A: I’ve been preparing for a TOEFL test recently, and I’m looking for someone to practice my spoken English with. Are you interested?
B: Haven’t you already taken the TOEFL?
A: I didn’t do too well, and my spoken was the worst. I want to give it another go.
B: My spoken English isn’t that good, either. I don’t think practicing with me would be of much help.
A: 我最近在準備托福考試,想找個人跟我一起練習英文口說。你有興趣嗎?
B: 你不是已經考過托福了嗎?
A: 我考得不太好,口說分數很低,所以我想重考。
B: 我的英文口說也不太好,跟我練習應該沒什麼幫助吧。
English 英文:
Chinese 中文:
Shocks to supply chains are engulfing a wider swath of the global economy as the pandemic rages on, threatening to stifle Asia’s trade-led recovery just as soaring freight rates make it harder for businesses to weather another year like 2020. Shortages of consumer goods like paper towels and work-from-home gear early in the COVID-19 crisis have given way to parts shortfalls in one of the most globally integrated of industries: auto manufacturing. Compounding the industrial imbalances are transport woes plaguing consumer and healthcare sectors still dealing with a dearth of available shipping containers to move components and finished products out of China,
During the recent cold snap, temperatures at the 2,216m-above-sea-level Alishan Forest Recreation Area have plummeted to as low as minus 1 degree Celsius. Former Siang Lin Primary School principal Huang Yuan-ming on Tuesday published several photographs on the “Alishan.fans“ Facebook page . Although there has not yet been any snowfall in the area, due to insufficient atmospheric moisture, there are still red leaves on the maple trees. The red leaves are complemented by a sea of clouds surrounding snow-capped Yushan in the distance, creating a picturesque wintertime vista. During sunrise and sunset, the sun’s golden rays wash over the snow-covered slopes
Taiwan has recently been hit by a succession of cold spells. The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Health Promotion Administration (HPA) has issued a special reminder for scooter and motorcycle riders to beware of strong winds that could cause their body temperature to drop too fast, and to take precautions against the cold. People should memorize the warning signs of heart disease and stroke, and anyone who suffers from facial drooping, arm weakness or speech difficulties should promptly be taken for medical treatment. All parts of Taiwan have been experiencing cold weather under the influence of a strong continental cold
B: I envy your friend. I’d love to work from home. A: He doesn’t mind not being able to meet his colleagues face to face every day. Still, even he occasionally misses the office buzz and ability to socialize. His wife finds the situation more difficult, though. B: Why? She doesn’t like him hanging around the house all day? A: No, she has a job, too, with many international clients, and she’s used to traveling overseas on a regular basis. She’s finding the situation a bit disorientating. B: 我好羨慕你朋友喔,我很想在家工作。 A: 不能每天跟同事見面,他並不介意。可是他偶爾還是會想念辦公室充滿活力的氣氛,可以跟大家社交。可是現在這種情況對他太太來說比較難熬。 B: 為甚麼?他太太不喜歡他一天到晚都在家晃來晃去? A: 不是,他太太自己也有工作,而且有很多國際客戶,以前常常出國。現在這種情況讓她覺得有點無所適從。 (Paul Cooper, Taipei Times/台北時報林俐凱譯) English