見見老鼠凱薩琳和大象馬克。凱薩琳非常勇敢又喜歡冒險,但馬克的個性十分害羞,對許多事情都感到害怕。不過,朋友都喜歡黏在一塊兒,所以凱薩琳走到哪兒,馬克就會跟到哪兒。有時候,他們也會碰上非常棘手的情況...
Mark the brave 勇敢的馬克
Mark and Kathleen were strolling through the town when Kathleen noticed a sign. The local newspaper was running a competition in the local park to find the bravest elephant in the town. The winner would receive unlimited chocolate cake for the rest of their life. “Wow, that looks amazing. Can you imagine anything better than unlimited chocolate cake?” asked Kathleen. “You’re right, but I’m not a brave elephant. I’ll have no chance,” said Mark sadly. “Don’t be silly. It will be easy — last year’s winner just had to ride a horse. The competition has already started. Let’s go!”
When they arrived at the park, the competition was just about to start. The MC picked up the microphone and began talking. “Ladies, gentleman and elephants. In today’s competition, each elephant will have to complete three tasks. The elephant who finishes the most tasks will become the champion!”
For the first task, the elephants had to do a bungee jump from a 200m high bridge. One by one the elephants jumped off the bridge, but when it came to Mark’s turn he just couldn’t do it. For the second task, they had to walk over hot coals. Again, the other elephants did it, but Mark thought it looked too painful. The third task was a parachute jump. Mark sat in the back of the plane, and watched as the elephants jumped out. When it was his turn, he was just too nervous to let go.
When the plane landed, Kathleen came running over to him. “I’m so proud of you! You did your best and that’s the important thing. Who cares about some silly chocolate cake?” Just then, a thief ran onto the stage and grabbed the trophy from the MC. “Somebody stop that thief at once!” yelled the MC… (john phillips, staff writer)
馬克和凱薩琳這天在市區街上閒晃時,凱薩琳看到一個牌子。當地報社在市公園舉辦了一場比賽,要找出全市最勇敢的大象。優勝者將可獲得下半輩子無限量的巧克力蛋糕。凱薩琳問:「哇,看起來真棒。世界上還有什麼比無限供應的巧克力蛋糕更棒的事嗎?」馬克憂傷地說:「妳說得對,但我不是一隻勇敢的大象。我不可能贏的。」「別傻了!比賽輕鬆得很,去年的冠軍只是騎個馬就贏了。比賽已經開始了,我們走!」
當他們抵達公園時,比賽才正要開始。司儀拿起麥克風,開始講話:「各位女士,各位先生,以及各位大象。在今天的比賽中,每位大象都將挑戰三項任務。完成最多任務的大象就是今天的冠軍!」
第一項任務,大象們必須在一座兩百公尺高的橋上高空彈跳。大象一隻接著一隻跳下橋,但輪到馬克時,他無論如何就是不敢跳。第二項任務,他們得走過炙熱的木炭。同樣地,其他大象都完成了,但馬克覺得那看起來太痛苦了。第三項任務是跳傘。馬克坐在機艙後方,看著其他大象跳出機外。當輪到他的時候,他緊張地不敢放手。
飛機降落時,凱薩琳跑向他說:「你真讓我驕傲!你盡了全力,那就是最重要的事了。誰在乎什麼愚蠢的巧克力蛋糕啊?」就在此時,一個小偷跑上台,從司儀手中搶走獎盃。司儀大喊:「馬上抓住那個小偷!」 (翻譯:袁星塵)
A: Apart from the Taipei Music Center’s exhibit and concert, US pop rock band OneRepublic and rapper Doja Cat are touring Kaohsiung this weekend. B: OneRepublic is so popular that after tonight’s show at the K-Arena, they are set to return to Taiwan again in March next year. A: And Doja will also perform at the same venue on Sunday, right? B: Yup. Her collab with Blackpink’s Lisa and singer Raye for the song “Born Again” has been a huge worldwide success. A: Doja even made it on Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” list in 2023. She’s so cool. A: 本週末除了北流的特展和演唱會外,美國男團共和世代和饒舌歌手蜜桃貓朵佳也將來台開唱。 B: 共和世代因太受歡迎,繼今晚高雄巨蛋的演唱會後,預計明年3月即將再度來台巡演唷。 A: 朵佳本週日將在同場地開唱,對不對?
A: What show are you watching online? B: I’m watching “Fly Me to the Moon & Back” – an exhibition launched by the Taipei Music Center (TMC) to commemorate the late singer Tom Chang. A: Known for his sky-high notes, Chang is praised as one of the best singers in the 1990s. His death at the age of 31 was a major loss indeed. B: And I’m so glad that we went to the TMC’s 90s-themed concert last Friday. I finally saw the iconic “Godmother of Rock” WaWa perform live. A: This year-end show also featured singers Princess Ai, Bii, Wayne Huang, PoLin and
Just like fingerprints, your breathing patterns may serve as a definitive identifier. In a recent study, scientists have demonstrated an astonishing 96.8% accuracy in identifying individuals based on their respiratory patterns. This revelation could open up new possibilities in biometrics and personalized health monitoring. The notion of using individual breathing patterns as a distinct biological signature has long been a topic of discussion within the respiratory science community, yet a practical method for measurement remained elusive. This changed with the invention of a tiny, wearable device capable of extended recording. Researchers deployed a lightweight tube designed to fit inside
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) The study also uncovered a correlation between breathing patterns and mental well-being. Participants with higher scores on anxiety questionnaires exhibited shorter inhalation periods and more frequent breath pauses during sleep. “We intuitively assume that how depressed or anxious you are changes the way you breathe,” says one researcher involved in the study. “But it might be the other way around.” If this proves true, then training people to adjust their breathing may offer a novel approach to managing conditions like anxiety or depression. 該項研究也揭露了呼吸模式與心理健康之間的關聯。在焦慮問卷得分較高的受試者於睡眠期間表現出的吸氣時間較為短促、呼吸中止更為頻繁。一位參與研究的學者表示:「我們直覺地認為憂鬱或焦慮的程度會改變你的呼吸方式,但有可能是反過來的情況。」如果這一假設得到證實,那麼訓練人們調整呼吸的方式,可能會成為管理焦慮或憂鬱等疾病的新穎方法。 What Did You Learn? 1. What problem did scientists previously face when trying to measure breathing patterns? 2.