October 5, 2020　vol. 331

The Mystery of the Mailed Seeds

Packets of mysterious seeds began to arrive in

mailboxes in countries around the world. Usually with

Chinese characters on the wrappings, these packets of

seeds were sent to addresses in the United States of

America, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Taiwan,

among other countries. Word quickly spread via the

Internet about these mystery seeds, and people began to

ask several questions: What are these seeds? Why were

they sent here? What should we do with them?

As the seeds were being analyzed, a loud warning

went out from government officials and agricultural

experts: Don’t plant these seeds! In fact, the experts

said that the packets should not even be opened.

Instead, officials said these seeds should remain

enclosed in the plastic they came in and be given to the

authorities for proper disposal. The main concern about

these seeds, according to experts, is that they might be

nonnative or invasive species, which could potentially

carry pests or even diseases.

Not long after the seeds began to arrive, an

explanation about why they had been sent started to

emerge. As stated by this theory, the packets of seeds

were sent out as part of a “brushing” scam. This

usually involves online retailers sending out lowvalue

items, like seeds, as fake “sales,” which can in turn be

used to generate positive online reviews. This is often

done in an attempt to boost the online retailer’s

reputation.

In Taiwan, the arrival of unsolicited packages was

also reported. Most of the packages had arrived along

with orders from popular ecommerce sites, such as

Taobao and Shopee. Other packages came through

Facebook orders, and some of the unwanted packages

contained fertilizer or soil.

Though likely harmless, these mysterious packets

of seeds caused many to worry.

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Reading Comprehension(　　) 1. What is the third paragraph mainly about? (main idea)

(A) Regulations on the delivery of the seeds. (B) Exploration of the source of the seeds.

(C) Certification of the breeds of the seeds. (D) Procedure for the reproduction of the seeds.

(　　) 2. What does the word “unsolicited” in the fourth paragraph most likely mean? (words in context)

(A) Comparable. (B) Recreational. (C) Spontaneous. (D) Approximate.

(　　) 3. Which of the following is NOT suggested as a proper method of disposal of a mysterious seed packet?

(supporting details)

(A) Launch it on major ecommerce sites. (B) Remain how it is enclosed and sealed.

(C) Hand it in to the authorities concerned. (D) Be alert to it for the concern about safety.

(　　) 4. According to the passage, in what way had the seeds been wrapped and transported overseas?

(A) (B)

(C) (D)

5. Question for Discussion:

What do you think the mysterious packets of seeds are intended for?

Vocabulary and Phrases1. packet　n. 小袋；小包；小盒2. agricultural　adj. 農業的3. enclosed　adj. 密封的4. disposal　n. 處理；丟棄5. invasive　adj. 侵入的

6. pest　n. 害蟲7. in turn　phr. 因此8. generate　vt. 產生；創造9. boost　vt. 提高；改善10. fertilizer　n. 肥料

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Changes Ahead for TaoyuanInternational Airport

For many years, Taiwan Taoyuan International

Airport has served proudly as Taiwan’s biggest and

busiest international airport. Formerly __1__ as Chiang

Kaishek International Airport until its name was

changed in 2006, this airport is located approximately

40 kilometers west of Taipei City in the special

municipality of Taoyuan. In 2018, the airport reported

that more than 46 million passengers had __2__

through this facility, along with more than 2 billion

kilograms of freight, making it one of the busiest

airports in the world for both passenger and

international freight traffic. It’s no wonder, then, that

Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation and

Communications (MOTC) has big plans for the future

of Taoyuan International Airport, which may even

include building a new Terminal One.

Currently, Taoyuan International Airport has two

terminals: Terminal One and Terminal Two, which

opened in 1979 and 2000 respectively. The

construction project of the brandnew Terminal Three is

already underway, and this building is expected to be

completed and ready to __3__ passengers by 2025.

Plans to build Terminal Four have currently been put

on hold.

In fact, Terminal One underwent an extensive

renovation and expansion project in 2010, which

helped to __4__ passenger volume through this

terminal from 12 to 15 million. Nonetheless,

government officials have indicated that once Terminal

Three is ready to __5__ in 2025, a thorough assessment

will be conducted to determine what should be done

with Terminal One, which could include tearing down

and rebuilding this facility.

It is expected that global air travel will likely

bounce back (and may even rise) after the COVID19

pandemic subsides worldwide. So, it makes sense for

the MOTC to make sure that Taoyuan International

Airport is as efficient as possible at handling

passengers and cargo, even if this means that the

remodeled Terminal One may have to be reconstructed.

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Fill in the Blanks(A) passed　　　　　(B) go　　　　　(C) increase　　　　　(D) known　　　　　(E) handle

1. ______ 2. ______ 3. ______ 4. ______ 5. ______

Vocabulary and Phrases1. municipality　n. 自治都市2. facility　n. 場所；設施3. freight　n. 貨物；貨運4. respectively　adv. 分別地5. on hold　phr. 暫停；被延後

6. expansion　n. 擴大，擴展7. assessment　n. 評估8. bounce back　phr. 恢復，回彈9. subside　vi. 趨於平緩，平息10. cargo　n. (飛機等裝載的)貨物

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　閱讀測驗解答：1. B　2. C　3. A　4. D

文意選填解答：1. D　2. A　3. E　4. C　5. B

　Acknowledgments“The Mystery of the Mailed Seeds” by Theodore Pigott“Changes Ahead for Taoyuan International Airport” by Theodore PigottPicture Credits

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All pictures in this publication are authorized for use by Shutterstock.

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文章中譯 種子郵包的祕密一袋袋不明種子開始寄達世界各國的郵箱。這些袋裝種子被寄送到美國、加拿大、英國和臺灣等國家的

地址，其包裝上通常有中文字。有關這些神祕種子的消息迅速在網路流傳開來，大家開始問：這些是什麼種子？為什麼送來這裡？我們該拿它們怎麼辦？在分析種子的同時，政府官員和農業專家大力警告：別栽植這些種子！事實上，專家說甚至連包裝袋都

不應該打開；官員也說，相對於拆封，反而應該要讓這些種子保持封存在原本的塑膠袋裡，並交給有關當局做適當的處置。根據專家的說法，這些種子的主要問題在於，它們可能是非原生或入侵性的物種，可能會帶有病蟲害或甚至疾病。種子寄來後不久，就開始有人解釋為什麼會出現這些種子。有此一說：寄送種子郵包是「刷評」騙局中

的一個環節。這通常是指網路零售商送出種子這類低價品項，以便假裝有所謂的「銷售」，並藉此創造網路好評，這麼做通常是為了要提高網路零售商的聲譽。在臺灣，也有包裹不請自來的報導。大多數的郵包都與淘寶網和蝦皮購物等熱門電子商務平臺的訂單一

起送達。其他郵包則是透過臉書的訂單送來，有些不請自來的郵包含有肥料或土壤。雖然這些神祕的袋裝種子可能無害，但它們引發了許多人擔憂。

桃園機場即將改變多年來，臺灣桃園國際機場一直是臺灣最大、最繁忙的國際機場。這座機場座落於臺北市以西大約 40公

里的桃園直轄市，以前叫做中正國際機場，直到 2006年才改名。據報，這個機場在 2018年已有超過 4,600萬人次的客運量，以及逾 20億公斤的貨運量，使其在客運和國際貨運上都是全球最繁忙的機場之一。因此難怪臺灣的交通部為桃園國際機場的未來制定遠大計畫，甚至可能包括興建新的第一航廈。目前，桃園國際機場有兩個航廈：第一航廈和第二航廈，分別於 1979年和 2000年啟用。全新的第三航廈

的工程計畫已在進行中，預計該建物將於 2025年前完工，且準備好接待旅客。興建第四航廈的計畫目前已暫時擱置。實際上，第一航廈在 2010年進行過大規模的翻修和擴建，使航廈所能服務的旅客數量從 1,200萬人次增

加到 1,500萬人次。儘管如此，政府官員表示，一旦第三航廈準備好在 2025年啟用，將會完整地評估該如何處理第一航廈，而這可能包括拆除和重建此一設施。全球航空旅遊業預計很可能在新冠疫情趨緩之後有所反彈（甚至可能更加興盛）。所以交通部要確保桃

園國際機場能盡量高效率地處理旅客和貨物，這是合情合理的，即使這意味著改建過的第一航廈可能必須重建。

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