9/24/2005

李敖中國北大、清大、復大演說英文翻譯

譯者在開頭先表明英文翻譯內容,可能和實際講演內容有出入。
I was working off an imperfect transcription (see Xinzhoubao; in Chinese) that contained some things that were obvious errors. Therefore, this translation contains some guesses by me as to what was really said.
Li Ao's Speech At Beijing University 北京

Li Ao's Speech At Tsinghua University 清華

Li Ao's Speech At Fudan University 復旦

9/23/2005

Have a good one!

常聽到這句話,什麼意思咧?

這裡有解釋:

*施孝昌(中國時報-英文學習)"
在美國Have a good one.是一句很制式的說法,上班的人要回家,通常不會靜稍稍,自個兒東西一拿就走,一般都會沿途見人就說再見。再見的說法很多,Have a good one.的one 指的是day, night, evening,看離開的時間是白天、晚上或傍晚而定,也就是在回家時,祝福同事朋友,當天剩下的時間過得愉快。

Hey guys, have a good one. I'm out of here.

嘿,各位,再見囉,我走啦。


除了Have a good one.之外,還可說:

Have a good day. (night, evening....)

Have a nice day.

Have a good one.

Take it easy.

Take care.

=>International EFL Cafe Basic English Communication Coming and Going

9/21/2005

Your comment counts.

好像是兩天前吧,我到elllo聽幾個對話,在聽完這裡對話之後,決定給該站站長(Todd)一個迴響。

我寫的內容大致是說我贊成他要以英文初學者為未來方向,也同意他給中高級以上的英文學習者的建議。

今天就收到elllo的站長的一個簡短回信:

F ,

Thanks for the letter and your thought. I promise more easy ones soon.

Best regards,

Todd

我認為網路上針對英文初學者設計的materials不是很多,無論如何,一定是比中高級以上程度的來得少。不過,很想了解英文初學者是否會願意花時間在ESL網站或是提升自己英文能力上面呢?

不過,我覺得對英文初學者來說,坊間的英語教學雜誌助益很大,認真的看和聽和讀和唸,包你大大進一步!

9/20/2005

同理心

September 19
An English Language Learner's Word of the Day


empathy

Pronounced: click here

Function: noun [noncount]

Meanings:
the feeling that you understand and share another person's experiences and emotions
Example:
He felt great empathy with/for/toward the poor.

the ability to share someone else's feelings
Example:
His months spent researching prison life gave him greater empathy towards/for convicts.

Note: Empathy differs in meaning from sympathy, which means "a feeling of sorrow or pity for someone's loss, grief, or misfortune" or "a feeling of support for something."

Examples:
There is a lot of sympathy for the families of the victims.
He expressed sympathy for the rebels.



To subscribe to the Learner's Word of the Day please visit: www.startsampling.com/sm/wod/learner_signup.html

9/19/2005

[VOA News]Millions Celebrate Asian Mid-Autumn Festival with Mooncakes

『不要讓嫦娥笑我們髒。』

By Heda Bayron
Hong Kong
16 September 2005

Millions of people in Asia are celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival by exchanging boxes of mooncakes. But in Hong Kong, the tradition is scoring some bad points from environmental groups.

Sales of mooncakes are soaring in Hong Kong before the Mid-Autumn festival. Bakeries are packed with consumers spoiled for choice. There are lotus seed mooncakes, egg yolk mooncakes, ice cream mooncakes, ham mooncakes, bird's nest mooncakes and dozens of other varieties.

As much as the flavors, packaging counts for mooncakes - the more expensive they are, the more elaborate their colorful wrappings and ornate tin boxes.

Janus Chan is the general manager of Kee Wah Bakery, one of the oldest mooncake makers in Hong Kong.

"It is a better season than last year," she says. "Something like double digit (growth) over last year's sales. The economy is recovering so people's confidence is coming back and they are willing to spend money to celebrate."

And sensing the demand, mooncake producers have raised prices by at least five percent.

The golden brown round pastries symbolize family unity and are exchanged as gifts during the festival, which has its origins in an ancient fable about the moon.

On Sunday night, thousands of people in Hong Kong will gather in parks for a moonlight picnic featuring mooncakes, and light colorful lanterns and gaze at the moon - a custom believed to bring good fortune.

But the massive consumption of mooncakes poses an environmental headache. The Hong Kong chapter of the environmental group Friends of the Earth says the packages for the millions of mooncakes Hong Kong residents buy would fill at least 100 swimming pools. If all that wrapping were piled up, it would be taller than three football fields.

Friends of the Earth is urging people to recycle mooncake boxes. It aims to collect 200,000 of them this year in its "Moonkick Action" recycling campaign.

Director Chu Hahn says mooncake makers are heeding the call. "In the past two years the producers in Hong Kong, they reduced more than 16 million packaging items," he explains.

This year, some bakeries even began using recycled materials. Mr. Chu hopes the trend will continue in the years to come, so that Hong Kong families can enjoy the full moon without littering the Earth.

9/16/2005

布希的字條



這幾天在網路上流傳的火熱

布希在安理會中寫給萊斯的一張字條,上面寫道:

I think I may need a bathroom break. Is this possible?

1000個常用字/100個常拼錯的字/2000個常使用的字

Vocabulary Workshop: 1000 Most Common Words in English

100 MOST OFTEN MISPELLED MISSPELLED WORDS IN ENGLISH 網頁上說你只要精通該網頁上的所有字的拼法,就能省去一半查字典的時間。

The most useful 2000 words in English學英文的人必備的字彙!

to/for

這裡有人提出問題:是To me 還是 For me?

回覆這個問題的人意思大致是這樣:若你是個人闡述自己意見的話,就用to me。倘若是有人和你在爭論或不同意見時,你要表達自己的看法時,就是for me。

當這兩個介系詞後面接的是人時(to John or for John),就有小小的差別。to用在某人收到像信件或紙條等的情形,但用for的話,則是對方會從該物品/服務獲得一些"利益"。舉例,我留一張小紙條to John,但我從法國買了個紀念品for John。

可是正如這裡的版友寫的,形容詞(adjective)後到底接 to 還是 for好像沒個準:
An opinion I heard from a native speaker was that a rule of thumb for the choice is "to a person" and "for a thing." But I don't know to what extent this rule can be generalized. I often come cross a writing where "to a person" and "for a person" are used in parallel. We can see one of such examples in the speech by Archbishop Harry J. Flynn:
As was the case for many of our foremothers and forefathers, emigration does not come easily. It did not come easy for the Irish, the Germans, the Scandinavians. It does not come easy to the Hmong, the Liberians, the Somalis, the Bosnians or the Hispanics.


來自西班牙的Alex也有問BBC Learning English這個to/for的問題,雖然解釋算詳盡,但卻沒有提到這兩個介系詞後面+"人(a person)"的使用方法。

Bush Speech Details Aid Programs for Gulf Region



在Hurricane Katrina重創美國New Orleans後,小布希對救援重建工作內容發表演說。

NPR提供的聲音檔在這一個網頁

VOA則有完整的演講內容。



接下來離題了。

有個反布希的人開了一個網站,主要在倒數布希卸任的時間,甚至給他發明了鑰匙圈,如此可時時提醒自己布希下台的時間近了,期待他下台的那天到來就好像期待著某個婚宴或是假期一樣快樂。

9/15/2005

台灣年鑑2004



這一段是Taiwan年鑑Two thousand four介紹的開頭……


Taiwan's democratization took another step forward with the 2004 presidential election in which Chen Shui-bian was re-elected for a second term over a united opposition ticket. Chen garnered 6,471,970 votes, 11 percent more of the popular vote than in 2000.

content,就到目錄區,在這裡將所有和台灣有關的人事物統統一網打進。如在平面媒體區裡把台灣大部分的出版報章雜誌,做了詳盡的介紹:
Taiwan's flourishing computer industry has generated a vast assortment of computer magazines for beginners, advanced PC users, video game players, industrialists, and even procurement personnel. Popular magazines in this category include PC Home 電腦家庭 for beginners, PC Office 電腦上班族 for office workers, and PC Gamer 電腦玩家 for video game enthusiasts.

 English-language periodicals and magazines that juxtapose Chinese and English texts are an entertaining way for Taiwan readers to learn a foreign language. The more popular periodicals in this category include Studio Classroom 空中英語教室, with articles for senior high school and university students, and Ez Talk 美語會話誌 and Let's Talk in English 大家說英語, which target those eager to improve their spoken English. Some of these magazines are also available with audiocassettes or CD-ROMs.

上月初警政署外國人在台生活諮詢服務網成立網站有個會話教室,我聽了幾句他們給的中文發音(好奇),覺得那個字正腔圓的發音跟這裡(隨便點一課來聽)的名叫"李華"的女聲好相似,會是同一個人嗎?

"Skype"的發音



知名軟體Skype的韻腳並不是押"皮",

押的是和"ripe"同樣的韻腳。

就發"sky"(天空)的音,之後以無聲的"p"結尾。

How do you pronounce the word Skype?

http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Skype

9/14/2005

[MSNBC]過度使用耳機會使聽力受損

隨著愈來愈多需要直接"緊貼耳朵"的商品出現,如ipod和手機,還有可維持長時間的可充電電池,我們的耳朵在過度"使用"之下,聽力也因此受到了損害。


More headphone use leading to hearing loss
Young people, in particular, face increased risk of damage to ears


讀書運動都要聽iPod
Everywhere she turns, Angella Day sees people carrying portable music players, often with the ear buds stuffed firmly in place. "They're very widespread," says Day, a senior at Chicago's DePaul University who regularly listens to music on her own iPod while studying or working out. "So addicting."

What she and others may not realize is that many people their age have already damaged their hearing. And researchers fear that the growing popularity of portable music players and other items that attach directly to the ears — including cell phones — is only making it worse.

"It's a different level of use than we've seen in the past," says Robert Novak, director of clinical education in audiology at Purdue University in Indiana. "It's becoming more of a full-day listening experience, as opposed to just when you're jogging."

持久性可充電池讓我們聽的時間更久
With long-lasting rechargeable batteries, people who use portable music players also are listening longer — and not giving their ears a rest, says Deanna Meinke, an audiologist at the University of Northern Colorado who heads the National Hearing Conservation Association's task force on children and hearing.

到底聽多久才是安全的呢?
Meinke says a good rule of thumb comes from a study published in December: Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital determined that listening to a portable music player with headphones at 60 percent of its potential volume for one hour a day is relatively safe.


a rule of thumb:大致上

小發現

才才發現雅虎奇摩字典也可以發音。



多聽多健康……

Quiz--連字(Describing People)

這個也是english-at-home寄的newsletter裡的quiz。





Describing people

Some adjectives are made up of two words separated by a hyphen. For example, someone who is "old-fashioned" has "old" ideas, and doesn't like new concepts or new technology.

In this quiz, match the adjectives in List A with the adjectives in List B to form adjectives that describe people.

List A
big-
easy-
even-
heavy-
kind-
level-
mild-
narrow-
self-
soft-

List B
centred
going
handed
headed
headed
hearted
mannered
minded
spoken
tempered





答案我放在這篇的Comment裡。

9/13/2005

Corn dog


資料來源

Corn dogs are hot dogs dipped in corn batter, deep fried and served on a stick. Corn dogs were supposedly created in 1942 for the Texas State Fair by Neil Fletcher.

Corn dogs are an excellent source of calories, fat, cholesterol and salt.

9/12/2005

如何學好英文? 空中英語教室強調多讀

2005/08/27

有鑒於「全民英檢」在求職求學過程當中的重要性,擁有TESOL( Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages)教師資格的空中英語教室老師哈雀Liz Archer以她多年的教學經驗,分享了如何快速增進英語實力的各種訣竅。

她表示,每天至少花十分鐘聽及說英語,先聽一段英語,而後大聲的唸出來,這是訓練自己聽力說英文的基本功。此外每天要讀一段或一篇英語文章,因為讀的愈多、 寫出來的英文文章就愈流暢。

"cannot" versus "can not"

我印象很深刻的是我一個句子(I can not recall......)中的can not被劃掉,老師在上頭寫cannot,並註明one word -- 只有一個字。我從那時候起,就一直沒再寫can not,而是寫兩字併起來的cannot。

好奇怪,"長人"字典沒有說can not的用法是錯誤的,而英文用法大字典也只說cannot是英國用法,can not是美國用法。順帶一提,那位糾正我的老師,是來自UK的。

沒想到,cannot分不分開有沒有差的問題也被列為常問問題之一。(該網站的解釋是說cannot和can not的拼法都可以接受,但cannot是最普遍的拼法,can not是用在像can not only這樣子的情況。)

Languagehat.com:cannot解說的最詳細,他開頭先提到十一版的Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary把cannot這個字中開放了個空格,變成了can not,他說明了這兩者的不同:


The definition of cannot should be either "the negative form of can" (as the AHD has it) or a periphrasis like "is not able to." The only context in which can not, two words, occurs is as an emphatic alternative: "You can do it, or you can not do it." In that case, it is clearly two separately spoken words, with the not given special emphasis, and equally clearly it means something very different from cannot, namely "have the option of not (doing something)." The only acceptable form for the unabbreviated negative of can (or, if you prefer, for the expansion of can't) is cannot, one word.


給幾個句子來分別看看他所說的意思:
You cannot do it. 你不能做。
You can not do it. 你能不做。

I cannot smoke. 我不能抽煙。
I can not smoke. 我可以不抽煙。(我能不抽煙。)

再讓我們看看網路上面是怎麼說的吧…

下列的說明是取自這裡


最後這一個是取自這裡。

Tip: Cannot vs. Can Not

"Cannot" is always one word. Even though you can probably think of examples where you want to make it two words, don't. (Ex: You can go to the store, or you can not go to the store.) Try to rewrite it for more clarity instead.

What are you blogging about?

這是Englishbaby上週五的對話主題。


Listen to the Dialogue, Click Here.按此聽以下對話

Derek: Dave, do you have a blog?

Dave: No, I don't. I don't know how to start one.

Derek: You don't know how to start one? Yeah, well, they've got a few sites out there that host them and they give you pretty good instructions on how to start one. And then, you know, if it becomes really popular, you know, maybe you'll have people all across the country reading it.

Dave: Oh, that'd be cool. It'd be really cool. Do you have a blog?

Derek: Ah, no, I don't. I, ah, was thinking about starting one. Just, you know, news story or, you know, maybe a fictional town.

Dave: Yeah, that would be interesting. How do you go about starting a blog?

Derek: Um, you go to sites like, um, Blogger.com or Myspace or, you know, a few other places, and then start your own blog. And just start writing, adding pictures, you know, getting feedback. It's pretty cool.

Dave: Sounds nice. What do you think you should put on a blog to make it interesting?

Derek: Entertaining things, or, you know, very factual. I don't know. I've seen law blogs. And some people just really voice their opinion politically and have become really popular.

Dave: Yeah, I've read a few of those blogs. They seem really interesting. And blogs represent a…a good democratic media.

Derek: Definitely.

Dave: Anybody can post their thoughts.

Derek: Yeah, it's pretty nice to be able to do that.

9/11/2005

My Vocabulary -- 2

at fault (expression): responsible
I am at fault for our fight last night. I decided to have an argument and started being mean.

big-hearted (adj): generous; freely giving of time or money
He is so big-hearted to give you such a nice present!

pastime (n): a hobby, an activity people do to "pass the time"
My friend Michelle loves to read. It is her favorite pastime.

up in arms (expression): angry; upset about something
The customers were up in arms at the restaurant because they were out of fish.

sequal (n): second part; following part
I think it's rare that a sequal is as good as the original film.

9/10/2005

英文學習者面對的三大挑戰

以下內容是我翻自這篇文章,而該網站我在這裡介紹過,在此也鼓勵大家看原文就好了。 我相信,文章內容是多數外語學習者再熟悉也不過的了。

英文學習者面對的三大挑戰

(1)對學英文培養一份熱情

所有的英語學習者都想要講一口好英語,能流利的以英語和人溝通的想法也令其興奮。然而,他們通常不在乎學習英文本身的過程。對於多數的學習者來說,學英文就是義務-是件必須做但不想做的事,不見學習英文的樂趣。

簡而言之,多數學習者想要把英語講好,但不想要學英文。這是英文學習者面對的第一個也是最大的問題,因為一個人不喜歡學英文,是不會把英文學好的。如果你不愛英文,英文不會愛你。

如果你想要成為個成功的學習者,你必須喜歡學習過程的本身。你需要視花在英文上的時間是項樂趣和消遣,例如,你得喜愛:

●閱讀英文句子和思考句子結構
●從一本字典學習新字
●經由著查閱字典、文法指南、網路寫出一個正確的英文句子
●練習英語語音和字彙的發音

最好的是,學習英文應是你的嗜好。你該把自己視為個英文學習者-一個已經選擇將學習英文為自己最喜歡的娛樂活動之一的人。

(2)對你的生活做第一個改變

決定學習英文後,你的生活得做改變。舉例來說,決定每天花三十分鐘閱讀一本英文並持之以恆。要在你的生活做個微小但永恆的改變是非常難的,又加上假使學英文似乎並不是一件樂事。但,學習者應記住每天研讀英文十五分鐘的結果遠勝過一個月僅一次的全天候學習。

(3)對你的生活做進一步的改變

雖然第一個改變是最困難的,但每一個隨之而來的改變也非輕而易舉。許多學習者走出了第一步(例:每天開始閱讀一本英文書),然後就停在那裡了,不去投入其它以英文建立起的消遣性活動。

一個優秀的學習者會有一套娛樂活動(閱讀、看電視、練習發音、聽錄音帶等),並且依照其心情從中擇之。只有單一娛樂活動不算好,因為(1)你很快就會感到無聊,(2)那單一的娛樂活動僅能給予你狹窄的語言能力範圍。例如,閱讀英文能夠改善你的文法、字彙、閱讀理解力、寫作能力,卻不能改善你的發音。




Language learning: Myths and facts(語言學習的迷思和真相)
1. "The best way to learn a foreign language is to go to a foreign country" (到國外學外語真的是最好的方法嗎?)
2. "The best way to learn a foreign language is to speak it" (學習外語最好的方法是去"說"它嗎?)
3. "It is OK to make mistakes" (犯錯是OK的嗎?)
4. "As a beginner, you're bound to make a lot of mistakes" (身為初學者,你就必定得犯很多錯誤嗎?)
5. "You are a foreigner, therefore you will always have a foreign accent" (你是外國人,所以你就永遠得有外國腔?)
6. "If you didn't learn a foreign language as a child, you will never be fully proficient in its grammar" (倘若你不是從小開始學外語,你永遠無法全然精通其文法?)
7. "Studying pronunciation is not important" (研讀發音不重要?)


以上都是出自同一個網站的文章,因為該網站有商業性質,所以關於學習英語的一些經驗談是否有道理,就由閣下自己定奪。

我想到幾個月前看過一位曾待過台灣的外籍人士在網路上批台灣學生學英文不夠積極,不會獨立思考,好像輕輕鬆鬆就能夠學好外語,然而,他繼續寫道,學過外語的人應該知道學外語不是這麼簡單,是要下功夫的。

我覺得就看個人目的為何,假如我是工作上必備、或為了考試、或要出國留學、或為個人理想,好像就必須要臥薪嘗膽努力一點,假如對我來說可有可無,只是一項嗜好,應該就不用太苛求吧……。

9/08/2005

"when" versus "while"

英文解釋請看:參考資料1 + 參考資料2

UPDATE:中文有解釋了哦!快快來看吧…

以下是綜合那兩個英文網站的解釋,大致上有個情形:



"when" "while" 兩人都是一家人的情況==> during the time

當動作B發生,用這兩個字任一個帶出一個長時間正在持續的"背景"動作或情況(動作A)。

The prisoners escaped when/while the prison warders were eating their lunch.
When/While the prison warders were eating their lunch, the prisoners escaped.
<當嶽警正在吃中餐的時候,那群囚犯逃走了。>

Somebody broke into the house when they were playing cards.
While they were playing cards, somebody broke into the house.
<當他們正在玩牌的時候,有人闖入屋內。>

*when/while句子可置前或置後。

*可替換的另兩個字是"as""whilst",不過有時候聽來會挺文謅謅的。
As the sun went down, I sipped a rum and coke on the balcony.
<當太陽下山時,我在陽台上啜飲著蘭姆和可樂。>
I sipped a rum and coke on the balcony whilst the sun went slowly down on the horizon.






"when" "while"分家,只能用"when"的情況: ==> at the time

(1)"A"持續進行一段時間時,"B"發生了,"B"用"when"帶出。

I was asleep in my chair when Dora rang to say she wasn't coming home.
<正當我在椅子上睡著的時候,朵拉打電話說她不回家了。>

We were playing monopoly when the lights went off.
<正當我們在玩大富翁的時候,電燈熄滅了。>

(2)兩件事皆短時間同時發生

I thought of it (just) when you opened your mouth.
<當你開口時,我剛好想到它。>

When the lights went out, everybody groaned: "Oh no, not another power cut!"
<當電燈熄滅時,每個人抱怨著說:"不要啊!別再停電啦!">

(3)講到過去的某段時間

When
I was a little boy, power cuts were very frequent, but that was just after the war.
<當我還是個小男生的時候,停電是非常頻繁的,但那也僅是戰爭之後。>

When I was a child we lived in London (NOT While I was a child …)

His parents died when he was twelve (NOT … while he was twelve)






"when" "while"分家,通常偏用"while"的情況: ==> during the time

"A"和"B"動作維持較的時間或"A"和"B"兩者長時間的同時動作。

Dora left a message on the voice mail while I was asleep in the chair.
<朵拉在語言信箱留言的同時,我正在椅子上熟睡。>

While I was writing my Christmas cards, the children were decorating the tree.
<我在寫聖誕卡的同時,孩子們正在裝飾著樹。> OR 我在寫卡片,孩子們在裝飾樹。
*用「而」來想,就會用"while"。

I cooked the supper while Jenny did the ironing.
<我煮著晚飯的同時,珍妮在燙衣服。> OR 我在煮晚飯,珍妮在燙衣

While you were reading the paper, I was working.
<你在看報的同時,我在工作。> OR 你在看報,我在工作。






參考資料裡講到的大致就是這樣,while 動作是長時間(during that time),when 是短時間(at that time),while 不可指一點時間(a point of time),when可使用的機率應該比較大。

測驗:

He rang me up ________ he heard of it.
_____ I had finished my letter, I posted it.
I was about to start _____ it began to rain.
He was going to bed, _____ a letter came.
The case was heard yesterday, _____ her lawyer did his best to defend her.


答案:全都是when



再來一些例句:

When I arrived, he was talking on the phone.
When I got there, he had already left.
When it began to rain, I stood under a tree.
When I was in Chicago, I visited the museums.
When I see him tomorrow, I will ask him.

While I was walking home, it began to rain.