lingua franca

網路上有很多恐怖的gif圖片，但是教練不敢放，只能放這種可愛版的以免嚇到人。 下載Ghost month聲音檔1請點我 下載Ghost month聲音檔2請點我 下載Ghost month文字檔請點我 A Month for Ghosts It 鬼月到 群魔舞 Stories of spirits and ghosts can make people scared or excited. Every culture has them, and Taiwan is no exception. The seventh month of the lunar calendar is called Ghost Month because spirits are believed to wander the Earth at that time. For years, people have followed traditions that were created to keep them safe during this month. In Yilan, teams of young men enter a big greased pole competition. The goal is to be the first one to climb up very tall greased tree trunks and cut down the flag on top. Winners receive money, prizes, and the chance to sell the flag to fishing boat captains. The flag is said to protect the ship and its fishermen throughout the year. 關於鬼魂及鬼怪的故事會使人既害怕又興奮。每個文化中都有這些鬼故事，而台灣也不例外。農曆七月俗稱鬼月，因為人們相信鬼魂會在這個期間到人間遊蕩。多年來，人們都遵循著為了保護他們平安渡過此月而設下的傳統。 在宜蘭，年輕男子所組成的隊伍會參加搶孤比賽。參賽者的目標就是搶先爬上塗滿油的高高樹幹，並剪下掛於最高處的...

下載聲音檔請點我 下載文字檔請點我 每年夏天都會出現熱到讓人想死的溫度，本篇短而巧，有許多實用且不錯的字詞可以學習，如 熱浪heatwave 、 高溫炙熱the scorching heat 還有 the unbearable heat難以忍受的高溫 等。如果真的熱到受不了，也可以說 I'm melting! 短篇英文拿來練習口說非常適合 ，大家可以先聽一遍音檔，第二遍再聽的時候，邊聽邊寫筆記，之後看著筆記試著還原原文。如果無法聽一次就把筆記寫完整，可以多聽幾次。 有興趣的同學還可以下載之前的posts喔。 Never-Ending Heat 全球熱浪屢創歷史新高 For people in the US, the UK, and Taiwan, rising temperatures have made life quite unbearable this year . Early July saw a day with a near-record high of 37.8 degrees Celsius in Taipei. However, this doesn't compare to the heatwave that hit parts of Canada and most of the US in June and July. According to US records, 164 all-time high-temperature records were tied or broken in June.  Many of the major cities across the US recorded temperatures of over 37.8 degrees Celsius for several consecutive days. The scorching heat led to drought, wildfires, power outages, and nearly 100 deaths . Experts believe that global warming has played a big part in the formation of ...

下載聲音檔請點我 下載文字檔請點我 這篇短篇英文練習，討論的是 國際左撇子日 。記得念國小的時候，班上總有一兩個習慣用左手寫字的同學，這些人後來通通都被強迫矯正成右手寫字(這是誰想出來的歪點子啊)。我在美國念書的時候，發現左撇子小孩一堆啊，因為那裡的左撇子不但不需要被矯正，還可以以去專屬的販賣店，購買適合使用的左撇子生活小東西(如開瓶器或是T-shirt用來炫耀之類的東西)。 慣用右手的人 ，英文則是 a right-handed person .   類似的英文短篇可以練習 shadowing英文跟述 與筆記，若希望能多利用類似素材練習，請點 英文聽力短篇訓練 (教練之前一共整理了47篇，題材多元，從鬼月、減肥到狗旅館，五花八門什麼題材都有。大家可以選擇自己喜歡的來練習喔。 From 蘋果日報雙語天下長春藤美語 Left-Handers' Day 舉起你的左手來 ── 國際左撇子日 Left-handers have to live in reverse from most people. Many of the things in our daily lives are made to be used with the right hand. However, on August 13, lefties can raise their left hands in pride because it is Left-Handers' Day, the one day when right is wrong. Whether you are left-handed or not, visit the Left-Hander's Day website and learn how to participate in this unique holiday. The site offers posters that can be printed and hung up to support left-handedness. The one thing it cannot do is explain what causes left-handedness. Even though no one real...

                                                               下載聲音檔請點我                                            下載解析版請點我                                                             From 蘋果日報雙語天下 「大甲媽祖遶境進香」，不僅是台灣指定的重要民俗活動，近年來更被Discovery探索頻道認證為世界三大宗教盛事活動之一。同時也被聯合國教科文組織確認為『世界非物質活的文化遺產』。大甲媽祖遶境進香路線橫跨台中、彰化、雲林、嘉義等四個縣市，在這長達九天八夜的進香遶境過程中，往返的路程長達330多公里，每年都吸引數十萬甚至百萬人參與，場面浩大壯觀。 在進香過程中，總是可以看見社會不同階層的民眾廣泛參與，不論男女老少沿途相互扶持、鼓勵，遶境過程行經村鎮，在地民眾更是竭盡所能的提供各種資源幫助信徒完成壯舉。想要簡單介紹這個活動，教練有一篇短文提供大家參考。掃墓完可以看看這篇文章，下載聲音檔跟著念，現學現賣也不會是件難事了。

gif - Pinterest 不好意思開口示愛或告白？ 讓化學周期表裡面的元素符號來幫你。 Copper 銅 Tellurium 碲 ( 這個字我的注音輸入裡面找不到耶 ) 我的五毛與黑皮，雖然是兄弟 也可以過有愛的Valentine's Day。 下載文字檔請點我 下載教練的聲音檔請點我 Celebrating Valentine's Day  Just like there is more than one way to celebrate love, there is also more than one day to honor the occasion. Many countries have their own version of Valentine’s Day. In Asia for example, Chinese Lover’s Day falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. It is sometimes called the Qixi Festival. The holiday is based on a romantic story about the annual meeting of a boy and a girl in Chinese mythology. Also in Asia, White Day is celebrated, although it is most popular in Japan. On March 14, men are expected to give women presents equaling three times the cost of the Valentine’s Day gifts they got a month earlier. Wherever you are in the world, don’t wait a single day to tell someone you need them in your life because love should be celebrated every day. 慶祝愛情的方...

gif - Giphy 下載聲音檔Part 1請點我 下載聲音檔Part 2請點我 農曆春節是中國人重要的日子，一定要會用英語講點像樣的東西不是嗎？大家可以利用短篇的英語練習聽個幾遍，記下筆記然後複述幾次，拿來練習口說，效果非常好喔。 The Traditions of Chinese New Year 農曆新年習俗談   From 蘋果日報雙語天下 常春藤美語 About a month before the Lunar New Year , people start to prepare for the biggest holiday in Asia. This includes getting their fortunes read so that they know what the upcoming year has in store for them. Barbershops and beauty salons are booked many days in advance because it is bad luck to cut anything during Chinese New Year. Malls, stores, and markets all have sales leading up to the New Year. The hottest items before the start of the holiday are food and red clothing. Also before the New Year, people's homes get a thorough cleaning. All old furniture and belongings are taken out with the trash as well. This is so that during Chinese New Year, no one sweeps away any good luck. On the eve of the New Year, a family reunion is held, with a feast as the main focus. After the ...

gif - tumblr 下載聲音檔請點我 下載文字檔請點我 冬天泡溫泉是個好主意。今天的英文短篇，大家可以來學學跟溫泉相關的字彙，包括了 舒壓、滋潤皮膚、消除痠痛 的英文該怎麼說 ，還有台灣的四大溫泉在哪裡？本文都有介紹。 Hot Spring Fever 天涼好泡湯 Although winter is nearly over, you can still enjoy hot springs. Soaking in a hot spring is just the answer for people who are looking to warm up, relieve tension, or soothe skin. There are more than 100 hot springs across the island for people to experience and enjoy. As a result, hot spring spas have become some of Taiwan's greatest tourist attractions. Beitou, Yangmingshan, Guanziling in Tainan, and Sichongxi in Pingtung County are known as the four main hot spring areas in Taiwan. Taiwan's hot springs offer many health benefits. Soaking in the hot mineral water is believed to increase energy levels as well as help treat exhaustion, skin problems, and sore muscles. It goes without saying that it is the ultimate way to relieve stress. 本篇文章分句練習 Although winter is nearly over, you can still enjoy hot springs...

下載聲音檔請點我 下載文字檔請點我 這年頭阿貓阿狗真好命，早些年飼主要出遠門或是度假，只能將狗送去kennel這個一格一格宛如監獄的狗舍。不過現在可好啦，各種精品狗貓旅館因應而生，豪華檔次與完善服務媲美人類五星級飯店。這篇短文說的是一個叫做DogsVacay的服務，不過我覺得既然提到這個，就順便來個豪華狗貓精品旅館介紹好了。  這家位於南加州的高級區的精品狗旅館，每個房間都以名牌來命名，只不過這些名牌的拼字是怎麼了？怎麼看起來怪怪的？喔，原來是 Gucci變成Pucci ， Jimmy Choo (知名鞋牌)變成了 Jimmy Chew 。一狗一間，還打造一個偽室外空間，真是太用心了。(請問誰會寫信給狗？每間房門口的信箱，難道是裝飾用的嗎？一晚五千塊錢台幣，對超級有錢的人來說，這種價碼簡直是九牛一毛。 這家狗旅館有沒有高級，看看旅館外停放的超跑就曉得啦。 這家連鎖狗精品旅館在美國，紐約跟加州都有分店。 這麼寬敞的雙狗房不是給人睡的，而是給狗狗休息的頂級房間。 請問床頭櫃放香氛蠟燭是怎樣？ 預算不夠睡單狗房也舒適。 這是狗兒跑步機，可以讓狗狗度假期間保持身材。 運動後來個舒爽的spa也不賴，這種地方一晚住宿四五千塊錢台幣跑不了， 馬一節差不多五百塊錢台幣。 平板電視提供狗兒愛看的專屬節目。連牆上的畫都有「禪狗」境界，經營者確實用心。 這家狗旅館提供的是另外一寬敞的服務，雖然沒有大床， 但是有狗沙發跟狗抱枕，空間非常乾淨寬敞。 另外附設可以團體活動或是訓練的室內健身中心。 看完了美國的高級精品狗旅館，接下來來看英國的精品貓旅館。 位於英國的這個高級貓旅館，所有擺設都不馬虎，提供貓咪一個絕佳的度假氛圍。 A La Carte Menu伺候。何謂 a la carte?那就是專屬打造的套餐。 鮮蝦、鮭魚跟頂級雞胸肉，這三樣東西我家五毛跟黑皮這輩子都沒吃過。 名牌頂級水晶床，緞面床照，提供這隻偷喝了墨汁的貓最奢華的寵愛。 除了水晶名床加持之外，走道上還有七彩酷炫LED幻彩燈飾與牆上的貓咪喜愛影片。 這裡也提供所有貓咪服務，按摩一次六百台幣。 房內的節目是專為貓兒打造的。不是魚就是...

下載聲音檔請點我 下載文字檔請點我 From 蘋果日報雙與天下 長春藤美語 Yoga to the Max 舒展身心靈的運動 ── 瑜珈 Most people have heard of yoga. Many have tried it at home or even taken a class at a studio or gym. Yoga started in ancient India and was a part of religious activities. Traditionally, the goal of yoga was to find peace and calm through meditation since yoga was closely connected to Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and philosophy. Today, we call this type bhakti yoga. Another type developed later. Hatha yoga includes keeping the body active during meditation and focuses on breathing techniques during the poses. This clears one's mind of worries, stress, and so on. Both types have been well-known throughout history. 多數人都聽過瑜珈。許多人都曾在家中嘗試做這項運動，甚或到工作室或健身房上瑜珈課。 瑜珈始於古印度，為宗教活動的一部份。傳統上瑜珈因為與印度教、耆那教、佛教與哲學密切相關，所以其目的是透過冥想來尋求內心平靜。如今把我們這類瑜珈稱為奉愛瑜珈。另一類的瑜珈後來才開始發展。哈達瑜珈的內容包括在冥想過程中使身體保持在動的狀態，並在做出瑜珈姿勢時專注於各種呼吸技巧。這種瑜珈可以將心中的煩惱、壓力等一掃而空。這兩種類型的瑜珈從古至今已眾所周知。   生活必備字詞 hear of... 　　聽說過／知道 …… （多用完成式） Gary has h...

                                                  gif from Giphy 下載聲音檔請點我 下載文字檔請點我 這個單元是 蘋果日報雙語天下 的 常春藤短篇聽力 加以整理來的。希望大家能下載 audio file and transcript(聲音檔與文字稿) ，練習邊聽邊寫筆記，然後以口語或是寫作的方式，複述筆記內容。短篇英語內容非常好消化，，主題包羅萬象。千萬別小看這些簡單文章，若能聽熟並且熟記，也會成為可用的寫作與口說素材喔。 大家都知道的，照相的時候，老外都會說 cheese ，因為說這個單字的時候，會露出牙齒，中文則是用「茄子」這個字，that will do the trick. 如果人類在照相的時候說cheese*笑一個，那cheese照相的時候要說什麼呢？請看下圖。                                                              哇哈哈哈哈哈哈...... 起司可以治療皮膚方面的問題，這我還是第一次聽到。文中提到的皮膚問題 rosacea 我真的得過。當時我去看皮膚科，三個醫生都誤診為皮膚過敏(怪，我真的沒有過敏體質)，所以一直醫不好，一直到同事推薦我去台北的長庚醫院，那個醫生(對不起我忘記他的名字了，因為這是十七年前的事情)，看一眼就說那是「 玫瑰皮糠疹 」。他還說，這症狀沒有特效藥，過一陣子會自己好。這種粉紅色的疹子，一到半夜就爬滿身，早上起來又好多了，讓我覺得自己那陣子好像狼人還是吸血鬼之類的物種，因為一到晚上就變身...