A: How do you like distance learning compared to going to class in school?
B: Well, apart from the fact that I no longer get to meet my friends and classmates, the technology can be a bit of a nuisance.
A: How so?
Photo: Pixabay 照片:Pixabay
B: The Internet connection in my house is not very stable. Sometimes I can’t hear what the teacher is saying. And I’m still dreading the next power cut.
A: That’s a shame. I would have thought that the technology would improve the experience.
B: One thing I am enjoying, however, is giving class presentations. I no longer have to stand up in front of the class with all those people looking at me. I get stage fright pretty easily.
A: 跟到學校上課比起來,你覺得遠距上課怎麼樣?
B: 除了沒辦法再跟朋友和同學見面,技術問題也有點煩。
A: 怎麼說?
B: 我家的網路連線不太穩定,有時候我聽不到老師講的話。而且我還擔心不知道什麼時候又會停電。
A: 真可惜。我還以為有科技的幫助,情況會比較好。
B: 不過有一件事我還蠻樂在其中的,那就是做課堂報告。因為這樣我就不用站在全班面前,讓大家盯著我看。我很容易怯場。
(Paul Cooper, Taipei Times/台北時報林俐凱譯)
Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too