A: If I remember correctly, the Quintuple Stimulus Vouchers were issued six months ago.
B: That’s right. The pandemic caused serious damage to the economy, so the government issued vouchers to stimulate consumer spending.
A: I also have a set of the vouchers, including three NT$1,000, two NT$500 and five NT$200 vouchers.
Photo: Liu Hsiao-hsin, Liberty Times 照片:自由時報劉曉欣
B: The vouchers are valid from Oct. 8 last year to April 30, which is this Saturday.
A: 我記得五倍券是半年前推出的。
B: 對啊,因為疫情重創經濟,政府才發放五倍券刺激消費。
A: 我也有領到耶︰有三張一千元、兩張五百元、還有五張兩百元。
B: 不過使用期限為去年十月八日,到今年四月三十日唷,也就是本週六。
(Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Whether they are a Siamese, Persian, Maine Coon, or Domestic Shorthair, there are hundreds of millions of cats living with people around the world. But despite their popularity as pets, the history of cat domestication has remained difficult for scientists to decipher. A new genome study is providing some insight into the matter by determining the timing of a key milestone in feline domestication - the introduction of domestic cats into Europe from North Africa. Domestic cats pounced into Europe roughly 2,000 years ago in early imperial Roman times, the researchers found, probably thanks to maritime trade. Some of these furry trailblazers
In English, “name idioms” are part of what makes English fascinating. Let’s put a few examples under the microscope. Doubting Thomas This expression stems from the Bible. Thomas, one of Jesus’s disciples, refused to believe Jesus had been resurrected from the dead. He declared he wouldn’t accept it until he could see the nail marks in Jesus’s hands and touch his wounds himself. Today, this idiom refers to someone who won’t believe something without concrete evidence. For instance, if your friend’s expertise is reliable, but you’re still suspicious, you might be a “doubting Thomas.” Smart Aleck The origin of this phrase likely comes from
A: Hey, the world’s major dictionaries just unveiled their words of the year for 2025. B: Yup, the Cambridge Dictionary chose the word “parasocial,” which refers to a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they don’t really know. A: One-sided parasocial relationships with celebrities, influencers and even AI chatbots have clearly become more common. B: The Oxford Dictionary picked “rage bait” — online content designed to elicit anger by being frustrating, provocative or offensive in order to increase traffic to Web sites or social media accounts. A: The Collins Dictionary picked “vibe coding.” Let’s
A: Apart from the world’s major dictionaries, the online Dictionary.com actually picked “67” as its word of the year. B: What does “67” even mean? A: Even the dictionary wasn’t exactly sure about its meaning. The slang term’s origin might be traced to US rapper Skrilla’s song Doot Doot (67). Aren’t Taiwanese media outlets choosing the Mandarin word for 2025? B: Yeah and after hearing the song Good-for-Nothing, adapted from some catchphrases of Legislator Wang Shih-chien, I’m going to vote for the character “tsung” (hasty) from the lyrics. A: Hopefully, in the new year, we’ll be calm as the