全球生育率敬陪末座
Taiwan’s Cabinet recently passed a revised plan which will expand childcare programs to address the country’s flagging birth rate.
台灣內閣最近通過一項修正計畫，將擴大育兒專案以解決國內低迷的生育率。
cabinet (n.)儲藏櫃,內閣；Executive Yuan 行政院revise (v.)修正,修訂address (v.)應付,處理flagging (adj.)衰退中的,萎靡不振的；flagging economy 萎靡不振的經濟
The plan will take effect in January 2023 and benefit a total of 300,000 people, including families as well as childcare workers and institutions.
此計畫將於2023年1月生效，並共有30萬人受惠，包括家庭、保育員和機構。
take effect 生效,產生效果,起作用
Taiwan currently remains at the bottom of the global fertility charts, recording its all-time lowest birth rate of 0.89 births per woman this year—a number well below the rate of 2.1 births per woman needed to maintain the population.
台灣目前在全球生育率排行榜中敬陪末座，今年降到歷史新低，每位女性僅生育0.89人─遠低於維持人口所需的2.1人。
fertility (n.)生殖力,生育力；fertility clinic 不孕症診所
Under Taiwan’s current childcare scheme, low- to mid- income families receive a subsidy of NT$5,000 per month for each child under the age of five years old, with varying levels of monthly assistance given for public and quasi-public daycare tuition for children under 2 years old and capped tuition subsidies of NT$3,000 for children aged two to five.
根據台灣現行的育兒方案，有5歲以下孩童的中低收入家庭，每位孩童每月可領5,000元台幣的補助，2歲以下就讀公托和準公托的孩童可獲得金額不等的學費補助，2至5歲兒童最高可領3,000元台幣學費補助。
scheme (n.)方案,計畫,陰謀,詭計；Ponzi scheme 龐氏騙局；pyramid scheme 金字塔騙局(層壓式推銷)subsidy (n.)津貼,補助金
Following the approval of the new plan, these benefits will be extended to higher-income families earning NT$1.21 million and over annually.
新計畫通過後，這些補助將擴及至年收入達到或超過121萬的高收入家庭。
approval (n.)核准,批准；official approval 官方核准；government approval 政府核准benefit (n.)補助金,救濟金；unemployment benefit 失業救濟金
In addition, Taiwan’s childcare workers will see increased paychecks in January.
此外，台灣保育員將在1月獲得加薪。
in addition 除此之外=additionallypaycheck (n.)工資；live paycheck to paycheck 月光族
Those at public centers will see their wages raised to NT$35,000, while the minimum wages for caregivers and teachers at quasi-public centers will also be increased to NT$30,000 and NT$36,000, respectively.
在公托中心的保育員月薪將提高至35,000元台幣，準公托的保育員和教師的最低月薪也將分別提升至30,000元台幣和36,000元台幣。
respectively (adv.)分別地
Some of the new annual budget will also be given as subsidies to quasi-public institutions for improving facilities and equipment as well as all infant daycare centers that implement staff-to-infant ratios of 1:4.
新的年度預算金額其中一部分也會撥給準公托機構作為補助，以改善設施和設備，也會撥款補助將照顧比調降至1:4的托嬰中心。
implement (v.)實施ratio (n.)比,比例