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.
Photo: Liberty Times 照片：自由時報
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 join us?
A: 哈佛大學瓦丁格教授的「7天快樂挑戰」包括：第1天：評估人際關係的現況；第2天：聯絡親友通話8分鐘；第3天：跟陌生人寒暄好處多。
B: 聽起來不難嘛，然後呢？
A: 第4天：讚美他人自己也開心；第5天：嘗試與某同事做朋友；第6天：擬定社交計畫不失約。
B: 好主意，那終極挑戰呢？
A: 第7天：持續行動快樂一整年！我今天就約朋友們去「台北燈節」走走，來加強一下人際關係。你想一起去嗎？（By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
Every few years, the World Baseball Classic (WBC) offers sports fans a real World Series. At its finest, as in the shocking upset on Tuesday last week of the US team by Italy, the games generate the kind of electricity fans feel at the FIFA World Cup. That’s exactly how Major League Baseball (MLB), which owns the WBC, wants it. The tournament, first played in 2006, was designed to boost the league’s profile beyond North America and help it become a global game. In most respects, it’s done better than expected. Yet as the WBC grows, the structure, timing and staging of
Dos & Don’ts — 想想看，這句話英語該怎麼說？ 1. 她德語說得和她老師一樣流利。 ˇ Her German is as fluent as her teacher’s. ˇ She speaks German as fluently as her teacher (does). χ Her German is as fluent as her teacher. 註︰這裏所比的是「她的德語」和「她老師的德語」，而不是把她的德語和她的老師這個人相比，所以必須說 her teacher’s，即 her teacher’s German。或把「她說德語」和「她老師說德語」比較。 2. 一般認為北部人生活步調和南部人不同。 ˇ The people of the North are generally described as different from those of the South in terms of pace of life. χ The people of the North are generally described as different from the South in terms of pace of life. 註︰所不同者是北部人和南部人，而不是北部人和南部地區的比較，所以應加 those of，those 代替 the people，以免重複。 3. 他的新小說和上一本風格不同。 ˇ The style of his new novel is different from that of his last one. ˇ His new
對話 Dialogue 清清：華華，別忘了這禮拜五晚上，老闆請喝春酒喔！ Qīngqing: Huáhua, bié wàngle zhè lǐbàiwǔ wǎnshàng, lǎobǎn qǐng hē chūnjiǔ o! 華華：啊！我差點忘了，謝謝提醒。 Huáhua: À! Wǒ chàdiǎn wàngle, xièxie tíxǐng. 清清：老闆人真好，過年前請我們吃尾牙，過完年又請吃春酒。 Qīngqing: Lǎobǎn rén zhēn hǎo, guònián qián qǐng wǒmen chī Wěiyá, guòwán nián yòu qǐng chī chūnjiǔ. 華華：尾牙是感謝我們過去一年的辛勞，春酒是希望我們今年繼續努力啊！ Huáhua: Wěiyá shì gǎnxiè wǒmen guòqù yì nián de xīnláo, chūnjiǔ shì xīwàng wǒmen jīnnián jìxù nǔlì a! 清清：給我加薪，我就努力。 Qīngqing: Gěi wǒ jiāxīn, wǒ jiù nǔlì. 華華：還真是「有錢能使鬼推磨」。 Huáhua: Hái zhēn shì “Yǒu qián néng shǐ guǐ tuī mò.” 清清：那還用說。對了！別只顧著吃，頭牙快到了，農曆二月二是土地公生日，記得跟我去拜拜。 Qīngqing: Nà hái yòng shuō. Duìle! Bié zhǐ gùzhe chī, Tóuyá kuài dàole, nónglì èr yuè èr shì Tǔdìgōng shēngrì, jìdé gēn wǒ qù bàibai. 華華：沒問題，東西我來準備，放心吧！一起發大財！ Huáhua: Méi wèntí, dōngxi wǒ lái zhǔnbèi, fàngxīn ba!
When people think of Spain, they often picture bullfights and flamenco—but there’s another celebration you shouldn’t miss. Every March, Valencia comes alive with “Las Fallas.” Its origins go back centuries to when carpenters burned wooden scraps they no longer needed to welcome spring as winter ended. Over time, the custom evolved from bonfires to giant street sculptures called fallas. This tradition has since developed into a UNESCO-recognized event that attracts millions of visitors. This festival centers on the ritual burning of falla monuments. Each monument is made up of several ninots: giant puppets that are crafted all year by local artists.
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