第 034 期 2026/04/30

Hi 早安 ☀️

這禮拜幫你選了 3 則值得一看的國際新聞：

🤖 機器人打破人類半馬紀錄

人形機器人在北京的一場半馬比賽上奪冠，還打破了世界最快紀錄。

🚭 英國通過終身禁菸令​
​英國國會通過新法案，2008 年以後出生的人將終身不能合法買菸。
​

🏊 國際奧委會實施性別檢測引辯論​
​奧委會宣布將用基因篩檢判定運動員是否可參與女子賽事，引發正反意見。

Lily
​You know what? I’ve recently gotten into jogging. It’s actually pretty relaxing. ☺️
​你知道嗎？我最近熱衷於慢跑。其實還滿放鬆的。☺️

哥倫布
​Speaking of which, I just read about a half-marathon in Beijing where humanoid robots competed alongside human runners. The robots totally stole the spotlight, and some of them even beat the human world record.
​說到這個，我剛看到一則新聞，北京有一場半程馬拉松是人型機器人跟人類一起比賽。結果機器人完全搶走焦點，甚至有幾台還打破了人類的世界紀錄。

Lily
​Wait, were those robots running on their own, or were they being controlled?
​等一下，那些機器人是自己跑，還是有人在操控？

哥倫布
​Some could navigate the course on their own, while others were remotely controlled. The winning robot was self-navigating and finished the race in just over 50 minutes, almost seven minutes faster than the human record.
​有些可以自己導航賽道跑，有些則是遠端操控。贏得比賽的機器人是自動導航的，只花了五十多分鐘就跑完，比人類紀錄還快將近七分鐘 。

Lily
​That’s impressive! Weren’t robots much slower before?
​也太厲害了吧！以前機器人不是慢很多嗎？

哥倫布
​Yeah, last year the fastest one took over two and a half hours. This year, more than 100 robots joined, and many of them performed much better. 👏​
對啊，去年最快的還要跑兩個半小時以上。今年有超過一百台機器人參加，而且很多表現都進步超多。👏

Lily
​That’s a big leap forward. What makes these robots so fast?
​這真是很大的突破。那它們為什麼可以跑這麼快？

哥倫布
​The top one had long legs like human athletes and a cooling system to prevent overheating.​
冠軍那一台有像人類運動員一樣的長腿，還有冷卻系統可以防止過熱。

Lily
​I can imagine that while human runners were totally worn out and lying on the ground after they finished, the robots just stood there like nothing happened.
​我可以想像人類跑者跑完後都累倒在地上，但機器人卻像沒事一樣站著。

哥倫布
​Exactly. Luckily these robots can't talk. Otherwise, they might even ask, “Wanna go again?” 🤓​
沒錯。還好它們不會說話，不然可能還會問你：「再跑一次行不行？」🤓

🦘「a leap forward」是什麼意思？
​Leap 是「跳躍」的意思，可當名詞或動詞。a leap forward 表示在某方面的明顯突破。譬如：This invention is a great leap forward for renewable energy.（這項發明是再生能源的一大突破。）另一個跟 leap 有關的片語是 leap to fame，意思是「一舉成名」。譬如：He leapt to fame after his appearance in a Broadway play.（他在百老匯演出後一舉成名。）

​
​🫩「累壞了」的英文要怎麼說？​
​我們可以用 be worn out 來表達累壞了的狀態。譬如：She was so worn out that she fell asleep at the table.（她累到在桌邊睡著了。）同樣的意思我們也可以用 exhausted 這個形容詞。譬如：Looking after a baby all day left me feeling totally exhausted.（照顧小嬰兒一整天讓我覺得非常累。）

The UK has passed a new tobacco law aimed at creating a “smoke-free generation.” Under the plan, people born on or after January 1, 2009, will never be legally allowed to buy cigarettes. The law also gives the government more power to regulate vaping and other nicotine products.

Smoking remains a leading cause of preventable death in the UK, with tens of thousands of deaths each year. In response, the government aims to reduce addiction by preventing young people from ever starting to smoke. A gradual phase-out of tobacco access is intended to break the cycle of nicotine dependence for future generations.

However, the law has also raised concerns. Some critics argue it is unfair that in the future, adults of different ages will have different rights, while others fear it may lead to illegal tobacco sales. The government sees the law as a major public health milestone, but its long-term impact and effectiveness remain to be seen.

你看得懂多少呢？試著回答以下題目吧：

1. 根據文章，政府計畫如何打破未來世代對尼古丁的依賴？​
   ​A. 增加戒菸的醫療服務
   B. 加強取締未成年抽菸​
   C. 逐步淘汰菸品的取得
2. 對新法令的疑慮，文中未提及下列何者？​
   ​A. 對電子菸的管制仍太鬆​
   B. 不同年齡的人權利不同​
   C. 可能增加非法香菸交易

1. 第二段最後一句提到，政府希望能藉由 gradual phase-out of tobacco access（逐步淘汰菸品的取得）來打破未來世代的 the cycle of nicotine dependence（尼古丁依賴循環）。文章內沒有提到戒菸的醫療服務，也未提及取締未成年抽菸。所以正確答案選 C。
   ​
2. 第三段提到有些批評者認為在未來 adults of different ages will have different rights（不同年齡的成年人會有不同的權利），也有人擔心新法令會 lead to illegal tobacco sales（導致非法菸草的銷售）。沒有提到對於電子菸管制的意見。所以答案選 A。

英國通過了一項新的菸草法案，目標是打造「無菸世代」。根據這項計畫，凡是在 2009 年 1 月 1 日或之後出生的人，將終身不得合法購買香菸。這項法案同時也賦予政府更多權力，管制電子菸及其他尼古丁產品。

在英國，吸菸仍是可預防死亡的主要原因之一，每年造成數萬人死亡。為了因應這個問題，政府希望透過防止年輕人開始吸菸來減少成癮。逐步淘汰菸品的取得，是為了打破未來世代對尼古丁的依賴循環。

然而，這項法案也引發了一些疑慮。有批評者認為，未來不同年齡的成年人將擁有不同的權利，這樣並不公平；也有人擔心，政策可能會導致非法菸品交易增加。政府將此法案視為公共健康的里程碑，但其長期效果與實際影響仍有待觀察。

🟩 贊成者說：

Athletes who have gone through testosterone-driven puberty retain physical advantages that are difficult to fully eliminate. Therefore, establishing clear, science-based criteria is essential to protecting fairness in women’s competition.
​運動員若經歷過由睪固酮驅動的青春期，往往會保有體能優勢，且不容易完全消除。因此，訂定明確且以科學為依據的標準，對於保護女子組競賽的公平是必要的。

🟥 反對者回應：

Sports are fundamentally a contest of innate ability. We would not ban a 220-centimeter-tall athlete from competing in basketball. Excluding some female athletes with DSD singles them out based on a biological trait and overlooks the effort they have put into their sport.

體育本來就是天生能力的競賽。我們不會禁止 220 公分高的運動員參加籃球比賽。將某些有 DSD 的女性運動員排除在外，是基於特定生理特徵的針對性排擠，也忽視了她們為運動所付出的努力。

🟩 贊成者又說：

If the genetic requirements for the women’s category are not strict enough, some countries may systematically select children with certain genetic traits for training. Scientific testing at the Olympic level can help curb such practices and prevent athletes from being treated as tools for winning medals.​
​若女子組的基因門檻不夠嚴格，部分國家可能會系統性篩選具有特定基因特徵的兒童加以培訓。在奧運層級進行科學檢測可以協助抑制這種陋習，避免運動員被當成奪牌工具。

🟥 反對者再回應：

When requirements rely heavily on a narrow set of biological markers, it may lead some athletes with DSD to take long-term medication to be eligible. This could put their health at risk and raise concerns about medical ethics.​
​當參賽資格重度依賴一組狹隘的生理指標時，可能會促使部分有 DSD 的運動員為了符合資格而長期服用藥物。這會對她們的健康帶來風險，也引發醫學倫理的疑慮。

1. puberty (n.) 青春期
2. innate (adj.) 天生的
3. curb (v.) 抑制、控制
4. eligible (adj.) 有資格的、合格的

1. The government should act to ________ tax invasion.
2. She has an ________ sense of rhythm.

1. The government should act to curb tax invasion.
   ​政府應該採取行動抑制逃稅。​
2. She has an innate sense of rhythm.
   ​她有天生的節奏感。