[常春藤網路書城電子報]2011常春藤生活英語雜誌01月號-01-26

一邊吃brunch一邊看英文，真是健康

　What is something that is used for games, magic tricks, building miniature houses, and even tarot readings? Playing cards! They are part of everyday life all around the world. Did you ever stop to wonder where they came from? The first playing cardsoriginated in as early as the ninth century in the country that invented paper—China. These Chinese playing cards were called money cards since they showed coins or strings of coins.
哪樣東西可以用來玩遊戲、變魔術、搭迷你房子，甚至是算塔羅牌呢？撲克牌是也！在全球，它們已經成為日常生活中的一部分。您可曾停下來好好想想它們是從哪裡來的呢？第一副紙牌早在九世紀時就出現於發明紙張的國家——中國。這些中國紙牌被稱為『錢牌』，因為紙牌上頭是錢幣或一串串錢幣的圖案。
　　By the late 1300s, the Egyptian Mameluke deck of cards was introduced into Europe. This version contained 52 cards made up of four suits of 13 cards each. Just like modern-day playing cards, the suits, which were polo sticks, coins, swords, and cups, had 10 numbered cards and three face cards each. The use of playing cards was recorded in Spain, Switzerland, France, and Italy, with many adopting their own suits and styles. 

　　1300年代晚期，埃及的Mameluke紙牌被引進了歐洲。這種版本的紙牌包含由四種花色組成的五十二張牌，每種花色都各有十三張。這四種花色分別為馬球球棍、錢幣、寶劍和酒杯，就如同現今的撲克牌一樣，每組花色都有十張數字牌和三張人頭牌。撲克牌的使用在西班牙、瑞士、法國和義大利的歷史中皆有記載，而且各國還會採用自己的花色和風格。
　　The popularity of playing cards spread thanks to the Germans, who started printing large quantities of the once handmade product in 1418. Then with colonization7 and time, the playing cards we know today came to be the standard.
至於撲克牌的普及則要歸功於德國人，他們在1418年時開始大量印刷這種曾是手工製作的產品。之後由於殖民化和時間的因素，今日我們所熟知的撲克牌於焉成為標準。

[常春藤網路書城電子報]2010常春藤解析英語雜誌12月號-12-17

不知道一月號為什麼是從12月來的... 不過原來美國也有這種父母親...天下父母心啊~ Helicopter Parents　　事必躬親的直升機父母 by Nadia Chung

Hovering parents end up with kids that are not independent.  直升機父母培養出一群無法獨立的草莓族。  　　 A woman labeled "America's Worst Mom" had to defend herself against the embarrassing nickname after she let her nine-year-old son ride on the New York City subway alone. "It was a reasonable risk," she argued. Helicopter parents would certainly disagree. Coined in 1990, the term "helicopter parenting" is used to describe overprotective parents, who are mostly middle-class baby boomers. They hover over their children and are always worried about their academic and professional success. It's not uncommon for these parents to make decisions, intervene in conflicts, and do homework for their children. Some helicopter parents even write college essays, edit resumes, and show up at job interviews with them.  　　一位婦女因為讓 9 歲的兒子獨自搭乘紐約市的地鐵而被封為『全美最糟糕的母親』，她因此得為這個難堪的封號抗辯。她辯解說：『冒這點險是合理的。』但直升機父母一定不同意這種說法。『直升機式的子女教育』一詞創於 1990 年，被用來形容過度保護孩童的父母，這些父母大多是二次戰後嬰兒潮出生的中產階級。他們總離不開子女，一直擔心他們的課業和職場成就。對這些父母來說，替小孩做決定、介入小孩的紛爭和替小孩寫功課是家常便飯。有些直升機父母甚至幫子女寫大學論文、修改履歷，以及陪他們參加工作面試。 No one really doubts the motives of these parents. The problem is that such intentions often stem from a desire on the part of the parents to raise their own self-esteem.The excessive investmentthese parents make in their children's upbringing and achievements may end up having an adverse effect. By doing nearly everything for their children, they limit themto safe situations. This means the kids are kept from learning basic survival skills and how to cope with failure on their own. A study shows that helicopter kids tend to be more self-conscious, more vulnerable, and less open to new ideas. For them, it is hard to become self-sufficient and independent adults, which is their parents' ultimate goal. 　　沒有人會質疑這些父母的動機。問題是這些意圖多半源自於父母想提高自己的自尊心。這些父母對小孩的養育和成就過度投入，最後可能產生反效果。替小孩幾乎做好每件事會把他們限制在安全的環境裡。這意味這些孩子無法學習基本的求生技巧，以及靠自己處理失敗。一項研究顯示，直升機小孩較容易自卑，也較脆弱，而且比較無法接受新想法。對他們來說，要成為自立自強而獨立的成人是很不容易的事情，偏偏這是他們父母最終極的目標。 　　 Experts are now offering some advice to helicopter parents. First, act as a coach, not as a rescuer. Second, encourage children to make their own decisions and help them learn to solve problems rather than take care of everything for them. Finally, give them the space and chance to learn from their mistakes. As "America's Worst Mom" argues, "The way kids learn to be resourceful is by having to use their resources." Children fly higher when they are not tied to the ground. 　　專家有些建議提供給直升機父母。首先，要扮演教練而不是救援者的角色。其次，鼓勵小孩自己做決定，並幫助他們學習如何解決問題，而不要事事幫他們處理好。最後，給他們一些空間和機會從錯誤中學習。就像『全美最糟糕的母親』辯解的：『小孩必須藉由運用自己的機智，才能學習如何應變。』小孩不被束縛，才能飛得更高。