Episodios

  • 精選詞彙單元 Vocab Ep.073: 柯達找出路Kodak struggling to find viable future after film
    Apr 9 2026

    Summary:
    Once the king of film, Kodak has struggled over the years to find their footing in the digital era. In 2013, the company emerged from bankruptcy and till today is looking to find business model to sustain itself. What used to be 200 buildings of Eastman Kodak’s business park, is now left with a few buildings, with the rest either demolished or sold off. The article mentions the story of Mr. Taber, a Kodak employee of 34 years, together with 300 other scientists and engineers are working through their legacy innovations in optics and chemistry can be turned into new business ventures. In July this year, Trump administration made a $765 million loan to the Eastman Kodak Co. for its launch of a business making pharmaceutical ingredients in the US.

    原文討論: https://www.15mins.today/blog/ep-912-kodak-struggles-to-envision-a-viable-future-after-film

    Vocabulary and Sample Sentences:

    Capitalize v. – chance to gain advantage from / convert into capital. Kodak has packaging sensor technology that they did not capitalize. Entrepreneurs are constantly looking to capitalize on any market opportunities.

    Complacent adj. – showing smug / self-satisfaction with one’s achievement The cash Kodak made from film made them complacent. Having too much luxuries in life would make you complacent.

    IP – Intellectual Property (patent, copyright, trademark) CEO of Kodak believes that they will not be able to capitalize on their IP through Kodak-branded sales. Filing patents is a way to protect a company’s intellectual property.

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    19 m
  • 英語咖啡館 Ep.316: 取錯英文名字毀一生?揭開台灣人最愛取的「雷名」
    Apr 7 2026

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    你有沒有想過,你的英文名字在外國人耳裡是什麼感覺?在台灣,很多人的英文名字是國中老師取的、或是從喜歡的明星那裡借來的,甚至有人每換一個工作就用一個新名字。但你知道嗎?有些名字在西方文化裡,可以算是社交地雷喔!

    本週的《英語咖啡館》John 老師和 Angel 老師要來談談英文名字的 "faux pas"(如果你不認識這個字,趕快打開本集節目!)。命名的禁忌往往不是因為名字本身不好,而是像 COVID 時代崛起的 Karen 迷因,或是健身房的 Chad 文化,這些網路文化、迷因、甚至成人娛樂業讓名字和特定情境做了連結啦!

    Have you ever wondered what your English name sounds like to foreigners? In Taiwan, many people's English names were given by their junior high school teachers, borrowed from favorite celebrities, or even changed with each new job. But did you know? Some names can be social landmines in Western culture!

    This week on English Cafe, John and Angel discuss English name "faux pas" (if you don't know this word, quickly tune into this episode!). Naming taboos often aren't because the names themselves are bad, but rather due to internet culture like the Karen meme that rose during the COVID era, or gym bro Chad culture. These internet trends, memes, and even the adult entertainment industry have created associations between names and specific contexts!

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    26 m
  • WHOIs單元Ep.22: 放棄行醫,轉而教學數百萬人的醫師
    Apr 7 2026

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    6 m
  • 國際時事跟讀 Ep. L176: 美情報推翻2027攻台說 No 2027 Taiwan Invasion, U.S. Intel Says
    Apr 5 2026
    ----------------------------------- 🎧 通勤學英語 VIP 專區 & 🚀 線上課程 ----------------------------------- 💡 想要更自然的提升英語力?加入VIP會員,獲得專屬內容與優惠!立即加入VIP方案 → https://15minstoday.firstory.io/joinVIP訂閱常見問題 →https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/5cjptb 🔥 社會人核心英語有聲書課程→https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/554esm ------------------------------- 🌎 15Mins.Today 相關連結 ------------------------------- 💬 你的想法很重要!留言分享 → 留言連結 Web:www.15mins.today YouTube:https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/3rhuuy 商業合作/贊助來信:15minstoday@gmail.com 意見回覆 : ask15mins@gmail.com -------------------------------------------- 📜 單集逐字稿 & 內容摘要(播放器字數有限,完整逐字稿請到官網查看) -------------------------------------------- 國際時事跟讀 Ep. L176: No 2027 Taiwan Invasion, U.S. Intel Says Highlights 主題摘要The U.S. intelligence community says China has no fixed plan to invade Taiwan in 2027 and currently prefers peaceful unification if achievable.China's PLA is making steady but uneven capability gains, while anti-corruption purges have removed roughly 100 senior officers since 2022.A Taiwan Strait conflict would shatter global semiconductor supply chains and inflict unprecedented economic damage worldwide. For years, 2027 has loomed over strategic planning rooms from Washington to Tokyo — the unofficial deadline by which China's People's Liberation Army was expected to be capable of seizing Taiwan by force. On Wednesday, the U.S. intelligence community offered a carefully calibrated reassessment. According to the 2026 Annual Threat Assessment released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Chinese leaders "do not currently plan to execute an invasion of Taiwan in 2027, nor do they have a fixed timeline for achieving unification." The finding does not erase the threat — it reframes it. 長年以來,「2027年」盤旋於華盛頓到東京各地的戰略研判室,被普遍視為中國人民解放軍具備武力奪台能力的非官方期限。週三,美國情報界就此提出了措辭審慎的重新評估。根據美國國家情報總監辦公室(ODNI)發布的《2026年美國情報界年度威脅評估》,中國領導人「目前不計畫在2027年對台灣發動入侵,亦無實現統一的固定時間表。」這份評估並未消弭威脅,而是重新定義了威脅的框架。 The PLA has been making what the report describes as "steady but uneven" progress on capabilities required for a potential Taiwan operation, including efforts to deter U.S. military intervention. Beijing has never renounced the use of force, and the report acknowledges that China continues to refine contingency plans for doing so. Yet it concludes that Chinese leadership — weighing PLA readiness, Taiwan's political posture, and the probability of U.S. intervention — currently prefers coercive pressure over outright conflict. Anti-corruption purges that have swept out roughly 100 senior officers since 2022 may have further constrained operational readiness. 解放軍在強化潛在台海行動所需能力方面,持續取得報告所稱「穩定但不均衡」的進展,其中包括嚇阻美軍介入的相關部署。北京從未放棄以武力達成統一,報告也承認中國持續精進各項應變計畫。然而報告指出,中國領導層在綜合評估解放軍戰備狀況、台灣的政治走向以及美國介入的可能性後,目前仍傾向以施壓手段取代全面武裝衝突。自2022年起的反腐整肅已拔除逾百名解放軍高階將領,此一動盪或已進一步削弱整體作戰準備度。 The assessment lands at a diplomatically charged moment. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is scheduled to visit the White House the day after the report's release, and the document describes her statement that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan as a "significant shift" — framing likely to unsettle Tokyo. U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly downplayed the threat of Chinese military action, citing Xi Jinping's personal assurances, even as his administration approved a record $11 billion arms package for Taiwan in December. 這份報告的出爐時機外交意涵格外敏感。日本首相高市早苗預計於報告發布隔日赴白宮訪問,而報告將她去年所稱中國攻台將對日本構成「存亡威脅」的言論,定性為日本領導人立場的「重大轉變」,此一定性極可能令東京方面感到不滿。與此同時,川普多次援引習近平的個人保證,屢屢淡化北京的對台軍事威脅,但其政府卻在去年十二月批准了規模創紀錄、總值110億美元的對台軍售案。 The economic stakes make any conflict scenario deeply ...
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    8 m
  • 回顧星期天LBS - 玩具相關時事趣聞 All about toys
    Apr 4 2026
    Here are the three articles properly titled and paragraphed: Traditional Toys May Beat Gadgets in Language Development Baby laptops, baby cellphones, talking farms — these are the whirring, whiz-bang toys of the moment, many of them marketed as tools to encourage babies' language skills. 嬰兒筆電,嬰兒手機,交談農場,這些都是當前推出快速又先進的玩具,許多被當成激發嬰兒語言技能的工具行銷。 But a new study raises questions about whether such electronic playthings make it less likely that babies will engage in the verbal give-and-take with their parents that is so crucial to cognitive development. 不過,新研究報告質疑這類電子玩具是否會使嬰兒跟父母的口頭交流減少,這種交流對認知發展極其重要。 The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, found that when babies and parents played with electronic toys that are specifically advertised as language-promoters, parents spoke less and responded less to baby babbling than when they played with traditional toys like blocks or read board books. Babies also vocalized less when playing with electronic toys. 發表於「美國醫學會小兒科學期刊」的該研究報告發現,嬰兒與父母玩廣告中特別宣傳能促進語言發展的電子玩具時,父母說話及對嬰兒發聲的回應,要比玩傳統玩具如積木或閱讀硬頁書時來得少。嬰兒玩電子玩具時發聲也較少。 "My hunch is that they were letting the baby interact with the toy and they were on the sidelines," said Anna V. Sosa, an associate professor of communications science and disorders at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, who led the study. 帶領研究的弗拉格斯塔夫北亞利桑納大學傳播科學與溝通障礙副教授安娜.索沙說:「我的直覺是,他們讓嬰兒跟玩具互動,自己退居一邊。」 The study builds on a growing body of research suggesting that electronic toys and e-books can make parents less likely to have the most meaningful kinds of verbal exchanges with their children. "When you put the gadgets and gizmos in, the parents stop talking," said Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a professor of psychology at Temple University who was not involved in the new study, but who has found similar effects with e-books and electronic shape-sorters. "What you get is more behavioral regulation stuff, like 'don't touch that' or 'do this,' or nothing because the books and toys take it over for you." 這項研究建立在日漸增多的一些研究結果之上,既有結果顯示電子玩具和電子書可能使父母較少與小孩進行最有意義類型的口語交流。天普大學心理學教授凱西.赫許帕塞克說:「當使用這類工具與裝置時,父母們就會閉口。你做的是更多行為規範,像是『別碰那』或『做這個』,甚至啥也不做,因為電子書與玩具已代勞了。」赫許帕塞克未參加上述研究,但此前對電子書跟電子形狀分類盒的研究有類似發現。 She added, "A toy should be 10 percent toy and 90 percent child, and with a lot of these electronic toys the toy takes over 90 percent and the child just fills in the blank." 她並補充道:「玩玩具應是玩具只占10%,90%由小孩做主,許多這些電子玩具卻是玩具占了90%以上,小孩只能補白。」 Sosa said she was surprised by the results. She had expected some parent-baby pairs would talk more with one type of toy, while others would talk more with another. But the results were consistent almost across the board. When electronic toys were being used, parents said about 40 words per minute, on average, compared with 56 words per minute for traditional toys and 67 words per minute with books. 索沙說,她對結果感到驚訝。她原本預期一些父母嬰兒組玩某種玩具時說話較多,而其他組則是在玩另種玩具時說較多話。然而,結果卻幾乎一致。玩電子玩具時父母平均每分鐘說40字,少於玩傳統玩具的56字,及讀書時的67字。 The study was small — 26 families — and most were white and educated. So the researchers say the results might be different with a larger and more diverse group. But the study is notable because it sought to capture real world parent-child playtime in their homes without researchers watching. 這是個小型研究,共26個家庭參與,多為受過良好教育的白人家庭。因此研究人員說,若以更大、更多樣化的群體為研究對象,結果可能不同,但這個研究仍值得注意,因為它盡力捕捉現實世界中無研究人員觀看下的居家親子遊戲時間。 Source: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/292769/web/ "Boffin Barbie": Toy Creator Honors Vaccine Co-Creator Toy giant Mattel said Wednesday last week it hoped to "inspire the next generation" after creating a model of its iconic Barbie doll in honor of Sarah Gilbert, co-creator of the Oxford/...
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    7 m
  • 幕後教師室Teacher's Lounge Ep.116: Wait?! What新系列上線! MacBook Neo來了, Gen Z的Admin Night是什麼?
    Apr 3 2026
    ----------------------------------- 🎧 通勤學英語 VIP 專區 & 🚀 線上課程 ----------------------------------- 💡 想要更自然的提升英語力?加入VIP會員,獲得專屬內容與優惠!立即加入VIP方案 → https://15minstoday.firstory.io/joinVIP訂閱常見問題 →https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/5cjptb 🔥 社會人核心英語有聲書課程→https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/554esm ------------------------------- 🌎 15Mins.Today 相關連結 ------------------------------- 💬 你的想法很重要!留言分享 → 留言連結 Web:www.15mins.today YouTube:https://15minsengcafe.pse.is/3rhuuy 商業合作/贊助來信:15minstoday@gmail.com 意見回覆 : ask15mins@gmail.com -------------------------------------------- 📜 單集逐字稿 & 內容摘要(播放器字數有限,完整逐字稿請到官網查看) -------------------------------------------- 感謝推薦: ItschihaOK在Threads上推薦 15Mins四月壽星: 生日快樂!可以在IG留言或email給我們 聽過Wait What嗎?就是那種讓你聽完要慢半拍才懂的英文慣用語。15Mins在IG推出新系列,專門收集這些讓人黑人問號的idioms,配上視覺圖讓你印象更深刻。 這集還聊到蘋果三月發表會的MacBook Neo(沒錯,就是駭客任務那個Neo),教你用英文在辦公室茶水間聊科技產品。最讓John老師困惑的是Gen Z流行的Admin Night——約朋友來家裡一起報稅、對發票、整理帳單。這什麼新型社交方式? Wait What系列:英文慣用語學習新方法 阿鍵老師在15Mins IG推出新系列,專門收集那些「蛤?怎麼會這樣講?」的英文慣用語。這些idioms其實都在English Café出現過,但現在配上視覺圖,學英文變得更容易記住。 阿鍵老師說圖都改了兩三次才放上去:「不想被說是AI垃圾,所以還要送去Canva調整。」看到成品,真的會讓人Wait What一下。 如果你熟悉某個idiom或英文俚語,歡迎在IG分享你怎麼用、跟誰用過! MacBook Neo:辦公室英文會話實用技巧 三月初蘋果發表會推出M5系列處理器,新機叫Neo——沒錯,就是駭客任務那個救世主Neo。John老師和阿鍵老師都在等這波降價換新電腦。 為什麼?因為M系列晶片真的改變了一切。John老師說以前筆電做翻譯或回email,一小時就要找插座,現在一整天都不用充電。阿鍵老師被John老師「污染」後,現在也離不開Apple生態系——耳機自動切換、傳檔案點一下就飛過去。 兩個人已經自稱「Apple Citizen」,被養套殺逃不了了。 辦公室英文閒聊必學句型:"Did you see the new MacBook Neo?""Which color is your favorite?""Are you in the market for an upgrade?"(要換機嗎?)"Are you going to trade in your laptop?"這種話題在茶水間超好聊,不管對方是不是蘋果迷都能接上話。學這些英文對話句型,就能輕鬆開啟small talk。 Admin Night:Gen Z社交英文新詞彙 John老師看到這篇新聞時黑人問號:「我看了好幾次,真的不太懂!」 Admin Night就是約朋友來家裡一起做行政瑣事——對發票、報稅、整理醫院資料、規劃旅行、買保險。聽起來很無聊對吧?但Gen Z和Gen Alpha覺得這樣比單純吃飯聚餐更有togetherness。 概念有點像以前的study group。暑假作業最後一週找同學一起趕工,考試前臨時抱佛腳做筆記。現在成年了,換成一起處理大人的responsibility。這也是學習英文時事用語的好機會。 阿鍵老師找到優點:「我買機票訂旅館不在行,約的人可能常旅遊,我就能問他怎麼優化。我會寫帳單,他的帳單就能交給我。」 但也可能變成災難:一群拖延症患者約好做admin,結果拿出來後就跑去看電視,躺平躺得更平,回家時東西還是放在那邊。 重點是:做不娛樂的事,但一起做就沒那麼無聊。這種新型社交方式的英文表達方式,值得通勤族學起來。 不算Admin Night的: John老師和阿鍵老師的remote working不算,「那叫Overtime Night,聽起來好難過!」 試過Admin Night的人, 用comment link分享你們都做了什麼!
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    18 m
  • 精選詞彙單元 Vocab Ep.072: 英國炒飯是很奇怪與英國明星愛吃珍奶冰 Dua Lipa and Uncle Roger's Fried Rice
    Apr 2 2026

    Summary: This article covers 2 topics. The storm in a teacup over how a lady made fried rice on the BBC. And the second talks about Dua Lipa’s love for bubble milk tea ice cream from Taiwan.

    原文章討論:https://www.15mins.today/blog/ep-909-about-uk-bbc-bbc-host

    Vocabulary and Sample Sentences:

    Controversial adj.: causing public anger and disagreement
    Was the decision to close the water park controversial? Does social media cause lots of controversies?

    Trigger v.: to cause people to get upset Are people triggered by animal cruelty? Do people get triggered by social media?

    Troll v.: creating discord on the Internet by starting quarrels or upsetting people by posting inflammatory or off-topic messages in an online community Does getting trolled trigger people? Have you been trolled on Facebook?

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    19 m
  • 英語咖啡館 Ep.315: 電商學英語 - 十年磨一劍 - Google Maps自2015年後的最大更新 The latest and possibly the greatest Google Maps update
    Mar 31 2026

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    你上次使用 Google Maps 是什麼時候呢?本週的《英語咖啡館》John 老師和 Cariya 老師要來聊聊這個我們每天都在用、卻從來沒有好好了解過的 app——以及它剛推出的全新 AI 功能,保證讓你刮目相看,更加的認識它!

    原來 Google Maps 每秒都在更新資料、每天處理高達 2 億筆用戶資訊,甚至曾經把相機裝在綿羊身上去拍攝農村街景!?除了這些冷知識,本集最大亮點是全新的 AI「Ask Maps」功能——你可以直接用自然語言跟地圖「說話」,不管是找符合個人口味的餐廳、還是同時滿足多位外國訪客的用餐需求,通通交給它搞定。John 老師更大膽預測,Google Maps 正在往「超級 App」的方向進化,未來搞不好連 Google 搜尋都會被它取代!

    When was the last time you used Google Maps? This week on English Cafe, John and Cariya talk about this app we use every day but have never really understood—along with its newly launched AI features that will definitely impress you and help you get to know it better!

    Turns out Google Maps updates data every second, processes up to 200 million user data points daily, and even once mounted cameras on sheep to photograph rural street views!? Beyond these fun facts, this episode's biggest highlight is the brand-new AI "Ask Maps" feature—you can directly "talk" to the map using natural language, whether finding restaurants that match your personal taste or simultaneously meeting the dining needs of multiple foreign visitors, it handles it all. John boldly predicts that Google Maps is evolving toward becoming a "super app," and in the future it might even replace Google Search!

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