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5/29(土)の放送の英文記事と英単語：いたずら、精密検査、全額支給奨学金

Ohio Vaccine Lottery’s $1 Million Winner ‘Thought it Was a Prank.’

prank 　いたずら、悪ふざけ
long-shot 　大胆な企て、(競馬や賭けなどで)勝ち目のない大穴
in hysterics 　笑いが止まらない　　*hysterical
scrutiny 　精査、監視、投票(再)検査
wane 　衰える、徐々に弱まる、減少する
eligible to 　～する資格がある
full-ride scholarship　　全額支給奨学金

著者：Sarah Mervosh
(c) 2021 The New York Times Company

Abbigail Bugenske, 22, had all but forgotten about her long-shot bid to become Ohio’s next millionaire.

As the clock inched toward 7:29 p.m. on Wednesday night, the state was preparing to announce the winner of its first lottery drawing for vaccinated Ohioans live on television. Bugenske was driving from Cincinnati to her parents’ house near Cleveland when she got a call that left her in hysterics. The governor was on the line. She had just won $1 million.

“I thought it was a prank call initially,” said Bugenske, who soon saw an explosion of messages on her phone that confirmed the news. She walked into her parents’ house in disbelief.

“I was screaming enough that my parents thought that I was crying and that something was wrong,” she recalled Thursday. “I started yelling that I won a million dollars and I was going to be a millionaire.”

Bugenske, who graduated from college last year and recently moved to the Cincinnati area to take a job as an engineer, won the money through Ohio’s new lottery offering $1 million to people who have gotten at least one shot of a coronavirus vaccine. The idea, which has drawn both enthusiasm and scrutiny, is gaining traction across the country, as states such as Colorado, Maryland and Oregon offer similar incentives in an effort to boost waning vaccinations.

One criticism of such programs is that they may do little to change the minds of people who are against the vaccines. Bugenske, for example, said she got her shot as soon as she became eligible, before the lottery was announced, and later entered her name for the drawing. (Ohio residents who have gotten at least one shot are eligible to enter the lottery, no matter when they got vaccinated.)

“I would encourage anyone to get the vaccine,” she said. “If winning a million dollars isn’t incentive enough, I don’t really know what would be.”

More than 2.7 million Ohioans entered to win $1 million in the lottery, and additional drawings will take place in the coming weeks. The lottery also offers a full-ride scholarship to college for children ages 12 to 17.

Joseph Costello, a 14-year-old from Englewood, near Dayton, won the first scholarship out of more than 104,000 entries.

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5/30(日)の放送の英文記事と英単語：言論の自由、脅し、破壊的な

Twitter Calls on Indian Government to Respect Free Speech

Free Speech　言論の自由
Intimidation　脅し、威嚇
Devastating　破壊的な、圧倒的な
Mounting　高まる
Reclaim　取り戻す
Noncompliance　不履行、不服従
Abibe　我慢する
Subversive　破壊的な

著者：Karan Deep Singh
(c) 2021 The New York Times Company

Twitter pushed back on Thursday against India’s increasingly heavy-handed efforts to control online speech, calling on the government to respect freedom of expression and criticizing what it called “intimidation tactics” by the country’s police.

The statement comes as the Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces mounting pressure for its handling of a devastating second wave of the coronavirus. Many of those complaints have been aired on Twitter and elsewhere online.

The government has moved to reclaim the narrative by quashing free speech online. On Thursday, Twitter said it had received a notice of noncompliance with India’s information technology laws. The notice asked the company to remove content critical of the government’s handling of the coronavirus and about farmers’ protests, including some posted by journalists, activists and politicians.

Under Indian law, Twitter’s executives in India could face up to seven years in prison if the company fails to abide by government orders to remove content that it considers subversive or a threat to public order and national security.

In its statement, the San Francisco-based social media service said it planned to push leaders in India to change new regulations that have given the authorities greater say over online platforms.

“Right now, we are concerned by recent events regarding our employees in India and the potential threat to freedom of expression for the people we serve,” the statement read.

Twitter had earlier said it wouldn’t take any action against accounts that belonged to media organizations, journalists, activists or politicians, and that it did not believe the orders to block those accounts were “consistent with Indian law.”

But on Thursday, the company acknowledged it withheld some unverified accounts in those categories from view in India, even though it believed the content to be “legitimate free speech” under Indian and international law. The company said last week that it was reopening its verification process to allow government officials, media organizations, journalists and activists to apply for a blue check mark, a sign of credibility online, a process that has been on hold since 2017.

In April, Modi’s government ordered Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to take down dozens of social media posts that were critical of its handling of the pandemic. The order was aimed at roughly 100 posts from opposition politicians and included calls for Modi to resign.

The new internet rules in India apply to a wide variety of media, including digital news outlets, streaming services like Netflix and Amazon, and social media platforms, giving the government sweeping powers to quickly take down articles, posts or any other material. It specifically requires social media companies to appoint Indian-based executives who could be held criminally liable for any violations, as well as create systems to trace and identify the “first originator” of posts or messages that the government deems “offensive.”

Under the regulations, announced in February, the social media companies were given a deadline, which was Tuesday, to name the executives who could be held liable.

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5/31(月)の放送の英文記事と英単語：手に負えない、暴行、悪化させる

2 Airlines Will Postpone Serving Alcohol Amid Surge of In-Flight Violence

unruly　　手に負えない
shove　　(～を)押しやる、突き飛ばす (類)Push
battery　　暴行(罪)　　
bar　　(出入り)を禁じる、(～を) 除外する
comply with　　(方針などに)従う、応じる、適合する
uptick　　上昇、増加　
atypical　　普通でない、変則的な、非定型的な　(反)typical　
exacerbate　　(悪い状況をさらに) 悪化させる、深刻にする

著者：Maria Cramer and Michael Levenson
(c) 2021 The New York Times Company

Two major airlines, American and Southwest, have postponed plans to resume serving alcohol on flights in an effort to stop a surge of unruly and sometimes violent behavior by passengers who have shoved, struck and yelled at flight attendants.

Both airlines announced the policies this past week after the latest assault was captured on a widely watched video that showed a woman punching a flight attendant in the face on a Southwest Airlines flight from Sacramento, California, to San Diego this past Sunday.

The flight attendant lost two teeth in the assault, according to her union, and the passenger, who was identified by the police as Vyvianna Quinonez, 28, has been charged with battery causing serious bodily injury. She has also been barred for life from flying Southwest, the airline said.

It was not immediately clear if Quinonez had a lawyer, and she did not respond Saturday to messages left at a number listed under her name.

Since Jan. 1, the Federal Aviation Administration has received about 2,500 reports of unruly behavior by passengers, including about 1,900 reports of passengers refusing to comply with a federal mandate that they wear masks on planes.

Southwest Airlines issued a statement Friday citing the “recent uptick industrywide of incidents in flight involving disruptive passengers” as it announced that it had paused plans to resume serving alcohol on flights.

“We realize this decision will be disappointing for some customers, but we feel it to be the right decision now in the interest of safety and comfort of all onboard,” the statement said.

American Airlines announced a similar policy Saturday.

It said that alcohol sales, which had been suspended in the main cabin since late March 2020, would remain suspended through Sept. 13, when a federal mandate requiring passengers to wear masks on airplanes, buses and trains is set to expire.

In a memo, American said it recognized that “alcohol can contribute to atypical behavior from customers onboard and we owe it to our crew not to potentially exacerbate what can already be a new and stressful situation for our customers.”

American said that alcohol would continue to be served in first class and business class, but only during the flight and not before departure.

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6/1(火)の放送の英文記事と英単語：宅配便業者、収益、自動車による送迎

Prepare to Pay More for Uber and Lyft Rides

ride-hailing 自動車による送迎
startle びっくりさせる
outfit 　団体、会社
nimbly すばやく
resort to (手段として）訴える、頼る
surge pricing 特需型値上げ
lure (人を)誘い込む
earnings 収益、稼ぎ高、所得
courier 配達人、宅配便業者

著者：Kate Conger
(c) 2021 The New York Times Company

As more people return to using ride-hailing apps, they are discovering that those cheap and quick rides have become more costly and not so readily available. Customers around the country say they have been startled by the price jumps. In some cases, they say, their Uber rides from airports cost as much as their plane tickets.

Uber and its top rival, Lyft, acknowledge that prices are up and wait times are longer, but they will not provide specifics. A recent analysis by research firm Rakuten Intelligence found that the cost of a ride was 37% higher in March than it was a year ago. In April, the cost was up 40%.

Like many other industries, ride-hailing outfits say prices are up because they cannot find enough workers. But more than most other types of companies, Uber and Lyft can nimbly pass the cost of finding those workers — in their case, drivers who are treated as contractors — directly to their customers.

When there are not enough drivers to meet demand, the companies pay them more, sometimes resorting to so-called surge pricing to lure drivers to areas where demand is high. Some recent surges have made prices jump 50% or more, said Daniel Ives, managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities.

Uber and Lyft have poured money into extra incentives for drivers, like cash bonuses for completing a certain number of rides. But some drivers said they are not back on the road because they are still afraid of getting sick.

In an early May earnings report, Uber said it had 3.5 million active drivers and couriers during the first three months of the year, down 22% from the previous year. “We have not seen driver supply keep up with the demand growth in the U.S.,” Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s chief executive, said last week.

Uber has aggressively increased its incentive spending, putting $250 million into the effort to recruit drivers. Lyft also said it did not have enough drivers and was spending heavily to recruit them. In the first quarter of the year, the company spent $100 million on driver incentives.

The incentives are starting to have an effect, according to Gridwise, a service that helps gig workers track their earnings. Ride-hailing earnings have steadily climbed this year, rising to $25 an hour in May from $18 dollars an hour in January, Gridwise said.

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6/2(水)の放送の英文記事と英単語：義務、追放、対立

Osaka Quits the French Open After News Conference Dispute

confrontation　対立、敵対
withdraw　棄権する
dispute　議論する、論争
make good　（計画を）成し遂げる
threatened　脅されている
expel　追放
obligation　義務、責任
compassionate　思いやりのある、優しい

著者：Matthew Futterman
(c) 2021 The New York Times Company

The weeklong confrontation between Naomi Osaka, the second-ranked woman in tennis, and leaders of the sport’s four Grand Slam tournaments turned bitter Monday when Osaka withdrew from the French Open citing concerns for her mental health.

The move was a dramatic turn in the high-stakes standoff between the most powerful officials in tennis and Osaka. The player, 23, is not only the world’s highest paid female athlete but also a generational star who has quickly become the most magnetic figure in tennis.

“I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris,” Osaka said in an Instagram post, in which she said she struggled with depression and anxiety.

The dispute between Osaka and tournament officials began Wednesday when she announced she would not participate in post-match news conferences during the French Open because she said negative questions about her play affected her mental health. It came to a head Sunday after her first-round win, and she made good on her promise to skip the news conference.

Within hours Osaka was fined $15,000 by the French Open’s tournament referee, and the leaders of the four Grand Slam tournaments — the Australian, French and U.S. opens and Wimbledon — threatened that she could be expelled from the French Open and face harsher penalties if she would not fulfill her media obligations.

Though she skipped her post-match news conference Sunday, Osaka did take three questions from an on-court interviewer, Fabrice Santoro, after the match and a few more queries on her way off the court from Wowow, the Japanese broadcaster with which she is under contract.

Few of Osaka’s colleagues have shown unequivocal support for her stance.

“Press and players and the tournaments comes hand in hand,” said Victoria Azarenka, a winner of two Grand Slam events. “I think it’s very important in developing our sport, in promoting our sport.” She added that there were moments when the media did need to be more compassionate.

Tour officials have long believed that news conferences are an important part of promoting the sport and the athletes themselves. Osaka questions that assumption.

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6/3(木)の放送の英文記事と英単語：避ける、脅かす、普及する

China Says It Will Allow Couples to Have 3 Children, Up From 2

avert 避ける、防ぐ
demographic 人口統計の
jeopardize 危険にさらす、脅かす
graying 高齢者の増加、高齢化
pay off 報われる、効果をもたらす
assuage 緩和する、やわらげる
pervasive 普及する、蔓延する
liberalize ゆるめる、自由化する

著者：Sui-Lee Wee
(c) 2021 The New York Times Company

China said Monday that it would allow all married couples to have three children, ending a two-child policy that has failed to raise the country’s declining birthrates and avert a demographic crisis.

The announcement by the ruling Communist Party represents an acknowledgment that its limits on reproduction, the world’s toughest, have jeopardized the country’s future. The labor pool is shrinking and the population is graying, threatening the industrial strategy that China has used for decades to emerge from poverty to become an economic powerhouse.

But it is far from clear that relaxing the policy further will pay off. People in China have responded coolly to the party’s earlier move, in 2016, to allow couples to have two children. To them, such measures do little to assuage their anxiety over the rising cost of education and of supporting aging parents, made worse by the lack of day care and the pervasive culture of long work hours.

In a nod to those concerns, the party also indicated Monday that it would improve maternity leave and workplace protections, pledging to make it easier for couples to have more children. But those protections are all but absent for single mothers in China, who despite the push for more children still lack access to benefits.

Births in China have fallen for four consecutive years, including in 2020, when the number of babies born dropped to the lowest since the era of former Communist Chairman Mao Zedong. The country’s total fertility rate — an estimate of the number of children born over a woman’s lifetime — now stands at 1.3, well below the replacement rate of 2.1, raising the possibility of a shrinking population over time.

Prominent voices within China have called on the party to scrap its restrictions on births altogether. But Beijing, under Xi Jinping, the party leader who has pushed for greater control in the daily lives of the country’s 1.4 billion people, has resisted.

“Opening it up to three children is far from enough,” said Huang Wenzheng, a demography expert with the Center for China and Globalization, a Beijing-based research center. “It should be fully liberalized, and giving birth should be strongly encouraged.”

“This should be regarded as a crisis for the survival of the Chinese nation, even beyond the pandemic and other environmental issues,” Huang added.

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6/4(金)の放送の英文記事と英単語：見逃す、質量、微生物

New NASA Missions Will Study Venus, a World Overlooked for Decades

Overlook　見逃す、見過ごす
Mass　質量
Diverge　分岐する、広がる
Carbon dioxide　二酸化炭素
Hellishly　残酷に
Limelight　脚光
Microbes　微生物
Scorching　灼熱の
Phosphine　水素化リン
Spectrometer　分光計
Geological　地質学上の

著者：Kenneth Chang
(c) 2021 The New York Times Company

NASA is finally going back to Venus, for the first time in more than three decades. And a second time too.

On Wednesday, Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator, announced the agency’s latest choices for robotic planetary missions, both expected to head to Venus in coming years: DAVINCI+ and VERITAS.

Venus is in many ways a twin of Earth — it is comparable in size, mass and composition, and it is the planet whose orbit is the closest to Earth’s. But the history of the two planets diverged. While Earth is moderate in temperature and largely covered with water, Venus, with a dense atmosphere of carbon dioxide, is a hellishly hot 900 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface. After numerous missions by the United States and the Soviet Union to explore it in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, attention shifted elsewhere.

In the past year, a neglected Venus reentered the planetary limelight after a team of scientists using Earth-based telescopes claimed they had discovered compelling evidence for microbes living in the clouds of Venus today where temperatures remain comfortably warm instead of scorching.

They said they had detected a molecule, phosphine, for which they could come up with no plausible explanation for how it might have formed there except as the waste product of living organisms.

DAVINCI+ could conclusively confirm the presence of phosphine. After entering orbit, the spacecraft would drop a spherical probe chock-full of instruments that would sniff and analyze gases as it descended through the atmosphere for just over an hour.

Concentrations of krypton, argon, neon and xenon may provide hints about how Venus and its atmosphere formed.

VERITAS will send an orbiter that would produce high-resolution three-dimensional global maps using radar, and a spectrometer will identify what the surface is made of. It will also precisely measure variations in the planet’s gravitational pull, which will offer clues to its interior geological processes

Akatsuki, from the Japanese space agency, is the only spacecraft currently at Venus. In its study from orbit, the spacecraft has revealed disturbances in the planet’s winds known as gravity waves, as well as equatorial jet streams in its atmosphere.

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