英文的學習不能等

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by Jerri Graham

As Harry Potter's beloved pet, Hedwig, a Snowy owl, is probably the most famous bird in the world. Snowy owls are just one of the more than 200 species of owls. Owls _(1)_ size and can be as little as the 31-gram Elf owl and as large as the Blakiston's Fish Owl, which can weigh almost five kilograms. Owls are actually very different from other birds.

Owls are nocturnal animals, which means that they sleep during the day and hunt at night. They are known both for their unique call, or hoot, and their extremely good sight. They use these features to navigate and hunt in the dark. They are far-sighted and use this vision to track and target their prey _(2)_ a distance.

_(3)_ pigeons and sparrows can exist on seeds and grains, this would not satisfy most owls. Instead, they prefer to eat small mammals such as moles, mice, and rabbits. _(4)_ these warm-blooded creatures, they will also feed on insects and other birds when hunger strikes. Like other birds of prey, owls have sharp beaks and claws that they use to tear their food to pieces before eating it.

Sometimes they do swallow larger chunks of bone, feathers, and other things that are indigestible. What their bodies don't digest is thrown up _(5)_ owl pellets. These lumps of bone and other bits are collected because they are _(6)_ for studying the habits and diet of owls.

Owls serve man by _(7)_ some of the pests that would make life unbearable. Protecting their habitat is, in a sense, a way of protecting our own.

1. (A) vary in (B) range from (C) cover up (D) yield to
2. (A) upon (B) beyond (C) from (D) among
3. (A) Since (B) Whether (C) Unless (D) While
4. (A) Except for (B) In addition to (C) Rather than (D) In spite of
5. (A) in the form of (B) for the sake of (C) at the sight of (D) on the verge of
6. (A) costless (B) invalid (C) worthless (D) invaluable
7. (A) promoting (B) eliminating (C) attracting (D) neglecting

                                        (德國體操選手Marcel Nguyen)

喇叭手與戰俘

出處：伊索寓言

解說者：張哲嘉

‧小小啟發：

鼓動人的言語，往往更勝武器。

‧英文原文：

A Trumpeter during a battle ventured too near the enemy and was captured by them. They were about to proceed to put him to death when he begged them to hear his plea for mercy. "I do not fight," said he, "and indeed carry no weapon; I only blow this
trumpet, and surely that cannot harm you; then why should you kill me?"

"You may not fight yourself," said the others, "but you encourage and guide your men to the fight."

The moral is that： Words may be deeds. 

Signing up for Community College　社區大學初體驗-3

[Two days later, Jennifer comes home.]

Jennifer:　Hey, Billy. I found out some cool 1)info.
Billy:　OK. 2)Inform me.
Jennifer:　The Los Angeles Community College offers four levels of Korean and the teacher is a woman.
Billy:　Cool. If I took all four levels would I get some sort of degree?
Jennifer:　You could get an 3)Associate`s degree in Korean, yes.
Billy:　Right on. But what kind of 4)reputation does their program have?
Jennifer:　Pretty good, I hear. People say it`s just as good as the one at UCLA and 5)credits transfer to UCLA.
Billy:　What about the price? It should be cheaper to take classes at the community college

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Once upon a time, an old man lived by himself up in the mountains above a village. His wife had died of a terrible illness years before and everyone thought he was very lonely. All of the townspeople liked the old man. He was very friendly with everyone whenever he came down and fetched supplies to care for his garden. Sometimes people from the town would come up to visit the old man. They also expressed their sympathy for him because his son went so far away to study. They were even concerned about whether his son would ever return to their humble village.

The old man, a firm believer in fate, would give them a simple answer, "Everything always works out in the end." The old man would thank the people for worrying about him. Then he would explain to them that everything in the universe affects everything else. If something was meant to be, then it was meant to be.

    (一次五位)

Signing up for Community College　社區大學初體驗-1

Jennifer:　I miss being a student so much. But I love my job, too.
Billy:　Well, you can’t have everything.
Jennifer:　Why not? I was thinking of taking some classes at a community college.
Billy:　What? That’s where all the 1)reject students are. Why would you want to do that?
Jennifer:　That’s simply not true. A lot of people go to community college to study what they are interested in… for fun.
Billy:　Study and fun, now that’s a 2)contradiction in itself.

B)
Jennifer:　Think about it. Didn’t you always want to study music? You could, at community college without worrying about grades.
Billy:　I never thought about it. I guess you’re right. Actually, I’d like to study Korean.
Jennifer:　There you go. And I’d like to study art and theater. A community college is the best place for that.

英文面試時，如何談論未來的生涯規畫

談到未來的生涯規畫時最好不要講得太明白。舉例來說，若面試官問你對未來有什麼樣的生涯規畫，你卻回答你計畫三年後暫時放下工作去攻讀碩士學位或者生小孩，對方可能覺得你在公司只會待三年，便決定不僱用你了。所以，談到未來生涯的時候只要講基本的願望和大概的期望即可，不需要講得過於具體。

現在我們就來看看職場新手Kevin和職場老手Daisy如何談論未來的生涯規畫吧。

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by Rachel Black

For ages, sailors have said that it is good luck to see dolphins swimming alongside boats. Their presence meant that land was near, which would be vital information if a boat and her crew were in danger. Some dolphins have even protected shipwrecked sailors from sharks. It is no wonder that these unique and fascinating creatures have long been known as our friends.

You may think dolphins are fish, but they are actually mammals. They are related to whales and porpoises, and they evolved around 10 million years ago. Dolphins breathe air, give birth to live young, and feed them milk. They are social animals, living together in groups called pods or schools that range in size of up to 12. In places rich in food, many schools can combine together to form pods of up to 1,000 dolphins.

Dolphins are thought to be intelligent animals because of their playfulness, curiosity, and quick ability to learn. They seem to communicate with each other through a combination of squeaks, whistles, and clicks. While scientists don't know what they are going on about, it is thought that dolphins are telling each other that food is nearby, or warning each other of approaching danger. Dolphins use sonar to discover an object's size, shape, and location. By sending out a series of clicks and receiving the echo that bounces off the object, they can differentiate between a shark and a boat.

Unfortunately, dolphins have faced increasing danger in recent years. Fishermen in pursuit of profitable tuna may accidentally trap dolphins in their nets, killing them in the process. These intelligent mammals of the sea deserve our protection and respect.

英文原文：

An Eagle was soaring through the air when suddenly it heard the whizz of an Arrow, and felt itself wounded to death. Slowly it fluttered down to the earth, with its life-blood pouring out of it. Looking down upon the Arrow with which it had been pierced, it found that the shaft of the Arrow had been feathered with one of its own plumes. "Alas!" it cried, as it died,

The moral is that： "We often give our enemies the means for our own destruction."

  (呂佳宜  緯來)  

Let's travel abroad　帶自己去旅行！-4

[At the gift shop]
Gina:　Since we're here so early, let's shop. Maybe we should get a gift for your classmate in Miami.
Jeff:　It totally slipped my mind. We can't show up 1)empty-handed.
Gina:　And we should give him something 2)authentically Taiwanese.
Jeff:　What about this Oolong tea? Now that's something I doubt he'll get in Miami.
Gina:　Chinese tea has really 3)taken off in the US. It's all over the place.
Jeff:　Dried 4)shredded pork? No, wait… he's a vegetarian like you.
Gina:　I think this is perfect - the taro cakes. Here, try a 5)sample.
Jeff:　Wow. I'm going to get two boxes.
Gina:　Sure. Just make sure you're the one who's going to 6)lug it around. Here, get a bottle of this toner for his wife.
Jeff:　Sure. And a couple of bottles of plum wine!

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In 1948, the Drexel Institute of Technology in America got a call from a local storeowner asking for help. He wanted the school to invent a machine that would help keep track of inventory as well as speed up the checkout process. Drexel asked two of their brightest students, Joe Woodland and Bernard Silver, to find a solution. 

Woodland was fascinated by this problem and his idea was to use ultraviolet ink. He had difficulty with the first model because it was unstable and expensive. In 1952, the team came up with a new method and a patent was approved. The first barcode looked like a bull's-eye and was made up of many small circles. The barcode we know and see today looks very different; however, its purpose is still the same. When a barcode is scanned, data is collected and the product is immediately identified. The first product to have a barcode on it was a pack of Wrigley's gum. Today, that pack of gum is on display at the National Museum of American History.