A: Hey, can I mail instant noodles overseas?
B: You can’t send the kind containing meat, whether it’s in those aluminum foil soft pouches or as dried meat in the flavoring packet.
A: Will they actually open them up to check?
Photo: Hsiao Yu-hsin, Liberty Times 照片：自由時報記者蕭玗欣
B: I wouldn’t chance it if I were you. I once sent tea leaves to Australia, because I know that tea leaves are OK, but in the end customs destroyed them, because there were dried fruit inclusions mixed in with the tea leaves.
A: What? That’s not allowed? Their quarantine is so strict!
B: Every country has its own regulations. It’s best if you check which things are forbidden and not allowed to send.
A: 欸，泡麵可以寄到國外嗎？
B: 好像那種裡面有肉的不行，無論是鋁箔包的「軟罐頭」，或是調味粉包裡有乾肉塊的都不能寄。
A: 他們真的會打開來檢查嗎？
B: 我覺得你還是不要抱著僥倖的心態。我有一次寄茶葉到澳洲——因為我知道可以寄茶葉——結果還是被海關銷毀了，因為茶葉裡面有水果乾。
A: 什麼？這樣也不行？這檢疫也未免太嚴了吧！
B: 每個國家規定不同，你最好先查一下什麼東西是違禁品、不能寄。
(Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times／台北時報林俐凱)
Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
Historians are rethinking the way the Holocaust is being presented in museums as the world marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the last Nazi concentration camps this month. Shocking images of the mass killings of Jews were “used massively at the end of World War II to show the violence of the Nazis,” historian Tal Bruttmann, a specialist on the Holocaust, told AFP. But in doing so “we kind of lost sight of the fact that is not normal to show” such graphic scenes of mass murder, of people being humiliated and dehumanized, he said. Up to this
When people listen to music today, they typically use streaming services like YouTube or Spotify. However, traditional formats like vinyl records have regained popularity in recent times. Vinyl records are circular discs that store music in grooves on their surfaces and are played on a turntable. As the turntable’s needle runs along these grooves, it picks up vibrations and translates them into sound. The history of vinyl records dates back to the late 1800s, but material and technological challenges delayed mass production until the 1950s. Despite early versions having short playtimes and poor sound quality, vinyl records introduced a new era
A: Brazilian jiu-jitsu, known as “BJJ,” has become more and more popular. Even Hollywood stars like Halle Berry and Tom Hardy are obsessed with it. B: Some Asian stars, such as Taiwanese actor Eddie Peng and South Korean actor Lee Joon-gi, have also practiced this martial art. A: BJJ is not just a martial art, but also a combat sport. B: I’ve always wanted to try it, but I’m worried about getting injured. A: Diana Wang, a US doctor of physical therapy, is holding a BJJ seminar at PMA Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in Taipei Friday night. Let’s go check out how we
Dos & Don’ts — 想想看，這句話英語該怎麼說？ 1. 能做的事都做了。 ˇ All that could be done has been done. χ All that could be done have been done. 註︰all 指事情或抽象概念時當作單數。例如： All is well that ends well. （結果好就是好。） All is over with him. （他已經沒希望了。） That’s all for today. （今天到此為止。） all 指人時應當作複數。例如： All of us are interested in his proposal. All of us are doing our best. 2. 我們這麼做有益於我們的健康。 ˇ What we are doing is good for our health. χ What we are doing are good for our health. 註︰以關係代名詞 what 引導的作為主詞的子句，動詞用單數。如： What he said is true. 3. 大家都沿著步道跑。 ˇ Everybody runs along the trail. χ Everybody run along the trail. 註︰everyone 是指一大群人，但在文法上一般用單數。 4. 桌上有一本筆記本和兩支筆。 ˇ There were two
RSS