A: As Taiwan’s TOEIC scores continue to progress, a Chinese learning trend has swept across the world.
B: Data shows that Mandarin, with 1.18 billion speakers, ranks second only after English, which has 1.49 billion speakers.
A: Not long ago, the reality competition “Mandarin Monster” — produced by French YouTuber Ku — also caused a sensation in Taiwan.
Photo: Liberty Times 照片：自由時報
B: The show invited 100 foreigners to compete weekly, and South Korean Sean Shin defeated American Andrew Argue to claim the title of “Mandarin Monster.”
A: The Taipei Times also publishes a Mandarin learning page every Tuesday. Keep reading and maybe you’ll be the next winner.
A: 台灣多益測驗持續進步的同時，全球也掀起一股學中文的風潮。
B: 據統計全球華語使用人口超過11.8億，僅次於英語使用人口14.9億。
A: 最近法國網紅「酷」製作的實境秀《中文怪物：全球中文挑戰賽》就大受歡迎。
B: 該節目邀集在台灣的100位外國人參賽，而韓國的申聖贊最終險勝美國的高安德奪冠，成為最強的「中文怪物」。
A: 《台北時報》每週二就有華語學習單元，你多看看或許也能成為下一屆「中文怪物」！（By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
A: Harvard professor Robert Waldinger’s “7-day Happiness Challenge” includes: Day 1: Take stock of your relationships; Day 2: The secret power of an 8-minute phone call; Day 3: Small talk with strangers has big benefits. B: That’s not too hard. What’s next? A: Day 4: Why you should write a “living eulogy;” Day 5: The importance of making work friends; Day 6: Don’t cancel those social plans. B: Good ideas. What’s the final challenge? A: Day 7: Keep happiness going all year long. So, I’m inviting some friends to the Taipei Lantern Festival today to build good relationships. Wanna
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Steam curls from a shallow iron pot as thin ribbons of beef turn from ruby to blush. Warishita — a mixture of soy sauce, sugar and mirin — goes in, and the room fills with a salty-sweet aroma. Tofu slips in beside mushrooms and greens, chopsticks hover and voices soften. More than a hot pot, “sukiyaki” is a table-side ritual that invites everyone to cook and enjoy at the same pace. The name is believed to be associated with the iron “suki,” a kind of spade once used by farmers for cooking and later replaced by shallow pots. As cultural taboos
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