Today, everybody knows that we have to brush our teeth. But not too long ago, that was a new idea.
The first toothbrushes weren't made of plastic like the toothbrushes today are. Back in the 1800s, they were made of animal bones and hair. As you might imagine, they didn't work very well. In 1938, an American company made the first plastic toothbrush.
People started using floss a long time before they started brushing their teeth. Scientists have found teeth from humans who lived thousands of years ago that show that some of them flossed their teeth.
PHOTO : AP
As for toothpaste, people have made it out of all kinds of different ingredients throughout history. In America in the 1700s, some people made toothpaste out of bread, and in the 1800s they made it out of charcoal! (Marc Langer, staff writer)
現今，人人都知道要刷牙。不過這可是個在不久之前才出現的新點子。
世上第一隻牙刷並非像今日的牙刷一樣是由塑膠製成的。回溯至十九世紀，牙刷是用動物骨骸與毛髮製成的。你可以想像，它們並不是很好用。一九三八年，美國一家公司率先推出世界上第一隻塑膠牙刷。
早在人們開始刷牙前，就已使用牙線。科學家由數千年前人類的牙齒發現，有些人用牙線剔牙。
至於牙膏，縱觀古今歷史，人們曾使用五花八門的材料來製造牙膏。十八世紀時，有些美國人利用麵包來製造牙膏，而在十九世紀，人們則是用木炭來製造牙膏。
（翻譯：賴美君）
1. floss n.
牙線 (ya2 xian4)
例：I use floss to clean my teeth every night.
（我每晚都用牙線來清潔牙縫。）
2. ingredient n.
材料 (cai2 liao4)，原料 (yuan2 liao4)
例：Before we bake a cake, we need to go to the store to buy the ingredients.
（烤蛋糕之前，我們必須先到商店買材料。）
3. charcoal n.
木炭 (mu4 tan4)
例：Sometimes people cook meat by putting it over burning charcoal.
（有時候人們會把肉放在燃燒的木炭上來燒。）
1. In the 1800s, toothbrushes were made of ...
a. charcoal.
b. bone.
c. silk.
d. plastic.
2. A(n) ___ company made the first plastic toothbrush.
a. American
b. French
c. Australian
d. Chinese
Did you hear the news about Wang’s marriage breakup? (5/5) 你有聽說老王要離婚的消息嗎？（五） A: Wang’s marriage dispute has finally come to an end. B: You’re still gossiping about it. Why are you so interested in his marital affairs? A: It’s just a healthy dose of curiosity. B: There’s an old saying: “Even a great judge finds it hard to settle a family quarrel.” So outsiders should keep their noses out of private family matters. A: 老王的婚姻糾紛終於要落幕啦。 B: 你還真八卦，那麼關注他離婚的消息。 A: 我很好奇嘛，這不就是人們的天性嗎？ B: 俗話說：「清官難斷家務事。」這是人家夫妻之間的家務事，外人還是少插手吧。 （Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩） Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
Sometimes in winter you may get a scratchy feeling in your throat just after waking up in the morning, which feels quite unpleasant. Founding chairman Lou Chung-liang of the Taiwan Traditional Chinese Medicine Preventive Health Association shared a post on his Facebook page in which he says that a sore throat is a common symptom in cold weather and it may be caused by any of the following three conditions: First: chronic pharyngitis You are probably in this category if it gets better after brushing your teeth, rinsing your mouth and drinking a sip of water. It can be caused by cold
I’m preparing for my graduation project (1/5) 我正在準備畢業專題（一） A: The semester is almost over. What have you been up to recently? B: I’m in the middle of preparing for my graduation project. A: Graduation project? What’s it on? B: We have to present a research paper and do a product display. A: 這學期就快要結束了，你最近都在忙些什麼？ B: 我正在準備畢業專題。 A: 畢業專題？內容包括什麼？ B: 我們要發表研究報告，還要進行商品展示唷。 （Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩） Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
In the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Benjamin’s life that ages in reverse made a profound impression on audiences. US teenager Adalia Rose had a similar life to the movie’s protagonist. She was diagnosed with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome when she was three months old, making her look like an elderly person. However, Rose’s passion towards life was second to none. She often shared videos of her daily life, makeup tutorials, and dancing on social media. Because of her radiating positivity, she amassed a huge following online, racking up 2.9 million subscribers on YouTube, 12.55 million Facebook fans, and 370,000
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