EZCNN 易英网

An Upgrade for Air Force One?

 

Hello sunshine rise up welcome to CNN 10 for Tuesday March 13th I'm Coy Wire here to help you fuel your mind with the latest news from around the world.

Heat pressure and time the three things that make a waffle also make diamonds.

 

So let's crank up the heat push through the pressure and shine bright your 10 minutes of news starts now.

We begin today with a breakthrough in trade talks between the United States and China the two countries are cooling down a trade war by agreeing to a big roll back in tariffs on each other's products for an initial 90-day period.

 

Tariffs are a tax placed on items that are imported or exported from one country to another.

When President Donald Trump raised tariffs earlier this year the two countries went back and forth imposing higher rates on each other's goods.

 

U.S. tariffs went to a whopping 145% on Chinese goods but now the US agreed to temporarily lower them to 30%.

China agreed to cut its tariffs on American imports from 125% to 10 the announcement comes after a marathon weekend of negotiations in Switzerland with officials from the two largest economies in the world quickly reaching a deal.

 

Officials have been at a stalemate since the trade war escalated.

 

stalemate [ˋstel͵met] n. 僵持状态

 

The deal even if temporary is a major relief to American businesses who would have seen their profits decrease.

It could also mean a major relief to consumers who would have seen the high cost of tariffs passed on to them impacting their wallets.

 

It's the US businesses importing the goods not the foreign companies who have to pay the taxes to the federal government for the products they import.

Now to a major presidential gift that's raising some eyebrows over the weekend President Donald Trump said that the Defense Department plans to accept a $400 million jet from the government of Qatar.

 

The luxury Boeing jet would replace Air Force One while Trump is in office.

The plan is to then donate it to Trump's presidential library when his term is over so it would essentially become a very expensive presidential relic of sorts.

 

The president said he would not fly it for personal use the gift would be the most valuable gift ever given to the US government from a foreign power and is raising legal national security and ethical questions nonetheless.

 

Normally gifts to US presidents from foreign governments require approval by Congress and are subject to specific rules.

Qatari officials have confirmed that the gift is a government-to-government transaction not a personal one.

 

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the gift was quote legally permissible.

The Defense Department will still need to spend millions to retrofit the plane with security features and modifications so it can be used as Air Force One.

 

retrofit [ˋrɛtrəfɪt] v. 对……作翻新改进

 

The CIA and National Security Agency will also have to diligently search the plane for any kind of tracking or surveillance devices but upgrading the Air Force One aircraft has been a longtime priority for President Trump, our Tom Foreman takes us through that history.

 

diligently [ˋdɪlədʒəntlɪ] adv. 勤奋地，认真地

 

He's hardly the first to oversee changes, president Eisenhower returns to Washington.

The president's plane called Air Force One since the 1950s has experienced many upgrades and modifications and once featured a gaudy orange front.

 

gaudy [ˋgɔdɪ] adj.（文风、服饰等）华丽而俗气的

front [frʌnt] n. 外表;前面；正面

 

But when John and Jackie Kennedy proposed a new design in the early 60s it stuck.

Air Force One has looked like this ever since, the flying White House in times of conflict, confusion and more a worldwide symbol of presidential stability and power in fact and fiction.

 

Get off my plane.

For all that, an official close to the project tells CNN.

 

Trump has been deeply involved in the new design.

it was a 22-hour flight you think that's fun that's not even fun in Air Force One.

 

Nothing appears set in stone yet but while 10 other presidents have left Air Force One, largely as they found it.

This one seems intent on leaving his mark.

 

not be set in stone 还未确定; 未成定局

 

Did you know?

the US president used to cruise around in a yacht before Air Force One the US government owned the USS Sequoia which hosted nine presidents from Herbert Hoover to Jimmy Carter from 1931 to 1977 the floating White House so to speak was a venue for official events and social events too.

 

sequoia [sɪˋkwɔɪə] n.（产于美国加州的）红杉

 

It hosted gatherings for some major moments in history like discussions over the atomic bomb, civil rights and the Vietnam War.

It hosted John F Kennedy's last birthday celebration before his assassination in 1963 but in 1977 President Jimmy Carter decided to sell the yacht to reduce government spending and have a less extravagant presidency, 10 years later the vessel was designated a national historic landmark the more you know.

 

Pop quiz hotshot.

The largest hailstone ever measured was roughly the size of what?

Teacup,  softball,  kickball, or grapefruit.

 

hailstone [ˋhel͵ston] n. 冰雹

 

If you said kickball put a foot up.

In 2015 a hail storm in South Dakota produced a 2-pound hailstone measuring 8 inchesin diameter.

 

Hail forms when raindrops are whisked back up to the extremely cold higher altitudes by a thunderstorm's rising air currents that's where they freeze and eventually become heavy enough to fall back to Earth, hopefully not in your dome.

 

whisk [hwɪsk] v. 迅速移动；飞奔

 

Large hail storms have swept across the southern US including Tennessee, North Carolina and Arizona over the past 2 weeks

Despite summer being just a month away some residents reported their shock to seeing frozen ice falling from the sky including into their pool like this one in Arizona.

 

Low visibility and damage from the chunks of hail were reported in several states.

While an icy storm so close to summer may seem odd.

 

Weather data shows that May is actually the most common month for hail storms according to the National Weather Service.

 

Now to a potential breakthrough in how to brew coffee.

Actually more specifically, how to pour coffee in a way that saves money.

 

With the price of coffee beans spiking because of trade taxes and a shorter supply of beans due to climate issues a new way to save some beans is making some folks perk up.

 

perk up 昂起 (头); 竖起 (耳朵)

 

The ubiquitous breakfast brew was recently the focus of a scientific study at the University of Pennsylvania where researchers use physics to figure out a way to pour a quality cup using fewer beans, turns out it's all about fluid dynamics what happens when boiling water meets coffee grounds at the perfect speed from the perfect height.

 

My CNN team wanted me to put it to the test so I did.

The need for coffee is real but with increasing prices and the climate crisis threatening the trees and shrubs there's got to be a better way to create a strong cup of coffee using fewer beans.

 

There is! Oh. What's up? Jackie.

Physicists and fluid mechanics experts at the University of Pennsylvania did a study on exactly this.

 

Now their research focused on pour-over coffee so you're going to need a pour-over coffee kit that includes a coffee dripper, a filter, a coffee grinder and a gooseneck kettle good luck.

 

pour-over [ˈporˌovɚ] adj.（咖啡）手冲的

dripper [ˈdrɪpɚ] n. 滤杯

gooseneck kettle 咖啡手冲壶;  鹅颈壶

 

Appreciate you! Well, all right. Let's get to it.

 

Boil the water, check.

All right pro coffee maker tips so I'm told.

 

You put the dry filter in and you wet the filter first to get that paper taste off of the paper.

Dump that water out, filter back in.

 

Next up, load the grinds in the filter and we're going to use a little bit less grinds than we typically would.

Now to the technical part. I'm supposed to pour this hot water from 30 cm high aka 11.8 inches, and producer Tiffany, always producing, has a tape measure for us.

 

So, here we go researchers say that pouring from this height creates an avalanche of sorts within the grounds as you're pouring.

I can't pour too fast cuz I am not going to slurp coffee off of this counter. Maybe I would.

 

slurp [slɝp] v. 出声地吃（或喝）

 

But not too slowly otherwise you might break the stream and it won't be able to mix correctly.

Noted, all right, looks ready, smells ready.

Now, for the moment of truth.

 

Here we go. She deserves it. Not sure what that look was. I guess I'm going to have to pour myself another cup here and let's see.

That is a strong cup of coffee using fewer beans researchers say you have to you know practice at home so you don't make a mess and you perfect that perfect pour, but that's a small price to pay for making the world a better place.

 

Today's story getting a 10 out of 10

A young man who reminds us that you can find strength through your struggles.

 

Virginia Union University student Jayden Picot thought he might never walk again after a tragic traffic incident let alone the graduation stage a month later.

But Jayden never gave up hope and in that hope he found the inspiration and determination to find a way here's part of his incredible story.

 

I am thrilled I'm excited for myself.

After just two weeks at the Sheltering Arms Institute at VCU he was introduced to the exoskeleton a wearable robotic device.

 

exoskeleton [͵ɛksoˋskɛlətn] n.【动】外骨骼；皮骨骼；外甲

 

I really got motivated and determined to just keep getting up using the Exo every day I can and just getting comfortable being in it.

He saw a video of another grad crossing the stage with one and was determined to make that his reality in the span of just a few months

 

Graduating college is not easy and going through rehabilitation after a spinal cord injury is not easy, doing both at the same time is impressive and it's a testament to how hard he works and his overall work ethic.

 

work ethic 职业道德

 

Rise up no matter who you are or what you're going through remember that you are more powerful than you know and you just may be the inspiration others need.

 

All right tomorrow is #youwordwednesday so follow me @coywire on the socials put your unique vocabulary word in the comment section of my most recent post with the definition put your school, your teacher's name, mascot if you'd like and we're going to choose one winner to work into tomorrow's show.

 

Today's shout out is going to the Edenwald School in Pleasantville, New York we see all your hard work we see you Edenwald Eagles keep soaring high baby.

 

That's all we have time for, for now let's focus on the details today dominate the details remember how you do the little things is that determines how well be prepared you'll be for the biggest moments in life.

 

I'm Coy Wire and we are

CNN 10.