國發會與ICRT共同製播的時事英語廣播“The World in Brief”固定於每周三在雙語資源網更新，與大家一起聽時事學英文。

本周主題：世界皇后 Queen of the World Returns

拉斯帕爾馬斯日落工作室(Sunset Las Palmas Studios)錄製過許多知名節目，包括今年由臺灣裔美國人妮妃雅(Nymphia Wind)榮獲冠軍的《魯保羅變裝皇后秀》(RuPaul's Drag Race)，而妮妃雅也是該節目的首位東亞變裝皇后冠軍。由於對臺灣的喜愛，妮妃雅自製的第一個節目是在一輛電子花車上進行的，而標誌性的黃色服飾，靈感來自臺灣黃蓮花。前總統蔡英文(Tsai Ing-wen)也為其粉絲之一，甚至稱妮妃雅為「世界皇后」。想知道更多嗎？讓我們用3分鐘一起跟著主持人了解更多吧！

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Transcript

Voice: You’re listening to the World in Brief …

Crowd: … On tour! 

Naomi: "Dear ICRT, is there a royal family in Taiwan? I have been told the Queen’s returning!"

Host: Naomi in Nantou’s curious about Taiwan’s homecoming Queen! Let’s find out more …

Host: Here we are! Oh my. What’s happening? Whoa. That’s a bright light!

Voice: “Ready? OK!”

Host: Who’s there?

Voice: “5 – 6 – 7 – 8 …”

Host: Anybody? Hello?! Someone turn off the music, please!

Expert:What’s going on in here?

Host: Phew! Thank you.

Expert: Who are you? And why are all the lights off?

Host: I don’t know what happened! I don’t even know where we are.

Expert: You’re in Los Angeles, at the Sunset Las Palmas Studios.

Host: Cool! I’m sure tons of famous shows have been recorded here.

Expert: Oh, absolutely! This studio’s been in business since the 1920s. We’ve made some real classics here. Iconic hits like “I Love Lucy,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

Host: That show’s famous all over the world. Lots of people watch it in Taiwan.

Expert: You’re from Taiwan? You must be very proud of Nymphia Wind.

Host: Who’s that? Her name rings a bell …

Expert: She’s a Taiwanese-American drag artist. She won “RuPaul’s Drag Race” earlier this year, and became the show’s first East Asian winner. Now she’s a global superstar.

Host: Oh, I know her! Her face is everywhere. She likes to dress in yellow, right?

Expert: Yes, because she loves Taiwan’s bananas so much. She likes to reference Taiwanese culture as often as she can. Her first self-produced show was on a Taiwanese Electric Flower Car. And, when she performed for President Tsai, her outfit was inspired by the Taiwanese yellow lotus.

Host: Hold the phone … Nymphia Wind performed for the former President?!

Expert: She did! She was invited by Tsai herself, to sing and dance at her office.

Host: That must be the first Presidential Office in the world to host a drag show!

Expert: That’s what Nymphia said! It was a big deal, for sure. Especially for the local LGBTQ+ community.

Host: No doubt. Taiwan’s equality legislation has long been world-leading, and President Tsai was a big part of that. She was in charge when Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, you know.

Expert: It certainly was an important, symbolic performance they gave at the Presidential Office. It meant a lot to Nymphia and her crew. They were super grateful to be there. And Tsai absolutely loved it! She called Nymphia the queen of the world.

Host: Hang on, you’re saying Nymphia Wind is Taiwan’s returning Queen?

Expert: I guess so …

Host: That settles it! I knew there wasn’t really a Taiwanese royal family. I’d better go and tell Naomi in Nantou. Thanks for all your help, goodbye!

 

Vocabulary

ton (n.) 許多、大量

Tons of people around the world know who Nymphia Wind is, even if they’ve never seen a drag show; she has truly become a queen of the world! 

 

ring a bell (idiom) 聽起來耳熟

The name Electric Flower Car rings a bell – isn’t that a truck that has been transformed into a moving stage decorated with colorful neon lights? 

 

outfit (n.)（為特定場合或活動而穿的）全套服裝

Leo Tsao, a dressmaker, designs and sews many of the clever, creative, and often yellow outfits that his drag persona Nymphia Wind slays.  

 

big deal (n.) 意義重大的事情

When Nymphia Wind embraced Taiwan in her victory speech after she won RuPaul’s Drag Race, no one could have imagined the big deal it would be for this country.

 

legislation (n.) 立法、法律

Since legalizing same-sex marriage in 2019, Taiwan passed legislation to allow same-sex couples to adopt and has been considering amendments to its surrogacy laws.