The Parthenon. The Acropolis. The Olympic Games. Zeus, Hera and Hermes. The Mediterranean nation of Greece is widely recognized for its rich history and widespread influence on everything from politics to theater to sports. This week, we take a closer look at the complicated past and relatively unknown present of the nation commonly referred to as the “cradle of western civilization.”
巴特農神殿、雅典衛城、奧林匹克運動會、宙斯、希拉和赫爾墨斯。地中海國度希臘,廣為人知的是豐富歷史,和對政治、戲劇及運動等無遠弗屆的影響力。本週我們將更深入了解俗稱「西方文明的搖籃」盤根錯節的過往和較鮮為人知的現況。
A closer look 說古論今
PHOTO: AFP
When we think of Greece, we tend to think of the past. It's no wonder that we do, seeing as Greece has one of the most extensively recorded pasts of any nation in the world. It was the birthplace of the Minoan and Mycenean civilizations, which were the first two advanced European civilizations. Since then, it has been the site of many turbulent power struggles. Greece has been under the rule of almost every major empire, including the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires. During World War Two, it was occupied by Nazi Germany. Yet throughout these shifts in power, Greece has kept a strong national identity, mostly independent of its various rulers.
The nation is known as the “cradle of western civilization” because it is the birthplace of so many things that make up life as we know it today. Democracy, western philosophy and literature, general science and drama all saw their beginnings in ancient Greece, not to mention the Olympic Games, which were first held in Olympia, Greece in 776 BC.
Today, Greek culture continues to build on its venerable past. In 2004, the Olympic Games returned to Athens, which brought on some improvements in the capital city, such as a new airport (to make international travel easier) and a bigger subway system. After joining the European Union in 1981, Greece is looking to integrate further with the rest of Europe and become an economic leader among the Balkan states.
思及希臘,我們就會想到它的歷史。希臘是世上最具輝煌史蹟的國家之一,無怪我們念其過往。它是歐洲兩個最早文明︰米諾恩文明和邁錫尼文明的發源地,此後卻是諸多權力鬥爭的暴風圈。幾乎每個主要帝國都曾統治希臘︰羅馬帝國、拜占庭帝國和奧圖曼土耳其帝國。二次世界大戰期間希臘也曾被納粹德國統治,然而,儘管政權遞嬗,希臘多能在不同統治之下獨自保有強烈的國家認同感。
希臘孕育出多樣塑造今日世界的事物,因而被喻為「西方文明的搖籃」。民主、西方哲學、文學、通識科學和戲劇都源自於古希臘,更別提第一屆奧林匹克運動會在西元前七百七十六年於希臘舉行。
今日希臘文化以其璀璨的歷史為基石,持續向前邁步。二○○四年奧林匹克運動會重回雅典舉辦,改善了部分首都市況,例如新機場(方便國際旅行)和範圍更大的地下鐵系統。一九八一年加入歐盟後,希臘期待與其他歐洲國家更進一步整合,並取得巴爾幹半島的經濟領導地位。
(翻譯:鄭湘儀)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into
There are several methods to prevent or slow down enzymatic browning in fruit. __3__ This lowers the pH level of the fruit tissue, causing the PPO to be far less active. Another method is to store the fruit in an airtight container or to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Doing this will reduce its exposure to oxygen. __4__ Although fruit that has undergone enzymatic browning may look less appealing, it is still safe to eat. However, by using one of these simple methods, you can enjoy fresh-looking fruit for a longer period. 有一些方法能避免或減緩水果的酶促褐變。其中一個有效的方式就是在切片水果的表面塗上酸性物質,像是檸檬汁或醋。這樣做能降低水果組織的酸鹼值,讓 PPO 更不為活躍。另一個方式是將水果存放在密封的容器內,或用保鮮膜將其緊緊包住。這樣做會減少水果與氧氣的接觸。快速蒸一下切片水果或將其短暫浸泡在滾水中也能使PPO失去活性,並終止 PPO 與空氣的作用。 雖然經歷酶促褐變的水果可能看起來較不吸引人,但仍然可以安全食用。然而,藉由採用這些簡單方法中的其中一個,你就能在更長的一段時間享用看起來新鮮的水果。 What Did You