Do you know you can tell how old a horse is by looking at its teeth? The longer the teeth look, the older the horse is. How old do you think this horse is?
A young horse can run faster and work harder than an old horse. Because of this, a young horse is more expensive than an old horse. When people buy a horse they look in its mouth to see how old it is.
In Englisgh we sometimes say “Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.” Imagine if someone gave you a horse as a gift. It would be very rude to check its teeth. It doesn't matter how old the horse is if it's a gift. The important thing is that someone was kind enough to give you the horse!
PHOTO: AFP
Of course not many people get given horses. The saying really means that if you get a gift from a friend you shouldn't try to work out how much it's worth, or point out what's wrong with it. You should just be happy they thought about you. Also if something lucky happens to you, you shouldn't ask too many questions. Just be happy that you're having a lucky day. Remember: Don't look a gift horse in the mouth!
(Catherine Thomas, Staff Writer)
你知道,你可以觀察馬的牙齒來分辨牠幾歲嗎?馬的牙齒愈長,年紀就愈大。你認為這匹馬幾歲呢?
年輕的馬較老馬跑得快,工作也較賣力。所以幼馬比老馬售價高。人們購買馬匹時會往馬嘴裡看,看那匹馬年紀多大。
在英文中,我們會說「Don't look a gift horse in the mouth」。想像一下某人送你一匹馬。檢查那匹馬的牙齒可能相當無禮。假如這匹馬是禮物,牠年紀多大都沒有關係。重要的是有人很好心地送你馬匹!
當然,被送過馬匹的人不多。這個諺語真正的意思是,假如你得到朋友的禮物,不應該處心積慮地想知道禮物的價值。你應該為了他們想到你而感到快樂。假如你好運降臨,也不該提出太多問題。只要為幸運的一天開心就好。記住︰別揣測禮物的價值!
(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