[常春藤網路書城]2011常春藤解析英語雜誌03月號-03-02-The Golden Shear-紐西蘭『金剪刀』剪羊毛大賽

2011常春藤解析英語雜誌03月號-03-02        
The Golden Shear　　紐西蘭『金剪刀』剪羊毛大賽
by Marcus Maurice
 
　　Shearers, wool handlers, and wool pressers can be champions at the Golden Shear competition.
　　紐西蘭『金剪刀』剪羊毛大賽幫羊咩咩剃毛的人、羊毛加工者和羊毛熨燙工都可能在金剪刀剪羊毛大賽中奪魁。
　　From March 3 to March 5 this year, fit and well-trained sheep shearers will head to the Wairarapa district of Masterton, New Zealand to test their skills in the Golden Shears Championship. The first of its kind, this event is still  looked upon as the mostprestigious sheep shearing competition in the world. 　　Started in 1958 by a group of farmers, this sheep shearing contest attracted participants from the northern and southern islands of New Zealand. Its popularity was undeniable, so the organizers decided they needed a bigger venue and a catchy name to draw more attention, and thus the Golden Shear was born. In 1961, the first official Golden Shear was held, and so many people came that the police had to be called in for crowd control.
　　今年 3 月 3 日到 3 月 5 日，體魄強健、訓練有素的剪羊毛達人將會前往紐西蘭馬斯特頓的懷拉拉帕區，在金剪刀剪羊毛大賽中一試身手。這項賽事是所有剪羊毛比賽的先驅，至今仍被視為是世界上最富盛名的剪羊毛比賽。 這項剪羊毛比賽是一群農夫於 1958 年所發起，吸引紐西蘭北島和南島的參賽者前來。它受歡迎的程度受到公認，所以組織賽事的人決定需要一個更大的比賽地點，以及一個琅琅上口的名稱來吸引更多的目光，金剪刀剪羊毛大賽於焉誕生。1961 年首屆金剪刀剪羊毛大賽正式舉辦，由於前往的人數太多，還得請警方前來管制人群。　　Like anything popular, competition sprung up, and tons of sheep shearing contests were taking place all over New Zealand in the 1970s and 1980s. Companiessponsored shearers, and farmers started training and fitness regimens. This would help them have an advantage over others. In 1980, the World Shearing Championships were held for the first time, and sheep shearing had gone big time.
　　就和任何受歡迎的事物一樣，競爭紛紛出現，在 1970 至 1980 年代期間，許多剪羊毛比賽在紐西蘭各地舉行。剪羊毛達人得到廠商贊助，而農夫開始進行訓練與增強體能的養生課程，好在比賽中佔優勢。1980 年世界盃剪羊毛大賽首度舉行，剪羊毛活動也就蔚為風潮。　　Over the years, the rules to sheep shearing contests have been modified to fit theever-changing times. However, the one thing that has stayed the same is thatprofessional shearers desire to be champions at the most esteemed competition in the world—the Golden Shear.
　　多年來，剪羊毛比賽的規則也因應時代不斷變遷而有所修改。然而，有一點未曾改變的是，剪羊毛專家都渴望在這最受尊崇的金剪刀剪羊毛大賽中奪魁。

[常春藤網路書城]2011常春藤解析英語雜誌02月號-02-16 -Calling All Chocolate Lovers巧克力新樂園

巧克力新樂園
by Nadia Chung

A virtual community shares passion for customized Swiss chocolate.　
在『我的瑞士巧克力』虛擬社群裡，網友彼此分享對客製化巧克力的愛好。
 　　 Since Switzerland began developing a mass market for this tasty confection in the 1800s, chocolate has become highly popular and easily available in a variety of flavors almost anywhere in the world. For people eager to express their individuality , however, store-bought chocolate might seem to lack fruits, nuts, a little spice, or even gold flakes. 
打從 19 世紀，瑞士開始發展出巧克力的大眾消費市場後，這種美味甜食便大受歡迎，而且幾乎在全世界任何地方都很容易買到各種口味的巧克力。不過對於渴望展現自我風格的人來說，在商店裡買的巧克力可能就看不到水果、堅果、少許辛香料，或甚至是金箔。
 Sensing a growing appreciation of individualized goods, Swiss-born Internet start-up veterans, Sven Beichler and Christian Philippi, decided to tap into the niche market for high-qualitycustomized products. They were specifically aiming for something that would express their "Swissness" and put their Internet savvy to good use. Since Swiss cheese, knives, and watches were not easy to produce, they decided on chocolate and createdwww.mySwissChocolate.ch. This website allows customers to tailor chocolate bars according to their own tastes, with 200 million possible combinations using premium ingredients including curry powder, rose petals, and real gold flakes. One unusual concoction had white chocolate mixed with sea salt, jelly babies, and caraway. 　　What the founders lacked in marketing resources, they made up for in the virtual community they created. The website is a unique online community where customers can earn points and vouchers exchangeable for real chocolate when they invite friends to join the club. "If you have enough friends, you can eat chocolate for free for the rest of your life," Beichler boasted. 
　　出生於瑞士的網路創辦老手，貝奇勒和菲利普察覺出個人化商品逐漸受到民眾青睞，於是決定打入這個利基市場，開發高品質的客製化產品。他們特別針對能夠表現瑞士精神的東西，並希望能善加利用他們的網路本領加以推展。由於瑞士起司、瑞士刀和手錶均不易製造，所以他們選定巧克力作為商品，並建立了『我的瑞士巧克力』這個網站。這個網站讓顧客根據自己的口味，從兩億種可能組合中，嚴選優質食材製作巧克力棒，這些食材包括咖哩粉、玫瑰花瓣和金箔等。有一種與眾不同的組合是在白巧克力中，混入海鹽、娃娃形狀的軟糖及葛縷子。網站創辦人用自創的虛擬社群來彌補行銷資源的不足。這個網站是個獨特的線上社群，當顧客邀請朋友加入該社群時，他們就能得到可兌換真巧克力的點數和禮券。貝奇勒誇口說：『假如你的朋友夠多，往後你就能一直享用免費的巧克力。』  

[常春藤網路書城]2011常春藤生活英語雜誌02月號-02-14-Hotline to Help 關鍵熱線，即刻救援

Hotline to Help 關鍵熱線，即刻救援

　　With lots of recent teen suicides1 in the US, it is hard not to wonder if something could have been done to prevent them. Where can a person turn for help if they have an emotionalcrisis or have reached the breaking point2? The answer lies in hotlines3. These are special phone numbers that people can call if they need emergency counseling4 immediately. Most are available 24 hours a day and have trained volunteers and professional counselors.  
　　美國近來青少年的自殺案例頻傳，因此很難不去思考當時是否能有什麼方法來防止這樣的事情發生。那麼當一個人有情緒方面的危機或是瀕臨崩潰邊緣時，他們可以向誰求助呢？答案就是緊急專線。這些專線就是人們在立刻需要緊急輔導時可以撥打的特殊號碼。多數的專線一天二十四小時都可接話，而且都擁有受過訓練的志工和專業輔導人員。 　　
The first crisis hotlines were created to help individuals thinking about committing suicide. An English priest named Chad Varah realized the need to reach out after he attended a funeral for a 14-year-old girl. She killed herself because she feared that she had gotten a sexuallytransmitted disease when she experienced her first period5. That had changed Varah's life, and in 1953, he founded The Samaritans6 to help those that had nowhere else to turn. The servicecaught on and spread throughout the UK, into the US, and even to Australia and Tasmania.
　　史上第一組緊急專線是設立來幫助有自殺念頭的人。一位名叫查德‧瓦拉的英國牧師在參加完某位十四歲少女的喪禮後，瞭解到適時伸出援手的必要性。這名少女在第一次月經來潮時，因為害怕自己得了性病而自殺。這件事改變了瓦拉的一生，於是在1953年，他創立了撒瑪利亞會以幫助那些求助無門的人們。後來這個機構的服務十分受歡迎，還進而擴展至英國、美國，甚至澳洲和澳洲的塔斯馬尼亞島。
By the mid-1970s, suicide hotlines existed in most major cities in the US. Now, many of them have expanded their services to help people with all kinds of emotional crises. There are hotlines for runaway children, victims of domestic violence, and people dealing with gender identity issues. The good thing is that these crisis hotlines have toll-free7 numbers, which means callers can get the help they need for free.
　　到了1970年代中期，自殺防治專線（編按：現今亦稱生命線）在美國各大主要城市都有設立。如今，這些專線所提供的服務有許多都已經擴大到協助有各種情緒危機的人們。這些專線的服務對象包括逃家的孩童、家暴受害者，以及面臨性別認同問題的人。有一項優點是這些緊急專線都有免付費號碼，意思就是撥打者可以不花任何費用就能得到他們所需要的服務。 

[常春藤網路書城]2011常春藤解析英語雜誌02月號-02-09-Fortune Telling and Soda Selling無所不能，無所不賣的日本販賣機

Fortune Telling and Soda Selling　無所不能，無所不賣的日本販賣機by Matthew Brown

Japan has been ahead of the rest of the world in vending machine technology for years. 無所不能，無所不賣的日本販賣機。多年來，日本製造販賣機的科技早已領先群倫。 　"They are so convenient, I wish I had one in my room," says an 18-year-old in Tokyo. She's talking about vending machines, and she's not the only one. Vending machines are hugely popular in Japan, with about one for every 50 people and 2.5 million units for drinks alone. That figure doesn't even include the ones that sell other products like cigarettes, toys, flowers, cold bananas, cooked meals, and just about anything else you can think of. 東京一名 18 歲少女說：『它們這麼方便，我真希望自己房裡也有一台。』她說的是販賣機，而且有這種想法的不只她一人。販賣機在日本非常普及，約每 50 人可以分配到一台，而且光是專賣飲料的販賣機就有 250 萬台。這個數據甚至不包括販售其他像是香菸、玩具、鮮花、冷凍香蕉、熟食，以及任何你想得到的物品的販賣機。 With so many variations, companies really have to be imaginative to make their vending machines stand out. Showing that they care, Coca-Cola made some that give out free drinks in case of an earthquake. Then there is an unusual model with a microphone inside to help scientists record the sounds of rare birds in a small remote village. The newest development in vending machine technology comes from a machine at a train station in Tokyo. It has a camera and software that figures out a shopper's age and sex. With that information, the machine guesses what the shopper wants to buy almost as though it were trying to read his or her mind. For example, one shopper reported that the vending machine offered her three different choices, with one being her favorite. She also said that it would come in handy when she couldn't make a decision. According to the company that operates the machine, consumers' pictures are deleted immediately, but general information about who is buying from the machine is gathered and used by the company. However, this doesn't seem to bother customers because they are so excited about the strange new machine.  With this kind of technology, it seems anything is possible with vending machines.  　　有這麼多販賣機種類，販賣機公司勢必得發揮想像力，才能讓自家的機器脫穎而出。可口可樂公司為了表示關心大眾，特別推出一些販賣機，會在發生地震時免費供應飲料。另外還有一款內建麥克風的特別機種，幫助科學家在一座偏遠村落裡錄下稀有鳥類的叫聲。目前擁有最新科技的一款販賣機則位於東京火車站內。這台販賣機配備有攝影機和軟體，能辨別消費者的年齡和性別。利用這些資訊，機器能猜出消費者想買什麼東西，就彷彿能看出他們心裡在想什麼似的。舉例來說，一位消費者說這台販賣機提供她 3 個選購建議，其中一個恰好是她最喜歡的。她還說當自己無法決定要買什麼時，這項服務就非常好用。根據經營該販賣機的公司表示，消費者的照片會被立即刪除，但是關於是誰在這台販賣機買東西的一般性資料則會被收集起來，供該公司使用。然而，消費者對這點似乎不以為意，因為他們覺得這台新奇的機器非常有意思。有了這種科技，販賣機簡直無所不能。

[常春藤網路書城]2011常春藤生活英語雜誌02月號-02-09-Island of the Dolls 墨西哥鬼娃之島

Island of the Dolls 墨西哥鬼娃之島

　　　How would you feel if you came across an abandoned island with thousands of ragged dolls and doll parts nailed to trees everywhere? The Island of the Dolls is a strange place started by Don Julián Santana. This man lived all by himself without electricity and many of the conveniences of modern life. Even though Santana passed away in 2001, his family maintains the island with donations from curious people wanting to take pictures of the dolls.
　如果您偶然發現一座荒廢小島，島上有上千隻破舊娃娃及娃娃的身體部位被人釘在各處的樹上，這時您會作何感覺？鬼娃之島這個詭異的地方是由唐‧朱力安‧桑塔那一手打造出來的。這名男子在此獨自隱居，還過著既沒電力也缺乏現代生活中許多便利設施的生活。雖然桑塔那於2001年去世，但他的家人仍透過想為這些娃娃拍照的好奇民眾所捐贈的金錢來維護島上的一切。
Many people thought Santana was a lunatic, but his family tells a different story. They say that Santana believed the island was haunted by a little girl that drowned in one of the canals nearby. He told his relatives that her spirit was restless, so he fished dolls out of the canals and local trash bins and then nailed them up on trees all around the island. It was said that he did this to protect himself from evil as well as make the spirit of the young girl happy. Starting with only one doll, Santana soon transformed the Island of the Dolls into a doll-covered shrine, not to mention a creepy tourist attraction.
許多人都覺得桑塔那是個瘋子，但是他的家人卻有一套不同的說法。他們說桑塔那相信一個在附近運河裡溺死的小女孩一直在這座島上陰魂不散。他跟他的親戚說女孩的靈魂無法安息，所以他會從運河中和當地的垃圾桶裡撈出娃娃，然後把它們釘在島上各處的樹上。據說他這麼做是為了要保護自己免受邪靈侵害，同時也能讓小女孩的靈魂得到寬慰。桑塔那從僅有一隻娃娃開始，不但很快就將整座鬼娃島變成一座佈滿娃娃的聖地，更別提還將這裡改造成一個令人毛骨悚然的觀光景點。

[常春藤網路書城]2011常春藤解析英語雜誌02月號-02-05兔年兔腳行大運

The Year of the Rabbit　　兔年兔腳行大運
by Timothy Laird 
 
Rabbits have meant many things to many people in many countries over the years.
長久以來，在許多國家中，兔子的象徵意義對許多人來說各不相同。 


Rabbits do not just bring colored eggs to children. A common superstition surrounding the rabbit is that its foot can bring good luck and ward off evil. Wearing a rabbit's foot was common practice in the early days of English-speaking countries, especially for hunters or gamblers because they always relied on a bit of luck. Not any rabbit's foot would do, though. It had to be the left hind foot, and to activate the magic, they had to rub the foot several times.
兔子不只會帶彩繪的蛋給小孩。一個和兔子有關的普遍迷信是兔腳可以帶來好運並驅逐邪靈。早期在英語系國家裡，人們身上戴著兔腳是很常見的作法，尤其是對獵人或賭徒而言，因為他們總是需要一點好運。不過，不是任何一隻兔腳都可以。必須是左後腳才行，而且這個魔法要靈光，還得先摩擦兔腳幾下才行。

      The correlation between a rabbit's foot and good fortune could possibly be derived from traditional folk magic practiced by African and Native Americans. The rabbit's foot was commonly used during their magic rituals, so by association, the totem was believed to have magical powers. Another theory was that the rabbit's foot acted as a lucky charm because the bone actually came from a witch instead of a rabbit. Witches were widely known to be powerful and could change into various animal forms, such as black cats and rabbits. 
兔腳和好運的關聯可能來自於非裔美人和美國原住民的傳統民間魔法。他們的魔法儀式裡經常用到兔腳，由於這個關聯，這項圖騰因而被認為具有神奇的力量。另一個理論認為兔腳被用來當作幸運符，是因為兔腳的骨頭其實是女巫的，而不是兔子的。女巫是眾所皆知具有神奇力量的人，而且她們能化身為黑貓和兔子等各種動物的樣貌。 

In the Chinese zodiac, 2011 is the year of the rabbit. Like its Western counterpart, the rabbit in China and the surrounding Asian nations has quite a positive image. People born under the sign of the rabbit are usually thought to be good-natured and extremely easy to get along with. They are also considered team players and reliable in getting their tasks done on time. Despite the trouble they may cause farmers, rabbits have become symbolic of fortune while also warming people's hearts as cute pets.
在中國的 12 生肖裡，2011 年是兔年。和西方的兔子一樣，兔子在中國和鄰近亞洲國家中也有著相當正面的形象。在兔年出生的人通常被認為脾氣很好，而且非常容易相處。他們也被視為是具有團隊精神、可以準時將分內工作完成的可靠人物。儘管兔子可能會給農夫帶來麻煩，但牠們已經成為好運的象徵，同時也是可以溫暖人心的可愛寵物。 

[寶萊塢]阿米爾汗2011新片Dhobi Ghat孟買日記(大陸譯：河边的男洗衣工)

噢好想睡，我覺得我的肝在抗議了~
不過還是放一下心得XD

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjM5MjM4Mjg4.html
↑噓！搶先看XD （網路很慢...看得辛苦...）
http://s24280.pixnet.net/blog/post/28192381#comment-form
有個評論寫得很好，大推:D 


Aamir Khan製片，難得沒有歌舞劇，描述地情感真得很細膩
但要我描述，大概會說：

這是一個在孟買的四個人的故事。 
有一個畫家Arun（Aamir Khan飾演）搬到Yasmin (Kriti Malhotra飾)以前住的地方前，在一個晚宴中認識了Shai (Monica Dogra飾)，然後他們有了一夜情。但是隔天Arun感覺是因為酒後亂性…Shai生氣地離開了，但是Shai很喜歡Arun。洗衣男Munna (Prateik Babbar 飾)送衣服給Shai，認識了Shai。Shai透過Munna找到了Arun搬家後住的地方。Arun搬到Yasmin的舊居後，發現了Yasmin的影片，慢慢發現了一件驚人的事情…Yasmin因為婚姻搬到孟買，但非常不開心，最後選擇了自殺！

雖然我對劇情的描述蠻無聊的，不過少了歌舞劇的這部印度寶來塢片卻深深吸引觀眾的心，會想了解下一步會怎麼樣，發展如何…安排地很細膩也不會悶，想了解看看孟買的風情，很值得一看唷！


其中一個男主角的副業：抓老鼠還真有其事，可以看一下面的連結

孟買鼠患加劇 夜夜人鼠激戰

[常春藤網路書城]2011常春藤解析英語雜誌01月號-01-11

The Next Global Economic Superpowers　 下一個經濟強權：環北極國家by Carrie Kellenburger

NORCs may be the places that will carry us into the future.  環北極國家將來或許會帶領世界邁向未來。 Nowadays, it's common knowledge that every country around the world will suffer as a result of global warming. While it's impossible to predict the devastating effects, you might be surprised to learn that some countries might not be as badly affected as others. 現在，大家都知道世界各國都將因地球暖化而深受其害。雖然我們無法預知影響會有多慘烈，但令人驚訝的是，有些國家受到的影響或許不如其他國家來的嚴重。 Known as NORCs, northern rim countries have a lot to gain from a warmer climate. These include Canada, Russia, the northern US, as well as the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. By the year 2050, these countries are predicted to be the world's economic superpowers thanks to global warming.  日漸溫暖的氣候環境對環北極國家（簡稱 NORCs）帶來了不少好處。這些國家包含加拿大、俄羅斯、美國北部以及位於斯堪地納維亞半島的丹麥、挪威、瑞典、芬蘭和冰島。由於地球暖化，到 2050 年這些國家預期會成為世界的經濟強權。 As climates change and temperatures rise, valuable natural resources such as oil, natural gas, and fresh water will be released. This will happen because the frozen tundra of the north will have begun to melt. As these resources become more readily available, more trading and shipping lanes will be opened, which facilitates these resources getting to other regions of the world quicker. In addition to an increase in natural resources, scientists believe that NORCs will be among the few countries in the world that are  likely to see an increase in crop production. All of these changes will attractmore immigrants to these countries and make the residents that are currently living there much wealthier. 當氣候改變和溫度上升，珍貴的天然資源像是石油、天然氣和乾淨水源將會被釋放出來。這是由於北方的凍原開始融化之故。當資源愈來愈容易取得，便開啟了更多貿易之門，且更多的船隻航道也隨之開通，這一切都有利於更迅速地將這些資源運送到他國。除了天然資源的增加，科學家也相信環北極國家將會成為世界上少數幾個農作物產量增加的國家。以上這些改變將會吸引更多外國移民，也讓目前住在當地的居民更加富裕。 　　A new part of the world is emerging, and many people will be looking towards the NORCs as attractive destinations. These countries will offer hope and perhaps even a solution to global issues, such as rising populations, climate change, and the higher demand for resources. The negative impact of global warming cannot be ignored. However, the potential benefits for the future of our civilization are certainly something to look forward to.  世界上一個新興區域正在崛起，許多人視環北極國家為具有吸引力的目的地。這些國家將為全球議題，如日益增加的人口、氣候變遷以及更多的資源需求提供希望，甚至是解決方法。全球暖化的負面影響不容忽視。然而，人類文明未來可能享有的利益卻是值得期待。

新部落格～新心情>/////<！

好累喔！新的一年要有新希望

昨天去看101的煙火，超～～～～～～級冷的

沒甚麼好看的…最有印象的還是100號放出來的時候

看完之後就跟Kelly趕快用衝的回到捷運站:P

來回味一下

2011年 台北市跨年101大樓煙火

祝大家吐年（兔年）快樂

（希望大家喝酒不會吐）