見見老鼠凱薩琳和大象馬克。凱薩琳非常勇敢又喜歡冒險，但馬克的個性十分害羞，對許多事情都感到害怕。不過，朋友都喜歡黏在一塊兒，所以凱薩琳走到哪兒，馬克就會跟到哪兒。有時候，牠們也會碰上非常棘手的情況
"Wake up, Mark!" Kathleen yelled as she knocked loudly on Mark's door. "Today we are going to visit my relatives. We don't want to be late."
"Is that today? I almost forgot," Mark answered. "I hope they have good food. I'm really hungry." Kathleen and Mark walked outside to wait for the bus.
"I can't wait to see my family. We haven't had a reunion in a long time," Kathleen said as they waited. "What's wrong? You don't look so good."
"I hate buses. I hope I don't get carsick," Mark answered.
"You'll be fine. Hurry up, the bus is here!"
When Mark and Kathleen got to Kathleen's family's house, the whole family ran out to meet them. Everyone was happy and hugging, even Mark, who didn't know anyone.
"Wow, there are so many people," Mark said, looking a little afraid. "How many cousins do you have?" But when he turned around, Kathleen was already off laughing with one of her aunts.
"We mice always have big families," answered Kathleen's mother. "Come inside, relax and have something to eat."
Mark got excited when he thought about food, but he never got a chance to eat.
"Come on!" Kathleen said. "My uncle's taking us fishing."
(Kayleen Hartman, Staff writer)
凱薩琳大聲地敲馬克的門，喊著說：「馬克，起床了！我們今天要去拜訪我的親戚，不要遲到了。」
「是今天嗎？我差點忘了。」馬克回答說：「希望那裡有好食物。我真的好餓。」凱薩琳和馬克走到外頭等公車。
「我等不及要見我的家人，我們很久沒有團聚了。」他們等公車時，凱薩琳說：「怎麼了？你看起來氣色不太好。」
馬克回答：「我討厭公車，希望我不要暈車。」
「不會有事的，快點，公車來了！」
馬克和凱薩琳抵達凱薩琳的家時，全家人都跑出來迎接他們。每個人都很開心、相互擁抱，即使是誰都不認識的馬克也一樣。
馬克看起來有點害怕地說：「哇！好多人喔！你有多少堂、表兄弟姐妹呢？」不過當他轉過身時，凱薩琳早已與一位姑姑一起哈哈大笑。
「我們老鼠一向都是大家庭，」凱薩琳的媽媽回答：「進來吧，輕鬆點，吃點東西吧。」
馬克想到食物就很興奮，可惜他根本沒有機會吃東西。
「來吧！」凱薩琳說：「我叔叔要帶我們去釣魚。」 （翻譯：賴美君）
1. relative n.
親戚 (qin1 qi1)
All of my relatives live in Taidong.
我所有親戚都住在台東。
2. reunion n.
團圓 (tuan2 yuan2)
I saw some old friends at my class' reunion.
我在同學會上看到一些老朋友。
3. cousin n.
堂、表兄弟姐妹 (tang2, biao3 xiong1 di4 jie3 mei4)
My cousin is my best friend.
我表姐是我最好的朋友。
1. How did Mark and Kathleen travel?
a. They took a boat.
b. They took a bus.
c. They took a train
2. How many cousins does Kathleen have?
a. Nine.
b. 20.
c. The story doesn't say.
Ans: 1.b 2.c
Taiwan has recently been hit by a succession of cold spells. The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Health Promotion Administration (HPA) has issued a special reminder for scooter and motorcycle riders to beware of strong winds that could cause their body temperature to drop too fast, and to take precautions against the cold. People should memorize the warning signs of heart disease and stroke, and anyone who suffers from facial drooping, arm weakness or speech difficulties should promptly be taken for medical treatment. All parts of Taiwan have been experiencing cold weather under the influence of a strong continental cold
B: I envy your friend. I’d love to work from home. A: He doesn’t mind not being able to meet his colleagues face to face every day. Still, even he occasionally misses the office buzz and ability to socialize. His wife finds the situation more difficult, though. B: Why? She doesn’t like him hanging around the house all day? A: No, she has a job, too, with many international clients, and she’s used to traveling overseas on a regular basis. She’s finding the situation a bit disorientating. B: 我好羨慕你朋友喔，我很想在家工作。 A: 不能每天跟同事見面，他並不介意。可是他偶爾還是會想念辦公室充滿活力的氣氛，可以跟大家社交。可是現在這種情況對他太太來說比較難熬。 B: 為甚麼？他太太不喜歡他一天到晚都在家晃來晃去？ A: 不是，他太太自己也有工作，而且有很多國際客戶，以前常常出國。現在這種情況讓她覺得有點無所適從。 （Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱譯） English
I certainly won’t miss the commute! (5/5) 我對通勤是絕對不會想念的！（五） A: With global telecommunications, wireless connectivity and the death of the office, it will be possible to work from anywhere. B: So you think you could just take off to a beach or a beautiful, sun-soaked spot in an idyllic part of the world and do your work from there? A: If we could do it, many others could, too. There wouldn’t be an idyllic place left on Earth. They’d all be crowded with people shouting into their mobile devices or tapping away on their keyboards. A: 有了全球電信系統、無線網路，再加上辦公室的消失，以後要在哪裡工作都可以。 B: 所以你想這樣就可以到海邊，或者世界上某個詩情畫意、陽光普照的地方去，在那裡工作？ A: 如果我們可以這樣，很多人也可以呀！這樣地球上就不會有什麼詩情畫意的地方了。因為這些地方都會擠滿人，大家都大聲講手機，或是在鍵盤上劈哩啪啦打字。 （Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱譯） English 英文:
With the international COVID-19 pandemic increasing in severity, tighter border restrictions mean that only a small number of Taiwanese will be able to travel abroad during this year’s Lunar New Year holiday period. As a result, hotels are doing a roaring trade in family reunion dinners this year, with several well-known five-star hotels becoming booked out as early as December last year. Two months ago, the Sheraton Grand Taipei Hotel had sold nearly 200 preorders, while places for Lunar New Year dinners at the Okura Taipei and the Fullon Hotel also sold out last year. The pandemic has given a
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