A: My fitness coach gave me three tips for shedding pounds after the Lunar New Year.
B: Three tips? Quick, pass them on.
A: In addition to controlling how much you eat, you also need to take exercise if you want to lose weight, and finally, you must adjust your lifestyle.
Photo: Wang Wen-lin, Liberty Times 照片:自由時報王文麟
B: That’s right. Less food and more exercise is the key!
A: 我的健身教練還說,農曆新年後想要減重有三招。
B: 哪三招?你快教教我吧。
A: 除了控制飲食,也要運動瘦身、調整生活作息。
B: 沒錯,少吃多運動就對啦!
(Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
A: What are the highlights of the 2024 Paris Olympics? B: The biggest highlight might be the opening ceremony, which took place at the romantic River Seine. A: Wow, that’s pretty cool. What else? B: The Paris Olympics promotes carbon reduction: no new sports venues have been built for it. A: I’ve heard that there is not even air conditioning at the Olympic Village, so the Taiwan team has brought about 50 mobile air conditioners with it. A: 2024巴黎奧運,有哪些特別的亮點? B: 最大的亮點是︰開幕式在浪漫的塞納河舉行唷。 A: 蠻酷的!還有呢? B: 巴黎推廣「減碳」,也不增建場館。 A: 聽說選手村都沒冷氣,所以台灣隊還自備50台移動式冷氣呢。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Ah, bees! These tirelessly buzzing creatures bring more than just honey and stings; they’ve also made their way into our language with some weird idioms. Let’s explore three bee-related phrases that might just sweeten up your speech. 1. As busy as a bee This simile dates back to Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales from around 1392, in which the poet compared women to these hardworking animals. The idiom has since been used to describe someone who is extremely active and diligent. If your classmate undertakes activities from many different clubs, you might remark, “Samantha has been as busy as a bee
A: Affordable tickets seem to be another highlight of the 2024 Paris Olympics. B: Yeah, more than half of the 2.8 million tickets are priced at 25 euros (NT$888) or less. A: Any other highlights? B: The Paris Olympics values gender parity: it is featuring more medal events for female athletes. A: I think the top athletes from around the world are the true highlight of the games. A: 票價親民應該也是2024巴黎奧運的特色。 B: 對啊,280萬張門票有半數為25歐元(888台幣)以下。 A: 還有什麼亮點? B: 本屆重視「性別平等」,並提供更多獎牌項目給女運動員。 A: 我覺得全球的頂尖運動員們就是最大的亮點! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
On the Indonesian island of Java, there is an active stratovolcano called Mount Merapi. Because of its frequent eruptions and the fact that many people live close to it, it is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. The name Merapi means “Mountain of Fire” in the local language, and many of the nearby inhabitants see it as a sacred place. Many believe that the volcano is __1__ the spirits of their ancestors. Mount Merapi is also a source of fertile soil, water, and natural resources for the surrounding communities, which depend on agriculture and tourism