Photo: EPA-EFE 照片:歐新社
Photo: AFP 照片:法新社
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Liberty Times 照片:自由時報廖振輝
Photo: EPA-EFE 照片:歐新社
Go camping camp (n)「營」可用在許多地方,例如summer camp「夏令營」、boot camp「戰鬥營」、甚至concentration camp「集中營」也是用這個字;而Camp David「大衛營」則是美國總統度假的地方。此外,camp也可當動詞「紮營」,camping當名詞是「露營」,紮營的地點「營地」則是campsite。 Fans of the world-renowned rock band, Crazy Noise, camped out the night before the band’s first concert in Europe. (世界知名搖滾樂團Crazy Noise的歌迷,在樂團首場歐洲演唱會的前一晚,就在外紮營徹夜等待。) Rebecca and I met at a summer camp in Florida when we were 12 years old. (十二歲那年,我和瑞貝卡在佛羅里達州的夏令營首次相遇。) 露營重要須知 若想在國家公園內露營,需要事先登記或申請許可證(permit),也因為在野外過夜,要準備充足的裝備與食物,重要配備像是帳篷、手電筒、睡袋…等,或者有些營地也有提供camping gear「露營裝備」的租借服務,gear是「設備」的意思,與equipment同義;此外,腳踏車或汽車的變速段數也可用gear來形容。 The demonstration video on the company’s Web site shows customers how to use bicycle gears properly. (公司網頁的示範影片展示如何正確使用腳踏車的變速設備。) Smith & Smith Outdoors offers a collection of rental camping gear such as tents, trekking poles, sleeping bags and so on. (史密斯戶外用品店提供一系列的露營用具租借,例如帳篷、登山杖、睡袋…等。) 手電筒的美式英文是flashlight,這個字同時也可解釋為「(手機或相機中的)閃光燈」。要注意「手電筒」在英式英文裡是torch (n),在美式英文中torch則是「火把」的意思,因此奧運開幕式的火炬就稱為Olympic Torch。 It’s important to include a battery-powered flashlight, bottled water, and non-perishable food in the emergency survival kit. (在緊急救難袋中放置一個電池供電的手電筒,瓶裝水和不容易腐壞的食物是很重要的。) 搭帳篷(pitch a tent)也是露營的重要過程,pitch可當動詞或名詞,而且有多重字義,pitch在這裡是「搭」,也就是put up的意思。此外pitch也可解釋為「投擲」,如投手就是pitcher,而在多益測驗中,pitch常用作名詞使用,例如sales pitch「銷售宣傳、口號」。 You need
Taipei Performing Arts Center opens this week (2/3) 大貢丸」北藝中心開幕(二) A: At a cost of NT$6 billion (about US$200 million), the Taipei Performing Arts Center is finally set to open nine years after construction began. B: Wow, that’s expensive, although it does look cool. A: To celebrate its opening to the public, the center has put together a program of 37 shows, comprising 142 performances. B: Fantastic! I’m going to take a look at the program calendar. A: 聽說北藝中心造價高達近六十億台幣(約近兩億美元),蓋了九年終於蓋好啦。 B: 這麼貴?不過看起來是蠻酷的。 A: 為了慶祝開幕,該中心還安排了三十七檔節目、一百四十二場演出呢。 B: 太棒了!我先來查一下節目表。 (Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Taipei Performing Arts Center opens this week (3/3) 「大貢丸」北藝中心開幕(三) A: During the trial operation period, some audience members reported broken seats, poorly marked seat numbers, high steps, stuffy auditoriums and a lack of facilities for disabled people. B: That’s quite a lot of problems! A: There’s more: residents living nearby have complained of noise from outdoor activities at the center’s plaza. B: Well, it seems like the “meatball” needs to up its game. A: 不過試營運期間有觀眾反映︰北藝中心座椅破損、標示不清、樓梯陡峭、場地悶熱、無障礙規畫也不佳。 B: 問題還真不少。 A: 而且附近居民也抱怨,該中心在戶外廣場辦活動時噪音太吵。 B: 看來「大貢丸」要加油了。 (Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Tigers are the largest cats in existence. Below you’ll learn some lesser-known facts about these awe-inspiring creatures. 1. Tigers have an excellent memory. Did you know that tigers have one of the best memories of any animal? In fact, their short-term memory is even better than that of humans. Studies show that tigers can remember information for 30 seconds longer than we can. 2. A group of tigers is called an ambush or a streak. You can remember these terms if you keep in mind that tigers attack their prey by ambushing them, and that they have streaks of black on their orange fur.