A: Well, we’ve arrived, but no thanks to the bike route map app.
B: Actually, it was pretty useful in the end. It did show us some good route options away from the main road.
A: Oh, well if that’s the case, I take back my words. That last stretch of road through small villages was beautiful.
Photo: Pixabay 照片:Pixabay
B: Yes, don’t judge an app by the bonehead who uses it without working out how to use it first.
A: 我們到了。不過我對你那個自行車路線圖App敬謝不敏。
B: 其實這個App到最後還蠻有用的。它標示了一些主要道路之外不錯的路線。
A: 喔,如果是這樣的話,那我收回我的話。最後穿過幾個小村莊的那段路真的很美。
B: 對呀。不要因為某個笨蛋沒先搞懂怎麼用,就對那個App妄下評斷。
(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.
Tangbao are one of the most internationally renowned delicacies, that win the hearts of both locals and tourists. Their charm lies in the paper-thin flour wrapper that needs to be folded evenly almost 20 times. Folding a tangbao requires skill to deal with a bulging filling and a thin wrapper. Tangbao are served in a bamboo steamer in which they are steamed, not only adding to the visual appearance, but ensuring they do not get cold before reaching the table. The best way to enjoy a tangbao is to dip it in a mixture of vinegar and soy sauce with
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) announced a seismic change in direction on March 19, hiking interest rates for the first time in 17 years. The move represents an unwinding of an ultra-loose — and maverick -- policy aimed at putting Japan’s “lost decades” of stagnation and deflation behind it. The last time the BoJ raised interest rates was in 2007, but its war against deflation began in earnest in 2013 under then-prime minister Shinzo Abe. “Abenomics” combined generous government spending and central bank monetary easing. The BoJ spent vast amounts on bonds and other assets to pump liquidity into the
Have you ever wished for an extra hour to prepare for exams or finish homework? In some countries, people actually adjust their clocks to gain or lose an hour, all for the sake of Daylight Saving Time (DST). Specifically, clocks are set forward by an hour in March and then set back in November. One of the primary reasons for implementing DST is to make better use of natural daylight so that people can reduce energy consumption. The concept originated with Benjamin Franklin in 1784 and became widely adopted during World War I. Today, this system is in place
For the first time, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has fined a company for improper disposal of its defunct satellite. The satellite cable company Dish Network was fined US$150,000 because it failed to move an old satellite that was no longer in operation to a safe distance from others currently being used. The FCC had asked Dish Network to move one of its older satellites, EchoStar-7, 186 miles further from the Earth. However, the satellite had only advanced 76 miles before it ran out of fuel at the end of its operational life in 2022.