» Continued from yesterday / 接續昨日
t he successful animals gathered on the bank and watched as the rest of the contestants swam across. Before long, the horse came into view. The horse was swimming furiously and was just about to make land when a snake slithered out from under his hooves. The horse was so surprised that he reared up in shock, allowing the snake to slither across the line for sixth place. The horse got seventh, and was happy enough with that.
成�?F終點的動物們聚在岸邊,等著其他參賽動物游泳渡河。沒多久,牠們就看見馬的身影。馬奮力划水,就在要上岸時,一條蛇從馬蹄下竄出。牠大吃一驚高舉前蹄,讓蛇逮到機會滑過終點成為第六名。得到第七名的馬對自己拿到這個名次感到很滿意。
Then came the most amazing sight of an amazing day — a rooster, a monkey and a goat traveling together on a raft. The rooster had found the raft and the other two had helped to navigate and clear away reeds. When they finally touched down on the bank, the emperor was delighted. “I have never seen such a remarkable display of teamwork!” and with that he granted the goat the eighth year, the monkey the ninth and the rooster the tenth.
接下來是這了不起的一天最令人嘆為觀止的一幕──一隻公雞、一隻猴子和一頭山羊一起划著一艘木筏前來。公雞發現了這艘木筏,另外兩隻動物則幫忙划船和清開水面的蘆葦。等木筏終於靠岸時,玉帝非常高興,祂說:「我從未見過這麼合作無間的團隊!」隨後祂宣佈第八年為羊年,第九年為猴年,第十年為雞年。
There was long gap until the next animal arrived. The emperor was beginning to wonder if any other animals would make it across and if he had made his challenge too difficult. But he needn’t have worried because just then the dog appeared, nearing the shore. The dog explained that the water had been so clean that he couldn’t resist bathing in it. The emperor laughed and duly awarded him the eleventh year.
接下來很久很久都不見下一個動物出現。玉帝開始納悶是否還有動物能成�?e?祂的挑戰是否太過嚴苛?但祂無須操心,因為此時離岸不遠處出現了狗的身影。狗解釋說,因為河水實在太乾淨了,所以牠忍不住洗了個澡。玉帝大笑並名正言順宣佈第十一年為狗年。
So it just remained to be seen which animal would get the final place. The animals were discussing the subject when the pig appeared on the bank, earning him the twelfth year. The emperor’s trumpet players issued a fanfare and the emperor began to speak. “Congratulations to all the animals that made it across the river today. Your names will be remembered forever because of your amazing efforts today,” he said.
現在大家就等著看哪個動物會贏得最後一名。就在動物們議論紛紛時,豬上岸了,贏得第十二名。玉帝的傳令手吹鳴喇叭後,玉帝開始說話,祂說:「恭喜今天所有成�?e的動物們。你們今天令人驚嘆的表現,將讓你們名垂千古。」
But whatever happened to the cat who had sat on the ox’s head? The rat pushed him back into the river and he was swept back to the other bank, and since that day rats and cats have been enemies.(John Phillips, staff writer)
但原本坐在牛頭上的貓到哪兒去了呢?原來老鼠把牠推下河後,牠就被河水沖回對岸;自那天起,老鼠和貓便一直水火不容。(翻譯:袁星塵)
A: The hit Korean drama “Queen of Tears” is so popular. B: What’s it about? A: The story depicts the marriage between a man and the daughter of an extremely rich family. B: What a lucky man he is. A: Well, not necessarily. The leading actor Kim Soo-hyun even cries 40 times in the series, showing that life with the superrich isn’t so easy. A: 熱門韓劇《淚之女王》最近好紅。 B: 劇情是什麼呢? A: 是一個男人和富家千金的婚姻故事唷。 B: 哇他還真幸運! A: 不見得吧,男主角金秀賢在劇中就哭了多達40次,可見豪門生活也不容易。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Runbing, a delicacy with a rich history in worship customs, is made from a thin, crepe-like wrapper used to wrap a cooked filling into a roll. Runbing in some regions is sometimes referred to as a spring roll, but it is important to note that it is not fried like traditional spring rolls with crispy brown exteriors. The runbing wrapper is made by spreading a thin layer of high-gluten flour batter evenly onto a hot pan. The resulting white wrapper is soft and flexible. 潤餅的歷史悠久,長久以來人們會在祭拜時享用,是用薄薄的麵皮包裹煮熟的餡料。有的地方習慣將潤餅稱作春捲,但和傳統炸得外皮金黃酥脆的春捲不同,潤餅不須油炸即可食用。潤餅皮的作法是將高筋麵糰在熱鍋上均勻塗薄薄一層,外皮呈白色,柔軟有韌度。 high-gluten flour (n. phr.) 高筋麵粉 flexible (adj.)
A: I’ve heard that the final episode of K-drama “Queen of Tears” also broke the record. B: With a high rating of 27.3 percent, the show replaced “Crash Landing on You” to become tvN’s most-watched drama. A: Is it the most-watched drama of all time? B: It’s at No. 3, only behind JTBC’s “The World of the Married” at No. 1 and “Reborn Rich” at No. 2. A: Let’s watch it over the weekend. A: 聽說《淚之女王》大結局還打破收視紀錄。 B: 該劇最高收視率27.3%,超越《愛的迫降》,成為tvN電視台新霸主! A: 它是歷年收視率最高的韓劇嗎? B: 它是第3名唷,冠亞軍則是JTBC的《夫婦的世界》、《財閥家的小兒子》。 A: 我們週末就來追劇吧。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
When the world’s top gas traders met late last month at a canal-side hotel on the outskirts of Amsterdam, the atmosphere was business-as-usual: coffee, croissants and wrangling over deals for the upcoming winter. Then came news of a leak at Europe’s biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, located above the Arctic Circle in Norway. The problem — discovered during a planned test of the facility’s safety systems — was quickly repaired, but not before it caused a momentary spike in the price of natural gas. Back in the Netherlands, it served as an uncomfortable reminder of the power of a single