EZCNN 易英网

Tensions Over Taiwan Spread To Western Japanese Islands; U.S. Airline Travel Is Impacted By Fatigued Flight Crews.

CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Could a potential conflict over the island of Taiwan spill over onto islands that are part of Japan?

That is the question we`re exploring first on today`s show. I`m Carl Azuz. Thank you for watching.

Taiwan is located about a hundred miles east of mainland China, and the governments of those two places have been at odds for decades. When China`s
 

at odds 不一致

communist party won a civil war in the 1940s, the nation`s previous government was forced to flee to Taiwan. Today, the island sees itself as

an independent democracy. China sees it as part of the mainland and therefore subject to China`s communist government.

So, the two sides have an ongoing dispute they are not at war at this point. But after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th, some experts have

said China might be considering a similar operation in Taiwan. No one knows for sure if that`s going to happen but there has been a lot of political

and military activity around the island.

A group of U.S. lawmakers recently visited Taiwan for a show of support for it. China called that trip provocative and responded by holding military
 

provocative [prəˋvɑkətɪv] adj. 挑拨的

drills near the island with ships, bombers and fighter planes.

So, what does this have to do with Japan?

Well, like the U.S., Japan supports Taiwan. It does not want China`s government to take over the island and Japan doesn`t like what it sees when

it comes to Chinese military patrols.

Twenty years ago, the Japanese government says it counted fewer than 20 Chinese warships sailing near Japanese islands. Last year, that number

jumped to more than 70, and the Japanese who live on their country`s westernmost islands are much closer to Taiwan than Tokyo, the Japanese
 

westernmost [ˋwɛstɚn͵most] adj. 最西的

capital. So, they`re deeply concerned about what could happen if China makes a move against Taiwan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the past years, Kazushi Kinjo has made a living fishing the water surrounding Japan`s Nansei Islands.

That includes the uninhabited group of islands known as the Senkakus in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

When he started, Kinjo says he never saw Chinese ships, but in the last few years --

KAZUSHI KINJO, JAPANESE FISHERMAN (through translator): You can see it in the video. The bow of one of their ships was pointed straight at us and
 

bow [baʊ] n. 船头，艄

they were chasing us.

ESSIG: Dangerous encounters specifically around the contested Senkaku Islands the Kinjo says are guaranteed.
 

contested [kənˋtɛstɪd] adj. 有争议的

KINJO: I don`t know for sure. But I also saw what looked like cannons. Looking back, they definitely could have shot at us if they`d wanted to. I
 

cannon [ˋkænən] n. 大炮，火炮；榴弹炮

felt that fear.

ESSIG: In response to CNN, China`s ministry of foreign affairs says it`s carrying out law enforcement duties in its territory but it`s not just the

Chinese coast guard trolling these contested waters. Japanese and senior U.S. defense officials say Chinese warships are routinely patrolling
 

troll [trol] v. to move around in (an area) or go to (different places) searching for something

Japanese territorial waters in the waters near Taiwan. And according to one of the men in charge with defending Japan, that increased activity isn`t

limited to the sea.

From where I`m walking on the shores of Japan`s Yonaguni Island, the east coast of Taiwan is only 110 kilometers away. It`s so close that on a clear day,

you can actually see it. It`s this stretch of water it`s been viewed as a potential battleground if China invades Taiwan.
 

stretch [strɛtʃ] n.（土地，时间的）延亘，连绵

It`s that close proximity that has Japanese officials claiming Taiwan`s peace and stability is directly connected to Japan`s. A security threat amplified
 

amplify [ˋæmplə͵faɪ] vt. 放大（声音等）；增强；扩大

by the ongoing nuclear threat posed by North Korea and a growing fear that China may try to take control of land the Japanese government
 
claims is inherently theirs.

GEN. YOSHIHIDE YOSHIDA, CHIEF OF STAFF, JAPAN`S GROUND SELF-DEFENSE FORCE (through translator): Japan`s territorial sovereignty extends to the

Nansei Islands and I`m afraid that may be infringed in the future.
 

infringe [ɪnˋfrɪndʒ] v. 侵犯；侵害

ESSIG: It`s for those reasons that General Yoshihide Yoshida says defending the Nansei Islands is a top priority.

The Nansei Islands consist of these 198 islands. Since 2016, in a clear departure from Japan`s post-World War II pacifism, Japan`s self-defense
 

departure [dɪˋpɑrtʃɚ] n. 背离，违背，变更

pacifism [ˋpæsə͵fɪzəm] n. 和平主义

force has increased its footprint, building bases on Amami Oshima, Miyakojima and Yonaguni. Ishigaki is next.
 

Amami Oshima 奄美大岛

Miyakojima 宫古岛

Yonaguni 与那国島

Ishigaki 石垣

How confident are you in Japan`s ability to defend itself?

YOSHIDA: We are enhancing our capabilities but our competitors are also enhancing their capabilities at an extremely fast pace. It will be very

difficult to maintain our deterrence and response capabilities unless we further increase our military capacity.
 

deterrence [dɪˋtɝrəns] n. 威慑；威慑作用

ESSIG: Back on Yonaguni, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is sparking fears that China could be emboldened to act off Japan`s shores.
 

embolden [ɪmˋboldn] v. 使大胆；使有勇气

KINJO: The people are terrified of the situation that`s happening. I think that the Senkaku issue and the Taiwan contingency are similar to the

Ukrainian issue. I have a strong sense of crisis that this island will eventually cease to be Japan.
 

cease [sis] v. 停止，结束

ESSIG: But in the face of geopolitical concerns well out of his control, Kinjo and his crew do what they know, they prepare for another day at sea.
 

well [wɛl] adv. 充分地，彻底地

Blake Essig, CNN, Yonaguni, Japan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ (voice-over): Ten-second trivia:

Which of these airlines was founded first?

Southwest, Spirit, Frontier or JetBlue?

Dating back to 1967, Southwest is by far the oldest airline on this list.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: As demand for airline travel increases this summer, along with ticket prices, one challenge airlines are facing is pilot fatigue. An

airline pilots association says that`s the number one safety threat for Southwest Airlines but that`s not the only company whose employees say

they`re exhausted.

Airline travel hasn`t completely recovered from the COVID pandemic, but it`s getting there. U.S. government data shows that this month, there were

about 90 percent of the travelers there were in 2019. But there`s an ongoing shortage of pilots. Thousands of them retired during the pandemic.

Others have complained of not enough pay, long and expensive training, being put on leave without pay and COVID vaccine requirements.
 

leave [liv] n. 休假；休假期

The federal government has rules about how much airline pilots can fly. Those are set at 30 hours max in the air each week, and at least 9 hours of

rest in between shifts. But pilots say changes because of weather, delays and other issues are taking their toll.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is the latest challenge to your next trip -- understaffed airlines and overworked flight
 

understaffed [͵ʌndɚˋstæft] adj. 人手不足的

crews causing carriers to cancel flights. After hundreds of cancellations last weekend, JetBlue announced it is cutting eight to ten percent of its

summer schedule, citing a challenging staffing situation. The latest numbers show that airlines are still shy more than thirty thousand workers
 

shy [ʃaɪ] adj.【美】【口】缺乏的，不足的

compared to before the pandemic.

HENRY HARTEVELDT, ATMOSPHERE RESEARCH GROUP: There`s a lot of burnout and especially among some work groups. I`m hearing from folks saying, I just
 

burnout [ˋbɝn͵aʊt] n. 筋疲力尽

can`t take it anymore.

MUNTEAN: Crew shortages are hitting airlines large and small. Alaska Airlines is cancelling two percent of its flights through June. Delta
 

large and small 大大小小

pilots say they are being pushed to the limit on a regular basis.
 

on a regular basis: 定期地; regularly; occurring in regular time intervals or patterns.

EVAN BAACH, AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION: Longer days with shorter nights at home, shorter layovers and our pilots are tired and fatigued.
 

layover [ˋle͵ovɚ] n. 中途短暂的停留

MUNTEAN: Pilot reports of fatigue spiked at Southwest Airlines last month. Their union says the company is struggling to retain its newest hires.

CASEY MURRAY, PRESIDENT, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES PILOTS ASSOCIATION: This is going to be a critical issue every month and every year that we move

forward.

MUNTEAN: Help comes in the form of sky-high hiring goals. Delta wants to hire 200 new pilots each month. JetBlue has already hired 3,000 new crew

this year alone.

United Airlines came up with a different solution, opening up its own flight school, a first for any major airline in the United States.

SCOTT KIRBY, UNITED AIRLINES: The pilot shortage is real. We can hire pilots at United Airlines, but the regional airlines and smaller airlines

or have a real pilot shortage and are having real challenges.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

AZUZ: For 10 out of 10, Toby Keith is the oldest dog in the world. That`s not a knock on the country singer. Toby Keith is also the name of a Chihuahua,
 

Chihuahua [tʃɪˋwɑwɑ] n.（一种很小的狗）吉娃娃

this Chihuahua, which Guinness World Record says is the oldest canine alive. He was adopted from a shelter a few months after he was born

on January 9th 2001, which means Toby Keith recently celebrated his 21st birthday and he`s said to be in good health though he spends a lot of time

sleeping.

When that dog growls at the door, you better let the old man in. He`s probably thinking how do you like me now? Every dog has its day, I`m
 

growl [graʊl] v.（狗等）嗥叫

unleashed and I want to talk about me. Don`t pull my chain, I was made in America longer ago than any other and I never thought I should have been a

cowboy.

I`m Carl Azuz.

Today`s shout-out goes out to Mancelona High School. It is great to see you watching from Mancelona, Michigan.

Our YouTube channel at youtube.com/CNN10 is the only place we look for shout-out schools.

END