뉴스&스피킹(영자신문)
하루 10분이면 영어에 대한 두려움을 극복하고 누구나 유창하게 영어를 구사하실 수 있습니다.
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Chinese Migration to US Increasing Along Dangerous Path in Panama The trip through the Darién Gap forest area in Panama has become increasingly popular with migrants thanks to social media.
Panamanian officials say, in the first nine months of 2023, only Venezuelans, Ecuadorians and Haitians crossed the Darién Gap in greater numbers than Chinese people.
Chinese migrants who seek this path first travel to Ecuador. The country does not require Chinese citizens to have visas to enter the country. Once in Panama, the migrants travel north to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Chinese asylum-seekers spoke to the Associated Press, as well as observers. They told of fleeing an increasingly repressive political climate and worsening economy.
The pandemic and China’s COVID-19 border policies temporarily slowed emigration. Now people are again leaving, as China's economy is struggling, and youth unemployment is high. The United Nations has projected China will lose 310,000 people through emigration this year, compared with 120,000 in 2012.
The movement is known as “runxue,” or the study of running away. The term started as a way to trick government agents who control internet content. The term uses a Chinese character that sounds like the English word “run” but means “to lightly wet." Now, runxue is an internet meme.
Cai Xia leads the online commentary site Yibao and is a former professor at the Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.
She says the movement represents the despair many in the country are feeling.
“They’ve lost hope for the future of the country,” said Cai, who now lives in the U.S. “You see among them the educated and the uneducated, white-collar workers, as well as small business owners, and those from well-off families.”
The U.S. Border Patrol arrested 22,187 Chinese for crossing the border illegally from Mexico from January through September. That is an almost 13 times increase from the same period in 2022. Such arrests reached 4,010 in September, up 70 percent from August. Chinese migrants now represent the ninth-highest nationality at the U.S. border and the highest outside of Mexico, Central and South America. The huge majority were single adults.
Migrants from China join Latin Americans in Ecuador to travel north through the Darién. They continue across several Central American countries before reaching the U.S. border. The trip is well-known enough that it has its own name in Chinese: walk the line, or “zouxian.”
Social media has supported the movement through the Darién Gap. Short videos and messaging sites provide information as well as step-by-step guides on how to go from China to the U.S. They include advice on what to bring, where to get guides, how to survive in the wild and more. There are sites that even tell migrants how much money to pay police for favorable treatment in different countries.
The trip can cost a migrant thousands to tens of thousands of dollars. Many migrants who spoke to the AP did not give their full names. They said they were fearful it would hurt their chances for asylum. Some said they came for economic reasons and paid as much as $56,000 for the trip.
In recent weeks, Chinese migrants have made camps in the California desert as they wait to surrender to U.S. officials and ask for asylum.
Near the small town of Jacumba, hundreds crowded along a border wall. Others tried to sleep on large rocks nearby or under the few trees in the area. Small campfires keep them warm overnight. Without food or running water, the migrants depend on volunteers who provide water and simple meals.
I’m Caty Weaver.View -
What Is Daylight Saving Time? As November begins, many countries in North America and Europe are turning the clock back as daylight saving time ends.
Daylight saving time is the practice of moving clocks forward by one hour during summer months so daylight lasts longer into the evening.
In Europe, the practice is called European Summer Time. The clock usually moves forward in March and turns back at the end of October. Most European countries follow the practice. Georgia, Russia, Turkey, Iceland and a few others are among the exceptions.
Across the Atlantic Ocean, Canada, Mexico, Cuba and the United States start daylight saving time in March also. The clock will be set back an hour on November 5 this year.
Countries closer to the equator usually do not follow daylight saving time because the period of daylight changes little. Those that do not change the times include countries in Central America, Asia and Africa.
How did it start?
The idea of changing the clocks with the seasons started with George Hudson, a New Zealand scientist who studied insects. In 1895, Hudson proposed a time change to extend summer daylight hours. The extra time would have helped him with collecting insects after work.
The idea did not appeal to anyone until the time of World War I when European countries sought to save energy. Germany was the first country to adopt daylight saving time, in 1916, and the U.S. followed in 1918.
Some people believe that the U.S. established daylight saving time to help farmers. But farmers generally do not like the practice. The publication Modern Farmer said American farmers were against the practice but that Congress approved it anyway.
Opponents of daylight saving time have pointed to studies that found an increase in traffic accidents, health issues, and lack of sleep in the days after clocks are moved forward every March.
As for saving energy, the Congressional Research Service said studies have found little, if any, energy savings from the time change.
Arguments to end the practice
Daylight saving time has been a fluid issue from the start. Some countries have adopted and rejected it several times. In South America, Uruguay ended the practice in 2015. Chile replaced it with “wintertime” from May to August in 2016.
Egypt announced in March it would return to daylight saving time after seven years to save energy. Japan briefly considered adopting the practice for the 2020 Olympics but rejected it due to a lack of popular support.
In the U.S. there have been several efforts to make daylight saving time permanent. Last year, a bill called the “Sunshine Protection Act” passed the Senate but got stuck in the House of Representatives. Lawmakers could not agree on whether to keep standard time or permanent daylight saving time.
The bill was proposed again this year.
I'm Caty Weaver.View -
German Companies Turn to Robots to Fill Jobs for Retiring Workers German businesses are increasingly turning to robots to fill jobs as the country faces a severe labor shortage.
The situation left about 1.7 million jobs unfilled across Germany in June, official data showed. The country’s Chambers of Commerce and Industry has estimated that half of German businesses are currently struggling to fill positions. Germany is Europe’s largest economy.
One of the country’s biggest labor issues is the large number of people retiring from the so-called Baby Boomer generation. People in this group are between the ages of 57 and 75. The nation’s birth rate has also been going down for years.
Economic experts say it is difficult to replace these retiring workers. Many younger workers do not want to take jobs seen as dirty and dangerous.
The job shortage situation is currently reducing growth in Germany by about $109 billion a year, official estimates suggest. The Federal Employment Agency predicts the amount of available workers will shrink by 7 million people by 2035.
The problem is affecting large, medium and small businesses across the country. Some have decided to replace retiring workers with robotic systems.
With similar issues affecting other developed economies, robotic and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies will continue to expand, said Nela Richardson. She is the chief economist at financial provider ADP.
"Long term, all those innovations are a game-changer for the world of work. Everybody will do their job differently," Richardson told Reuters.
Heavy investment in automation by carmakers and other major industrial companies has made Germany the world's fourth-largest market for robots – the largest in Europe.
But as robots become less costly and easier to operate, even smaller companies are also using them. The International Federation of Robotics has estimated that about 26,000 robotic machines were put in place in Germany last year.
"Robots enable the survival of companies that see their future at risk due to staff shortages," said Ralf Winkelmann, director of FANUC Germany. The company sells about half its Japanese-made robots to small and medium-sized businesses.
Family-run ROLEC is a German company that produces systems to protect industrial electronics and control equipment. It bought its first robot last year to permit production to continue at night. ROLEC has already bought a second machine and plans to continue investing in automation.
"It is great when you turn on the light in the morning and the parts are in the storage container and have been processed," ROLEC’s CEO Matthias Rose told Reuters.
Industry experts say increasing robotic operations are also a sign that robots have become easier to use, with no special skills required. Most now come with a Human Machine Interface, which operates similarly to a smartphone, said Florian Andre. He is a co-founder of SHERPA Robotics, a start-up that targets companies with between 20 and 100 employees.
Even workers and trade unions – which in the past were fearful of job losses linked to robots – have taken an increasingly favorable position. A public opinion study published in June by a robots marketplace organization found that nearly half of German employees see robots as a help to the labor shortage.
I’m Gena Bennett.View -
Vietnam Aims to Build a Computer Chip Factory Vietnam is holding talks with companies that manufacture semiconductors for the electronics industry to increase investment in the country.
Two business officials, who did not want to be identified, spoke to Reuters news agency. They said Vietnam aims to build its first factory for computer chips. U.S. industry officials, however, have warned about the high costs.
The Southeast Asian country is already a center for electronics. U.S. technology company Intel says it has its largest semiconductor packaging and testing plant in Vietnam. The country is home to several chip designing software companies.
Vietnam is working on a plan to bring in more semiconductor investment, including foundries. Foundries mainly manufacture computer chips.
Vu Tu Thanh is head of the Vietnam office of the US-ASEAN Business Council. He told Reuters that meetings with six U.S. chip companies took place in recent weeks, including with factory operators. He did not identify the companies because talks were ongoing.
Another official, who did not want to be identified because he was not permitted to talk with the media, spoke with Reuters. The official said talks with possible investors have involved U.S. company GlobalFoundries and Taiwanese company PSMC.
The individual said the aim was to build Vietnam’s first chip manufacturing plant, most likely for less complex chips used in cars or for telecommunications uses.
The business meetings followed an improvement in diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the U.S. in September. At that time, U.S. President Joe Biden visited Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi. Biden’s administration described Vietnam as a possible “critical player” in world semiconductor supply chains.
GlobalFoundries joined a restricted business meeting during Biden’s visit after an invitation from the president, the company said. However, a person with knowledge of the subject said the company has not made immediate plans to invest in Vietnam.
"We do not comment on market rumors," a GlobalFoundries spokesperson said. PSMC did not answer a request for comment.
Industry officials said meetings so far were mostly to test interest and discuss possible government financial support. Such support would seek to persuade the companies with reasons why it would be good to build a plant there, or incentives. They include power supplies, infrastructure, and the availability of a trained workforce.
The Vietnamese government has said it wants its first fabrication plant by about 2030. On Monday, the government said chip companies would gain from “the highest incentives available in Vietnam.”
Hung Nguyen is a program leader on supply chains at Hanoi’s University Vietnam. He told Reuters that Vietnam might also support local companies such as state-owned tech company Viettel to build chip factories with imported equipment.
Viettel did not answer a request for comment.
$50 billion decision
Robert Li is Vice President of U.S. Synopsys, a leading chip design firm with operations in Vietnam. He urged the government to “think twice” before giving out financial support, or subsidies, to build chip factories.
Speaking at Vietnam Semiconductor Summit in Hanoi on Sunday, he said building a foundry could cost as much as $50 billion. He said it would mean providing subsidies competitive with China, the U.S., South Korea and the European Union. Each has announced spending plans for chip factories valued at between $50 and $150 billion.
John Neuffer is President of the U.S. Semiconductor Industry Association. At the same meeting, he suggested the government center its attention on chip manufacturing in which Vietnam is already strong, like assembling, packaging and testing.
I’m Caty Weaver.View -
'Straight from the Horse's Mouth' And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
On today’s show, we will be talking about an animal that is as impressive and beautiful as it is useful -- the horse.
Today’s expression is straight from the horse’s mouth. “Straight from the horse’s mouth” is about the way we get information and — with this expression — that means directly.
When we hear something from the source, we can say we heard it first-hand. It is coming from a primary source.
When we use this expression, we can drop the word “straight” if necessary. So, if you hear something from the horse's mouth, you hear it from the person who has direct personal knowledge of the information.
For example, a co-worker of mine, Andrew, likes to play the piano. But don’t take my word for it, let’s hear it straight from the horse's mouth.
ANDREW: I really like to play the piano.
Thanks, Andrew!
The opposite of this expression would be through the grapevine. That is a very indirect way to get information.
Now, let’s talk about origin. Experts are not sure how this expression started. However, there are two common explanations.
One traditional explanation is about buying horses. Before buying a horse, a possible buyer would look into the horse’s mouth. This is because you can tell a bit about a horse’s health and age from its gums and teeth.
Another explanation involves horse racing. At the horse races, people talk about which horses will win and which ones will lose. The most valuable opinions are from the people who know the horses the best – the riders and trainers. Since you can’t ask the horse, these people are the next best thing. “Straight from the horse's mouth” suggests the most knowledgeable source of information.
So, this expression can also mean from a reliable source. The information is coming from a trustworthy person. It may even be the definitive source, meaning the best authority.
Now, let’s hear the expression used in another example:
A: Hey, guess what? Stella is moving to Toronto! She’s so excited.
B: Are you sure? She just bought a house a year ago.
A: She told me herself last night over dinner.
B: I just can’t believe it. I mean, she also just got a promotion and a raise at her job. It doesn’t make sense.
A: Well, whether it makes sense or not, that’s what she told me.
B: Maybe you misheard her.
A: I didn’t. I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth – Stella’s!
And that’s all the time we have on the show today.
If anyone asks you where you learned this expression, tell them you heard it straight from the horse’s mouth – from VOA Learning English.
Until next time, I’m Anna Matteo.View