EZCNN 易英网

Protests in France Over Diesel Fuel; Honoring the Late President George H. W. Bush; New Idea on Sharing Energy; Retirement Home for Research Monkeys; Hershey Bears Help Children in Need

CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: France`s government is getting into a major demand of protestors but will it be enough to stop the riots that have been

taking place there. I`m Carl Azuz for CNN 10 and that`s where we begin today`s show. Most cars in France run on diesel fuel. The cost of that

has gone up significantly this year and the government of French President Emmanuel Macron has planned an increase on diesel taxes starting in

January.

Two main reasons for that. One, President Macron wants French drivers to switch from diesel cars to electric ones. He said that`s necessary to

fight climate change. And two, the French government spends more than it takes in so the higher taxes would help make up for that. But the

president`s been criticized for ignoring the needs of drivers who live outside cities and depend on their cars for transportation.

The proposed diesel tax triggered the "Yellow Vest Protests". Demonstrators have been wearing the yellow vests that French law requires

drivers to keep in their cars. Over the weeks that protests have been held, the reasons for them have expanded to reflect general opposition to

Macron`s government. An estimated 36,000 people turned out across the country on Saturday and violence broke out. Statues were vandalized.
 

vandalize [ˋvænd!͵aɪz] v. 任意破坏

Graffiti was written on the famous Arc De Triomphe. The Reuters News Agency reported that a high school was set on fire.

About 400 people were arrested. The New York Times reports that three people were killed and that hundreds of others were hurt in the protests.

On Tuesday, the French Prime Minister announced that the planned tax increases on diesel would be postponed for six months. But the question

remains, will that cause tensions to simmer down or will unrest continue to swell in the weeks ahead?
 

simmer down 冷静下来

10 Second Trivia. George H. W. Bush, the 41st U.S. President was also known by what nickname? Dutch, Poppy, Bubba, or Big Chief. Since he was a
 

poppy [ˋpɑpɪ] n.【植】罂粟；罂粟科植物

child, President George H. W. Bush was called "Poppy".

Starting Monday evening a long line formed outside the U.S. Capitol Building. The public stood in the cold to join current and former elected
 

U.S. Capitol Building 美国国会大厦

officials in paying their respects to former U.S. President George H. W. Bush. He passed away on Friday at the age of 94 and his casket was brought
 

casket [ˋkæskɪt] n. 棺材；骨灰盒

to the U.S. Capitol rotunda to lie in state until Wednesday morning. This is an honor reserved for military officers and U.S. government officials.
 

rotunda [roˋtʌndə] n. 圆形建筑；圆形大厅

lie in state (指遗体)安葬前停放公共地点供瞻仰

The 41st President`s death brought together Republicans and Democrats who paid solemn tributes to President Bush at the Capitol and are expected at
 

solemn [ˋsɑləm] adj. 严肃的；庄重的；庄严的

his state funeral at the Washington National Cathedral set for Wednesday. Former Senator Bob Dole a friend of President Bush for decades

characterized the 41st leaders passing as the end of an era. George H. W. Bush was the last World War II veteran to serve as U.S. President.

A debate`s growing about whether blockchain technology could change the way people get electricity. Here`s an example of how this could go. Let`s say
 

blockchain 区块链

a home gets it`s energy from it`s own solar panels. It stores more energy than it needs so it`s owner makes an agreement to sell the extra energy to

a neighbor. Potentially sharing costs. Potentially moving both these homes from a centralized energy station to their own. There are questions

about whether this would work especially when expanded to communities.

What if one home used more energy than others, say for Christmas lights in December or air conditioning in summer? Would the others be willing to settle or make energy sacrifices?
 

settle [ˋsɛt!] v. 支付，结算

What if one family went on vacation, their home used very little energy and they wanted to pay less that month?

Some sort of agreement or binding legal document may be needed. And some analysts suggest this whole idea might work better when it`s combined with

current energy stations instead of being used as a replacement for them. But real world experiments are underway.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Imagine a shared economy innovation like Airbnb or Uber for the utility sector that can shift energy generation away from

remote power stations into the hands of the community.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About three years ago, our family along with 11 other neighbors purchased a rooftop solar for our houses. So we were at that

point starting to produce more energy than we consumed and that`s when I discovered the Brooklyn Microgrid and their vision for the future of more

localized energy system.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Garrett Golden (ph) is part of a developing community powered energy platform which could eventually enable more than 100 homes

in his neighborhood to share electricity with one another.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So the way the Brooklyn Microgrid works is here in Brooklyn we`ve got a lot of community members that really want to buy

energy from people that are producing it here in the community.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: LO3 CEO Lawrence Orsini is the man behind one of the world`s first pier to pier energy trade initiatives using blockchain

technology. Usually associated with Bitcoin, blockchain technology is used for verifying and recording transactions and is now being leveraged for trading in renewable energy.
 

verify [ˋvɛrə͵faɪ] v. 证明，证实；核对，查实

leverage [ˋlɛvərɪdʒ] v. 起杠杆作用；发挥重要功效

LAWRENCE ORSINI: So I can actually put panels on my roof. I can produce my own electricity. So what that does is that shifts economically the way

that we get to participate on an energy grid. Now it`s not just one way anymore. It`s me, participating in this market.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are some challenges. Users have to sign up, set up some hardware and an app and there could be Federal regulation down the

road. Traditionally, energy has come from a large central station and flowed in one direction. The Brooklyn Microgrid allows power to be

generated and distributed locally which they say could take stress off the grid. And with New York`s ambitious plan to power 50 percent of the city

with renewable energy by 2030, locally produced clean energy coming from homes like Golden`s might help that transformation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think what`s really important about this transformation underway in the electric system is as much as it is a

technology story, what doesn`t get talked about a lot is it`s also a human story. That has a human impact on how people interact with and think about

energy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this mentality shift is happening globally with similar initiatives taking place in Australia to Germany proving that

blockchain technology is about more than just Bitcoin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARL AZUZ: Twenty-six squirrel monkeys have arrived at their new home at a wildlife sanctuary facility in Florida. They used to be part of a research
 

squirrel monkey 松鼠猴

study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says just under 76,000 primates were used in experiments last

year and more than 34,000 were held in facilities but not used in studies. People who support animal research say it helps develop drugs and medical

treatments that benefit people, pets, farm animals and wildlife.

People who oppose it say it`s inhumane and wasteful and that computer models could replace animals in research. Regardless of where folks stand,
 

inhumane [͵ɪnhjuˋmen] adj. 不近人情的；不人道的；残忍的

the monkeys that recently arrived in Florida will soon stand on grass for the first time. But that has to happen gradually since the outside is

something completely new to them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They`ve never been outside. So they`ve never felt the sun on their face or the grass under their feet or rain or wind. It`s

all going to be such a new experience for them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bongo. Casey. You too Jenny (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not only from laboratory research but we`ve got monkeys from the exotic pet trade from defunct animal facilities, zoos.
 

defunct [dɪˋfʌŋkt] adj. 死的；非现存的；已废止的

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: White Coast Waste Project first uncovered the nicotine testing experiments on monkeys in 2016 and immediately launched a

grassroots campaign who united to get these monkeys out of the lab. And get them sent down here to Jungle Friends where they can live out the rest of their lives.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No other monkeys have ever retired from the FDA.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we`re absolutely thrilled that they showed incredibly bold leadership and did the right thing for the monkeys.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They have the same emotions as we do and you can just watch their little wheels turning in their head. You know, and

they`re just so funny. They have a sense of humor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARL AZUZ: 10 out of 10 goes to bears on ice. The Hershey Bears is the name of a team in the American Hockey League. About half way through the

first period of a recent game, the Hershey Bears scored and fans celebrated by flinging teddy bears into the arena. This was planned. It`s part of an
 

fling [flɪŋ] v.（用力地）扔，掷，抛，丢

effort to help children in need and the team says the 34,798 bears that were thrown into the game set a new world record.

Seeing all that could make some players "plush". But if you`re going to "stuff" an arena with something besides fans, if you`re looking for a way
 

plush [plʌʃ] adj. 长毛绒制的；【口】豪华的，奢侈的

to "soften" up the ice and if you`re hoping that players who fight will just "hug" it out. That`s the "beary" best way to do it ya`all. And it

"stitches" up another addition of CNN 10. I`m Carl Azuz.

END