Dicta―by 郑蔓蔓
【 明 报 专 讯 】 (1)
"I would ask you - why preachers every Sunday preach in spite of the fact that the Bible has been with us for 2,000 years?"
「 我 会 问 你 ― ― 我 们 有 圣 经 二 千 年 了 ， 为 什 么 传 道 士 还 是 每 个 礼 拜 天 布 道 ?t 」
记 者 问 坦 桑 尼 亚 总 统 姆 卡 帕 ， 非 洲 面 对 的 问 题 及 其 解 决 方 法 众 所 周 知 ， 成 立 国 际 委 员 会 研 究 非 洲 问 题 是 不 是 多 此 一 举 ， 他 回 答 说 。 非 洲 委 员 会 本 周 二 在 伦 敦 成 立 ， 其 十 四 成 员 包 括 姆 卡 帕 、 埃 塞 俄 比 亚 总 理 泽 纳 维 、 英 国 首 相 贝 理 雅 。 委 员 会 将 研 究 非 洲 的 经 济 、 教 育 、 医 疗 问 题 ， 并 于 明 年 七 月 向 八 大 工 业 国 峰 会 呈 交 报 告 。
(2)
"I don't expect our leaders to be free of mistakes. I expect our leaders to own up to them."
「 我 不 期 望 我 们 的 领 袖 不 犯 错 。 我 期 望 我 们 的 领 袖 认 错 。 」
美 国 国 民 军 中 尉 里 克 霍 夫 说 。 总 统 布 殊 不 肯 承 认 伊 拉 克 不 断 发 生 暴 力 事 件 是 严 重 的 问 题 ， 他 说 他 很 失 望 。 他 曾 驻 守 伊 拉 克 。 他 说 他 在 伊 拉 克 的 同 袍 仍 在 等 待 其 他 国 家 援 手 。
(3)
"I hope it will help more readers become billionaires. I welcome the company."
「 我 希 望 我 的 书 帮 助 多 一 些 读 者 成 为 亿 万 富 翁 。 我 欢 迎 人 们 加 入 我 的 行 列 。 」
美 国 地 产 商 特 朗 普 谈 他 将 于 今 秋 推 出 的 新 书 How to Get Rich （ 《 如 何 发 达 》 ） 时 说 。 他 说 希 望 以 三 百 页 的 篇 幅 向 读 者 介 绍 成 功 的 所 有 要 素 。
Friday, May 07, 2004
France―by Mort Rosenblum
Phantoms of history in subway
【 明 报 专 讯 】 PARIS - Talk in the streets is of a new Europe, a seamless ( 无 缝 的 、 无 边 界 的 ) superstate ( 超 级 大 国 ) of common dreams. But down below, the No 7 metro rumbles ( 发 隆 隆 声 行 驶 ) from Tolbiac to Stalingrad, evoking ( 唤 起 ) 15 centuries of bitter conflict.
Phantoms ( 鬼 魂 ) of the past haunt ( 在 … 出 没 ) present realities as 10 more states swell ( 增 大 ) the European Union to 25 members in a merger ( 合 并 ) of old Cold War enemies. It may take more than a single currency and catchall ( 涵 义 广 泛 的 ) constitution to lay those old ghosts to rest1.
Each capital has its own historical references that prophesy ( 预 言 ) hard work ahead in forging a single European identity. In Paris, the words of the prophets ( 预 言 者 ) are written on subway walls.
Station names like Stalingrad need little explanation. In living memory, 25 million people died on the Russian front ( 前 线 ) because an Austrian-born megalomaniac ( 妄 想 狂 ) tried to unite Europe under a German flag.
But Tolbiac?
"No idea," said Martine Fillatre, whose wine shop faces the Tolbiac station. Given a hint - history - she brightened ( 露 喜 色 ). "Oh, right. Vercingetorix. Gauls and Romans." Not even close.
Vercingetorix is remembered at Alesia, on a different subway line, named for a brave but fruitless ( 无 功 的 ) battle in 52 BC against Julius Caesar's legions ( 军 团 ), which swept across France and settled in to stay.
Tolbiac was where Clovis, the Franks' first king, seized Alsace from Germanic tribes in AD 496. In the historical continuum ( （ 不 可 分 割 的 ） 统 一 体 ), Adolf Hitler's Rhine campaign was just another round of an ancient struggle.
Depending upon how one counts, France and Germany have fought more than a dozen wars. Even now, when chances of another are beyond dim ( 暗 淡 的 ), the two continental giants are often at odds2 on national interest.
For optimists like Fillatre, a bold new European Union offers a chance to banish ( 驱 去 ) the old ghosts and bury ancient quarrels.
"I'm excited by the idea," she said. "Just imagine, now we can all finally work together and build something new."
Others are more cautious. Rene Pellet, in the southern city of Draguignan, saw friends shot while he served in the French Resistance against Germany.
"It is encouraging that we can now live in peace," he said. "That's not bad for a start. But are we the same people as Germans? Or Poles? I don't think so."
For many, memories have yet to dim ( 变 模 糊 ). Past Stalingrad, the No 7 stops at Corentin Cariou. He was a Paris councilman ( 市 议 会 议 员 ) shot when the Nazis decided to kill 100 Frenchmen for each German sniper ( 狙 击 手 ) victim.
Some names go back to Napoleon. Austerlitz in 1805 was his grand triumph over Austria and Russia. Rivoli sealed Italy's fate ( 决 定 意 大 利 的 命 运 ). At Iena, he humbled ( 挫 … 的 锐 气 ) the Prussians and, at Wagram, the Bavarians.
Elsewhere in Europe, old names recall Napoleon differently. The London-Paris train under the English Channel starts at Waterloo, named after the place where an English commander defeated Napoleon.
Berlin's Alexanderplatz is named for the Russian czar who marshalled ( 率 领 ) forces against the Napoleonic legions that menaced ( 威 胁 ) an entire continent.
The idea of a single Europe is hardly new.
Voltaire, in 1751, saw "a kind of great republic divided into several states, some monarchical ( 君 主 制 的 ), the others mixed... but all corresponding with one another."
Rousseau, two decades later, wrote, "There are no longer Frenchmen, Germans, and Spaniards, or even English, but only Europeans."
Statesmen ( 政 治 家 ) have tended toward pragmatism ( 实 用 主 义 ). Otto von Bismarck, the 19th century unifier of Germany, dismissed a single Europe as an unworkable myth. Even Jean Monnet, the French who began the process of European unification during the 1950s, said it had to start from scratch ( 从 头 开 始 ).
AP
(1)To lay ... to rest 指 「 让 … 安 息 」 、 「 平 息 … 」 。
(2)To be at odds 指 「 不 咬 弦 」 。
Phantoms of history in subway
【 明 报 专 讯 】 PARIS - Talk in the streets is of a new Europe, a seamless ( 无 缝 的 、 无 边 界 的 ) superstate ( 超 级 大 国 ) of common dreams. But down below, the No 7 metro rumbles ( 发 隆 隆 声 行 驶 ) from Tolbiac to Stalingrad, evoking ( 唤 起 ) 15 centuries of bitter conflict.
Phantoms ( 鬼 魂 ) of the past haunt ( 在 … 出 没 ) present realities as 10 more states swell ( 增 大 ) the European Union to 25 members in a merger ( 合 并 ) of old Cold War enemies. It may take more than a single currency and catchall ( 涵 义 广 泛 的 ) constitution to lay those old ghosts to rest1.
Each capital has its own historical references that prophesy ( 预 言 ) hard work ahead in forging a single European identity. In Paris, the words of the prophets ( 预 言 者 ) are written on subway walls.
Station names like Stalingrad need little explanation. In living memory, 25 million people died on the Russian front ( 前 线 ) because an Austrian-born megalomaniac ( 妄 想 狂 ) tried to unite Europe under a German flag.
But Tolbiac?
"No idea," said Martine Fillatre, whose wine shop faces the Tolbiac station. Given a hint - history - she brightened ( 露 喜 色 ). "Oh, right. Vercingetorix. Gauls and Romans." Not even close.
Vercingetorix is remembered at Alesia, on a different subway line, named for a brave but fruitless ( 无 功 的 ) battle in 52 BC against Julius Caesar's legions ( 军 团 ), which swept across France and settled in to stay.
Tolbiac was where Clovis, the Franks' first king, seized Alsace from Germanic tribes in AD 496. In the historical continuum ( （ 不 可 分 割 的 ） 统 一 体 ), Adolf Hitler's Rhine campaign was just another round of an ancient struggle.
Depending upon how one counts, France and Germany have fought more than a dozen wars. Even now, when chances of another are beyond dim ( 暗 淡 的 ), the two continental giants are often at odds2 on national interest.
For optimists like Fillatre, a bold new European Union offers a chance to banish ( 驱 去 ) the old ghosts and bury ancient quarrels.
"I'm excited by the idea," she said. "Just imagine, now we can all finally work together and build something new."
Others are more cautious. Rene Pellet, in the southern city of Draguignan, saw friends shot while he served in the French Resistance against Germany.
"It is encouraging that we can now live in peace," he said. "That's not bad for a start. But are we the same people as Germans? Or Poles? I don't think so."
For many, memories have yet to dim ( 变 模 糊 ). Past Stalingrad, the No 7 stops at Corentin Cariou. He was a Paris councilman ( 市 议 会 议 员 ) shot when the Nazis decided to kill 100 Frenchmen for each German sniper ( 狙 击 手 ) victim.
Some names go back to Napoleon. Austerlitz in 1805 was his grand triumph over Austria and Russia. Rivoli sealed Italy's fate ( 决 定 意 大 利 的 命 运 ). At Iena, he humbled ( 挫 … 的 锐 气 ) the Prussians and, at Wagram, the Bavarians.
Elsewhere in Europe, old names recall Napoleon differently. The London-Paris train under the English Channel starts at Waterloo, named after the place where an English commander defeated Napoleon.
Berlin's Alexanderplatz is named for the Russian czar who marshalled ( 率 领 ) forces against the Napoleonic legions that menaced ( 威 胁 ) an entire continent.
The idea of a single Europe is hardly new.
Voltaire, in 1751, saw "a kind of great republic divided into several states, some monarchical ( 君 主 制 的 ), the others mixed... but all corresponding with one another."
Rousseau, two decades later, wrote, "There are no longer Frenchmen, Germans, and Spaniards, or even English, but only Europeans."
Statesmen ( 政 治 家 ) have tended toward pragmatism ( 实 用 主 义 ). Otto von Bismarck, the 19th century unifier of Germany, dismissed a single Europe as an unworkable myth. Even Jean Monnet, the French who began the process of European unification during the 1950s, said it had to start from scratch ( 从 头 开 始 ).
AP
(1)To lay ... to rest 指 「 让 … 安 息 」 、 「 平 息 … 」 。
(2)To be at odds 指 「 不 咬 弦 」 。
Talk English―by Dino Mahoney
A brother's first date
【 明 报 专 讯 】 1. Drama Focus:
Jack: What's the time?!
Amy: Twenty to seven. Girls don't like being kept waiting by the way.... especially not on their first date.
Jack: Damn! My shoelace has broken!
Amy: Jack, you're really late... you'd better go.
Jack: But my shoelace!
Amy: It doesn't matter! Better to have no shoe lace and a date than a shoelace and no date! Now hurry up before Wendy gives up on you and goes back home.
2. Language Focus
a) Grammar: Present Tense for Universal Truths
When Amy says, "Girls don't like being kept waiting," she is using the present tense because she is saying something that she believes to be universally true for all girls at all times. The present tense for universal truths is used for scientific truths such as, "The sun rises in the east and sets in the west."
a) Language Function: Strong exclamations
If we are annoyed about something we often express our annoyance, anger and frustration by using strong language. Jack is late for his date and his shoe lace breaks so he says, "Damn!" to express his frustration. "Damn" is a colloquial word only used in front of close friends and siblings.
A brother's first date
【 明 报 专 讯 】 1. Drama Focus:
Jack: What's the time?!
Amy: Twenty to seven. Girls don't like being kept waiting by the way.... especially not on their first date.
Jack: Damn! My shoelace has broken!
Amy: Jack, you're really late... you'd better go.
Jack: But my shoelace!
Amy: It doesn't matter! Better to have no shoe lace and a date than a shoelace and no date! Now hurry up before Wendy gives up on you and goes back home.
2. Language Focus
a) Grammar: Present Tense for Universal Truths
When Amy says, "Girls don't like being kept waiting," she is using the present tense because she is saying something that she believes to be universally true for all girls at all times. The present tense for universal truths is used for scientific truths such as, "The sun rises in the east and sets in the west."
a) Language Function: Strong exclamations
If we are annoyed about something we often express our annoyance, anger and frustration by using strong language. Jack is late for his date and his shoe lace breaks so he says, "Damn!" to express his frustration. "Damn" is a colloquial word only used in front of close friends and siblings.
Fun with Verbs―by 亚庄 & 清仪(C) John & Ching Yee Smithback
Sleep off
【 明 报 专 讯 】 "Who's that?" Bighead asked. "That's Eggmont. He's been celebrating," Petrock answered. "Now he's sleeping it off." "What was he celebrating?" Bighead asked. "A day without tourists," Petrock replied. "Good! Is there anything left in that bottle of his?" Bighead asked. To sleep off is to go to sleep to get over a problem, such as too much to eat or drink. "Or to sleep off a headache!" Bighead added.
Sleep off
【 明 报 专 讯 】 "Who's that?" Bighead asked. "That's Eggmont. He's been celebrating," Petrock answered. "Now he's sleeping it off." "What was he celebrating?" Bighead asked. "A day without tourists," Petrock replied. "Good! Is there anything left in that bottle of his?" Bighead asked. To sleep off is to go to sleep to get over a problem, such as too much to eat or drink. "Or to sleep off a headache!" Bighead added.
闻问切―by 鲁效阳
明日黄花
【 明 报 专 讯 】 一 位 署 名 Stella 的 读 者 来 电 邮 问 ， 她 读 到 It is better to be a has-been than a never-was 这 样 一 句 话 ， 对 其 不 甚 明 白 。
这 是 一 句 谚 语 。 Never-was 较 易 明 白 ， 因 为 从 字 面 上 一 看 ， 就 知 道 意 为 「 从 来 都 未 曾 是 过 … … 」
Has-been 则 较 难 理 解 一 些 。 此 复 合 词 看 似 联 系 动 词 to be 的 完 成 式 ， 其 实 不 是 。
Has-been 即 someone that is no longer as famous, successful as before ， 意 为 过 气 的 人 ， 例 如 ?s
The Cantonese pop singer used to be extremely popular, but now she is a has-been.
那 女 歌 星 曾 女 经 大 红 大 紫 ， 现 已 成 为 明 日 黄 花 。
使 用 has-been ， 并 非 一 定 要 用 人 来 做 主 语 ， 例 如 ?s
England, once the most powerful country in the world, is becoming a has-been.
英 国 曾 是 最 强 盛 的 国 家 ， 现 正 日 落 西 山 。
另 外 ， has-been 也 与 其 他 名 词 一 样 ， 可 用 适 当 的 形 容 词 去 修 饰 ， 例 如 ?s
Everyone thought that she was an artistic has-been.
人 人 都 认 为 ， 她 是 一 名 过 气 艺 术 家 。
同 时 ， has-been 本 身 可 充 作 形 容 词 ， 置 于 名 词 前 ， 例 如 ?s
Those has-been politicians can never contribute anything to our city.
对 于 本 市 ， 那 些 「 旧 电 池 」 政 客 决 不 可 能 作 任 何 贡 献 。
因 此 ， 你 抄 录 的 It is better to be a has-been than a never-was 这 句 谚 语 或 可 译 为 ?s
过 气 好 过 默 默 无 闻 。
明日黄花
【 明 报 专 讯 】 一 位 署 名 Stella 的 读 者 来 电 邮 问 ， 她 读 到 It is better to be a has-been than a never-was 这 样 一 句 话 ， 对 其 不 甚 明 白 。
这 是 一 句 谚 语 。 Never-was 较 易 明 白 ， 因 为 从 字 面 上 一 看 ， 就 知 道 意 为 「 从 来 都 未 曾 是 过 … … 」
Has-been 则 较 难 理 解 一 些 。 此 复 合 词 看 似 联 系 动 词 to be 的 完 成 式 ， 其 实 不 是 。
Has-been 即 someone that is no longer as famous, successful as before ， 意 为 过 气 的 人 ， 例 如 ?s
The Cantonese pop singer used to be extremely popular, but now she is a has-been.
那 女 歌 星 曾 女 经 大 红 大 紫 ， 现 已 成 为 明 日 黄 花 。
使 用 has-been ， 并 非 一 定 要 用 人 来 做 主 语 ， 例 如 ?s
England, once the most powerful country in the world, is becoming a has-been.
英 国 曾 是 最 强 盛 的 国 家 ， 现 正 日 落 西 山 。
另 外 ， has-been 也 与 其 他 名 词 一 样 ， 可 用 适 当 的 形 容 词 去 修 饰 ， 例 如 ?s
Everyone thought that she was an artistic has-been.
人 人 都 认 为 ， 她 是 一 名 过 气 艺 术 家 。
同 时 ， has-been 本 身 可 充 作 形 容 词 ， 置 于 名 词 前 ， 例 如 ?s
Those has-been politicians can never contribute anything to our city.
对 于 本 市 ， 那 些 「 旧 电 池 」 政 客 决 不 可 能 作 任 何 贡 献 。
因 此 ， 你 抄 录 的 It is better to be a has-been than a never-was 这 句 谚 语 或 可 译 为 ?s
过 气 好 过 默 默 无 闻 。
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Dicta―by 郑蔓蔓
【 明 报 专 讯 】 (1)
"They probably told him not to turn around. When he sees his fans, he becomes our fan."
「 他 们 也 许 嘱 咐 他 不 要 回 头 。 他 一 看 见 他 的 拥 趸 就 变 成 我 们 的 拥 趸 。 」
美 国 拉 斯 维 加 斯 居 民 萨 卡 济 恩 （ 三 十 三 岁 ） 谈 他 的 偶 像 米 高 积 逊 上 周 五 在 法 院 的 低 调 表 现 时 说 。 米 高 积 逊 上 周 五 就 性 侵 犯 男 童 案 在 加 州 法 院 应 讯 ， 萨 卡 济 恩 是 三 百 多 在 法 院 门 外 表 示 支 持 的 歌 迷 之 一 。 今 年 一 月 十 六 日 米 高 积 逊 出 庭 时 有 私 人 摄 影 师 随 行 ， 他 进 入 法 院 时 和 狱 警 打 招 呼 ， 离 开 时 爬 上 车 顶 跳 舞 。
(2)
"Do you consider the death of 50 Iraqis in return of one American a victory? No. This is not a victory."
「 你 认 为 五 十 个 伊 拉 克 人 丧 生 换 一 个 美 国 人 丧 生 是 胜 利 吗 ?t 不 ， 这 不 是 胜 利 。 」
伊 拉 克 费 卢 杰 公 务 员 贾 西 姆 （ 四 十 五 岁 ） 说 。 美 军 围 攻 费 卢 杰 三 周 后 上 周 初 答 应 撤 出 部 分 部 队 ， 并 成 立 伊 拉 克 巡 逻 部 队 ， 不 少 费 卢 杰 居 民 认 为 那 代 表 他 们 的 反 抗 成 功 。 费 卢 杰 医 院 指 美 军 围 攻 期 间 ， 至 少 七 百 三 十 一 伊 拉 克 人 丧 生 ， 多 数 是 平 民 。 美 军 方 面 ， 至 少 十 人 丧 生 。
(3)
"Perhaps the senator saw my movie Gigli last fall and figured I'd be working for minimum wage myself."
「 也 许 参 议 员 看 过 我 去 年 秋 天 的 电 影 《 爱 情 标 错 心 》 ， 估 计 我 在 挣 最 低 工 资 。 」
美 国 演 员 宾 阿 弗 力 出 席 参 议 员 甘 乃 迪 争 取 增 加 最 低 工 资 的 新 闻 发 布 会 时 打 趣 说 。 《 爱 情 标 错 心 》 由 宾 阿 弗 力 和 他 的 前 女 友 珍 妮 花 洛 庇 丝 主 演 ， 制 作 费 五 千 四 百 万 美 元 ， 票 房 收 入 仅 六 百 万 美 元 。
[昔日明报] , [搜寻明报]
【 明 报 专 讯 】 (1)
"They probably told him not to turn around. When he sees his fans, he becomes our fan."
「 他 们 也 许 嘱 咐 他 不 要 回 头 。 他 一 看 见 他 的 拥 趸 就 变 成 我 们 的 拥 趸 。 」
美 国 拉 斯 维 加 斯 居 民 萨 卡 济 恩 （ 三 十 三 岁 ） 谈 他 的 偶 像 米 高 积 逊 上 周 五 在 法 院 的 低 调 表 现 时 说 。 米 高 积 逊 上 周 五 就 性 侵 犯 男 童 案 在 加 州 法 院 应 讯 ， 萨 卡 济 恩 是 三 百 多 在 法 院 门 外 表 示 支 持 的 歌 迷 之 一 。 今 年 一 月 十 六 日 米 高 积 逊 出 庭 时 有 私 人 摄 影 师 随 行 ， 他 进 入 法 院 时 和 狱 警 打 招 呼 ， 离 开 时 爬 上 车 顶 跳 舞 。
(2)
"Do you consider the death of 50 Iraqis in return of one American a victory? No. This is not a victory."
「 你 认 为 五 十 个 伊 拉 克 人 丧 生 换 一 个 美 国 人 丧 生 是 胜 利 吗 ?t 不 ， 这 不 是 胜 利 。 」
伊 拉 克 费 卢 杰 公 务 员 贾 西 姆 （ 四 十 五 岁 ） 说 。 美 军 围 攻 费 卢 杰 三 周 后 上 周 初 答 应 撤 出 部 分 部 队 ， 并 成 立 伊 拉 克 巡 逻 部 队 ， 不 少 费 卢 杰 居 民 认 为 那 代 表 他 们 的 反 抗 成 功 。 费 卢 杰 医 院 指 美 军 围 攻 期 间 ， 至 少 七 百 三 十 一 伊 拉 克 人 丧 生 ， 多 数 是 平 民 。 美 军 方 面 ， 至 少 十 人 丧 生 。
(3)
"Perhaps the senator saw my movie Gigli last fall and figured I'd be working for minimum wage myself."
「 也 许 参 议 员 看 过 我 去 年 秋 天 的 电 影 《 爱 情 标 错 心 》 ， 估 计 我 在 挣 最 低 工 资 。 」
美 国 演 员 宾 阿 弗 力 出 席 参 议 员 甘 乃 迪 争 取 增 加 最 低 工 资 的 新 闻 发 布 会 时 打 趣 说 。 《 爱 情 标 错 心 》 由 宾 阿 弗 力 和 他 的 前 女 友 珍 妮 花 洛 庇 丝 主 演 ， 制 作 费 五 千 四 百 万 美 元 ， 票 房 收 入 仅 六 百 万 美 元 。
[昔日明报] , [搜寻明报]
China―by Ted Anthony
A quixotic1 fight against desert
【 明 报 专 讯 】 HAN'ERIQ TOWENHAN'ERIQ - The children scramble ( 攀 爬 ) up the hill in bare feet, leaving their village behind and kicking dust clouds in their wake ( 后 面 ). Licking cracked lips, they squint at ( ?[ 眼 看 ) the only ocean they have ever known - the undulating ( 波 浪 形 的 ) sand creeping ( 悄 悄 移 动 ) silently toward their doors.
It would be nice to pretend there was lush vegetation ( 植 被 ) here once, but there wasn't - not in human memory, at least. Han'eriq Towenhan'eriq has always been part of the parched ( 干 透 的 ) expanse ( 大 片 地 区 ) that is Xinjiang. And lately, the desert has been making its move. It is spreading, and the government is waging an increasingly vigorous ( 有 力 的 ) fight to halt ( 制 止 ) it.
Last November, the government launched its latest nationwide campaign to combat desertification ( 沙 漠 化 ), enlisting ( 征 召 ) 10,000 scholars, experts and engineers in an 18-month effort to reduce sand problems in 851 dust-bowl2 counties, most of them in the west.
It's a battle against a foe ( 敌 人 ) that has history on its side.
Each spring, sand storms fed by the deserts of Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang blow through Chinese regions deforested ( 被 滥 伐 ) during the 20th century and roll southeast toward Beijing and the eastern seaboard ( 沿 海 地 区 ), coating ( 掩 盖 ) entire towns with a sickly ( 令 人 讨 厌 的 ) yellow haze ( 阴 霾 ). Dust blows out across the Pacific, clouding the skies of South Korea and occasionally drifting as far as Arizona, the US.
Urban northerners call them shachenbao ( 沙 尘 暴 ) - dust-cloud tempests ( 风 暴 ) - and gird ( 作 好 准 备 ) against them with masks and face-shrouding ( 蒙 面 的 ) scarves. But what is seasonal ( 季 节 的 ) in the northeast is a way of life ( 生 活 方 式 ) for the northwest.
"You think Beijing sandstorms are bad?" says Li Bujun of the Xinjiang Desert Section at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "You go out in a dust storm in Beijing, at least you can still drive. Here, you can't even open your eyes."
China's deserts grew by 50,000 square kilometres from 1994 to 1999. In Xinjiang alone, the slow-moving sand encroaches on ( 侵 蚀 ) 400 square kilometres a year, swallowing fields, roads, entire villages.
Since 2000, the government has planted 1.4 million hectares of trees across Xinjiang, many of them the white poplars ( 白 杨 树 ) considered the best sand breaks ( 防 沙 物 ).
Liu Zhijun, who has fought China's sands for four decades, lives in a bungalow ( 平 房 ) on the front line. He tends ( 看 管 ) an oasis ( 绿 州 ) of rich greens and deep yellows abutting ( 毗 邻 … 的 ) the Tazhong Oil Station in the Taklamakan Desert's remote reaches ( 地 带 ), testing sand-break plants, fences and anti-sand netting.
Nestled in the dunes ( 沙 丘 ), his various grasses - prototypes ( 原 型 ) for a sand-restraining "green belt" - struggle to survive. He has tried 150 species, from sand-date trees to red willows to bushes; 100 have survived the punishment and are being planted along highways.
His research is funded by the government, which has chipped in ( 拿 出 ) 100 million yuan, and Petrochina, the state oil company, which has contributed 120 million yuan and expects its oilfields to be protected by any progress made.
More than 280 kilometres away lie the communities of wind-swept ( 大 风 的 ) Qira County, where local lore says the evaporation rate is higher than the rainfall. Its people tout ( 宣 扬 ) their success story - more land reclaimed for growing cotton and hundreds of new homes built as the sand line is forced back to pre-1980s locations.
When the county began sand-control efforts ( 运 动 ) in 1982, 38 villages had been covered by sand and were uninhabitable ( 不 宜 居 住 的 ).
But two decades of efforts took back 10,000 hectares. Now, says sand-control expert Zhang Henian, "We need to make the reclaimed land productive."
AP
(1)Quixotic 指 「 堂 吉 诃 德 式 的 」 、 「 企 图 实 现 高 尚 但 不 能 实 现 的 目 标 的 」 。
(2)Dust-bowl 指 「 干 旱 尘 暴 区 」 或 「 风 沙 侵 蚀 区 」 ， dust-bowl 是 形 容 词 。
[昔日明报] , [搜寻明报]
A quixotic1 fight against desert
【 明 报 专 讯 】 HAN'ERIQ TOWENHAN'ERIQ - The children scramble ( 攀 爬 ) up the hill in bare feet, leaving their village behind and kicking dust clouds in their wake ( 后 面 ). Licking cracked lips, they squint at ( ?[ 眼 看 ) the only ocean they have ever known - the undulating ( 波 浪 形 的 ) sand creeping ( 悄 悄 移 动 ) silently toward their doors.
It would be nice to pretend there was lush vegetation ( 植 被 ) here once, but there wasn't - not in human memory, at least. Han'eriq Towenhan'eriq has always been part of the parched ( 干 透 的 ) expanse ( 大 片 地 区 ) that is Xinjiang. And lately, the desert has been making its move. It is spreading, and the government is waging an increasingly vigorous ( 有 力 的 ) fight to halt ( 制 止 ) it.
Last November, the government launched its latest nationwide campaign to combat desertification ( 沙 漠 化 ), enlisting ( 征 召 ) 10,000 scholars, experts and engineers in an 18-month effort to reduce sand problems in 851 dust-bowl2 counties, most of them in the west.
It's a battle against a foe ( 敌 人 ) that has history on its side.
Each spring, sand storms fed by the deserts of Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang blow through Chinese regions deforested ( 被 滥 伐 ) during the 20th century and roll southeast toward Beijing and the eastern seaboard ( 沿 海 地 区 ), coating ( 掩 盖 ) entire towns with a sickly ( 令 人 讨 厌 的 ) yellow haze ( 阴 霾 ). Dust blows out across the Pacific, clouding the skies of South Korea and occasionally drifting as far as Arizona, the US.
Urban northerners call them shachenbao ( 沙 尘 暴 ) - dust-cloud tempests ( 风 暴 ) - and gird ( 作 好 准 备 ) against them with masks and face-shrouding ( 蒙 面 的 ) scarves. But what is seasonal ( 季 节 的 ) in the northeast is a way of life ( 生 活 方 式 ) for the northwest.
"You think Beijing sandstorms are bad?" says Li Bujun of the Xinjiang Desert Section at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "You go out in a dust storm in Beijing, at least you can still drive. Here, you can't even open your eyes."
China's deserts grew by 50,000 square kilometres from 1994 to 1999. In Xinjiang alone, the slow-moving sand encroaches on ( 侵 蚀 ) 400 square kilometres a year, swallowing fields, roads, entire villages.
Since 2000, the government has planted 1.4 million hectares of trees across Xinjiang, many of them the white poplars ( 白 杨 树 ) considered the best sand breaks ( 防 沙 物 ).
Liu Zhijun, who has fought China's sands for four decades, lives in a bungalow ( 平 房 ) on the front line. He tends ( 看 管 ) an oasis ( 绿 州 ) of rich greens and deep yellows abutting ( 毗 邻 … 的 ) the Tazhong Oil Station in the Taklamakan Desert's remote reaches ( 地 带 ), testing sand-break plants, fences and anti-sand netting.
Nestled in the dunes ( 沙 丘 ), his various grasses - prototypes ( 原 型 ) for a sand-restraining "green belt" - struggle to survive. He has tried 150 species, from sand-date trees to red willows to bushes; 100 have survived the punishment and are being planted along highways.
His research is funded by the government, which has chipped in ( 拿 出 ) 100 million yuan, and Petrochina, the state oil company, which has contributed 120 million yuan and expects its oilfields to be protected by any progress made.
More than 280 kilometres away lie the communities of wind-swept ( 大 风 的 ) Qira County, where local lore says the evaporation rate is higher than the rainfall. Its people tout ( 宣 扬 ) their success story - more land reclaimed for growing cotton and hundreds of new homes built as the sand line is forced back to pre-1980s locations.
When the county began sand-control efforts ( 运 动 ) in 1982, 38 villages had been covered by sand and were uninhabitable ( 不 宜 居 住 的 ).
But two decades of efforts took back 10,000 hectares. Now, says sand-control expert Zhang Henian, "We need to make the reclaimed land productive."
AP
(1)Quixotic 指 「 堂 吉 诃 德 式 的 」 、 「 企 图 实 现 高 尚 但 不 能 实 现 的 目 标 的 」 。
(2)Dust-bowl 指 「 干 旱 尘 暴 区 」 或 「 风 沙 侵 蚀 区 」 ， dust-bowl 是 形 容 词 。
[昔日明报] , [搜寻明报]
Talk English―by Dino Mahoney
A brother's first date
【 明 报 专 讯 】 1. Drama Focus:
Amy: What's that stink?
Jack: Dad's after shave lotion.
Amy: Let me see the bottle.... (Reading) Soothes tender skin and helps heal razor nicks. (Own words) Heals razor nicks?! But you haven't even started shaving yet!
Jack: Give it to me.
Amy: (Reading) "Suave. Masculine fragrance" (Own words) It sounds good... pity it stinks!
Jack: It doesn't!
Amy: You've put too much on.
Jack: It's alright.
Amy: I'd wash some off if I were you.
Jack: I haven't got time.
Amy: Poor Wendy will faint if you get too near her.
2. Language Focus
a) Vocabulary: "Razor nicks"
A "razor nick" is when you cut yourself while shaving. A "nick" is a very slight cut.
b) Language Use: Omission
In conversation we often omit words that can be readily understood from the context. When Amy says to Jack, "You've put too much on," she does not say what it is that she is talking about - she does not say, "You've put on too much after shave lotion." In the context, "after shave lotion," is understood even though Amy does not use it. The same applies to Amy's advice, "I'd wash some off if I were you." She means, "Wash off some of that after shave lotion."
[昔日明报] , [搜寻明报]
A brother's first date
【 明 报 专 讯 】 1. Drama Focus:
Amy: What's that stink?
Jack: Dad's after shave lotion.
Amy: Let me see the bottle.... (Reading) Soothes tender skin and helps heal razor nicks. (Own words) Heals razor nicks?! But you haven't even started shaving yet!
Jack: Give it to me.
Amy: (Reading) "Suave. Masculine fragrance" (Own words) It sounds good... pity it stinks!
Jack: It doesn't!
Amy: You've put too much on.
Jack: It's alright.
Amy: I'd wash some off if I were you.
Jack: I haven't got time.
Amy: Poor Wendy will faint if you get too near her.
2. Language Focus
a) Vocabulary: "Razor nicks"
A "razor nick" is when you cut yourself while shaving. A "nick" is a very slight cut.
b) Language Use: Omission
In conversation we often omit words that can be readily understood from the context. When Amy says to Jack, "You've put too much on," she does not say what it is that she is talking about - she does not say, "You've put on too much after shave lotion." In the context, "after shave lotion," is understood even though Amy does not use it. The same applies to Amy's advice, "I'd wash some off if I were you." She means, "Wash off some of that after shave lotion."
[昔日明报] , [搜寻明报]
Fun with Verbs―by 亚庄 & 清仪(C) John & Ching Yee Smithback
Order out
【 明 报 专 讯 】 "To order out is to tell someone to leave, to go, to depart!" Granny cried. "I can't say it any plainer than that!" she said to Chadwick (who had eaten the fish she planned to have for dinner), to Bright Eyes (who was at the refrigerator looking for a bone), to Timothy (who was searching for cheese) and to Oliver (who discovered a large cube of sugar on Granny's table). "Go, all of you! You are ordered out of my kitchen whenever I'm cooking for Grandpa!" she cried.
Order out
【 明 报 专 讯 】 "To order out is to tell someone to leave, to go, to depart!" Granny cried. "I can't say it any plainer than that!" she said to Chadwick (who had eaten the fish she planned to have for dinner), to Bright Eyes (who was at the refrigerator looking for a bone), to Timothy (who was searching for cheese) and to Oliver (who discovered a large cube of sugar on Granny's table). "Go, all of you! You are ordered out of my kitchen whenever I'm cooking for Grandpa!" she cried.
闻问切―by 鲁效阳
与谁约会
【 明 报 专 讯 】 一 位 署 名 Nelson 的 读 者 来 电 邮 说 ， step on 、 step out 及 step out on 各 表 示 什 么 ?
这 里 讲 一 些 特 别 的 用 法 。
Step on 即 treat harshly or with contempt ， 例 如 :
The department head always steps on his men.
该 部 门 主 管 对 手 下 经 常 很 苛 严 。
Step on it 即 hurry up ， 亦 可 写 作 step on the gas ， 意 为 赶 快 ， 例 如 ?s
We should step on it. There is only one hour left.
我 们 要 快 一 些 ， 只 剩 下 一 小 时 了 。
Step out 即 go out socially ， 或 date ， 意 为 社 交 （ 尤 指 赴 Ball 场 ） ， 或 约 会 ， 例 如 :
I haven't stepped out much lately. I'm too busy.
我 最 近 不 常 出 外 交 际 ， 太 忙 了 。
Who （ whom ） is she stepping out with these days ?t
她 近 来 与 谁 约 会 ?t
Step out on 即 cheat 或 two-time ， 意 为 对 伴 侣 不 忠 ， 例 如 ?s
They stepped out on each other.
他 拈 花 惹 草 ， 她 则 红 杏 出 墙 。
另 有 一 位 署 名 KH 的 读 者 来 电 邮 说 ， 他 （ 她 ） 在 雅 虎 网 上 查 资 料 ， 不 小 心 打 错 字 ， 输 入 surest ， 不 料 读 到 This is the surest way to have the protection you need when you need it 这 样 一 句 ， 可 是 辞 典 上 查 不 到 surest ， 不 知 何 故 。
Surest 是 形 容 词 sure 的 最 高 级 形 式 ， 你 应 查 sure 字 条 才 对 。 但 sure 有 时 没 有 最 高 级 ， 有 时 则 有 ， 端 赖 用 在 何 种 场 合 。 篇 幅 关 系 ， 容 后 详 述 。
[昔日明报] , [搜寻明报]
与谁约会
【 明 报 专 讯 】 一 位 署 名 Nelson 的 读 者 来 电 邮 说 ， step on 、 step out 及 step out on 各 表 示 什 么 ?
这 里 讲 一 些 特 别 的 用 法 。
Step on 即 treat harshly or with contempt ， 例 如 :
The department head always steps on his men.
该 部 门 主 管 对 手 下 经 常 很 苛 严 。
Step on it 即 hurry up ， 亦 可 写 作 step on the gas ， 意 为 赶 快 ， 例 如 ?s
We should step on it. There is only one hour left.
我 们 要 快 一 些 ， 只 剩 下 一 小 时 了 。
Step out 即 go out socially ， 或 date ， 意 为 社 交 （ 尤 指 赴 Ball 场 ） ， 或 约 会 ， 例 如 :
I haven't stepped out much lately. I'm too busy.
我 最 近 不 常 出 外 交 际 ， 太 忙 了 。
Who （ whom ） is she stepping out with these days ?t
她 近 来 与 谁 约 会 ?t
Step out on 即 cheat 或 two-time ， 意 为 对 伴 侣 不 忠 ， 例 如 ?s
They stepped out on each other.
他 拈 花 惹 草 ， 她 则 红 杏 出 墙 。
另 有 一 位 署 名 KH 的 读 者 来 电 邮 说 ， 他 （ 她 ） 在 雅 虎 网 上 查 资 料 ， 不 小 心 打 错 字 ， 输 入 surest ， 不 料 读 到 This is the surest way to have the protection you need when you need it 这 样 一 句 ， 可 是 辞 典 上 查 不 到 surest ， 不 知 何 故 。
Surest 是 形 容 词 sure 的 最 高 级 形 式 ， 你 应 查 sure 字 条 才 对 。 但 sure 有 时 没 有 最 高 级 ， 有 时 则 有 ， 端 赖 用 在 何 种 场 合 。 篇 幅 关 系 ， 容 后 详 述 。
[昔日明报] , [搜寻明报]
Monday, May 03, 2004
【 明 报 专 讯 】 (1)
"If you call it a war, you suggest there's a victory. I would argue there is no final victory in the war against terrorism any more than there is in the so ― called war against crime."
「 称 之 为 战 争 表 示 有 胜 利 。 我 认 为 反 恐 之 战 一 如 所 谓 反 罪 案 之 战 ， 没 有 最 后 胜 利 。 」
二 零 零 一 年 九 一 一 恐 怖 袭 击 发 生 六 个 月 前 ， 现 任 美 国 驻 伊 拉 克 行 政 长 官 布 雷 默 发 表 演 讲 说 。 他 当 时 是 国 家 反 恐 委 员 会 主 席 。 二 零 零 一 年 二 月 二 十 六 日 布 雷 默 在 一 反 恐 会 议 上 指 布 殊 政 府 不 重 视 反 恐 ， 大 事 发 生 后 始 后 悔 。 总 统 布 殊 和 副 总 统 切 尼 最 近 出 席 九 一 一 调 查 委 员 会 解 释 他 们 二 零 零 一 年 一 月 入 主 白 宫 后 的 反 恐 措 施 ， 布 雷 默 的 言 论 因 此 再 引 起 注 意 。
(2)
"Gadzooks! As long as I don't have to have it on my wall."
「 哎 哟 ， 天 啊 ?u 只 要 我 不 用 挂 它 在 我 的 墙 上 。 」
英 国 菲 腊 亲 王 （ 八 十 二 岁 ） 看 见 着 名 画 家 皮 尔 森 绘 的 他 的 半 裸 肖 像 Homo sapiens, Lepidium sativum and Calliphora vomitoria 时 惊 呼 道 。 Homo sapiens 、 Lepidium sativum 、 Calliphora vomitoria 分 别 是 人 、 水 田 芥 、 反 吐 丽 蝇 的 学 名 。 皮 尔 森 说 菲 腊 王 子 肩 上 的 反 吐 丽 蝇 （ 吃 腐 肉 为 生 ） 象 征 他 是 凡 人 ， 难 免 一 死 ， 他 右 手 食 指 长 出 来 的 四 株 水 田 芥 代 表 他 的 四 子 女 。
(3)
"It's somewhere between getting a divorce from someone you're still in love with and losing someone."
「 那 介 乎 和 仍 爱 的 人 离 婚 和 亲 友 丧 生 。 」
美 国 电 视 处 境 喜 剧 《 老 友 记 》 （ Friends ） 将 于 本 月 六 日 播 出 最 后 一 集 ， 其 作 者 高 夫 曼 谈 她 的 心 情 时 说 。 《 老 友 记 》 一 九 九 四 年 首 播 ， 十 年 来 拍 了 二 百 三 十 七 集 。
"If you call it a war, you suggest there's a victory. I would argue there is no final victory in the war against terrorism any more than there is in the so ― called war against crime."
「 称 之 为 战 争 表 示 有 胜 利 。 我 认 为 反 恐 之 战 一 如 所 谓 反 罪 案 之 战 ， 没 有 最 后 胜 利 。 」
二 零 零 一 年 九 一 一 恐 怖 袭 击 发 生 六 个 月 前 ， 现 任 美 国 驻 伊 拉 克 行 政 长 官 布 雷 默 发 表 演 讲 说 。 他 当 时 是 国 家 反 恐 委 员 会 主 席 。 二 零 零 一 年 二 月 二 十 六 日 布 雷 默 在 一 反 恐 会 议 上 指 布 殊 政 府 不 重 视 反 恐 ， 大 事 发 生 后 始 后 悔 。 总 统 布 殊 和 副 总 统 切 尼 最 近 出 席 九 一 一 调 查 委 员 会 解 释 他 们 二 零 零 一 年 一 月 入 主 白 宫 后 的 反 恐 措 施 ， 布 雷 默 的 言 论 因 此 再 引 起 注 意 。
(2)
"Gadzooks! As long as I don't have to have it on my wall."
「 哎 哟 ， 天 啊 ?u 只 要 我 不 用 挂 它 在 我 的 墙 上 。 」
英 国 菲 腊 亲 王 （ 八 十 二 岁 ） 看 见 着 名 画 家 皮 尔 森 绘 的 他 的 半 裸 肖 像 Homo sapiens, Lepidium sativum and Calliphora vomitoria 时 惊 呼 道 。 Homo sapiens 、 Lepidium sativum 、 Calliphora vomitoria 分 别 是 人 、 水 田 芥 、 反 吐 丽 蝇 的 学 名 。 皮 尔 森 说 菲 腊 王 子 肩 上 的 反 吐 丽 蝇 （ 吃 腐 肉 为 生 ） 象 征 他 是 凡 人 ， 难 免 一 死 ， 他 右 手 食 指 长 出 来 的 四 株 水 田 芥 代 表 他 的 四 子 女 。
(3)
"It's somewhere between getting a divorce from someone you're still in love with and losing someone."
「 那 介 乎 和 仍 爱 的 人 离 婚 和 亲 友 丧 生 。 」
美 国 电 视 处 境 喜 剧 《 老 友 记 》 （ Friends ） 将 于 本 月 六 日 播 出 最 后 一 集 ， 其 作 者 高 夫 曼 谈 她 的 心 情 时 说 。 《 老 友 记 》 一 九 九 四 年 首 播 ， 十 年 来 拍 了 二 百 三 十 七 集 。
Working―class noodles go upscale
【 明 报 专 讯 】 TOKYO - Customers with Prada handbags and Gucci sunglasses sometimes stand in line for hours and gaze ( 凝 视 ) hungrily at a TV outside the restaurant door, feasting their eyes on 1 the delicacy ( 佳 肴 ) that awaits: a bowl of noodles.
The humble ( 粗 陋 的 ) noodle - known in Japan as "ramen" - has long been better known as a staple ( 主 食 ) of construction workers and penny-pinching ( 节 俭 的 ) students than as a favourite of the chic ( 新 潮 的 人 ).
But in a push to win over a new clientele ( 顾 客 ), Japanese noodles are going upscale ( 高 ?n 的 ) with special pork and organic vegetables served in eateries ( 餐 厅 ) with fetching ( 吸 引 人 的 ) dark-wood interiors and soft lighting.
One company even came up with a shocker ( 使 人 震 惊 的 事 物 ) for anyone who's slurped ( 出 声 地 吃 ) down a calorie-packed bowl of noodles: diet ramen made from seaweed ( 海 藻 ) extracts ( 精 华 ). It weighs in at a meagre 8 calories.
"The `stylish ramen' stores have really boomed," said Masahiko Ichiyanagi, who writes a "ramen column ( 专 栏 )" for a popular weekly magazine, Tokyo Week. "The result is that it's now recognised as a legitimate ( 正 当 的 ) leisure activity."
The trend reaches extremes at Shiodome Ramen, a spanking ( 突 出 的 ) new cluster of steel-and-glass towers next to the decidedly ( 无 疑 地 ) lowbrow ( 庸 俗 的 ) Shimbashi district.
The shop aims to create a splash ( 轰 动 ). Nippon Television Network Corp began a highly publicised nationwide contest in 2002 to seek out the country's best ramen cook, and put the winner - Konosuke Takewaka - in charge of the restaurant.
The exposure brought in the crowds. Customers sometimes waited in line a foot-aching four hours when the restaurant opened on 1 August.
Those with endurance ( 耐 性 ) are rewarded. Takewaka strains ( 滤 去 … 水 ) the noodles by whipping ( 挥 ) a sieve ( 筛 子 ) through the air in a dramatic figure-eight2, splashing scalding ( 滚 烫 的 ) water against a window between the kitchen and the restaurant and drawing gasps ( 屏 息 ) from startled ( 惊 讶 的 ) diners.
The broth ( 清 汤 ) gets its flavour from pork, beef and chicken stock ( 鸡 汤 ), squid legs and dried fish, he said. The restaurant, which serves 800 bowls a day starting at US$7.30, closes when it runs out of its pungent ( 辣 的 ) noodle soup.
According to popular lore ( 传 说 ), ramen was introduced by Chinese immigrants early last century. Taking root in major port cities like Yokohama, it soon spread across the country and assumed ( 采 ) regional variations.
In Japan, ramen shops have long been dingy ( 邋 遢 的 ) joints ( 场 所 ), their counters crowded with chopsticks, seasonings ( 调 味 料 ) and self-service water jugs.
The fare ( 食 品 ) until now has been straightforward ( 简 单 的 ): noodles in a salty broth, topped with a few slices of pork, chopped green onions and strips of seaweed. Standard flavors ( 味 道 ) are salt, soy sauce and miso bean paste.
There are some 200,000 ramen shops in Japan, where customers slurp down an estimated US$6.36 billion worth of noodles annually.
Even the financial world is interested. Japanese online brokerage ( 经 纪 行 ) Traders Securities launched a fund last December seeking US$1.8 million to invest in a noodle complex in Tokyo.
But for all the bells and whistles3, ramen lovers say the key ingredients remain the same: a signature ( 具 鲜 明 特 征 的 ) soup and good noodles.
Jun Yoshizawa, an engineering student, recently sat at a noodle stand set up in view of Tokyo's Sumida River, where red lanterns cast their reflection ( 倒 影 ) across the water and steam from the hot cauldrons ( 大 锅 ) wafted ( 随 风 飘 送 ) into the evening air.
"Ramen is so tasty because it's so simple - it's like eating something homemade, except the ambiance ( 气 氛 、 环 境 ) is better," he said.
AP
(1)To feast one's eyes on... 指 「 看 … 饱 眼 福 」 。
(2)Figure-eight 指 「 呈 8 字 形 的 」 。
(3)Bells and whitles 指 「 华 而 不 实 的 点 缀 」 。
【 明 报 专 讯 】 TOKYO - Customers with Prada handbags and Gucci sunglasses sometimes stand in line for hours and gaze ( 凝 视 ) hungrily at a TV outside the restaurant door, feasting their eyes on 1 the delicacy ( 佳 肴 ) that awaits: a bowl of noodles.
The humble ( 粗 陋 的 ) noodle - known in Japan as "ramen" - has long been better known as a staple ( 主 食 ) of construction workers and penny-pinching ( 节 俭 的 ) students than as a favourite of the chic ( 新 潮 的 人 ).
But in a push to win over a new clientele ( 顾 客 ), Japanese noodles are going upscale ( 高 ?n 的 ) with special pork and organic vegetables served in eateries ( 餐 厅 ) with fetching ( 吸 引 人 的 ) dark-wood interiors and soft lighting.
One company even came up with a shocker ( 使 人 震 惊 的 事 物 ) for anyone who's slurped ( 出 声 地 吃 ) down a calorie-packed bowl of noodles: diet ramen made from seaweed ( 海 藻 ) extracts ( 精 华 ). It weighs in at a meagre 8 calories.
"The `stylish ramen' stores have really boomed," said Masahiko Ichiyanagi, who writes a "ramen column ( 专 栏 )" for a popular weekly magazine, Tokyo Week. "The result is that it's now recognised as a legitimate ( 正 当 的 ) leisure activity."
The trend reaches extremes at Shiodome Ramen, a spanking ( 突 出 的 ) new cluster of steel-and-glass towers next to the decidedly ( 无 疑 地 ) lowbrow ( 庸 俗 的 ) Shimbashi district.
The shop aims to create a splash ( 轰 动 ). Nippon Television Network Corp began a highly publicised nationwide contest in 2002 to seek out the country's best ramen cook, and put the winner - Konosuke Takewaka - in charge of the restaurant.
The exposure brought in the crowds. Customers sometimes waited in line a foot-aching four hours when the restaurant opened on 1 August.
Those with endurance ( 耐 性 ) are rewarded. Takewaka strains ( 滤 去 … 水 ) the noodles by whipping ( 挥 ) a sieve ( 筛 子 ) through the air in a dramatic figure-eight2, splashing scalding ( 滚 烫 的 ) water against a window between the kitchen and the restaurant and drawing gasps ( 屏 息 ) from startled ( 惊 讶 的 ) diners.
The broth ( 清 汤 ) gets its flavour from pork, beef and chicken stock ( 鸡 汤 ), squid legs and dried fish, he said. The restaurant, which serves 800 bowls a day starting at US$7.30, closes when it runs out of its pungent ( 辣 的 ) noodle soup.
According to popular lore ( 传 说 ), ramen was introduced by Chinese immigrants early last century. Taking root in major port cities like Yokohama, it soon spread across the country and assumed ( 采 ) regional variations.
In Japan, ramen shops have long been dingy ( 邋 遢 的 ) joints ( 场 所 ), their counters crowded with chopsticks, seasonings ( 调 味 料 ) and self-service water jugs.
The fare ( 食 品 ) until now has been straightforward ( 简 单 的 ): noodles in a salty broth, topped with a few slices of pork, chopped green onions and strips of seaweed. Standard flavors ( 味 道 ) are salt, soy sauce and miso bean paste.
There are some 200,000 ramen shops in Japan, where customers slurp down an estimated US$6.36 billion worth of noodles annually.
Even the financial world is interested. Japanese online brokerage ( 经 纪 行 ) Traders Securities launched a fund last December seeking US$1.8 million to invest in a noodle complex in Tokyo.
But for all the bells and whistles3, ramen lovers say the key ingredients remain the same: a signature ( 具 鲜 明 特 征 的 ) soup and good noodles.
Jun Yoshizawa, an engineering student, recently sat at a noodle stand set up in view of Tokyo's Sumida River, where red lanterns cast their reflection ( 倒 影 ) across the water and steam from the hot cauldrons ( 大 锅 ) wafted ( 随 风 飘 送 ) into the evening air.
"Ramen is so tasty because it's so simple - it's like eating something homemade, except the ambiance ( 气 氛 、 环 境 ) is better," he said.
AP
(1)To feast one's eyes on... 指 「 看 … 饱 眼 福 」 。
(2)Figure-eight 指 「 呈 8 字 形 的 」 。
(3)Bells and whitles 指 「 华 而 不 实 的 点 缀 」 。
A brother's first date
【 明 报 专 讯 】 1. Drama Focus:
Amy: What's that stink?
Jack: After shave lotion.
Amy: But Chris, you don't shave!
Jack: It's Dad's.
Amy: Let me see the bottle.
Jack: Forget it Amy.
Amy: Is it this one?
Jack: Leave it... it's Dad's.
Amy: (Reading from bottle) Suave, masculine fragrance.
Jack: Give it back!
2. Language Focus
a) Vocabulary: "After shave lotion"
A lotion is a liquid that is good for your skin. After shaving, men can use "after shave lotion" to make their skin feel good. "After shave lotions" are perfumed and, as well as being good for the skin, they can also make a man smell nice.
b) Language Function: Telling someone not to do something
When Jack tells his sister to "forget it," he means that he does not want her to look at the bottle of after shave lotion. He guesses that she will tease him and he does not want this. "Forget it" is a way of saying "Go away" or "No."
c) Vocabulary: "Suave"
The manufacturer of the after shave lotion describes its perfume as "suave" to make the lotion sound smooth and sophisticated.
【 明 报 专 讯 】 1. Drama Focus:
Amy: What's that stink?
Jack: After shave lotion.
Amy: But Chris, you don't shave!
Jack: It's Dad's.
Amy: Let me see the bottle.
Jack: Forget it Amy.
Amy: Is it this one?
Jack: Leave it... it's Dad's.
Amy: (Reading from bottle) Suave, masculine fragrance.
Jack: Give it back!
2. Language Focus
a) Vocabulary: "After shave lotion"
A lotion is a liquid that is good for your skin. After shaving, men can use "after shave lotion" to make their skin feel good. "After shave lotions" are perfumed and, as well as being good for the skin, they can also make a man smell nice.
b) Language Function: Telling someone not to do something
When Jack tells his sister to "forget it," he means that he does not want her to look at the bottle of after shave lotion. He guesses that she will tease him and he does not want this. "Forget it" is a way of saying "Go away" or "No."
c) Vocabulary: "Suave"
The manufacturer of the after shave lotion describes its perfume as "suave" to make the lotion sound smooth and sophisticated.
Order about/around
【 明 报 专 讯 】 "I suppose you wonder what I do when I'm not on the battlefield ordering my soldiers about," the general said. "Well, to tell the truth I usually do a little work around the house to please the wife. You know, like dusting the furniture and cleaning the silver. I do things like that for relaxation, not because she orders me around." "That's incorrect!" the wife exclaimed. "I order you about whenever I wish - and use more care dusting my fine china!" Order about/around is to demand that somebody do something.
【 明 报 专 讯 】 "I suppose you wonder what I do when I'm not on the battlefield ordering my soldiers about," the general said. "Well, to tell the truth I usually do a little work around the house to please the wife. You know, like dusting the furniture and cleaning the silver. I do things like that for relaxation, not because she orders me around." "That's incorrect!" the wife exclaimed. "I order you about whenever I wish - and use more care dusting my fine china!" Order about/around is to demand that somebody do something.
现代刘伶
【 明 报 专 讯 】 一 位 署 名 Jim 的 读 者 来 电 邮 问 ， booze hound 是 什 么 意 思 ?t
Booze 即 alcoholic drink ， 意 为 酒 ?r hound 即 hunting dog ， 意 为 猎 犬 。 在 booze hound 中 ， hound 转 义 ， 表 示 enthusiast ， 意 为 「 发 烧 友 」 。 因 此 ， booze hound 可 解 作 person who really likes to drink ， 意 为 嗜 酒 者 ， 或 酒 鬼 ， 例 如 ?s
Jack goes barhopping almost every night. He is really a booze hound.
杰 克 几 乎 每 晚 一 间 间 酒 吧 换 着 去 蒲 ， 真 是 现 代 刘 伶 。
动 词 barhop 属 美 国 英 文 ， 指 一 个 晚 上 去 好 几 间 酒 吧 。
顺 便 说 一 下 hound 的 其 他 类 似 用 法 。
Rock hound 即 geologist ， 意 为 地 质 学 家 ， 有 时 亦 可 解 作 地 质 系 学 生 ， 例 如 ?s
The rock hounds are going on a field trip tomorrow.
地 质 系 学 生 （ 地 质 学 家 ） 明 天 去 作 实 地 考 察 。
Chow hound 即 glutton ， 意 为 贪 食 者 ， 例 如 ?s
You chow hounds, let's chow down.
馋 鬼 ， 我 们 一 起 食 吧 。
Autograph hound 即 autograph collector ， 意 为 专 请 名 人 签 名 的 人 ， 例 如 ?s
After the concert she was surrounded by a group of autograph hounds.
音 乐 会 结 束 后 ， 一 群 要 求 签 名 的 歌 迷 将 她 围 住 。
News hound 即 aggressive news reporter ， 意 为 厉 害 的 新 闻 记 者 ， 有 时 可 连 写 成 newshound ， 例 如 ?s
Jack is a TV newshound. If there is any kind of a story there, he will find it.
杰 克 是 电 视 台 记 者 ， 只 要 哪 里 有 新 闻 故 事 ， 他 便 会 采 访 到 。
另 外 ， news hound 等 于 news hawk （ 男 ） ， 或 news hen （ 女 ） 。
【 明 报 专 讯 】 一 位 署 名 Jim 的 读 者 来 电 邮 问 ， booze hound 是 什 么 意 思 ?t
Booze 即 alcoholic drink ， 意 为 酒 ?r hound 即 hunting dog ， 意 为 猎 犬 。 在 booze hound 中 ， hound 转 义 ， 表 示 enthusiast ， 意 为 「 发 烧 友 」 。 因 此 ， booze hound 可 解 作 person who really likes to drink ， 意 为 嗜 酒 者 ， 或 酒 鬼 ， 例 如 ?s
Jack goes barhopping almost every night. He is really a booze hound.
杰 克 几 乎 每 晚 一 间 间 酒 吧 换 着 去 蒲 ， 真 是 现 代 刘 伶 。
动 词 barhop 属 美 国 英 文 ， 指 一 个 晚 上 去 好 几 间 酒 吧 。
顺 便 说 一 下 hound 的 其 他 类 似 用 法 。
Rock hound 即 geologist ， 意 为 地 质 学 家 ， 有 时 亦 可 解 作 地 质 系 学 生 ， 例 如 ?s
The rock hounds are going on a field trip tomorrow.
地 质 系 学 生 （ 地 质 学 家 ） 明 天 去 作 实 地 考 察 。
Chow hound 即 glutton ， 意 为 贪 食 者 ， 例 如 ?s
You chow hounds, let's chow down.
馋 鬼 ， 我 们 一 起 食 吧 。
Autograph hound 即 autograph collector ， 意 为 专 请 名 人 签 名 的 人 ， 例 如 ?s
After the concert she was surrounded by a group of autograph hounds.
音 乐 会 结 束 后 ， 一 群 要 求 签 名 的 歌 迷 将 她 围 住 。
News hound 即 aggressive news reporter ， 意 为 厉 害 的 新 闻 记 者 ， 有 时 可 连 写 成 newshound ， 例 如 ?s
Jack is a TV newshound. If there is any kind of a story there, he will find it.
杰 克 是 电 视 台 记 者 ， 只 要 哪 里 有 新 闻 故 事 ， 他 便 会 采 访 到 。
另 外 ， news hound 等 于 news hawk （ 男 ） ， 或 news hen （ 女 ） 。
Sunday, May 02, 2004
UN to end confusion about Chernobyl
【 明 报 专 讯 】 VIENNA - Although the world may never know the full impact ( 影 响 ) of the world's worst nuclear disaster, the United Nations nuclear agency wants to put an end to the confusion for millions of victims of the Chernobyl accident.
The disaster occurred 18 years ago, at 1:24 am on 26 April 1986, when an explosion at Reactor ( 反 应 堆 ) 4 of the Ukrainian power plant spewed ( 喷 出 ) a cloud of radioactivity ( 辐 射 ) across Europe and the Soviet Union.
Around 30 people died from radiation exposure after the accident, nearly 2,000 children later developed thyroid ( 甲 状 腺 ) cancer, and thousands of other fatal illnesses have been blamed on it. More than 100,000 people were resettled ( 徙 置 ), causing physical, economic and psychological hardship.
Among the millions of people whose lives were affected by the disaster, thousands may have developed cancer and died as a result. But poor records and corruption have prevented the accurate registration of the workers who helped put out ( 扑 灭 ) the fire and entomb ( 掩 埋 ) the smouldering ( （ 无 火 苗 的 ） 闷 燃 ) nuclear plant in 1986.
"We have an epistemological ( 认 识 论 的 ) problem," said Abel Gonzalez, head of radiation and waste safety at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). "In Chernobyl, you can say that the only concrete sick persons that you can [identify] are the [1,800] children who got thyroid cancer and the workers who were over-exposed. All the rest, we don't know."
Not only is there a limit to the ability of the nuclear experts to understand the full impact of Chernobyl, but contradictory studies and statements about the disaster have confused the millions of people whose lives were affected by it.
"People living in the affected villages are very distressed ( 苦 恼 的 ) because the information they receive - from one expert after another turning up ( 出 现 ) there - is inconsistent ( 不 一 致 的 ). People living there are afraid for their children," Gonzalez explained.
Over the years, wildly varying reports have put the Chernobyl death toll ( 死 亡 人 数 ) as high as 15,000.
For this reason, the IAEA has established the Chernobyl forum, whose task will be to give "authoritative, transparent statements that show the factual situation in the aftermath of ( 在 … 后 ) Chernobyl", said Gonzalez, who represents the IAEA on the forum.
The forum will bring together Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, the IAEA and all other UN organisations involved in Chernobyl. It will review all the studies and statements on Chernobyl, filter out the good, throw out the bad and present a clear summary to next year's UN General Assembly.
A native ( 土 生 土 长 的 人 ) of Argentina, Gonzalez is no stranger to the Chernobyl story. From 1989 to 1991, he headed a huge IAEA study of the health, environmental and radiological impact of the disaster on villages and towns in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine that suffered the worst contamination ( 污 染 ).
He was always convinced that many cases of leukaemia ( 白 血 病 ) would appear among the 600,000 so-called "liquidators( 消 除 者 )" who worked frantically ( 拼 命 地 ) in the spring of 1986 to put out the fire in the molten ( 熔 融 的 ) reactor and entomb the plant in a concrete sarcophagus ( （ 石 ） 棺 ).
"I was personally convinced that leukaemia in the workers - the liquidators - would be detected. But until now it has not appeared," he said.
Gonzalez said that this may be because some of the people who were granted the status of "liquidator", which gave them free public transport and other perks ( 福 利 ), never actually worked at Chernobyl but got liquidator cards through contacts ( 相 识 的 人 ). As a result the liquidator register is almost useless.
Because of this, the question of how many people have died as a result of the accident may never be properly answered.
"It is an issue that is impossible to settle ( 解 决 ) because there are two different types of deaths - the deaths that you can check that they happened and the ones you can only imagine."
【 明 报 专 讯 】 VIENNA - Although the world may never know the full impact ( 影 响 ) of the world's worst nuclear disaster, the United Nations nuclear agency wants to put an end to the confusion for millions of victims of the Chernobyl accident.
The disaster occurred 18 years ago, at 1:24 am on 26 April 1986, when an explosion at Reactor ( 反 应 堆 ) 4 of the Ukrainian power plant spewed ( 喷 出 ) a cloud of radioactivity ( 辐 射 ) across Europe and the Soviet Union.
Around 30 people died from radiation exposure after the accident, nearly 2,000 children later developed thyroid ( 甲 状 腺 ) cancer, and thousands of other fatal illnesses have been blamed on it. More than 100,000 people were resettled ( 徙 置 ), causing physical, economic and psychological hardship.
Among the millions of people whose lives were affected by the disaster, thousands may have developed cancer and died as a result. But poor records and corruption have prevented the accurate registration of the workers who helped put out ( 扑 灭 ) the fire and entomb ( 掩 埋 ) the smouldering ( （ 无 火 苗 的 ） 闷 燃 ) nuclear plant in 1986.
"We have an epistemological ( 认 识 论 的 ) problem," said Abel Gonzalez, head of radiation and waste safety at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). "In Chernobyl, you can say that the only concrete sick persons that you can [identify] are the [1,800] children who got thyroid cancer and the workers who were over-exposed. All the rest, we don't know."
Not only is there a limit to the ability of the nuclear experts to understand the full impact of Chernobyl, but contradictory studies and statements about the disaster have confused the millions of people whose lives were affected by it.
"People living in the affected villages are very distressed ( 苦 恼 的 ) because the information they receive - from one expert after another turning up ( 出 现 ) there - is inconsistent ( 不 一 致 的 ). People living there are afraid for their children," Gonzalez explained.
Over the years, wildly varying reports have put the Chernobyl death toll ( 死 亡 人 数 ) as high as 15,000.
For this reason, the IAEA has established the Chernobyl forum, whose task will be to give "authoritative, transparent statements that show the factual situation in the aftermath of ( 在 … 后 ) Chernobyl", said Gonzalez, who represents the IAEA on the forum.
The forum will bring together Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, the IAEA and all other UN organisations involved in Chernobyl. It will review all the studies and statements on Chernobyl, filter out the good, throw out the bad and present a clear summary to next year's UN General Assembly.
A native ( 土 生 土 长 的 人 ) of Argentina, Gonzalez is no stranger to the Chernobyl story. From 1989 to 1991, he headed a huge IAEA study of the health, environmental and radiological impact of the disaster on villages and towns in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine that suffered the worst contamination ( 污 染 ).
He was always convinced that many cases of leukaemia ( 白 血 病 ) would appear among the 600,000 so-called "liquidators( 消 除 者 )" who worked frantically ( 拼 命 地 ) in the spring of 1986 to put out the fire in the molten ( 熔 融 的 ) reactor and entomb the plant in a concrete sarcophagus ( （ 石 ） 棺 ).
"I was personally convinced that leukaemia in the workers - the liquidators - would be detected. But until now it has not appeared," he said.
Gonzalez said that this may be because some of the people who were granted the status of "liquidator", which gave them free public transport and other perks ( 福 利 ), never actually worked at Chernobyl but got liquidator cards through contacts ( 相 识 的 人 ). As a result the liquidator register is almost useless.
Because of this, the question of how many people have died as a result of the accident may never be properly answered.
"It is an issue that is impossible to settle ( 解 决 ) because there are two different types of deaths - the deaths that you can check that they happened and the ones you can only imagine."
Swarovski shakes up chandeliers
【 明 报 专 讯 】 MILAN - You're swirling around the ballroom, colourful skirts shimmering ( 闪 烁 ) under the chandeliers ( 枝 形 吊 灯 ) when all of a sudden one of the crystal cascades ( 瀑 布 状 物 ) above your head asks you for the next dance.
A surrealist dream? No, a design from the house of Swarovski crystals as it blazes a new trail1 in the often stuffy ( 刻 板 的 ) world of chandeliers.
The Austrian crystal group teamed up with ( 和 … 合 作 ) 10 designers to reinvent luxurious lighting at Milan Design Week, mixing 21st century technology with the clean cuts ( 切 割 ) D Swarovski & Co has been perfecting ( 改 良 ) for the last 109 years.
Glimmering ( 发 光 ) in a black warehouse, an Art Deco ( 装 饰 派 艺 术 ) falling spiral chandelier had crowds of party-goers mesmerised ( 迷 住 ) as they sent text messages to the light and watched their SMSs(short message services) trickle through the crystal strands ( 串 ) like a luxurious ticker tape ( 纸 带 ).
"It's time to shake up ( 整 顿 ) the industry. There are too many chandeliers around with no life and soul - just expensive cookie-cutter 2 designs," said Nadja Swarovski, grand-daughter of the company's founder and vice president of communications.
"We're challenging designers to rework the chandelier any way they want. The results are so modern in terms of both beauty and interactivity," she said, as the `Lolita' light behind her sparkled with the news that `Davide loves Carina'.
The technology behind `Lolita' is more likely to be found in a physics lab ( 物 理 实 验 室 ) than a design studio. Electronic processors strip data out of a mobile phone and send it to strings of LED lights hanging inside crystal cylinders ( 圆 柱 体 ).
Electrical impulses ( 电 脉 冲 ) then switch the tiny white lights on and off in sequence ( 顺 序 ) so the words of the SMS seem to slide ( 滑 行 ) along the sparkling strings.
The glistening ( 闪 烁 的 ) chandeliers are not for the faint hearted ( 怯 懦 的 人 ) with "Nest" - a giant swirl of 7,800 coin-sized crystals draped ( 悬 垂 ) around a luminous ( 发 光 的 ) white oval ( 椭 圆 形 ) - worth more than 15,000 euros in crystal alone.
But Swarovski believes the `Crystal Palace' chandelier project is worth every penny.
As well as breathing new life into luxury lighting, Swarovski loves the fact that designers, manufacturers and crystal cutters are fostering ( 培 养 ) new ideas and urging each other to push beyond knownboundaries.
"It's just like my grandfather who worked with designers like Christian Dior and Coco Chanel. They would ask for a coating ( 涂 料 ) that would make material shine like the Northern Lights ( 北 极 光 ) and back he went to Austria and created it," beamed ( 微 笑 ) Swarovski.
The bubbly ( 活 泼 的 ) 33-year-old has been the force behind Swarovski's return to fashion, branding the crystals with their own label and publicising their quality to set them and their price apart from3 run-of-the-mill ( 普 通 的 ) diamante ( 闪 光 饰 品 ) or rhinestones ( 莱 茵 石 、 假 钻 石 ).
In 1998, Swarovski teamed up with Alexander McQueen, the bad boy of British fashion who studded ( 镶 ) his catwalk collection with crystals and set an immediate trend.
"It's a matter of working on a two-way ( 双 程 的 ) street and learning from each other," said Swarovski, whose business makes about 1.7 billion euros of turnover ( 营 业 额 ) a year - including sales of teardrop ( 泪 珠 状 的 ) crystals to more traditional chandelier makers.
Designer Yves Behar and engineer Michael Hammers, who created the 3.7 metre high `Nest' chandelier, agreed.
"I had no idea how crystal hung so there I was planning away on my computer and it wasn't until Michael educated me on what would look most beautiful that we got this effect of a necklace draped around a woman's neck," said Behar.
Swarovski plans to take the chandeliers on a world tour including Dubai and Shanghai and expects some of the crystal creations to end up in museums or designer households.
Reuters
(1)To blaze a (new) trail 指 「 创 先 河 」 。
(2)Cookie cutter 指 「 饼 干 或 成 型 切 割 刀 」 。 形 容 词 cookie-cutter ， 指 「 千 篇 一 律 的 」 。
(3)To set A apart from B 指 「 使 A 显 得 比 B 优 胜 」 。
【 明 报 专 讯 】 MILAN - You're swirling around the ballroom, colourful skirts shimmering ( 闪 烁 ) under the chandeliers ( 枝 形 吊 灯 ) when all of a sudden one of the crystal cascades ( 瀑 布 状 物 ) above your head asks you for the next dance.
A surrealist dream? No, a design from the house of Swarovski crystals as it blazes a new trail1 in the often stuffy ( 刻 板 的 ) world of chandeliers.
The Austrian crystal group teamed up with ( 和 … 合 作 ) 10 designers to reinvent luxurious lighting at Milan Design Week, mixing 21st century technology with the clean cuts ( 切 割 ) D Swarovski & Co has been perfecting ( 改 良 ) for the last 109 years.
Glimmering ( 发 光 ) in a black warehouse, an Art Deco ( 装 饰 派 艺 术 ) falling spiral chandelier had crowds of party-goers mesmerised ( 迷 住 ) as they sent text messages to the light and watched their SMSs(short message services) trickle through the crystal strands ( 串 ) like a luxurious ticker tape ( 纸 带 ).
"It's time to shake up ( 整 顿 ) the industry. There are too many chandeliers around with no life and soul - just expensive cookie-cutter 2 designs," said Nadja Swarovski, grand-daughter of the company's founder and vice president of communications.
"We're challenging designers to rework the chandelier any way they want. The results are so modern in terms of both beauty and interactivity," she said, as the `Lolita' light behind her sparkled with the news that `Davide loves Carina'.
The technology behind `Lolita' is more likely to be found in a physics lab ( 物 理 实 验 室 ) than a design studio. Electronic processors strip data out of a mobile phone and send it to strings of LED lights hanging inside crystal cylinders ( 圆 柱 体 ).
Electrical impulses ( 电 脉 冲 ) then switch the tiny white lights on and off in sequence ( 顺 序 ) so the words of the SMS seem to slide ( 滑 行 ) along the sparkling strings.
The glistening ( 闪 烁 的 ) chandeliers are not for the faint hearted ( 怯 懦 的 人 ) with "Nest" - a giant swirl of 7,800 coin-sized crystals draped ( 悬 垂 ) around a luminous ( 发 光 的 ) white oval ( 椭 圆 形 ) - worth more than 15,000 euros in crystal alone.
But Swarovski believes the `Crystal Palace' chandelier project is worth every penny.
As well as breathing new life into luxury lighting, Swarovski loves the fact that designers, manufacturers and crystal cutters are fostering ( 培 养 ) new ideas and urging each other to push beyond knownboundaries.
"It's just like my grandfather who worked with designers like Christian Dior and Coco Chanel. They would ask for a coating ( 涂 料 ) that would make material shine like the Northern Lights ( 北 极 光 ) and back he went to Austria and created it," beamed ( 微 笑 ) Swarovski.
The bubbly ( 活 泼 的 ) 33-year-old has been the force behind Swarovski's return to fashion, branding the crystals with their own label and publicising their quality to set them and their price apart from3 run-of-the-mill ( 普 通 的 ) diamante ( 闪 光 饰 品 ) or rhinestones ( 莱 茵 石 、 假 钻 石 ).
In 1998, Swarovski teamed up with Alexander McQueen, the bad boy of British fashion who studded ( 镶 ) his catwalk collection with crystals and set an immediate trend.
"It's a matter of working on a two-way ( 双 程 的 ) street and learning from each other," said Swarovski, whose business makes about 1.7 billion euros of turnover ( 营 业 额 ) a year - including sales of teardrop ( 泪 珠 状 的 ) crystals to more traditional chandelier makers.
Designer Yves Behar and engineer Michael Hammers, who created the 3.7 metre high `Nest' chandelier, agreed.
"I had no idea how crystal hung so there I was planning away on my computer and it wasn't until Michael educated me on what would look most beautiful that we got this effect of a necklace draped around a woman's neck," said Behar.
Swarovski plans to take the chandeliers on a world tour including Dubai and Shanghai and expects some of the crystal creations to end up in museums or designer households.
Reuters
(1)To blaze a (new) trail 指 「 创 先 河 」 。
(2)Cookie cutter 指 「 饼 干 或 成 型 切 割 刀 」 。 形 容 词 cookie-cutter ， 指 「 千 篇 一 律 的 」 。
(3)To set A apart from B 指 「 使 A 显 得 比 B 优 胜 」 。
Gem phones lure Asia's elite
【 明 报 专 讯 】 SINGAPORE - For Asia's hip ( 赶 时 髦 的 人 ) and swanky ( 爱 出 风 头 的 人 ), carrying a mobile phone with a cracked screen and a tatty ( 邋 遢 的 ) plastic cover is tantamount to1 a crime against fashion.
Instead, a Prada ensemble ( 全 套 服 装 ) with Gucci loafers ( 便 鞋 ) or Manolo Blahnik stilettos ( 高 跟 鞋 ) demands nothing less than a diamond-encrusted ( 镶 钻 石 的 ) handset ( 手 机 ) from China's TCL Mobile Communication Co Ltd or an 18-carat white gold mobile with a sapphire ( 蓝 宝 石 色 的 ) crystal face by Nokia unit Vertu.
Indonesian haute couture ( 高 级 时 装 ) designer Harry Darsono, 54, carries a US$26,550, 215-gram platinum ( 白 金 ) Vertu cellphone to match his Lanvin shirts and Hugo Boss shoes when he entertains ( 接 待 ) customers.
"I am very fussy ( 挑 剔 的 ). My handphone, handbag and attire ( 服 装 ) must be part of the overall art of presentation to the clients - you need to use their language so you can be close to them," said Darsono, who was educated in France and collects vintage ( 古 董 的 ) pianos and luxury cars.
While mobile makers are tight-lipped ( 缄 默 的 ) on revenues ( 收 入 ) from their luxury segments ( 部 分 ), analysts say high-end ( 高 �n 的 ) sales could provide a lift as penetration rates ( 市 场 渗 透 率 ) level off2 and the take-up ( 接 受 ) of high-speed data services remains lacklustre ( 无 生 气 的 ).
London-based Vertu and Finnish parent Nokia, the world's top handset maker, began developing the luxury models as early as 1997, Vertu President Nigel Litchfield said.
"As the industry became increasingly saturated ( 饱 和 的 ) in the last few years, manufacturers were compelled ( 被 迫 ) to discover new markets and identify upcoming trends in mobile phone consumption."
At the end of 2003, Asia accounted for a third of Vertu's total business, Litchfield said, adding that Hong Kong was its largest single market.
Shiv Putcha, senior analyst with The Yankee Group, believes fashion phones could invigorate ( 激 活 ) sales for handset makers, as slow data download speeds, poor content and handset glitches ( 小 故 障 ) leave users disappointed with 2.5G and third-generation (3G) networks.
"Most of the models in the market do not address the consumer's need for increased personalisation ( 个 人 化 ), and I believe this to be a significant driver ( 驱 动 力 ) of growth," he said.
Given ( 鉴 于 ) Asia's high cellphone replacement rate - every nine to 18 months compared with about two years for Europe and the United States - the region is the logical market to launch iconic handsets, Putcha said.
Motorola Inc, the world's second-largest cellphone maker, said its line of fashion phones enjoyed triple-digit ( 三 位 数 字 的 ) growth rates in the first quarter ( 季 ) of 2004 over the final three months of 2003 in Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
"In Asia, phones are much more of an aspirational statement about who you are and who you want to be," Scott Durchslag, a Motorola corporate vice president, told Reuters.
Motorola recently launched a clamshell ( 蛤 蜊 式 机 壳 的 ) V600 model that offers interchangeable ( 可 替 换 的 ) covers studded ( 镶 ) with clear Swarovski crystals, and Nokia's new 7200 model offers fabric covers that have analysts calling it the Louis Vuitton phone.
Gem-encrusted handsets also became the rage ( 流 行 ) in China, the world's largest wireless market, after TCL Mobile made waves in 2000 with the launch of its diamond-studded mobile phones. Its limited edition range with genuine gemstones ( 宝 石 ) costs up to 20,000 yuan.
TCL Mobile, which is seeking a separate listing ( 上 市 地 位 ) in Hong Kong and is 40.8%-owned by TCL International Ltd, controls about one-tenth of China's cellphone market.
"To many Chinese, precious stones symbolise esteem ( 敬 重 ), good fortune, peace and love. So jewelled mobile phones are not just communication tools, they also act as lucky charms ( 幸 运 符 )," TCL Mobile's managing director, Wan Mingjian,said.
Reuters
(1)A is tantamount to B 指 「 A 相 当 于 B 」 。
(2)To level off 指 「 变 得 平 稳 」 。
【 明 报 专 讯 】 SINGAPORE - For Asia's hip ( 赶 时 髦 的 人 ) and swanky ( 爱 出 风 头 的 人 ), carrying a mobile phone with a cracked screen and a tatty ( 邋 遢 的 ) plastic cover is tantamount to1 a crime against fashion.
Instead, a Prada ensemble ( 全 套 服 装 ) with Gucci loafers ( 便 鞋 ) or Manolo Blahnik stilettos ( 高 跟 鞋 ) demands nothing less than a diamond-encrusted ( 镶 钻 石 的 ) handset ( 手 机 ) from China's TCL Mobile Communication Co Ltd or an 18-carat white gold mobile with a sapphire ( 蓝 宝 石 色 的 ) crystal face by Nokia unit Vertu.
Indonesian haute couture ( 高 级 时 装 ) designer Harry Darsono, 54, carries a US$26,550, 215-gram platinum ( 白 金 ) Vertu cellphone to match his Lanvin shirts and Hugo Boss shoes when he entertains ( 接 待 ) customers.
"I am very fussy ( 挑 剔 的 ). My handphone, handbag and attire ( 服 装 ) must be part of the overall art of presentation to the clients - you need to use their language so you can be close to them," said Darsono, who was educated in France and collects vintage ( 古 董 的 ) pianos and luxury cars.
While mobile makers are tight-lipped ( 缄 默 的 ) on revenues ( 收 入 ) from their luxury segments ( 部 分 ), analysts say high-end ( 高 �n 的 ) sales could provide a lift as penetration rates ( 市 场 渗 透 率 ) level off2 and the take-up ( 接 受 ) of high-speed data services remains lacklustre ( 无 生 气 的 ).
London-based Vertu and Finnish parent Nokia, the world's top handset maker, began developing the luxury models as early as 1997, Vertu President Nigel Litchfield said.
"As the industry became increasingly saturated ( 饱 和 的 ) in the last few years, manufacturers were compelled ( 被 迫 ) to discover new markets and identify upcoming trends in mobile phone consumption."
At the end of 2003, Asia accounted for a third of Vertu's total business, Litchfield said, adding that Hong Kong was its largest single market.
Shiv Putcha, senior analyst with The Yankee Group, believes fashion phones could invigorate ( 激 活 ) sales for handset makers, as slow data download speeds, poor content and handset glitches ( 小 故 障 ) leave users disappointed with 2.5G and third-generation (3G) networks.
"Most of the models in the market do not address the consumer's need for increased personalisation ( 个 人 化 ), and I believe this to be a significant driver ( 驱 动 力 ) of growth," he said.
Given ( 鉴 于 ) Asia's high cellphone replacement rate - every nine to 18 months compared with about two years for Europe and the United States - the region is the logical market to launch iconic handsets, Putcha said.
Motorola Inc, the world's second-largest cellphone maker, said its line of fashion phones enjoyed triple-digit ( 三 位 数 字 的 ) growth rates in the first quarter ( 季 ) of 2004 over the final three months of 2003 in Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
"In Asia, phones are much more of an aspirational statement about who you are and who you want to be," Scott Durchslag, a Motorola corporate vice president, told Reuters.
Motorola recently launched a clamshell ( 蛤 蜊 式 机 壳 的 ) V600 model that offers interchangeable ( 可 替 换 的 ) covers studded ( 镶 ) with clear Swarovski crystals, and Nokia's new 7200 model offers fabric covers that have analysts calling it the Louis Vuitton phone.
Gem-encrusted handsets also became the rage ( 流 行 ) in China, the world's largest wireless market, after TCL Mobile made waves in 2000 with the launch of its diamond-studded mobile phones. Its limited edition range with genuine gemstones ( 宝 石 ) costs up to 20,000 yuan.
TCL Mobile, which is seeking a separate listing ( 上 市 地 位 ) in Hong Kong and is 40.8%-owned by TCL International Ltd, controls about one-tenth of China's cellphone market.
"To many Chinese, precious stones symbolise esteem ( 敬 重 ), good fortune, peace and love. So jewelled mobile phones are not just communication tools, they also act as lucky charms ( 幸 运 符 )," TCL Mobile's managing director, Wan Mingjian,said.
Reuters
(1)A is tantamount to B 指 「 A 相 当 于 B 」 。
(2)To level off 指 「 变 得 平 稳 」 。
Coax in/into
?y �� �� �� ?u ?z "Look," Noah said, standing at the door trying to coax in a couple of large beasts who refused to enter. "The weatherman has predicted that this rain is going to go on and on for days. It was so easy coaxing everyone else into my ark. Why are you two being so difficult?" "Maybe it's a matter of pride," one of the beasts answered. "Pride goes before the fall," Noah answered. To coax in/into means to use gentle words to encourage someone into a place or into doing something.
Unaccounted for
?y �� �� �� ?u ?z "Whoopie!" the captain cried. "We finally got here! Here we are on Earth!" But while calling the roll, the captain discovered that Esper was unaccounted for. "This is pretty serious business," the captain said gravely. "He's the only one who knows the way back!" To make a long story short, Esper remains unaccounted for and the space people are still on Earth. When someone or something is unaccounted for, he, she or it cannot be found. He, she or it is missing.
Wrestle with (2)
?y �� �� �� ?u ?z As we know, wrestling is a contest of strength between two individuals, yet hare's Wiggles, a tiny fellow with no muscles to speak of, wrestling with himself over eating or not eating a book! "Sometimes," he said, "it's easier not to think much about what one eats. That way you don't have to wrestle with your conscience over it!" In this instance, wrestle with refers to conducting an internal battle. "It's a fight inside yourself as you try to make up your mind," Wiggles said.
?y �� �� �� ?u ?z "Look," Noah said, standing at the door trying to coax in a couple of large beasts who refused to enter. "The weatherman has predicted that this rain is going to go on and on for days. It was so easy coaxing everyone else into my ark. Why are you two being so difficult?" "Maybe it's a matter of pride," one of the beasts answered. "Pride goes before the fall," Noah answered. To coax in/into means to use gentle words to encourage someone into a place or into doing something.
Unaccounted for
?y �� �� �� ?u ?z "Whoopie!" the captain cried. "We finally got here! Here we are on Earth!" But while calling the roll, the captain discovered that Esper was unaccounted for. "This is pretty serious business," the captain said gravely. "He's the only one who knows the way back!" To make a long story short, Esper remains unaccounted for and the space people are still on Earth. When someone or something is unaccounted for, he, she or it cannot be found. He, she or it is missing.
Wrestle with (2)
?y �� �� �� ?u ?z As we know, wrestling is a contest of strength between two individuals, yet hare's Wiggles, a tiny fellow with no muscles to speak of, wrestling with himself over eating or not eating a book! "Sometimes," he said, "it's easier not to think much about what one eats. That way you don't have to wrestle with your conscience over it!" In this instance, wrestle with refers to conducting an internal battle. "It's a fight inside yourself as you try to make up your mind," Wiggles said.
The calm after the storm
?y �� �� �� ?u ?z In this week's story Mel and Ben make friends again after an argument.
1. Drama Focus:
Ben: Mel... you're back... when you ran off I was frantic! I didn't know where to look or who to ask for help.
Mel: I was so mad at you Ben... I just had to run away or else I would have exploded!
2. Language Focus
a) Idioms: "The calm after the storm"
The title of this week's "Talk English" is an idiom meaning the peaceful time that can follow an argument. Ben is visiting Hong Kong to see his girlfriend Mel. But they had an argument and Mel ran away. When she returned both Mel and Ben no longer felt angry, they were happy to see each other again - "the storm" was the argument and "the calm" is the quiet happy that followed it.
b) Idioms: "Mad at someone"
In colloquial English conversation "to be mad at someone" means to be angry with someone - Mel was angry with Ben, she was "mad at him."
c) Vocabulary: "To explode"
Bombs explode but sometimes people do too! When Mel said that she ran away because she "would have exploded" she means that she ran away before she lost her temper, before she lost all control and expressed her anger in a loud and very angry way.
The calm after the storm
?y �� �� �� ?u ?z 1. Drama Focus:
Mel: I'm so glad we're not arguing any more.
Ben: Me too.
Mel: You know I've really been hogging you... keeping you all to myself.... I think it's time for you to meet some of my friends.
Ben: Great.
Mel: I'll phone some of them up and we can all go and have dim sum together.
Ben: What's dim sum?
Mel: It's little tasty things... like prawns in rice pastry.... or pork buns... or chickens' feet.
Ben: Chickens' feet!
Mel: Don't worry Ben... you don't have to eat any if you don't want to.
Ben: That's a relief.
2. Language Focus
a) Idiom: "Hogging someone"
When Mel says to Ben that she's been hogging him she means she has had Ben all to herself. If you "hog" someone you are the only one who speaks to that person, you don't let anyone else come anywhere near them.
b) Language Function: "Expressing relief"
The easiest way to express relief is by saying, "That's a relief." Like many westerners Ben is nervous about eating chickens' feet and when Mel tells him that he does not have to eat chickens' feet he no longer feels nervous, he feels relieved - "What a relief."
?y �� �� �� ?u ?z 1. Drama Focus:
Mel: Goodnight Ben. I'm really glad we've made up.
Ben: Me too...Mel? Can I have a goodnight kiss?
Mel: Do you think you deserve one?
Ben: Come on Mel... stop pulling my leg... just a small one on the cheek?
Mel: Okay then.... come here.
Ben: Thanks Mel.
Mel: Goodnight Ben... sweet dreams.
Ben: You know Mel.... To err is human... to forgive divine.
2. Language Focus
a) Idiom: "To make up"
"To make up" after an argument means to become friends again. Mel and Ben had an argument but now they have "made up" - they are friends again.
b) Idioms: "To pull someone's leg"
This means to tease someone. When Ben asks for a kiss and Mel replies, "Do you deserve one?" she is being playful - Ben rightly thinks that Mel is gently teasing him and that is why he says, "Stop pulling my leg."
c) Idioms: "To err is human, to forgive divine"
Even though this idiom is still used today it contains archaic English - "To err" is old English for "to do wrong." The idiom means it is normal for people to do wrong and make mistakes, but forgiving is something special - to do wrong is human, but to forgive you have to be like an angel.
?y �� �� �� ?u ?z In this week's story Mel and Ben make friends again after an argument.
1. Drama Focus:
Ben: Mel... you're back... when you ran off I was frantic! I didn't know where to look or who to ask for help.
Mel: I was so mad at you Ben... I just had to run away or else I would have exploded!
2. Language Focus
a) Idioms: "The calm after the storm"
The title of this week's "Talk English" is an idiom meaning the peaceful time that can follow an argument. Ben is visiting Hong Kong to see his girlfriend Mel. But they had an argument and Mel ran away. When she returned both Mel and Ben no longer felt angry, they were happy to see each other again - "the storm" was the argument and "the calm" is the quiet happy that followed it.
b) Idioms: "Mad at someone"
In colloquial English conversation "to be mad at someone" means to be angry with someone - Mel was angry with Ben, she was "mad at him."
c) Vocabulary: "To explode"
Bombs explode but sometimes people do too! When Mel said that she ran away because she "would have exploded" she means that she ran away before she lost her temper, before she lost all control and expressed her anger in a loud and very angry way.
The calm after the storm
?y �� �� �� ?u ?z 1. Drama Focus:
Mel: I'm so glad we're not arguing any more.
Ben: Me too.
Mel: You know I've really been hogging you... keeping you all to myself.... I think it's time for you to meet some of my friends.
Ben: Great.
Mel: I'll phone some of them up and we can all go and have dim sum together.
Ben: What's dim sum?
Mel: It's little tasty things... like prawns in rice pastry.... or pork buns... or chickens' feet.
Ben: Chickens' feet!
Mel: Don't worry Ben... you don't have to eat any if you don't want to.
Ben: That's a relief.
2. Language Focus
a) Idiom: "Hogging someone"
When Mel says to Ben that she's been hogging him she means she has had Ben all to herself. If you "hog" someone you are the only one who speaks to that person, you don't let anyone else come anywhere near them.
b) Language Function: "Expressing relief"
The easiest way to express relief is by saying, "That's a relief." Like many westerners Ben is nervous about eating chickens' feet and when Mel tells him that he does not have to eat chickens' feet he no longer feels nervous, he feels relieved - "What a relief."
?y �� �� �� ?u ?z 1. Drama Focus:
Mel: Goodnight Ben. I'm really glad we've made up.
Ben: Me too...Mel? Can I have a goodnight kiss?
Mel: Do you think you deserve one?
Ben: Come on Mel... stop pulling my leg... just a small one on the cheek?
Mel: Okay then.... come here.
Ben: Thanks Mel.
Mel: Goodnight Ben... sweet dreams.
Ben: You know Mel.... To err is human... to forgive divine.
2. Language Focus
a) Idiom: "To make up"
"To make up" after an argument means to become friends again. Mel and Ben had an argument but now they have "made up" - they are friends again.
b) Idioms: "To pull someone's leg"
This means to tease someone. When Ben asks for a kiss and Mel replies, "Do you deserve one?" she is being playful - Ben rightly thinks that Mel is gently teasing him and that is why he says, "Stop pulling my leg."
c) Idioms: "To err is human, to forgive divine"
Even though this idiom is still used today it contains archaic English - "To err" is old English for "to do wrong." The idiom means it is normal for people to do wrong and make mistakes, but forgiving is something special - to do wrong is human, but to forgive you have to be like an angel.
入乡随俗
【 明 报 专 讯 】 一 位 署 名 Diana 的 读 者 来 电 邮 说 她 读 到 He went native and donned a black sweatshirt and sneakers 这 样 一 句 句 子 ， 不 甚 明 白 go native 及 don 的 意 思 。
Go native 即 follow the customs of the natives ， 意 为 入 乡 随 俗 ， 例 如 �s
Jack has really gone native since he settled in Hawaii. He wears short pants and aloha shirt.
自 从 住 到 夏 威 夷 之 后 ， 杰 克 已 完 全 入 乡 随 俗 ， 穿 短 裤 和 夏 威 夷 恤 衫 。
Going native is meaningless in Japan for Westerners because many Japanese sleep in beds or eat with knives and forks.
对 西 方 人 而 言 ， 要 在 日 本 模 仿 当 地 风 俗 习 惯 只 是 白 搭 ， 因 为 许 多 居 民 睡 的 是 床 ， 进 餐 用 刀 叉 。
Don 就 是 wear ， 表 示 着 衫 或 穿 鞋 。 但 此 字 已 老 旧 ， 十 分 罕 见 。
因 此 ， 你 抄 录 的 句 子 可 译 成 �s
他 入 乡 随 俗 ， 着 黑 色 圆 领 长 袖 运 动 衫 及 运 动 鞋 。
另 有 一 位 署 名 「 心 理 学 系 学 生 」 的 读 者 来 电 邮 指 出 ， 笔 者 将 psychiatrist 说 成 「 心 理 医 生 」 并 不 妥 当 ， 应 为 「 精 神 科 医 生 」 。
事 缘 早 前 有 一 位 读 者 来 电 邮 问 ， 西 片 中 男 角 所 说 的 shrink 是 什 么 意 思 ， 于 是 笔 者 回 答 说 ， 美 国 人 常 说 的 shrink 即 psychiatrist ， 意 为 心 理 医 生 。
须 知 shrink 不 是 正 式 学 术 名 词 ， 若 把 shrink 及 psychiatrist 同 样 说 成 「 精 神 科 医 生 」 ， 就 译 不 出 俚 俗 词 语 的 神 韵 。
事 实 上 ， 北 美 华 人 多 半 把 shrink 说 成 「 心 理 医 生 」 ， 因 此 笔 者 特 意 使 用 这 种 不 太 正 规 的 称 呼 ， 以 区 别 于 正 式 名 称 。
【 明 报 专 讯 】 一 位 署 名 Diana 的 读 者 来 电 邮 说 她 读 到 He went native and donned a black sweatshirt and sneakers 这 样 一 句 句 子 ， 不 甚 明 白 go native 及 don 的 意 思 。
Go native 即 follow the customs of the natives ， 意 为 入 乡 随 俗 ， 例 如 �s
Jack has really gone native since he settled in Hawaii. He wears short pants and aloha shirt.
自 从 住 到 夏 威 夷 之 后 ， 杰 克 已 完 全 入 乡 随 俗 ， 穿 短 裤 和 夏 威 夷 恤 衫 。
Going native is meaningless in Japan for Westerners because many Japanese sleep in beds or eat with knives and forks.
对 西 方 人 而 言 ， 要 在 日 本 模 仿 当 地 风 俗 习 惯 只 是 白 搭 ， 因 为 许 多 居 民 睡 的 是 床 ， 进 餐 用 刀 叉 。
Don 就 是 wear ， 表 示 着 衫 或 穿 鞋 。 但 此 字 已 老 旧 ， 十 分 罕 见 。
因 此 ， 你 抄 录 的 句 子 可 译 成 �s
他 入 乡 随 俗 ， 着 黑 色 圆 领 长 袖 运 动 衫 及 运 动 鞋 。
另 有 一 位 署 名 「 心 理 学 系 学 生 」 的 读 者 来 电 邮 指 出 ， 笔 者 将 psychiatrist 说 成 「 心 理 医 生 」 并 不 妥 当 ， 应 为 「 精 神 科 医 生 」 。
事 缘 早 前 有 一 位 读 者 来 电 邮 问 ， 西 片 中 男 角 所 说 的 shrink 是 什 么 意 思 ， 于 是 笔 者 回 答 说 ， 美 国 人 常 说 的 shrink 即 psychiatrist ， 意 为 心 理 医 生 。
须 知 shrink 不 是 正 式 学 术 名 词 ， 若 把 shrink 及 psychiatrist 同 样 说 成 「 精 神 科 医 生 」 ， 就 译 不 出 俚 俗 词 语 的 神 韵 。
事 实 上 ， 北 美 华 人 多 半 把 shrink 说 成 「 心 理 医 生 」 ， 因 此 笔 者 特 意 使 用 这 种 不 太 正 规 的 称 呼 ， 以 区 别 于 正 式 名 称 。
进退维谷
【 明 报 专 讯 】 一 位 署 名 Sarah 的 读 者 来 电 邮 问 ， He had her up a tree 中 的 up a tree 作 何 解 �t
Up a tree 即 in a very awkward position ， 意 为 陷 入 困 境 ， 例 如 �s
Jack is really up a tree. It is a take-it-or-leave-it proposition, but he can't make up his mind.
杰 克 真 是 进 退 维 谷 ， 此 乃 一 个 二 者 择 一 的 提 议 ， 他 无 法 拿 定 主 意 。
The bank's refusal to offer a loan of $500,000 has left us up a tree.
银 行 拒 绝 借 贷 五 十 万 元 ， 令 到 我 们 极 为 窘 困 。
因 此 ， 你 抄 录 的 句 子 可 译 为 �s
他 给 她 带 来 好 大 麻 烦 。
另 有 一 位 署 名 Maggie 的 读 者 来 电 邮 说 ， 她 想 知 道 ， I lost my father who was lost in Beijing 这 样 一 句 句 子 是 否 有 错 �t
你 抄 录 的 句 子 在 文 法 上 无 错 ， 不 过 逻 辑 上 有 些 问 题 。
你 句 中 第 一 个 lose （ 用 了 过 去 式 lost ） 即 no longer have as a result of death ， 意 为 丧 失 （ 亲 友 等 ） ， 例 如 �s
He lost his mother in a car accident.
他 在 一 次 车 祸 中 失 去 了 母 亲 。
你 句 中 第 二 个 lose （ 用 了 被 动 式 was lost ） 即 fail to find one's way ， 意 为 迷 路 ， 例 如 �s
I was totally lost in the forest.
我 在 森 林 中 完 全 迷 了 路 。
可 是 ， 在 你 的 句 子 中 ， 父 亲 在 北 京 迷 了 路 ， 却 未 进 一 步 述 说 事 情 的 发 展 或 结 果 ， 就 说 他 死 了 （ 我 失 去 了 他 ） ， 意 念 跳 跃 ， 逻 辑 上 稍 有 不 妥 。
【 明 报 专 讯 】 一 位 署 名 Sarah 的 读 者 来 电 邮 问 ， He had her up a tree 中 的 up a tree 作 何 解 �t
Up a tree 即 in a very awkward position ， 意 为 陷 入 困 境 ， 例 如 �s
Jack is really up a tree. It is a take-it-or-leave-it proposition, but he can't make up his mind.
杰 克 真 是 进 退 维 谷 ， 此 乃 一 个 二 者 择 一 的 提 议 ， 他 无 法 拿 定 主 意 。
The bank's refusal to offer a loan of $500,000 has left us up a tree.
银 行 拒 绝 借 贷 五 十 万 元 ， 令 到 我 们 极 为 窘 困 。
因 此 ， 你 抄 录 的 句 子 可 译 为 �s
他 给 她 带 来 好 大 麻 烦 。
另 有 一 位 署 名 Maggie 的 读 者 来 电 邮 说 ， 她 想 知 道 ， I lost my father who was lost in Beijing 这 样 一 句 句 子 是 否 有 错 �t
你 抄 录 的 句 子 在 文 法 上 无 错 ， 不 过 逻 辑 上 有 些 问 题 。
你 句 中 第 一 个 lose （ 用 了 过 去 式 lost ） 即 no longer have as a result of death ， 意 为 丧 失 （ 亲 友 等 ） ， 例 如 �s
He lost his mother in a car accident.
他 在 一 次 车 祸 中 失 去 了 母 亲 。
你 句 中 第 二 个 lose （ 用 了 被 动 式 was lost ） 即 fail to find one's way ， 意 为 迷 路 ， 例 如 �s
I was totally lost in the forest.
我 在 森 林 中 完 全 迷 了 路 。
可 是 ， 在 你 的 句 子 中 ， 父 亲 在 北 京 迷 了 路 ， 却 未 进 一 步 述 说 事 情 的 发 展 或 结 果 ， 就 说 他 死 了 （ 我 失 去 了 他 ） ， 意 念 跳 跃 ， 逻 辑 上 稍 有 不 妥 。
毁于一炬
【 明 报 专 讯 】 一 位 署 名 Jenny 的 读 者 来 电 邮 说 她 不 甚 明 白 damage 、 destroy 、 demolish 、 hurt 的 差 别 ， 常 有 混 淆 。
Damage 即 cause harm or loss to ， 意 为 损 坏 ， 主 要 指 物 质 损 失 ， 有 时 亦 可 用 作 借 喻 ， 例 如 �s
An earthquake may damage buildings.
地 震 或 会 损 坏 楼 宇 。
Set a good example to the others, otherwise your prestige will be damaged.
要 作 出 表 率 ， 否 则 有 损 威 信 。
Destroy 即 completely ruin ， 意 为 破 坏 殆 尽 ， 常 指 物 质 损 毁 ， 有 时 亦 可 用 作 借 喻 ， 例 如 �s
The building was completely destroyed by fire.
该 建 筑 物 毁 于 一 炬 。
This new evidence will destroy his argument.
此 项 新 证 据 将 推 翻 他 的 论 证 。
Demolish 即 destroy 或 pull or tear down ， 意 为 摧 毁 ， 或 拆 毁 ， 常 以 猛 烈 而 短 暂 的 动 作 来 达 成 ， 例 如 �s
The car was demolished in collision.
汽 车 撞 坏 了 。
Hurt 即 harm ， 或 injure ， 或 cause physical or mental pain to ， 意 为 损 害 ， 或 （ 身 体 或 精 神 上 ） 伤 害 ， 例 如 �s
He was badly hurt in the accident.
他 在 该 意 外 中 受 重 伤 。
【 明 报 专 讯 】 一 位 署 名 Jenny 的 读 者 来 电 邮 说 她 不 甚 明 白 damage 、 destroy 、 demolish 、 hurt 的 差 别 ， 常 有 混 淆 。
Damage 即 cause harm or loss to ， 意 为 损 坏 ， 主 要 指 物 质 损 失 ， 有 时 亦 可 用 作 借 喻 ， 例 如 �s
An earthquake may damage buildings.
地 震 或 会 损 坏 楼 宇 。
Set a good example to the others, otherwise your prestige will be damaged.
要 作 出 表 率 ， 否 则 有 损 威 信 。
Destroy 即 completely ruin ， 意 为 破 坏 殆 尽 ， 常 指 物 质 损 毁 ， 有 时 亦 可 用 作 借 喻 ， 例 如 �s
The building was completely destroyed by fire.
该 建 筑 物 毁 于 一 炬 。
This new evidence will destroy his argument.
此 项 新 证 据 将 推 翻 他 的 论 证 。
Demolish 即 destroy 或 pull or tear down ， 意 为 摧 毁 ， 或 拆 毁 ， 常 以 猛 烈 而 短 暂 的 动 作 来 达 成 ， 例 如 �s
The car was demolished in collision.
汽 车 撞 坏 了 。
Hurt 即 harm ， 或 injure ， 或 cause physical or mental pain to ， 意 为 损 害 ， 或 （ 身 体 或 精 神 上 ） 伤 害 ， 例 如 �s
He was badly hurt in the accident.
他 在 该 意 外 中 受 重 伤 。
Monday, July 07, 2003
Lin Yutang: �The Little Critic�
----Book Review of With Love & Irony
Lin Yutang, a famous but forgotten name in Chinese society, has been a well-known writer among English readers from the Western world ever since his publications of My Country and My Men and The Importance of Living. His fame topped when he was nominated for the Nobel Prize for his work A Moment in Peking, which vividly describes the living of a middle class home in Peking throughout the unstable times from the collapse of the Qing Dynasty to the Anti-Japanese War. Lin Yutang, as he self-describes, is a �mix of contradictions�. So is reflected in his works. In A Moment in Peking he is a Confucius, who cares for the miseries of his countrymen, while in My Country and My Men and The Importance of Living he is a Taoist, who prefers to step back into the stage curtains and take a sarcastic but all-encompassing view of life. He once wrote essays for a column called �The Little Critic� in Nanjing during the rule of the Nationalists to criticize those in power but with witty styles so as not to cause anger in certain persons and to disclose life in ordinary people with a persuasive but calm heart so as not to disturb people�s lives. The book With Love & Irony is such a collection of critical but humorous essays written during that period.
He has a good opinion of what Englishmen and Chinese are like. He writes that the English and the Chinese are both nations which would not loose common sense to pure logical reasoning. He compares the two nations with the German and the Japanese, which were then at war with other nations. Englishmen would always maintain their own way of living even in a most remote place as the African desert or the Amazon jungles. They are so confident in themselves that they believe what they do should not and could not be otherwise wrong. For example, they have such firm confidence in their English banks that it won�t go bankrupt just because they believe so. That is the reason why the Bank of England was left with its name untouched even after it was acquired by HSBC in the last century. While the English stubbornness represents a masculine style the Chinese vagueness deals with life in a feminine way. Chinese are good at holding back their opinions and thus bad at drawing comparisons. A is good but B seems just not bad, maybe from a different viewpoint, better. �Action without thinking may be foolish, but action without common sense is always disastrous�.
Besides his humor, his sarcasm is expressed explicitly when he talks about nudism. He first confesses he sees no harm nudism could bring to people. Then he adds that he is a �reasonable� nudist �at certain hours and in certain circumstances�. He would like the fresh air to touch his naked body in his bathroom well protected from neighbor�s peeping eyes but hates the idea of walking down the street disclosing the skin that is mother-given. So is he discussing being a vegetarian. He stresses being reasonable rather than being principle considering only eating vegetables. No point in refusing blood-sticking beefsteak paying every mercy to the cattle slaughtered while turning a blind eye on the thousands being killed or starved to death every day around the world.
This book With Love & Irony is thus a making of his wisdom, fearlessness and unaffected commentary delivered with sparkling humor. Featured by ranging aspects of daily life to the fascinating insight of the social and political scene at that time, some essays of this book are untimely that we may get amazed that much of his observations recorded in the 1930�s are still valid and relevant today. Lin Yutang, the little critic, is such a genius but who took to ordinary life so much that he is a true life philosopher who merely lived, observed life and went away, leaving behind piles of books in which stored his great but plain spirits for us to experience and through them explore our true inner selves.
----Book Review of With Love & Irony
Lin Yutang, a famous but forgotten name in Chinese society, has been a well-known writer among English readers from the Western world ever since his publications of My Country and My Men and The Importance of Living. His fame topped when he was nominated for the Nobel Prize for his work A Moment in Peking, which vividly describes the living of a middle class home in Peking throughout the unstable times from the collapse of the Qing Dynasty to the Anti-Japanese War. Lin Yutang, as he self-describes, is a �mix of contradictions�. So is reflected in his works. In A Moment in Peking he is a Confucius, who cares for the miseries of his countrymen, while in My Country and My Men and The Importance of Living he is a Taoist, who prefers to step back into the stage curtains and take a sarcastic but all-encompassing view of life. He once wrote essays for a column called �The Little Critic� in Nanjing during the rule of the Nationalists to criticize those in power but with witty styles so as not to cause anger in certain persons and to disclose life in ordinary people with a persuasive but calm heart so as not to disturb people�s lives. The book With Love & Irony is such a collection of critical but humorous essays written during that period.
He has a good opinion of what Englishmen and Chinese are like. He writes that the English and the Chinese are both nations which would not loose common sense to pure logical reasoning. He compares the two nations with the German and the Japanese, which were then at war with other nations. Englishmen would always maintain their own way of living even in a most remote place as the African desert or the Amazon jungles. They are so confident in themselves that they believe what they do should not and could not be otherwise wrong. For example, they have such firm confidence in their English banks that it won�t go bankrupt just because they believe so. That is the reason why the Bank of England was left with its name untouched even after it was acquired by HSBC in the last century. While the English stubbornness represents a masculine style the Chinese vagueness deals with life in a feminine way. Chinese are good at holding back their opinions and thus bad at drawing comparisons. A is good but B seems just not bad, maybe from a different viewpoint, better. �Action without thinking may be foolish, but action without common sense is always disastrous�.
Besides his humor, his sarcasm is expressed explicitly when he talks about nudism. He first confesses he sees no harm nudism could bring to people. Then he adds that he is a �reasonable� nudist �at certain hours and in certain circumstances�. He would like the fresh air to touch his naked body in his bathroom well protected from neighbor�s peeping eyes but hates the idea of walking down the street disclosing the skin that is mother-given. So is he discussing being a vegetarian. He stresses being reasonable rather than being principle considering only eating vegetables. No point in refusing blood-sticking beefsteak paying every mercy to the cattle slaughtered while turning a blind eye on the thousands being killed or starved to death every day around the world.
This book With Love & Irony is thus a making of his wisdom, fearlessness and unaffected commentary delivered with sparkling humor. Featured by ranging aspects of daily life to the fascinating insight of the social and political scene at that time, some essays of this book are untimely that we may get amazed that much of his observations recorded in the 1930�s are still valid and relevant today. Lin Yutang, the little critic, is such a genius but who took to ordinary life so much that he is a true life philosopher who merely lived, observed life and went away, leaving behind piles of books in which stored his great but plain spirits for us to experience and through them explore our true inner selves.
"Globalisation' is not simply to shape ourselves into the forms recognized by others or simply import the forms overseas and put them on ourselves. By doing so we would easily loose our self-confidence through constantly criticising on our own customs and our own habits for their not originating from foreign cultures when we are so deeply admiring the ways of life by the American, the English and the French and etc. Globalisation, unlike what most of us hold in their beliefs, is the possibility to maintain and, more importantly, express our cultures to the rest of the world in a way that is GLOBALLY accepted. Anything concerning transforming or abandoning our culture or anything anti 'globalisation' is no real globalisation but a lack of self-confidence and knowledge in itself.
Monday, June 16, 2003
闻问切
受疫症之苦
【 明 报 专 讯 】 一 位 Chan 姓 读 者 来 电 邮 说 ， 他 想 知 道 afflict 和 inflict 之 间 的 不 同 。
Afflict 有 令 人 受 苦 的 意 思 ， 在 句 子 中 常 以 被 动 态 形 式 出 现 ， 例 如 �s
She is afflicted with SARS.
她 受 沙 士 （ 非 典 型 肺 炎 ） 疫 症 之 苦 。
Inflict 与 afflict 意 思 近 似 ， 表 示 将 痛 苦 、 惩 罚 或 麻 烦 等 施 加 于 人 ， 例 如 �s
The father inflicted a punishment on the boy for not doing his homework.
父 亲 因 男 孩 不 做 功 课 而 处 罚 他 。
此 二 字 的 区 别 在 于 ， afflict 所 施 的 动 作 是 无 法 控 制 的 ， 而 inflict 的 动 作 可 控 制 。 在 本 例 中 ， 父 亲 可 以 处 罪 儿 子 ， 也 可 不 处 罚 ， 即 是 可 控 制 的 。
受疫症之苦
【 明 报 专 讯 】 一 位 Chan 姓 读 者 来 电 邮 说 ， 他 想 知 道 afflict 和 inflict 之 间 的 不 同 。
Afflict 有 令 人 受 苦 的 意 思 ， 在 句 子 中 常 以 被 动 态 形 式 出 现 ， 例 如 �s
She is afflicted with SARS.
她 受 沙 士 （ 非 典 型 肺 炎 ） 疫 症 之 苦 。
Inflict 与 afflict 意 思 近 似 ， 表 示 将 痛 苦 、 惩 罚 或 麻 烦 等 施 加 于 人 ， 例 如 �s
The father inflicted a punishment on the boy for not doing his homework.
父 亲 因 男 孩 不 做 功 课 而 处 罚 他 。
此 二 字 的 区 别 在 于 ， afflict 所 施 的 动 作 是 无 法 控 制 的 ， 而 inflict 的 动 作 可 控 制 。 在 本 例 中 ， 父 亲 可 以 处 罪 儿 子 ， 也 可 不 处 罚 ， 即 是 可 控 制 的 。
Saturday, June 14, 2003
cluster a group of
defunct cease to function
itinerary a planned traveling route
steely determined
spawn cause to happen
wrath anger
mantra a Buddist chant for calming
swamp flood
chronic severe for a long duration
dyke thick flood prevention wall/substitute for 'lesbian'
fare well perform well
ramification unseen consequences
muster gather
wield in possession of power
garner collect
vicious circle bad things that trigger each other
ensue happen immediately after
promulgate constitute something important
suffice be enough
token gesture deed that is done just for showing sincerity
absurd ridiculous and nonsense
subvention assistance and support
knock-on effect effect that follows immediately afterwards
wail painful cry
Band-Aid superficially curing method
defunct cease to function
itinerary a planned traveling route
steely determined
spawn cause to happen
wrath anger
mantra a Buddist chant for calming
swamp flood
chronic severe for a long duration
dyke thick flood prevention wall/substitute for 'lesbian'
fare well perform well
ramification unseen consequences
muster gather
wield in possession of power
garner collect
vicious circle bad things that trigger each other
ensue happen immediately after
promulgate constitute something important
suffice be enough
token gesture deed that is done just for showing sincerity
absurd ridiculous and nonsense
subvention assistance and support
knock-on effect effect that follows immediately afterwards
wail painful cry
Band-Aid superficially curing method
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