2013年3月29日

give the cold shoulder

每日一詞---give the cold shoulder



好的,今天要看的是「給人冷肩膀」(大誤)。哈,這個片語的意思是「不理某人」、「冷落某人」,或是「對某事漠不關心」的意思。有時候別人並不知道原因,所以會產生莫名奇妙的感覺。來看一下例子吧!

What I have done to her? She gave me the cold shoulder the whole day at school. 我到底做錯什麼了?在學校她都不屑看我一眼。

Our town council has given the cold shoulder to a proposal to build a public swimming pool. 市議會對建造公共泳池的提案不理不睬//沒有興趣。



2013年3月27日

Massive 16th Century Sculpture of a Guardian Colossus

每日一看---Massive 16th Century Sculpture of a Guardian Colossus

以下文章及圖摘自My Modern Metropolis...慢慢欣賞吧~


Massive 16th Century Sculpture of a Guardian Colossus



Shrouded within the park of Villa Demidoff (just north of Florence, Italy), there sits a gigantic 16th century sculpture known as Colosso dell'Appennino, or the Appennine Colossus. The brooding structure was first erected in 1580 by Italian sculptor Giambologna. Like a guardian of the pond in front of him, the giant is in an endless watchful pose, perched atop his earthy seat.

就在義大利北部的佛羅倫斯,Villa Demidoff公園裡藏著一座巨大的石雕。這尊石像完成於十六世紀,名為Colosso dell'Appennino. 這座沉思的雕像於1580年完成,由雕塑家Giambologna豎立。一如眼前池子的守護者,這座石像棲居於佈滿青苔的泥土上,凝視著一切。






2013年3月24日

stick around

每日一詞---stick around



好糟糕啊啊啊,今天下午睡得一塌糊塗,加上不小心喝太多大紅袍,所以現在整個人輕飄飄的,也有點瘋瘋癲癲的,一點睡意都沒有....好,廢話不多說,直接來看今天要介紹的片語吧!stick around就是指「逗留一陣子」的意思,也能說「多待一會兒」。來看幾個句子吧!

The kids stuck around for a time after the class was over. 那些小孩下課後,逗留了一會。

Oh, Alice,. Please stick around for a while. I want to talk to you later. 噢,愛莉絲,請多待一會。我晚點想跟你談談。



2013年3月23日

fishy

每日一詞---fishy



好,今天來看的詞兒是fishy. 沒錯,這個字跟魚有很大的關係,可以表示「有魚腥味的」、「像魚的」,或是只眼神呆滯如死魚,我想最貼切的應該是大家常說的死魚眼吧哈哈。不過,今天要講的是另一種用法,也就是比較口語的,指「可疑的」、「靠不住的」。來看些句子吧!

The excuse sounds fishy. 那個理由聽起來怪怪的。

There is something fishy about that woman. I don't believe what she says. 那個女人怪可疑的,我不太相信她的話。

Their leaving at the same time looked fishy. 他們同時離開,讓人感覺有蹊蹺。



2013年3月22日

space out

每日一詞---space out



(還是忍不住把我最愛的羅賓放上來了xD)  好的,今天要看的是space out. 這是今天和外師聊天意外學到的,哈哈。這個片語就是「發呆」、「發楞」的意思,也就是一時腦袋空空不知道在想什麼。直接來看例句吧!

Alice spaced out during the meeting and I didn't understand a word she said. 愛莉絲開會都不知道在想什麼,我連一個字也聽不懂。

I have a tendency to space out at the end of a hard day. 疲累的一天結束時,我習慣放空。



2013年3月20日

Beautiful and Aching Photos About Finding Yourself

每日一看---Beautiful and Aching Photos About Finding Yourself


話說今天是春分耶!今天白天跟夜晚的時間剛剛好一樣,像我腦裡攪來攪去的思緒一樣等長等短xD今天也來欣賞一下不同的美吧!總覺得能用鏡頭傳達不同意念,是一件很棒的事。如果一張照片勝過千言萬語,那會是個偉大的傑作。以下文章及圖摘自My Modern Metropolis,請各位慢慢欣賞吧。


Beautiful and Aching Photos About Finding Yourself
自我探索的美與痛
· Posted by alice on March 13, 2013 at 3:30pm


Alexandra Benetel has many fond memories of traveling with her family at a very young age. She remembers picking up a disposable camera at a local store and shooting all the scenes around her. Her real passion for photography, however, didn't fully develop until she enrolled in a visual design course in high school. As she tells us, "During that time, I learned about pinhole photography, was introduced to the site Flickr and, ultimately, absolutely fell in love with photography."
Alexandra Benetel小時候和家人四處旅行,有很多愉快的回憶。她記得自己到在地的商店,挑了一台拋棄式相機,捕捉週遭的風景。然而,直到Alexandra Benetel中學時接觸了視覺設計的課程,她對攝影的熱忱才完全燃起。她告訴我們:「那個時候,我學會了針孔攝影、知道了Flicker這個網站,最後,也就愛上了攝影。」
To us, both are highly talented at drawing out an emotion, of making us feel a sense of vulnerability right along with her subjects. "I aim to create beautiful photographs that capture mysterious yet dream-like worlds, filled with oddities that encompass aspects of reality," she says. "I want people to be transported to a different world, escape their life for just a little while and experience something fantastical. At the same time, I want people to relate to and feel something when viewing my work."
對我們而言,Alexandra Benetel與她弟弟(同是攝影師)都熟悉如何捕捉主體表情,傳達一種脆弱不實的感覺。她說:「我就是要創造一個充滿神秘、如夢般的世界,卻又怪誕四溢的現實,然後用相片來呈現」,「我想讓人們到另一個不同的世界、脫離現實生活,體驗迷人的絢麗;哪怕只是一下子。在欣賞我作品的同時,我希望大家能在其中找到共鳴。」










2013年3月19日

Surreal Floral Portraits by Sayaka Maruyama

每日一看---Surreal Floral Portraits by Sayaka Maruyama


切入正題之前,先來段小碎碎念吧xD終於沒有再發燒了,也比較能清楚思考了!更重要的是,我要謝謝這些關心我、愛我的家人和朋友們,有你們真好=] 也謝謝哥哥今天中午特地煮十穀粥+枸杞+小魚給我吃,我應該要趕快把這種好男人推銷出去才是啊哈哈

好,碎碎念完了。今天來看一些和美有關的事物吧!個人還滿喜歡這種風格的呢(以下文章與圖摘自My Modern Metropolis)


Surreal Floral Portraits by Sayaka Maruyama
Sayaka Maruyama的超現實與花美人
· Posted by Katie Hosmer on March 17, 2013 at 11:30am

Japanese photographer Sayaka Maruyama creates art that explores, recreates, and redefines the classic definitions of beauty. She challenges her viewers to look with a fresh perspective and to see beauty in every element of our surroundings. In Sakura, the London-based artist draws on classical Japanese references and Surrealist motifs to explore what she describes as "contradictory contemporary understandings of Japanese notions of beauty, from both Western and Eastern perspectives."

日本攝影師Sayaka Maruyama用另一種方式重新探索、詮釋及定義了何為經典的「美」。她試圖讓觀眾用不同的角度,來欣賞身邊的美。在她以倫敦風格為主的Sakura作品集中,強調了傳統日本及超現實的美感,Maruyama形容:「從東西方觀點來看,他們解讀日本眼中的美是相互對立的。」







2013年3月16日

free rein

每日一詞---free rein


今天要看的是free rein,而rein就是指勒馬的韁繩。所以這個片語就是指「讓人隨心所欲」、「為所欲為」。我們來看看English Baby的介紹吧,順便瞥瞥本人的翻譯 =]

Have you ever gone horseback riding? Most people use equipment to help keep themselves, and their horse, safe. There’s the saddle to give you a comfortable place to sit, and the bridle to give you a place to attach the reins. The reins are straps that you can pull on to get your horse to stop. When you let the reins go loose, the horse continues forward until you pull on the reins again. 
你騎過馬嗎?大部分的人都會用馬具來保持自己和馬兒的安全。馬鞍能讓人坐得舒服,轡頭能接上韁繩,好讓人駕馭;如果要馬兒停步,可以拉拉韁繩。但如果放鬆韁繩,馬兒就會直直前進,到你再次拉住韁繩才停止。

To give free rein, then, is to allow someone or something to continue without your trying to stop it. You might not even be able to stop it if you tried. For example, a mother might tell her son that he has to keep his toys neat in most of the rooms of the house, but he can have free rein over his bedroom. Or you might say that the swim team uses the pool until six o’clock, but the public has free rein after that.
所以囉,free rein的意思就是把某人或某事放水流(對不起我暫時想不到恰當的詞xD),不予以干涉;且就算你想阻止,可能也起不了作用。比如,一位媽媽可以要她的小孩不在其他房間亂丟玩具,卻管不了他在自己房間亂搞。另一個例子,假設某個游泳隊要在泳池練到六點,但其他人可以在六點之後使用。



那,來看些句子吧:

When my husband’s away, I have free rein over the house and can leave my stuff wherever I want.我先生不在時,我想怎樣就怎樣,可以把東西丟在想丟的地方。

I’ll let you make dinner, if you give me free rein over dessert.我會讓你做晚餐,但前提是你不能管我弄怎樣的甜點。



2013年3月12日

Beautifully Elegant Dancers Pose Along City Streets

每日一看---Beautifully Elegant Dancers Pose Along City Streets

今天來看一些賞心悅目的照片吧!然後.....翻譯明天再補上=3=////以下文章摘自My Modern Metropolis,有興趣的人可以在臉書上找到專頁。總覺得三月的微風就是適合這種輕淡的美麗,喜歡這種細膩的勾勒。



Beautifully Elegant Dancers Pose Along City Streets


Australian photographer Lisa Tomasetti has worked as a visual artist and film stills photographer for the past 23 years. Her eye for cinematic drama comes through in her dance photography, a collection of images in which she is able to capture the beautiful elegance of ballet dancers set against the more rough, gritty urban city streets of Paris, Tokyo, and New York.
澳大利亞攝影師Lisa Tomasetti,過去23年都在視覺藝術與電影劇照界穿梭。成功捕捉美麗優雅的芭蕾舞者駐足於略為遜色的都市街頭(比如巴黎、東京和紐約),讓她擁有抓住經典的獨到眼光。

Dressed in leotards, tutus, and satin point shoes, her subjects gracefully pose in a variety of classic ballet positions including the grand jeté and the arabesque penchée. Tomasetti places the dancers in the most unexpected environments, and, as they achieve splits in mid air and delicately balance on one toe, viewers experience a visual juxtaposition of classic elegance and refinement, set in front of the roughness of street corners, subway stations, and bustling shopping districts.
身穿緊身舞衣、tutu短裙,以及緞面硬鞋,這些舞者優雅地擺出各種古典舞姿,像是grand jeté和 arabesque penchée(對不起啊啊啊在下才疏學淺,雖然有學芭蕾,但這些術語真的不知道該怎麼翻才恰當Q_Q)。Tomasetti讓這些舞者立於意想不到的背景---凌亂的街道、地鐵、繁忙的購物區,但卻能捕捉她們劈腿和保持完美平衡的畫面,給觀眾一種截然不同的美感。
If you enjoy this kind of dance photography, you may enjoy this similar project, entitled Ballerina Project by Dane Shitagi, as well as this hilarious and heartfelt series, The Tutu Project, by Bob Carey.



















2013年3月10日

Global warming is epic, long-term study says

每日一看(2)---Global warming is epic, long-term study says



哈,這張照片是我私心放上來的,難得捕捉到弟弟上籃的光采。回歸正題,今天還是一樣,來看看昨天沒看完的部份,想想這些專家是怎麼看待全球暖化這個議題的吧。

Far from natural warming
根本不是自然增溫
Variations in how the Earth is tilted and its orbit around the sun make for a pattern of planetary warming phases followed by cooling phases across the millennia.
The team's research shows the Earth's overall temperature curve dipping down over about the past 4,000 years, but the downward plod comes to an abrupt halt in modern times.
"If you were to predict -- based on where we are relative to the position of the sun and how we are tilted -- you would predict that we would be still cooling, but we're not," Marcott said.
Instead, the planet is warming up. It hasn't been quite this warm in thousands of years. And it's getting hotter.
By 2100, the Earth will be warmer than ever before, Marcott said. If emissions continue as currently predicted until then, global temperatures will rise "well above anything we've ever seen in the last 11,000 years."
That could be a rise of 2 to 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the NSF.
幾千年來,地球的傾斜角度與繞日軌道造成本身的增溫變化,而每次皆有寒冷期伴隨。研究團隊指出,地球溫度在過去四千年來,平均溫度明顯下降;但這樣的走勢維持不久,時間進入現代,溫度曲線突然驟升。
Marcott說:「如果你要預測---根據地球與太陽的距離和本身的傾斜角度---你會認為地球現在仍然處於寒冷期,但其實不然。」
是的,地球正在暖化。數千年來,這種快速升溫的情況還是頭一遭。
Marcott表示,在2100年前,地球溫度會創下史上新高。如果各種暖化因素一直持續不變,到時全球溫度將會升到「過去一萬一千年來從未見過的高」。
美國國家科學基金會指出,上句話表示溫度會升高華氏211.5度。



2013年3月9日

Global warming is epic, long-term study says

每日一看(1)---Global warming is epic, long-term study says


好,今天來關心一下全球暖化這個老掉牙的話題吧!雖然大家都知道節能減碳是最恆久、最根本改善的方式,但要完全做到似乎遙不可期。我們究竟能做些什麼呢?廢話不多說,直接來看以下的新聞。本篇選自CNN,先看前面的部份吧。


Global warming is epic, long-term study says
研究表示,全球暖化始終如影隨形,未曾消失
By Ben Brumfield, CNN
March 8, 2013 -- Updated 1157 GMT (1957 HKT)
A scientist looks at an ice core from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide coring site.

 (CNN) -- Global warming has propelled Earth's climate from one of its coldest decades since the last ice age to one of its hottest -- in just one century.
A heat spike like this has never happened before, at least not in the last 11,300 years, said climatologist Shaun Marcott, who worked on a new study on global temperatures going back that far.
"If any period in time had a sustained temperature change similar to what we have today, we would have certainly seen that in our record," he said. It is a good indicator of just how fast man-made climate change has progressed.
A century is a very short period of time for such a spike.
(美國有線電視新聞網)---自上次冰河期,全球暖化已將地球溫度從寒冷推向熾熱---而這個過程只花了一世紀。
氣象學家Shaun Marcott表示,今日的極熱現象,至少在過去一萬一千三百年間從未發生。而這位學者,目前正研究自冰河時期至今的地球溫度變化。
Marcott說:「如果地球每一期的溫度變化都和今日相仿,我們當然可以輕易察覺」。這句話正好指出了人們如何快速地刺激全球暖化,改變全球氣候。
一個世紀能發生如此的遽變,是快得驚人的。

It's supposed to be cold
應該降溫才是
The Earth was very cold at the turn of the 20th century. The decade from 1900 to 1909 was colder than 95% of the last 11,300 years, the study found.
Fast forward to the turn of the 21st century, and the opposite occurs. Between 2000 and 2009, it was hotter than about 75% of the last 11,300 years.
If not for man-made influences, the Earth would be in a very cold phase right now and getting even colder, according the joint study by Oregon State University and Harvard University. Marcott was the lead author of the report on its results.
To boot, the range of temperatures from cold to hot produced since the industrial revolution began are about the same as the 11,000 years before it, said Candace Major from the National Science Foundation, "but this change has happened a lot more quickly."
剛進入20世紀時,地球的溫度仍然不高。研究發現,19001909的十年間,地球溫度甚至比過去的一萬一千三百年還要低95%
然而一到21世紀,就發生了大逆轉。在2000年和2009年間,全球氣溫比過去一萬一千三百年要高出75%
美國奧勒岡州立大學和哈佛大學指出,如果沒有人為干擾,地球現在仍處於寒冷期,甚至更冷。而Marott先生,正是這項研究的領導。
任職於美國國家科學基金會的Candace Major表示,自工業革命以來,全球氣溫變化的幅度和過去一萬一千年一樣,「但這過程發生得太快了。」



2013年3月7日

make waves

每日一詞---make waves



今天要介紹的詞呢,就是make waves;和字面意思一樣---就是興風作浪、引起騷動之意。這個片語通常表示負面的意思,好吧!直接來看幾個例子。

Our culture encourages us to fit the norm and not to make waves. 受文化影響,我們習慣跟隨主流,不標新立異。

We decided not to make waves with our parents and agreed to have a real wedding. 我們決定不和父母瞎吵,同意辦一場真正的婚禮。

If you make waves too much around here, you won't last long. 如果你在這裡放肆,絕對待不久。




2013年3月6日

lip synching

每日一讀---lip synching



相信大家對演唱會發生對嘴事件應該不陌生吧!今天要看的就是「對嘴」的英文簡介(請包容敝人拙拙的翻譯吧)。以下文章摘自English Baby,有興趣的人可以google一下,順便練練聽力喔。


With all the lights and props performers use these days, it’s hard to know what’s really going on onstage when you go to a concert. Are they actually singing up there, or just lip synching?
今日的演唱會有了許多燈光和道具的輔助,這也讓觀眾很難知道舞台上秀的是不是真功夫。那些歌手究竟是真的在唱歌,還是只是對嘴唱?

Lip synching is when you move your lips as though you are singing, but you don’t make any sound. You’re just pretending while a recording plays.

對嘴是指像在唱歌、卻不發出任何聲音,純粹只是跟著音樂變嘴形。

Generally, fans don’t like it when artists lip synch. In the ‘80s, the band Milli Vanilli’s career was ruined when people found out they were lip synching.

一般來說,粉絲們都不喜歡歌手表演時對嘴唱。在1980年代,Milli Vanilli樂團就是因為被人揭發對嘴唱而走下坡。



2013年3月4日

snap out of it

每日一詞---snap out of it



好的,今天要介紹的是snap out of it. snap當動詞是指門、蓋子等啪的一聲關上,或是某些東西突然斷裂、變了樣。所以呢,這個片語就是指「振作起來」,特別是從自憐自艾、悲傷等狀態恢復正常。好,來看些例句吧!

She is filled with grief, and just can't seem to snap out of it. 她滿懷悲傷,似乎無法釋懷。

Snap out of it! Why are you feeling sorry for yourself? 快振作起來!你怎麼垂頭喪氣的?




2013年3月2日

Dandelion tires? It's not a Beatles lyric, it's biotech

每日一看---Dandelion tires? It's not a Beatles lyric, it's biotech


耶!!!!今天終於把翻譯生出來了,請各位瞥一瞥吧,順便思考一下能源短缺與替代方法的問題。


Dandelion tires? It's not a Beatles lyric, it's biotech
蒲公英輪胎?這可不是披頭四的歌詞,而是新的生物科技
By Nick Glass and Tim Hume, CNN
February 15, 2013 -- Updated 1617 GMT


Wageningen, The Netherlands (CNN) -- The dandelion's bright yellow bloom and fuzzy, parachute-like seeds are a familiar sight across the continents.
But scientists at Dutch biotech firm KeyGene believe the flower's true beauty could lie beneath the soil.
荷蘭瓦赫寧(CNN)—蒲公英黃色的花朵和毛茸茸、傘狀的種子,對大部分的人來說應該不陌生。但荷蘭生技公司KeyGene認為,這種植物真正的美其實不在表面,而是藏在土壤下。



The dandelion's roots contain latex, the milky liquid that is a source for natural rubber and the origin for the plant's name in a number of languages (the Danish for "dandelion" translates as "milk pot").
蒲公英的根部會分泌一種膠狀、乳白色的液體,是製造天然橡膠的原料;而這也成為蒲公英的幾種名字來源,比如丹麥人就稱它為「奶壺」。

Global demand for natural rubber is expected to outstrip supply by 20% by 2020. But KeyGene believes that the dandelion can be developed into an important natural source of the commodity, worth more than $100 billion a year.
The dandelion's roots are smaller than ideal for commercial rubber production. So KeyGene is putting the plant through a process of plant phenotyping in order to develop a variety of dandelion with a fatter root and higher yield, that would be better suited for industrial processing.

專家預估在2020年前,全球對天然橡膠的需求會超越現在的20%。但KeyGene生技公司相信,蒲公英能夠發展為天然橡膠的重要原料,每年能獲益一兆美元以上。但蒲公英的根部和製造橡膠的原料相比,要來得小。因此,KeyGene公司打算用基改或雜交配種的方式來改善這個缺點,讓蒲公英的根部更肥大,同時也提高產量,符合產業需求。