A: Would you like to go see a movie tomorrow?
B: I can’t. My cousin is coming over tomorrow, and I already promised that I would spend some time with her.
A: You can bring her with us to the movie! My friend says that Scream is good. The trailer alone got my heart racing.
Photo courtesy of United International Pictures 照片：聯合國際影業提供
B: That’s no good. My cousin isn’t old enough yet, so she can’t watch R-rated movies. And I’m scared of watching horror movies, anyway.
A: 你明天要不要去看電影？
B: 不行耶，我表妹明天要來我家，我已經答應要陪她玩了。
A: 你可以帶她一起來看電影啊！我朋友說《驚聲尖叫》超好看的！我光是看預告就嚇得心臟快跳出來了。
B: 不行啦！我表妹年紀還太小，不能看限制級的片子。而且我也不敢看恐怖片。
（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.
The death of an Oregon house cat and a pet food recall are raising questions about the ongoing outbreak of bird flu and how people can protect their pets. Bird flu has been spreading for years in wild birds, chickens, turkeys and many other animals. It was first confirmed in US dairy cattle in March. The virus has been causing sporadic, mostly mild illnesses in people in the US, and nearly all of those infected worked on dairy or poultry farms. When the virus is found, every bird on a farm is killed to limit the spread of the disease. Oregon health officials
Imagine racing up many flights of stairs, your heart pounding as you ascend a towering skyscraper. Welcome to the thrilling world of tower running, also known as run ups. Unlike traditional marathons on flat tracks, tower running involves climbing skyscraper stairs. Competitors start at the base and ascend to the top, tackling hundreds or thousands of steps, testing their speed, endurance and willpower. The physical demands of run ups are substantial, as stair climbing constitutes a prolonged, weight-bearing exercise. This activity places a significant strain on the body, burning up to four times the calories compared to regular running.
前法國中量級拳王為答謝照護他岳父的醫護人員，教她們打拳擊舒壓，新聞報導刊出的照片底下有一行英文說明： Operating theater nurse Kenza Benour trains with boxer Hassan N’Dam at VSG hospital on the outskirts of Paris on Wednesday. (AP) (May 30, 2020) 說明中的 operating theater 就是指「手術室」，不是 *演出中的劇院。 以下這篇文章，提到 2020 年英國因為新冠肺炎病人多到難以招架，有一家醫院甚至把 all its theaters 都改裝，以容納大量湧入的新冠肺炎病人。 The UK health system is so overwhelmed that a hospital is converting all its theaters for coronavirus patients, and nurses have panic attacks because they can’t cope with the stress. (Mia Jankowicz, Business Insider , April 7, 2020) 文中出現的 theaters，也不是指劇院，而是「手術室」。 之前有不少文章或活動，向新冠肺炎危機期間的第一線醫護人員表達感恩與致意，底下就是一例： Give an “extra clap” tonight for operating theatre staff during Covid-19 crisis (Steve Ford, Nursing Times , May, 14, 2020) 手術室為什麼叫 operating theater？因為19世紀之前，為方便醫學教育，手術室通常都模仿古希臘劇場，設計成階梯狀，方便醫學生觀摩學習，因此得名。 我自己曾經進過手術室，2018 年 7 月我做了一個疝氣修補 (hernia repair) 的腹腔鏡手術 (laparoscopy)。離開手術室兩三個小時後，已經能從輪床 (gurney)
A: Guess what’s included in Google Taiwan’s 2024 most searched words. B: Let me guess: Taiwan’s victory in the WBSC Premier 12 championship must be on the list. A: Wow, good guess. “Premier 12” is at No. 10. B: What are the other most popular searches? A: No. 9 to 6 are: Ticketing platform “Tixcraft,” Taiwanese film “The Pig, The Snake and The Pigeon,” Olympic gold boxer “Lin Yu-ting,” and the “Yuanta ETF coded 00940.” A: 猜猜看，Google 2024台灣搜尋排行榜，有哪些關鍵詞？ B: 我猜「棒球12強賽」一定超熱門吧。 A: 你好強，12強真的排在第10名！ B: 其他熱門搜尋有哪些？！ A: 第9至6名是︰「拓元」售票、電影「周處除三害」、奧運拳擊金牌「林郁婷」、元大ETF「00940」。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
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