EZCNN 易英网

U.S. and Iran Ramp Up Tensions; Grocery Chains Face Dynamic Challenges; Robots Taking Over Human Jobs; CNN Heroes

CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: With two weeks left to go in our winter/spring season, we welcome viewers worldwide to a new addition of CNN 10. Two

rival countries on opposite sides of the world are speaking out against each other but they`re also both saying they don`t want to go to war. In

the United States, there`s a meeting scheduled for Tuesday between the Trump Administration and members of the U.S. Senate the subject, the Middle

Eastern country of Iran. In recent weeks the U.S. has suggested that Iran may be planning attacks on Americans in the Middle East.

Iran has denied that but both nations have ramped up their criticism of each other since last year when the U.S. withdrew from an international
 

ramp up 加强；增强

nuclear deal with Iran. Over the past week, there`ve been some suspicious events taking place in the Middle East. There was the apparent sabotage of
 

sabotage [ˋsæbə͵tɑʒ] n. 蓄意破坏

four oil carrying ships near the United Arab Emirates. There was a drone attack on an oil pipeline near the Strait of Hormuz. It hasn`t been proven

who`s responsible but Saudi Arabia blames a group supported by Iran for targeting the pipeline.

Separately, U.S. officials say their intelligence indicates Iran might be putting missiles on small boats in the Persian Gulf that body of water is

on Iran`s southern border. An American aircraft carrier battle group has been deployed to the region. American bomber planes and defense missiles

have been sent there. American staff members have been told to leave the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, that`s on Iran`s western border. Still, with all

this going on Iran`s supreme leader has said there will be no war and its foreign minister added that no country is quote "under the illusion of

being able to fight Iran."

At the White House when U.S. President Donald Trump was recently asked about the possibility of war with Iran, he said quote, "I hope not." But

he later tweeted if Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran never threaten the United States again.

10 Second Trivia. Which of these grocery store chains was founded as the Great Western Tea company in 1883? Kroger, Albertsons, Publix or Trader

Joes. The Great Western Tea Company was run by Barney Kroger who`s name was on his stores by 1902.

It`s not the biggest grocery chain in America. You`ll find out in a moment which one is, but all chains are dealing with some similar challenges in a

changing world. Consumers are doing more shopping online, that includes groceries. People are looking for home delivery and dollar stores and drug
 

dollar store 一元商店; a shop where everything costs one dollar

stores are trying their hand at selling groceries. So the competition is fierce and profit margins, the money stores make on groceries, are small.
 

try one’s hand 尝试

This doesn`t mean that everyone`s struggling but smaller chains are feeling the pinch.
 

pinch [pɪntʃ] n. 紧要时刻，紧急情况

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: America`s grocery shopping habits are changing and right now the biggest winners in groceries aren`t necessarily the chains

you`d expect. For Wal-Mart, groceries are huge business. They make up more than half of Wal-Mart`s sales. The chain is focused on lowering

prices and building out its grocery delivery and store pick up options. And that service could generate $35 billion annually for the industry by

2020. But its not just big names dominating in grocery, German discount grocery chain Aldi is courting shoppers with super low prices, small stores and its own quality brands.
 

court [kort] v. 企图获得；追求

Case in point, about 90 percent of the products Aldi sells are private label. The grocery chain is more than 1800 stores today and plans to add

700 more by the end of 2022. That would make it the country`s third largest grocery chain behind Wal-Mart and Kroger. But for the company that

can deliver you almost anything, almost anytime, grocery has proved a tough business to crack. Amazon bought Whole Foods back in 2017 for close to $14
 

crack [kræk] v. 强行进入

billion. The tech giant quickly lowered prices and gave sweet discounts to prime members. It was all part of the plan to get rid of Whole Foods whole

paycheck image but it wasn`t enough.

Amazon`s 100 million U.S. prime members haven`t flocked to Whole Foods. These days shoppers have a lot of other options for buying organic so

Amazon is lowering prices again. Some other competitors like Kroger are learning from the discount chains and adding more private label products.

But the new leaders in grocery have spelled trouble for smaller, regional supermarket chains. In the end, the chains coming out on top are the ones
 

spell [spɛl] v. 意味着(灾难)／会招致(麻烦)

promising no-frills, brick-and-mortar convenience and rock-bottom prices.
 

no-frills [ˋno͵frɪlz] adj. 不提供非必要服务的；简单朴素的；没有装饰的

brick-and-mortar 实体店的

rock-bottom 最低的

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe that robots should be put to work as service operators and the first place to start is where people are hanging 100`s of

feet in the air. Skyline Robotics, we have a robot that cleans windows. So if we look at a 40 floor building that has roughly 300,000

square feet of window surface to be cleaned, it would take standard work today roughly two and a half months of actual work to clean. And with Osmo
 

and just two supervisors, we can do that same work in about a week. The robot actually maps the building in 3D. As it approaches the building,

every obstacle that it might have like a head bobbing out the window or window opening, the robot will self correct and move around it so as to not

to break a window.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How does it know if somebody`s sticking their head out?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well it has computer vision and touch sensors so it can see and feel the building. I think the first thing people think of when

they see this type of system is automation is coming for our jobs and this probably seems like the perfect example that people who probably don`t make

high wages cleaning these buildings. They`re going to be replaced by this robot. Well I think eventually, society mankind will be replacing

dangerous jobs because it doesn`t make sense for people to be risking their lives. From where we stand, when we look at the job we are automating it

makes perfect sense for us to put the person in a safe position. Supervising the robots and let the robots dangle hundreds of feet in the air.
 

dangle [ˋdæŋg!] v. 悬摆，悬荡；吊，挂

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: Nominations are open for 2019`s CNN Heroes. Everyday folks making a difference in their community, their region, maybe the world. You can find

out more about it at CNN.com/heroes. The top 10 heroes of 2019 will be announced late this year. Today, we`re featuring the work of two finalists

from 2018 who worked together to change the life of a girl in Peru.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST ANDERSON 360: Last December viewers were inspired by 10 remarkable people who were honored at CNN Heroes, an All-

Star Tribute. That night also inspired two CNN Heroes to join forces. Amanda Boxtel provides high tech physical therapy to patients with mobility

issues. And Ricardo Pun-Chong who was named the CNN Hero of the Year provides free housing and support for sick children and their families

while they receive medical treatment. When Amanda discovered that one of the kids in Ricardo`s program names Delesca (ph) needed a wheel chair, she

wanted to help.

AMANDA BOXTEL: He sent me a little video of a little girl who`s eight years old named Delesca (ph) and she can`t talk and she can`t walk. She

has cerebral palsy and she was in a stroller. She`s been in a stroller for her whole life. It`s time don`t you think for her to have a wheel chair to
 

cerebral palsy【医】大脑性麻痹

call her own? I needed to find the perfect wheel chair that could really be a match for her body. So we`ve got a headrest and we`ve got an adjustable footrest.
 

headrest [ˋhɛd͵rɛst] n. 头靠，头枕，靠头之物

footrest [ˋfʊt͵rɛst] n. 搁脚物

We`ve got little side guards to keep her body straight and upright. I had a seamstress sew some butterflies on it. Why
 

seamstress [ˋsimstrɪs] n. 女裁缝师

not? Because you know it`s about freedom and flying and Delesca`s (ph) going to have that.

COOPER: At their non-profit training in Los Angeles, Amanda gave the wheel chair to Ricardo.

BOXTEL: Look what we have for Delesca (ph).

RICARDO PUN-CHONG: Thank you so much.

BOXTEL: This reclines.
 

recline [rɪˋklaɪn] v. 斜倚，靠；躺

PUN-CHONG: Oh.

BOXTEL: Isn`t that cool?

PUN-CHONG: Yes.

BOXTEL: And this can go around her neck, so her little head doesn`t fall. Yet we can strap her in here, see. Look. We had to think of everything

because, you know, she`s going to grow with this wheel chair. You`ve got a lot to take back to Peru.

PUN-CHONG: This chair is (inaudible). She is going to be so happy.

COOPER: And when Ricardo returned to Peru with a personalized wheel chair, Delesca (ph) was overjoyed.

PUN-CHONG: With this new wheel chair and with her surgery, she`s going to have a - - a better life.

COOPER: The power of two CNN Heroes working together to change lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: If you have a fear of heights, you may want to look away. Because we`re stepping out on the what`s said to be the longest suspension bridge

in North America. It`s called the Sky Bridge. It just opened in Tennessee. It`s about the length of two football fields across and at its

highest point it has a glass bottom so you can see exactly what`s 140 feet under your feet. You actually have to take a chairlift to get to the Sky Bridge.
 

chairlift [ˋtʃɛrlɪft] n.（运送滑雪者或游客上、下山的）升降机

So if you`re more "acrophobic" or "acrobatic". Your senses are more "frightened" than "heightened". You`d rather be walking on home than
 

acrophobic [͵ækrəˋfobɪk] adj. 惧高（症）的

acrobatic [͵ækrəˋbætɪk] adj. 雜技的，特技的

walking on air and you`d rather play "Go Fish" instead of "Bridge", this may be a "Bridge to Far". But for Luke and the rest of us "Skywalkers" we

love "spans" that leave us in "suspense". I`m Carl Azuz traversing another edition of CNN.

END