France is at war. In reality, these disturbing scenes are the result of citizens rising up to express anger and frustration with their elected leaders.
A recent wave of public demonstrations have sent a clear message: France’s middle class is unsatisfied with the government’s economic policies. Demonstrators accuse the government of favoring the elite and being out of touch with ordinary people’s struggles to afford daily necessities when faced with rising costs and high taxes.
As tempers have flared, violent clashes have erupted between protesters—numbering in the tens of thousands—and squads of police sent to disperse them. Battle lines have been drawn between police in riot gear and protesters wearing the bright reflective vests they’ve adopted as unofficial uniforms. These “gilets jaunes” (French for “yellow vests”) symbolize their solidarity and have given their name to the social movement that has turned areas of central Paris into “no-go zones” for tourists and locals alike.
History may be repeating itself. The yellow vest protests in many ways resemble a modern-day version of the historic French Revolution of 1789-1799. The ongoing civil unrest has forced President Emmanuel Macron to back down on a proposed fuel tax and promise to listen to protesters’ demands.
Reading Comprehension
2｜News Messenger
( ) 1.What is the second paragraph mainly about? (main idea)
(A) The tensions between the protesters and the police.
(B) The reason why the “yellow vest” protests happened.
(C) The reason why the demonstrations are called the “yellow vest” protests.
(D) The relation between the “yellow vest” protests and the French Revolution.
( ) 2.Accorrding to the passage, what has the French government done to encourage the protesters to disperse? (supporting details)
(A)It has backed down on imposing a fuel tax.
(B)It has created “no-go zones” for protesters.
(C)It has promised to reduce the price of daily necessities.
(D)It has promised to put measures in place to boost tourism.
( ) 3.Based on your reading of the passage, why do you think it would be unwise for tourists to wear bright yellow jackets in Paris these days? (inference)
(A)It might cause them to be mistaken for protesters, and this could make them targets for police officers.
(B)It might cause them to be identified as tourists in “no-go zones” in central Paris and other parts of France.
(C)It might cause them to be mistaken for police officers in riot gear, and this could make them targets for protesters.
(D)It might cause them to be labeled supporters of the unpopular Macron government, and this could make protesters angry.
Open Questions:
➢ Do you agree with the “yellow vest” movement? Why or why not?
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Vocabulary and Phrases
1. disturbing adj. 令人不安的
2. frustration n. [U] 挫折感，沮喪
3. demonstrator n. [C] 遊行示威者
4. (be) faced with phr. 面臨…
5. flare vi. (情緒等)爆發
6. riot gear n. [U] 鎮暴裝備
7. reflective adj. 反光的
8. solidarity n. [U] 團結，聯合
Words for Recognition
1. swirl vi. 繚繞；轉動
2. ongoing adj. 持續發展的
Tide of Sadness as
Pilot Whales Got Stranded
on a New Zealand Beach
News Messenger｜3
by Jason Grenier, special correspondent
Stewart Island, which lies 30 kilometers off New Zealand’s South Island, is known for its long sandy beaches and clean sparkling waters. Sadly, the __1__ ocean paradise has become a graveyard for 145 pilot whales. The huge creatures became stranded in the shallow coastal waters of Mason Bay and washed up on the sand after somehow losing their way.
With no way to get the stranded whales back into the safety of deeper waters, wildlife conservation authorities made the difficult decision to kill some of them to end their suffering. The mercy killing was deemed necessary because of the wildlife office having only limited resources and the beach’s remote __2__.
Pilot whales are social animals that exist in large groups called pods. Their name reflects their behavior: each pod has a __3__ that the other animals follow. Males can measure about 7 meters in length and weigh up to 3,000 kilometers. Females are smaller. Pilot whales are not only highly intelligent and long-lived, but also play important roles as high-level predators in ocean food chains.
The reason for the mass stranding of the whales isn’t known. The animals appeared outwardly healthy. Something might have interfered with their navigation, like severe weather. On the other hand, they could have been chased into __4__ waters by a predator. Perhaps they become trapped by shifting tides while hunting for their preferred food—squid. Regardless of the __5__, the death of what is presumed to be an entire pod of pilot whales is a sad thing to contemplate.
Fill in the Blanks
(A) leader
(B) reason
(C) shallow
(D) painful
(E) location
(F) picturesque
(1)__________
(2)__________
(3)__________
(4)__________
(5)__________
Vocabulary and Phrases
1. stranded adj. 擱淺的；困住的
2. mercy killing n. [C][U] 安樂死
3. deem vt. 認為，視為
4. outwardly adv. 外表上
5. navigation n. [U] 導航
6. shifting adj. 不斷變化的
7. presume vt. 推測，推論，認為
8. contemplate vt., vi. 仔細思考
Words for Recognition
1. pod n. [C] (鯨豚等海洋動物的)一群
2. predator n. [C] 肉食性動物
3. squid n. [C] 魷魚
Did You Know?
The “yellow vest” movement began as a protest against a controversial rise in fuel tax. President Emmanuel Macron said that high taxes on fossil fuels such as diesel were necessary so as to fund investments in renewable energy. However, the government was said to cut some environmental budgets. Moreover, the government adopted some energy policies that didn’t seem to fully meet the demands for environmental protection. The contradiction resulted in distrust of government, which made protesters take to the streets. Protests also erupted over other issues, such as low wages and high cost of living. In other words, the political distrust and economic frustration of the middle class is one main reason for the “yellow vest” movement.
For more information about the “yellow vest” movement, visit https://goo.gl/1YpfnK, or scan the picture with COCOAR2.
閱讀測驗解答：1. B2. A3. A
文意選填解答：1. F2. E3. A4. C5. B
Translation
巴黎中產階級抗議引發暴力事件
凱旋門周遭瀰漫著嗆鼻的灰色煙霧，空中充斥著爆炸的巨響和憤怒的吼叫聲。目擊者可能會誤以為法國處於戰爭狀態。實際上，這些令人不安的場景是群起抗爭的公民在向當選上臺的領導人表達憤怒和沮喪。
最近一波的群眾示威傳送了一個明確的訊息：法國的中產階級不滿政府的經濟政策。示威者指責政府偏袒菁英，不了解一般民眾面對節節升高的花費開銷和高額稅款，連負擔日常生活必需品都捉襟見肘。
成千上萬的抗議者怒火沖天，和被派去驅離的許多警隊爆發激烈衝突。警察配有防暴裝備，抗議人士穿著亮色反光背心當作非正式的制服，雙方之間已劃出戰線。這些法語稱為gilets jaunes的黃背心是這些抗議人士團結一致的象徵，也是這場社會運動名稱的由來。這場社會運動將巴黎的中心區域變成了遊客和當地人的「止步區」。
歷史也許正在重演。黃背心運動在許多方面都像是歷史上1789至1799年間法國大革命的現代版。持續的動亂已迫使馬克宏總統撤銷燃料稅的提議，並承諾聽取抗議人士的要求。
領航鯨擱淺紐西蘭海灘悲如潮水
司徒華島位在紐西蘭南島外30公里處，以長片沙灘以及波光粼粼的清澈海水聞名。可悲的是，風景如畫的海洋天堂已成為145隻領航鯨的墳場。這些巨型生物不知何故迷失方向後，被困在梅森灣的淺水區並被沖上沙灘。
由於沒辦法讓擱淺的鯨魚回到安全且較深的水域，野生動物保護機關做出艱難的決定，殺死其中一些鯨魚以終結牠們的痛苦。由於野生動物的相關局處只具備有限的資源，加上海灘位處偏遠，因此安樂死被認為有其必要。
領航鯨是一種群居動物，會集結成群一起生活。牠們的名字反映出牠們的行為：每個群體都有一個領導者，群體中的成員都會追隨其後。雄性的長度可逾7公尺，體重可高達3,000公斤。雌性則較小。領航鯨不僅聰明長壽，同時也在海洋食物鏈裡扮演重要角色，牠們是高階的掠食者。
鯨魚大規模擱淺的原因不明。這些動物從外表看起來是健康的。可能有什麼干擾了牠們的導航，例如惡劣的天候。另一方面，牠們可能被掠食者追趕至淺水區。牠們也可能是正在捕食偏好的食物—魷魚，卻因潮汐變化而受困。不管原因為何，據推測整個領航鯨群無一存活，實在是讓人想到就傷心。
En
