Sun Jou-hui of National Changhua Girls’ Senior High School, who received 74 points at this year’s university entrance exam test, did not go to cram school in her three years of high school in order to reduce the burden on the family economy. She relied fully on her own diligence and hard work in combination with the study resources available on the Internet.
Sun, who attends the advanced language class at her school, received 14 points in the natural sciences test but a full 15 points in all the other tests. Sun is interested in business, and she is looking toward a future in international banking and finance.
Sun says that what is most lacking for high school students studying English in Taiwan is exposure to Western culture and everyday conversation. In order to make up for this shortage without spending a lot of money, she goes to the YouTube Web site to look for colloquial English dialogue and to gain a wide exposure to knowledge about politics, economics and everyday life. Thanks to the vast amount of colloquial expressions that she has learned directly from foreigners, her own English is becoming more authentic.
Photo: Chang Tsung-chiu, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者張聰秋
Sun has her sights set on the University of Hong Kong. She says Hong Kong is an international financial center that offers a lot of competition and a lot of opportunities. In the future, she wants to work in business, because that offers a lot of internship, work and employment opportunities. However, she does not exclude a future in Taiwan and says she will strive hard and try her fortunes in both places.
(Liberty Times, translated by Perry Svensson)
今年大學學測考了七十四級分彰女考生孫柔惠，為了減輕家裡經濟負擔，高中三年沒有補習，完全靠自己的勤奮努力和善用網路學習資源。
彰化女中語文資優班學生孫柔惠，五科成績只有自然科十四級分，其他四科各十五級分最高分，她興趣在商，未來想朝國際金融財經發展。
孫柔惠說，台灣高中學生學英語，最欠缺的是對西方文化和日常生活對話涉獵不足，為了補足這方面的欠缺，在不花錢的情況下，她會上YouTube網站尋找英語口語對話，政治、經濟、生活知識廣泛涉獵，靈活運用從外國人身上學來的大量口語，讓自己的英語更道地。
孫柔惠志在香港大學，她表示，香港是國際金融發展重心，競爭多、機會相對也多，日後她想從商，在實習、工作、就業出路選擇性多，但另一方面，她也不排斥在台灣發展，兩邊都會努力爭取和嘗試。
(自由時報記者張聰秋)
Rehearsal time is over. The world’s best and most ambitious young pianists have descended on Warsaw for the Frederic Chopin International Piano Competition — for some, a gateway to classical music glory. Fans from around the globe snapped up tickets as much as a year ago. The lucky ones attended the opening night concert on Oct. 3 and will follow along as the contest builds to a thrilling climax on Oct. 20. Winning the Chopin International — held every five years in the 19th-century composer’s homeland — can raise the curtain to playing at venues across the globe and signing contracts
A: K-pop supergroup Blackpink is finally touring Taiwan again. B: I can’t believe we’re going to Blackpink’s concert at the Kaohsiung National Stadium over this weekend. A: The group has caused a global sensation since it went international in 2020. B: And the four members — Jisoo, Jennie, Rose and Lisa — have achieved success as solo artists. A: Seeing them live will be like a dream come true. A: 韓流天團Blackpink終於又來台巡演啦。 B: 真不敢相信我們這週末要去她們在高雄國家體育場的演唱會。 A: 該團自2020年進軍國際，便持續造成全球轟動。 B: 而4位團員––Jisoo、Jennie、Rose、Lisa––單飛也很成功。 A: 這次能去她們的演唱會真是美夢成真！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
Many popular English expressions originate from the world of sports. While their roots lie in athletics, their meanings extend far beyond the playing field. Here are three examples. Hat Trick This expression comes from cricket. When a bowler dismisses a batter, it’s called “taking a wicket.” Taking three wickets in a row is a great achievement, so in the past, a bowler who achieved this was rewarded with a hat. Later, sports like hockey and soccer adopted it to mean scoring three goals in a game. Nowadays, this phrase means to achieve any three successes consecutively, not just in sports. For example,
A: Is K-pop still popular now? B: Sure! The 110,000 tickets for supergroup Blackpink’s two shows to be held this weekend were all snatched up within three minutes. A: Apart from Blackpink, what other K-pop stars are visiting? B: I-dle’s Taiwanese member Yeh Shu-hua, King of K-pop G-Dragon, and Super Junior are all coming soon next month. A: Super Junior’s 2009 hit “Sorry, Sorry” boosted this Korean “Hallyu” to a peak. Let’s go experience SJ’s magic again. A: 韓國流行音樂還是很受歡迎嗎？ B: 當然啦，光是天團Blackpink本週末兩場演唱會，11萬張門票3分鐘內就被秒殺！ A: 除了Blackpink，還有哪些韓國歌手最近會來台？ B: I-dle的台灣成員葉舒華、韓流天王G-Dragon權志龍、Super Junior下月也都將來台。 A: Super Junior 2009年金曲《Sorry, Sorry》曾將「韓流」推上高峰，我們再去重溫一下SJ的魔力吧。
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