week4

Why are Israel and the Palestinians fighting over Gaza?

Wednesday 27^th August 2014

After World War II and the Holocaust (大屠殺) in which six million Jewish people were killed, more Jewish people wanted their own country.

They were given a large part of Palestine(巴勒斯坦), which they considered their traditional home but the Arabs who already lived there and in neighbouring countries felt that was unfair and didn't accept the new country. In 1948, the two sides went to war. When it ended, Gaza was controlled by Egypt and another area, the West Bank, by Jordan (約旦). They contained thousands of Palestinians who fled what was now the new Jewish home, Israel (以色列).

Israel's recognition

But then, in 1967, after another war, Israel occupied these Palestinian areas and Israeli troops stayed there for years. Israelis hoped they might exchange the land they won for Arab (阿拉伯) countries recognizing Israel's right to exist and an end to the fighting.

Israel finally left Gaza in 2005 but soon after, a group called Hamas won elections and took control there. Much of the world calls Hamas a terrorist organization. It refuses to recognize Israel as a country and wants Palestinians to be able to return to their old home - and will use violence to achieve its aims. Since then, Israel has held Gaza under a blockade, which means it controls its borders and limits who can get in and out.

Life in Gaza

Life for the many of the 1.5 million Palestinians who live in the Gaza Strip is difficult. Israel controls its coastline and all the entry and exit crossings into Israel. There is another crossing point into Egypt. There is no working airport. Because access is so restricted, not many goods get into or out of Gaza. Food is allowed in, but aid agencies say families are not eating as much meat or fresh vegetables and fruit as they used to. There are often power cuts.

Large numbers of people are unemployed because businesses can get very few of their products out of Gaza to sell, and people don't have much money to buy things.

Palestinian refugees

During the 1948 and 1967 wars hundreds of thousands of Palestinians left, or were forced out of, their homes and moved to neighboring countries to become refugees.

More than 4.6 million Palestinians are refugees and their descendants, many living in camps in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Syria(敘利亞), Jordan and Lebanon (黎巴嫩). They get help from the United Nations. Violence in Gaza

Though the Palestinians don't have an army, rockets are regularly fired from Gaza into Israel. Israelis living in border towns are used to having to take shelter and adapting their lives to deal with the rockets.

In the years since Israel withdrew its troops in 2005, Gaza has seen several Israeli offensives. Israel says these were aimed at putting a stop to rocket fire.

In 2008, Israel sent soldiers into Gaza. An estimated 1,300 people, many of them civilians, were killed in Gaza before a ceasefire was declared; 13 Israeli soldiers also died.

In 2012, at least 167 Palestinians and six Israelis were killed during an Israeli operation. After eight days a ceasefire was declared with both sides promising to stop attacks.

Most recently in July 2014, authorities said over 2,200 people were killed - most of them Palestinians - and many more injured, during 50 days of violence. A ceasefire was agreed between Israel and Hamas on 26 August.

Peace Process

Other countries, particularly America, have worked hard to settle the fighting between the Arabs and Israelis but so far nothing has worked. Many people want Gaza and the West Bank to be turned into a new country - Palestine. Israel won't agree to this unless it feels safe - and Hamas accepts its right to exist. The other sticking points are what will happen to Israelis who've settled in the West Bank, who will run Jerusalem and what will happen to the Palestinian refugees.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/20436092

Structure of the Lead：

   WHO- not given

   WHEN- not given

   WHAT- explanation

   WHY- Israel and the Palestinians fighting over Gaza.

   WHERE-not given

   HOW-not given

Keywords：

   1. recognition認可

   2. exist 存在

   3. terrorist 恐怖份子

   4. blockade 封鎖

   5. refugee 逃亡者

   6. rockets 火箭

   7. withdrew 撤退

   8. offensive 進攻

   9. ceasefire 停火

week3-Taiwan nuclear plant

Taiwan nuclear plant prompts protests

Francis Kuo, Taichung

Taiwan

April 12, 2013

More than 100 artists are participating in an anti-nuke exhibit opening today in Taichung.

It is the first large scale anti-nuclear campaign since an island-wide, 200,000-person protest in early March forced the government to consider a referendum on the Lungmen Nuclear Plant by the end of the year.

“The Taiwan Power Company overestimates its ability to cope with all technical issues of the Lungmen Plant,” said Tsai Chih-hao, executive secretary of the Taiwan Academy of Ecology.

“The government should squarely face the consequences and not shun its responsibility by introducing a highly controversial referendum,” Tsai said.

The Lungmen Plant began construction in 1999 but has been delayed several times due to political controversy. It had to delay commercial operations expected in 2012 after revelations of construction mismanagement.

Meanwhile, the ruling Nationalist Party today led a vote in the legislature against a proposal to stop construction altogether. 

The public is particularly concerned about nuclear safety after Japan’s Fukushima disaster. Taiwan lies on a seismic belt and has experienced several earthquakes in the past year.

The Lungmen Plant is located in northern Taiwan, close to the capital city of Taipei. Six million people would be affected in the event of an accident.

It will be Taiwan's fourth nuclear power plant. Taiwan’s current three provide 15 percent of the country’s electricity, a recent study found. 

In a press conference today, exhibit organizer Chen Yu-feng said the display is “a social movement to demand that the Taiwan government stops the construction of Lungmen Nuclear Plant immediately and abolishes the referendum.”

http://www.ucanews.com/news/taiwan-nuclear-plant-prompts-protests/68003

 Structure of the Lead：

   WHO-More than 100 artists who participating in an anti-nuke exhibit

   WHEN-today

   WHAT-200,000-person protest in early March forced the government to consider a referendum on the Lungmen Nuclear Plant by the end of the year

  WHY-The Taiwan Power Company overestimates its ability to cope with all technical issues of the Lungmen Plant

   WHERE-Taichung

   HOW-not given

Keywords：

   1. Anti-nuke反核

   2. campaign 運動

   3. referendum公投

   4. overestimates高估

   5. controversial爭論的

   6. revelations啟示

   7. mismanagement管理不善

   8. seismic belt地震帶

   9. press conference記者會

  10. abolish廢除

Week2-world cup

Five reasons why Messi stands out in the world of soccer

By Karl Ritter, AP
July 13, 2014, 12:00 am TWN

RIO DE JANEIRO (里約熱內盧)--A four-time world player of the year, Argentina's Lionel Messi is gifted with talents that most footballers can only dream of. What makes him special is that he possesses not just one or two but a combination of special skills that give him an edge over just about everyone.

Although he hasn't played brilliantly in every game of this World Cup, Messi's talents have been on display on Argentina's road to Sunday's final against Germany. Here are five traits that explain what makes the Argentina captain so difficult to stop.

Speed

There are plenty of players who could outrun Messi in a 100-meter dash. But running with the ball is a different story. Messi can control the ball at close to top speed, making him an excellent dribbler. Also, it's his acceleration rather than his top speed that cuts up defenses. Few defenders can keep up when Messi revs up from standstill, creating space for his left-foot shot.

Balance

Like former Argentina great Diego Maradona, Messi uses his short stature to his advantage. His low center of gravity enables him to make quick turns and to stay on his feet when challenged. Often, the only way to knock him off balance is to foul him. Defenders at the World Cup have been taking turns tackling Messi to spread the risk of getting booked around the team.

Accuracy

Messi is one of the world's top free-kick takers, striking the ball with impressive accuracy with his magic left foot. Almost always he hits the target or just misses it — you rarely see Messi blast a free kick five meters over the crossbar. In Argentina's final group-stage match, Nigeria gave Messi two free kick opportunities near the penalty area toward the end of the first half. He elegantly curled the first one over the wall, but goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama was well-positioned and stopped it. By the second free kick, Messi had fine-tuned his aim, and struck the ball perfectly inside the post. Enyeama jokingly asked the referees during the break to not give Messi any more free kicks.

Patience

Patience is a perhaps and underrated virtue for a football player, and it's one that has served Messi well in the World Cup. Every opponent has come with a plan to stop him, by closing down his space and tackling him as soon as he touches the ball. As a result Messi has looked out of the game for long periods. But instead of hanging his head and getting frustrated, Messi keeps looking for openings, patiently awaiting a moment when defenders take their focus off him for just a split second. That's when he strikes. Against Iran, that moment came in injury time when he scored his second goal of the tournament. Against Switzerland, it happened in extra time as he set up Angel Di Maria's winning goal with a piercing run down the middle.

Intelligence

Messi also stands out for his ability to read the game, mapping out paths to the opponent's goal in his mind before the opponent does. That's key to understanding why he's such a prolific scorer. Knowing by instinct where a gap will open up for a quick pass or shot gives him an advantage over others, though it can also complicate things for the team. Sometimes Messi lets chances slip away by being too smart for his Argentina teammates, who don't gel with him to the same degree as Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez in Barcelona.

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/sports/soccer/2014/07/13/412224/Five-reasons.htm

Structure of the Lead：

   WHO- Messi

   WHEN- not given

   WHAT- five traits that explain what makes the Argentina captain so difficult to stop.

   WHY- he possesses not just one or two but a combination of special skills that give him an edge over                 just about everyone.

   WHERE-not given

   HOW-not given

Keywords：

   1. trait特點

   2. accuracy準確度

   3.Patience耐心

   4.intelligence 才智

   5.opponent 對手