>South Korea's population may ‘de-age’
韓國擬統一年齡計算方式

South Korea's population may become a year younger on paper if the country's president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol succeeds in abolishing the concept of the "Korean age."
如果韓國總統當選人尹錫悅成功廢除“韓國年齡”概念，韓國人口可能將在名義上集體年輕一歲。

South Korea currently has several ways of counting age.
韓國當前有好幾種年齡計算方式。

One of them is the "Korean age" system Yoon's government is looking to do away with, which involves South Koreans being labeled as one year old at birth and adding another year upon the New Year.
其中一種是尹錫悅政府打算廢除的“韓國年齡”體系，按照舊的計算方法，韓國人剛出生就是一歲，過了新年又加一歲。

Lee Yong-ho, chief of Yoon's transition team's political, judicial, and administrative subcommittee, said during a news conference on April 11 they are pushing to standardize the way age is counted in South Korea.
交接委政務司法行政分科干事李容鎬在4月11日的新聞發布會上稱，他們將推動韓國年齡計算方式的標準化。

"There would be much less confusion if we could have the same idea of what it means to be how old we actually are," Lee said, adding his team would push for this change to be implemented by early 2023.
李容鎬稱：“如果我們對自己的實際年齡有統一的認知方式，就不會造成這么多混亂。”他補充道，他的團隊將會在2023年初前推動實現這一改動。

>Electric chopsticks enhance salty tastes
日本研發可增強咸味的電子筷

Japanese researchers have developed computerized chopsticks that enhance salty tastes, potentially helping those who need to reduce sodium in their diets.
日本研究人員研發了一種可以增強咸味的電子筷子，有可能幫助到那些需要低鈉飲食的人。

Co-developed by Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita and beverage maker Kirin Holdings Co., the chopsticks enhance tastes using electrical stimulation and a mini-computer worn on a wristband.
這種電子筷由明治大學教授宮下和美（音譯）和飲品制造商麒麟控股有限公司共同開發，通過電流刺激和佩戴在腕帶上的微型計算機來增強味道。

The device uses a weak electrical current to transmit sodium ions from food through the chopsticks to the mouth where they create a sense of saltiness, Miyashita said.
宮下稱，這種裝置利用微電流將食物中的鈉離子通過筷子傳遞到口腔，從而產生咸味。

"As a result, the salty taste is enhanced 1.5 times," he said.
他表示：“這樣可以將咸味放大1.5倍。”

>US Congress fails to fund pandemic aid program
美國無醫保者將需自費檢測和治療新冠

People who don’t have health insurance are now being charged $100 or more for COVID-19 testing by some labs and may face bills for hospital treatment, and free vaccines may not be as easy for everyone to get since emergency federal aid for some pandemic programs has run out and hasn’t been renewed by Congress.
由于贊助疫情期間一些項目的聯邦政府緊急撥款已枯竭且國會沒有注入新資金，如今沒有醫保的美國人在接受部分實驗室的核酸檢測時將需要繳納至少100美元（約合人民幣637元）的費用，并可能需要自費住院治療，打免費疫苗也沒那么容易了。

Funding for the uninsured was dropped by Senate and House negotiators after Republicans opposed the money needed to extend the program, a senior Democratic aide in the US House told CNBC.
美國眾議院的一名資深民主黨助手告訴美國消費者新聞與商業頻道稱，由于共和黨人反對繼續向這一項目投錢，參眾兩院的談判代表已經放棄為無醫保者提供資金。

The Health Resources and Services Administration, which runs the uninsured program for HHS, stopped accepting claims to test and treat uninsured patients on March 22 due to insufficient funds.
與此同時，由于資金不足，為美國衛生與公眾服務部運營這一無醫保項目的衛生資源和服務管理局也從3月22日起停止接收要求做核酸檢測和治療的無醫保新冠患者。

While the US is providing Covid shots for free, the agency stopped covering the costs to administer the vaccines for uninsured people as of April 5.
美國目前仍免費提供新冠疫苗，但是該機構從4月5日起不再負擔無醫保者注射疫苗的費用。

>Artistic designs laid in tea foam
中國古代的'點茶'技藝

It's common to see a barista create coffee art, but it's a whole different ballgame doing the same thing with tea.
如今，咖啡拉花已經很常見，不過在茶湯上作畫就鮮為人知了。

Different from the method of brewing tea during the Tang period, in the Song Dynasty the prevalent tea preparation was through dian cha.
與唐代的泡茶方法不同，宋代盛行的喝茶方式是點茶。

The process begins with hot water being poured over fine powdered tea creating a paste, with more hot water slowly added as the tea is constantly whisked by hand with a bamboo stick.
首先將熱水倒在細密的茶粉上，調成糊狀，然后慢慢加入更多熱水，用茶筅不斷擊打。

It usually requires whisking the mixture between 180 and 200 times before water and tea are fully blended and froth appears.
一盞茶大約要擊打180-200下，水與茶才會完全融合并出現泡沫。

Then one can make artistic designs in the froth with the tea paste.
然后，人們便可以用調好的茶膏，自由地在泡沫上作畫。

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