字神帝國英語天地

❖ 1. to lead a dog's life 形容人過著貧困潦倒、慘不忍睹的生活
Tom’s been leading a dog's life since he got divorced。
➛湯姆自離婚後一直過著混沌潦倒的日子。

↝ 對於沒有方向感的人來說，東南西北都沒有意義，他們只知道左和右，而且，有的時候還可能把左右給搞反。
他們出門的時候，完全聽從導航的安排，哪怕路線是錯的，也得聽。因為別的路線，他們也不知道。
在英語裡，他們是directionally-challenged people，在停車場找不到自己的車，也是有可能的。
　　
↝ The term directionally-challenged can be used to describe:
1. Someone who has difficulty determining right from left,
2. Someone who often confuses directions, and prefers visual aids,
3. Someone who has great difficulty reading maps and/or driving while listening to directions.
沒有方向感（directionally-challenged）多用來形容以下這三種人：
1. 分不清左右的人，
2. 分不清方向，需要視覺輔助指路的人，
3. 看不懂地圖、聽不懂導航的人。
　　
↝ 如果你身邊也有這樣沒有方向感的人，那麼他們對下面這些場景可能會覺得很熟悉。
15 Problems All Directionally Challenged People Can Relate To
沒有方向感的人感同身受的15個難處
✏ 1. When someone’s trying to give you directions and you’re all, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
有人給你指路的時候，你完全一副“我不知道你在說啥”的樣子。
✏ 2. Having to turn a map the “proper direction” in order to be able to read it.
需要把地圖調轉到“合適的方向”才能看懂。
✏ 3. “Wait, which way is East again?”
“等會兒，哪邊是東邊來著？”
So is that a left or a right?
往左還是往右？
✏ 4. When everyone’s like, “You can’t miss it!”
每個人都說”你不會找不到的！”
Um, yes I can.
呃，可我就是找不到啊。
✏ 5. When not being able to find your car in the parking lot becomes a regular occurrence.
到了停車場，時常會找不到自己的車。
Dude, where’s my car?
嘿，我的車呢？
✏ 6. When you’re pretty sure your iPhone Maps is drunk.
你覺得你的iPhone地圖肯定是喝醉了。
✏ 7. When your friends know they need to give you special directions in order to meet up with them.
你的朋友都知道給你指路的時候得用特殊的辦法，你才能找到他們。
✏ 8. When you realize you’ve been driving in the wrong direction for the past hour.
當你意識到過去一個小時你都在往錯的方向開。
✏ 9. When you have absolutely no idea which way to turn coming out of an elevator.
從電梯裡出來完全不知道該往哪邊走。
✏ 10. When you still get lost trying to find your classes… and it’s halfway through the semester.
過了半學期了，還是找不到自己上課的教室...
✏ 11. When your GPS takes you to the wrong location.
被GPS帶到不知名的地方。
✏ 12. When trying to read a store directory makes you feel mentally challenged.
看不懂商場裡的佈局圖。
✏ 13. Missing a turn, like, 20 times. Swearing you’ll pay more attention next time around.
錯過轉彎出口差不多20次。發誓下一次一定要多留神。
✏ 14. When your 3 mile hike accidentally turns into a 9 mile hike…
計畫徒步3英里，結果走了9英里...
✏ 15. And when you’ll blindly follow your GPS no matter what it tells you.
GPS說怎麼走就怎麼走。

女  

研究：你真正的朋友只有5個

☛ 今天主要以星巴克為例。在星巴克，輪到你點咖啡時，店員首先會問你的名字。如果你本來的名字不好拼，你可以隨便說個 Mike 或 Amy 即可。待會兒你咖啡好了，店員就會叫那個名字。
在具體點多大杯的咖啡時，星巴克有一套自己的術語，從小到大依次為：Tall（中杯）, Grande（大杯）, Venti（超大杯）, 以及 Trenta（最後這個主要是冷飲）據說最後這個杯型的容量比正常人的胃容量還要大，所以各位客官在點Trenta的時候要慎之又慎呐~
當然，你也可以直接說：small, medium, large, 或 extra-large，店員肯定也是聽得懂的。

一位旅外念書人員的親身經歷，讀大學時，每天中午聽寫VOA special 一小時，一年後從進大學時戰戰兢兢到專業前十名，與老外談笑風生，只用一年。

【給想增加聽力的你：超過七百本免費語音書】
over 700 free audio books

炎炎夏日就要到了，除了防曬霜、冰淇淋，夏天還能讓你聯想起什麼呢？今天咱們就一起來看看英文中與“夏天”有關的表達。
✿ high summer 盛夏/仲夏，也可以指鼎盛時期，全盛時期
That was the high summer of English Literature.

荷蘭科學家溫室種太空蔬菜

1. Every little helps.
❖[字面意思]每一小部分都有説明。
❖[解釋]點點滴滴，有其助益。一顆顆糧食堆成山，一塊塊銅板成千萬。偏遠地區的孩子沒學上，我們有義務幫助他們。希望大家多支持，捐錢、捐書、捐鉛筆，什麼都行。多捐多感謝、少捐也不嫌，Every little helps。
2. Good wine needs no bush.

🍴想讓難吃的東西變好吃？你需要的是一把神奇的叉子🍴

🍴想讓難吃的東西變好吃？你需要的是一把神奇的叉子🍴

London receptionist 'sent home for not wearing heels
　　
◕ A London receptionist was sent home from work after refusing to wear high heels, it has emerged.
近日，一名倫敦接待員因拒穿高跟鞋而被打發回家。
Temp worker Nicola Thorp, 27, from Hackney, arrived at finance company PwC to be told she had to wear shoes with a "2in to 4in heel".
來自倫敦東部哈克尼區的27歲臨時工尼古拉•索普到金融公司PwC（普華永道）上班，卻被告知她必須穿鞋跟高度在2英寸到4英寸的高跟鞋。
When she refused and complained male colleagues were not asked to do the same, she was sent home without pay.
當她拒穿高跟鞋並抱怨公司沒有對男同事做出同樣要求時，公司一分錢沒給就把她打發回家了。
　　
◕ Ms Thorp said she would have struggled to work a full day in high heels and had asked to wear the smart flat shoes she had worn to the office in Embankment.
索普女士說，穿高跟鞋工作一整天太痛苦，所以她要求穿自己在堤壩站的工作地點穿的時髦的平底鞋。
But instead she was told she should go and buy a pair of heels on her first day, back in December.
然而，在去年12月份她上班的第一天，她卻被告知她應該去買一雙高跟鞋來穿。
"I said 'if you can give me a reason as to why wearing flats would impair me to do my job today, then fair enough', but they couldn't," Ms Thorp told BBC.
索普女士告訴BBC說：“我說‘如果你們能給我一個理由，告訴我為什麼穿平底鞋會妨礙我今天做我的工作，那我才服氣’，但是他們說不出理由。”
　　
◕ "I was expected to do a nine-hour shift on my feet escorting clients to meeting rooms. I said 'I just won't be able to do that in heels'."
“我本來要走來走去地值9個小時的班，陪同客戶到會議室去。我說‘我穿高跟鞋沒法站那麼久’。”
Ms Thorp said she asked if a man would be expected to do the same shift in heels, and was laughed at.
索普女士說，她當時發問，公司是否也指望一個男人穿著高跟鞋來值同樣的班，結果被嘲笑了。
She then spoke to friends about what had happened, and after posting on Facebook realised that other women had found themselves in the same position.
她把發生的事情告訴了朋友，還在Facebook上發帖，這時她才意識到其他女性的處境也和她一樣。
She has since set up a petition calling for the law to be changed so women cannot be forced to wear high heels to work. It has had more than 10,000 signatures, so the government will now have to respond.
從那以後她就發起了一個請願活動，要求修改法律，讓女性不必被迫穿高跟鞋上班。請願書上的簽名已經超過1萬個，所以政府現在不得不做出回應。
　　
◕ As the law stands, employers can dismiss staff who fail to live up to "reasonable" dress code demands, as long as they've been given enough time to buy the right shoes and clothes.
根據現行法律，雇主可以解雇不遵守“合理”的著裝規範的員工，只要給了他們足夠的時間去購買合適的鞋子和衣服。
They can set up different codes for men and women, as long as there's an "equivalent level of smartness".
公司可以給男性和女性設定不同的著裝規範，只要男女著裝“同樣精神”就行。
"I think dress codes should reflect society and nowadays women can be smart and formal and wear flat shoes." Ms Thorp said.
索普女士說：“我認為著裝規範應該反映出社會環境，現如今女性穿平底鞋也可以時髦又正式。”
"Aside from the debilitating factor, it's the sexism issue. I think companies shouldn't be forcing that on their female employees."
“除了穿高跟鞋折磨人之外，還有性別歧視問題。我認為公司不應該強迫女員工穿高跟鞋。”
　　
【Vocabulary】
◆ temp worker: 臨時工
◆ debilitate: 使衰弱；使虛弱

生活中有太多事會讓人鬱悶。有時鬱悶已經不管用，只有徹底爆發才能釋放你的憤怒。用上下面的習語，讓你的狂飆力MAX。
➾ 1. go bananas 發瘋;發狂
I'll go bananas if you ask me that question one more time.

“寶寶不開心”英文怎說？

📖應該多讀書的12個理由📖

　
heart 表情符號 1. mother hen 關心他人冷暖的人；婆婆媽媽的人
Sandhu is like a mother hen, catering to the students' every need.
➛桑德胡就像個媽媽桑一樣，滿足學生們的各種需求。

1、《My Blueberry Nights》
一個人總要走陌生的路，看陌生的風景，聽陌生的歌，然後在某個不經意的瞬間，你會發現，原本是費盡心機想要忘記的事情真的就那麼忘記了。
❧ One is always on a strange road, watching strange scenery and listening to strange music. Then one day, you will find that the things you try hard to forget are already gone.
　　
2、《Up》
幸福，不是長生不老，不是大魚大肉，不是權傾朝野。幸福是每一個微小的生活願望達成。當你想吃的時候有得吃，想被愛的時候有人來愛你。
❧ Happiness is not about being immortal nor having food or rights in one's hand. It’s about having each tiny wish come true, or having something to eat when you are hungry or having someone's love when you need love.
　　
3、《When Harry Met Sally》
愛情是燈，友情是影子，當燈滅了，你會發現你的周圍都是影子。朋友，是在最後可以給你力量的人。
❧ Love is a lamp, while friendship is the shadow. When the lamp is off, you will find the shadow everywhere. Friend is who can give you strength at last.
　　
4、《Edward Scissorhands》
我愛你不是因為你是誰，而是我在你面前可以是誰。
❧ I love you not for who you are, but for who I am with you.
　　
5、《If Only》
舉得起放得下的叫舉重，舉得起放不下的叫負重。可惜，大多數人的愛情，都是負重的。
❧ If you can hold something up and put it down, it is called weight-lifting; if you can hold something up but can never put it down, it's called burden-bearing. Pitifully, most of people are bearing heavy burdens when they are in love.
　　
6、《The Bridges of Madison County》
我們每個人都生活在各自的過去中，人們會用一分鐘的時間去認識一個人，用一小時的時間去喜歡一個人，再用一天的時間去愛上一個人，到最後呢，卻要用一輩子的時間去忘記一個人。
❧ We all live in the past. We take a minute to know someone, one hour to like someone, and one day to love someone, but the whole life to forget someone.
　　
7、《Titanic》
一個人一生可以愛上很多的人，等你獲得真正屬於你的幸福之後，你就會明白一起的傷痛其實是一種財富，它讓你學會更好地去把握和珍惜你愛的人。
❧ One may fall in love with many people during the lifetime. When you finally get your own happiness, you will understand the previous sadness is kind of treasure, which makes you better to hold and cherish the people you love.
　　
8、《50 First Dates》
年輕的時候會想要談很多次戀愛，但是隨著年齡的增長，終於領悟到愛一個人，就算用一輩子的時間，還是會嫌不夠。慢慢地去瞭解這個人，體諒這個人，直到愛上為止，是需要有非常寬大的胸襟才行。
❧ When you are young, you may want several love experiences. But as time goes on, you will realize that if you really love someone, the whole life will not be enough. You need time to know, to forgive and to love. All this needs a very big mind.
　　
9、《The Odd Couple》
當明天變成了今天成為了昨天，最後成為記憶裡不再重要的某一天，我們突然發現自己在不知不覺中已被時間推著向前走，這不是靜止火車裡，與相鄰列車交錯時，彷彿自己在前進的錯覺，而是我們真實的在成長，在這件事裡成了另一個自己。
❧ When tomorrow turns in today, yesterday, and someday that no more important in your memory, we suddenly realize that we r pushed forward by time. This is not a train in still in which you may feel forward when another train goes by. It is the truth that we've all grown up. And we become different.
　　
10、《Dear John》
離開我就別安慰我，要知道每一次縫補也會遭遇穿刺的痛。
❧ If you leave me, please don't comfort me because each sewing has to meet stinging pain.
　　
11、《Sleepless in Seattle》
我喜歡並習慣了對變化的東西保持著距離，這樣才會知道什麼是最不會被時間拋棄的準則。比如愛一個人，充滿變數，我於是後退一步，靜靜的看著，直到看見真誠的感情。
❧ I love and am used to keeping a distance with those changed things. Only in this way can I know what will not be abandoned by time. For example, when you love someone, changes are all around. Then I step backward and watching it silently, then I see the true feelings.
　　
12、《Melody》
好的愛情是你通過一個人看到整個世界，壞的愛情是你為了一個人捨棄世界。
❧ Good love makes you see the whole world from one person while bad love makes you abandon the whole world for one person.
　　
13、《Cold Mountain》
在自己面前，應該一直留有一個地方，獨自留在那裡。然後去愛。不知道是什麼，不知道是誰，不知道如何去愛，也不知道可以愛多久。只是等待一次愛情，也許永遠都沒有人。可是，這種等待，就是愛情本身。
❧ We shall always save a place for ourselves, only for ourselves. And then begin to love. Have no idea of what it is, who he is, how to love or how long it will be. Just wait for one love. Maybe no one will come out, but this kind of waiting is the love itself.
　　
14、《Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain》
有誰不曾為那暗戀而痛苦？我們總以為那份癡情很重，很重，是世上最重的重量。有一天，暮然回首，我們才發現，它一直都是很輕，很輕的。我們以為愛得很深，很深，來日歲月，會讓你知道，它不過很淺，很淺。最深和最重的愛，必須和時日一起成長。
❧ Is there anyone who hasn't suffered for the secret love? We always think that love is very heavy, heavy and could be the heaviest thing in the world. But one day, when you look back, you suddenly realize that it's always light, light. We all thought love was very deep, but in fact it's very thin. The deepest and heaviest love must grow up with the time.
　　
15、《The English Patient》
一段不被接受的愛情，需要的不是傷心，而是時間，一段可以用來遺忘的時間。一顆被深深傷了的心，需要的不是同情，而是明白。
❧ An unacceptable love needs no sorrow but time- sometime for forgetting. A badly-hurt heart needs no sympathy but understanding.
　　
16、《The Curious Case of Benjamin Button》
我知道這世上有人在等我，儘管我不知道我在等誰。但是因為這樣，我每天都非常快樂。
❧ I know someone in the world is waiting for me, although I've no idea of who he is. But I feel happy every day for this.
　　
17、《The Notebook》
一生至少該有一次，為了某個人而忘了自己，不求有結果，不求同行，不求曾經擁有，甚至不求你愛我。只求在我最美的年華裡，遇到你。
❧ In your life, there will at least one time that you forget yourself for someone, asking for no result, no company, no ownership nor love. Just ask for meeting you in my most beautiful years.
　　
18、《Forrest Gump》
我不覺得人的心智成熟是越來越寬容涵蓋，什麼都可以接受。相反，我覺得那應該是一個逐漸剔除的過程，知道自己最重要的是什麼，知道不重要的東西是什麼。而後，做一個純簡的人。
❧ I don't think that when people grow up, they will become more broad-minded and can accept everything. Conversely, I think it's a selecting process, knowing what's the most important and what's the least. And then be a simple man.
　　
19、《A Room with a View》
當你的心真的在痛，眼淚快要流下來的時候，那就趕快抬頭看看，這片曾經屬於我們的天空;當天依舊是那麼的廣闊，雲依舊那麼的瀟灑，那就不應該哭，因為我的離去，並沒有帶走你的世界。
❧ When you feel hurt and your tears are gonna to drop. Please look up and have a look at the sky once belongs to us. If the sky is still vast , clouds are still clear, you shall not cry because my leave doesn't take away the world that belongs to you.

保持自己的節奏