) to settle a debt or claim
• prior notice
• handle landscaping 景观美化
• trash pickup
• milk the community: exploit or defraud (someone), typically by taking regular small amounts of money over a period of time

How Unprofitable Companies Stay In Business

• taking on debts that they probably cannot repay
• zombie firms: unviable/ʌn’vaiəbl/ companies
• the share of zombie firmes has been increasing over time, this has detrimental/ˌdetrɪˈmentl/ effects to healthy firms that compete in the same sector
• bailout/'belaʊt/ 紧急援助
• the problems will go away quickyl as things normalize

Is The Golden Age Of Remote Work Over?

• laptop classes
• the corporate leaders have reversed their approach to remote work.
• bureau /ˈbjʊroʊ/: department
• 5 consecutive quarters of year over year declines in worker productivity.
• employee can perform their duties.
• rethink: think again

Who Makes Money From America’s Firetrucks

• fire department, fire station, station garage, zero-emission firetruck
• purposed build vehicle: news van, mail truck, garbage truck, construction lift
• the company is electrifying
• articulating boom: snorkel/'snɔrkl/, elevated platform for firefighting.
• make the best use of…
• dual sourcing
• suffered some setbacks: a reversal or check in progress

What’s Wrong With U.S. Cash

• paper notes: physical, paper-based representations of a country’s currency, issued by the central bank or government
• denomination/dɪ,nɑmɪ’neʃən/: the face value of a banknote, coin, or postage stamp. 面额
• banknote: a piece of paper money 纸币
• bill: a banknote; a piece of paper money: a ten-dollar bill
• Polymer/'pɑlɪmɚ/ banknote: 塑胶钞票
• people are ditching/dɪtʃ/ cash for electronic payments: get rid of or give up
• mint vs bureau of engraving and printing
• move lower currency denominations to coins to help with longevity
• counterfeit 仿制品, 伪造物
• not quite there yet: 没准备好
• nailed/neɪl/it: perform (an action or task) perfectly

How The U.S. Lost Thousands Of High-Skilled Workers To Canada

• reform is needed
• Canada has launched the new initiative to attact this talent: initiate things independently.
• nomad/ˈnoʊmæd/: a person who does not stay long in the same place
• bureaucratic/ˌbjʊrə’krætɪk/ visa process pushes workers north: inflexible, complicated
• it is not straightforward, it is very convoluted
• H1B lottery: a process or thing whose success or outcome is governed by chance.
• it requires a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent
• if things don’t work out, you have to leave the country
• they cannot change jobs or work side gigs: a job, especially one that is temporary or freelance and performed on an informal or on-demand basis
• spouse/spaʊs/
• highly populated country: India, China
• the company underwent major layoffs in the past year: experience or be subjected to (something, typically something unpleasant, painful)

Why The Pentagon Is Spending Billions To Bring Laser Weapons To The Battlefield

• direct energy weapon: laser or microwave
• most lasers have been used for targeting and illumination(such as for night vision).
• curise missile
• The US Army, Navy, Marines(海军陆战队) and Air Force
• Move from testing to operation
• unmanned air vehicle
• interceptor 拦截

Why Oil Giants Shell And BP Are Investing In U.S. Farmland

• area without extensive trees and vegetation: covering or affecting a large area
• shepherding/ˈʃepərd/ sheep
• herbicide/saɪd/, insecticide, pesticide
• sorghum/'sɔrgəm/ 高粱
• ranch: a large farm, especially in the western US and Canada

How Elon Musk’s Starlink Is Bringing In Billions For SpaceX

• one after another
• starlink’s importance to spaceX as a company is imperative/ɪmˈperətɪv/: of vital importance; crucial:
• achieve breakeven cash flow: 盈亏平衡点
• maritime and aviation industries: 航海的
• satellite debris/dəˈbriː/: scattered pieces of waste or remains
• flawed methodology/ˌmeθəˈdɑːlədʒi/: 有缺陷的
• geopolitics/ˌdʒioˈpɑlɪtɪks/, geopolitical/ˌdʒiopə’litɪkl/
• radio and optical astronomy/əˈstrɑːnəmi/
• condemnation /ˌkɑːndemˈneɪʃn/: the expression of very strong disapproval

Why Divorce Is So Expensive In The U.S.

• cost lots of dough: money [美俚]金钱
• misery/ˈmɪzəri/: a state or feeling of great distress or discomfort of mind or body
• appraiser/ə’prezɚ/: a person whose job is to assess the monetary value of something
• contested vs uncontested: in context of divorce, A contested divorce occurs when the spouses are unable to agree on one or more significant issues related to the divorce, such as child custody, division of assets and debts
• mediator/ˈmidiˌetɚ/: 调停者；调解人
• aftermath: the consequences or aftereffects of a significant unpleasant event
• every fee must be paid up front: in advance

What Happened To Wonder Bread?

• loaf/loʊf/(loaves) of bread: a quantity of bread that is shaped and baked in one piece and usually sliced before being eaten, pre-sliced bread.
• the brand has been around for a long time.
• premiumization: the action or process of attempting to make a brand or product appeal to consumers by emphasizing its superior quality and exclusivity

Binance’s Changpeng Zhao to step down as part of $4.3 billion DOJ settlement: CNBC Crypto World

• step down: withdraw or resign from an important position or office
• He’s ready to tee/ti/ it up and start the project: getting ready or preparing for something
• what I mean by that was …: to emphasize sth you have jus said
• a huge catalyst/'kætəlɪst/ for the industry

How Taxpayers Grow The Private Sector

• how companies are governed: manage pertains more to handling specific tasks, resources, or operations, while “govern” involves the broader aspect of ruling, directing, or controlling based on established rules or principles.
• privatize the gains, socialize the losses
• baby formula: 婴幼儿配方奶粉
• venture capitalist would tell you that’s normal, for every success you need to bear with multiple failures.
• digital feudalism/ˈfjuːdəlɪzəm/: 封建主义

How Nespresso Is Taking On Keurig In The U.S. Coffee Pod Market

• Nestlé’s [nes lei] Nespresso. vs Keurig: coffee pod market players
• single-serve coffee system: a pod coffee machine
• purchased perpetual/pərˈpetʃuəl/ rights to sell and market Starbucks products at retail world
• coffee shop, coffee style chart: espresso, macchiato/ˌmækɪ’ɑːtəʊ/, latte, cappuccino, mocha

How America Racked Up A $1 Trillion Credit Card Bill

• consumers continuing to be resilient: able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions
• delinquency: see prior note about its meaning on finance.
• their wages are not increasing at the same pace as the inflation.

How Safe Is Tap Water In The U.S.?

• tap water, distilled water
• there are contaminants/kən’tæmɪnənt/ present in just about everyone’s water to some degrees.
• arsenic: 砒霜, lead/led/, PFAS
• water treatment facility: 水处理设施, water is treated: purifying water to make it safe.
• water main: 总水管
• there are byproducts from water treatment process, such as disinfection stage: the process of cleaning something.

How The Escalating U.S.-China Tech War Could Hurt American Companies

• the race for technological supremacy/su’prɛməsi/: the state or condition of being superior to all others in authority
• high-end chip
• China’s response has been sporadic: occurring at irregular intervals
• the US govt was not excited about the previous status quo
• biden govt aimed in part at closing that loophole: an ambiguity or inadequacy in the law or a set of rules
• consequential breakthrough: important
• we are going to see a bifurcation/baɪfɚ’keʃən/ into a chinese led tech and american lead tech: the division of something.

Why Cars Lose Their Value So Fast

• drive off the lot, not brand-new anymore, start losing the value right away
• keep spotless insdie and out, have dent/dent/, scratch on surface
• that is unlikely to change for a while
• car value depreciation
• trade in car: wholesale price + costs + dealer margin (It represents the profit margin that the dealer earns on the sale of a vehicle.)
• information asymmetries /ei’sɪmɪtri/

Why The Airbus A380 Is Making An Unlikely Comeback

• Most airports cannot accommodate the size of it
• wide-body passager plane

Why The Port Of Baltimore Is Getting A Makeover

• The U.S. actually lags many ports around the world in terms of efficiency
• ship to shore/land crane/kreɪn/, seaport
• rolling cargo ship 滚装船, container ship

Why CEOs Are Quitting In Record Numbers In 2023

• the huge exodus/ˈeksədəs/ of CEO even from big companies: a mass departure of people
• none of that is clear at this moment

How LVMH Became A $500 Billion Luxury Powerhouse

• powerhouse: a person or thing of great energy, strength, or power
• LV is one of the most storied and iconic/aɪ’kɑnɪk/ luxury brands
• Innovating new products that is captivating/ˈkæptɪveɪt/ to customers
• you cannot create heritage/ˈherɪtɪdʒ/ overnight: denoting a traditional brand or product regarded as fine craftsmanship, 传统
• Luxury isn’t about quality it’s about exclusivity/'ɛksklʊ’sɪvəti/. People are paying more so that they can have a product that less people can afford which makes them feel special
• It’s an interesting business model. Selling things for significantly more than their actual value, just because you’ve managed to convince the customer that the social validation of having that logo on your product makes it worth paying that insane premium. It’s the perfect business model. Convince these suckers to pay 10x more than they should and they won’t even dislike you for it, they’ll admire you. That’s called “Brand” in the world of business. A brand demands a premium. A Toyota or a Honda will also take you from a point A to a point B, but people pay premium to buy a Mercedes or a BMW. Not to mention, a oyota and a Honda will last longer as well. That’s the power of brand building. It’s one thing to build a product and build a company, it’s a totally different thing to build a brand.
• model vs module, see chatcpt

Why hertz’s bet on Tesla is not paying off in the U.S.

• EV: pricing troubles, skyrocketing repair costs, low resale values
• either kill or pause the EV initiative: the ability to assess and initiate things independently
• suffered from underinvestment
• so to speak: She’s the glue that holds the team together, so to speak, because she’s excellent at fostering teamwork and cooperation.
• as inflation starts to subside/səbˈsaɪd/ some costs are coming down: become less intense, violent, or severe
• leisure business: economic activities and industries that cater to providing recreational, entertainment, or relaxation-related products and services for individuals during their leisure time.

Why more Americans are going child free

• DINKS: dual income, no kids
• DIWKS: dual income, with kids
• fewer expenses leave DINKS with more disposable income to play with: 税后 所得
• we have even large nest egg that allowed us to buy a more expensive home: a sum of money saved for the future, 储备金

How Budget Airlines Like Ryanair Make Money

• budget, low-cost, low-budget airlines: U.S. has Spirit, Allegiant, Frontier; in eur has: easyJet, Ryanair, Wizzair.
• full-service airline: typically offers passengers in flight entertainment, checked baggage, meals, beverages and comforts such as blankets and pillows in the ticket price.
• paper safty card, seatback entertainment
• they tend to entice/ɪnˈtaɪs/ travelers with low base fares and then charge for add-ons(something that has been or can be added to an existing object or arrangement:) such as seat selection, food and luggage.: attract or tempt by offering pleasure or advantage
• carry-on bag vs checked luggage
• during onboarding, we hit another road bump.
• they might weigh it
• they are really efficient at boarding and deboarding, we got on/off quickly.
• the biggest hang-up(not hang up) was that xxx: an emotional problem or inhibition. 烦恼,焦虑

How Americans Lose Billions To Fraud

• credit card fraud / odometer fraud
• money lost to scam calls / phone scams
• recent surge in used car price that it’s becoming more enticing for scammers
• anyone can be the victim
• identity theft/θeft/
• it can increase a prison sentence by years or eveb decades
• fraudsters are rolling back or otherwise tampering with odometer and title info: or make unauthorized alterations.
• I don’t trust most contractor or mechanics/məˈkænɪk/ here in the us: a person who repairs and maintains machinery

Credit card fraud

• their operations are industralized.
• data breach/briːtʃ/
• chargeback/'tʃɑːdʒbæk/: a demand by a credit-card provider for a retailer to make good(compensate for or rectify a loss or damage that has occurred) the loss on a fraudulent or disputed transaction.
• screw/skruː/ up: a situation that has been completely mismanaged or mishandled
• sucks: express dissatisfaction, disappointment, or a negative opinion about something: the weather sucks.

Phone scam victim

• phone/voice/txt scam, usuall they give some sense of urgency, ask you don’t hang up the phone
• my whole body was shaking
• The phone rang and I answered it
• the person hysterically/hɪsˈt ɛrɪk lɪ/ crying on the phone: deriving from or affected by uncontrolled extreme emotion
• broken wrist/rɪst/, waist/weɪst/
• free trial: try out a product or service for a limited period without paying for it
• phone scams come in many forms
• you need to rationalize/ae/ your weird behavior: attempt to explain or justify with logical, plausible reasons, even if these are not true or appropriate
• I feel sorry for these people 悲哀

Why Americans Can’t Keep Their Paychecks

• this may be the result of a sneaky behavioral(lack of transparency) phenomenon called lifestyle creep/kriːp/: lifestyle inflation, refers to the gradual increase in spending or expenses as an individual’s income rises, it is hard to undo/rollback economically. 由俭入奢易，由奢入俭难, end up with living paycheck to paycheck.
• eat out rather than cook at home
• can have serious financial consequence: often carries a sense of importance, significance, or causality/kɔːˈzæləti/ 因果关系
• the solution to make more money isn’t really realistic: having or showing a sensible and practical idea of what can be achieved
• super money saver

Why Pharmaceuticals Are So Complicated In The U.S

• Pharmaceutical/ˌfɑːrməˈsuːtɪkl/: relating to medicinal drugs, or their preparation, use, or sale
• prescription drug: an instruction written by a medical practitioner从业者 that authorizes a patient to be provided a medicine or treatment
• complicated relationship between insurance, pharmacy and coverage
• 1 in 4 Americans have trouble affording their medication/ˌmedɪˈkeɪʃn/: treatment using drugs
• buy a product in bulk/bʌlk/ in low price and then sell it at a higher price
• COVID-19 global outbreak
• I believe that mRNA as the technology will be transformative: 有改革能力的
• it has dividend growth for nearly 60 years and has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 over past 25 years
• it is really seen as a bellwether/'bɛl,wɛðɚ/ in the space: the leading sheep of a flock
• focus on core competency/ˈkɑmpɪtən,see/ or diversity: a defining capability or advantage that distinguishes a person or enterprise from others
• baby powder cancer case
• it’s a topic of debate, and it’s not clear that over the longer term, if that might not be sth you could pursue.
• pharma and medical devices still have a lot of synergies/'sɪnɚdʒi/: 1+1>2
• consumer business(B2C), the opposite is B2B, Examples of consumer businesses include supermarkets, clothing stores, online retailers, restaurants, entertainment providers, etc.
• the controversy/ˈkɑːntrəvɜːrsi/ behind the Alzheimers’s drug
• in addition to that, you have to take into account the fact that …
• covers the elderly/ˈeldərli/, a lot of patients will be influenced by the coverage decision, it could be extremely influential/ˌɪnfluˈenʃl/: having great influence on someone or something

How China’s BYD Overtook Tesla

• BYD has overtaken Tesla as the world’s largest seller of EV
• what set BYD apart: high tech, vertical integration, mobility solution
• the supply chains were just in a state of chaos during the pandemic

How China Became KFC’s Most Important Market

• KFC: one of world’s largest food chains
• in the city of Hangzhou, about an hour outside of Shanghai
• rice congee, steamed dumpling, egg tart/tɑːrt/

How Criminals Are Making Millions Counterfeiting Prescription Drugs

• he was the mastermind of 230M dollars drug counterfeiting operation.
• drug diversion: illegal or unauthorized distribution or trafficking (traffic’s ing state: deal or trade in something illegal:) of drugs
• fake drug in recycled bottle
• who agreed to an interview if we concealed/kənˈsiːl/ his identity: keep from sight; hide
• what are the most lucrative/ˈluːkrətɪv/ drugs to resell: producing a great deal of profit
• hidden/'hɪdn/ camera video

Will The U.S. Remain The World’s Leading Economy?

• but one bigget factor they have playing against them is the various demographics dynamics: aging population, low birth rate, rising dependency ratio, which means fewer working age people
• we will be prosperous/ˈprɑːspərəs/ if we are nice to each other
• there is a lot of synergies between china and US

How Private Credit Became One of the Hottest Investments on Wall Street

• what private credit is just in a simplest form, is xxx
• the best way to explain what xx is is to first start with what it isn’t
• why private credit is booming?

Are Timeshares Worth It?

• close the loophole: an ambiguity or inadequacy in the law or a set of rules.
• we have come here to take part in the major game.
• justice department: 司法部门
• he allegedly/əˈlɛdʒd/ received more than %30 million: 据称
• it became common knowledge that the resale depreciation is almost 100%, the industry would’t collapse, but it would certainly fundamentally change overnight
• he was incapable of leading a bowling team, let alone a country: far less likely, possible
• This is a time when we need to either heavily regulate or outright ban this “timeshare” system: completely, immediately

Why United Airlines Invested $1 Billion In Denver Airport

• passangers have returned in a record breaking number, much higher than our forecast
• it becomes the U.S. biggest hub
• explore how the airport and airline plan to keep up with demand: learn about or be aware of current events or developments
• we are projecting a lot of growth: estimate, forecast
• whoever pushed 30 years ago for an airport outside the city with no limits on size is the real visionary: thinking about or planning the future with imagination or wisdom
• I was just at the Denver Airport with an hour long layover. It’s a very nice airport, but needs more eateries/'itəri/: a restaurant or other place where people can be served food
• copy room
• employee cafeteria: a restaurant or dining room

Can Amazon And Hyundai Solve Online Car Sales?

• 90% consumers are going online, at least some points in the process, even if only for research.
• car dealers have been trying to catch up
• we learned short time ago the company will be the debut seller of cars on amazon
• there’s been a lot of speculation about amazon potentially launching its own EV products: the forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence
• it’s not gonna happen

Why Cargo Theft Is Surging In The U.S.

• cargo and freight/freɪt/ companies: goods transported in bulk by truck, train, ship, or aircraft
• cargo truck, cargo theft/θeft/, cargo thief/θiːf/
• there is how cargo thieves are infiltrating/ˈɪnfɪltreɪt/ america’s supply chain, but what most valuable follows economic trends: 渗透
• if he opens the truck and there’s 1 milion of electronics, it’s probably not even sth the law enforcement officer is going to understand, so he’s probably going to let him go
• overhaul command center: a thorough examination of machinery or a system
• there is a lot of push-pull on solving the problem: conflicting perspectives, opinions

Is The U.S. Navy Ready For The Red Sea Threat?

• it remains to be seen if airstrikes by the US and allies will put an end to these houthi attacks in red sea: 有待观察
• precision weapon, once the province of major powers had become much cheaper and easier to produce: an area of special knowledge
• houthi arsenal/'ɑrsənl/: cruise missile, ballistic/bə’lɪstɪk/ missile, explosive armed drone.
• the US navy may be overworked
• the red sea is a fairly choke pointed area: to quite a high degree
• chinese rocket force
• go to solution: people instinctively turn to because it is known to be effective, familiar, or convenient.
• long range anti-ship missile
• electronic warfare package: 电子战模块
• energy weapon

Iphone history

• the iphone was introduced/made its debut/deɪˈbjuː/ in 2007
• the industry veterans/ˈvetərən/ and competitors remain skeptical/ˈskeptɪkl/

How Guyana’s Oil Boom Sparked A Border Dispute With Venezuela

• Venezuela/ˌvɛnəˈzwelə/ wants to annex part of Guyana
• this is why there’s been a rising tension escalation
• 11 billion barrels/ˈbærəl/ of oil
• Mexico Mexican/ˈmɛksɪkən/
• border dispute: debate

India is moving beyond call centers and IT support

• global value chain: design, raw materials, assembly/əˈsembli/, distribution
• it has underwhelming response from business in some sectors: disappoint
• I am in transit/ˈtrænzɪt/: the carrying of people
• how the scheme/skiːm/ has translated into reality
• overnight success should not be expected: it takes decades to real become really globally competitive in many of these value chains.
• increase the domestic consumption

Why Getting A Job Feels Impossible Right Now

• if you look at the job vacancies, they are down a little bit but not enormously
• why does it feel so hard to get a job right now and is the US labor market as strong as it seems?
• the job application they don’t even hear back and that can be very mentally and emotionally taxing: physically or mentally demanding
• tight vs loose(adj+v)/luːs/ job market

Why Americans Are Suddenly Losing Their Home Insurance

• too many buildings are destroyed by catastrophe/kəˈtæstrəfi/: diaster
• one company step up and said that xxx: come forward for a particular purpose
• non-renewal letter in CA results in 12% loss/lɔːs/ of property value
• most mortgage lenders require home insurance as a prerequisite for the loan
• insurance company says they have been trying to adequately price in the climate risk for years
• sth was passed all the way back in the 80s

Are Landlords Colluding On Rent?

• to keep pace with the demand
• the housing supply does not keep up with the demand
• housing cartel/kɑːrˈtel/: an association of manufacturers or suppliers with the purpose of maintaining prices at a high level and restricting competition

What happened to axe body spray?

• gym class: 体育课
• it is a sense of nostalgia/nəˈstældʒə/: 怀旧
• its parent company unilever/u,ni,lever/ had sold about 500 million dollars of AXE product
• they thought the brand of fragrance as a men deodorant/dɪ’odərənt/: 除臭剂
• humor is a great way of overcoming all of that

Will Las Vegas’s big bet on sprots pay off?

• the recycle of all indoor water on a community-wide scale is at a stagger/ˈstæɡər/ rate of 99%: astonish or deeply shock
• the pandemic exposed the perils/ˈperəl/ of a one-sector economy
• the hospitality/ˌhɑːspɪˈtæləti/ industry’s singularity leaves las vegas vulnerable to the next devastating event: 殷勤, 好客

Tucker interview with Putin

• the kremlin
• initially it was the coup/kuː/ in Ukraine that provoked the conflict
• that is exactly what the miscalculation is: 误判
• the wounds/wund/ would start to heal
• with the help of U.S and its satellites/ˈsætəlaɪt/ in europe
• we simply don’t have interest on that, it’s just threat mongering/ˈmʌŋɡɚ/
• you personally may have alibi/'æləbaɪ/ but the xxx has no such alibi
• in the war of propaganda it is very difficult to defeat/dɪˈfiːt/ the US
• we are now in multi-polar/ˈpoʊlər/ world
• the china’s foreign policy philosophy is not aggressive its idea is to always look for compromise and we can see that.
• self-conceit: undue pride in oneself 自负

Why direct-to-consuomer companies are all struggling

• D2C: direct to consumer, it is synonymous/sɪˈnɑːnɪməs/ with e-commerce/ˈkɑːmɜːrs/
• maybe D2C is not dead, maybe it is evloving
• new/young brand is competing with the legacy brands that already have a loyal customer base
• flagship store
• offer product directly to consumers, cut out all the middleman, all the unnecessary markups: 加价
• they were the only one and there started to be copycats after a couple of years after the modle was proven and successful
• a lot of brands did not last
• pretty quickly we recognize that having a physical offering in addition to our online and digital tools was going to be really important
• the founders/entrepreneurs founded the company in 2024, also the past of “find”: establish
• the agency was funded by the govt: pay, finance
• venture capital funding down 53% year-over-year by q1 2023
• it is not all doom/duːm/(death) and gloom/ɡluːm/(darkness) 悲观绝望

Has the U.S fallen out of love with instant coffee

• instant coffee has long been known as the black sheep of the coffee world: a member of a family or group who is regarded as a disgrace to it
• instant coffee accounts for 25% coffee consumed globally
• find a solution to the country’s coffee surplus problem: more than what is needed or used
• predominantly tea drinking countries have been fertile ground for instant coffee growth: here have been + n usage: continues tense
• the overall innovation to the instant coffe space has been sluggish: slow-moving or inactive, have been + adj: state happens some time ago and now and may continue
• strong and bitter taste, sweeter and softer taste: lighter
• less resistant/rəˈzistənt/ to weather shocks, pests/ae/ and disease
• the instant coffee consumption abroad is a very different story: oversea

Senate hearing

• inspirational quote: a quotation from a text or speech
• positive affirmation: encouragement
• caretaker: a person employed to look after people or animals
• are you going to support the legistation: laws, the adj: legitimate/illegitimate(illegal)

Why the education system is failing America?

• it is as simple as following a series of familiar steps to get the answers
• it is an ambitious initiative to revolutionize the education system
• you might accept them down the road if you find them to meet your needs
• a couple of years later, things took a turn as the efficacy/efəkəsē/ of the new standard came into question
• dictate instruction to a teacher from kind of remote control is simpily unrealisitc: recommend, affect
• studies have shown that…
• in the meantime = at meanwhile
• I have never been tempted enough to pull the trigger: entice/ai/, n: I resisted the temptation to call him
• why teahers are paid so little
• teachers only receive their pension if they stay in profession/prəˈfeSHən/ for 25 years or more
• what does it mean when some students left behind?
• it is way more than that, it is very holistic and it talks about lots of broader topics: 整体的，全面的
• condom and contraception use 避孕
• miscarriage and abortion: 流产 and 堕胎
• 3 out of 5 children who are living in poverty live in families that are headed by unwed mother/wed/

Migrant detention camp

• migrant/ai/(move to other places) vs immgrant/i/(move to foreign countries permanently) in search of work and better living conditions
• applying for asylum/əˈsaɪləm/ requires the proof of persecution/ˌpɝsɪ’kjʊʃən/: protection, shelter; hostility and ill-treatment
• political asylum 庇护
• border/highway patrol/pəˈtrōl/

Why widespread tech layoffs keep happening despite the strong US economy

• the layoff it is pretty eye opening
• the US economy looks strong on paper
• a lot of big companies decided to get lean and efficient: thin, slim
• all this investment in creating AI jobs, but at the spend of others
• AI is definitely playing a role in the layoffs we are seeing
• Regrettably, it seems the layoff is going to be the new normal
• never be loyal to a company or job, at the end day we are all number and disposable/dɪˈspoʊzəbl/, learned the hardway

Will the immigrantion crisis bankrupt the U.S. cities?

• the present migrant crisis is quite unprecedented
• private charter bus: hire, rent

San Francisco street

• carjacking
• arrest the individuals and send them to custody/ˈkʌstədi/: 拘留, imprisonment
• news outlets: a subset of the media, such as CNN, BBC, etc
• the shoplifiting is wild and high-profile: the criminal action of stealing goods from a store while pretending to be a customer: she had conviction/kənˈvɪkʃn/ of shoplifting
• I was twice physically assaulted/əˈsɔːlt/ due to being trans
• this is a fuck up place: 一塌糊涂

Why oil price is so expensive in CA?

• CA has really restricted the ability for the refinery to expand and grow
• it has been rather hostile/ˈhɑːstl/ to refinery expansion or oil industry investments
• in comparison, xxx
• texas is home to more than 30 petroleum/pəˈtroʊliəm/ refineries

Fires employee who protested the event

• now we’re going to turn to Google the company firing an employee who protested at an Israel Tech event
• part of growing dissension/dɪ’sɛnʃən/ inside the company: disagreement
• first of all just sort of give us the rundown of what happened: to some extent; an analysis or summary
• he was escorted/ˈeskɔːrt/ out of the building and it was captured on camera went viral online
• we found that the company fired him yesterday reasoning that it was interfering with an official company sponsored event
• but we also found this week that Google prematurely shuttered/'ʃʌtɚ/ an internal discussion forum in the company ahead of International women’s day after a swarm comments about the Middle East crisis and Palestinian /ˌpælis’tiniən/ women gain popularity in the forum

OpenAI fires back at Elon Musk

• what he said is contradicting: conflict, inconsistent,paradox/ˈpærədɑːks/ 自相矛盾
• bombshell: 爆炸性事件, for example: bombshell email
• openai fires back at elon musk
• generative ai potential issues: bias, misinformation and hostility /hɑːˈstɪləti/

Can Amtrak Finally Bring High-Speed Rail To Texas?

• I would argue that the texas triangle is the lowest hanging/ˈhæŋɪŋ/ fruit in the nation for improving passanger service
• we just need to reinvest in the effort
• the backlash in texas has deep roots and no signs of fading soon: a strong negative reaction by a large number of people,
• bullet trains
• the race to bring high speed rail to texas triangle dates back to 1987
• the cities are in that sweet spot

Recession will still happen as Covid savings have run out

• what is your take on all that? asking for someone’s opinion or perspective on a certain situation, vs prospective(future events)
• holding your breathe/ri/: expecting the unexpected
• so I put it this way, xxx

Why The French Love American Fast Food

• in a five year span, xxx
• just given the cliche/kliːˈʃeɪ/ that France is the fancier place to eat: 陈词滥调
• these brands also cater/ˈkeɪtər/ to french palate/ˈpælət/ by altering menu items or creating new products: provide someone with what is needed
• but the restaurant industry is volatile/ˈvɑːlətl/ and highly susceptible/səˈseptəbl/ to domestic and global changes: easy to be influenced

Henny Sender on China, Hong Kong, and India

• secondary city
• i want to stay on this topic for a little longer
• is the gap widening or narrowing?
• india is capitcal short compared to china
• what’s your sense from outside looking in that large companies are finding india an attractive place to put money
• I’ve seen so many india companies who go from make in india to assemble in india instead of going the other way around becaus it lacks skill so that’s a challenge today
• the govt is trying to build infra that it had lacked
• india feared it would just be overrun by cheap products from places like china
• the conversation is really superficial: not thorough, deep, superficial knowledge

100k salary cannot buy american dream

• 100K household income can’t buy american dream
• it does not take into account any thing extra

Why The U.S. Government Is Buying And Destroying Homes

• buyout:the purchase of a controlling share in a company, vs bailout/'belaʊt/
• they demolish/dɪˈmɑːlɪʃ/ the home and create open space
• there are almost infinite variations at every single one of those stages i just described, but that’s really the general process.
• we are nowhere near the scale that would be required: not in or to any place
• the buyout offer is not going to match what it’s reasonably going to cost for the recipient/rɪˈsɪpiənt/ to move to a safe place.
• this is a 1 in 1000 year type of flood
• rich people freeload the most: 吃白食,不劳而获

How Working For Google, Amazon, And Microsoft Lost ‘Dream Job’ Status

• google is the number one this year, last year and the year before.
• gender affirmation surgery
• the high pay prestige /preˈstiːʒ/:widespread respect and admiration
• business making moves to really understand where their customers are and trying to fit their workforces to that demand
• the stock market reacted quite favorable to this round of layoffs, lean year
• keep your options open and be realistic, don’t hold back: hesitate to act or speak; prevent or restrict the progress or development of someone or something

Musk’s china visit is a watershed moment

• DC hawk, China hawk; pigeon/ˈpɪdʒɪn/ vs penguin/ˈpeŋɡwɪn/
• it is a watershed moment: turning point
• let me jump in and ask, xxx
• the competition is going to continue to be fierce/fɪrs/ in china
• they have been storing data in shanghai, complying with china’s law/regulation
• you start to see a resurgence/rɪˈsɜːrdʒəns/ in U.S, especially with the FSD golden goose
• do you think the stock has bottomed? has peaked/reach its upper limit

china’s looming crises

• people realized that the post-covid recovery is not as strong as many of them had hoped for.
• one area of particular/peculiar weakness is the service sector: peculiar 2 meanings: odd,unusual; special
• for chinese govt, it really wants to contain any of the market volatility( negative), especially during the economic downturn.
• civil service exam: govt job
• many couples therefore chose/tʃoz/ to only have a son when restricted to just a one child household, so consequently, after 30 years what you do have is a huge situation of missing women and surplus bachelors.
• 30 million surplus men who cannot find brides/braɪd/.
• it caused the population to become too male, too old and too few.
• the aging population can make the govt spend a lot of money on the welfare /ˈwelfer/
• working age population
• India still has demographic so that it would continue to grow and add population in this subsequent decade: relating to structure of population.
• just because you have plenty of young workers doesn’t mean you have roads, the factories or the financing or the logistics to take advantages of all these things and really make them come together.
• this population decline in the process of aging is almost irreversible, we can try to slow it down a little bit through increasing fertility/fərˈtɪləti/ rates but that’s not really solution to anything.
• suppose the labor supply reachs a criticall low point, the chinese govt might consider import cheaper labors from other countries.
• from anecdotes/ˈænɪkdoʊt/ that i’ve heard, this policy was implemented pretty stingently/ˈstrɪndʒənt/ in that everyone is so scared of giving any financing to real estate developers they are almote cut off.
• private sector developer vs state owns developer

Can Boeing’s Purchase Of Spirit AeroSystems Help Solve Its Problems?

• boeing spent a year trying to get back on track after the fatal max8 crashes.
• the company has continued to face problems with production flaws and setbacks
• the pressure on boeing has led to a major leadership shake-up
• the iconic company that once had a great reputation for safty is losing more and more marketshare to rival airbus
• first and foremost, get aircrafts that are quality and safe.
• so much of boeing’s manufacturing has become outsourced
• now boeing is kind of backtracking and saying, OKAY, maybe that was a little bit too much: reverse one’s previous action and opinion.
• the focus at boeing has shifted since this merge with douglas to profitability as opposed to the engineering excellence.
• boeing spun/spʌn/ off its unit as spirit aerosystem to improve profitability, that puts financial squeeze on spirit aerosystem to build the fuselages/'fjʊsə’lɑʒ/ at the lowest possible cost, but clearly this has come with someb intangible cost in terms of quality control.
• airline customers are desperate/ˈdespərət/ of new planes.
• hire hitman to deal with/punish the whistleblower (conspiracy)

why copper demand is skyrocketing

• demand for copper is surging/soaring, price has soared/climbed
• wind turbines/'tɝbaɪn/ and the power grid
• offshore wind requires about 3 times as much copper as does coal/koʊl/-fired power generation in terms of tons per gigawatt of capacity
• mining company
• copper is the backbone of the decarboniation goals
• energy transition, electricity transfer
• capital-intensive
• the macro economic factors are causing companies to be hesitant/ˈhezɪtənt/ about investing new copper supply, which takes many years to result in production.
• the smelter/'smɛltɚ/ and refinery where the ore is processed into pure copper
• the company is struggle to get another project off the ground

Chang’e-6 mission landing

• chang’e-6 mission lander landed on far side of the moon to collect invaluable lunar sample
• soft landing, solid steps.
• used a variable/ˈveriəbl/ 7’500 newton/'nutən/ engine to slow its velocity on lunar orbit and begin its descent/dɪˈsent/(de + scent) (not decent!)
• Chang’e-6 is China’s fourth successful lunar landing from four attempts, and the second on the far side of the moon.
• Following sampling, an ascent/əˈsent/(a + scent) vehicle will be expected to launch itself and the samples from atop the Chang’e-6 lander.
• orbiter, reentry capsule
• relay satellite/ˈsætəlaɪt/
• international payloads
• crewed lunar mission by 2030, permanent lunar base (or habitation/ˌhæbɪˈteʃən/)

China’s BYD New Hybrid Cars: Ultra-Long 2,000 km Range For Under $14,000

• incredible, without re-charging and refueling, 2000 kilometers, groundbreaking
• they really see value in pushing the boundaries of what hybrids can do, given the fact that they are competing on a quarter by quarter basis with tesla for pure battery electric vehicle leadership.
• they are dominant in this space in China, IMO they are also viewing this as sort of the way forward for them in a lot of export markets where EV charging infra is not as solid as it is in China.
• they have really big ambitions/æmˈbɪʃn/ to grow.

China’s AI development

• AI infra, semiconductor -> efficiency
• in terms of the application, china’s speed is second to none
• I don’t want to steal your thunder/ˈθʌndər/
• the performance has not been good enough
• I am proud to say that the latest modle is performing comparablely /'kɔmpərəbli/ with chat GPT by third part’s evaluation.
• bring the chat gpt moment
• the model will rival chat GPT in china
• we have to be extremely parsimonious/ˌpɑrsə’monɪəs/ and practical and really build the right modle with the right size that fit the user’s needs.
• I want to just depature briefly, depart from this US-China framework for a little bit.
• bigger is not necessarily better.
• I am a huge proponent/prə’ponənt/(supporter) of open source

What To Do If You Think You’re Underpaid

• one option if you suspect that you are underpaid is to request a salary adjustment from your employer.
• a discrepancy in pay b/w two comparable employees may be due to market conditions
• their skills are scarce/skers/ vs scare
• or there is justification for them, xxx don’t justify that xx
• but the caveat to that is that …
• is there anything that would make me stay here?
• will i ever get paid what i am worth?
• are the margins/ˈmɑːrdʒɪn/ of my desired salary much higher than my current role?
• could i make a career pviot/ˈpɪvət/: completely change the way in which one does something
• unfair treatment, harassment/həˈræsmənt/, retaliation/rɪˌtæliˈeɪʃn/

Stephen Krashen no language acquisition

• we acquire language in only one way: when we get comprehensible input in a low anxiety environment.

How close is china to become a dominant space power

• lunar probe/proʊb/
• it is the latest advance in china’s ambitious space explotation: a development or improvement
• basin/ˈbeɪsn/
• the effect is most pronounced on the crater edges in the polar/ˈpoʊlər/ regions: very noticeable
• can you pls give us a sense of how important space exploration is to the china’s leadership.
• china also aims at sending astronauts to the moon around the year of 2030 which would not only be scientifically important but also be a political prestige /preˈstiːʒ/

how presidential elections influence the fed reserve

• fed chair
• politics, political/pəˈlɪtɪkl/, politician/ˌpɑːləˈtɪʃn/
• chief concerns: inflation, drug addiction/əˈdɪkʃn/, federal budget deficit, illegial immigration, gun violence, violent crime, the state of moral values
• former company(or ex-ceo) executive/ɪɡˈzekjətɪv/ officer (CEO)
• any future president might be tempted to influence the fed becuase the U.S fiscal/ˈfɪskl/ position.
• 7 governors on the federal reserve interest rate committee are nominated by the president and confirmed by congress

First impression in chongqing

• ultra modern mega city, over 30 million people believe or not
• he is local
• unfortunately the weather is not really on our side
• chongqing is known as to be a very humid city
• big river cruise ship
• chao tian men square
• busy public hoilday
• I am excited to be seeing the view on the front: continous
• a sort of: It can also imply uncertainty or that something is not clearly defined.
• it is quite literally a wednesday: used for emphasis
• I was literally blown away by the response I got: to be extremely impressed, astonished, or overwhelmed by something. It conveys a strong sense of amazement or admiration.
• restaurant, retail
• herbs: 香料
• the meat soup(broth) has a lot of collagen/'kɑlədʒən/ from what I read, good for skin
• pan-fried pork bun 生煎: juicy, tender
• just a heads up, if you are someone that does not have a large appetite/ˈæpɪtaɪt/ one bun is more than enough: over sufficient
• chongqing is laid out on different levels.
• viewing points
• the lower level of the bridge is for metro or some sorts of train, the upper level is for pedestrian/pəˈdestriən/ and cars
• jelly 冰粉
• hotpot seasoning/'sizənɪŋ/
• jerky, beef/pork jerky 肉干
• the dog is chilling: very relaxed or easygoing
• skywalk 人行天桥

chongqing supermarket shocking prices

• kilo/'kilo/
• shocking prices, well priced, reasonably priced, shopping to be so affordable
• we picked up the supermarket completely at random, we don’t know if it is upper scale, lower scale or medium.
• I think this may be one of things that you won’t necessarily see in a european supermarket
• here we have a whole bunch of different things like mushrooms, cucumbers, pickles chilies.
• no weigh -> scale
• I have never seen them before in my life
• okra/'ou krə/
• lotus/'lou təs/ root, root vegetable
• donut/'dou,nʌt/, egg tart
• mineral water, purified water
• envious ~ jealous/ˈdʒeləs/
• walnut/'wɔlnət/
• loose goods 散装货物, tea flower
• we can only eat them alive similar to crustations/krʌs’teiʃən/ where you have to kill them shortly before you eat them
• we arrived our beautiful accommodation: temporary lodgings
• readymade food, fast food

The Real Danger of Traveling in China

• light/strong flavor squid
• this is the perfect way I think to kickstart a night of trying some snacks
• shaqima cube, it tastes a little bit yeasty/‘yi sti’/ (yeast smell, like fresh bread)
• street snack
• let’s make our way to a pedestrianized street/pəˈdestriən/ area
• high-rise: tall building, skyscraper
• downtown: city center
• the street is a liitle bit old school
• people seem to be very laidback, warm greeting from the people
• very enjoyable and walkable place
• some chinese official public holidays: new year day, spring festival, tomb/tum/-sweeping day, labor day, dragon boat festival, mooncake/mid-autumn festival, national day
• electric scooter/'skutɚ/
• it is just a weekday not weekend
• Takoyaki: octopus ball (surrounded by pork floss); sashimi: sliced raw finish; shushi; row; miso/'miso/ soup; udon 乌冬 ramen; curry/ˈkɚri/ rice; mochi/'mou tʃi/: Japanese glutinous rice ball 糯米滋; rice triangle: triangle sushi, onigiri
• I am kind of contemplating the big sausage
• stinky/'stɪŋki/ tofu (super smelly)
• she is coating/'kotɪŋ/ my skewer now in different seasonings
• salad with mayo/'meɪəʊ/
• 煎饼: chinese burrito /bə’rito/ or taco/'tɑko/
• we are absolutely amateur/ˈæmətər/(vs professional) when it comes to speak mandarin
• the weather is insanely hot
• escargot/ˌɛskɑrˈɡo/, snail edible,
• river snail rice noodle 螺蛳粉; river snail 田螺
• eatable: pleasant to eat vs edible/ˈedəbl/: Safe to eat; not harmful or poisonous
• spicy crayfish/'kre’fɪʃ/ 麻辣小龙虾; shellfish, crustation/u/

Indian inside poor area of china

• street hygiene/ˈhaɪdʒiːn/
• yellow sign / banner 标语
• urban villages (old part of the city) are not slum/slʌm/, though the buildings are old, dilapidated/dɪˈlæpɪdeɪtɪd/.

our first dim sum in GZ

• cantonese /ˌkæntəˈniz/
• it is during the rush hour, traffic hour
• after hours, off hours

journey to GX province

• we have a very excited journey ahead of us
• bullet/bu/ train
• the drop in temperature is going to be very welcome too
• look around, you can see greenery/'ɡrinəri/ eveywhere in yunnan province
• that’s a very good sign
• solar panel, solar power, wind energy, nuclear energy
• find our way to where the DD driver pickup point is.
• fish mint 折耳根
• auntie patrol/pəˈtroʊl/ 朝阳大妈
• high five: gesture to express positive emotions like joy, excitement, or congratulations
• the pace of life here is quite slow, people are laidback, relaxing

kunming china

• the temple, dates back to 18th centry
• you don’t have to reserve your spot, just show up and buy the tickets immediately
• for everybody it is a flat fee of mere 6 yuan: not varying, same in all cases
• kunming is the capital/ˈkæpɪtl/ city of yunnan province
• look at all these details
• pillar/ˈpɪlər/: a tall vertical structure of stone, wood, or metal, monument/ˈmɑːnjumənt/
• entrance, gate, arch/ɑːrtʃ/ 古代拱门
• buddha/'budə/ 佛
• donation 香火钱, pray for xxx, place to worship, worship place
• power bank 充电宝
• stone courtyard 石板院子
• incense /ˈɪnsens/ 香, light your incense
• smell a lot of secondhand smoke
• high cholesterol/kəˈlestərɔːl/ organ meat, pork
• no weird additive/ˈædətɪv/ to the crispy pork

longmen scenic area in kunming

• it is on and off drizzle/'drɪzl/: intermittently
• I have so many questions, I don’t know anything about it
• cable car
• scenic/ˈsiːnɪk/ area 风景胜地: great wall scenic area
• have a photo shoot
• view point/spot, picture taking spot
• it looks like quite dated in terms of how it looks
• mind you head
• fence or railing/'relɪŋ/ installed on cliff walkway
• we can hear the cicada/sɪ’kedɚ/ in such a high altitude/ˈæltɪtuːd/
• some people do walk which is probably the thing that we would do if this was like a full day thing but we unfortunately only planned half a day because we didn’t know how expensive it actually is we thought it was just one viewing spot but it was few hours

farmers market

• local farmers market
• the bun is really sort of fluffy/ˈflʌfi/ or puffy/'pʌfi/
• fluffy cake 蓬松蛋糕
• the weather is like you are steamed, hot and humid
• deep fried pork and fish
• young bamboo sprout
• The Chinese behave with tofu is like the western people behave with cheese
• salted duck egg
• century/'sɛntʃəri/ egg or preserved egg
• jicama /ˈhikəmə/ 地瓜
• so easy to gain weight in China

yunnan street food

• everybod is off and nobody has to work
• lotus pond
• the old lady is very considerate
• see what they are doing and we try to copy whatever that is.
• the pavement/walkway is for pedestrian
• enoki/yi,no,ki/ mushroom 金针菇
• king oyster mushroom 杏鲍菇
• ong choy/water spinach 空心菜
• fermented/fərˈment/ bean curd/kɝd/
• once you finish the meat and rice you have a “food baby” for sure
• bakery/ˈbeɪkəri/
• boba tea 珍珠奶茶
• sauteed/'səutei/ spinach with garic and olive oil
• In the hustle/ˈhʌsl/ and bustle /ˈbʌsl/ of modern-day life, people seldom stop to enjoy the beauty of nature. 喧嚣，熙熙攘攘

yunnan dali

• one thing I love about these videos is the showcase of the abundance of food options and food culture there in different locations
• we have the bathtub/bæθtʌb/ in the questionable place
• villager
• street food stalls/stɔːl/ 大排档
• the general atmosphere is very nice: the pervading tone or mood of a place, situation, or work of art
• incredible hospitality/ˌhɑːspɪˈtæləti/ 殷勤, 好客
• It’s a preferential/ˌprɛfə’rɛnʃl/ policy for an ethnic/ˈeθnɪk/ minority family to have two children. 少数民族
• the ancient town seems to be full of these narrow alleyways/'ælɪ,we/ and it is packed full of people.
• lantern 灯笼
• Porcini/por,qi’,ni/ mushrooms 牛肝菌
• this is probably going to be way too much food
• it is a little bit higher in the alcohol(liquor/ˈlɪkər/ 白酒) than wine
• bay leaf 月桂叶
• the doctors in yunnan are specialized in mushroom poisoning
• we have taken probably around 20 selfie(s)/ˈselfi/ with different people
• a lot of souvenirs/ˌsuːvəˈnɪr/ are repetitive to other things we have seen.
• grind/ɡraɪnd/ the coffee beans

Attention seeker’s clickbait on black myth

• this clickbait/ei/ video is not worth 60 seconds of my life
• anient japanese fairytale/ˈfɛriˌtel/ or tale/folktale/myth
• I doubt you are an attention seeker
• ignorant/ˈɪɡnərənt/ review I have ever seen
• it is a satire/ˈsætaɪər/ 讽刺

The rural china in dali

• uncles and aunties/'ænti/: aunt的昵称
• pagoda/pə’ɡodə/: a tiered tower with multiple eaves
• the entry of the pagoda is prohibited: Used for formal, legal, or official restrictions, often involving policies or laws; ban: Used for official, often legal, restrictions that completely disallow something. (e.g., “ban smoking”); Forbid: Used for personal or informal restrictions, often by someone in a osition of authority. (e.g., “forbid talking in class”)

blockbuster chinese video game tried to police players

• Chinese mythology/mɪ’θɑlədʒi/
• Confucianism/kən’fjʊʃə,nɪzm/, Taoist/'tauist/ and Buddhist/'budist/ folklore/ˈfoʊklɔːr/
• japanese anime/ˈænəˌme/
• Chinese literature contains 4 masterpieces known as Four Great Classical Novels: Journey to the west, Outlaws of the marsh, Romance of the three kingdoms, dream of red chamber.
• single player action game
• the destined one 天命人
• supernatural/ˌsupɚ’nætʃrəl/ power
• proud (adj): be proud of, be proud to; pride/ei/ (n, v): I take pride in my work; national pride in the country
• hot-blooded/^/ hype/haɪp/大肆宣传

postmortem at google

• writing retrospective
• I was relatively inexperienced
• I got disillusioned with working in physics during the course of my degree: disappointment resulting from the discovery that something is not as good as one believed it to be:
• what appealed to me xxx. 吸引 not just attract
• dealing with chronic/ˈkrɑːnɪk/ stress
• I have overstayed as SRE
• fascination with Google tech waned /weɪn/, faded
• actual work not being that mind blowing: overwhelmingly impressive
• cognitive load is very high at google: relating to the process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses
• it is like swimming upstream:going against the prevailing trend, facing opposition, or making progress in a difficult situation
• it’s easy to feel isolated, sidelined 边缘化
• there is a cost of switching of course 变化的代价

why dogs love to roll in poo

• pee/pi/, poo /pu/, poo poo 拉粑粑
• why dogs love to roll in poo, strong smell, stinky
• their favoured scents were artifical odours like perfume or motor oil
• This would not be a helpful hunting disguise/dɪsˈɡaɪz/ 伪装；假装
• it leaves us without a firm answer

Our First Time in Cambodia

• this is the highest religious structure in Phnom Penh/pəˈnɔm ˈpɛn/ city the capital of Cambodia
• correct a lot of misconceptions we’ve learned from the west.
• you can do a Mekong/ˈmeˈkɔŋ/ river cruise/kruːz/
• the old and new sort of intertwined/ˌɪntərˈtwaɪn/ in the city: twist or twine together
• usually we like to go to place where a lot of people are critical about or maybe have a negative opinion, just to see if that’s actually the case or if people are just being dramatic(overreacting)
• I do want to buy sth, but I don’t want to be force into it.
• we can do people watching when we have cafe: observing people as they go about their daily lives
• nicotine/'nɪkətɪn/ is going to be on the wall over time (not overtime)
• people living in poverty/ˈpɑːvərti/

School mass shooting

• mass shooting suspect
• Because of his young age, the maximum penalty Gray could face is life in prison with or without parole/pəˈroʊl/ 假释
• four counts of involuntary manslaughter/'mænslɔtɚ/, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children.
• arrest warrant 逮捕证
• it was so many gunshots/a/ after gunshots

Rural Cambodia is Incredible

• this entire area here is free from landmine
• the tree that you can use basically for everything from home building to eating to everything that you want can come out of this tree
• the level of poverty in Cambodia is sth that stands out: be easily noticeable
• it all made from cement/sɪˈment/ 水泥
• a gecko/'gɛko/ running away
• it is the same sort of setup / layout 同样的配置

super typhoon hits china’s hawaii

• tourist island/city
• China’s weather agency/authority said it is the strongest typhoon to make landfall in the autumn: 空降/登陆
• A super typhoon is equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane.
• Indo-Pacific Tropical /'trɑpɪkl/
• All tourist attractions have been shut/^/
• Hong Kong and Macau/mə’kau/, colony/ˈkɑːləni/

huawei’s answer to iphone16

• official unveil/ˌʌnˈveɪl/ new products
• reported double digit jumps in both revenue and profit
• tri-fold smartphone
• It’s an epoch-making product that others have only dreamed of but couldn’t achieve
• Tuesday’s product launch will come just hours after archrival/ˈɑrtʃˈraɪvəl/ Apple: main competitor
• Those restrictions dealt a huge blow/hit/ to the Chinese firm’s smartphone ambitions

Shandong Qingdao

• bamboo shoot 竹笋
• qingdao has some Germany influence believe or not, for historical reason
• it is the mascot/'mæskɑt/: thing to bring good luck
• on the right hand side
• comfy/'kang fi/ bed: comfortable, used in casual
• meditation/ˌmedɪˈteɪʃn/ room 冥想
• He illuminated/ɪˈluːmɪneɪt/ his idea with examples when walking in a illuminated street.
• toasted chili oil 干辣椒油
• the alipay just froze us out of nowhere 莫名其妙的出现

first impression of qingdao

• the summer hoildays are in full swing: 如火如荼
• beautiful shrine/ʃraɪn/: a place regarded as holy/ˈhoʊli/
• motorboat/'motɚ,bot/
• in the distance you have the beautiful TV tower
• people are passing time by collecting sea snails: 消磨时间
• everyone here apart from us is chinese
• the European style buildings can trick people that we are in Europe
• Germany had a lease that gave them the access to this whole area

how to say 顺其自然

• 顺其自然: let it be/whatever will be, will be/let nature take its course
• 顺势而为 I’m just going with the flow: accept things as they happen and adapt to the circumstances without resistance or trying to control them. It suggests being flexible and not stressing over things you can’t change.
• I don’t know what the future holds
• I don’t have any plan, I like not knowing right now

Qingdao food

• the flagship of this restaurant
• I keep drooling/druːl/ when watching the eating show/mukbang
• specialty(US) vs speciality(british), both are OK
• see what we can end up with here 看看我们能得到什么
• midlife crisis, 35-year-old crisis
• the beer lacks the bubbles, it is missing carbonation/ˌkɑːbə’neɪʃən/
• this would be my go-to 首选
• aquarium /ə’kwɛrɪəm/ in restaurant to keep fresh fish
• they have live/ai/ music here every now and then: At irregular intervals, a bit less frequent than “sometimes”

Nanjing impression

• old city wall, gate
• I feel it is dry heat, we have to get used to it
• no ducks make it out alive from the jiangsu province
• skin of dumpling, thin dough/doʊ/
• I am gonna give it a shot/^/: try something, especially when you are not sure if you will succeed
• pray and giving offering 祭品；奉献物

Nanjing boat tour and museum

• we don’t want to miss out the boat tour, old school boat: not be able to experience
• the water is higher than the river bank sidewalk
• it kind of(adv) feels like we are in a little bit of(casual speech) greenhouse situation.
• it also has a seethrough glass floor as well
• natural / cultural heritage is well preserved
• who would have thought that xxx? 谁会想到
• out there you have the morden part of Nanjing
• it is definitely worth noting (worth doing!!!)
• I watch your video with great nostalgia
• this man is very humble and down to earth: practical and realistic

I visited 8 Chinese factories in 8 days

• Parents are in park shopping their children to help them find good partners
• forget the name (don’t say i don’t remember)
• electric tricycle/trike factory, electric vehicle

Nanjing duck feast

• we have to wait 30 mins for our number to be called.
• that’s next level dumpling
• sour plum drink 酸梅汤
• when in Rome, do as the Romans do: 入乡随俗: to follow the customs of people in a foreign land or to adapt to the customs of people in a certain situation.
• endless homework (not a lot of)

This is How The Chinese See The US In 2024

• grassroot media organization, without govt licenses
• I haven’t/never been(experience, not gone, though gone is right) to U.S yet
• in terms of xx / when it comes to things like xxx, there is huge difference b/w China and the west, kids are quite **stressed (not tired)
• it is enough just to be happy 开心就好
• generally I am a bit more on the positive side
• lose-lose/win-win situation
• it feels like now there is some hostility/ti/, of course propaganda plays a key role
• do you think she is influential?
• individual heroism/'hɛroɪzəm/ vs collectivism/kə’lɛktɪvɪzəm/
• romeo and juliet, snow white, little mermaid/'mɝmed/
• public opinion舆论 and propaganda, are under tight control, this cannot be denied
• this claim is completely groundless/baseless, nonsense/insane

Hangzhou first time

• roaming/roʊm/ data, international roaming plan
• it is very refreshing
• as much/little as possible
• it really seems to be a never-ending sort of offer of different types of souvenirs/su/.
• it is a large city which is very frequented by tourists, it still has somehow a laidback and relaxed type of vibe/vaɪb/: person’s emotional state or the atmosphere of a place

Hangzhou west lake pagoda tour

• exicted to see the scenery lies ahead of us
• i am anticipating a bird’s eye view at the west lake
• there is absolutely no access to it
• there is a pavilion /pə’vɪlɪən/ 阁；亭子；展示馆 at the hill peak.
• it is a little bit of a struggle to not slip and fall
• the smell is literally making my mouth water

China’s economic stimulus benefits french tycoon

• economic stimulus/ˈstɪmjələs/ push
• long-awaited plan to revive confidence

Helene flooding strands killing locals

• death toll reaches 30
• missing persions report: emphasizes the individuality and humanity of those who are missing, rather than reducing them to just a group of “people.”

Hangzhou temple tour

• related words: temple, tower, pagoda, gate, shrine, pavilion, buddha, incense
• building material: woods, bricks, stone
• every now and then: less often, irregular, casual and informal
• it is the must see and must do things in Hangzhou
• for the time being: you can borrow my car for the time being, but I’ll need it back next week.
• built in an octagon/'ɑktəɡɑn/ shape, Pentagon shape
• Osmanthus/ɔz’mænθəs/ vs Jasmine
• we made to the inside of the tower
• I am out of breath/e/ after 10 mins run

Suzhou arrival

• you can have your expectation set no matter what train station you go, they are almost the same.
• train carriage
• I even dozed(doze)/doʊz/ off for a few minutes in this comfy environment
• if you are feeling sociable, go for the second class seat
• a lot of people use suzhang as commuter town to shanghai if you are working there.
• half fat half pork 半肥半瘦, juicy fatty pork
• we are now in residential/ˌrezɪˈdenʃl/ area/part of the city

Venice of China Suzhou

• Ding: big bronze/brɑːnz/ pot
• suzhou: the Venice/'venis/ of China
• Chinese painted fan
• you just need to raise your voice and get the help
• these are ruins and relics/ˈrelɪk/ from ancient time: 废墟；遗迹 Ruins: Focuses on large, deteriorated structures or sites. Relics: Focuses on smaller, preserved objects or artifacts of historical, cultural, or religious value.
• you can hear the squeaking/skwik ing/ of the wooden boat: 吱吱叫
• leaning tower 斜塔 the tower is leaning
• The pagoda started tilting /tɪlt/ this way some 400 years ago: move or cause to move into a sloping position
• koi/kɔɪ/ fish: colored carp/kɑːrp/ 鲤鱼, grass carp 草鱼, silver carp 鲢鱼 crucian/'krʊʃən/ carp 鲫鱼, bighead carp 大头鱼花鲢
• sunstroke/heatstroke 中暑
• dragon beard cake, very powdery, kind of candy cotton 棉花糖
• I am eating messily, I am making a mess while eating: not eating in a clean or tidy way, perhaps spilling food or getting it all over yourself or the table

World Cup China won a match

• world cup qualifier 世界杯预选赛
• streak/ri/ is commonly used in games to describe a continuous run of successes or achievements: winning streak, losing streak: lost multiple games in a row
• China national football team finally won a match
• ball control
• 0-0 draw, the word “tie” is not common here.
• goalkeeper
• China might be able to qualify for the finals for the second time.
• The fans created a very good atmosphere and gave us a lot of support. They are just like a 12th player on the pitch
• China’s Zhang Yuning scores his team’s second goal/point
• scored an “own goal” This means he kicked the ball into his own team’s net, giving the opposing team a point.

Fine Dining in China suzhou oldest restaurant

• everybody seems dressed up, we are underdressed here.
• this is a fancy place: high quality, expensive, impressive
• they keep topping you up: refill the drink to top
• signature dish 招牌菜
• be careful of the fish bone while eating
• no fish bones is the winning factor for me: key element, characteristic, or strategy that contributes significantly to success or victory in a particular situation, competition, or challenge.
• silk tofu 豆腐丝

First time in shanghai

• a place which is overrun by tourists
• the hotel/place is not shabby: in poor condition through long or hard use or lack of care
• we made it to the Yu Garden and bazaar /bəˈzɑːr/: market place
• I am really in deep in my thought so I did not pay attention
• many tips on the roof

Cuba blackout

• cuban /'kju:bən/
• million-strong, billing-strong: emphasize the size or number of people in a group
• bring heavy winds and surf(non-countable)
• aging power/energy grid
• Cuba’s first island-wide blackout/'blækaʊt/(large scale) happened on Friday
• The blackouts threaten to plunge the communist-run nation into a deeper crisis.
• people began flooding whatsapp chats…
• He skipped in line at the grocery store, and people were upset, or He cut in line at the movie theater.
• televised address: 电视讲话
• Cuban officials have blamed the energy crisis on a confluence/'kɑnfluəns/ of events, from increased US economic sanctions to disruptions caused by recent hurricanes and the impoverished/ɪm’pɑvərɪʃt/ state of the island’s infrastructure.

bubble milk tea origins

• beloved/e/ beverages
• bubble tea -> boba tea or black pearl tea: little balls made of anything from tapioca/ˌtæpɪ’okə/ to fruit jello.
• boba tea: champion of breasts
• sexy/enduring icon: a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol
• cultural appropriation/ə,proprɪ’eʃən/
• guest star 客串明星
• hold on / hang on: wait a moment.
• this isn’t the first time bubble tea has been at the center of controversy. /ˈkɑːntrəvɜːrsi/
• shou yao (hand-shaken) tea
• now operates about 80 branches across Taiwan and has franchises everywhere
• The hawker named the larger black tapioca balls “boba” to differentiate them from the smaller fenyuan normally found in tea shops.
• sponge cake, airy/'ɛri/ cake

E. coli outbreak from McDdonald

• E. coli/ke,lai/(bacteria) outbreak, E. coli infection
• caused 49 illnesses across 10 states, including one death
• led to at least 10 hospitalizations/ˌhɑspɪtlɪˈzeʃən/
• source of contamination/kənˌtæməˈneʃən/
• It can also spread from person to person through poor bathroom hygiene
• Symptoms/'sɪmptəm/: vomiting/'vɑmɪt/ ~ throw up
• Seniors, children younger than 5 and people with weakened immune systems are most at risk of infection
• diarrhea that has not improved in three days, vomiting that limits liquid intake or signs of dehydration/ˌdihaɪ’dreʃən/

Trump groped swimsuit model

• Sports Illustrated: 有插画的报章杂志
• swimsuit model
• grope/ɡroʊp/ the woman: fondle/ˈfɑːndl/ for sexual pleasure/le/, especially against their will

shanghai first time

• cereal/ˈsɪriəl/ tea
• it smells very fragrant/ˈfreɪɡrənt/
• fava /'fɑ:və/ bean
• dense, thick soup/broth/brɑθ/ vs thin/watery
• cough syrup/'sɪrəp/
• eel/il/
• we will have a city walk to burn a lot of calories/'kæləri/
• pedestrianized/pə’dɛstrɪənaɪz/ shopping area
• the sun is about to set/rise
• mouthwash, toothpick/'tuθpɪk/
• I am not a big city/big brand person
• coke vs sprite/spraɪt/ vs fanta/fang/

Shanghai women euthanasia

• lupus/'lupəs/, systemic/sɪ’stɛmɪk/ chronic disease: the immortal cancer
• euthanasia /ˌjuθə’neʒə/: assisted suicide
• claims to be suffering from kidney failure as a result of the disease. 肾衰竭
• she stated her intention to end her life
• emotional goodbye
• I will no longer trouble you.
• no need to endure such pointless suffering
• dialysis/daɪ’æləsɪs/ session 透析
• style my hair
• she is the caregiver for newborn
• Life’s Value and Illness Struggles
• Chinese netizens, critiqued it as a lack of respect for life.
• imitation/ˌɪmɪˈteɪʃn/ effect
• hospice/'hɑspɪs/ care 临终关怀
• living will 生前遗嘱

The day of dead

• Unlike Halloween, which historically was a day to ward/wɔːrd/ off evil spirits, Day of the Dead is more about paying respects to loved ones who have died.
• longstanding tradition to honor ancestors
• it is believed that the spirits of the dead return home to spend time with their families.
• indigenous/ɪnˈdɪdʒənəs/ people in the Americas
• Many people honor Day of the Dead by visiting the graves of dead relatives and loved ones. But they don’t necessarily go to mourn /mɔːrn/; instead, they clean the graves and headstones or decorate them with flowers. Some might pray, while others play music.
• helping keep their memory alive

China officials to stop no comment in emergency

• it is easy to get around law
• press conference 记者招待会
• said changes to the Emergency Response Law meant officials should not be evasive/ɪˈveɪsɪv/ in response to media queries: dodge/dɑːdʒ/
• The changes come into effect this month.
• we can only be cautiously optimistic

Cinderella Mini-drama

• daydream drama, feel-good drama
• the middle-aged/elderly become obsessed with Cinderella stories
• she found she had missed her stop three stations back.
• flash/snap marriage
• retired civil servant
• watching the story of a character just like me unfolding gives me a sense of satisfaction -> watching the story unfolding gives me xxx
• read the thread gave me a sense of relating.
• the mini-dramas have mushroomed on hundreds of mobile applications: increase, spread, or develop rapidly
• long-lost child
• cruel/ˈkruːəl/ daughter-in-law
• cowardly/ˈkaʊədli/ son lacking courage
• snobbish/ˈsnɑːbɪʃ/ relatives: a person with an exaggerated respect for high social position, dislike lower-class
• I can somehow relate to him
• Such drama is an escape from my real life
• parental control mode on smartphone
• addiction/əˈdɪkʃn/: smartphone, short videos, mini-drama, games, social networking services

Landed in Seoul

• side streets vs main streets
• the night market opens from 10PM onwards
• local people are very hospitable/ˈhɑːspɪtəbl/

Sex scandel about Chinese basketball star

• sexual scandal, leaked photos, nude/nuːd/ picture
• solicit/səˈlɪsɪt/ transgender prostitute/ˈprɑːstɪtuːt/
• escort/ˈeskɔːrt/ service: sexual activity in return/exchange for payment
• ignite controversy/ˈkɑːntrəvɜːrsi/ over social media
• fans were quick to react on social media, with some defendnig and calling the photos fake, while others were more inclined to believe the evidence presented.
• it is hard to determine the authenticity of the photo
• As the story develops, the once-celebrated athlete’s reputation is at risk
• This is the closest/se,sit/ I’ve ever gotten to such fresh gossip
• many brands have distanced themselves from Jianlian.
• what goes around, comes around
• the pot calling the kettle black 半斤八两，五十步笑百步，大哥不说二哥

For whom the bell tolls

Pick rubia as secretary of state?

• The sources say / said xxx
• China hawk to aggravate/ˈæɡrəveɪt/ China: make (a problem, injury, or offense) worse or more serious

hit and run crime

• hit and run 打了就跑，肇事逃逸, crash into
• he was apprehended while trying to flee the scene/siːn/
• more than 40 people injured and hospitalized/ˈhɑːspɪtəlaɪz/
• was unhappy with the outcome of a divorce settlement
• he is currently unconscious, still undergoing emergency treatment and unable to be interrogated/ɪnˈterəɡeɪt/
• leader urged all-out effort to treat the injured

The return of Ziqi Li

• vlogger, Internet celebrity/star 网红
• I’ve missed you all!
• portrayal/pɔr’treəl/ of rural chinese life
• China’s intangible cultural heritage
• meticulously crafted handwork, and breathtaking/e/ visuals
• it’s a double-edged sword
• her name branded snail noodles
• Western fans often liken/ˈlaɪkən/ her to a fairy in a pastoral /ˈpæstərəl/ paradise, mesmerized/'mɛzməraɪz/ by her meticulous craft and her harmonious relationship with nature and family. “It’s like watching a piece of art come to life”
• people get sick of city life
• uphold the original vision
• Guinness /'ɡinis/ World Record for “The most subscribers for a Chinese language channel on YouTube.”
• non-verbal content video
• well salt 井盐
• these that are often underrepresented in the mainstream media.

huawei involved car brand

• car spy shots
• joint luxury EV brands from huawei: atio, luxeed, stelato
• huawei will launch yet another brand, english name is yet unknown
• the zunjie will be positioned above stelato
• the front lights are positioned on the far side of the car bumper
• there is a lidar/ˈlaɪdɑr/ unit above the wind screen
• disclosed on a live broadcast
• the vehicle has entered the comprehensive testing phase and is scheduled for production by the end of this year, with marked launch expeceted in the first half of 2025

chongqing intangible cultural hertiage activity

• inheritor of intangible cultural heritage
• The activity was rich and diverse in content
• Sichuan Opera face-changing, bianlian
• clay/dough modeling
• sugar painting
• embroidery /ɪmˈbrɔɪdəri/
• shuttlecock -> badminton
• feathered shuttlecock 毽子
• fabric/ae/: prinunciation

Black friday deals

• early black Friday deals begings to go live
• have something particular in mind
• the thanksgiving week might still be a bit away
• we have curated the favorite 10 deals for you: select, organize, and present
• cordless vacuum 不用电线的

Flight soaring in thanksgiving

• did not say how many controllers it would net/demend/ after attrition and retirements: final number or quantity after accounting for losses or deductions. ; employees’ leaving and not being replaced.

Iraq tour rise

• Home to a wealth of attractions — including the ancient ruins of Babylon etc — Iraq is often dubbed the “cradle /ˈkreɪdl/ of civilization”
• A trip to Iraq had been long on his radar
• criminalized/'krɪmɪnəlaɪz/ same-sex relationships
• terrorism/ˈterərɪzəm/, civil unrest, kidnapping, armed conflicts
• spark my curiosity
• the time is ripe/ai/
• linked with negative image.

Life in Hongkong 2024

• you are good to go: you are ready to proceed with something
• everyone seems to express themselves less, less connected
• riot/ˈraɪət/, rioter: a violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd
• it has slowly lost its unique character
• what concerns you most? -> sth concerns sb, sb be concerned that…
• people boo/buː/ during the national anthem/ˈan θəm/: show disapproval or contempt
• Hongkong’s handover to China
• every media outlet(a channel or means which info is disseminated to the public) has its own agenda: the underlying intentions
• ended up staying overseas
• Hongkong remins a financial hub, its importance is fading.
• cage home, barely big enough for dogs
• food paradise

post-layoff reflection

• it sucks/ you suck 真糟糕 你弱爆了
• don’t get me wrong 不要误解我的意思
• I feel you 我懂你
• hear me out: Before you say no, hear me out. I think I have a great idea.
• I am in the mid-carrer and was plateaued (vs stagnant - negative)
• the work is getting repetitive and less fulfilling
• the limbo/lin bo/ state was not helping my career and certainly wasn’t growing my skillsets: It’s a state of being stuck, neither moving forward nor backward 悬而未决, 进退两难
• in-house technologies, they are non-existent elsewhere.

Indian student outnumber Chinese for the first time

• Education consultancy /kənˈsʌltənsi/ (better than agency)
• drawn by the prestige of an overseas education
• Donald Trump’s first presidency/run
• opening up initiative/policy in the late 1970
• Biden took office
• Beijing’s strict zero-Covid policy and the chaotic end of its lockdown years
• partly(part of sth) vs partially (degree or extent), used interchangeably
• with more Chinese students eyeing the stability and benefits of government jobs, some even wonder if an overseas education might damage their chances of such a career.

China with trade war 2.0

• appearances can be deceiving.
• trade diversification, targeted retaliation(retaliate) /rɪˌtæliˈeɪʃn/ against US companies and support for domestic consumption,
• Don’t expect a simple tit-for-tat on tariffs 以牙还牙, Beijing’s response will probably be more targeted and asymmetric/ˌeɪsɪˈmetrɪk/
• housing policy 住房政策
• The history suggests that Beijing tends to react to the actual situation, not preemptively 先发制人的

[Good English idiom or proverb]

• all we have is now 只争朝夕
• go big or go home 全力以赴
• live/li/ and learn 吃一堑长一智
• have nothing to lose 无所畏惧
• conquer from within 战胜自我
• easier said than done 知易行难
• years bring widsom 年长智增
• be realistic/pragmatic 实事求是
• more haste less speed 欲速则不达
• be a voice not an echo 不要人云亦云
• no pain no gain
• the best is yet to come 未来可期
• look before you leap 三思而后行
• save for the rainy day 未雨绸缪
• work hard play hard
• fortune favors the bold 不入虎穴焉得虎子
• rise from ashes 浴火重生
• seeing is believing 眼见为实
• good medicine tastes bitter 忠言逆耳
• bad news travels fast 坏事传千里
• rumors stop with the wise 谣言止于智者
• The good is to be taken, the bad is to be rejected
• A happy accident 无心插柳柳成荫
• judge a book by its cover 以偏概全
• unprofessional/amateurish trying to tell experts what to do 外行指导内行

tariffs on day 1

• president-elect Trump: 已当选而尚未就职的总统
• This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl/'fɛn tə nɪl/, and all Illegal Aliens(negative foreigner) stop this Invasion of our Country!
• longstanding vs simmering/ˈsɪmər/ problem: Conveys a sense of potential escalation 酝酿
• I tried, but to no avail: 无济于事
• this accusation runs completely counter to facts and reality 违背
• China-Us economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial in nature
• The measures proposed xxx 措施
• sth passed onto sth: direct transfer, not into (transition)!
• The problem with tariffs is that they often result in retaliatory actions by targeted countries, kicking off a trade war

man dodge military draft by over binge

• He had a drunken binge/bɪndʒ/ last night
• Military Service Act 兵役
• draft-dodging 逃避兵役, draft: 征募, 征兵
• contentious(argumentative nature) vs controversial(public opinion) topic: a controversial issue may lead to a contentious debate, a contentious issue doesn’t necessarily have to be widely known or publicly debated.
• eat to the level of obesity/oʊˈbiːsəti/

heated gender war in S-Korea

• feminism, feminist/ˈfae mənɪst/ protesters at a demonstration 游行示威
• heated gender war, close the gender wage gap
• political novice/ˈnɑːvɪs/: noob
• paternity/pə’tɝnəti/ leave 陪产假
• divisions between genders could widen even further: disagreement, tension
• demographic/ˌdeməˈɡræfɪk/ crisis
• social polarization and a lack of employment opportunities for young people has led to men in their 20s and 30s becoming more conservative.
• Digital sex crimes are so pervasive/pərˈveɪsɪv/
• tangible action 切实行动

sanitary pad scandal

• disposable/dɪˈspoʊzəbl/ sanitary pad -> informal pad; hand sanitizer/'sænə,taɪzɚ/
• the product deviated by 10mm from their labeled length
• the tweet prompted a backlash(strong negative reaction) and accusations of homophobia/'homə’fobɪə/
• that failed to restore users’s trust
• size discrepancies, mold, allergic /əˈlɜr dʒɪk/ reaction, insect egg insdie
• excessive amounts of fluorescent agents/ˌflɔːˈresnt/
• outdated regulatory framework
• New standards on the horizon/ai/
• impose/ou/ stricter hygiene requirements
• more rigorous/ˈrɪɡərəs/ testing

writer passes away

• Authorities have ruled out foul/faʊl/ play谋杀
• it is fated / it was meant to be 命中注定
• he doomed/duːm/ to fail, the plan doomed from the start (negative fate, failure)
• My Fair Princess还珠格格 romance in the rain

The kill of healthcare CEO

• fatal/ei/ shooting, shooting suspect
• piece together the clues
• uncovered a backpack upon a second sweep of central park
• the manhunt has expanded beyond New York cITY
• Police appear to be homing in on suspect’s identity: focus on a specific target or goal, moving closer and closer to it.
• I’m homing in on a solution to this problem.
• suspect’s potential whereabouts: 下落,行踪,所在之处
• the backpack is believed tied to shooting

TikTok is one step closer to being banned in the US

• one step closer to facing a US ban
• lost its bid(attempt/effort) to strike down(kill) a law that could result in it being banned.
• Tiktok indicates it would appeal上诉 the decision
• miss the forest for the trees: means that someone is so focused on the details or small parts of a situation that they fail to see the bigger picture or the overall goal.
• Let’s not quibble/ˈkwɪbl/ over small details: argue or complain about petty or unimportant details, Focuses on argument vs “picky” focus on personal preference
• **this is nuts!**太扯了!

coded negative reviews

• E-commerce live streamer, game streamer, eating streamer
• it has recently caught wider attention
• The literal translation sounds like a compliment, but a satire/ˈsætaɪər/
• the richness of homophones/'hɑməfon/ in Mandrain allows reviewer to create phrases that skip detection by transloation tools.
• martian/'mɑ:ʃən/ language: a distorted/dis’tɔ:tid/ form of written Chinese
• reviewers often leave 5-star ratings
• who claimed to be a cooking expert, served undercooked green beans on a reality show, causing a wave of mockery/'mɑkəri/ 取笑, 戏弄
• AI systems can often discern /dɪˈsɜːrn/ negative sentiments despite linguistic complexities

cross the line dancing

• former gymnast, Chinese women’s gymnastics team
• the ban is lifted: formally remove or end
• provocative dancing 挑逗性舞蹈
• I didn’t reach the pinnacle/'pɪnəkl/ which is becoming an Olympic champion
• balance beam, floor exercise 自由体操

Health CEO killer retains high-powered attorney

• faces a second-degree murder charge 控告
• private practice: a professional business, such as a doctor’s or lawyer’s office, that is independently owned and operated. It’s not controlled or funded by a larger organization like a hospital or government agency.
• he may waive his extradition next week: hand over to foreign state
• detention center/house 拘留所

Li Tie fell due to corruption

• is the biggest name to fall foul of(get into trouble with) a sweeping彻底的 crackdown on rampant(bad things speading unchecked) graft(corruption) in China’s professional soccer league.
• deep-rooted corruption
• country’s anti-graft agency launched a far-reaching investigation into bribery/ˈbraɪbəri/ and match-fixing操纵比赛 in Chinese professional soccer league/liːɡ/.
• Li said he deeply regretted taking the wrong path
• increasingly shortsighted and eager for quick results
• When I was a player, I despised/dɪˈspaɪz/(look down on) people who played
  fixed matches the most

school shooting crime

• handgun
• motive(动机): ~ motivation
• bureau/ˈbjʊroʊ/ of alcohol, tobacco /təˈbækoʊ/
• shooting range 射击场
• allow a minor to possess a firearm for target practice under adult supervision

Honda and Nissan merger talks

• no details or certain timeframe大体时间 for when a deal may be complete
• Chinese consumers had flocked to foreign brands but have largely shifted to domestic brands
• good value for money/price, cost-effective
• electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids

Misbehavior in body touching practices

• trustworthy and ethical/'ɛθɪkl/: morally good or correct
• sexual abuse (abusers vs victims); sexual/financial misconduct
• sexual assault /əˈsɔːlt/ 性侵犯
• recent heated discussion
• cult/kʌlt/ group 狂热；邪教, you are cult
• pls remain vigilant/ˈvɪdʒɪlənt/ and resolutely/z/ reject any inappropriate behavior
• Relying solely on a victim’s testimony makes it difficult to form a complete chain of evidence.
• learning from practices in similar industries abroad
• Go with your intuition and be aware of your surroundings

Boom of tourism thanks to visa-free policy

• provisional(to be replaced vs temporary, not meant to replace) government
• encounter someone: 偶然碰到, 邂逅
• many have noticed an influx/a/ of foreigners in streets and alleys/li/ of shanghai
• inbound/outbound traffic
• the orders has increased by more than 130% year-on-year与上年同期数字相比的
• neighboring countries
• it sounds like sth flying in the air: unrealistic
• the cost of visa-processing is waived
• an impromptu/ɪmˈprɑːmptuː/ trip: done without being planned
• synonym vs antonym /ˈæntənɪm/ vs acronym/'ækrənɪm/
• With the continuous relaxation of China’s entry and exit policies, “checking in” China has become more convenient
• French concession
• these are the main drivers for inbound tourism
• known as workaholic /ˌwɝkə’hɔlɪk/ 工作狂

Xpeng airborne vehicle maiden flight

• terrible, awful, dark event
• Have you ever + past participle: have you every been to xx/read/visited/stuck
• passerby vs onlooker(watching an event)
• that isn’t deterring(discourage) enthusiast who are alreay submitted pre-order
• the cost drop as mass production ramps up
• analysts believe China has an edge, given the strong government backing
• Investors likewise(also) seem convinced that flying cars aren’t just idle fancy: daydream

Attack on Christmas market in Germany

• footage from social media shows xxx:a length of film, video footage
• car plowed/ao/ into a crowd
• bodies and debris are scattered across the narrow lanes/ei/
• the polices swarm the scene
• the video is captured across the street

H1B visa feud

• anti-immigrant: pronounce /ˈɪmɪɡrənt/ vs immigration
• the boiling holiday feud/fjʊd/ over H1B visa exposed new fissures/ˈfɪʃər/ across Trump’s broadened support base: 分歧；分裂
• they have self-interests
• Tesla chief’s advocacy/ˈædvəkəsi/ for the lucrative high-tech industry
• And the lesson of Trump’s first term is that those who overshadow him soon find themselves exiting his orbit or becoming a scapegoat/'skepɡot/替罪羊 when things go wrong.
• someone as social media savvy/ˈsævi/ 悟性；理解能力 as Trump

CR450 train unveiled

• the latest CR450 prototype has been hailed by its developers: acclaim
• commercial operation
• test speed vs operational speed
• the rail network spans over 160000 Kms

New year eve truck attack

• New Orleans/ɔ:'liənz/
• ram into crowd: crash violently against something
• improvised explosive devices(IED): 临时制作, 临时凑成

terrible box office in 2024 China

• box office 票房, box office receipt 票房收入
• An economic downturn is supposed to drive spending on small luxuries like going out to the movies.
• challenge the long-held theory
• the takings were 24% lower than in 2019: revenue
• the overall box office was soft
• citing data from xxx
• while economic sentiment has improved in the months since leader Xi Jinping decided to go ahead with a much-needed stimulus package in September
• boost the number of moviegoers 常看电影的人

transgender crackdown in China

• famed transgender, live openly
• She has been a transgender icon for years
• they often face social stigma/ˈstɪɡmə/ and institutional discrimination/dɪˌskrɪmɪˈneɪʃn/
• walking down the street without being stared at
• I find her very admirable/ˈædmərəbl/: pronounce
• Chinese authorities have ramped up ideological control over what they consider the undue influence of Western values, including a crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community.
• homosexuality/ˌhoməˌsɛkʃuˈælɪti/ was removed from mental disorder list.
• pride parade/pəˈreɪd/
• support groups have been forced to disband/dɪs’bænd/
• Jin may have crossed a red line by holding a rainbow flag
• Chinese view the rainbow flag with suspicion/səˈspɪʃn/: cautious distrust
• More nationalist rhetoric describing LGBTQ+ issues as some sort of foreign conspiracy
• it’s a far cry from many people’s lived experience: distance too far/contrast
• For many, it is already a non-starter given their parents will never approve.

Trudeau announces resignation soon

• resign/rɪˈzaɪn/, resignation/ˌrezɪɡˈneɪʃn/
• he intends to step down: withdraw or resgin from important position
• calls to resgin grow; call on sth: bring up
• the everyday realities of governing gradually wore him down

Flag half-staff in Trump’s inauguration

• half-staff flag in honor of president Carter, as the custom when U.S president dies.
• being at half mast

Tackle high bride price effort

• tackle(deal with) high bride price in rural China
• in-laws 亲家
• pushing for a “zero bride price” movement, change appears to be on the horizon.
• Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region
• thanks to local officials’ tireless mediation/midɪ’eʃən/ efforts between the groom’s and bride’s families. not meditation!!
• face-saving comparisons
• banquet venue /ˈvenjuː/聚集地点

Tibet earthquake

• 7.1 magnitude earthquake
• Tibet/e/, Nepal/na’pɔ:l/
• Its epicenter, located in Tingri county high on the Tibetan plateau vs plain 平原
• Chinese leader Xi Jinping called on officials to make all-out efforts to search for and rescue survivors
• Everest 珠穆朗玛峰
• everyone panicked(past tense of panic) / was panic
• Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. an act of resistance or rebellion

LA wildfire

• LA county 郡, 县 -> town -> village
• life-threatening fires, top five most destructive fires in history
• fire perimeter/pə’rɪmɪtɚ/: 警戒线, 周边
• Exceptional rain followed by drought gave way to more vegetation, setting the scene for LA wildfires
• looters and scammers, looting will not be tolerated: looting is often associated with a specific crisis event.
• they are grappling with/ˈɡræpəl/ the magnitude of their loss: struggle with or work hard to deal with or overcome (a difficulty or challenge)
• I don’t know how we’re going to get through it

TikTok ban

• the high court has tended to gingerly(in a careful or cautious manner) side with(support or favor) the social media
• Supreme court signals it will uphold ban on tiktok over national securty concerns
• Tiktok backers 支持者, 赞助者
• looming ban

Protests turn violent due to student falls to death

• student falls to death
• but allegations have swirled on social media that there has been a cover-up掩饰
• Chinese authorities have been particularly wary/ˈweri/ of public protests in the country following the widespread “White Paper” demonstrations in late 2022 against Beijing’s hardline policies during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Biden last round of AI ban on China

• They’ve also triggered intense(adj) criticism from US tech giants like Nvidia and Oracle.
• they blasted the newest restrictions: criticize fiercely
• That global progress is now in jeopardy /ˈdʒepərdi/: danger of loss, harm, or failure
• He deceived them under the cloak /kloʊk/ of religion: 托词，幌子.

Korean presient arrested

• first sitting president to be arrested: 在任期中的
• there were no individuals or security staff obstructing/əbˈstrʌkt/ the execution 阻碍，阻止，妨碍, obstruction
• the charge will not subject to presidential immunity: /ɪˈmjuːnəti/
• Lawmakers then managed to get past police barricades/'bærɪ’ked/ 路障，障碍物

Fraud issue

• His head had been shaved/ʃeɪv/ -> bald/o/
• movie casting call
• Bangkok/ˈbæŋˌkɑk/曼谷（泰国首都）
• Myawaddy/my a wa di/: town in in Myanmar, close to the border with Thailand
• scam center, notorious cyber-fraud hub across the border from thailand
• forced labor, unwanted role
• people have been trafficked贩卖 into scam compounds, many run by chinese crime groups in war-torn Myanmar
• people are lured by promise of well pay or other /ai/ opportunities
• victims are held against their will and forced to carry out online fraud schemes in heavily guarded compounds
• a joint petition, pleading the govt, draw the government’s attention and accelerate efforts to intensify and expedite/dai/ crackdowns
• his girlfriend shared a desperate plea for help online.
• no more bets/e/ 赌注

crackdown on scam warlord

• scam warlord/'wɔrlɔrd/ 军阀, scam industry
• For decades Beijing’s leaders have played a careful game of backing Myanmar’s military regimes/e/
• deeply unpopular regime 不得人心的,
• The country’s mountainous/ˈmaʊntənəs/ borderlands have long been a haven for gambling, drugs and the trafficking of both humans and wildlife. 人口贩卖
• scam centers have proliferated/prəˈlɪfəreɪt/ along the border
• Chinese have been trapped and forced by criminal gangs to defraud strangers with sophisticated schemes over the internet.
• ethnic rebel groups
• The alliance pledged/pledʒ/ to not only overthrow the military dictatorship, but also eradicate telecom fraud
• For that to fall on deaf/ae/ ears for several months 置若罔闻
• One key hub for the scam syndicates was Kokang
• last straw 最后一根稻草
• Beijing had taken a largely hands-off approach until earlier this month. 不插手的,不干涉的
• Meanwhile the ceasefire already looks shaky. 摇晃的；不可靠的

Green-painted train China

• old-fashioned green-painted trains
• rural vendor, wooden pole, wicker basket
• sell the fresh produce
• a more affordable and budget-friendly travel option
• China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
• agricultural/ˌæɡrɪˈkʌltʃərəl/ product, aquatic /əˈkwɑːtɪk/ product
• nearby counties

pet cremation

• pet cremation/krəˈmeɪʃn/ 火葬
• pet funeral/ˈfjuːnərəl/ parlor/'pɑrlɚ/ 殡仪馆
• rabies /'rei biz/ 狂犬病

Trump crypto coin

• meme coin 梗币
• launch crypto coin/currency
• opens up a Pandora’s box of ethical and regulatory questions
• speculative /ˈspekjələtɪv/ markets

Winter blossoms bloom

• blossom /ˈblɑːsəm/ in full bloom/bluːm/
• bathed in sunlight
• the air is filled with rich, fragrant/ei/ scent/sent/, drawing attention of passersby

Plateau plane for travel rush

• on the internation front

Musk bashes AI project

• egomaniac /ˌɛɡo’menjæk/ 自大狂
• softbank has well under $10B secured

Chinese zodiac signs

• chinese zodiac/ou/: 12 different animals in calendar cycle: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster/ru/ (vs roster/a/), dog, pig.
• mythical/mi/
• what lies in store for months to come: prepared and destined to happen
• feng shui consultant, geomancy/'dʒiə,mænsi/ expert 风水 is looking at the birth chart生辰八字
• if your zodiax sign生肖 is out of favor(lost approval) this year, facing more disruptions and clashes, changes.
• go to chinese temples and make offerings
• ben ming nian: the same zodiac year as their birth sign

Birth tourism organizer jailed

• travel U.S to give birth/deliver babies
• birthright citizenship
• blatantly/ˈbletntlɪ/ unconstitutional 公然违宪
• coach women on how to trick custom officials

China’s bet on EVs

• the bet赌注(vs gambling赌博) is paying off big
• irreversible transformation: not word trending: more temporary
• what happens here has ripple/ri/ effects across/on the global oil market.
• implications are staggering: deeply shocking
• the bet/effort paid off ultimately
• reshaping global market
• The picture is slightly complicated by the fact that xxx
• China has found itself in a situation where its economic, geopolitical and climate interests align

BYD cuts entry price for smart EV to below 10k$

• advanced autonomous driving
• God’s Eye advanced driver-assistance system
• they want to equalize the right to technology. Technology does not need to be high-end and they can fight a price war
• smart driving is set to bring its sales to a new level: adds a sense of confidence and anticipation to the statement, suggesting that the expected outcome is highly probable

CTAL hongkong listing

• This would be CATL’s second listing after it raised $6.7 billion in an IPO on China’s Shenzhen stock exchange in 2022: shares being available for trading.
• to grow its global presence 全球影响力
• offshore listing 境外上市

NE ZHA 2

• box office
• special-effects shots 特效
• directed by xxx
• animation, animated film/movie, mythology/folklore behind the film
• making waves beyond its home market
• nezha2 will open in Australia, xxx
• The sequel’s (pronounce SQL) impressive performance is the result of a mix of cutting-edge animation, strong storytelling and strategic timing
• Ne Zha, a rebellious god-child, battles sea monsters to protect his world in a plot/a/ that resonates with共鸣 young audiences with its exploration of self-identity and fighting societal labels.
• The film offers a modern take on traditional Chinese themes. 现代诠释
• Investiture/ɪn’vɛstətʃɚ/ of the Gods 封神演义, Creation of the Gods
• Detective Chinatown
• face the challenge of cultural differences and audience preferences
• how to effectively tell/sell Chinese stories to a global audience
• moviegoer surveys movie posters

Repatriation fraud suspects

• Chinese nationals put on chartered flight to China, accompanied by police
• false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes
• Thai officials said recently that as many as 10,000 people may be repatriated/ˌri’petrɪet/ from Myanmar from the online scam centers.

BYD supercharge technology unveiled

• launch event, unveil/ei/(uncover) a new charging system (not reveal!)
• 5 min charge allows a car to go 250 miles
• if popularized普及, it can help transform the EV market
• as fast as refueling a gasoline/lin/ car
• BYD’s Hong Kong-listed shares
• BYD’s new charging technology is the latest indication that the Chinese EV giant is outpacing Tesla in both innovation and price.
• free upgrade of the proprietary “God’s Eye” system increased pressure on Tesla and other Chinese EV makers.
• that Chinese officials were considering withholding Tesla’s FSD license approval as leverage in trade negotiations with Trump.

pop mart

• toy brand, toymaker, original design, blind box, unboxing
• toys/i/, character, doll /dɑːl/
• Labubu theme store opened and sales on the first day hit 10 million yuan

Google Android transparency shift

• That would mark a deviation from the approach it has taken thus far, in which Android is developed in the open with updates frequently made to the AOSP code repository.
• The move has unsettled the developer community in China, where Android powers nearly all major smartphones that do not come from Huaweo and Apple.
• the shift could increase costs and jeopardise/ˈdʒɛpɚˌdaɪz/ app development
• Google’s latest decision may boost the popularity of Huawei’s OS.
• Android’s success has come partly from its open-source approach to development

Apple production chain move?

• The iPhone range has always stood out as Apple’s cash cow/kaʊ/
• leverage the low labor costs in these regions to help maximize its margins
• pull out of the thin air 无中生有
• Americans might not handle a monotonous/məˈnɑːtənəs/ workload that lasts for hours on a single session

Human serium albumin production

• A Wuhan-based biopharmaceutical company developed technology to synthesize/ˈsɪnθəsaɪz/ human serum/'sɪrəm/ albumin/æl’bjʊmen/ (HSA) from rice.
• blood plasma /'plæzmə/ [物]等离子体；[医]血浆
• The rice-derived HSA product has completed Phase III clinical trials and entered the new drug approval process

Rebirth of extincted dire wolf

• A species/xi/ of wolf that died out some 12,500 years ago: extincted
• Biotech company resurrects/ˌrezəˈrekt/ the wolf: return from actual death. (not revive: return from a state of weakness or unconsciousness), or use word: rebirth, bring back xxx
• cloning and gene-editing technology, Gene editing for de-extinction
• Game of Thrones/θroʊn/ 权利的游戏
• ancient DNA extracted from two dire wolf fossils
• it is important to ask what role the new animals will serve.

Exemption of tariffs

• reciprocal/rɪˈsɪprəkl/ tariffs: 相互对应, does not always mean benefit both side.
• a major sign of relief for market, creating a massive relief.
• product exemption list
• The new guidance might just sort out(resolve) all the fear and uncertainty in the supply chain, allowing companies like Apple, Dell, HP, and many others to resume business operations as expected.
• However, given how quickly Trump’s policies are evolving, we cannot be sure that the exemption status will remain the same in the longer run
• Trump administration has realized the cost of imposing large-scale tariffs on nations that play a vital role in the global supply chain

China’s new semiconductor policy

• America’s buying power
• China has made a bold move here to strengthen/ˈstreŋθn/ its domestic supply chain
• The new policy will significantly downplay the importance of US chip companies in global trade

Extreme gale in Beijing

• Extreme gale/ɡel/ alerts
• safety measures, including temporary suspension of classes, closure of some parks and scenic spots, and suspension of certain train services as precautionary steps.

JD vs Meituan

• clash of titan /'taitən/
• hyper-competitive marketplace, where profit margins/a/ have been steadily pushed down
• on-demand services industry, fast delivery workers
• offering 30-minute delivery and round-the-clock service 全天候的
• launched initiatives recently to help the country’s export businesses pivot to the domestic market amid escalating tariffs.

PLA Warship open-house event

• open-house event
• PLA navy’s founding anniversary
• amphibious assault/əˈsɔːlt/ ship
• they are active-duty warships: commissioning
• Taizhou, the birthplace of the PLA navy
• spark patriotism/ˈpeɪtriətɪzəm/

humanoid half-marathon

• half-marathon/ˈmærə θɑng/
• Videos of China’s humanoid robots performing bike rides, roundhouse kicks and side/backward flips have blown up the internet
• Companies were also allowed to swap their androids(humanoid robot) with substitutes when they could no longer compete

Pope passed away

• Pope/ou/ Francis simplified the papal/pei/ funeral rites /raɪt/ in a move of typical modesty/'mɑdəsti/
• Holy see 教廷
• cardinals in the Vatican/'vætikən/ ready themselves for picking a new pontiff/'pɑntɪf/
• mourner /'mɔrnɚ/
• In his will, Francis gave simple instructions for his burial/ˈberiəl/
• the response has been comparatively muted in China – an officially atheist/ˈeɪθiɪst/ state with millions of Catholics whose government has had a difficult and complex relationship with the Vatican
• The Chinese government extended its condolences /kənˈdoʊləns/ 同情;吊唁
• aimed to help the Vatican gain access to potentially millions of converts across China 皈依
• Catholicism is one of five state-recognized faiths in China, where religious practice is strictly controlled, other 4: Protestantism, Islam/'ɪz’lɑm/, Taoism, Buddhism.
• all Catholics are Christians/ˈkrɪstʃən/

Google’s ultimatum RTO

• Gives an ultimatum /ˌʌltɪˈmeɪtəm/ to its remote staff 最后通牒
• return to office 3 days a week or risk losing(doing) their jobs
• trying to stay head of the game/race
• it has been 5 years since the life-changing situation
• it still highlights the harsh consequences the staff could face for resistance, which can range from bad performance reviews to even potentially being laid off.

Google buyback

• beating on the top(revenue/gross sales) and bottom lines(net income/net profit). common phrase in the business and financial world
• authorized another 70 billion in stock buyback

Display cost from tariffs next to the product listed price

• Amazon does not want to shoulder/'show der/ the blame of the cost of trade war
• Jeff Bezos was very nice, he was terrific (has meaning both great & terrible)
• Trump has slapped 145% tariffs on imports from China: put/appluy forcely
• Trump called/phoned Bezos
• He echoed the comment from xxxx

restaurant fire

• Restaurant fire, breaking out at 12:00 PM
• No word was given on the cause of the fire, which broke out shortly after noon

Fairness in medicial program

• calls for transparency and accountability grow
• clouds of suspicion surrond him
• raised concerns about the fairness and integrity of the program.
• The surgeon/'sɝdʒən/, Xiao, was exposed for having multiple extramarital/ˌɛkstrə’mærɪtl/ affairs
• a noticeable silence from the authorities directly involved with Dong Xiyin’s case
• The public’s reaction has been mixed, with some calling for patience and understanding, while others demand immediate action and clear explanations from the authorities.
• The controversy has sparked a heated debate about the integrity of China’s medical education system and the potential for abuse of power and privilege
• she has benefited from her family’s influence and connections

Student drowned

• The student drowns(drowned/drowned) in septic/ˈseptɪk/ tank while retrieving phone
• The phone had fallen/dropped into a dry toilet at a temple fair.庙会
• The deep well is covered with a rotten/a/ wooden board
• The location of the incident, in a somewhat remote area, exacerbated the tragedy
• The combination of drowning and asphyxiation /æsˌfɪksɪˈeʃən/ from the noxious/ˈnɑːkʃəs/ gases present in the tank proved too much, leading to respiratory/ˈrespərətɔːri/ and cardiac/ˈkɑːrdiæk/ arrest(stop)
• issue of negligence /ˈneɡlɪdʒəns/ and lack of safety measures

Unclear Apple’s future revenue due to tariffs

• Morgan Stanley Left Unimpressed(disappointment) by Apple’s latest earnings results
• The performance beats analysts’ revenue
• the stock fell by 4% in aftermarket trading
• The firm attributed the drop to currency headwinds 把…归因于

Huawei desktop OS released

• delivers connectivity across the ecosystem
• the company showed off a yet-to-be-named laptop running HarmonyOS
• homegrown OS
• the OS won’t support sideloading applications: install from third-party source which could be a major deal-breaker

Meet Chongqing again

• Chongqing is a metropolis /mə’trɑpəlɪs/ 一国的主要城市(不一定是首都)
• standing shoulder to shoulder, too crowded
• the city never sleeps
• Chingqing was the wartime captical of China during world war II after NanJin fell, bombed by Japanese invader/ei/ for many years, the heroic /həˈroʊɪk/ city never succumbed to/səˈkʌm/ bombing
• American missionary /ˈmɪʃəneri/ 传教士
• I did not expect this whatsoever I have to say 我必须说，我根本没想到这一点
• the skin of the pork belly is caramelized/'kærəməlaiz/ by sugar and soy sauce
• the spicy starts slowly to hit me

Weibo Trend: From wealth to Debt

• This drastic turn of events serves as a stark warning to individuals who may be tempted to overspend or make ill-advised investment decisions.
• a lack of prudent financial planning, can lead to a downward spiral/ai/ of debt.
• The desire to keep up with the latest trends or to speculated investments can be alluring/əˈlʊrɪŋ/, but it is essential to prioritize saving and responsible spending.
• having money in hand brings peace of mind
• a lack of diversification in investments, coupled with an increasingly lavish/ˈlævɪʃ/ lifestyle, began to erode/ɪˈroʊd/ the savings.
• providing financial assistance to families who are struggling to make ends meet 量入为出(no debt)

Indonesias bet on Rafale

• Jakarta /dʒə’kɑ:tə/ 雅加达(印度尼西亚首都)
• some Indonesian social media users questioned the wisdom of acquiring the Rafales following Pakistan’s claim.
• I feel regretful that we’re buying Rafale fighter jets after knowing it could be countered(neutralized!!!(offset)/challenged) by J-10 that are much cheaper
• unverified claims in conflict zones cannot be used as the sole basis for assessing
• offer interoperability with other combat systems
• air defence systems

Trip to Lhasa

• Himalayas/hɪ’mɑ lei jəz/ 喜马拉雅山脉
• Potala palace 布达拉宫, the red color stands for energy and power, repainted once a year.
• crowds, crowds and crowds
• you have a blend of Indian, Chinese and Nepalese/ˌnɛpəˈliz/ architecture
• The air is thin here
• stupas/'stju:pə/ 舍利塔
• yak/jæk/ 牦牛 wool, nomadic/noʊˈmædɪk/ herders 游牧牧民
• it is so intricate/ˈɪntrɪkət/: very complicated or detailed 令人迷惑无法理解
• a lot of emotions are going on in my heart 百感交集
• the beads for meditation and chanting/tʃæntiŋ/ 念经
• jade/dʒed/ bangle/'bæŋɡl/ 玉镯 (~ bracelet)

Shigatse visit

• Shigatse 日喀则 monastery /'mɑnəstri/, monk/ang/
• holy/ˈhoʊli/ things will take the pains from you
• you need to immerse yourself into these situations: involve oneself deeply
• you really get the vibe of it

Actress suffers mishaps

• actress /ak tres/
• fans expressing concern and admiration/ˌædməˈreɪʃn/ for her professionalism /prə’fɛʃənə’ lɪzəm/
• The netizens reacted positively to the incident
• it remains to be seen how this incident will affect Zhang Jingyi’s public image and her future projects. 公众形象
• dental check-ups 体检
• Celebrities are not immune to everyday accidents and mishaps (screw-ups) 不幸事故
• In the world of entertainment, where image and appearance play a crucial role
• dental implant 种植牙

Weight loss

• A mysterious and debilitating(debility) case of abdominal pain and diarrhea has left(caused) a 28-year-old man from Hubei Province weighing a mere 67 kilograms
• unexplained weight loss
• Despite seeking medical attention医疗护理 at multiple hospitals, the cause of his symptoms remained elusive/iˈluːsɪv/
• intestinal /ɪn’tɛstɪnl/ inflammation /ˌɪnf lə ˈmeɪʃn/
• a chronic inflammatory bowel/ˈbaʊəl/ disease
• persistent symptoms

Child rapist to death sentence

• death sentence for child rapists/ei/ upheld(maintained) in china
• underage(below a legal threshold for a specific activity) girls/boys vs minors (<18)
• birth control pills 避孕药
• explicit photos and videos 露骨, used these materials to blackmail them for future abuse: 敲诈, 勒索
• intellectual disabilities 智力缺陷
• The case involves three separate incidents where the perpetrators /ˌpə…pəˈtretɚ/ used various tactics to deceive and coerce/koʊˈɜːrs/ their young victims.
• The Supreme People’s Court

Food safety concerns

• maggot/'mægət/ infestation 横行 sparks food safety concerns
• roast chicken, grilled chicken, chicken curry and chicken chops/tʃɑːp/ 鸡排
• a former employee exposed the company’s poor hygiene practices, including fly infestations and the use of cooking oil食油 for over 20 days without changing it.
• local market supervision bureau/ˈbjʊroʊ/ is currently investigating the matter.
• conduct thorough/ˈθɜːroʊ/ investigations

AC in Kitchens

• sweltering summer /ˈsweltərɪŋ/: humid and hot
• suffer from the intrusion/ɪnˈtruːʒn/ of oil fumes /fjumz/, oil pollution 油污
• anti-oil fume, anti-oil pollution
• families with multiple mouths to feed
• the kitchen space is small and the layout is complex
• range hood 抽油烟机; cooking range 炉灶
• people need to weigh the pros and cons
• odors/ˈodɚ/ (unpleasant) vs smell (neutral)
• kitchens are designed to be compact and functional, leaving little to no room for the external units
• heavy-duty air conditioners: withstand the stresses of demanding use

Robot boxing match

• Robot boxing match, World Robot Competition
• robot fighting tournament /ˈter nəmənt/
• fighting in the arena/əˈriːnə/ 竞技场
• the robots demonstrated straight punches, hook punches, sidekicks and aerial spin kick
• battery endurance and material durability/ˌdʊrəˈbɪləti/

Nvidia’s fears of losing China AI market

• the company is forced to sell its stripped-down solutions to the Chinese markets

resonate from cat’s anecdote

• latest viral sensation走红
• While the specifics of the encounter(used as a noun) remain sketchy/ˈskɛtʃi/
• dealing with demanding clients
• social media platforms like Weibo serve as outlets for people to share their daily experiences
• to cope/ou/ with the stresses of modern life

Exotic Pet Problem

• exotic/ɪɡˈzɑːtɪk/ pets: foreign species: non-native species
• breeding of exotic pets: mating
• non-native species can disrupt the delicate/ae/ balance of the ecosystem
• vampire/ˈvæmˌpaɪr/
• endangered chameleons /kəˈmiː li en/(reptile) strapped to their waist
• fruit fly
• mildew/'mɪldu/霉: mold
• invasive species outcompete native species for resources and habitat, ultimately threatening the biodiversity of the region
• threat human life due to their venom/ˈvenəm/ or ability to transmit diseases
• hedgehog/'hɛdʒhɔɡ/刺猬
• The rise of exotic pet-keeping can be attributed to several factors, including the growing desire for unique and exotic experiences, increasing disposable income, and the influence of social media.
• The situation is alarming/la/ 情况令人担忧

Anti-trump protest

• Army/military parade 阅兵式
• his administration is obligated/ˈɑblɪˌɡet/ to respect, protect, and fulfill the human rights
• peaceful assembly 和平集会
• if you don’t stand up in defense of them, you don’t have those rights.
• advocacy/ˈædvəkəsi/: interest group 利益集团
• favored vs disfavored speech 不受欢迎的言论

Y combinator Elon Mask

• There’s been inflation since, quite a bit more money actually
• freaking unicorns 该死的，使人憎厌的
• impluse bid on AI
• I am pretty bullish (postiive)
• go back to main / side quest 主/支 线任务
• the signal to noise ratio is terrible
• a good learning exercise 学习实践

• townhome/townhouse tour

• model home, design center, sales office

• 3 full baths and one half bath

• the layout of the house

• on the main level you have hardwood floor throughout

• gray cabinets and quartz/kwɔːrts/ countertop(厨房的)工作台面

• dining area

• in the second floor you have a owner suite and a secondary bedroom

• the owner suite is super spacious /ˈspeɪʃəs/ with a walk-in closet

• the house is in a gated community

• the frontdoor is right below us

• raw milk recalled due to bird flu

• turn a blind eye/see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil: willful ignorance and avoidance of responsibility is often seen in political behavior.

• downplay scandals/wrongdong: make (something) appear less important than it really is

• teacher-parent conference

• I have high hopes for it, bright future, it will make a big success.

• I am very optimistic about it, a lot of potential

• Name model by dynasty and use chinese word as logo are very original

[ ] watch other categories video: shoes, clothes, house, football, etc [ ] write diary and let gemini improve it: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Oyx_aC7NyVLn_kzJillg57Dgc6tgQpaL8MHWwo5DUD0/edit [ ] video comment is interesting, videos from different areas, try to translate them and compare with the AI translation. [ ] revisit the new concept english articles, recitation [ ] use chatgpt to ask me questions, practice english answer, filler phrases [ ] ask chatpgt chinese question, I translate it to english [ ] tell chinese story from weibo to english, compare translation [ ] cnn /bbc news [ ] twitter twittes [ ] saturday opensource learning ,booking comic book