Have you noticed that there are a lot of poinsettias around at the moment? Poinsettias are a very popular Christmas plant. Do you know the story of the poinsettia?
In Mexico, children take presents to their local churches at Christmas. The presents are for baby Jesus, whose birthday is celebrated at Christmas. The story says that a very poor child, Pepita, wanted to take a present too. But she didn't have any money to buy anything. She didn't have anything at all that she could give because her family was so poor. Not even a toy.
Pepita decided to pick some flowers as a present. But because it was winter there weren't any flowers. So she picked some weeds instead and took those.
PHOTO: CATHERINE THOMAS, TAIPEI TIMES
When she arrived at the church all the other children had nice presents. Pepita tried hard not to look at the other people as she went up and put down her gift. Suddenly, the weeds turned into a beautiful red plant!
Parents in Mexico explain to their children that a present given with love will always be beautiful, no matter what it is.
(CATHERINE THOMAS, STAFF WRITER)
你是否有注意到現在耶誕紅到處可見?耶誕紅是耶誕節很受歡迎的植物。你知道耶誕紅的故事嗎?
在墨西哥,耶誕節當天,小朋友會帶禮物到當地教堂慶祝耶穌基督的誕生。聽說有從前有一個名叫Pepita的小孩,也想要送禮物,但她一毛錢也沒有。她也沒有任何東西可以送人,因為她家很窮,連一個玩具都沒有。
Pepita決定採些花當作禮物,但是因為正值冬天,沒有什麼花,所以她摘了些野草當禮物。當她到了教堂,所有其他小孩都準備了精美的禮物。Pepita不管其他人的眼光,走向前並放下她的禮物。突然間,這些野草變成了美麗的紅色植物!
在墨西哥,父母親跟他們的小孩解釋說,充滿愛心的禮物,不管它是什麼,總是很漂亮。 (翻譯:楊鴻泰)
A: The 2024 Paris Olympics is set to open tomorrow (Saturday Taiwan time), and will run until Aug. 11. B: How many Taiwanese athletes will compete in the Olympics? A: About 60 Taiwanese athletes will participate in 16 sports. B: I’ve heard some Olympic gold medalists, such as weightlifter Kuo Hsing-chun, and badminton duo Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin, will compete in the Olympics again. A: Asian tennis star Hsieh Su-wei, who is the World No. 1 in women’s doubles, is also on the Taiwan team. Let’s give our support to the Taiwanese players. A: 巴黎奧運自7月26日(台灣時間27日),至8月11日要登場啦。 B: 台灣有多少選手參賽? A: 台灣有60名選手參賽,將參加16項運動種類。 B: 這次奧運金牌舉重名將郭婞淳、羽球男雙李洋/王齊麟都會參賽。 A:
A perfect wedding is a celebration of happiness and commitment. However, organizing a traditional wedding, with all its customs and procedures, can be both time-consuming and exhausting. What’s more, contemporary couples often prioritize unique and creative wedding experiences over conventional rituals. Therefore, hiring professional and experienced wedding planners has become a popular choice. These experts not only assist couples in the comprehensive preparation for their weddings, but also simplify the planning process to meet all the specific expectations. The role of a wedding planner can be divided into three vital phases: pre-wedding, during the wedding, and post-wedding. Before the
A: Wow, two Taiwanese swimmers have qualified for this year’s Olympics in Paris. B: I know one is the Taiwanese-American swimmer Angie Coe. A: And the other is Eddie Wang, Taiwan’s “King of Butterfly.” B: Didn’t Wang miss a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) test and face an 18-month ban? A: But the Chinese Taipei Anti-Doping Agency (CTADA) argued that this was a case of miscommunication, so in the end WADA decided not to ban him from swimming. A: 這次巴黎奧運,還有兩位台灣選手在游泳項目取得參賽資格! B: 我知道,一位是台美混血女泳將韓安齊。 A: 另一位則是台灣蝶王:王冠閎。 B: 他不是因為錯過了「世界運動禁藥防制組織」(WADA) 的藥檢,原本要被禁賽18個月? A:「中華運動禁藥防制基金會」(CTADA)主張這只是溝通不良,所以WADA最終並未禁賽。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
People have a fascination with wild animals, and zoos may be the only chance for some to observe animals closely. Whether it’s rarely-seen creatures like kangaroos and koalas, curious animals like sloths and pangolins, or even endangered species like rhinos and orangutans, humans enjoy watching the behavior of creatures on display. The keeping of wild animals in cages is nothing new, though. There is evidence from ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian wall carvings showing that the first efforts to keep animals in enclosed pens began thousands of years ago. Later, various animals were kept in private collections called menageries by well-off