Pronunciation ChallengeCNN10: US Memorial Day / John Cena Apologizes to Fans in China

【Timecode】
00:00-02:00 U.S. Memorial Day 2021
02:02-03:43 John Cena Apologizes to Fans in China
03:43-04:03 Sentence of the Day
04:04-05:10 Vocabulary
05:14-06:07 Program Announcement
06:09-end / Singalong♪What a Wonderful World♪

【Transcript】
Hey folks, welcome to the show.
We have a little announcement to make later, so be sure to finish today’s episode.

[U.S. Memorial Day 2021]

Last week, May 31, was America’s Memorial Day, a tribute to all Americans who died serving in their nation's conflicts. Since 1971, the memorial day holiday has been observed on the last Monday in May. It started during the Civil War when mourners used flowers to decorate the graves of those who'd been killed in battles.

The practice gave rise to the holiday known as Declaration Day. After World War I, which ended in 1918, the holiday's name was changed to Memorial Day and it became a time to remember servicemen and women who'd been lost in every war. Flags are placed in their honor, parades and church services, and public events are held.

The president traditionally lays a wreath, or a circle of flowers, at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery⏤which can take place on Veterans Day as well. But while that holiday recognizes everyone who's served in the armed forces, Memorial Day focuses on those who gave their lives in service. The respects paid at Arlington are mirrored in cemeteries and communities all across America. May God rest their souls.

Now the next story is not on CNN10, but I think you’ll be interested to hear about it.

[John Cena Apologizes to Fans in China]

For our following story, a caucasian man apologizes to a country for his new movie, FF9. You can’t see him*, but you can definitely hear his voice, and his name is John Cena. American professional wrestler and actor John Cena apologized profusely in Mandarin on Tuesday (May 25) after Chinese netizens became enraged over his reference to Taiwan as a country.

During his promotion interview with Taiwanese broadcaster TVBS, Cena said “Taiwan is the first country that can watch FF9.” The film was originally supposed to premiere in Taiwan on May 19, but it was postponed indefinitely as Level 3 measures put an end to all movie showings across the nation.
Meanwhile, in China, where there is an ongoing outbreak of local COVID-19 cases in Anhui Province and Liaoning Province, the film's premiere was held on May 21. The Cena video eventually made its way to social media in China, enraging Chinese netizens with comments such as "You can't speak Chinese, please shut up."
So folks, what do you think? Did Cena do what he had to do? Or was he actually… protecting Taiwan? Since he didn’t really say what he was sorry about. Anyways, this is surely not going to be the last of it. Entertainers, be careful!

【And now, here’s our sentence of the day】

Memorial Day is a tribute to all Americans who died serving in their nation's conflicts.

【Vocabulary】

1. tribute
something that you say, write, or give that shows your respect and admiration for someone, especially on a formal occasion
Ex: The prime minister paid tribute to the firemen who had sacrificed themselves fighting the blaze.

2. serve
to work for; to do your duty to
Ex: He served under Ronald Reagan as Secretary of State.

3. conflict
an active disagreement between people with opposing opinions or principles
Ex: There was a lot of conflict between John and his father.


【Program Announcement】

Hey folks, we have a little announcement to make here. Unfortunately, or perhaps hooray for some of you VoiceTubers, due to the pandemic which has affected the way we work, we’re gonna take a little break from the CNN10 show for a short while. I remember that it was September 1, 2020, when I first hosted the CNN10 show. It's been a privilege bringing you news from the world, and I certainly hope that you’ve enjoyed it as much as I did, and learned a little something from the show.

Anyways, this is not a farewell, I’ll be hosting regular pronunciation challenge shows starting next Tuesday. It’s like getting the old job back, haha. What topics would you like me to do? Leave a comment down below and throw me your ideas.
This is Ken Miao, thanks for joining us, and I’ll see you guys again next week.

practice

Thank you, Ken. Have a good one, everyone.

Memorial Day is a tribute to all Americans who died serving in their nation's confilcts.