2017年3月19日 星期日

Week 3 模仿遊戲

Benedict Cumberbatch kicks off London Film Festival


The Sherlock star plays computer pioneer Alan Turing in wartime drama The Imitation Game.
Speaking at the film's European premiere in a wet and windy Leicester Square, Cumberbatch described Turing as "an extraordinary man".
His performance is already being tipped as an Oscar contender.
"To be asked to play such a phenomenal human being - a true English hero - is a great honour and comes with a great responsibility," Cumberbatch said.
He added that he had known "embarrassingly little" about Turing before he made the film.
"That's the tragedy of this man's extraordinary life - his achievements and his heroism and his criminal prosecution are not well known. He should be on the front cover of text books."
Co-star Keira Knightley and other members of the cast - including Charles Dance and Mark Strong - also braved the rain on the opening night of the festival. Knightley plays Turing's close friend and fellow-code breaker, Joan Clarke.
London Film Festival director Clare Stewart described The Imitation Game as "a remarkable British film with great British talent in front of the camera".
She told the BBC: "There have been people waiting for the red carpet since 4am - I'm thrilled that Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley decided not to take a rain check."
The Imitation Game is largely set at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire, where Turing and his team attempted to decipher German messages to help end World War Two.
Turing killed himself in 1954, two years after being prosecuted for gross indecency after he fell foul of anti-gay laws at the time.
Turing received a posthumous royal pardon in December 2013, with Justice Minister Chris Grayling saying he undoubtedly shortened the conflict and saved thousands of lives.
Earlier on Wednesday, Cumberbatch said he understood why some people drew comparisons between Turing and his TV role as problem-solving genius, Sherlock Holmes.
"I didn't read the script and go 'this is Sherlock in tweed'," he said. "I liked how uncompromising he was and I suppose that's a strong trait in strong characters."
The film's Norwegian director, Morten Tyldum, described Turing as "an unsung hero who achieved so much... he was ahead of his time and outside of his time and was carrying all these secrets".
Some 248 feature films will be presented over the 12-day film festival, which runs from 8-19 October.
Among the stars expected on the red carpet are Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Timothy Spall, Andrea Riseborough, Sophie Okonedo, Noomi Rapace, Viggo Mortensen, Steve Carell, Sienna Miller, Reese Witherspoon, Dominic West and Emily Watson.
Another World War Two drama, Fury - starring Brad Pitt - will close the festival on 19 October.
Pitt will attend the premiere with director David Ayer, who said it was "a true pleasure to be returning to England, where we shot the film". Many of the action scenes were filmed in Oxfordshire.
Set in 1945, Fury tells of an army sergeant in command of a tank crew for a mission behind enemy lines.
Commenting on the WW2-themed films that open and close the festival, Stewart said: "Our filmmakers are returning to themes about war - including our centrepiece gala Testament of Youth. Our times make us return to these stories of conflict to try and understand the human condition a little better."
Other gala screenings at the festival include wrestling drama Foxcatcher, starring Steve Carell; and Wild, with Reese Witherspoon as a young woman on a gruelling 1,100 mile hike. The film's screenplay is written by Nick Hornby.

Structure of the Lead:
     WHO-Alan Turing
     WHEN-World War Two
     WHAT- decipher German messages to help end World War Two.
     WHY-help end World War Two.
     WHERE-UK
     HOW-not given

Keywords:
   1. Imitation Game:模仿遊戲
   2. World War Two:第二次世界大戰
   3. fellow-code :代碼
   4. decipher:解碼
   5. anti-gay:反同性戀

2017年2月28日 星期二

Week 2 哈德遜河奇蹟

How Sullenberger Really Saved US Airways Flight 1549

When airplanes crash, it’s usually because a bunch of unexpected things go wrong all at once, or one after the other. Obviously something dramatic went wrong with US Airways Flight 1549, which lost power in both engines and crash-landed on the Hudson River on January 15. But a lot went right, too.

Capt. Chesley Sullenberger has earned plaudits for “heroism,” but that oversimplifies what it took to land the crippled Airbus A320 and get all 150 passengers off safely, before the plane sank. Here are some of the other factors that helped everybody aboard Flight 1549 survive:

Thorough training. Sullenberger may be a model aviator, but it wasn’t heroism that brought Flight 1549 down safely. It was rigorous training that’s inbred in the U.S. aviation system. Pilots have to fly for years before they can command an airliner, and even experienced pilots must routinely train in simulators and pass “check rides” at least once a year under the supervision of Federal Aviation Administration inspectors. Pilots sometimes gripe about overzealous FAA inspectors, but the oversight contributes to a culture of accountability and fastidious attention to detail in the cockpit.

For airline pilots, training focuses on dire scenarios, such as the US Airways crew encountered. “Pilots don’t spend their training time flying straight and level,” says airline pilot Lynn Spencer, author of Touching History: The Untold Story of the Drama That Unfolded in the Skies over America on 9/11. “In simulator training, we’re doing nothing but flying in all sorts of emergencies. Even emergencies become just another set of procedures when repeatedly trained.” As more information emerges on the actions of “Sully” and his first officer, Jeffrey Skiles, it seems clear that it was cool, rational decision-making that saved the day. That’s reason enough to lionize the pilots.

A clear division of labor in the cockpit. From the time the engines stopped producing thrust – presumably because they ingested birds – Sullenberger and Skiles had about three minutes before the powerless plane glided back to earth. And the cockpit would suddenly have become an intense environment to work in. Other airplane systems would have been failing, since they’re powered by the engines. Alerts would have been dinging. Two video screens would have been flashing vital aircraft information and checklists of emergency procedures to go through. Once the pilots chose their course, they would have started to prepare for a water landing. All in three minutes.
As captain, it was Sullenberger’s job to figure out where to land the plane. No doubt he considered returning to New York’s LaGuardia airport, where the plane had taken off from, or to another airport, before realizing that the Hudson was his best bet. Meanwhile, it would have been First Officer Skiles’s job to hurry through a set of checklists with procedures for restarting the engines. Pilots train for losing and restarting both engines on a two-engine jet – but usually using high-altitude scenarios, when there’s a lot more drift-down time than three minutes. Had both pilots fixated on restarting the engines, they could easily have waited too long to pick a place to land, and ended up careening through a populated area. Instead, Sullenberger abided by the basic rule of airplane emergencies: First, fly the airplane.

A textbook landing. It appears that Sullenberger landed Flight 1549 on the Hudson much as he would have landed on a runway – but without engine power, and with far less margin for error. “It’s very important in a water landing to fly the aircraft onto the water as slow as possible,” says Don Shepperd, a Vietnam-era fighter pilot and co-author (with the writer of this article), of Bury Us Upside Down: The Misty Pilots and the Secret Battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail. “The faster you hit, the more likely the plane will cartwheel or the fuselage will disintegrate.” Too slow, however, and the plane could lose lift and “stall,” causing the nose to pitch down into the water uncontrolled. “Once the decision was made to ditch,” Shepperd says, “it was a magnificent piece of aviation professionalism.”


The water landing was obviously shocking to those on board - yet mild compared to what could have happened. “I believed the impact would be violent but survivable,” wrote one passenger, who happened to be a pilot for another airline. “It was much milder than I had anticipated. If the jolt had been turbulence, I would have described it as moderate.”

Buoyancy. Once in the water, Flight 1549 sank slowly. Until there’s full testimony from the pilots, it’s not clear whether one of them pushed the aircraft’s “ditching” button, which seals some of the plane’s valves and intakes and other openings that could let water into the cabin. But they probably did – the plane obviously floated long enough for everybody to get out. Had the landing ripped a hole in the fuselage, or something else compromised the cabin, the plane could have sunk in seconds, with passengers and crew still trapped inside. Or jet fuel could have ignited, creating a watery inferno.

A competent cabin crew. The pilot tends to get all the glory, but the “Miracle on the Hudson” also required flight attendants who directed passengers to the right exits and kept panicky people calm as they scuttled out the doors. If disciplined training and adherence to procedures is the measure of a hero, then they were as “heroic” as Sullenberger. The only obvious oversight in the whole episode is that many passengers left the plane without grabbing their life vests or flotation devices (seat cushions). The FAA may revise safety procedures so that during a no-notice water landing, there’s some kind of last-minute reminder to do this.

Luck. The whole drama still could have turned tragic, had a bunch of things beyond the pilots’ control not gone their way. But the intangibles worked in their favor. The closest body of water was a smooth river, for instance, rather than a choppy ocean with waves and swells that could have flipped the airplane. Landing on the Hudson in winter meant the jet didn’t have to dodge hundreds of private boats sailing up and down the river. And the plane was quickly surrounded by ferries and other vessels able to pluck freezing passengers off the wings and out of the water. “The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators,” wrote historian Edward Gibbon in the 18th century. He didn’t know Sully or Skiles. But then again, he did.

資料來源:http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/flowchart/2009/02/03/how-sullenberger-really-saved-us-airways-flight-1549

 Structure of the Lead:
     WHO-Sully
     WHEN-1549
     WHAT-US Airways Flight 1549
     WHY-airplanes crash
     WHERE-Hudson Rive
     HOW-Saved US Airways Flight 1549

Keywords:
   1. airplanes:飛機
   2. lost power:失去動力
   3.pilots:飛行員
   4.emergencies:緊急情況
   5.Sully:薩利機長

Week 1-美同性婚姻合法

Trump: Same-sex marriage is 'settled,' but Roe v Wade can be changed

2017年1月8日 星期日

第9周 里約奧運

Rio Olympics 2016: Spectacular closing ceremony as Olympic flag goes to Tokyo

he Rio Olympics ended with a spectacular carnival-inspired closing ceremony, and the official handover to 2020 hosts Tokyo.
The colourful ceremony, lasting almost three hours, celebrated Brazil's arts and was held in a wet Maracana.
Among the highlights were Tokyo's impressive showcase and a vibrant carnival parade.
"These were a marvellous Olympics, in a marvellous city," said International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach.
"Over the last 16 days a united Brazil inspired the world, in difficult times for all of us, with its irresistible joy for life."
Bach officially closed the Games of the 31st Olympiad after 16 days of competition, featuring 11,303 athletes from 206 nations and a refugee team.
One of the biggest cheers of the night came when Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appeared dressed as computer game character Super Mario, rising out of a huge green pipe in the stadium.
The ceremony, watched by billions around the world, featured the parade of athletes and a dramatic extinguishing of the Olympic flame.
Women's hockey captain Kate Richardson-Walsh carried the flag for Great Britain, who finished the Games with 67 medals - their highest tally at an overseas Olympics.
Super-heavyweight boxer Joe Joyce had earlier won Britain's final medal of Rio 2016 - a silver - as they finished second in the medal table to the United States, ahead of China.

What happened?

  • The Maracana was turned into a street carnival as the ceremony celebrated Brazil's art, music and dance.
  • Highlights included human formations of iconic Rio landmarks Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain.
  • The Olympic flame was extinguished by a rain shower, which then gave life to a large tree sculpture to symbolise rebirth.
  • The Rio carnival anthem 'Cidade Maravilhosa' played as the party reached a crescendo.
  • Brazilian model Izabel Goulart led a parade of 50 women and 200 dancers, who were joined by a sound truck containing 12 carnival queens.
  • The ceremony concluded with a confetti and firework show.

Tokyo's time comes

The ceremony featured the symbolic handover of the Olympic flag. Rio mayor Eduardo Paes returned it to IOC president Bach, before it was passed to Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike.
That was followed by an impressive 12-minute showcase of Tokyo, which included Prime Minister Abe's star turn.

Who said what?

IOC president Thomas Bach: "Brazil we love you, thank you for your warm hospitality. Over the last 16 days a united Brazil inspired the world, in difficult times for all of us, with its irresistible joy of life. You gave many reasons to be proud. These Games demonstrated that diversity is an enrichment for everyone. These Games were a celebration of diversity.
"These were a marvellous Olympic Games in a marvellous city. They are leaving a unique legacy for many generations to come. History will talk about a Rio before and a much better Rio after these Games."
Rio 2016 organising committee president Carlos Arthur Nuzman: "The Games in Rio is a great challenge, but a challenge with success. I am proud of my country, my city and my people. Rio has delivered history."

Historic Games for Team GB

From swimmer Adam Peaty's gold on day three to Mo Farah's long-distance 'double double' on the final Saturday, this was Britain's most successful Games in 108 years.
In the velodrome, Team GB won more than double the amount of medals of their nearest challengers.
Jason Kenny and Laura Trott will marry in September as the owners of 10 gold medals, while Sir Bradley Wiggins became the most decorated British Olympian with his eighth medal.
Then there was Farah, who won his fourth Olympic gold and became only the second man to retain the 5,000m and 10,000m titles.
Dressage rider Charlotte Dujardin won her third gold medal, while Justin Rose won his first as golf returned to the Olympics.
There were also historic golds in gymnastics, women's hockey and diving, while 58-year-old show jumper Nick Skelton became the country's oldest medallist for a century.
Gymnast Max Whitlock won two golds, while boxer Nicola Adams, taekwondo's Jade Jones, triathlete Alistair Brownlee and tennis player Andy Murray were among those who became multiple gold medallists.

The end of an era

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt said goodbye to the Olympics by winning an unprecedented 'triple triple'.
The 30-year-old Jamaican won his seventh, eighth and ninth gold medals by claiming the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay titles for the third Games in succession.
US swimmer Michael Phelps, meanwhile, took his medal tally to 28 from five Olympics by winning six in Rio - five of which were golds.
The 31-year-old's efforts helped the US top the medal table with 121, their most successful 'away' Games.
資料來源:http://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/37150572
Structure of the Lead
WHO-Rio
     WHEN-2016
     WHAT-Olympics
     WHY-Athletes events
     WHERE-Rio
     HOW-NO

Keywords
1.Rio Olympics:里奧奧運會
2.carnival-inspired:狂歡節啟發
3.Brazil:巴西
4.competition:比賽
5.athletes:運動員

2017年1月2日 星期一

第8周 pokemon go

Pokemon Go update seeks to revive interest

Pokemon Go has released its first major update, but faces a battle to reinvigorate the gaming phenomenon.
The augmented-reality game's popularity has waned since its launch in July when it smashed download records and sparked a global craze.
But it soon fell from the top of app charts as downloads plunged and many players stopped buying in-game coins.
Analysts, though, point out it has an enormous player base and is still one of the highest grossing mobile games.
The main updates released on Monday by US firm Niantic, which developed the game under licence from Nintendo, include:
  • the addition of new Pokemon characters, including Togepi and Pichu, that were originally featured in Pokemon's second-generation Gold and Silver titles
  • the release of limited edition festive Pikachu wearing Father Christmas hats, which can be captured until 29 December
Niantic said more Pokemon would be added over the next few months. It had already added the blob-like Ditto last month.
However, there was no mention of the ability to trade characters, which Niantic'schief executive had previously hinted at. Nor was there the introduction of multi-player battles, which many gamers desire.
The update will compete for attention with Nintendo's own Super Mario game, which will be released on iPhone on Thursday.

Off peak

Pokemon Go generated about $600m (£470m) in global revenue in its first three months and is still bringing in $120,000 a day in the UK, according to analysts at App Annie.
However, downloads have dropped sharply, falling from 79 million in July to less than 10 million in November, mobile trackers Apptopia told the BBC.
Estimates from Slice Intelligence suggest the number of paying players has also plunged from its peak, down 80% by September, although others dispute those figures.
At its launch, Pokemon Go tapped into demand for the hugely popular franchise and brought augmented reality gaming into the mainstream.
"It is always a challenge to bring users back to a mobile game," said Jack Kent, a mobile analyst at IHS Markit.
But "done correctly" Niantic could satisfy many existing players and encourage lapsed users to return.
"Despite its initial success, some players have found the core game play lacking," he added.
Special promotions around Halloween and tie-ups with retail giants including Starbucks in the US have already been used by Niantic to keep players engaged.
"Pokemon Go had the biggest launch the mobile games industry has ever seen," said Craig Chapple, editor of mobile games trade publication PocketGamer.Biz.
"Millions of players have stopped playing, but millions are still playing it and paying for items in the game."

Analysis: Dave Lee, North America technology reporter

The summer of Pokemon Go already feels a distant memory. When the craze began earlier this year I spent some time around popular spots in San Francisco including Ocean Beach. As far as the eye could see: kids out on their phones playing Pokemon Go. And a few adults.
When I asked them if it was just a passing fad, they all said: "Of course". The game play was limited, and the fact you couldn't battle against your friends hurt any potential for longevity.
These updates won't change that. It will get the hardcore enthusiasts excited - Pikachu in a hat! - but will it be enough to tempt those who uninstalled the app to try again? I doubt it.
Pokemon Go's update will have attention only for a day, maybe two at best. Then it's time for the real star of the show: Super Mario is coming to iOS later this week.
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC and on Facebook.
資料來源:http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-382919934

Structure of the Lead
WHO- Niantic
     WHEN-12 December 2016
     WHAT-technology
     WHY-no
     WHERE-US
     HOW-phone

Keywords
1.phenomenon:現象
2.app:程式
3.updates:更新
4.players:玩家
5.Pikachu:皮卡丘




2016年12月26日 星期一

第7周 尼斯恐攻

Nice attack: What we know about the Bastille Day killings

Dozens of people were killed, including children, when a lorry ploughed into a large crowd watching a fireworks display in Nice to mark the Bastille Day holiday.
The driver also fired shots, before being killed by police. This is what we know about what happened.

Who was the attacker?

The driver of the lorry was identified as Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian man.
Paris prosecutor Francois Molins says Lahouaiej-Bouhlel was divorced with three children. His ex-wife was taken into custody along with four other people believed to be linked to him. A flat he lived in near Nice railway station was searched by police.
ahouaiej-Bouhlel was "totally unknown" to security services, and investigations are continuing into whether he acted alone, Mr Molins said.
Lahouaiej-Bouhlel is said to have hired the lorry from a rental company in Saint-Laurent-du-Var, a town to the west of Nice, on 11 July. He had been due to return it on 13 July.
Police said that, at the time of the attack, Lahouaiej-Bouhlel was in possession of an automatic pistol, bullets, a fake automatic pistol and two replica assault rifles (a Kalashnikov and an M16), an empty grenade. Also in the lorry with him were a driving licence and a bank card.

Who were the victims?

Eighty-six people were killed, all but three of them at the time of the attack. The dead included 10 children and teenagers.
A total of 303 people were taken to hospital for medical treatment. A man who was badly injured in the assault died on 4 August, taking the total number of those killed to 85.
In the hours after the attacks, worried relatives posted images on social media of the missing.
Among the dead was Fatima Charrihi, whose son said she was the first to die.
Another victim, according to reports, was the assistant head of the Nice border police, Jean-Marc Leclerc.
An American 11-year-old boy, Brodie Copeland, and his father, Sean, were also killed. They had been on holiday in Nice.
Three people on a school trip from Germany were unaccounted for.

Who was behind the attack?

French security officials are still assessing whether the driver of a truck was working alone or in a group.
So-called Islamic State later claimed one of its followers carried out the attack.
A news agency linked to the group, Amaq Agency, said: "He did the attack in response to calls to target the citizens of the coalition that is fighting the Islamic State."
Officials said it bore the hallmark of a terrorist organisation.
President Hollande said it was "an attack whose terrorist nature cannot be denied".
Mr Molins said the attack was "in line with the constant calls to kill" from militant Islamist groups, and the investigation would be seek to find out whether Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had ties to Islamist militants.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Lahouaiej-Bouhlel seemed to have been "radicalised very quickly".
Anti-terrorist prosecutors in Paris have launched an inquiry for murder and attempted murder as part of an organised terrorist strike.
France's DGSI internal security organisation warned of the danger of further attacks from Islamist militants with "booby-trapped vehicles and bombs".
The so-called Islamic State has targeted France on several occasions since January 2015.
Only hours before the Nice attack, President Hollande had announced that France's state of emergency would be removed later this month. After the attack in Nice he announced it was being extended.

What happened on the promenade?

The terror began a little after 22:30 (20:30 GMT) on 14 July, shortly after thousands of people had watched a firework display on the seafront.
There had been a mood of celebration and the crowd had enjoyed an air force display. Families strolled along the city's renowned Promenade des Anglais.
A large white lorry was seen driving erratically a couple of streets away from the seafront promenade. "He was speeding up, braking, speeding up again and braking again. We thought it was weird," said Laicia Baroi. She described how the lorry then turned on to the promenade heading south-west towards the airport.
But it was not for another half hour before the attack began. A German journalist saw events unfold from a hotel balcony, as the lorry doubled back from the direction of the airport, breaching the barriers erected on the promenade opposite the Lenval children's hospital.
"He was driving really slowly, that's what was astonishing," said Richard Gutjahr, who described seeing the lorry being tailed by a motorcyclist. "The motorcyclist tried to overtake him and even tried opening the lorry driver's door," he told AFP news agency. At that point the motorcyclist fell under the wheels of the lorry.

資料來源:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36801671


Structure of the Lead
WHO- Paris
     WHEN-19 August 2016
     WHAT-Nice attack
     WHY-Anti-terrorist
     WHERE-Paris
     HOW-Shooting


Keywords
1. fireworks display:煙花匯演
2.holiday:假日
3.automatic pistol:自動手槍
4.attack:攻擊
5.Anti-terrorist :反恐怖主義