2008年5月25日 星期日

More than words: the solitary world of interpreters

Go to any international conference, and you are bound to be unaware of their presence. Yet, without them, the high-level meetings and shuttle diplomacy that make our world go round would grind to a halt. They are interpreters, the unsung heroes who bridge the cultural and linguistic barriers between people.
The challenge for interpreters lies in much more than just knowing two languages-say, Mandarin and English. Oftentimes, they need to do their job in real time, meaning that as a speaker is talking, interpreters have to listen to, understand, translate, and verbalize what’s being said. The process is so demanding on the brain that live interpreters cannot go on for more than three hours without a break.
An additional hurdle for interpreters is that one misinterpretation may change the whole meaning of what the speaker is saying. Consequently, a congratulatory remark during peace talks at the United Nations can easily turn into a catastrophic mistake!
So why not use computer software instead? While many programs are efficient in mechanically translating words, they are not as good as the human brain in translating subtleties and indirect meanings. For example, one program was given the biblical quotation,“the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,”to translate from English into Russian. What came out was the equivalent of“the vodka is attractive, but the meat is rotten.” A rotten translation indeed!

2008年5月17日 星期六

Concern over Handwriting Lesson

In the age of computer technology, it appears that handwriting has been left behind. A survey in England estimated that nowadays only 13 percent of written communication is done by pen and paper, compared to 50 percent by email, and 29 percent by text message.
This has led to some concern that the education system could do damage to students by neglecting to teach handwriting. In England, a study found that two-thirds of teachers had not been shown how to teach handwriting during their initial training. Moreover, most schools were not teaching students how to increase their writing speeds. Poor handwriting could affect students’ exam performance overall academic achievement as well as self-esteem. In an increasingly competitive world, handwriting might just be what sets you apart from the pack.

2008年5月10日 星期六

Genes Key to Entrepreneurs’ Drive

It used to be widely assumed that the entrepreneurial spirit in children was based on the influence of one’s parents. According to a new study of identical twins in Britain and the U.S., that is not the case anymore. It seems that a person’s ability or drive to become self-employed may be in his or her genes. This suggests that entrepreneurs are mostly born rather than made.
The study compared self-employment in 609 pairs of identical twins and 657pairs of same-sex non identical twins. The former share all the same genes, while the latter share about half.
Researchers found that the rate of entrepreneurship in identical twins is greater than that in non-identical twins. Put differently, it means that when one twin was an entrepreneur, it was more likely that the second twin would also become one. Contrary to previous beliefs, family environment and upbringing, it seems, have little influence.

2008年5月3日 星期六

Childhood 'toy' revealed as ancient Persian relic


LONDON (AFP) - An ancient gold cup mysteriously acquired by an English scrap metal dealer is expected to fetch close to a million dollars at auction after languishing for years in a shoe box under its current owner's bed.
Owner John Webber says his grandfather gave him the 5.5-inch (14-centimetre) high mug to play with when he was a child, back in 1945.
He assumed the golden cup, which is decorated with the heads of two women facing in opposite directions, their foreheads garlanded with two knotted snakes, was made from brass.
But he decided to get it valued when he was moving house last year and was told it was actually a rare piece of ancient Persian treasure, beaten out of a single sheet of gold hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ.
Experts said the method of manufacture and the composition of the gold was "consistent with Achaemenid gold and gold smithing" dating back to the third or fourth century BC.
The Achaemenid empire, the first of the Persian empires to rule over significant portions of Greater Iran, was wiped out by Alexander the Great in 330 BC.
Auction house Duke's, in Dorchester, south-west England, will put the cup under the hammer on June 5, with an estimate of 500,000 pounds (630,000-euro, 988,000-dollars).
Webber, 70, told The Guardian newspaper that his grandfather had a "good eye" for antiques and picked up "all sorts" as he plied his trade in the town of Taunton in south-west England.
"Heaven knows where he got this, he never said," he added, revealing that as a child, he used the cup for target practice with his air gun.

2008年4月30日 星期三

China In Space

1.Larry and Nancy are eating dinner in a restaurant.
Larry: Hey, did you hear the news about China?
Nancy: No. What happened? There wasn't another terrible international incident, was there?
Larry: Nothing like that. China just put a man into space for the first time.
Nancy: The Chinese spaceman ! Now I remember. What a scoop !
Larry: This makes China only the third country to put one of its people into space.
Nancy: After Russia and the United States.
Larry: And I read in the newspaper that China has plans to build their own space station.
Nancy: What a creepy thought . Then they would be able to take pictures of me from space!Larry: Ha, ha. Nancy, you really think too much!-Nathan Hines


2.In the dialogue, we could know that China has already put one of their people into space. It has a high technology after Russia and the United States!


3.incident /scoop/creepy/


4. international /plan/thought/creepy/


5.why I chose this article: Because I've read the high technology from the history book! We could find that China made great progress on this program!

The Laurel of Apollo

One day Cupid, the son of Venus, sat on the bank of a river, playing with his bow and arrows. The arrows were very tiny. Some of them had points of gold and the others points of lead. With the former Cupid shot love into people’ s hearts; with the latter he shot fear into them. Just then Apollo, the great sun-god, happened to walk along the bank of the same river and when he saw Cupid at his play, he laughed at him and said, “ Ho! What are such little arrows as these good for? ” Cupid’ s feelings were very much hurt at this. He said nothing, but decided to use his arrows on Apollo. So he drew out two arrows a leaden one and a golden one. Looking all about him for some mark for his arrow, he saw Daphne, the daughter of the river-god, walking through a grove. Cupid shot the leaden-pointed arrow straight at Daphne’ s heart. With the golden one he struck Apollo. As soon as Apollo saw Daphne, he loved her very much, but she was afraid and ran away. Apollo ran after her, calling that there was nothing to fear, but she would not stop running .The faster Apollo followed, the faster Daphne ran. She ran till she came to the bank of her father’s river, and she was so tired that she could run no farther. She called to her father for help. The river-god heard her, and before Apollo could overtake her, changed her into a tree, a beautiful tree with glossy evergreen leaves and pink blossoms as beautiful own cheeks. When Apollo came up with Daphne, there she stood on the bank of the river, not a nymph any longer, but a beautiful tree. Apollo gathered some of the leaves and made himself a wreath of its evergreen leaves, which he always wore for Daphne’s sake. This tree still grows in Greece and is called the Laurel of Apollo.

2008年4月28日 星期一

Wang’s fifth consecutive win helps Yankees top Indians

1.NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wang Chien-ming won his fifth consecutive game to pitch the New York Yankees to a 1-0 road victory over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday.
The Taiwanese right-hander (5-0), who is behind only Arizona’s
Brandon Webb (6-0) for most victories in the majors, held Cleveland to four hits over seven innings while striking out a season-high nine and walking two.
“He has been huge for us all year long,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters. “He has pitched great. He knew what we needed and he gave it to us.”
Wang said he mixed up his pitches better than a year ago when he lost at Cleveland in the American League Division Series.
“Last year, I only threw a lot of sinkers without changing a lot of speeds,” he told reporters. “Today, I changed a lot of speeds.”
Girardi said Wang’s ability to mix his pitches had made him a more effective pitcher.
“He had a very good slider today, with his sinker as well,” the Yankees manager said. “He mixed in some changeups and splits as well to the left-handers. I thought he had great depth on his slider, which kept the right-handers off balance.”
Melky Cabrera gave the Yankees the only run they needed with a solo homer in the fifth inning off C.C. Sabathia (1-4).
“I’ve been lucky that I have five homers so far,” Cabrera told reporters. “I’m just paying attention to that I’m in the lineup every day.”
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Yankees, though they had to place starting catcher
Jorge Posada on the disabled list with an injured right shoulder.
It is the first time Posada has been placed on the disabled list in his 13-year major league career.
“It’s the biggest disappointment of my career, probably,” said Posada.
“Not being able to participate in games, it’s really tough for me. I thought it was coming along, but it’s not. We have to find out what’s really bothering me.”
Sabathia, last season’s American League Cy Young winner, pitched eight innings. He also gave up four hits, striking out eight and walking one.
“It’s definitely frustrating to lose,” said Sabathia.
“We don’t get shut out very often, but Wang was good.”
(Writing by Gene Cherry in Salvo, North Carolina; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
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2.Wang won his fifth consecutive win. He was really good! He, Joba Chamberlain, and Mariano Rivera become a win line. They are really good!Wang is very lucky, because of his players' help. Wang also changed a lot of speeds that let Indians' players confuse the ball line! In short, he is very good!

3.consecutive/right-hander /inning/slider/depth/snap

4.manager/disable/pay attention /frustrate/tough/find out

5.why I chose this article: Because I like the baseball game! Especially MLB! It's very exciting! They catch ball beautifully! I like them!

2008年4月25日 星期五

New Skin-Care Products with Natural Ingredients

1.Pomegranate:The hundreds of ruby-colored seeds inside pomegranates were once thought to symbolize fertility, and given the fruit's proven powers as a strong antioxidant, it has given birth to a huge number of products, including designer juice and high-end skin-care creams.
The pomegranate's power comes from ellagic acid, a type of polyphenol, which is an antioxidant found in red wine and green tea. Antioxidants seek out and neutralize cell-damaging free radicals that come from the environment (pollution, UV rays) and from the body's natural aging process. Ellagic acid has been shown in some studies to neutralize free radicals more effectively than the other polyphenols found in green tea and red wine. It's also more stable in skin-care products than some other antioxidants, like vitamin C, which can lose potency when exposed to light and air.
Grapefruit:Until the 19th century, grapefruit was grown purely as an ornamental fruit. Rarely eaten, it was known only for its looks - an interesting harbinger of its modern-day promise to improve ours.
A 2005 study by the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, in Chicago, showed that the scent of grapefruit on women made them seem an average of six years younger to men. Grapefruit's main use in skin care, however, is as a citric acid. Like any alpha hydroxy acid, citric acid loosens the bonds between skin cells, allowing dead ones to fall away, revealing smoother, more radiant skin.

2008年3月31日 星期一

Olympic torch re-lit in Beijing ceremony

1.BEIJING - Chinese President Hu Jintao presided over the re-lighting of the Olympic torch Monday in the host city, signaling the start of an around-the-world torch relay that already has become a magnet for protesters.
Hu's participation in the elaborate ceremony in Tiananmen Square in the heart of the capital underlined the importance China places on the Olympics and its hope to display a confident, strong nation to the world when the games open Aug. 8.
The ceremony, 130 days before the start of the Olympics, came a week after the lighting ceremony for the Olympic torch in Greece was marred by protests.
"I declare the torch relay of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games has begun," Hu said after handing the flame to China's Olympic gold-medal hurdler, Liu Xiang. Liu jogged off the square as blue, gold and silver confetti flew, Chinese and Olympic flags waved and traditional drums pounded.
After a one-day stop in Beijing, the flame goes Tuesday to Almaty, Kazakhstan, the start of an 85,000-mile journey back to Beijing.
The grandiose relay is the longest in Olympic history and has the most torchbearers — a sign of the vast attention lavished on the games by Beijing, which hopes to showcase China's rising economic and political power.
But thus far it has provided a stage for activists who have been criticizing China over a range of issues including its handling of Muslims in the far west of the country, its control over Tibet and its relationship with Sudan.
Trouble is expected at stops in London, Paris and San Francisco, where Tibetan and rights groups have promised protests.
Carried in a small lantern, the flame arrived from Greece early Monday aboard a chartered Air China plane, greeted at Beijing airport by hundreds of flag-waving schoolchildren.
State television's live broadcast of the ceremony was delayed by about one minute, apparently to ensure the feed could be cut in the event of any disruptions.
Last week, the China Central Television broadcast cut away from the flame lighting ceremony in Greece when protesters ran behind Liu Qi, the president of the Beijing organizing committee, as he gave a speech. It showed stock footage of the ceremony site instead.
Amid tight security, about 5,000 people, including 220 foreign journalists, gathered for the ceremony in the middle of the vast square in the heart of Beijing.
The ceremony mixed bright colors and a modern look with military music and imagery from China's imperial past. Top Communist Party officials spoke of global understanding and respect, but also sprinkled their address with familiar political catch phrases.



2.This time,Olympic games will be hold in BEIJING!
There are a lot of countries will be there!

3.torch/elaborate/lavished/showcase/disruption

4.preside/ceremony/grandiose/

5.why I chose this article: Because these Olympic games will be hold once in four years!This is a big game for every country!And I like to the baseball game!I hope the Chinese Taipei will win the game!

2008年3月28日 星期五

Top 10 most (and least) popular jerseys from the past 10 years

1.The NBA Store on Fifth Avenue in New York tipped off their 10th anniversary celebrations yesterday by unveiling the store's Most Popular Jerseys sold from the past decade. Here's a look at the list:
1. Michael Jordan
2. Kobe Bryant
3. Allen Iverson
4. LeBron James
5. Shaquille O'Neal
6. Tracy McGrady
7. Dwyane Wade
8. Jason Kidd
9. Vince Carter
10. Tim Duncan
Nothing too surprising, really. I'm pretty sure most of you would've slotted Jordan, Kobe and Iverson somewhere in the top three spots. With that said, I'm just as perplexed as the Sports Biz's Darren Rovell about Tim Duncan cracking the top ten. I mean, who in the world is buying a No. 21 Spurs' jersey in downtown Midtwon Manhattan? Seriously. Damn, tourists.But enough about the most popular jerseys; you're more interested in the least popular jerseys, right? Of course you are! So, after the jump, a look at the NBA Store's worst selling jerseys from the past ten years.

2.This is about the most popular jerseys from the past 10 years.A store unveiled the list!

3.Avenue/slot/

4.anniversary/celebrations/unveil/downtown/

5.why I chose this article:Because I also like to see basketball games!
Every time, when there are basketball games in PCCU, I want to see! But I have no time!
But I could it in the TV! I could be very happy!

2008年3月26日 星期三

7 Reasons Women Lose Their Hair

1.Low iron levels: Iron deficiency, with or without anemia, can lead to hair loss. Do not simply start taking an iron supplement without having your iron checked by a physician because too much iron can also lead to health problems.
Thyroid disorders: Both an overactive and an underactive thyroid can lead to hair loss.
Low estrogen levels: Many women experience hair loss during and after menopause, when estrogen levels begin to drop. Other hormonal changes -- changes in oral contraceptive use, for example -- can also trigger hair loss.
Post-pregnancy hormonal changes: Similarly, new moms may find that they're shedding a lot of hair in the first one to six months after delivery, when their estrogen levels return to normal. Actually, what seems like excessive hair loss is really hair's natural growth cycle regulating itself, as high hormone levels tend to keep women from losing normal amounts of hair during pregnancy.
Telogen effluvium: This is the general term for sudden, temporary hair loss as a result of recent stress or surgery, which typically occurs around two months after the causative event or illness. (It may also be used to describe sudden hair loss as a result of other factors on this list, such as post-pregnancy hormonal changes.)
Medications: Many medications may lead to hair loss. If this is a concern, talk to your doctor about potential alternatives
High levels of vitamin A or selenium: There is rarely any reason to take more of these nutrients than you'd find in a good multivitamin.


2.This article is about hair! Some people shed their hair easily! So, it tells you the reasons and the protections!

3.anemia/supplement /Thyroid/estrogen/contraceptive/trigger/excessive/hormone /Telogen /effluvium/selenium/multivitamin

4.health/physician/general/typically/alternative/

5.why I chose this article:Because my hair shed easily,too. I have to get imformation about hair!
Although I didn't wave my hair, I still shed my hair easily.
Some hair designers told me that the temperature will affect to hair!
I don't whether is true or not!

2008年1月1日 星期二

Kenya church fire kills 15 who fled mob

NAIROBI, Kenya - A mob torched a church sheltering hundreds of Kenyans fleeing election violence on Tuesday, and at least 15 people burned to death, police and a witness said as the president came under increasing pressure over the disputed vote.
The European Union and the United States have refused to congratulate President Mwai Kibaki. The EU and four top Kenyan elections officials have called for an independent inquiry in what had been east Africa's most stable and prosperous democracy.
Violence in response to the closest presidential election in Kenya's history has flared from the shantytowns of Nairobi to resort towns on the sweltering coast, killing at least 228 people since Saturday, according to accounts from police, morgues and witnesses.
Among them were at least 15 who died Tuesday in Eldoret, some 185 miles from the capital, Nairobi.
"There was a huge mob; they attacked the church," said a witness, who asked that his name not be used for fear of reprisals. "We counted 15 to 20 bodies."
Two police officers, who were not authorized to speak to the media, confirmed that several people burned to death.

1.The summarize is talking about Kenya church fire kills 15 who fled mob.
2.mob:暴民/torch:縱火/dispute:爭論/ inquiry:質詢/shanty:簡陋的
3.I chose this artical because resently there are too many things of election in Taiwan.
I'm afraid the same thing happen in Taiwan!