A: This year’s Grammy Awards was really lively and exciting.
B: By comparison, Taiwan’s Golden Melody Awards is increasingly dull.
A: I feel that the Golden Melody Awards is drifting away from mainstream music.
Photo: AP 照片:美聯社
B: Yep. Pop music and singers seem to be gradually excluded. No wonder more and more fans are switching off.
A: 本屆葛萊美獎真是熱鬧又精彩。
B: 相比之下,台灣的金曲獎顯得有些沉悶。
A: 我覺得金曲獎好像越來越向非主流音樂靠攏。
B: 把主流音樂和明星擋在門外,難怪跟歌迷的距離越來越遠。
(Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
In an effort to fight phone scams, British mobile phone company O2 has introduced Daisy, an AI designed to engage phone con artists in time-wasting conversations. Daisy is portrayed as a kindly British granny, exploiting scammers’ tendency to target the elderly. Her voice, based on a real grandmother’s for authenticity, adds to her credibility in the role. “O2” has distributed several dedicated phone numbers online to direct scammers to Daisy instead of actual customers. When Daisy receives a call, she translates the scammers’ spoken words into text and then responds to them accordingly through a text-to-speech system. Remarkably, Daisy
A: This year’s Met Gala, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s fundraiser, is coming on the first Monday of May. B: The event, featuring a lineup of stars, is often praised as fashion’s Oscars. A: Some Asian stars, like Taiwanese pop diva Jolin Tsai, have also attended in the past. B: What are the theme and dress code this time? A: This year’s theme is “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” It’s the first time since 2003 that the theme is focusing on menswear. The dress code is “Tailored for You.” A: 哇今年的大都會博物館慈善晚宴「Met Gala」,即將在5月第一個星期一登場。 B: 這可是被譽為「時尚奧斯卡」的年度盛事,許多巨星都會參加耶。 A:
A: Isn’t the Met Gala, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s fundraiser, chaired by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour? B: Yeah, the blockbuster “The Devil Wears Prada” is allegedly based on her story. A: This year’s four co-chairs are actor Colman Domingo, F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, rapper A$AP Rocky and Louis Vuitton men’s creative director Pharrell Williams. B: And basketball superstar LeBron James is the honorary chair. A: I can’t wait to see the lineup of stars on the red carpet. A: 大都會博物館慈善晚宴「Met Gala」,是《時尚》雜誌全球總監安娜溫圖為該館服裝學院主辦的募款活動吧? B: 對啊,電影《穿著普拉達的惡魔》據說是以她為範本。 A: 今年晚宴共同主席還有:演員柯爾曼多明哥、F1賽車手路易斯漢米頓、饒舌歌手A$AP洛基、LV男裝創意總監菲董。 B: 籃球巨星勒布朗詹姆斯則是榮譽主席。 A: 紅毯上的全球星光真令人期待! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張迪)
1. 他走出門,左右看一下,就過了馬路。 ˇ He walked outside, looked left and right, and crossed the road. χ He walked outside and looked left and right, crossed the road. 註︰並列連接詞 and 在這句中連接三個述語。一般的結構是 x, y, and z。x and y and z 是加強語氣的結構,x and y, z 則不可以。 2. 他們知道自己的弱點以及如何趕上其他競爭者。 ˇ They saw where their weak points lay and how they could catch up with the other competitors. χ They saw where their weak points lay and how to catch up with the other competitors. 註:and 一般連接同等成分,結構相等的單詞、片語或子句。誤句中 and 的前面是子句,後面是不定詞片語,不能用 and 連接,必須把不定詞片語改為子句,and 前後的結構才相等。 3. 她坐上計程車,直接到機場。 ˇ She took a cab, which took her straight to the airport. ˇ She took a cab and it took her straight