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Huge Quakes Strike Chile and Taiwan 大地震撼动智利及台湾

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Huge Quakes Strike Chile and Taiwan  大地震撼动智利及台湾

A massive earthquake hit the South American nation of Chile in late February, killing hundreds of people, according to early estimates. The 8.8-magnitude quake leveled towns, leaving many people missing in the rubble. Desperate for necessities such as food and water, some survivors broke into shops and even took out their frustration on aid workers. A tsunami was also triggered, which devastated coastal cities along the country’s long Pacific coastline. Tsunami warnings were issued elsewhere around the Pacific Rim, but luckily waves that struck the region turned out to be relatively minor.

一起强震于2月底袭击南美洲国家智利，根据初步估测数字，有数百人因而丧生。这起芮氏规模8.8的地震夷平了城市，使许多人埋在瓦砾堆中不知去向。幸存者不顾一切地想要食物和水等生活必需品，有些人闯进商店，甚至把沮丧宣泄在救援人员身上。地震也引发了海啸，重创智利绵延的太平洋海岸线。环太平洋其他地区发布了海啸警报，不过所幸打上该区域的浪涛相对较小。

On the heels of the Chile quake came another large earthquake in Kaohsiung. The 6.4-magnitude earthquake left 64 people injured and over half a million homes without power. What’s more, a fire broke out in a textile factory in Tainan, causing losses of over NT$100 million. The combination of large earthquakes and tsunamis were enough to cause panic throughout much of the world.

在智利地震后接踵而来的是另一起发生在高雄的大地震。这起芮氏规模6.4的地震使得64人受伤，超过50万户停电。此外，台南一间纺织厂传出火警，造成超过1亿元新台币的损失。大地震和海啸的结合效应足够在全球许多地方造成恐慌。

Health Premium Set to Rise  健保费用将调涨

Some people in Taiwan could soon be paying more for health insurance. The Department of Health (DOH) announced in March that a plan was in the works to increase premiums for people making above NT$50,000 or NT$60,000 per month. According to these guidelines, about 75 percent of the population would be exempt from the increase, which would be between dozens and hundreds of NT dollars per month, depending on an individual’s income.

台湾一些民众可能很快就要多付一点健保费了。卫生署于3月宣布增额计划正在筹备中，每月所得超过新台币5万或6万元的人健保费将调涨。根据这些准则，百分之七十五的人口不会受调涨计划影响，调涨增额大约在每月新台币数十元到数百元不等，依个人的所得而定。

The increase in premium was publicized by the government as a way to tackle the health care system’s mounting debt. However, a spokesman for the National Health Insurance Civil Surveillance Alliance said the plan would unfairly punish high-wage earners. Also mentioned was the fact that the plan could encourage people to lie about their incomes or have their employers pay a higher percentage of their wages in the form of bonuses. The real problem, said the spokeswoman, is medical institutions that have fallen below standard.

政府宣传健保费调涨方案，认为其能解决不断攀升的医疗制度债务。然而，民间监督健保联盟的发言人表示，该计划等于是差别待遇，惩罚高薪一族。另外她也提到，调涨计划会变相鼓励民众谎报所得，或请雇主将高比例的薪资列在红利奖金的名目下。发言人认为，真正的问题在于医疗机构标准下滑。

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Vocabulary

单词发音

massive [ˋmæsɪv] adj. 巨大的，大量的

estimate [ˋɛstə͵met] v. & n. 估计，估量

take out on somebody 向某人出气 to abuse (someone) in venting one's own anger

trigger [ˋtrɪgɚ] v. 触发，引起

devastate [ˋdɛvəs͵tet] v. 毁坏; 摧毁; 毁灭

issue [ˋɪʃjʊ] v. 发行；发布

on the heels of something 紧跟在某事物后面 soon after something

insurance [ɪnˋʃʊrəns] n. 保险

in the works 正在进行, 正在准备 being developed or scheduled to happen in the future

exempt [ɪgˋzɛmpt] v. 免除，豁免[（+from）] adj. 被免除（义务）的﹐被豁免的[+from]

individual [͵ɪndəˋvɪdʒʊəl] n. 个人；个体

publicize [ˋpʌblɪ͵saɪz] v. 宣传；公布

tackle [ˋtæk!] v. 着手对付（或处理）

unfairly [ʌnˋfɛrlɪ] adv. 不公平地；不公正地

More Information

单词发音

magnitude [ˋmægnə͵tjud] n. 震级

level [ˋlɛv!] v. 夷平；毁坏

rubble [ˋrʌb!] n. 碎石；瓦砾堆

necessity [nəˋsɛsətɪ] n. 必需品

tsunami [tsuˋnɑmi] n.（源自日语）海啸，地震海啸（系海底地震或火山爆发所致）

coastline [ˋkost͵laɪn] n. 海岸线

the Pacific Rim 环太平洋地区

textile [ˋtɛkstaɪl] n. 纺织品, adj. 纺织的

premium [ˋprimɪəm] n. 保险费

surveillance [sɚˋveləns] n. 监督；检查

bonus [ˋbonəs] n. 奖金；额外津贴

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