Have you ever seen a gingerbread house? Do you know where gingerbread houses come from?
Gingerbread is like a soft cookie and is made using spices. It was very popular all over Europe in the Middle Ages. It was especially popular in Germany because Germany used to be an important place to buy spices.
In the autumn people would buy gingerbread hearts in Nuremburg at the Christmas market. Then in 1819 the Brothers Grimm published a collection of traditional German fairy tales. One of the fairy tales is called Hansel and Gretel. Have you ever read it?
PHOTO: CATHERINE THOMAS, TAIPEI TIMES
In the fairy tale Hansel and his sister Gretel are lost in the woods. They find a house made of bread, cake and candies. But the house belongs to a witch!
In 1893 a famous composer, Engelbert Humperdinck, wrote an opera based on the fairy tale.
In the opera the witch’s house was made of gingerbread. The opera was shown for the first time that Christmas. It was very popular. Pretty soon it was a German Christmas tradition to make gingerbread houses. (CATHERINE THOMAS, STAFF WRITER)
你曾看過薑餅屋嗎？你知道薑餅屋的由來嗎？
薑餅是用多種香料做成的軟餅乾，在中古時代盛行歐洲各地，在德國尤其受歡迎，因為德國曾是香料的重要貿易地。
人們會在秋天時到紐倫堡的耶誕市集買心型薑餅。到了一八一九年，格林兄弟出版德國傳說的童話故事集，其中有一篇故事叫《糖果屋》，你讀過這個故事嗎？
在故事中，韓塞爾和他的妹妹葛蕾特在森林裡迷路，他們發現一間用麵包、蛋糕和糖果蓋的房子，但房子的主人是一個女巫！
一八九三年，名作曲家英格柏•漢普汀克寫了一齣以此童話故事為背景的歌劇。
歌劇中，女巫的房子是用薑餅蓋的，這齣歌劇在耶誕節首演後廣獲好評。不久之後，做薑餅屋就成為德國耶誕節的傳統習俗了。（翻譯�袁星塵）
Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the depths of the Pacific Ocean: oxygen production without the involvement of living organisms. Four kilometers below the surface where sunlight cannot reach, researchers have found metallic lumps generating what they term “dark oxygen.” This form of oxygen is produced through a process independent of photosynthesis. Unlike the traditional photosynthesis process, where organisms use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to create energy and oxygen, the newly discovered phenomenon operates in complete darkness. The accidental finding occurred during a study of metal-rich lumps in an abyssal plain between Hawaii and Mexico. These lumps, known as
A: What were the highest-grossing films globally last year? B: “Inside Out 2” was the highest, followed by “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Despicable Me 4,” “Dune: Part 2” and “Moana 2.” A: “Inside Out 2” was also the highest-grossing film in Taiwan. B: It grossed nearly US$1.7 billion worldwide, or NT$55 billion, becoming the best-selling animated film of all time. A: I can’t believe I missed the movie last year. A: 去年全球最賣座的電影有哪些？ B: 冠軍是《腦筋急轉彎2》，其後是《死侍與金鋼狼》、《神偷奶爸4》、《沙丘：第2部》、《海洋奇緣2》。 A: 《腦2》也是去年台灣票房冠軍耶。 B: 這部鉅片狂賣近17億美元，約550億台幣，成為全球影史最賣座動畫電影！ A: 真不敢相信我錯過了這部強片。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
A: In addition to “Inside Out 2” at the top, what were the other highest-grossing films domestically last year? B: “Gatao: Like Father, Like Son” was the only Taiwanese movie among the top 10 blockbusters, which included five animated films. A: I’m surprised that the Taiwanese hit “The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon” wasn’t on the chart. B: But it grossed over 500 million Chinese yuan in China, which is nearly NT$2.5 billion. The figure was five times higher than that of the best-selling film in Taiwan. A: Its success shows that Taiwanese movies should go international. A:
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日） https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang Using a device to isolate a section of the seafloor, the researchers aimed to measure oxygen levels in the enclosed water. Normally, oxygen rates would decrease as marine organisms consume it, but the result was contrary to expectations. The unexpected outcome prompted the team to further investigate the phenomenon. Researchers found the lumps emitted an electric charge similar to that of a AA battery. This charge is believed to trigger a process that splits seawater into hydrogen and oxygen, accounting for the increase. Traditional perspectives propose that oxygen production began around three billion years ago through photosynthesis by ancient
RSS