Throughout its history, Luxembourg has been known as a thriving state in a position of great importance for its European neighbors. One of the smallest countries in Europe, today it is the world’s only Grand Duchy. Find out more about this tiny trilingual country, and how it came to be an independent state surrounded by much bigger, more powerful countries.
溯其歷史，盧森堡對其歐洲鄰國一直是地位重要的昌盛之國。她是歐洲幾個蕞薾小國之一，如今是世界上唯一的公國。深入了解這個三語小國，以及她如何在超強大國環伺的情況之下成為獨立國家。
A closer look 說古論今
Although it is independent today, Luxembourg has been at the center of European history for centuries. It’s history goes as far back as the Roman Empire, when the Romans built two roads that intersected there. Hundreds of years later, a man built a small castle on that spot, and a town grew up around it. The castle was built at the top of a steep cliff, and rivers ran through the surrounding areas. This made it very difficult to attack Luxembourg. Today, Luxembourg’s position gives the capital city, Luxembourg City, lots of beautiful views, pretty bridges and lovely scenery. Long ago, this meant that all the European powers wanted to hold Luxembourg, and from the 15th century on, many of them did. Luxembourg is ruled by a Duke or Duchess, and has been independent since 1839, although at that time Luxembourg lost a lot of land to Belgium.
Until 1890, the Duke of Luxembourg and the King of the Netherlands were the same person. In 1890, the King of the Netherlands (who was also the Duke of Luxembourg) died, and he left no male heir. Since it was legal for a woman to be queen in the Netherlands, the King’s daughter became the next Queen of the Netherlands. However, Luxembourg’s laws at the time stated that only a man could rule, so another relative was chosen to become the Duke of Luxembourg, and the two countries have had separate rulers ever since. The people of Luxembourg enjoy a relatively tranquil and comfortable life. The country is economically very comfortable, and the citizens of Luxembourg live well and peacefully.
盧森堡今日雖為獨立國家，幾百年來卻一直是歐洲歷史的中心。她的歷史最遠可回溯至羅馬帝國，當時羅馬修築的兩條道路交會於此，數百年後一名男子在此地蓋了一座小城堡，周圍發展為城鎮。這座城堡蓋在陡峭的懸崖上，有河流流經周圍地區，使盧森堡成為難以攻陷的據點。今日盧森堡的地理位置讓其首府盧森堡市擁有綺麗的視野、美麗的橋樑和宜人的景緻，但很久以前，這意味著所有歐洲強權都覬覦盧森堡，而十五世紀後盧森堡也確實被許多歐洲國家掌控。盧森堡為公爵或公爵夫人統治，一八三九年後成為獨立國家，不過當時比利時取走盧森堡許多領土。
一八九○年以前，盧森堡公爵及荷蘭國王為同一人。一八九○年，荷蘭國王駕崩（同時也是盧森堡公爵），膝下無子，因法律准許女人登基為后，國王的女兒便繼任為荷蘭皇后，不過當時盧森堡法律明定統治者只能為男性，國王的另一位親戚便被選為盧森堡公爵，從此這兩個國家有各自的統治者。盧森堡的人民享受較寧靜舒適的生活，經濟富裕，生活優逸安和。
（翻譯︰鄭湘儀）
Multiverse-themed films cause a sensation 「多重宇宙」主題電影熱賣 英文用這字！ 最近兩部備受討論的電影《媽的多重宇宙》與《奇異博士2：失控多重宇宙》都以multiverse「多重宇宙」的概念為主軸。尤其由楊紫瓊主演的《媽的多重宇宙》更是受到極高評價，電影中主角Evelyn雙眉之間的玩具眼睛、熱狗手指都成為經典一幕。本次就讓我們從國外娛樂新聞網站Screen Rant對這部電影的介紹，來認識多益相關的重要字彙吧！ multiverse 多重宇宙 Everything Everywhere All at Once follows the story of Evelyn Wang, a laundromat owner who is in the midst of getting audited by the IRS. When she discovers that she has the ability to access parallel universes, she must connect with her multiverse selves in order to save them all from destruction. (screenrant.com) （《媽的多重宇宙》的故事是關於一位洗衣店老闆Evelyn被國稅局稽查稅務期間，發現她有能力遊走平行宇宙，而她必須連結多重宇宙中的分身來拯救他們免於崩壞毀滅。） multiverse 代表「多重宇宙」，字首「multi-」有many、much的意思，多益測驗中常見的單字有 multiple「多的，多種的」、multitask「多工」、multivitamin「綜合維他命」、multimedia「多媒體」。 According to a recent study, multitasking doesn’t lead to better work efficiency as we previously thought. （根據最近的研究，同時做多項事務並不如我們原先認為的那樣提高工作效率。） There are multiple solutions to the problem we are facing. （我們面臨的問題其實有多種解決方案。） 名詞verse通常指稱「詩、歌詞或聖經中的一節」。 I can’t really sing the song since I only remember the first verse of the song. （我真的無法唱這首歌，因為我只記得這首歌的第一節。） 字根「vers-」有 turning「轉」的意思，例如anniversary「周年」就是時間上又轉了一年，
Let’s download the Taiwan Social Distancing App (5/5) 快下載台灣社交距離App（五） A: I heard that the Taiwan Social Distancing App has already been downloaded over 8 million times. B: However, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center, a minimum of 12 million people need to download the app for it to have a meaningful effect. A: Also, some elderly people might not know how to turn on Bluetooth, while others might turn off Bluetooth or stop using the app altogether to save battery power or for other reasons. B: So everyone should download the app and do as suggested. A: 聽說「台灣社交距離App」，下載次數已超過八百萬次。 B: 不過指揮中心說，至少要一千兩百萬人下載，才會有較明顯的效果。 A: 而且有些老人可能不會開藍牙，也有人為了避免耗電，或其他考量關閉藍牙，下載了也沒用。 B: 所以民眾要多下載、多配合才行。 （Translated by Edward Jones,
If you take the Taipei Metro, you will know that instrumental music is broadcast at stations on different lines, with each line featuring a unique theme. However, passengers taking the Bannan Line (Blue Line) and the Songshan–Xindian Line (Green Line) last Tuesday would have heard the new jingle for Haolai toothpaste as trains neared the platform. Haolai, formerly known as “Heiren” — meaning “black person” in Chinese — is the most famous toothpaste brand in Taiwan. Its English name was originally “Darkie” but the owners dropped the racially-charged name and replaced it with “Darlie” in 1989. The skin tone of the
21% of reptile species may be at risk of extinction (1/5) 21%爬蟲動物面臨絕種（一） A: Is this your new pet? B: Yep. This is my pet turtle “A-fu.” A: I’ve heard that turtles live for a really long time, with some species living for several decades. B: Although, new research indicates that one fifth of the world’s reptile species are at risk of extinction. A: 這是你的新寵物嗎？ B: 對啊，是我的寵物龜「阿富」。 A: 聽說龜類壽命很長，有的物種可以活到好幾十年。 B: 不過最近有研究指出，全球五分之一爬蟲動物都有滅絕危險。 （Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
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