Today, everybody knows that we have to brush our teeth. But not too long ago, that was a new idea.
The first toothbrushes weren't made of plastic like the toothbrushes today are. Back in the 1800s, they were made of animal bones and hair. As you might imagine, they didn't work very well. In 1938, an American company made the first plastic toothbrush.
People started using floss a long time before they started brushing their teeth. Scientists have found teeth from humans who lived thousands of years ago that show that some of them flossed their teeth.
PHOTO : AP
As for toothpaste, people have made it out of all kinds of different ingredients throughout history. In America in the 1700s, some people made toothpaste out of bread, and in the 1800s they made it out of charcoal! (Marc Langer, staff writer)
現今，人人都知道要刷牙。不過這可是個在不久之前才出現的新點子。
世上第一隻牙刷並非像今日的牙刷一樣是由塑膠製成的。回溯至十九世紀，牙刷是用動物骨骸與毛髮製成的。你可以想像，它們並不是很好用。一九三八年，美國一家公司率先推出世界上第一隻塑膠牙刷。
早在人們開始刷牙前，就已使用牙線。科學家由數千年前人類的牙齒發現，有些人用牙線剔牙。
至於牙膏，縱觀古今歷史，人們曾使用五花八門的材料來製造牙膏。十八世紀時，有些美國人利用麵包來製造牙膏，而在十九世紀，人們則是用木炭來製造牙膏。
（翻譯：賴美君）
The human body was not built for spaceflight, with its microgravity conditions, exposure to high-energy radiation and other issues. As a result, trekking beyond the Earth’s confines causes many physiological changes that affect an astronaut’s health. The issue gained new currency with the March mission to return astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to Earth after they were stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for nine months. WHY IS SPACE TRAVEL TOUGH ON THE HUMAN BODY? The human body evolved over millions of years to function optimally in Earth’s environment, which includes its gravity, atmospheric composition and relatively low levels of
Indonesia is undertaking an ambitious project to relocate its capital from Jakarta to Nusantara, a new city in the province of East Kalimantan. This bold endeavor aims to address the severe environmental challenges and urban congestion plaguing Jakarta. The current capital city struggles with acute air pollution, frequent flooding, and rapid land subsidence. Experts predict that by 2050, a third of Jakarta could be submerged. The primary causes include excessive groundwater extraction and rising sea levels attributed to climate change. Moreover, with a population of over 10 million, it’s very much the economic center of the country. Unfortunately, this
A: Yet another shopping mall has just opened in Taipei. B: Do you mean the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang? A: Yeah, the shopping mall run by Japanese Mitsui & Co. opened last week. B: I hear the mall features about 300 stores, Vieshow Cinemas and Japanese Lopia supermarket. A: With the opening, a war is breaking out between Taipei’s department stores. A: 台北又有新的購物商場可逛啦。 B: 你是說Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport 南港？ A: 對啊這家日本三井集團旗下的商場上週開幕。 B: 聽說商場有威秀影城、樂比亞日系超市，還有多達300家專櫃。 A: 新商場一開幕，看來又要掀起一場百貨大戰啦！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
Dos & Don’ts — 想想看，這句話英語該怎麼說？ 1. 王老師很負責，每天都準時到學校。 √ Miss Wang is conscientious. She comes to school on time every day. χ Miss Wang is very responsible. Every day she goes to school on time. 註︰一個人很認真、負責、敬業，英文通常用 conscientious 來表達，它的名詞是conscience（良心）。responsible 接在 be 動詞之後是指對某事負責，也可指做錯事時該負的責任，因此“她該負責”英文是 She is responsible for it.。如果某人很負責、值得信賴，可以託付重任，可說 She / He is a responsible person.。 2. 他個子不高。 √ He is not tall. χ His body is not tall. χ He is not high. 註︰high 通常指「物」的高大，tall 則指「人或細長物」的「高」。但講人的高度，有數字時可以說： He is six feet high. He is six feet tall. 3. 我能占用你幾分鐘嗎？ √ Can you spare me a few minutes? χ May I occupy you a few minutes? 註︰spare：騰出，省下。不顧句型及前後文，只把學過的英文詞彙的中文解釋任意還原為英文時很容易造出這種中式的英文句子。 4. 讓我想想看。 √ Let me think it over. √ Let
RSS