英倫翻譯社/ Trsmaster

日籍強投田中將大，台北時間今天凌晨批上條紋衫，正式成為洋基人。

這場加盟記者會，吸引了超過300位日本、美國媒體記者採訪，在日本創造三十勝不敗神話的田中將大，能不能打出七年1.55億美元的身價，全球棒壇等著看。

Early this morning, Taiwan time, Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka was introduced by the New York Yankees. He wore Yankees pinstripes. 

More than 300 reporters from the United States, Japan and elsewhere covered the event. Among Tanaka’s many accolades in Japan was winning a record 30 consecutive games. The Yankees have bet US$155 million in salary that he will likewise see success in the major leagues.

武陵農場櫻花季今天登場， 一大早雪霸國家公園就湧進了大批遊客，相較於平地的低溫、濕冷，武陵農場卻風和日麗，儘管櫻花目前只開了四成多，但已經讓很多遊客大嘆不虛此行。全台瘋櫻花，連暨南國際大學都看的到。

一大早，雪霸公園外已經大排長龍，大家都是為了進武陵農場欣賞這一幕！

陽光露臉，讓櫻花更顯得燦爛。民眾拿起相機，記錄這一幕幕的美景。

[[遊客]]
“昨天有一點下毛毛雨，可是今天，哇天氣超級棒，而且櫻花也開的很棒”

在武陵農場，現在最搶鏡的莫過於已經盛開五成，淡粉色的"紅粉佳人"，以及顏色較深紅的緋寒櫻。接下來，其他款櫻花將陸續綻放。

[[武陵農場副場長 王金標]]
“農場裡面像是霧社櫻，它是原生的，也非常漂亮，白色的，那富士，吉野，最晚開的就是八重櫻跟牡丹櫻，大概會在四月初”

不只武陵能賞櫻，大學裡面也能! 埔里的暨南國際大學植櫻有成，成為新興賞櫻景點，目前山櫻花盛開，好停車不用人擠人。

A cherry blossom festival recently began at Wuling Farm, in Shei-Pa National Park. Less than half of the trees are in bloom but tourists say they were not disappointed. 

Early in the morning, there was a long queue outside Shei-Pa National Park. Visitors were eager to enter Wuling Farm to take in this beautiful scene.

The sunshine makes the cherry blossoms appear even more brilliant. Visitors used their cameras to capture this wonder of nature.

“There was a slight drizzle yesterday, but today the weather was excellent. The cherry blossoms are quite a sight.”

Wuling Farm’s most alluring sight are its pale “Pink Lady” cherry blossoms. At the moment, about half are in bloom, along with a similar percentage of the darker scarlet red Taiwan cherry.

Wang Jin-biao
Wuling Farm Deputy Director
The farm’s Wusheh cherry blossoms are native and very beautiful. The white flowers are Fuji and Yoshino cherry blossoms. The latest to bloom is the Taiwan cherry blossom in early April.

Other cherry blossom locations include National Chi Nan University in Puli. The campus has successfully planted mountain cherry blossoms and is less crowded. 

馬年春節假期只有六天，讓很多民眾抱怨連連，考量觀光效益和車流量，立委也提議修法，春節應該固定放九天，讓觀光旅遊業拍手叫好。

春節假期，不少人選擇到陽明山賞花。

飯店餐飲生意也是強強滾，每天都是一位難求，聽到立委提議修法，以後春節固定要休9天，觀光旅遊業者都舉雙手贊成。

[[旅行公會秘書長 許高慶]]
“一天就增加一成，如果今天增加三天，可能增加兩到三成營業額”

立委也拿出交通部的資料，今年6天年假觀光產值193億元，比去年9天年假短少將近100億元，而今年收假日車流量則是比去年多出將近25萬車次。

[[立委(民) 姚文智]] 
“其實有助國內，觀光休閒產業，在放假9天政府交通成本，都可以減低”

不過，政府官員有不同的考量。

[[內政部民政司專委 羅素娟]]
“可能還是涉及全年，休假日數增加或者是，現行紀念日假期調整”

經濟部工業局則是表示，多一天放假，中小企業每天銷售營收減少310億元。

Disappointment was felt by many workers this year when they discovered that the Lunar New Year would be only six days long. A legislator today said all future Lunar New Year holiday periods should be nine days long, but other officials greeted the suggestion with skepticism.

During the Lunar New Year Holiday, hoards of people ascended Yangmingshan to admire cherry blossoms.

Restaurant business was also brisk, making it difficult to get a seat. Members of the service industry expressed support for a suggestion from Legislator Pasuya Yao that future Lunar New Year holidays be set at nine days.

Roget Hsu
Taipei Association of Travel Agents
Daily revenues rise by 10 percent. If the number of days were increased by three, it could lead to 20 to 30 percent higher revenue.

Legislator Yao cited data from the Ministry of Transportation which showed tourism output of nearly NT$20 billion during this year’s six-day holiday. That was NT$10 billion lower than the nine-day holiday last year. Meanwhile, for the last day of this year’s holiday, there were an additional 250,000 vehicles on the road compared to 2013.

Pasuya Yao
DPP Legislator
It would help the domestic tourism and recreation industry. A nine-day holiday would help the government lower capital it spends on transportation.

A Ministry of the Interior official expressed misgivings.

Luo Su-chuan
Ministry of the Interior
It could lead to an increase in the number of annual holidays or create the need to adjust memorial holidays currently in effect.

According to the Industrial Development Bureau, each additional holiday lowers total revenues for mid-to-small-sized businesses by over NT$30 billion.

台北市士林區凌晨12點半發生規模4的地震，讓不少人擔心自己的住家是不是禁得起搖晃！國研院國家地震工程研究中心就設計出全球第一款「街屋耐震資訊網」，只要輸入家中數據， 系統會自動計算台灣33條斷層，對你家的房子會不會造成影響。

地震來臨，你家的房子耐震嗎？其實只要一把捲呎，就可以上網「算」出來！

首先測量牆的長度，接著測量柱子的長和寬，接著就可以進入「街屋耐震資訊網」，選擇住家類型、樓層，輸入剛量的數據，按下計算鈕，不到2秒，系統就會算出。

[[國震中心助理研究員 邱聰智]]
“這棟建築物如果落在比較偏紅色區塊，代表耐震安全可能是有疑慮的，如果落在比較偏綠色區塊，代表耐震安全是無疑慮的”

921大地震後, 國研院國家地震工程研究中心，開始協助校舍耐震能力評估，把數據應用在住家，設計出全球第一個街屋耐震資訊網，適用於5層樓以下的建物。

Wednesday’s earthquake led many people to consider the structural safety of their home. The National Earthquake Engineering Research Center has a website that makes it easy to predict what would happen to your building in a quake. 

How will your home respond to an earthquake? All you need is a tape measure and an internet connection to quickly determine your building’s ability to resist an earthquake. 

First, measure the length of walls, and next the length and width of columns. Enter all this information into a special website and choose the type of residence, the floor and other data. A calculation is made in seconds.

Chiu Tsung-chih
Earthquake Researcher
If the structure falls into this red area, it may be vulnerable to seismic shocks. If you fall into the green area, there are no safety concerns. 

After the 921 earthquake, the National Earthquake Engineering Research Center began conducting seismic assessments for schools and dormitories. It hopes to make its research and expertise available to people living in Taiwan’s older, five-floor residences so they can understand the structural safety of their homes.

今天凌晨12點31分，台北發生芮氏規模4.0有感地震，有民眾擔心，這是否代表大屯火山的爆發前兆，但氣象局保證，這次地震是火山岩漿冷卻之後，熱漲冷縮導致地層塌陷，並不代表，大屯火山開始活躍起來了。後續還會密切觀察！

監視器畫面，清楚紀錄下，周三凌晨12點31分，台北士林區，26年來，最天搖地動那一刻。

儘管這回地震，芮氏規模只有4.0，但震央罕出現在大屯火山區，造成台北出現4級震度。這也是士林歷年來，規模第三大地震，居民憂心大屯火山，是否又開始活躍起來。

[[台大地質系教授 陳宏宇]]
“這種微地動啊，大概是一般應力釋放裡頭一個比較正面的意義，這個並沒有告訴我們火山有什麼活動的現象”

根據地震中心統計，過去50年來，大屯火山區平均1到3年，就會出現規模3的地震，但芮氏規模4以上地震，之前記錄只有2次，但地震中心主任要大家別擔心。

[[氣象局地震中心主任 郭鎧紋]]
“我在這邊跟大家保證，大屯火山目前完全沒有要噴發的這種跡象，主要是岩漿在冷卻的過程中，會產生一些空隙，(地殼)就稍微往下掉，那其實這樣一個岩漿冷卻過程 應力調整 每天都在進行”

由於日前新竹也曾發生群震，有人認為這是北台灣地質活躍的象徵，地震中心表示，這沒有直接相關，而且新竹地震是板塊推擠，兩者成因不同。

Experts say fears of a destructive seismic or volcanic event occurring in northern Taiwan are overblown. Area residents were rattled shortly after midnight Wednesday when a magnitude 4 earthquake struck the Taipei area. 

From this monitor you can clearly see a quake take place Wednesday at half past midnight. It was the largest tremor to shake Taipei’s Shilin District in 26 years.

Although the earthquake was only magnitude 4.0, the epicenter was Mt. Datun, which is very near Taipei. It was the third largest tremor recorded in the Shilin area, leading some residents to worry that Mt. Datun may become active again.

Chen Hong-yu
National Taiwan University
This mini-earthquake is probably just a general release of stress. I think it’s quite a positive phenomenon and doesn’t indicate there is any volcanic activity.

According to the Central Weather Bureau’s Seismology Center, over the past 50 years, Mt. Datun saw a magnitude 3 earthquake every one to three years. However, there have only been two magnitude 4 or higher earthquakes. Despite this, local seismologists are not concerned. 

Kuo Kai-wen
CWB Seismology Center
I guarantee that Mt. Datun will not experience a volcanic eruption. It is undergoing magma cooling, which has produced some gaps, causing the (earth’s crust) to fall. This magma cooling results in daily stress adjustment.

Hsinchu has also recently experienced seismic activity, leading some to worry northern Taiwan may soon face a geological disaster. The Seismology Center says that the Hsinchu and Datun events are unrelated and there is no reason for concern.