Have you ever heard music coming from somewhere and felt like you just had to dance? There are many different ways to dance. Most people today just make up their dances as they go along.
In the past, people learned different kinds of dance, studied steps and taught other people to do them. The dance the woman in this picture is doing is part of a Spanish musical style called flamenco.
As you can see from the picture, flamenco is very dramatic. For many people, flamenco is not just a style of music; it is a way of life. The people who first started flamenco had a very long, hard history, so the music and dancing are full of pain, but also hope.
PHOTO: AFP
If you just look at the picture, you might think the dramatic dancing is the most important part of flamenco. Actually, the song itself is the most important part. The songs are carefully written and the words to many of them are like poetry.
(Kayleen Hartman, Staff Writer)
你可曾經聽見他處傳來的樂聲讓你忍不住隨之起舞嗎？舞蹈的形式多樣化，今日人們多半隨著音樂自創舞步。
過去人們學習不同的舞蹈、研習舞步並且傳授他人。照片中女子跳的舞蹈是一種西班牙音樂風格的舞蹈，叫「佛朗明哥」。
正如你在照片中所見，佛朗明哥戲劇張力十足。對許多人來說，佛朗明哥不只是一種音樂風格，更是一種生活方式。初期的佛朗明哥舞者有著非常艱辛漫長的歷史，所以痛苦和希望交織在音樂和舞蹈中。
你如果只看照片，可能會認為戲劇化的舞步是佛朗明哥最重要的部分，事實上歌曲本身才是，曲目的撰寫細膩嚴謹，對許多人來說更如詩詞一般。
（翻譯︰鄭湘儀）
A: I love December. There are always so many concerts to attend at the end of the year. B: I just went to Bigbang member Tae-yang’s Taipei concert last weekend, and it was awesome. A: And I went to the weekend concerts at Christmasland in New Taipei City, featuring Tae-yang’s wife Hyo-lyn and various artists. B: Taiwanese superstars A-mei, Mayday, and Hong Kong superstar Aaron Kwok will also stage shows starting this week. A: It’s so hard to decide. Which one do you want to go to? A: 我好喜歡12月，因為每到年底總有許多演唱會！ B: 我上週才剛去過BigBang太陽的台北演唱會，超精彩。 A: 我也剛去過新北歡樂耶誕城的演唱會，太陽的老婆孝琳還有來表演唷。 B: 台灣天后阿妹、天團五月天、香港天王郭富城等巨星的演唱會從本週起也將陸續開唱。 A: 真難決定，你想去哪一場？ （By Eddy Chang,
If you’ve ever seen detailed photographs of Paris’s Notre Dame cathedral, you may have noticed a striking feature of the building: large, circular windows divided by intricately arranged stonework radiating out from a central point like flower petals. The stonework encases colorful stained-glass windowpanes full of Catholic icons and symbolism. Called a “rose window,” this adornment can be found in cathedrals across Europe, although the style was most popular in France. The rose window is a key element of “Gothic architecture,” a highly ornate style of architecture popular from Europe’s High Middle Ages to the Late Middle Ages, roughly
A: Among all the concerts, I’m in highest anticipation of A-mei’s. B: Me too, as she will become the first female singer to hold concerts at the venue. A: And she will stage five shows total, on Dec. 21, 22, 28 and 29, as well as the 31st, New Year’s Eve. B: We were so lucky to get the tickets for her New Year’s Eve show. A: Yeah! It’ll be super exciting to count down to the New Year with A-mei. A: 在這麼多演唱會中，我最期待阿妹的大巨蛋首唱。 B: 我也是，她可是首位在大巨蛋舉辦演唱會的女歌手呢。 A: 而且她將會嗨唱5場︰12月21、22、28、29日，跨年夜31日。 B: 幸好我們有搶到跨年夜的門票。 A: 對啊，能和阿妹一起倒數太興奮啦！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
有讀者問 「無薪假」和「留職停薪」的英文如何區別？兩者似乎都是 unpaid leave？ 「無薪假」又稱「減班休息」。指企業獲利縮減，導致必須縮減勞方工時，資方 (management) 不支付勞方 (employees) 休假期間的工資。 不景氣時企業可以選擇「遇缺不補」(attrition)， 避免「裁員」 (reducing jobs through natural attrition rather than forcing cuts through layoffs)，更嚴重時的措施則是放「無薪假」(furlough)。 出國進修、育嬰假等的「留職停薪」是 unpaid leave (of absence)，是個人的選擇。因事故遭「留職停薪」調查，則是 administrative leave without pay 或 unpaid administrative leave. 裁員時資方在說：I am sorry I have to let you go.（抱歉，我必須請你走路。）的同時也得準備一筆 severance pay（遣散費）。 如果你離職時公司額外給你一個大紅包，叫做 golden handshake。 A golden handshake is a substantial sum of money given to an employee when they leave their job, usually as a reward for long service or good work. It can also be given to entice an employee to retire early. 不過「黃金握手」也有可能你太資深，薪水太高，公司希望你早點退休。 防疫必備詞彙：疫後經濟 無薪假 furlough 遇缺不補 downsizing through attrition 重點工作者 essential worker; key worker 防疫旅遊 pandemic-safe travel 防疫新生活 new pandemic-safe life （旅遊）踩線團 fam trip (familiarization trip) 重振國旅、安心旅遊
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