A: I can’t believe we’re already halfway through December! Time seems to pass more quickly the older I get.
B: Will you be spending Christmas with your family this year?
A: You know I won’t! I can’t go home until the pandemic eases up. Why do you ask?
Photo: CNA 照片：中央社
B: Well, Lunar New Year is approaching. I’m thinking of telling my family that I will be too busy to spend time with them this year.
A: I’m sure your father will understand. You have to go so far and there are always so many people traveling at the same time. He will be disappointed if you’re not there with him, though.
B: What’s it like in your country? Are people expected to spend Christmas with the family? Will your family miss you if you can’t make it back this year?
A: 真不敢相信十二月已經過了一半了！年紀越大，時間好像就過得越快。
B: 你今年會跟家人一起過聖誕節嗎？
A: 你是明知故問。疫情緩和以前，我是沒辦法回國的。你幹嘛問這個？
B: 這個嘛，春節快到了，我想跟我家人說，今年春節我太忙了，沒辦法回家過年。
A: 我想你爸一定可以理解。你回家就要跑那麼遠，而且路上要跟好多人一起擠。可是如果不陪你爸，他一定會很失望。
B: 你們國家的人是怎麼過節的？大家都要跟家人一起過聖誕節嗎？你今年如果不能回去，你家人會想念你嗎？
（Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱譯）
English 英文:
Chinese 中文:
★ Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。 Lucas was already on the ground before he fully understood what was happening. “Hurry! Kneel down!” someone shouted. The asphalt was warm against his knees. Around him, dozens of people lay flat in the narrow street outside Jenn Lann Temple in Dajia. Some pressed their hands together in prayer. Others closed their eyes. Lucas had only come to look at the temple. An hour earlier he had stepped into the noisy courtyard out of curiosity. Inside the main hall, people held incense sticks, bowed three times,
A: Apart from the musical The Phantom of the Opera, off-Broadway classic “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” and musical-themed concert “Broadway Hits Live” are also touring Taiwan. B: Musical-themed concert? That sounds interesting. A: Set for April 18 and 19, the show will feature a group of Broadway vocalists and dancers — with British singer Keala Settle as a special guest. B: So the audience can enjoy all the timeless hits from various shows at one concert. . . I like that. A: And there’s more: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical Jesus Christ Superstar will finally visit Taiwan for the first time
Despite being a basic tool, pens come in a wide variety of forms. Classic styles include fountain pens, which deliver liquid ink smoothly through metal tips. Another common type is the ballpoint pen, which is easy to use. There are even special felt pens that are especially popular among artists. __1__ They have a small hole at the top. So why is it there in the first place? Could it actually be a design flaw? __2__ Since 1991, companies such as BIC have been producing ballpoint pens with holes in their caps for two main reasons: quality control
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