字神帝國英語天地

今日主題：Social Spider Groups Need Bold and Shy Members / 蜘蛛也存在個性差異

Facebook女員工不得穿“讓人分心”的衣服

❡ 如今大部分公司的辦公室都採用隔間的形式，大家都在一個屋子裡，但是彼此之間用擋板隔開，這樣既能保證溝通便利，也能有相對的私人空間。
在這樣的隔間辦公室工作，有一些需要注意的事項，比如，說話不要太大聲，因為可能會影響到旁邊的同事。類似的注意事項總結起來就是我們今天要說的“隔間禮儀”。
　　

Rio's leader warns that the Olympics could be a 'failure'
　　
◈ With just a few weeks left until the start of the 2016 Olympics, Brazil is still suffering from serious economic problems.
2016年奧運會還有數週就要開幕，但巴西依然被嚴重的經濟問題困擾著。
◈ The acting governor of Rio de Janeiro warned that the games could be a “failure” if his state doesn’t get its finances in order.
里約熱內盧州代理州長法蘭西斯科•多內萊斯警告說，如果裡約的財政狀況不能重回正軌，奧運會恐怕將面臨“失敗”。
　　
◈ “I am optimistic about the games, but I have to show the reality. We can make a great Olympics, but if some steps are not taken, it can be a big failure,” Fransisco Dornelles told O Globo, according to CNN.
據CNN報導，法蘭西斯科•多內萊斯告訴巴西《環球報》：“我對里約奧運會持樂觀態度，但我必須說明真實狀況。我們可以辦一屆盛大的奧運會，但如果不採取一些措施，它或許會是一次巨大的失敗。”
◈ Brazil hasn’t followed through on a promise to provide Rio with extra funding for security and transportation, according to Dornelles. Police officers in the city aren’t being fully paid and may not even have enough money for gas.
據多內萊斯所言，巴西並沒有落實此前的承諾，為里約提供用於安保和交通的額外資金。裡約員警的工資尚未完全付清，他們甚至都沒有足夠的錢為警車加油。
　　
◈ There was a nasty surprise awaiting passengers in the arrivals hall at Rio De Janeiro's Galeao International Airport on Monday.
週一，里約熱內盧的加利昂國際機場到達大廳裡，還有一份糟心的意外恭候著旅客們。
◈ Along with the relatives carrying flowers and taxi drivers waiting with name boards there were lines of off-duty police with banners that had a far more ominous message: "Welcome to Hell". 與捧著鮮花的旅客親屬和舉著名牌等人的計程車司機站在一起的，是一排排休班員警。他們舉著橫幅，上面寫著一句相當不吉利的標語：“歡迎來到地獄。”
◈ "Police and firefighters don't get paid," the banners, in English and Portuguese, went on. "Whoever comes to Rio de Janeiro will not be safe". Photos of the protest have been widely shared on social media and in the Brazilian press. The image above was posted on the photo sharing site Imgur, where it was viewed more than three million times in less than a day.
其他橫幅上還用英葡雙語寫著：“員警和消防員都沒拿到工資，來到里約熱內盧的任何人都不會安全。”抗議活動的照片在社交網站和巴西媒體中廣泛傳播。上面這張圖片發佈在圖片分享網站Imgur上，不到一天，流覽量就超過了300萬次。
　　
The missing funds are just the tip of Brazil’s iceberg of turmoil.
資金短缺只是巴西混亂局勢的冰山一角。
☛ Crime 犯罪
A functioning police force and transportation system are necessary, given the rising crime in Rio. Murder and robbery are up 15 percent and 30 percent, respectively, since last year, NPR reports. The city is trying to get new buses off the ground to help tourists avoid the favelas — areas vulnerable to violence, theft and gang activity.
鑒於里約犯罪率的上升，員警和交通系統的有效運行必不可缺。據NPR報導，自去年起，兇殺和搶劫的發生率分別上升了15%和30%。里約正在設法運營新公車，幫助遊客避開貧民窟。那裡最易發生暴力、盜竊行為和幫派活動。
“How are people going to feel protected in a city without security?” Dornelles said.
多內萊斯說：“在一個沒有安保的城市，人們怎麼會感到安全呢？”
　　
☛ Political Unrest 政局動盪
After months of protest from angry Brazilians, the Senate last month voted to impeach President Dilma Rousseff over allegations that she lied about the country’s economic issues.
憤怒的巴西人抗議了數月之後，參議院上月投票通過了對總統迪爾瑪•羅塞夫的彈劾案。羅塞夫被控在國家經濟問題上撒謊。
Rousseff and several members of her cabinet are also accused of making billions off of the state-run oil company Petrobras.
羅塞夫及其內閣的幾位成員還被控從國營的巴西石油公司攫取數十億美元。
　　
☛ Wealth Gap 貧富差距
Economic inequality has long been an issue in Brazil. Recent figures indicate that the unemployment rate topped 11 percent last month. Wages are also down. Meanwhile, those involved in the Petrobras scandal are said to have made over $5 billion from bribes, kickbacks and money-laundering.
巴西的經濟不平等問題由來已久。近期資料顯示，上月的失業率高達11%，工資水準也下降了。同時，那些捲入巴西石油公司醜聞的人據說以收受賄賂、回扣和洗錢的方式獲取了超50億美金。
　　
☛ The Worst Recession In Decades 數十年來最嚴重的經濟衰退
Brazil is facing one of the worst recessions the country has ever faced. The economy shrank 5.4 percent in the first three months of the year, the government said. Additionally, as FT points out, export prices have shrunk, household debt has increased, and inflation has risen even more than expected.
巴西正面臨史上最嚴重的一次經濟衰退。政府表示，今年前三個月的經濟收縮達5.4%。此外，《金融時報》指出，巴西出口價格縮水，家庭債務增加，通貨膨脹甚至比預期還要高。
　　
☛ Zika Fears 寨卡病毒引發恐懼
The recent outbreak of the Zika virus has lead to athletes, journalists and other travelers vowing to skip the August games.
近期爆發的寨卡病毒已經導致多名運動員、記者和遊客宣佈放棄參加八月的奧運會。
Although the symptoms of Zika aren’t serious, the virus can lead to severe birth defects if contracted by a pregnant woman.
儘管寨卡病毒的症狀並不嚴重，但孕婦一旦感染病毒，會導致嚴重的新生兒先天缺陷。
“Female athletes should not be forced to make a decision that could sacrifice the health of a child,” soccer star Hope Solo said.
足球名將霍普•索洛說：“女性運動員不該被迫決定參加奧運會。這可能會犧牲一個孩子的健康。”
There are currently no effective treatments or vaccinations.
當前，尚無寨卡病毒的有效治療方法和疫苗。

◙ 1. Au fait
Au fait是英語從法語中借用的表達之一。它的意思是對某事物有非常細緻的瞭解。(它不是俚語卻是非常地道的英式表達)
例句：She is au fait with the company's rules and regulations.

1. raise (or wave) a white flag ❦
▶Meaning: to indicate that you have been defeated and you want to give up 暗示你被打敗了，你願意放棄。
例句：
After we captured them, they had to raise a white flag.
當我們抓住他們後，他們不得不舉手投降。
流行文化推薦：
Pop Culture Reference: Pop singer Dido references the symbolism represented in this idiom in her song "White Flag," singing: "..and I won't put my hands up and surrender. There will be no white flag above my door..."
流行歌手蒂朵在她的歌曲”白旗“中採用了這個習語的象徵主義手法，歌中唱到：”…我不會舉起雙手投降。在我門前絕不會有白旗飄起…“
　　
2. white-tie event/affair ❦
▶Meaning: an event that requires guests to wear formal dress such as men wearing white bow ties with formal evening attire
要求客人穿著正裝的場合，例如男人著正式晚禮服，帶白色蝴蝶結領結。
例句：
There was a white-tie wedding ceremony last week which I had to attend.
上周我不得不參加一個白色領結結婚典禮。
流行文化推薦：
Pop Culture Reference: Band names are known for being creative or including play on words. The pop/electronica band The White Tie Affair chose to name themselves with this idiom.
以創新風格聞名或包含雙關語的樂隊名。流行搖滾/電子樂隊The White Tie Affair就是以這個習語命名的。
　　
3. white elephant ❦
▶Meaning: a useless, an unwanted possession that often costs money to maintain.
無用的，不需要的累贅物，通常會花費很多錢來維護它。
例句：
Your car is a white elephant, as it often breaks down, causing you too much expenditure.
你的車就是個累贅，經常拋錨給你帶來那麼多花銷。
流行文化推薦：
Pop culture reference: As one alternative to the Western Christmas gift exchange tradition of "Secret Santa," a White Elephant gift exchange includes a group of family, friends, or coworkers each of whom gets one wrapped gift. Staying true to the idiom's meaning, the gifts are usually inexpensive, humorous, or used items from home, seeking to provide entertainment for those involved rather than value.
作為西方耶誕節Secret Santa(抽籤交換禮物)的一個傳統備選方案，"a White Elephant" 禮物交換是指在家人，朋友或同事之間進行的一種禮物交換遊戲，每個人都會得到一個包裹好的禮物。而說到這個禮物習語，其實它原指便宜的，有趣的或家中用過的物品而並非有價值的物品，作為禮物送給對方以達到娛樂效果。
　　
4. white lie ❦
▶Meaning: a harmless or small lie told to be polite or to avoid hurting someone's feelings.
一個沒有惡意的或小的謊言，謊言的目的是為了禮貌或避免傷害某人的情感。
例句：
He told a white lie when his father asked where he was going.
當他爸爸問他要去哪兒時，他撒了一個善意的謊言。
流行文化推薦：
Pop Culture Reference: The popular TV series Breaking Bad has gained so many fans across the world that some have decided to craft special beers in honor of the protagonist Walter White who told many white (and perhaps even more unwhite) lies throughout the show. The India white ale beer is a play on words in itself, named Walt's White Lie.
流行電視節目《絕命毒師》在全世界獲得眾多粉絲熱捧，劇中的主人公沃爾特.懷特由於講了太多善意(也許更多的是非善意)的謊言，以至於一些粉絲決定為其特製一種啤酒以示慶祝。印度白啤酒這個名字本身就是一種文字遊戲，名為沃爾特懷特的謊言。
　　
5. white as a sheet ❦
▶Meaning: pale 蒼白
例句：
Jane was as white as a sheet because of the illness she had suffered for months.
由於數月病痛折磨，簡的臉色面如白紙。
流行文化推薦：
Pop Culture Reference: In the poem Song of Myself, in the famous poetry collection Leaves of Grass, the great Walt Whitman writes the line: "The captain on the quarter-deck coldly giving his orders through a countenance white as a sheet..."
在著名詩集《佰草集》中有一首詩歌叫做《自己》，偉大的詩人沃爾特·惠特曼曾在詩中這樣寫道：“船長站在甲板上，面色蒼白地發著冷酷的指令。”

又到雨季，出門別忘記帶傘，小心遇到“大雨”秒變“落湯雞”。一起看學習一下下面這些花樣表達吧。
　　
☂ The hiking is cancelled since it's raining cats and dogs.

英語裡有許多非常好玩的單詞。它們的詞意和表明上看起來的完全沒有關係。都有哪些個怪詞，讓我們趕快來瞧一瞧。
　　
❖ There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger, neither apple nor pine in pineapple。

針對考生的備考為考生分享13個托福考試備考建議，希望對考生有幫助。