A: Excuse me, how long will this airmail parcel take to arrive?
B: It usually takes 10 to 15 days, but recently, due to the pandemic, many flights have been cancelled, so the shipping times will be considerably longer. It’s not possible to confirm when it will reach the destination.
A: Heavens, in two weeks’ time, my friend will be off on a business trip, so the parcel absolutely must arrive before then.
Photo: Chen Yi-chia, Liberty Times 照片：自由時報記者陳宜加
B: Alternatively, you could send it by express mail instead, this way it will be loaded onto the airplane quicker, and the arrival time is typically four to five days, although at the moment this is still subject to delays.
A: So how much will it cost to mail it by express?
B: It will be NT1,260. Sending it by the ordinary parcel service will be NT$1,105.
A: 請問這航空包裹大概多久會寄到呢？
B: 一般是十到十五天，但是最近因為疫情的關係，很多航班都取消了，所以郵遞時間會大幅延誤，實際到達日期沒辦法確定。
A: 天哪，可是再過兩個禮拜，我朋友就要出差了，包裹一定要在這之前寄到才行。
B: 不然你可以改寄國際快捷，這是能讓它最快搭上飛機的方法，寄達時間一般是四到五天，不過現在也是有延誤的情況。
A: 那寄快捷要多少錢啊？
B: 一千兩百六十元。寄普通包裹的話是一千一百零五元。
(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.
A: Wow, the 36th Golden Melody Awards ceremony is set for this weekend. B: I like all the nominees for Best Mandarin Album: Incomplete Rescue Manual by various artists, Outcomes by J.Sheon, Invisible Color by Terence Lam, The Dreamer by Khalil Fong, Haosheng Haochi by Trout Fresh and Ordeal by Pearls by Waa Wei. A: Despite struggling with serious illness, Fong managed to finish his last album before he died. B: With his hit Twenty Three, he is also nominated for Best Song, Lyricist and Composer, and will receive a Special Jury Award for his album. A: And
Long before modern highways crossed Taiwan’s rugged landscape, Chiayi’s Alishan Forest Railway pioneered the way through the mountains. Its tracks wound through a large forest of tall trees, offering stunning views of the region’s natural beauty. Let’s get aboard now and let the train carry us back to the early days of the railway, when the tracks were first laid through this wooded forest. After Japan took control of Taiwan in 1895, the government recognized the value of Alishan’s wood, but transporting timber from such rough terrain was no easy task. The railway skillfully dealt with the steep slopes
A: The Golden Melody Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award will go to both musician Bruce Wong and late singer Jeff Ma. B: Some superstars also won this honor in the past, such as late singer Teresa Teng. A: Speaking of Teresa, have you heard that an unreleased Japanese song of hers was found recently? B: Really? Will the song be released? A: Yes, her track Love Song in the Night Fog is set to be released this month, marking the 30th anniversary of the legendary singer’s death. A: 本屆金曲獎特別貢獻獎頒給樂手翁孝良、已故歌手馬兆駿。 B: 以往有不少超級巨星，像是已故歌后鄧麗君也曾獲此殊榮唷。 A: 說到鄧麗君，你有聽說她生前未發布的日文歌曲被發現了嗎？ B: 真的嗎？新歌會公開嗎？ A: 這首歌《情歌最愛夜霧時》預計本月發布，正好紀念傳奇歌后去世30週年！ （By Eddy
1. 他的父母要他不要再犯這樣嚴重的錯誤。 ˇ His parents told him not to make such serious mistakes again. ˇ His parents suggested that he should not make such serious mistakes again. ˇ His parents told him that he should not make such serious mistakes again. χ His parents told him do not make such serious mistakes again. 註︰祈使句變成間接引語，通常用複合受詞表達。試比較下列直接引語和間接引語： “Be careful,” he advised. He advised me to be more careful. He said to me, “Don’t do this again.” He told me not to do that again. “Get it ready,” he ordered us. He ordered us to get it ready. 在這種句子裏用什麼詞作述詞，要根據所引句子的口氣來決定。在 tell, suggest, order 等後面也可接受詞從屬句。 2. 我問他那漂亮女孩是誰。 ˇ I asked him who that beautiful girl was. χ I asked him who
RSS