言論自由的地獄
The bloom of the internet has accelerated the spread of information and seemingly expanded the influence of individuals’ behavior or speech.
網路的興起加速了資訊的傳播，並似乎擴大了每個人言論及行為的影響力。
accelerate(v.)加速=speed upexpand(v.)擴大influence(n.)影響、影響力individual(n.)個人、個體
This, however, brings concerns over the so-called “cancel culture,” which refers to the social phenomenon where individuals or companies face immediate public backlash and boycott over their offensive remarks or morally questionable deeds.
然而，這也帶來了就所謂「抵制文化」所產生的疑慮。「抵制文化」是指個人或公司因為其帶有攻擊意涵的言論或道德有疑慮的行為被群體強烈抵制或杯葛的社會現象。
concern(n.)顧慮、擔憂cancel culture抵制文化refer to+N指涉、談及phenomenon(n.)(不尋常的)現象(複數phenomena)backlash(n.)強烈反彈、強力抵制boycott(v.)杯葛、抵制morally(adv.)道德上地questionable(adj.)值得懷疑的、未必正確的
Celebrities are the most vulnerable to cancel culture and could lose job opportunities, sponsorship and their online presence or influence altogether.
名人最容易受「抵制文化」影響，並有可能會一夕之間失去工作機會、贊助、網路知名度甚或影響力。
vulnerable(adj.)脆弱的、容易受傷害的be vulnerable to sth.容易受到某事物的影響=be subject to…=be prone to…Small fish are vulnerable to predators.sponsor(v.)贊助sponsorship(n.)贊助金、贊助行為presence(n.)存在、能見度
Recent examples include Kevin Spacey, who starred in the Netflix series “House of Cards.” As soon as he was accused of sexual assaults in 2017, Netflix removed him from the cast.
近期例子包括主演Netflix影集《紙牌屋》的凱文‧史派西，他在2017年遭指控性侵後，Netflix就取消了他的角色。
star(v.)主演as soon as…一…就…be accused of sth.被指控某事sexual assault性侵remove A from B把A從B中移除
Despite the fact that the case was dropped in the end because of insufficient evidence, Spacey still went through a personal and career downfall afterwards.
雖然事後案子因為證據不足而被撤銷，史派西仍遭逢個人及事業的低潮。
despite the fact that S V…=in spite of the fact that…=even though儘管downfall(n.)低潮
Another example is Chinese star Fan Bing Bing, who committed tax evasion and was fined almost 900 million RMB. She was fiercely boycotted both online and offline, losing both job opportunities and her good reputation.
另一個例子則是中國影星范冰冰，她逃漏稅並被開罰近人民幣9億元。她當時在線上線下均被強力抵制，且不僅丟了工作機會也搞壞名聲。
commit(v.)犯罪tax evasion逃漏稅fiercely(adv.)強烈地、劇烈地losing…連續型分詞構句=and lost…reputation(n.)名聲、名譽
For some, cancelling is a new way to highlight past wrongs. For others, it could be solely over-reaction in the court of public opinion.
對某些人而言，「抵制」是種檢視別人過去錯誤的大好機會；對其他人而言，這卻只是在公審過程中的一種過度反應。
court(n.)法庭court of public opinion輿論審判、公審
Recently, a group of more than 100 renowned writers, including JK Rowling, signed a joint letter that argued the stifling atmosphere of cancel culture is toxic to artistic expression and healthy debate.
近期有逾百位知名作家，包括JK羅琳，發表聯合信，表明這種讓人窒息的現象對藝術發表以及有益的辯論非常不利。
stifling(adj.)悶熱的、令人窒息的expression(n.)表達debate(n.)辯論
Former US President Barack Obama also expressed his concerns about the risk of cancel culture. “If all you’re doing is casting stones, you’re probably not going to get that far.”
美國前總統歐巴馬也表達了對「抵制文化」的擔憂，他認為「如果你只是要攻擊其他人，你可能不會帶來太多的改變」。
express(v.)表達