李安導演親自執導的年度 3D 奇幻鉅片《少年Pi的奇幻漂流》，將於 11 月 21 日搶先在台上映。片中最主要的水池場景，在台中水湳機場打造完成，而船具則由高雄船廠支援。在台拍攝 9 個月期間，李安帶著 150 名來自 24 國的工作團隊全台跑透透，開心地蒐羅台灣美景，李安甚至驕傲地說：不來台灣，就拍不成《少年 Pi 的奇幻漂流》。跟著一窺 Pi 的奇幻之旅。片中的配樂 Coldplay《 Paradise 》也很好聽。
2012-11-09
NEW YORK CITY IS SET FOR A CREEPY DELUGE OF RATS
「科學怪風」Sandy挾豐沛雨量肆虐美東，重創交通運輸系統。連紐約營運逾108年的地鐵也難逃一劫，瞬間變成了水鄉澤國。氾濫的洪水同時也逼出棲息於地鐵及下水道管線中的數百萬老鼠大軍。災後的紐約真有可能爆發鼠疫疫情或上演「老鼠啟示錄」嗎？請跟著財經誠誌一起看下去。
《 料理鼠王 》
2012-11-01
BE AWARE: YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!
前一陣子，美牛進口吵得沸沸湯湯，大家聞世紀絕症「狂牛症」色變。真如總統所說，人類因食用牛內臟和帶骨牛肉而感染狂牛症的機率，比嚼檳榔或抽香菸得癌症的機率還低嗎？還是如衛生署所說，得病風險小於百萬分之一，就應視為零風險呢？請跟著財經誠誌一起挖掘美國大型酪農業背後「不能說的真相」。
註：右側為正常的人腦，左側為感染狂牛症後的人腦，左側明顯比右側小，且色澤較灰，結構鬆散。
《 沉默的食物 》
《 沉默的食物 》
2012-10-26
2012-10-19
DEADLY SINS OF BUSINESS MEETINGS
Meetings are the most universal — and universally despised — part of business life. Bad meetings, in particular, do more than ruin an otherwise pleasant day. The following are three deadly sins to watch for in business meetings.
■ Meetings that are ritualistic instead of necessary
For many businesses, routine meetings that lack focus and clear agenda often end up wasting time and boring people. Attendees eventually flip an “off” switch in their brains. Therefore, do not hold a meeting unless you have a defined agenda and concrete next steps. Also, try scheduling the meetings in the afternoon when escaping the cubic can be a welcome relief.
■ Meetings that are too rigid and a one-way conversation
People often tune out monotone lecturers and become restless, watching the clock and hoping to kick off their weekend. In the age of YouTube, there’s simply no reason to not inject a bit of humor in a meeting to gain attention, generate enthusiasm and engage the attendees. If you show PowerPoint slides, remember that the general rule of thumb is no more than one slide a minute, one idea per slide and as few words as possible.
■ Meetings that harp on setbacks
If a boss spends 95 percent of each meeting yelling at workers and demanding them to explain why their performances aren’t up to par, he is likely to hurt morale and stress his employees out rather than inspire them. Why not use the past as a platform for understanding and planning future strategies? The collective brain power should be wisely used to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
Q : With which may the author disagree:
A. Without clear goals and structured agenda, meetings become useless rituals.
B. Having one person lecture does little to stimulate discussion and fresh ideas.
C. Employees are more creative and productive in the afternoon hours.
D. Breaking up a meeting with music, a video or great stories energizes the session.
答案：C
- Improviser 文苦工
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| 精選多益/ 全民英檢中(高)級/ 托福單字片語 | |
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註：本專欄文章為文苦工創作，爬格子很辛苦，如需轉載引用，請事先取得文苦工同意。
(來函寄到 info AT learnerhall.net)
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2012-10-17
THERE’S A GIGANTIC DIAMOND IN OUTER SPACE!
First observed transiting its parent star in 2011, 55 Cancri e makes a full orbit in just 18 hours, in contrast to Earth’s 365 days. Since it's perilously close in to its sun-like host star, surface temperatures reach an inhabitable 2,150 degrees Celsius. Extremely high temperatures, along with carbon, make perfect conditions for creating diamonds.
Unlike Earth’s chemical make-up, 55 Cancri e has no water and is composed primarily of carbon (graphite and diamond), iron, and silicon carbide. Scientists speculate that about one third of the planet’s mass — the equivalent of the weight of three Earths — is pure diamond.
Science fiction has dreamed of diamond planets for many years. Now it’s amazing that we finally have evidence of its existence in the universe. Located 40 light-year away from Earth, the gemlike planet is clearly visible to the naked eye in the northern constellation Cancer.
| Q：With which statement would the author probably agree? | |
| A. | Many distant planets have compositions similar to those of Earth. |
| B. | Even if humans learn how to travel at the speed of light, the round trip to 55 Cancri e would take 40 years. |
| C. | A single year on 55 Cancri e takes more time than one of Earth’s days. |
| D. | Sadly for people who daydream of a glittering oasis, 55 Cancri e couldn’t support life. |
答案：D <<< 用滑鼠框起來反白，就可以看到答案
- Improviser 文苦工
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Chrome 瀏覽器使用者，可下載 Select and Speak 擴充軟體，把整篇文章念出來，增進聽力。
精選多益/ 全民英檢中(高)級/ 托福單字片語
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註：本專欄文章為文苦工創作，爬格子很辛苦，如需轉載引用，請事先取得文苦工同意。
(來函寄到 info AT learnerhall.net)
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電影《血鑽石 (Blood Diamond) 》預告
2012-10-12
HOSPITAL?!
All doctors swear to do no harm to their patients, but medical mistakes kill enough people each week to fill four jumbo jets. Were medical errors a disease, they would be the sixth leading cause of death —just behind accidents and ahead of Alzheimer’s. What other industry misses the mark this often?
Change can start with two simple but crucial reforms. First, video recording can be used to enhance compliance among medical experts. Reviewing videos of surgery can also lead to quality improvement. Second, each hospital should have an online dashboard to include important information such as rates for infection, readmission, surgical complications and “never event” errors. To make transparency more effective, government must play a role in making fair and accurate reports available to the public. In doing so, it will unleash the power of the free market. When hospitals have to compete on measures of safety, they will no doubt improve how they serve their patients.
If you won’t sit down for a meal before checking a restaurant’s performance ratings, why shouldn’t you be able to do the same thing when your life is at stake?
Q：What’s the best title for this article?
A. How to Prevent Hospitals From Killing Us.
B. Why Doctors Overlook Medical Errors.
C. Hospitals Are Moving Toward Increased Transparency.
D. The Role of Government In Fixing Health Care.
答案：A << 用滑鼠框起來反白，就可以看到答案
- Improviser 文苦工
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Chrome 瀏覽器使用者，可下載 Select and Speak 擴充軟體，把整篇文章念出來，增進聽力。
精選多益/ 全民英檢中(高)級/ 托福單字片語
1. swear (v) 發誓
2. do harm to N：對…造成危害
3. patient (n) 病患
4. error (n) 錯誤過失
5. disease (n) 疾病
6. leading (adj) 主要的；最重要的
7. cause (n) 原因
8. mark (n) 標準
9. crucial (adj) 重要的
10. reform (n) 改革
11. enhance (v) 提高；增加
12. compliance (n) 服從
13. review (v) 評論；檢閱
14. surgery (n) 手術
15. improvement (n) 改善；提升
16. dashboard (n) 儀表板
17. include (v) 包含
18. infection (n) 感染
19. readmission (n) 再入院
20. complication (n) 併發症
21. never event error：不應發生的失誤
22. transparency (n) 透明化
23. effective (adj) 有效率
24. play a role in N：在…上扮演一個角色
25. fair (adj) 公平的
26. accurate (adj) 正確的
27. available (adj) 可取得的
28. unleash (v) 解開…束縛
29. compete (v) 競爭
30. measure (n) 措施；基準
31. no doubt：無庸置疑地
32. serve (v) 為…服務
33. at stake：深陷危險之中
34. prevent (v) 避免
35. overlook (v) 忽視
36. increase (v) 增加
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註：本專欄文章為文苦工創作，爬格子很辛苦，如需轉載引用，請事先取得文苦工同意。
(來函寄到 info AT learnerhall.net)
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文苦工註：總以為還有時間做想做的事，說想說的話。但人世無常，愛要及時，才不會有來不及的遺憾。Live every day as if it were your last!
《實習醫生》CHASING THE CARS
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註：本專欄文章為文苦工創作，爬格子很辛苦，如需轉載引用，請事先取得文苦工同意。
(來函寄到 info AT learnerhall.net)
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文苦工註：總以為還有時間做想做的事，說想說的話。但人世無常，愛要及時，才不會有來不及的遺憾。Live every day as if it were your last!
《實習醫生》CHASING THE CARS
Artist: Snow Patrol Lyrics
Song: Chasing Cars Lyrics
We'll do it all
Everything
On our own
We don't need
Anything
Or anyone
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel
Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life
Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads
I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life
All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see
I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things will never change for us at all
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
2012-10-11
PSY’S GANGNAM STYLE, EXPLAINED!
Since its release in mid-July, Gangnam style has taken the world by storm. Even North Koreans, so cut off from the world, know of it. In the hilarious music video, the performer Psy (short for psycho) does an invisible horse-riding dance. He, along with a group of gorgeous women, raps and hops around Seoul pretending to be galloping.
This insanely addictive song does have its serious side, though. What Psy sings is about Gangnam, a fashionable neighborhood in Seoul with a bizarre concentration of the country’s wealth. That the residents there have risen not by following the traditional virtues of diligence and dedication but by living on a coveted piece of geography inspires both envy and distaste. Psy choreographed the funny dance routines to poke fun at Gangnam’s rich people who take up horseback riding simply to show off their luxurious lifestyles. This is exactly why the song soon gained enormous popularity in South Korea, where the growing gap between rich and poor is serious enough to have become an issue in the presidential election.
Q：What’s the main idea of this article?
A. Gangnam Style fever will continue unabated.
B. Gangnam Style mocks the ostentatious display of wealth.
C. Gangnam Style highlights the gap between rich and poor.
D. Gangnam Style overturns some Korean stereotypes.
答案： B << 用滑鼠框起來反白，就可以看到答案
- Improviser 文苦工
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Chrome 瀏覽器使用者，可下載 Select and Speak 擴充軟體，把整篇文章念出來，增進聽力。
精選多益/ 全民英檢中(高)級/ 托福單字片語
1. release (n) 發行
2. take …by storm 在…造成轟動
3. hilarious (adj) 令人捧腹大笑的
4. invisible (adj) 隱形的
5. gorgeous (adj) 性感漂亮的
6. pretend (v) 假裝
7. gallop (v) (馬)疾馳
8. insanely (adv) 瘋狂地
9. addictive (adj) 上癮的
10. serious (adj) 嚴肅正經的；嚴重的
11. bizarre (adj) 怪異的；超乎尋常的
12. concentration (n) 集中；專注
13. wealth (n) 財富
14. resident (n) 居民
15. traditional (adj) 傳統的
16. virtue (n) 美德
17. diligence (n) 勤奮努力
18. dedication (n) 專心致力
19. covet (v) 垂涎；渴望
20. inspire (v) 激起；引發
21. envy (n) 嫉妒
22. distaste (n) 厭惡
23. choreograph (v) 編舞
24. poke fun at N 嘲笑 = mock (v)
25. show off 炫耀
26. luxurious (adj) 奢華的 = ostentatious (adj)
27. gain enormous popularity 大受歡迎
28. gap (n) 差距；裂口
29. issue (n) 爭議；問題
30. presidential election 總統大選
31. fever (n) 流行熱潮 = craze (n) ….瘋
32. continue (v) 繼續
33. display (n) 展示
34. highlight (v) 強調凸顯
35. overturn (v) 推翻
36. stereotype (n) 刻板印象
(Source:Photograph by: Maggie Wong , Vancouver Sun)
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註：本專欄文章為文苦工創作，爬格子很辛苦，如需轉載引用，請事先取得文苦工同意。
(來函寄到 info AT learnerhall.net)
