There is a famous saying in English that comes from an old British proverb. It says, “If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.”
Beggars are very poor people who have to ask other people for money and food, so having horses would be very good for them. This saying uses this as an example of how easy life would be for people if wishing for something could make it happen. It lets people know that it is not always enough to just wish for something, because wishing really cannot make anything happen. It is telling us that if wishes always came true, then everybody, including beggars, could have anything they wanted.
We know that it is impossible for everybody to always have what they want, so we also know that it does no good to waste time for wishing for things to happen. The better thing to do is go out and get things done yourself.
PHOTO: EPA
(Emily Shih, Staff Writer)
這句有名的英文諺語源自英國格言︰「If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride(如果願望能變馬,乞丐也有馬可騎)」。
乞丐是貧窮得向別人乞求金錢或食物的人,所以有馬騎對他們來說是天大的好事,此例說明,若許願能使美夢成真,人生將會多輕鬆,這讓人們明白許願是多麼無濟於事,因為願望無法成就任何事。這告訴我們,如果許願就能讓夢想成真,包括乞丐在內的任何人也能擁有任何想要的東西。
我們知道任何人都不可能事事如己所願,所以我們也知道浪費時間在希望事情發生是不智之舉,最好起而行,自己動手完成。
(翻譯︰鄭湘儀)
A: Wow, three Taiwanese restaurants just won the 2024 “Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants” awards. B: Awesome! Which three restaurants? A: Taipei’s Logy at No. 22 and MUME at No. 34, and Taichung’s JL Studio at No. 33. B: Actually, there are many more great establishments in Taipei. How about other Asian cities? A: Singapore claimed nine spots this year, making it Asia’s new “food capital.” A: 2024「亞洲50最佳餐廳」名單揭曉了,台灣有3家餐廳上榜。 B: 好厲害,哪3家? A: 台北的Logy和MUME分獲第22和34名,台中的JL Studio獲第33名! B: 其實台北還有很多好餐廳,那其他的亞洲城市呢? A: 新加坡今年入選9家,可說是亞洲美食之都。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
A situation puzzle is a game in which one person describes a scenario and asks the players to explain it. The situation is deliberately lacking in details, but the players may acquire more information by asking questions — however, these can only be answered with “yes” or “no.” A player wins by describing the approximate events that led up to the situation. To do so, they must use a blend of logical and lateral thinking. A famous example of this is sometimes known as “Turtle Soup.” Here’s the riddle: “A man in a restaurant orders turtle soup, tastes it
A: From Logy and MUME to JL Studio, winners on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list are all high-end fine dining restaurants. B: Really? I wonder how a meal costs there? A: I once dined at RAW, which used to be on the list: the meal cost NT$6,888 each plus 10 percent service charge. B: But fine dining establishments usually offer better food, decor and service, so they are more pricey. A: Let’s start saving money now, so we can go once a year. A: 獲選為2024「亞洲50最佳餐廳」的Logy、MUME、JL Studio,都是高檔的「精緻餐飲」。 B: 真的嗎?不知道吃一餐多少錢? A: 我去吃過曾上榜的RAW,每個人就要6,888加一成。 B: 不過精緻飲食餐廳的食物、環境、服務都比較好,自然也不便宜。 A: 我們來存錢吧,每年去吃一次。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
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