Dos & Don’ts — 想想看，這句話英語該怎麼說？
1. 我臥病三天。
✔ I stayed in bed for three days.
Photo: Adobe Stock l 圖片:Adobe Stock
✔ I kept to my bed for three days.
χ I slept in my bed for three days.
註︰動詞 sleep 通常作「睡眠」解。例如：Usually we sleep eight hours a day.
Photo: Adobe Stock l 圖片:Adobe Stock
「因病臥床」應用 to stay in bed 或 to keep to one’s bed.
2. 彼得容易傷風。
✔ Peter is liable to colds (或to catch cold).
✔ Peter is subject to colds.
χ Peter is easy to catch cold.
註︰easy 常用於事，可以說 English is easy to learn. 或 It is easy to learn English.，但不可以說 I am easy to learn English.。因為 easy 很少用於人，尤其用來指「容易」的場合。除非用在 an easy person 中，easy 在此意思是「隨和」。
另外，可以說 “It is easy to misuse the article.” 或 “The article is easily misused.”， 不可以說 “The article is easy to misuse.”。類似的形容詞有 difficult, hard, possible, impossible, dangerous 等。
3. 那個顧客再也無法掩藏他的怒氣。
✔ The customer could no longer conceal his rage.
✔ It was impossible for the customer to conceal his rage.
χ The customer was impossible to hide his rage any longer.
註︰「他不可能（做什麼）」， 英語中不可說 he was impossible，只能說 he could not (do) 或 it was impossible for him to (do)。impossible 在英語中一般是形容事物，如“The task/work was impossible.”（那任務〔工作〕當時沒有完成的可能）。如果說 “You are impossible.” 則只有解釋為「你這個人簡直不可理喻」或「你這個人簡直不可救藥」。 “The mistake is simply impossible.”意為「這個錯誤簡直荒謬」。
4. 我太太批評我不應該這麼笨。
✔ My wife criticized my stupidity.
✔ My wife criticized my stupid behavior.
✔ My wife criticized me for behaving so stupidly.
χ My wife criticized me that I should not behave so stupidly.
註︰動詞 criticize 的對象一般是人、文章等，不可接以 that 引導的受詞從屬句，也不可接抽象名詞。試比較下列中英句子：
我們批評他不應遲到。 We criticized him for being late.
他批評約翰違反學校紀律。 He criticized John for violating school discipline.
5. 今年比去年生產更多的糧食。
✔ More grain was grown this year than last year.
✔ This year we grew more grain than last year.
χ This year will grow more grain than last year.
註︰中文裏無主詞的句子在英語裏往往用被動語態表達。「今年」在句中作為副詞，不能作主詞。
Exercises
A. 喬治容易感冒。
George __________ catch cold.
1. is subject to
2. is easy to
3. is liable to
4. is easily to
B. The teacher criticized Henry _____ .
1. on being late
2. for being late
3. late
4. that he should not be late
Answers:
A. 3
B. 2
文章由書林出版公司提供：
www.bookman.com.tw
蘇正隆 — 台灣翻譯學學會前理事長、師大翻譯研究所兼任副教授; 編著《走讀自然.花言樹語》，《英語的對與錯》，《世紀病毒：必讀防疫英文知識與詞彙》...等。國家教育研究院中英雙語詞彙審議委員；研究領域為翻譯、術語及詞典編譯，從事植物與人文導覽數十年，亦曾應邀遠赴國外大學做植物人文導覽。
Even as he grows older, Microsoft founder Bill Gates still fondly remembers the catalytic computer code he wrote 50 years ago that opened up a new frontier in technology. Although the code that Gates printed out on a teletype machine may look crude compared to what’s powering today’s artificial intelligence platforms, it played a critical role in creating Microsoft in April 1975 — a golden anniversary that the Redmond, Washington, company celebrated on April 4. Gates, 69, set the stage for that jubilee with a blog post reminiscing on how he and his old high school friend — the late Paul Allen
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) has been used in cooking for over a century to enhance flavor. It is often found in Chinese dishes and many other cuisines. Despite its common use, many people misunderstand the safety of MSG. The bad __1__ of MSG started in the late 1960s, when a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine described symptoms like a racing heart, weakness, and numbness after the writer ate Northern Chinese food. While no specific cause was __2__, a series of questionable studies in 1968 began to point the finger at MSG. In one such study, neurologist Herbert Schaumburg and
Australia’s strict immigration policies have long been criticized, particularly for how they treat people with disabilities. Having been residents of Australia for years, Scottish Laura Currie and her Italian partner, Dante Vendittelli, recently experienced the impact of these immigration policies. Their son Luca, born in Australia and diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, became the reason their residency application was denied due to the anticipated high healthcare costs. Had Luca been healthy, there would have been no objections to their permanent residency. This case not only highlights discrimination against disabled individuals, but also raises questions about fairness and inclusion within Australia’s immigration
The study had several issues. Small sample sizes made it hard to draw __7__ conclusions. Additionally, taking a __8__ like pure MSG on an empty stomach is likely to make a person ill in any case. Choosing individuals who already had a history of the symptoms could have created a bias because they were likely to __9__ the reactions again. When real scientific research on the effects of MSG was eventually done, many of the myths surrounding it were proven __10__. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other global organizations have found MSG safe to eat. Today, MSG
RSS