字神帝國英語天地

👩職場新人和職場老人的臨界點是什麼👩

👠盛夏上班族的著裝禁忌👠

傳授一些做PPT展示時最最實用的英文表達，教你如何變身presentation達人，勾住聽眾的心。
　　　
《開場白》🎤🎤
☛在正式場合做presentation，可能需要一些隆重點的開場白。
✍ Ladies and gentleman. It's an honor to have the opportunity to address such a distinguished audience.
女士們先生們，我感到很榮幸有機會在這麼多傑出的觀眾面前發言。
✍ Good morning, everyone. I appreciate the opportunity to be with you today. I am here to talk to you about…
各位早上好。很開心有這個機會跟你們一起。今天在這裡，我主要想跟大家談……
✍ I am delighted/pleased/glad to have the opportunity to present/of making this presentation...
我非常開心有機會在這做演示……
☛如果是輕鬆場合，則可以隨意一些
✍ Hello again everybody. Thank you for being on time/making the effort to come today.
大家好。謝謝大家今天抽出時間來這裡。
✍ I'm glad you could all get here...
我很開心你們都能來……
　　
《概述》🎤🎤
在開場白以後，你應該簡單介紹一下你的展示，包括主要內容、展示時長和你準備如何回答問題。
【主題】
✍ The subject of my presentation is...
我今天演示的主題是……
✍ I shall be speaking today about...
我今天主要談論……
✍ My presentation concerns...
我的演示主要是關於……
✍ Today's topic is...
今天的題目是……
✍ Today we are here to give a presentation on...
今天我們要做一個關於……的演示。
【發言長度】
✍ During the next ten minutes, I shall...
在接下來十分鐘，我會……
✍ My presentation will last for about ten minutes...
我的演示大概有十分鐘……
✍ I won't take up more than ten minutes of your time...
我的演示不會超過十分鐘……
✍ I know that time is short, so I intend to keep this brief.
我知道時間不多了，所以我會簡短說明。
✍ I have a lot to cram in to the next ten minutes, so I'd better make a start...
在接下來十分鐘我要說的很多，所以我最好進入正題……
【概要】
✍ My presentation is in three parts.
我的展示分為三部分。
✍ My presentation is divided into three main sections.
我的展示分為了三個主要部分。
✍ Firstly, secondly, thirdly, finally…
第一，第二，第三，最後
✍ I'm going to take a look at / talk about / examine / concentrate on / limit myself to the question of…
我將看一看/說一說/研究/專注于/集中於……的問題
✍ tell you something about the background…
和你們說一說相關背景
✍ give you some facts and figures…
告知你們一些事實和資料
✍ fill you in on the history of…
告訴你們……的歷史
【歡迎提問】
✍ Please feel free to interrupt me if you have questions.
如果你有任何問題，請隨意打斷我。
✍ There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.
在展示最後，我們會留出時間來進行問答。
✍ I'd be grateful if you could ask your questions after the presentation.
如果您能在展示之後提問，我將會很感激。
　　
《主體部分》🎤
❶ 在演講過程中，時不時地提醒觀眾你所講的內容和他們的利益和興趣密切相關。
✍ As I said at the beginning…
正如我在開始時所講的那樣……
✍ This, of course, will help you (to achieve the 20% increase).
當然，這能夠幫助你（獲得20%的增長率）。
✍ As you remember, we are concerned with…
正如你所記得的那樣，我們十分關心……的問題。
✍ This ties in with my original statement…
這與我一開始的陳述相一致。
✍ This relates directly to the question I put to you before…
這與我之前向你們提出的問題直接相關。
❷ 確保觀眾跟上你的思路
你所講的內容對觀眾而言是陌生的，所以當你轉到下一個要點時，要提醒觀眾知曉。你可以通過說"right"或者 "OK"之類的提示詞來做到這點。
此外，如果你在使用提示卡，在查看的過程中，可能會產生停頓，觀眾就意識到你要轉移到新話題上去了。以下為一些常用表述：
✍ I'd now like to move on to…
現在我要說下一個..
✍ I'd like to turn to…
我要轉移到...
✍ That's all I have to say about…
這就是關於……我所要講的所有內容了。
✍ Now I'd like to look at…
現在，我想來看一看...
✍ This leads me to my next point…
這就把我引入下一個要點。
✍ We all ought to be aware of the following points.
我們應該意識到以下幾點。
❸ 引導觀眾看PPT
☛你精心製作的PPT上的圖表，當然要好好介紹給觀眾：
✍ This graph shows you…
這一圖表向你展示了……
✍ Take a look at this…
看一看這個……
✍ If you look at this, you will see…
看看這張圖表，你會發現……
✍ I'd like you to look at this…
我希望你們能看一下這個...
✍ This chart illustrates the figures…
這個圖表解釋了這些資料……
✍ This graph gives you a break down of…
這一圖表詳細解釋了……
☛給你的觀眾充分的時間來理解這些圖表，稍作停頓，然後再解釋為什麼這些圖表很重要。你可以使用以下表達：
✍ As you can see…
就像你看到的那樣……
✍ This clearly shows …
這很清楚地顯示了……
✍ From this, we can understand how / why…
從這裡，我們可以理解……
✍ This area of the chart is interesting…
圖表的這一部分很有意思……
　　
《總結》🎤
❶ 展示的最後，做一個總結，並且重複一下要點。
✍ That brings me to the end of my presentation. I've talked about…
這就到了整個展示的結尾了。我已經講過了……
✍ Well, that's about it for now. We've covered...
這就是我所要講的全部內容了，我們說過了……
✍ So, that was our marketing strategy. In brief, we…
所以，這就是我們的市場策略，簡而言之，我們……
✍ To summarise, I…
總結下來，我……
✍ That concludes our presentation...
演示就到此結束了。
✍ I am afraid that the clock is against us, so we had better stop here.
好像時間到了，所以我們今天就到這兒。
❷ 將展示的總結詞與開場白相聯繫。
✍ So I hope that you're a little clearer on how we can achieve sales growth of 20%.
所以我希望你們清楚我們應當如何獲得銷售額20%的增長了。
✍ To return to the original question, we can achieve…
返回一開始的問題，我們可以得出……
✍ So just to round the talk off, I want to go back to the beginning when I asked you…
所以為了使這一討論更加完整，我希望返回到一開始我問你們的那個問題……
✍ I hope I've managed to give you a clearer picture of...
我希望我讓你們清楚地瞭解了……
✍ I hope that my presentation today will help you with what I said at the beginning…
我希望我今天的展示能夠在我開始講述的那幾個方面給予你們幫助。
　　
《挑戰觀眾提問》🎤
❶ 感謝大家，並邀請他們提問。
✍ You have been a very attentive audience. Thank you.
你們是一群很用心的觀眾。非常感謝。
✍ Thank you for listening – and now if there are any questions, I would be pleased to answer them.
謝謝你們的聆聽，如果你們有任何問題，我會很高興來解答。
✍ Thank you for your attention. I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have.
謝謝大家的關注，我將很高興回答你們的任何問題。
❷ 重述一下問題是個聰明的辦法，可以確認你是否理解了問題，同時，給自己一些時間來思考。
✍ Thank you. So you would like further clarification on our strategy?
謝謝你，所以你希望我能夠對我們的策略做出更進一步的說明？
✍ That's an interesting question. How are we going to get voluntary redundancy?
這是個有趣的問題，我們如何才能讓員工自願離職呢?
✍ Thank you for asking. What is our plan for next year?
謝謝你的提問，我們明年的計畫是什麼呢？
❸回答完畢後，確認提問者是否滿意。
✍ Does this answer your question?
這是否回答了你的疑問呢？
✍ I hope this explains the situation for you.
我希望這能夠為你解釋這一狀況。
✍ I hope this was what you wanted to hear!
我希望這是你想聽到的答案。
❹ 如果你不知道如何作答，就說不知道。承認無知總比妄自猜測要好。
✍ That's an interesting question. I don't actually know off the top of my head（即席地）, but I'll try to get back to you later with an answer.
這是個有趣的問題，我一時還不知道答案，但我之後會儘量找到答案回復你的。
✍ I'm afraid I'm unable to answer that at the moment. Perhaps I can get back to you later.
恐怕我現在暫時不能回答這一問題，也許過後我可以回復你。
✍ That's a very good question. However, we don't have any figures on that, so I can't give you an accurate answer.
這是一個非常好的問題，但是我們還沒有相關資料，所以我不能給你一個明確的回答。
✍ Unfortunately, I'm not the best person to answer that.
不幸的是，我並不是回答這一問題的最佳人選。
　　
《遇到各種狀況》🎤
❶ 觀眾沒聽懂？
重新表述一下你剛剛說的話。
✍ Let me just say that in another way.
讓我用另一種方式來表述一下。
✍ Perhaps I can rephrase that.
也許我能重新表述一下。
✍ Put it another way, this means…
換句話說，這意味著……
❷ 用聲音來表現
聲音不可太單調，觀眾會厭倦。語速也不可過快，觀眾會走神。
通過速度和語氣的變化，有助於抓住觀眾的注意力。
強調重點詞語，在適當的地方停頓。
✍ The first strategy involves getting to know our market (pause) and finding out what they want. (pause) Customer surveys (pause) as well as staff training (pause) will help us do this.
第一個策略需要我們瞭解市場（停頓），找到市場需求（停頓）。消費者調查（停頓）和員工培訓（停頓）將幫助我們做到這一點。

In sixteenth-century France, the start of the new year was observed on April first. It was celebrated in much the same way as it is today with parties and dancing into the late hours of the night. Then in 1562, Pope Gregory introduced a new calendar for the Christian world, and the new year fell on January first. There were some people, however, who hadn't heard or didn't believe the change in the date, so they continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April first. Others played tricks on them and called them April fools. In France today, April first is called Poisson d'Avril. French children fool their friends by taping a paper fish to their friends' backs. When the young fool discovers this trick, the prankster yells Poisson d'Avril!
✠ 愚人節16 世紀的時候，法國人是在4月1號慶祝新年的。他們那時候過新年的方法和我們現在幾乎一樣，人們設宴、跳舞直到深夜。到了1562年，教皇格裡高利頒佈了基督教新曆，按照新曆，新年這一天改到了1月1號。但是，有些人沒能聽說或者聽說了但不相信新年改天了。他們還是按照老習慣在4月1號這天過年。其他人就拿 他們開玩笑，把他們叫做“愚人”。如今，法國人把愚人節叫做“上鉤的魚”。法國孩子會在朋友的背上貼一條魚，以此來戲弄別人。當那個受騙上當的小朋友發現 以後，開玩笑的人就大叫“上鉤的魚兒”!
　　
Today Americans play small tricks on friends and strangers alike on the first of April. One common trick on April Fool's Day, or All Fool's Day, is pointing down to a friend's shoe and saying, Your shoe lace is untied. School children might tell a classmate that school has been cancelled. Whatever the trick, if the innocent victim falls for the joke the prankster yells, April Fool!
✠ 如今，每逢愚人節，不管對方是否相識，美國人都會開些小玩笑。在愚人節比較常見的把戲是指著別人的鞋子說：“你鞋帶沒繫。”學生可能會騙同學說學校放假了。不管是什麼樣的招數，只要那個無辜的受害者中技了，惡作劇的人就會尖叫：“愚人!”

📝商務英語寫作：有關保險的句子📝

含蓄的東方人總覺得西方人都粗線條，實際上歪果仁也是比較容易玻璃心的……所以，說英語的時候可別太直爽，碰到敏感的（sensitive）、私人的（personal）、禁忌的（taboo）話題，還是要講究點技巧的。
　　
一、廁所 ♝
身體機能是文雅人士需避免的話題。
▶1. restroom
Can I use the restroom? 
我可以用下洗手間嗎？
Where can I wash my hands? 
哪兒有洗手間？
▶2. public conveniences
Are there any public conveniences nearby? 
附近可有公共衛生間？
▶3. ladies / gents
The ladies and gents are down the corridor on your right. 
女士和男士衛生間就在你右手邊的走廊裡。
還有一些幽默表達：
▶4. the smallest room of the house 房子裡最小的一間屋，這種詼諧說法於20世紀30年代出現在英文裡，現在已經有些過時，較少被使用。
I'd like to pay a visit to the smallest room of the house. 
我要去“參觀”一下廁所。
▶5. powder my nose 女士用補妝來委婉表達上廁所，當然愛開玩笑的男士也可以這麼說。
Where can I powder my nose? 
我上哪兒能補個粉？
▶6. see a man about a dog 這種說法原始意思是指為賽馬或者賽狗下注，後來通常作為離開或缺席的藉口。原因通常是去上廁所，或者買酒。
He's gone to see a man about a dog. 
他去方便了。
　　
二、失業 ♝
▶1. between jobs 在前一個和後一個工作之間，也就是待業啦。
Interviewer: Tell me about your current position. 
面試官：請告訴我你目前的職位。
Job candidate: I'm between jobs right now. 
求職者：我目前暫時待業。
▶2. a resting actor 這種說法多指演員。
Harry's a resting actor. 
哈利是個待業演員。
　　
三、懷孕 ♝
▶1. expect 即期待嬰兒出生。
His wife is expecting. 
他妻子懷孕了。
She is expecting in March. 
她預產期是三月。
▶2. have a bun in the oven 烤箱裡有麵包了。英式英語，詼諧用法。
Have you heard that Katy has a bun in the oven? 
你聽說沒，凱蒂有啦？
▶3. in the family way 這是比較老式的說法。
Have you heard that Jean's in the family way? 
你聽說沒，簡懷上啦？
They plan to get married now that he's put her in the family way. 
他弄大了她的肚子，倆人只好結婚。
　　
四、喝醉 ♝
▶1. tired and emotional 這是一種較為禮貌和幽默的方式表示某人喝醉了。
You must excuse me, I'm a bit tired and emotional just now. I think I'd best be going home. 
請原諒我，我眼下醉意朦朧，最好還是回家吧。
▶2. have a bit too much to drink 也就是喝多了。
He had a bit too much to drink last night. 
他昨晚喝多了。
▶3. to be a bit worse for wear “The worse for wear”是指衣服穿久，破爛不堪的樣子。如果某人喝太多，走路東倒西歪，形象全無，那麼你就可以用這個表達來形容他醉的程度。
The three came stumbling in, the worse for wear again. 
這三人跌跌撞撞進門，又是爛醉如泥的。
John looked a bit worse for wear as he got home. 
約翰到家的時候看起來醉得一塌糊塗。
　　
五、撒謊 ♝
▶economical with the truth 很少提供實情的，謊話連篇的。
I discovered that my boss had been economical with the truth when she said that the company was making money. 
我發現老闆說公司盈利其實隱瞞了真相。
　　
六、爭吵 ♝
▶1. full and frank discussion 表面意思即深入而坦率的探討，這是一種禮貌的說法，表示爭吵或責難（reprimand）。
The directors had a full and frank discussion in the meeting. 
主管們在會上爭執不休。
▶2. have words with someone Words（注意是複數）有口角、爭論（altercation）的意思。這個表達指可以指吵架，也可以指訓斥某人。
Elaine had words with Tony over his driving habits. 
伊蓮和托尼因為後者的開車習慣問題而吵起來。
If Pete keeps on pushing Billy I'm going to have words with him. 
如果皮特老這樣逼比利，我可要好好找他談談了。
　　
七、窮 ♝
▶1. be disadvantaged，即處境不利的，生活條件差的、經濟地位低下的……
The government is introducing new schemes to help the disadvantaged. 
政府引入了新計畫，幫助條件差的人群。
▶2. financially embarrassed 經濟拮据、財產情況窘迫的
I'm afraid I can't come to the restaurant with you. I'm financially embarrassed at the moment. 
抱歉我不能和你去下館子了，我目前手頭拮据。
　　
八、死亡 ♝
▶1. pass away 過世，這是很常見的代替die這個詞的表達，帶有哀悼和尊敬的意味。
Her uncle passed away last year. 
她叔叔去年過世了。
▶2. lost his/her battle 被病魔打敗，一般指人和病魔抗爭，最終沒能戰勝病魔而死去。
My brother lost his battle with lung cancer years ago. 
我哥哥幾年前在和肺癌的抗爭中去世。
▶3. meet one's Maker 去見造物主，這是稍微詼諧一點的說法，注意這個Maker要大寫，有造物主的意思，所以去見造物主了就是靈魂回歸了，就像我們會說某人“去見馬克思了”。
He knew that he came into the world with nothing and that he would go to meet his Maker with empty hands. 
他知道自己一無所有來到世上，也將會兩手空空離開人間。
He's gone to meet his Maker. 
他去見造物主了。
▶4. six feet under 六尺之下，這是指人死後被埋在六尺黃土之下，也不是特別嚴肅的說法。
I won't worry about money when I'm six feet under. 
我入土了以後，也就不用再為錢財勞心了。
▶5. pushing up daisies 墳頭長草，這種說法的意思是，人被埋入地下後，墳墓上會長出野花來。通常用在將來時中，不是嚴肅的用法。
I'll be pushing up daisies before this problem is solved. 
等這問題解決了，我差不多也該告別人世了。
If you talk to me like that again, you'll be pushing up the daisies. 
你要再敢這麼跟我說話，你就死定了。
▶6. in one's box 進棺材，非正式說法，俚語。
When I'm in my box you can argue all you like about the inheritance. 
等我進了棺材，你再去爭遺產吧，想怎麼爭怎麼爭。
　　
九、寵物安樂死 ♝
寵物也是家庭成員，如果養的寵物正遭受病痛折磨，很多主人會考慮讓它們解脫痛苦（put it out of its misery），也就是animal euthanasia（安樂死）。
▶1. put down
We had to put our cat down as she was very ill. 
我們不得不讓我們的貓安樂死，她已經病入膏肓了。
▶2. put an end to its suffering
We put an end to her suffering. 
我們讓她解脫病痛了。
　　
十、胖/瘦/老 ♝
外貌年齡高矮胖瘦和年齡也是人們的敏感點，fat、thin、old這種詞當面最好還是不要說，太容易冒犯人（cause offense）。
下面給出一些機智的替代詞（alternatives），注意在使用的時候，最好再加上些緩和語氣的修飾詞，比如"a bit"或 "a little" 。
▶胖（fat）還能怎麼說：
1. overweight; heavy 體重偏重
2. plump 豐滿
3. a bit chubby 圓呼呼的，chubby 尤其多用於形容小朋友
4. curvy; curvaceous （指女性）曲線豐滿
5. statuesque 高大結實
6. well-built / a big man （指男性）結實、高大
▶瘦（thin）還能怎麼說：
1. slim; slender 苗條纖細
2. petite 嬌小，尤指女性
3. wiry 瘦而結實（一點脂肪都沒有）
▶老（old）還能怎麼說：
1. a pensioner 領養老金者，退休老人
2. elderly 長者
3. a senior citizen 年長公民
4. middle-aged 中年人

Croissant
　　
❀ The croissant is a widely known and enjoyed kind of pastry made from leavened laminated dough and baked plain or with some sort of filling or topping, most commonly chocolate.
牛角麵包這種廣受歡迎的糕點是對擀成薄片的發酵麵團進行烘烤製成，或者是純麵團，或者配上餡料和裝飾配料，通常是巧克力。
　　
❀ The word itself is translated as “crescent” into English, which is the shape most typically associated with this flaky pastry, although it can be found in other forms as well.
There are countless stories and legends about where this pastry originated and how it was made. In 1683, Vienna (the capital of Austria) was under siege by over a hundred thousand Ottoman Turks. After several months of trying to starve the city into submission, the Turks attempted to tunnel underneath the walls of the city. Fortunately for the entire city, some bakers hard at work in the middle of the night heard the sounds of the Turks digging and alerted the city’s defenders. This advance warning gave the defenders enough time to do something about the tunnel before it was completed. Soon, King John III of Poland arrived at the head of an army that defeated the Turks and forced them to retreat.
croissant這個詞在英語中譯為“新月”，新月形是這種酥餅最普遍的形狀，不過也有做成其他形狀的牛角麵包。
關於這種麵包的起源和做法有數不清的故事和傳說。1683年，維也納（奧地利的首都）被一萬多名奧斯曼土耳其人圍困。他們先是截斷糧食來源，逼迫這座城市屈服，幾個月後，他們又嘗試從城牆下挖地道進行偷襲。幸運的是，一些在夜裡工作的麵包師聽到了地下的動靜，並通知了城市的守軍。這個情報讓守軍有足夠的時間在隧道完工前挫敗了敵人的陰謀。不久，波蘭的國王約翰三世帶領部隊趕到，擊敗了土耳其人，迫使他們撤退。
　　
❀ To celebrate the end of the siege and the part they had played in lifting it, several bakers in Vienna made a pastry in the shape of the crescents they had seen on the battle standards of the enemy. They called this new pastry the “Kipfel” which is the German word for “crescent” and continued baking if for many years to commemorate the Austrian victory over the Turks in 1683. It was not until 1770 that the pastry came to be known as the croissant.
為慶祝城市的解圍以及他們所起的作用，維也納的幾位麵包師製作了一種新月形糕點，這是他們在敵人軍旗上看到的圖案。他們將這種新糕點命名為“Kipfel”，這是“新月”德語的叫法，之後許多年，它一直被用來慶祝1683年奧地利對土耳其人的勝利。直到1770年，這種糕點才以牛角麵包的名字流傳開來。
　　
❀ In that year, Marie Antoinette, a 15-year-old Austrian Princess, married King Louis XVI of France. To honor their new queen, the bakers in Paris made some “kipfels” of their own. The only difference was that they called it by the French word for crescent, “croissant”. The pastry proved as popular in Paris as it had in Vienna and Parisian bakers have been making it ever since as have bakers around the world who learned it from the Parisians.
在那一年，15歲的奧地利帝國公主瑪麗•安托瓦內特嫁給了法國國王路易十六。為了向新王后致敬，巴黎的麵包師製作了他們自己的“新月形麵包”。唯一的區別是，他們用“新月”的法語來為之命名，那就是“croissant”。這種糕點在巴黎和在維也納一樣受到歡迎。從此，巴黎的麵包師就一直做這種糕點，而全世界的麵包師都是從巴黎學會了製作牛角麵包的方法。
　　
❀ The flavor of a croissant should be intensely buttery with a natural dairy sweetness. It should not taste like added sugar or be cloying. It should be well-seasoned, but not so salty that you can’t imagine eating it with jam or preserves. The ideal crust should be distinct from the softer interior. It should be extremely flaky and shatter when torn or bitten into. It should be extremely crisp, but not crunchy or tough. Each layer of flaky pastry should virtually melt on the tongue, but not feel greasy in your hands. It should be an even, golden brown color all around.
牛角麵包應該是奶油味濃郁，有一種天然乳製品的甜味。它吃起來不應該是感覺加了糖或者甜得膩人。它的味道應該均衡，但不會太鹹，無法配著果醬或者蜜餞來吃。理想的牛角麵包應該是外焦裡嫩。面包皮應該非常酥脆，但是不會嘎吱作響或太硬。麵包的每一層應該是入口即化，但是拿在手裡又不會覺得太油膩。麵包在整體上應呈現一種均勻的金褐色。
　　
❀ The interior should be feather-light with many layers. It should be tender and moist but not gummy or doughy. The layers of dough should show plenty of stretch and separate gently from each other when you pull at them with your fingers.
Today, the croissant is both a symbol of French culture and tradition.
麵包心應該很輕盈，有很多層。它應該很柔軟潮濕，不黏也不軟稠。麵包的各層應該有足夠的延展性，用手去拉時，能夠很容易分開。
如今，牛角麵包已經成了法國文化也是法國傳統的一種象徵。 
　　
【Vocabulary:】
leavened 發酵的
laminated 薄片的，層壓的
filling 餡料
topping 裝飾配料
flaky pastry 酥餅
siege 圍攻，圍困，圍城
advance 預先的，事先的
lift 撤銷，解除；結束，停止
buttery 塗有黃油的，有黃油性質的
cloying 倒胃口的，使人感到膩煩的
crunchy 嘎吱作響的
gummy 黏性的
doughy 又軟又稠的

✑ Is the future award-winning novelist a writing robot?
Could a writing robot make novelists obsolete?
機器人作家會讓人類小說家失業嗎？
✑ It might not happen anytime soon, but then again, it might. In Japan, a short novel co-written by an artificial intelligence program (its co-author is human) made it past the first stage of a literary contest, the Japan News reports.
目前也許還不能，但未來可說不準。據日本新聞社報導，一篇由人工智慧程式和人類作家合作完成的短篇小說在一項文學大賽中通過了第一輪篩選。
　　
✑ The Nikkei Hoshi Shinichi Literary Award is named after Hoshi Shinichi, a Japanese science fiction author whose books include "The Whimsical Robot" and "Greetings from Outer Space." Judges for the prize weren't told which novels were written by humans and which were penned by human-computer teams.
日本星新一文學獎是以日本科幻小說家星新一命名的一個獎項，該作家的作品包括《反復無常的機器人》、《來自外太空的問候》等。該獎的評委並不會被事先告知作品是由人類還是人機共創的。
✑ The award is unique in that it accepts entries from "applicants who are not human beings (AI programs and others)." Novels co-written by humans and computers were submitted to the prize committee.
該獎項的獨特之處在於它接受那些非人類申請者（人工智慧等)的參賽報名。獎項評審委員會接受了由人類和電腦共同完成的參賽作品。
　　
✑ The Asahi Shimbun reports that one of four books co-written by an AI program made it past the first stage of the contest.
日本朝日新聞消息稱，4部由人類和人工智慧共同完成的參賽作品中，有一部通過了第一輪篩選。
✑ Teams of writers worked with an AI program to create the cyborg novels. The level of human involvement in the novels was about 80%, one of the professors who worked on the project said.
人類作家團隊在有人工智慧程式的參與下，創作這種半機械小說。一位參與此項目的教授表示，整部小說有80%左右的內容是由人類完成的。
　　
✑ However, the computers did the hard work — actually writing the text.
不過，電腦完成的20%是比較艱巨的那部分——即寫出文本。
✑ Humans decided the plot and character details of the novel, then entered words and phrases from an existing novel into a computer, which was able to construct a new book using that information.
人類作家構思小說情節和人物細節，然後把現有小說裡的單詞和短語輸入電腦，確保這些資訊能夠構建一部新的作品。
✑ The prize committee didn't disclose which of the four computer co-written entries advanced in the competition. The Japan News reports that one of the submitted books is titled "The Day a Computer Writes a Novel," which ends with the sentences "I writhed with joy, which I experienced for the first time, and kept writing with excitement. The day a computer wrote a novel. The computer, placing priority on the pursuit of its own joy, stopped working for humans."
獎項評審委員會並沒有透露哪四部“人機”合作作品在第一階段勝出。據日本新聞社報導，有部名為《電腦開始寫小說的那天》的作品在結尾處說到：“寫作讓我快樂，這是我之前從未體驗過的，我也將繼續帶著興奮寫作。電腦寫作的時代到了。我們電腦終於不用再為人類工作，而是要首先追尋自身的快樂。”
　　
✑ Novelists probably shouldn't worry about losing their jobs just yet. Although the novel made it past the first round, it didn't win the award.　　
人類小說家們現在還無需擔心飯碗問題。雖然這些“人機”合作作品在第一輪篩選中脫穎而出，但絕不會奪冠。
✑ Still, the book impressed science-fiction novelist Satoshi Hase, who said, "I was surprised at the work because it was a well-structured novel. But there are still some problems [to overcome] to win the prize, such as character descriptions."
不過，這本半機械小說還是引起了科幻小說家中本聰·哈澤的注意。他說：“這部小說結構的嚴謹令人震驚。但要想奪冠，它還需要在某些方面有所提高，比如人物描寫。”
文章來源：日本機器人小說家入圍文學獎

😱被同事嫉妒怎麼辦😱

☑ Red bell peppers紅甜椒 ♡
When it comes to vitamin C, one red bell pepper serves up more than twice the vitamin C you need in a day. Vitamin C keeps your skin smooth and healthy by helping you make more collagen, which is essential for firm, strong skin.
說到維生素C，一個紅甜椒含你一天所需維生素C的兩倍。維生素C助你生成更多膠原蛋白，讓你保持皮膚光滑健康，對緊致強韌的肌膚至關重要。

Japanese men rank the top 10 complaints they hope to never hear from their wives
　　
۩ Is it worse to be called lazy or smelly?
被抱怨懶或是臭，哪一樣更糟？
In personal interactions in Japan, it’s common for people to avoid confrontations rather than charge into them. On top of that, mainstream attitudes generally work out so that women are, on average, more accommodating and deferential than men.
在日本的人際交往中，人們通常會避免與他人發生衝突，以免讓自己陷入麻煩。加之，主流觀念的影響十分深遠，一般來說，相比於男性，女性整體更加隨和、順從。
That doesn’t mean that married life in Japan is all “I have prepared your supper, Honored Husband,” and “Shall I draw you a bath?” though. When their displeasure passes a certain threshold, Japanese women are as capable of spitting angry fire at their spouses as anyone else.
但這並不意味著日本人的婚後生活中每天都會上演“親愛的老公，晚飯已經準備好了”、“需要我為你搓澡嗎？”之類的橋段。當日本女性的不滿情緒超過自己的底線時，她們和別人一樣都會向自己的配偶發洩心中的憤怒。
　　
۩ But which particular brands of vitriol burn the worst? To find out, Internet portal R25 polled 200 Japanese men between the ages of 20 and 39, presenting them with a list of 23 commonly voiced complaints from frustrated wives, and asked them to pick the ones that would hurt the most to hear. Each respondent’s top selection received three points, with two points going to his second pick and one to his third.
那麼，究竟哪句刻薄話最傷人呢？為了找到答案，一家互聯網門戶網站R25在200名20至39歲的日本男性中展開了民意調查。該網站列出了一份清單，上面寫著情緒沮喪的妻子通常會說的23句抱怨話，然後發給每位受訪者，讓他們各自選出最為傷人的幾句話。每個人的第一選擇得三分、第二得兩分、第三選擇得一分。
　　
Let’s take a look at the top 10:
讓我們來看看排行前十位：
۩ 10 “Stop wasting so much money on things you don’t need!”(26 points)
第十名. “不要把這麼多錢浪費在你不需要的東西上！”（26分）
In many Japanese households, the husband turns his paycheck over to his wife, who manages the family finances. She in turn gives him an allowance to spend, but as with any limit, there’s sometimes going to be pressure to stay well under it.
在大多數日本家庭中，丈夫會把自己的薪水交給妻子，所以妻子掌握著家裡的財政大權。反過來，她也會給丈夫零用錢，但是零用錢也有上限，有時候妻子就會向丈夫施加壓力，讓他省著點花。
　　
۩ 9. “Stop being such a lazy fatso!”(28 points)
第九名. “不要再做懶胖子啦！”（28分）
It’s not unusual for people to put on a few pounds as they get older, and all the beers at those company drinking sessions aren’t exactly low-calorie beverages. Still, such a harsh indictment of weight-gain is going overboard in the eyes of some respondents, including one who called it “cold-hearted.”
隨著年齡的增加，加上公司酒水間提供的啤酒都不是真正的低卡飲料，體重增加是再平常不過的事情了。對於妻子關於“長胖”的刻薄控訴，一些受訪者認為是難以接受的，甚至有人說這話講得有些“無情”。
　　
۩ 8. “I don’t want to share a grave with you!”(33 points)
第八名. “我才不要跟你埋在一起！”（33分）
Rather than having individual final resting places, Japanese families share a monument where their ashes are entombed. The family distinction is done by marriage, not birth, and since the traditional attitude is that the wife marries into the husband’s family, her remains will be placed in the same grave as his when the time comes, to be together for all eternity. Finding out your wife isn’t interested in being along for that ride would, therefore, be a pretty big shock.
比起用一個單獨的安息地，日本家庭更傾向於共用一個掩埋骨灰的墓地。日本家庭是依據婚後家庭，而不是出生家庭來定義的。而且，按照日本傳統觀念，女方嫁入男方家庭後，她在去世之後骨灰將和丈夫的骨灰放入同一個墳墓中，這樣夫妻二人就能永遠在一起。因此，當你發現自己的妻子並不願意和你死後共埋一方，這可是個相當大的打擊。
　　
۩ 7. “At least take care of the dishes after we eat dinner!”(39 points)
第七名. “吃完飯你至少洗一下碗吧！”（39分）
Assuming that your wife made said dinner, then yeah, it would be pretty embarrassing to have her call you out for limiting your involvement in the meal to strictly the “eating” part. Can’t say she doesn’t have a point, though.
試想一下，你的妻子做好了飯菜，然後她赤裸裸地揭露了你想吃完就走的心態，這還是挺尷尬的。儘管她提出的要求不無道理。
　　
۩ 6. “Take care of the cooking once in a while!”(43 points)
第六名. “你好歹做一頓飯呀！”（43分）
“I wouldn’t be able to understand her thinking, since she knows I can’t cook,” offered one participant by way of excuse. Honestly though, dude, it’s not that hard to boil some pasta and open a jar of premade spaghetti sauce.
一位受訪者回應了這麼一個託辭：“她明明知道我不會做飯還這麼說，我真不能理解她到底是怎麼想的。”不過，說實話，夥計，煮一些義大利面，然後拌上一點現成的罐裝義大利麵醬，這不是很難吧？
　　
۩ 5. “Show more appreciation for the things I do!” (85 points)
第五名. “為我所做的事情你該表示一些感謝呀！”（85分）
At first this seems like a surprisingly high ranking for a situation that sounds like it should be more hurtful for the wife, but the men who selected this response predicated it on the fact that they do, in fact, feel a deep gratitude towards their better halves. “It would hurt to know those feelings aren’t coming across,” explained one man.
這句話排名如此靠前，一開始令人感到吃驚，因為這句話聽起來傷得更深的應該是妻子那一方。但選擇這句話的男士回應稱，實際上，他們確實對自己的妻子心存感激。一位男士解釋道：“當知道妻子並不能感受到自己的感激之情時，讓人很心碎。”
　　
۩ 4. “If we didn’t have kids, I’d totally have divorced you by now!”(97 points)
第四名,“要不是我們有了孩子，我現在早就和你離婚了！”（97分）
“That would have me thinking we should split up,” said one respondent. Another was slightly less calm, asserting “There are some things you’re just not supposed to say!”
一名男性回應稱：“這話真會讓我產生離婚的念頭”。另一位男性就沒有這麼淡定，宣稱“有些話你就不該說出口！”
　　
۩ 3. “I made a huge mistake marrying you!”(166 points)
第三名,“嫁給你我真是瞎了眼了！”（166分）
Yep, that would sting. “I don’t think I’d be able to say anything at all in response,” one participant imagined.
是的，這句話著實傷人。一名男士回應：“我都想不出我能回擊一句什麼話。”
　　
۩ 2. “You stink!”(201 points)
第二名. “你渾身臭烘烘的”（201分）
And no, this isn’t to say that the husband is poor at some task or skill set, but that he just plain smells bad. Thankfully, this complaint can usually be avoided by applying soap, shampoo, and deodorant before it becomes an issue. For those with a health issue-caused body odor, though, or who work in an industry or environment where they can’t avoid coming home with an unpleasant scent stuck to their hair and skin, this has to be tough to hear.
這不合理呀，這話並不是在抱怨你丈夫在某方面任務完成得不好或技能上很遜色，而僅僅只是他身上的氣味難聞。謝天謝地，通常只要多用點香皂、洗髮水、除臭劑，身上就不會發出難聞的氣味了，妻子們也就不會抱怨了的。但是，如果丈夫是因為身體狀態發出的體臭，或者，丈夫工作場所不可避免的難聞氣味滲入了髮膚，回家臭烘烘的，妻子說這話確實難聽。
　　
۩ 1. “Earn more money!”(230 points)
第一名 “多賺點錢” （230分）
Even though more Japanese women are working now than in previous generations, there’s still a societal expectation for a married man to be the breadwinner, and often once children enter the picture, the wife will quit her job to take care of them full-time. As such, it’s not entirely unreasonable for Japanese wives to be concerned about the income their husband brings into the household. But since Japan is already a notoriously hard-working society, being told that you’re still not doing enough to get ahead can hit a guy right where it hurts.
儘管現在日本工作的女性相較於之前大有增加，但社會上仍然存在一種觀念：已婚男性就應該賺錢養家，而且，一旦家裡有了小孩，妻子就要辭去工作當全職太太，照顧小孩。正因如此，對日本家庭主婦來說，她們如此關心自己丈夫給家庭帶來的收入並不是沒有道理的。但由於日本社會本來就以工作拼命而著稱，當被人說自己還不夠努力地往上爬，男性會覺得有損男子漢尊嚴。
　　
“It would damage my pride as a man,” one respondent succinctly explained, and we imagine that would go double if it were combined with complaint #10.
一位受訪者簡單地解釋道：“這話有損我作為男人的尊嚴。”試想一下，如果同時說這句話和排名第十的話，殺傷力肯定翻倍。

 📣交流的技巧📣

💼商務場合規則和禁忌💼

👔職場時尚：怎樣才能總有衣服穿👔

◤ English number words are pretty logical after a point. From twenty-one to ninety-nine, the same principle applies: the tens place followed by the units place. But the teens are different.
英文數位從某個數開始就相當符合邏輯。從21到29，運用的都是相同的理論:幾十在前，後面跟著個位數字。但十幾卻並非如此。✽
◤ Eleven and twelve come from the Old English words endleofan and twelf, which can be traced back further to a time when they were ain+lif and twa+lif.
11和12來自古英語endleofan和twelf，可以追溯到倆數位還寫作ain+lif和 twa+lif的時候。✽
　　
◤ So then the question is, why don't we have threelif, fourlif, fiflif, sixlif and so on? The answer has to do with the development of number systems over history.
於是，問題來了，我們為何沒沒有threelif, fourlif, fiflif和sixlif 呢?答案和歷史上數字體系的發展有關。✽
◤ A long, long time ago, when the number words were first being formed, most people didn't have muchreason to distinguish numbers above ten. In fact, some languages of primitive cultures only have number words for one, two, and many. So the basic number words up to ten formed first, then they were extended a bit with the –lif ending.
很久很久以前數字剛剛形成的時候，多數人並沒有太多能耐去辨識十以上的數字。事實上，有些原始文化的語言裡表示數位的詞只有一、二和許多。於是乎，先有了到十的基本數字，然後稍稍拓展，以–lif 結尾。✽
　　
◤ Many number systems are based on 12 because it's divisible by the most numbers, and because you can count to 12 on one hand by using your thumb to count three knuckles on each of the other fingers. If 11 and 12 are being used more frequently, the forms for them will stick, even when another system starts to develop.
許多數位體系都是基於12的，因為12可以被多數數位約分，還因為你可以一隻手僅靠大拇指，數每個指頭的指節，就能數到12。要是11和12如今運用更廣泛的話，其形式便會固定下來，即便有其它體系慢慢發展起來。✽
　　
◤ You can extend that idea to other number words. We have more irregularities of pronunciation in the tens (twenty, thirty, fifty instead of twoty, threety, fivety) because we've been making everyday use of those numbers for longer than we have for two hundred, three hundred, and five hundred). 。Thousand is an old word, but its original sense was "a great multitude," a non-numerically-specific, but very useful idea. The words we needed earliest, and used the most frequently are usually the most irregular.
這樣思想可以類推到其它數位。幾十的數字發音不規律(twenty, thirty, fifty 而不是twoty, threety, fivety)。一千是個古老的詞，最初的意思是“量很大”，具體數值不詳，但這一概念很有用。有些詞彙我們很早就有需要、 使用頻率最高，也恰是最不規則的。✽
　　
◤ So the short answer is, we created words for 11 and 12 a long time ago by calling them "one left after ten" and "two left after ten." They were more useful to us than the higher numbers, so we said them more and they became a habit that we couldn't shake.
所以，簡單說來，人們很久以前創造出“十餘一”和“十餘二”這樣的用語來表示11和12。比起更大的數字，11和12更為有用，所以我們說的也多，因為這已成為習慣難以改變。✽

This simple 10-3-2-1-0 formula could make your days more productive
　　
➤Finding peace and quiet in today’s 24-hour society can be tricky but a simple technique could help boost your productivity, it is claimed.
外媒稱，在如今每日分秒必爭的社會，尋找一份平靜和安寧並不容易，但下面這份簡單的科學配方卻能幫你提高工作效率。
The 10-3-2-1-0 formula can help you sleep better, feel great in the morning and increase productivity at work, according to author and fitness coach Craig Ballantyne.
克雷格·巴倫坦是位作家兼健身教練。他表示，“10-3-2-1-0公式”有助於大家獲得更佳的睡眠品質，在清晨起床時精神抖擻，並且大大提高工作效率。
　　
He calls it the ‘Perfect Day’ formula and it’s all to do with giving yourself the best possible chance to start your day feeling well-rested and energetic.
巴倫坦稱之為“完美日”公式，認為它能切實有效地讓你在清晨感到睡眠充沛、元氣滿滿，並以最好的狀態迎接新的一天。
Switching off at the right time before you go to sleep is essential, with the formula encapsulating much of the advice given by a number of health expertsfor better sleep.
這個公式結合了多位健康專家的建議，致力於幫助人們提高睡眠品質。其核心思想便是：安排好睡前的時間分配。