British animated TV series “Peppa Pig” has achieved global success over the last few years. In the US, some parents are saying their children have been adopting Peppa’s charming British accent and vocabulary after watching the cartoon, calling their mothers “mummy” or asking their parents to “snuggle” with them instead of to “hug” them. Parents are dubbing the phenomenon the “Peppa effect.”
However, New York University associate professor Susannah Levi said that she is doubtful that this is what is actually happening because, she says, “typically, you would develop the accent of the community around you.” For example, a toddler with British parents living in the US will most likely have an American accent. It is, however, possible that kids are learning to mimic individual words from the show, she told the Guardian last week.
The pink pig, known as “Pei Pei Zhu” in Taiwan and “Xiao Zhu Pei Qi” in China, is a superstar to many young children. There is also an “I love Peppa Pig” lantern area in the 2019 Taipei Lantern Festival, which this year celebrates the Year of the Pig.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Liberty Times
照片︰自由時報記者陳志曲
(Eddy Chang, Taipei Times)
來自英國的電視動畫《粉紅豬小妹》(佩佩豬)近年來風靡全球,在美國有些家長宣稱,他們的孩子看了節目,講話出現佩佩豬迷人的英國腔,以及習慣用語。例如叫他們的母親「mummy」,或要父母擁抱時說「snuggle」,而非「hug」,家長將此現象稱為「佩佩豬效應」。
然而,紐約大學副教授蘇珊娜李維對此表示懷疑,因為「典型而言,你會發展出所在社群的口音。」舉例來說,若幼童和英國父母住在美國,那他最有可能形成美式口音。她上週還對《衛報》說,孩童可能只是在模仿劇中個別的單字而已。
這頭粉紅色小豬在台灣被稱為「佩佩豬」,在中國叫作「小豬佩奇」,可說是兒童界的超級巨星。正在進行中的二○一九年台北燈節亦設立了「我愛佩佩豬」展區,藉以慶祝豬年。
(台北時報張聖恩)
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