taiwan, low, temperature, snow

Taipei, Jan. 24 (CNA) Snow, which is rarely seen in Taiwan, an Asia-Pacific island crossed by the Tropic of Cancer, wowed people around the island Sunday with the appearance of the white stuff, from the capital Taipei in the north to Pingtung County in the south.

Under the influence of a strong cold air mass, many places around Taiwan -- even those located at an altitude of only 400 to 500 meters -- received a covering of snow or soft hail overnight, exciting the locals, who likely have never seen a silver world in real life since they were born.

Despite low temperatures, people were seen swarming to elevated areas, including Jiangziliaoshan (726 meters) in Keelung, Taipei's Yangmingshan, and Linkuo and Pinglin in New Taipei, to appreciate the natural beauty painted by snow.

According to the Central Weather Bureau, 27 weather stations in different parts of Taiwan registered their lowest temperatures Sunday.

The temperature in Taipei, northern Taiwan fell to 4 degrees Celsius, the lowest level ever detected in the capital in 43 years and the second-lowest since 3.2 degrees was recorded in 1972.

It was -3.1 degrees in Anbu in the Yangmingshan area, 5.8 degrees in Sua'o in northeastern Yilan County, and 4.2 degrees in Taoyuan's Xinwu -- all new lows for these places. In New Taipei's Banqiao, it was 3.8 degrees on Sunday morning -- the second-lowest level in the city's history.

The temperature in Taipei was forecast to dip further to 3 degrees Celsius late Sunday and early Monday, and to 4 degrees in central Taiwan and 6 degrees in the south, the bureau forecast.

People wanting to appreciate the snow were advised to do so on Sunday because with the decrease of moisture in the air, the chances for further snowfall will be lower Monday, the bureau said. 

http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201601240008.aspx

word :  
altitude  海拔
appreciate 激動
 moisture 水分 /水氣/濕氣
advised    細想過的
decrease   減少
rarely       很少/難得



What: the snow, from the capital Taipei in the north to Pingtung County in the south.
Where :Taiwan
When : Jan. 24 
Who :not mention
Why : because with the decrease of moisture in the air
How :not mention

Twelve Night

A new documentary about the plight of animals in Taiwan’s shelters has sparked a public discussion about the treatment of stray dogs and cats on the island, prompting the government to amend its policies.
“Twelve Nights,” shot almost entirely inside a government-run animal shelter in southern Taiwan, follows the fate of several stray dogs, starting from their initial capture on the streets. After 12 days in the shelter, the animals are destroyed, have died of disease, or, if they are lucky, end up in the arms of a new owner.

Although the problem of street dogs isn’t a fresh one in Taiwan, the movie has attracted a throng of animal lovers. As of the beginning of this week, “Twelve Nights” had pulled in more 30 million New Taiwan dollars (US$1 million) since its release on Nov. 29, according to the film’s distributor, a considerable amount for a documentary in Taiwan.

The film opens with a black-and-white puppy named Jumpy prancing happily in a well-manicured neighborhood and other harmless-looking dogs wandering the streets.

The scene quickly changes. Animals — including a kitten and a basket full of puppies — are jerked and tossed around by workers as they are taken to the shelter.

http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2013/12/13/film-triggers-debate-on-plight-of-taiwans-homeless-dogs/

What : about the plight of animals

Where : in Taiwan

Who : Cinema Giddens Ko

When :on Nov. 29

Why : not mention

How : should have used his influence to highlight social problems affecting humans before helping stray animals.

Taiwan from Above

Beyond Beauty: Taiwan from Above (Chinese: 看見台灣) is a 2013documentary film which documents Taiwan completely in aerial photography. It is directed by aerial photographer Chi Po-lin and produced by Hou Hsiao-hsien, with narration by Wu Nien-jen. The music is composed by Ricky Ho, with three songs written and performed by Nolay Piho (Lin Ching-tai). The film opened on November 1, 2013 at 44 theaters in Taiwan, with Chinese and English subtitles. The film broke the Taiwan box office records for the largest opening weekend and the highest total gross of a locally produced documentary. The film was nominated for Best Documentary and Best Original Film Score at the 50th Golden Horse Awards, winning the best documentary category.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_Beauty:_Taiwan_from_Above

word : no

What :Taiwan from Above (Chinese: 看見台灣)
Who: aerial photographer Chi Po-lin and produced by Hou Hsiao-hsien, with narration by Wu Nien-jen.
Where: Taiwan 
When: on November 1, 2013 at 44 theaters in Taiwan
Why: documents Taiwan completely in aerial photography
How: nomation

Russian plane crash

At 06:14 Egyptian time (04:14 GMT), the plane failed to make scheduled contact with air traffic control based in Larnaca, Cyprus.The plane disappeared from radar screens six minutes later while flying over central Sinai. Egyptian authorities said no SOS calls were received by air traffic controllers.

Data released by the flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed that just before the radar signal was lost, the aircraft reached an altitude of more than 33,000ft (10,060m), then started to descend with a vertical speed of about 6,000ft a minute. The plane's forward speed meanwhile dropped to around 170km/h (105mph), slower than the speed necessary to continue safe flight.

Egyptian military aircraft subsequently located the wreckage of the plane in the Hasana area, 95km (59 miles) south of the Mediterranean coastal town of el-Arish.

Russian officials said the wreckage was scattered across a 20 sq km (7.7-sq mile) area, meaning that the plane broke up in mid-air before falling to earth.

Russia said on 17 November that a "terror act" was responsible for the crash and that "traces of foreign explosives" were found on debris of the Airbus.

UK security service investigators say they suspect someone with access to the aircraft's baggage compartment inserted an explosive device inside or on top of the luggage just before the plane took off.

Militants from that affiliate, known as Sinai Province, said they brought down the plane shortly after it crashed, with a spokesman claiming this was "in response to Russian air strikes that killed hundreds of Muslims on Syrian land". But he did not provide evidence, asserting: "We are not obliged to disclose the mechanism of its demise."

Egyptian officials have said it is too early to draw conclusions on the cause. Both of the plane's "black boxes" have been recovered as part of the investigation.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34687990

authorities 官方

track行蹤

aircraft  航空器

wreckage 失事

traces  痕跡

mechanism  機械

What : Russian plane crash
When :17 November 2015
Where : in Larnaca, Cyprus.
Who : not mention
Why : aircraft's baggage compartment inserted an explosive device inside or on top of the luggage just before the plane took off.
How :Both of the plane's "black boxes" have been recovered as part of the investigation.