Located in the picturesque mountains of eastern Spain, the small town of Bunol might appear to be just another idyllic place in the Spanish countryside. However, it is home to one of the world’s most popular food fights. Each August, tens of thousands of people from all around the globe swarm into Bunol to take part in La Tomatina.
On the last Wednesday of August, you will find the streets of Bunol full of people eagerly waiting to hear the blast of a cannon. This signifies the start of La Tomatina, an event where participants hurl thousands of pounds of tomatoes at each other. The streets become a free-for-all after truckloads of tomatoes are dumped into the town square. For an hour after the cannon is fired, people indulge in the festivity by pelting juicy tomatoes at each other.
While there is no consensus on the origins of this festival, it is commonly believed to have begun during the mid-20th century. At the time, some young men wanted to join a parade to honor a religious figure in Bunol but were forbidden to do so. They possibly became angry and began throwing tomatoes taken from a nearby vegetable stall at each other and other attendees. Many people enjoyed the impromptu tomato fight and decided to bring more tomatoes to the event to throw at people the following year. Since then, the tomato fight and its reputation have continued to grow.
Photo: Ivy English 照片：常春藤
Local officials banned the tomato fight for a few years, going so far as to arrest people who tried to participate. In 1957, as a sign of protest against the ban, locals held a tomato burial event, where they carried a large coffin filled with tomatoes through the streets. The ban was soon lifted and in the 1980s, the authorities assumed responsibility for organizing La Tomatina, which is now an official festival.
布尼奧爾位於西班牙東部風景如畫的山區中，這座小鎮可能看似只是西班牙鄉下另一個風光明媚之處。然而，該鎮是世上其中一個最受歡迎的食物大戰發源地。每年八月，來自世界各地數以萬計的人湧入布尼奧爾參加番茄大戰。
在八月的最後一個星期三，你會發現布尼奧爾的街上擠滿了熱切等著聽到砲聲的人們。這代表著番茄大戰開始了，這是一項參與者會朝彼此投擲數千磅番茄的活動。街道在好幾卡車的番茄倒入市民廣場後演變成不受控制的場面。砲聲響起後的一個小時裡，人們沉溺於這場歡慶之中，連續對彼此投擲多汁的番茄。
Photo: Ivy English 照片：常春藤
雖然針對這個節慶的起源沒有共識，但一般認為是在二十世紀中開始的。當時，有一些年輕男子想加入布尼奧爾的一場紀念某位宗教人物的遊行，卻被禁止。他們很可能覺得生氣而開始對彼此和其他在場的人投擲從附近蔬菜攤拿到的番茄。許多人很享受這場即興的番茄大戰，並決定來年帶著更多番茄來到活動中扔人。自那時起，番茄大戰和其名聲持續成長。
當地官員曾禁止過番茄大戰幾年，甚至逮捕試圖參加的人。1957年，當地人舉辦一場番茄葬禮以作為抗議該禁令的象徵，他們抬著裝滿番茄的大棺材穿過街道。該禁令很快就解除了，而在1980年代時，當局負起責任來規劃番茄大戰—現在成為了正式的節慶。
Words in Use
1. picturesque a. 風景如畫的
Visitors to the valley are attracted by the picturesque view.
來到這座山谷的訪客都被其風景如畫的景色所吸引。
2. blast n. 巨大的聲響
The ship gave one large blast of its horn before it started its journey.
那艘船開始航行前發出了巨大的鳴笛聲。
3. signify vt. 代表，表示
Berry’s high blood pressure signifies that he is very stressed.
貝瑞的高血壓代表他壓力很大。
4. dump vt. 傾倒
It was found that the factory dumped its waste and chemicals into the river illegally.
該工廠被發現非法傾倒廢棄物和化學物品到那條河中。
5. consensus n.
共識（常與介詞on 搭配使用）
After hours of discussion, we failed to reach a consensus on the issue.
經過數小時的討論，我們無法對該議題達成共識。
Practical Phrases
1. be home to... 是……的發源地∕所在地
Vietnam is home to the unusual art of water puppetry.
越南是水上木偶戲這種獨特藝術的發源地。
2. swarm into... 湧入……
swarm vi. 蜂擁
Excited fans swarmed into the pop-up store to buy limited items.
興奮的粉絲湧入那間快閃店購買限量商品。
3. indulge in... 沉溺∕放縱於……
Indulge vi. 沉迷，縱容
My brother indulged in watching anime all weekend.
我弟整個週末都在看動畫。
4. go so far as to V 甚至（做到）……（的地步）
Sam went so far as to eat instant noodles every day to save money.
為了省錢，山姆甚至每天吃泡麵。
To be continued tomorrow（明日待續）
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
Primarily one destination: the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Today, the cultural landscape has evolved, with the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum presenting a compelling alternative. Strategically located in Chiayi County, the museum park is more than just a cultural center. It’s a significant part of a campaign to balance regional development in Taiwan. Its establishment has made invaluable historical artifacts accessible to a broader audience outside northern Taiwan, promoting the even distribution of cultural resources. By attracting tourists from all over, this initiative also boosts local economic growth. To offer visitors rich cultural experiences, the
Online retailer eBay has scrapped fees for private sellers across almost all of its categories as it attempts to keep fast-growing rivals such as Depop and Vinted at arm’s length. The move means eBay’s UK sellers no longer have to pay transaction fees, except for cars, motorcycles and other vehicles. In April this year, eBay removed fees for private sellers of pre-owned clothes, and the company said it was “now evolving the experience even further.” The site said ditching seller fees for fashion had already led to a double-digit increase in listings for popular items such as jeans, shirts and dresses, while at
A: Wow, a Taiwanese shooter has recently claimed the World’s No. 1 spot. B: Is it shooter Lee Meng-yuan, who won a bronze in Men’s Skeet Shooting at the 2024 Paris Olympics? A: Yeah, according to the International Shooting Sport Federation’s rankings, Lee has made history by rising to the top. B: That’s so cool. And his bronze was Taiwan’s first Olympic medal for shooting. A: What a sharp shooter. A: 哇，台灣的射擊名將登上世界第一! B: 是不是在2024巴黎奧運射下「男子定向飛靶」銅牌李孟遠？ A: 對，根據「國際射擊運動聯盟」（ISSF）的排名，他最近創造歷史登上世界第一。 B: 真厲害，這也是台灣首面奧運射擊獎牌。 A: 他真是「神射手」。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
臨床表現 (clinical picture)、咳嗽有痰 (productive cough) 與不實消息 (misinformation/ disinformation) 有些醫學用語，如：「咳嗽有痰」，中文一目了然，但對應的英文 productive cough，可能就較難從字面理解。澳洲的 myDr.com.au 解釋 productive cough 如下： A productive (wet) cough is when you have a cough that produces mucus(黏液) or phlegm (痰). 因此 productive cough（咳嗽有痰），就是因為它produces phlegm， 有別於沒有痰的 cough（乾咳），productive cough 又稱為 wet cough （濕咳）。 醫學術語「臨床表現」 (clinical picture) 無論中文、英文，一般人都不易了解。其實， 臨床 (clinical)是「實際觀察及治療，有別於理論或實驗」： . . . pertaining to or founded on actual observation and treatment of patients, as distinguished from theoretical or basic sciences. 譬如：解剖學、生理學是基礎醫學 (basic medicine)，內科、外科是臨床醫學 (clinical medicine)。所以，臨床表現就是「直接觀察病患呈現的症狀」。 「臨床表現」英文也可說 clinical presentation 或 clinical manifestation。雖然也有人主張 clinical picture， clinical presentation 和 clinical manifestation 不完全相等，不過所有同義詞都會有不完全等義的問題，在此就不細述了。 網路常有「不實消息」俗稱「假消息」 (fake news) 流傳，「假消息」如果是「錯誤訊息」英文叫 misinformation 如果是刻意「扭曲訊息」則是 disinformation。 防疫必備詞彙：新冠常見症狀 發燒 fever 乾咳 cough 肌肉痠痛 myalgia 四肢乏力 fatigue 咳嗽有痰 productive cough A productive
RSS