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双语：聪明的情侣约会必备的十招

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 04:25:31 +0000

　　话说，当你写网络介绍，在提交这前，都可以用“删除”键和“编辑”键来保证其正确性。就算是语音邮件，你也可通过#（井字键）来删除那些说错了的话或是那些不成功的幽默话语。但是，一旦你是在和别人面对面地交流，有什么方法能让你不着急，也不会将约会弄糟呢？如果你是第一次约会，考虑一下我们吧，我们能像你的教母一样使你不致变成一个单身汉或老姑娘。尤其是我们会帮助你注意以下十种约会禁忌，让你成功进入第二垒，成功晋级。

　　1.不要老是一个人说啊说

　　在足球中，持球防守最久的那一方总是会赢，但在约会中，请忘记足球。与约会中与其谈一下这个又谈一下那个，不如不要再说有关你自己的事而且记住少说话。与那些在一大堆的人中，很受欢迎的人相比，你最好是等一等，听一听对方有什么话要说。最后，你会学到很多，也不会把事情弄慒。

　　2.暂时将你喜欢的运动节目放一放

　　除非你的约会主题是伴着一桶辣鸡翅看大型比赛。要不然不要把你的第一次约会定在一场赛事开赛的时候。没有一个女人会欣赏一个和她约着会却还留着心思看吧台上的电视的男人。

　　3.晾着那位“受欢迎先生”

　　在社交词汇中，有一句话叫做“我们的心都在这儿”，这是最重要的一点。将你的事情或其他的紧急事件先放一放，将你的手机调为震动。像一个交际花似的将你认为重要的事情说给对方听是非常不礼貌的，其不礼貌程度仅次于一个超级花花公子正在和一位化妆的女人调情。

　　4.别暗送秋波

　　不管普拉提把她的背部和臀部塑造得有多好或她的衣领有多低，表现地与别人不一样。把精神集中在她的脸部，和她进行眼神交流。她会对此印象深刻的。

　　5.吹一小下牛

　　你在华尔街的股票认购书和私人飞机也许在网上还查得到相关信息，但是吹嘘你的银行帐户是不明智的，并不会让你有吸引力。如果你很富有，不用你说，你说话时的自信语气，用的名贵手表和意大利产的鞋都可以说明你是一个一流的投资者。

　　6.避免谈论一些明显禁忌的话题

　　人生教训，过去的感情，或你对已故的法国学者雅克·德里达（Jacques Derrida）的哲学观点（它是一个吹牛过头的人还是一个伟大的解构主义者？对这个进行讨论），通过这些来使谈话变得更有趣或通过此来排除那些与你有不同价值观的可能成为你另一半的人。然而，第一次约会不是为了结婚而进行的查户口式的谈话或对你的感情史全盘托出的环节。切记，这不是讨论你以前的配偶或任何失败的感情（包括一些头痛的事，行李或其他发生的事件）的地方

　　7.不要和对方变得太熟了

　　不论现在你的感情经营得有多好（激烈地握手，桌下的爱抚），共同规划未来可绝对不要做，太可怕了。对分摊夏天租房费用的提示，给小孩子命名或其他有关家庭的信息（“嗯，我妈是个怪人，你很快就会见到她了。”）在这个阶段提出来都是非常讨厌的。

　　8.不要过多地展露你对流行文化的痴迷

　　每一个有些诙谐的评论或带有开玩笑成份的话语都要与流行文化沾上边吗？小小地展露一下你的文化智商，是可以的，但是太多辛普森一家似的玩笑和对星球大战第一集很深层次的了解是会让人感觉非常无趣的。

　　9.不要对你的支付单上所列的物品价目斤斤计较

　　对你的吃的这顿饭的价格忧心忡忡，不管是之前还是当时还是之后都已将你自己塑造成一个不是在享受约会而是在自寻烦恼的人或一个小气鬼的形象。通常，请约就谁请客，而且你可没有任何必要对开胃菜的价格或小虾的个数而抱怨。

　　10.保存那些纪念性的照片以后用

　　不管现在的技术有多先进，把你的可照相手机当作是路边的公共电话亭和公共照相亭是非常幼稚的，而且也会使人产生一种你还会和别人约会的感觉。更糟糕的是，对方可能觉得你是在“收集”所有那些已经被你弄到手的受害者或约会对象的照片。在约会这个问题上，有吸引力的谈话可比任何一天或任何一晚的快照照片来得要好。

　　Back when you were plotting your online profile, the delete key and edit function bailed you out of blunders before posting to the cyber-nation. Even voicemail grants us the beloved # button to erase verbal mistakes and botched witticisms. But once in the real-time arena of dating in person, though, what’s to keep you from shoving a shoe in your mouth and blowing the whole affair? Like your fairy godmother, consider us on your shoulder for that first date, reminding you not to step into the usual bachelor potholes. Specifically, we’ll help you watch out for these 10 common dating pitfalls that spoil chances of an Act II and render your mojo limp:

　　1. Scale back your time of possession.

　　In football, the team that holds the ball for long stretches on offense invariably wins the game. In dating, forget football Sunday. Instead of towering over the chitchat, shelve the Me, Me, Me and talk less. Unlike the star of a rowdy cable news roundtable, defer and listen to your guest. In the end, you’ll learn more and foul up less.

　　2. Offload unsportsmanlike conduct.

　　Unless the theme of the date is to watch the big game around a bucket of hot wings, don’t schedule a first meeting at the same time as a crucial sporting event. No lady appreciates one eye on her and the other on the bar TV scanning for the Cubs score.

　　3. Put Mr. Popularity on ice.

　　One of the terms of the social contract we call a date is that while we’re both here, this is the most important thing happening. Pressing business and pet emergencies aside, silence your cell phone during a first date. Flaunting your supposed importance as a social butterfly is downright rude, overshadowed only by the ultimate cad who flirts with a stranger while his date powders her nose.

　　4. Lay off any leering looks.

　　No matter how well Pilates has sculpted her backside or how devilishly low-cut her neckline, be different… lock your gaze above the neck line for full iris-to-iris contact. She’ll be impressed.

　　5. Enter a no-bragging zone.

　　Your Wall Street credentials and private jet may have been relevant info online, but boasting about your bank account in person is hardly attractive. If you are well-off, the confident tone, classic watch, and Italian shoes will wordlessly communicate that you are a blue-chip investment.

　　6. Steer clear of taboo topics.

　　Life lessons, exes, or your philosophical stance on the late Jacques Derrida (Overblown fraud or grand deconstructionist? Discuss.) enliven conversation and aid in weeding out potential mates with incongruent values. However, a first date is not couples’ counseling or a tell-all recap of your romantic résumé. This is not the forum for discussing recent exes or any past relationship failures that involve heartache, baggage, or other drama.

　　7. Don’t get too familiar.

　　No matter how well the date is faring (rampant hand-holding, under-the-table canoodling), projecting a conjoined future is a terrible no-no. Hints of shared summer-house rentals, baby naming, or family references (“Oh, Mother is a card. You’ll meet her soon.”) are super-creepy at this stage.

　　8. Don’t over-indulge your pop-culture passions.

　　Must every semi-witty comment and dash of banter contain a pop-culture reference? Lightly sprinkle your cultural quotient, yes, but too many Simpsons jokes and too deep a knowledge of Star Wars: Episode I is head-shakingly dull.

　　9. Avoid the line-item audit.

　　Obsessing over the price of dinner, before, during, or afterward either paints you as a worrywart who isn’t enjoying the date — or a cheapskate who isn’t enjoying the date. The host generally pays, and no one needs to hear you gripe about appetizer prices or shrimp count.

　　10. Save the souvenir photos for later.

　　Despite advances in technology, treating your camera phone like the boardwalk kiosk photo-booth is premature, and more apt for a third date. Even worse, it gives the sense that you’re “collecting” photos of all your victims/dates. Seductive conversation trumps snapshots any day… and any night.

《杜拉拉升职记》内含英语经

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:07:29 +0000

畅销小说《杜拉拉升职记》(A Story of Lala’s Promotion)，长期稳坐“24小时小说畅销榜”的头把交椅(has remained at the top of the “list of 24-hour fictions best sellers”)。

2009年1月出版的《杜拉拉2：华年似水》(书名可译为Lala II: Those Shinning Days。Shining days的意思是“闪光的日子”；shin原指小腿，用做动词有“敏捷地攀登”的意思)，销量已突破120万册。

由《杜拉拉升职记》改编的同名电影和话剧(the film and play adapted based on the novel of the same title)也回过来使原书受到热捧(receive heated extolling)，电视台也在推波助澜(add fuel to the flame)，推出“寻找职场杜拉拉”(looking for living Lala’s in employment)的电视节目，将杜拉拉系列推向一个新的高潮(push it to a new height)。

其实，《杜拉拉升职记》里既没有惊天动地的事迹(astonishing deeds)，也没有惊险曲折或催人泪下的情节(breathtaking or moving melodrama)。杜拉拉是外企职场女性(a white collar in a foreign enterprise)，并没什么特殊背景(with no special family background)，完全是靠自己的努力取得了成功(to have achieved success on her own/through her own efforts)。她的种种表现成了职场成功的秘籍，该书也因此被誉为 “职场江湖提升秘籍” (可译为secret to promotion tips for new employees)。

不过作为文学作品，《杜拉拉升职记》似乎缺乏亮点(eye-catching points)，全书语言较平淡(insipid)，虽有一些时髦词汇(vogue words and catch phrases)点缀，但说不上有什么文采(literary grace)。

由2012想到的十大扣人心弦灾难大片

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:21:42 +0000

10. “Twister”
There are going to be people who scoff at my choice of “Twister” but this is one of those movies that when it’s on cable, I always end up watching. Not the best acting ever in a film, but the tornado action is pretty darn fun.

也许很多人会对《龙卷风》不屑一顾，毕竟表演一般特效也很陈旧了。但是每次电视台放还是会忍不住看……

坏心情的时候可以做的5件事

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:12:59 +0000

　　Don’t add more pressure. Forget about turning lemons into lemonade. The first rule to follow when trying to turn around a bad day is to not try to turn around a bad day — that’s nearly impossible and puts way too much pressure on you. Your goal should be to survive the day and minimize the long-term damage by agreeing not to make any decisions. After a barrage of bad news, your decision making ability will be all messed up. Take a break and, if possible, escape…

　　不要再给自己加压。忘记把柠檬榨成柠檬汁了，不要强迫自己一定做好，你要做的就是认真过好这一天，不让时间浪费。

双语：美国“钻石王老五”偏爱的居住地

admin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 05:17:28 +0000

　MoneyMagazine is out with a list of ‘Best Places to Live in if You’re Rich and Single.’

　　新一期美国《Money》杂志列出了“王老五们的最佳居住地”。

　　The top 25 is dominated by California, with No. 1 being Newport Beach, Calif. As the article says: ‘After you land that date with a wealthy surfer, take a romantic gondola cruise-or better yet-shop for yachts which are plentiful here.’

　　这25个居住地多在加利福尼亚，排在榜首的便是加州的新港滩(Newport Beach)。文章说，当你和一位爱好冲浪的富人约会，两人可以划着平底舟浪漫地游戈，或者更浪漫一点，去选购游艇，游艇在这里多的是。

　　Newton, Mass., a wealthy suburb of Boston, ranked second, since it apparently has good pizza and beer, while nearby Brookline came in third, followed by Sandy Springs, Ga., Irvine, Calif. and Milpitas, Calif., and loads of other California coastal towns。

　　波士顿富裕的卫星城、位于马萨诸塞州的牛顿(Newton)排名第二，其上榜原因应该是它有不错的比萨和啤酒；邻近的布鲁克林 (Brookline)位于第三，然后是佐治亚州沙泉(Sandy Springs)，加州欧文(Irvine)和加州密尔派塔斯(Milpitas)，还有其他一大批加州沿海城市。

　　In creating the rankings, Money looked at the percentage of the population that is single and the median income. High numbers for both made for a high ranking in the list. Nearly a third of Newport Beach’s population is single, and the median income is $144,000.

　　《Money》在制作这个排行榜的时候，考虑到了单身人群比重和中间收入这两个指标。如果两个指标都很高，在榜行榜上的位置就高。在新港滩，接近三分之一的人都是单身，而中间收入是144,000美元。

　　But before the golddiggers start trolling the Newport Beach Craigslist sites for well-bankrolled mates, consider this: high-income towns don’t always equate to great wealth. It just means they are expensive。

　　但是，想傍“大款”的人们如果要通过网站寻找新港滩的富裕伴侣，先要注意到这么一种情况：一个城市收入高，并不一定等于它非常富有。收入高只意味着物价高。

　　Earning $144,000 in Newport Beach may be affluent in many towns in the U.S.. But it probably counts as middle-class or lower-affluent in Newport Beach。

　　收入144,000美元，这在美国很多城市可能都算很多了，但在新港滩，可能也就是个中产阶级或准富裕水平。

　　What is more, the prevalence of couples who live together but aren’t married may also distort the results, creating higher numbers of ’singles’ in the stats who aren’t really singles。

　　另外，由于同居但不结婚的现象比较普遍，排行榜的结果可能也存在失真，导致统计数据中的“单身”数量增多，而这些人实际上并不是单身。

　　When asked by the Mercury News about the rich singles in Santa Cruz (ranked No. 25) resident Katy Oursler said, ‘I can afford to live here, that’s something.’

　　加州圣塔克鲁兹(Santa Cruz)排在第25名。圣荷塞《水星报》 (Mercury News)问及该市的单身贵族时，居民奥斯勒 (Katy Oursler) 说，我能承受在这里居住，本身就很了不起。

　　What town do you think is the best to find truly rich singles?

　　你觉得在哪个城市最容易找到真正的钻石王老五呢？

双语：瘦身专家揭示四条减肥秘诀(图)

admin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 05:14:50 +0000

瘦身专家揭示四条减肥秘诀

　　1. Don’t Starve Yourself

　　Research does show you can lose unwanted weight by starving yourself. The problem is that up to 50% of that weight loss comes from muscle tissue, not from fat. And that sets you up for pure disaster。

　　1、别饿着自己

　　研究表明使自己处于饥饿状态的人会以错误的方式减少体重。问题是减少的体重中的一半都来自于肌肉组织，而不是脂肪。这种减肥会使你陷入灾难之中。

　　2. Don’t Skimp on This Calorie-Free Calorie Burner

　　Water may be the furthest thing from your mind when you’re busy. But not drinking enough of the clear stuff can have dire consequences – even for your waistline!

　　2、多喝水，水不但不含有热量，还能有效的燃烧脂肪

　　在你忙的时候也许根本想不到喝水。不过不喝足够的水可能会带来可怕的后果，甚至对腰围来说也是如此。

　　3. Don’t Eat if You’re Not Hungry

　　A lot of people overeat simply because the food is readily available. So get rid of the visual cues!

　　3、不饿的时候不要吃东西

　　许多人仅仅因为有现成的食物就暴饮暴食，现在把它们放在看不到的地方吧。

　　4 Don’t Eat Too Much Saturated Fat

　　High amounts of saturated fats are found in animal products such as beef, milk, cheese, lunch meat, butter and bacon。

　　4、不要食用太多饱和脂肪

　　在包括牛肉，牛奶，奶酪，午餐肉，奶油和咸肉的很多动物制品都发现了大量的饱和脂肪。

双语：调查称女人31岁最美丽(图)

admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:19:00 +0000

女人31岁最美丽

　　According to the Telegraph, women reach the peak of their beauty at the age of 31, a new study has claimed。

　　Women in their late 20s and early 30s are considered more attractive than fresh-faced eighteen and nineteen year olds, researchers found. The findings, from a survey of the opinions of over 2,000 men and women, found that beauty was as much rooted in personality as appearance。

　　Celebrities currently at the prime age of 31 include TV presenter Christine Bleakley, Strictly Come Dancing judge Alesha Dixon and Danielle Lineker。

　　Beauty was defined as being confident by 70 percent of respondents, having good looks by 67 per cent and being stylish by 47 percent。

　　据英国《每日电讯报》19日报道，最近的一项研究表明，女性在31岁时最漂亮。

　　研究人员发现，20岁后半期和30岁出头的女性比18-19岁面带稚气的女孩更具吸引力。这一结论是通过收集2000名男性和女性的调查问卷后得出的。同时，该结论认为美丽同样来自于个性，就像来自于人的外表一样。

　　据悉，目前英国娱乐界处于全盛期的美女电视主持人克里斯蒂尼-布里克莉、歌手爱丽莎-迪克森和模特达尼埃尔莱-因克尔都是31岁。

　　参与调查问卷的70%的人认为美来自于自信，67%的人认为美就是有好容貌，而47%的人则认为美就是追求新潮。

双语盘点：夏天喝啤酒的三个最佳场所

admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:17:48 +0000

　炎炎夏日，约上三五好友，几杯冰爽啤酒下肚，已经成为时下很多人消夏的生活方式。今天小编就为大家介绍夏日喝酒的好去处。不过同时也要提醒大家，啤酒虽然可口，但要注意禁忌事项，夏日喝酒，要悠着点哦。

　　1. 沙滩(beach)

　　说起夏天和朋友畅饮喝酒的场所，第一个想到的就是沙滩了。

　　拉上三五好友，前往海滩感受海风拂面的感觉。或是看着海面上的快艇(speedboat)呼啸而过，或是带上装备潇洒潜水(diving)；或是带上救生圈(life ring)感受一下海水的感觉。待涨潮(flood tide)时就来到沙滩，和朋友们喝上几杯啤酒，痛快聊天。看看一位国外朋友是怎么描述自己的经历的吧：

　　So I was at the beach over the weekend, and I got to thinking about several years back when The Beer Drinker, myself and a handful of our good friends went camping near a beach where you could bring a cooler and drink all the beer you wanted right there by the surf。

　　2. 酒吧(bar)

　　对于每天在办公室勤勤恳恳工作的上班族(office worker)来说，结束了一天的工作后，最享受的就是换上轻松的衣服，去享受难得的休闲时光。那么，下班去哪里happy hour？

　　很多人都会选择去酒吧。如果是高脚杯(goblet)的话，喝起来其实也有些学问呢。

　　正确的握标姿势是用手指轻握杯脚。为避免手的温度使酒温增高，应用大拇指(thumb)、中指(middle finger)和食指(index finger)握住杯脚，小指(little finger)放在杯子的底台固定。

　　3. 大排档(sidewalk snack booth)

　　大排档在中国大中小城市皆可见，与当地的繁荣发达或者贫穷落后全无关系。有中国人的地方，自然就有大排档，咱们不是号称民以食为天么。(之前小编有看到将这句话译作了“Bread comes first”，或许并没有绝对正确的译文，欢迎大家一起来探讨啦。)

　　小声说一句，小编总觉得大排档的性质和方便面(instant noodle)有点相似——闻着比吃着香囧……

　　不过，就喝酒小酌几杯而言，倒也是不错的去处呢。就着香喷喷的热炒(stir fried food)，一些下酒小菜，稍微喝上几口冰镇啤酒(iced beer)，和朋友谈天说地(chit chat)，岂不快哉。

　　小编友情提示：

　　对于夏日喝酒，有些地方大家也是要注意的哦。

　　比如说，不要饮用过量(overdrink)，喝啤酒适量(moderate)才安全。避免喝太冷的啤酒，运动过后出汗要避免立即喝酒。

调查：英三分之一女性挣钱比丈夫多

admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:16:48 +0000

　Nearly a third of women are the main breadwinners in their household, according to a major survey。

　　Thirty percent earn more than their partners and a further 19 percent earn the same amount。

　　Researchers said that in many relationships it was no longer assumed that the man would bring in the bigger income, especially in a time of widespread redundancies。

　　In a significant shift in attitudes, four out of ten women said that the career of whichever partner had the highest income would take precedence in the relationship。

　　In one in ten families, a house husband looks after the children and does the chores while their female partner works full time。

　　Ten percent of women admitted this role reversal had put strains on their relationship and some said it had even led to them parting company。

　　The Women and Work Survey 2010, commissioned by Grazia magazine, found that almost half of full-time mothers disliked not earning their own money。

　　And two thirds of the mothers among the 2,000 women in the survey said they wanted to keep working in some way after having children。

　　A slightly higher number of those with children under three said they would prefer to work – preferably part-time – rather than stay at home。

　　Victoria Harper of Grazia said: ‘Women are getting good jobs when they graduate, and working up the career ladder faster than they have ever done。

　　’This means that there has to be more fluidity between the roles of men and women in a relationship and when they have children。

　　’Instead of the have-it-all woman who tries to do everything, we are now seeing cross-over couples who share roles.’

　　一项大型调查显示，英国近三分之一的女性是家中的主要经济支柱。

　　30%的女性挣钱比伴侣多，19%的女性挣的与伴侣差不多。

　　研究人员称，现在很多家庭不再认为男人就应该比女人挣的多，尤其是在这种到处都在裁员的时候。

　　女性对这个问题的态度也发生了重大转变，四成女性认为两个人中谁挣钱多谁就说了算。

　　在十分之一的家庭中，是由丈夫负责照看孩子、做家务，妻子则全职工作。

　　10%的女性坦称这种角色的转换对两人的关系造成了影响，有些人则说这种角色分工甚至导致了两人的分手。

　　这项由(英国时尚杂志)《红秀》委托开展的“2010年女性和职业调查”发现，近一半的全职妈妈希望能自己出去工作赚钱。

　　在2000名受访女性中，三分之二的人说她们希望在生孩子后还能继续工作。

　　在孩子不满三岁的女性中，略多比例的人说她们希望能出去工作而不是待在家里——不过最好是兼职。

　　《红秀》杂志的维多利亚•哈柏说：“如今的女性大学毕业后就业前景更好，职业晋升速度比以往更快。

　　“这意味着如今家庭中的男女角色分工要更加灵活，有了孩子后更是如此。”

　　“以前事事都是女人包办，现在我们看到的是夫妻二人共同承担家庭责任。”

双语阅读：天气酷热德主管劝员工别上班

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 05:05:56 +0000

Young boys cool off in a public fountain in Munich July 13, 2010.As Germany wilts in sweltering temperatures, a manager in a Berlin government office told his 260 sweating workers to go home, a newspaper reported Friday, undermining Germans’ reputation for efficiency.[Agencies]

As Germany wiltsin swelteringtemperatures, a manager in a Berlin government office told his 260 sweating workers to go home, a newspaper reported Friday, undermining Germans’ reputation for efficiency.

According to the BZ local tabloid, the boss of the Berlin office for tax evasion investigations sent an email to his employees saying: “Everyone should decide for themselves if they feel up toworking in these temperatures.”

“This decision should be taken before you pass out… taking time off work today could in many cases be a wise decision which would have my full understanding,” wrote Erik Schliephake in the email printed by BZ.

“With greetings bathed in sweat,” the boss signed offthe note.

The BZ carried the story on its front page with the headline: “Whoever sweats gets to go home.”

Berliners have been baking in a seemingly relentless heatwave in recent weeks, with the mercury frequently soaring into the high 30s Celsius (high 90s Fahrenheit) and July on course to be the hottest on record.

这段时间德国的天气酷热难耐，据当地一家报纸上周五报道，首都柏林某政府部门的领导让属下的260名员工都放假回家凉快去，这可与德国人讲究效率的名声背道而驰。

据柏林当地小报BZ报道，柏林逃税调查局的主管给该部门的所有职员发了一封邮件，称：“大家自行决定自己能否在这样的高温下继续工作。”

这位主管名叫埃里克施里费克，BZ报刊登了他的电子邮件。他在邮件中写到：“别等到自己热晕了再去请假……今天请假无论从哪方面说都是一个明智的决定，我完全理解。”

这位主管在信件结尾的签名处写道：“附上我浸满汗水的问候。”

BZ报在头版刊登了这则消息，标题是《热了就回家》。

最近几周柏林持续30多度（华氏90度）高温，今年的七月份可能要成为史上最热的七月。

Vocabulary:

wilt: to become weak or tired（变得委靡不振；发蔫；变得又累又乏）

sweltering: 闷热的

tabloid: a newspaper with small pages (usually half the size of those in larger papers).Tabloids usually have short articles and a lot of pictures and stories about famous people, and are thought of as less serious than other newspapers. （小报，通俗小报，版面通常比大报小一半，文章短，图片多，经常报道名人佚事）

feel up to: 觉得有精力（做某事）；感到有能力（处理某事）

pass out: to lose consciousness（昏迷；失去知觉）

sign off: to end a letter（结束写信）

双语：全球最贵的食物你吃过几种(组图)

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 09:00:42 +0000

绿茶铁观音

　　Chinese green tea called Tieguanyin, which costs $3,000 per kilo (per 2 lb 3 oz) approximately $15 for a single cup。

　　中国的绿茶铁观音，3000美元一千克，大概一杯要15美元一杯。

世界上最贵牛肉是来自日本的日本和牛肉

　　The most expensive beef in the world is the type of beef coming from the Wagyu cows from Japan. 200 grams of a fillet cost in Europe more than 100 dollars。

　　世界上最贵牛肉是来自日本的日本和牛肉，在欧洲200克就要卖到100多美元。

努瓦克咖啡

　　Kopi Luwak. The coffee comes from the Indonesian island of Sumatra and the total annual production is only around 500 pounds of beans. That is why the price of a pound is outrages – $300 or more。

　　努瓦克咖啡，这种咖啡产自印度尼西亚的苏门答腊岛，每年仅产500磅的咖啡豆。这也是为什么一磅的价格要高达300多美元的原因。

1000美元一杯的圣代

　　The most expensive desert in the world – the $1000 sundae. It’s made up of 5 scoops of the richest Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream, Madagascar vanilla, 23K edible gold leaf and one of the most expensive chocolates in the world。

　　世界上少有昂贵圣代，要1000美元一杯。由5种最贵塔希提香草豆，马达加斯加香草，可食用的23K金叶子，和世界上最昂贵的巧克力调制而成。

双语：蚂蚁世界也有“自杀式爆炸”

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 08:59:25 +0000

Self-bombing terrorists don’t just exist among humans, as ants too commit suicide in a very dramatic way while taking others out with them, according to an ecologist Mark Moffett。

　　美国生态学家马克-莫菲特近日称，搞“自杀式爆炸”的恐怖分子不仅在人类中存在，蚂蚁也会采用极为戏剧化的方式“自杀”，和敌人同归于尽。

　　In his new book Adventures Among Ants, Moffett describes and shows how some ants will commit suicide in a very dramatic way while taking others out with them. Just before this picture was snapped in Borneo, Moffett had set a trap at the base of a tree colonized by cylindricus ants. The trap was simply some honey that he drizzled around the tree trunk。

　　在莫菲特出版的新书《蚁群历险记》中，他描述并展示了某些种群的蚂蚁如何使用“自杀式爆炸”来清除异类的过程。在马来群岛婆罗洲森林里的一棵大树上，莫菲特在柱状白蚁巢穴附近设置了“陷阱”。他在树干洒些蜂蜜以吸引蚂蚁出现。

　　He describes what happened next: “After an hour, weaver ants along with another species of carpenter ants located the bait and started arriving at the cylindricus-occupied tree. One of them started up the trunk, but then came down again. Another climbed a bit higher and attempted to walk by a cylindricus minor worker. Just as I clicked the shutter there was a splash of yellow, and both ants were immobilized in a sticky, grotesque tableau.”

　　他在书中描述了接下来发生的场景：“一个小时后，织叶蚁和另一种木蚁同时发现了诱饵，它们立即向大树靠近。其中一只爬上树干但是又下来了。另外一只爬得更高些，还想超过一只柱状白蚁。正在我按下快门的一刹那，柱状白蚁发生‘自爆’，白蚁自身和另外一只蚂蚁同时被一种黄色胶质液体固定在了一起。”

　　Moffett also describes a Brazilian species that kills entire ant nests at a time。

　　莫菲特还在书中描述了一种通过全体自杀来自卫的特殊蚁群。

　　”Up to eight sacrificial individuals stay outside at night to seal the entrance with sand, kicking the final grains in place until no trace of the hole is visible. Walled off from their sisters, by dawn almost all are dead, for reasons unknown—perhaps the squad consists of the old or sick. The ants in the nest then clear the passage to begin the day’s foraging. That night, more victims seal the door.”

　　“约有8只蚂蚁组成敢死队，在夜间用自己的身躯和沙土牢牢封堵住蚁穴入口，同时不断查缺补漏直到蚁穴没有任何缝隙。在外面到第二天黎明，8只蚂蚁几乎全部死亡——原因不明，大概这些蚂蚁都属于老弱病残类。随后蚁穴成员出来将同伴的尸体清理干净并开始准备新一天的觅食行动。到了第二天晚上，又会有更多蚂蚁接替前一天牺牲同伴的工作。”

　　To understand such behavior, Moffett suggests that we think of an ant colony like a single organism. Cutting off a “minor” part may help to save the colony as a whole. “The larger the colony, the less consequential the casualty,” he said。

　　为了便于理解蚂蚁的这种“自杀”行为，莫菲特建议我们把一个蚂蚁群体看作是一个组织。舍弃“不重要”的部分来保全整个群体。“群体更庞大，伤亡相应越少，”他说。

“七年之痒”易过 “十二年之痒”是难关

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 08:58:17 +0000

　Seven-years has traditionally been the time when love and affection give way to disillusion and disappointment。

　　But couples who manage to survive the seven-year itch would be wise not to get complacent。

　　The biggest threat to modern marriages actually comes from the 12-year itch, research has revealed。

　　The majority of couples who divorce have now spent more than a decade together before going their separate ways。

　　And they are increasingly likely to cite ‘growing apart’ or ‘falling out of love’ as the cause of their split。

　　There has been a four-fold increase in couples breaking up for these reasons in the last two years, amid increasing financial strain on families。

　　But infidelity is still responsible for more than a quarter of divorces. The seven-year itch – or the theory that adultery becomes impossible to resist after seven years – got its name from the 1950s film starring Marilyn Monroe。

　　The study by the Grant Thornton accountancy group, which was based on a survey of 90 of the country’s biggest family law firms, echoed figures released last year which showed that marriages are most likely to fall apart around the 12-year mark。

　　Sally Longworth, of Grant Thornton’s Forensic and Investigation Services, said: ‘This rather dispels the age-old myth about marriages failing after seven years。

　　’It is impossible to put any scientific reasoning on why certain marriages succeed and others fail.’

　　传统观点认为，“七年”是婚姻的一个坎，结婚到了这个年头，爱情渐渐变淡，取而代之的是幻想的破灭和失望。

　　但成功度过“七年之痒”的夫妇不要沾沾自喜。

　　一项研究表明，现代婚姻的最大威胁其实是十二年之痒。

　　现在很多人都是在结婚十几年后分道扬镳。

　　而至于离婚的原因，越来越多的人说是因为两人的感情“渐渐疏远”或“不再相爱”。

　　随着家庭经济压力的增大，在过去两年中因为这些原因分手的夫妇的数量增加了四倍。

　　然而，仍有四分之一的夫妇因为伴侣不忠而离婚。“七年之痒”的说法源于20世纪50年代玛丽莲•梦露主演的一部电影，描述夫妻在结婚七年后开始禁不住外面的诱惑。

　　这项由英国格兰特·桑顿会计事务所开展的研究基于对英国规模最大的90家家庭律师事务所开展的一项调查，调查结果与去年的差不多，发现婚姻到了十二个年头最容易出问题。

　　格兰特·桑顿会计事务所法庭和调查服务部的萨莉•朗沃斯说：“这在一定程度上打破了多年来有关七年之痒的‘魔咒’。”

　　“要从科学上解释婚姻的成功与失败是不可能的。”

双语：英国获评死亡质量最高国家

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 08:54:12 +0000

The Chinese adage has it that one should be born in Suzhou, live in Hangzhou, eat in Guangzhou and die in Liuzhou. Actually, suggests a new study: London may be the place to die。

　　China is near the bottom of a 40-country “Quality of Death” index ranking nations by the care provided to those late in life, published by the Economist Intelligence Unit and commissioned by Lien Foundation. At the top of the index is the United Kingdom, followed by Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. Those nations score well on indicators such as public awareness, training availability, access to painkillers and the heavily weighted category of doctor-patient transparency。

　　Globally, average ages will continue rising, particularly in rich countries. But filling out the bottom ranks of the Quality of Death index were the populous, fast-growing BRIC countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China, along with Uganda and Mexico. “Death and dying are stigmatized in some cultures to the point where they are taboo – as in Chinese culture.”

　　With doctor-patient transparency contributing 40 percent of the overall index score, it isn’t hard to see why China would do poorly. In China, it isn’t uncommon for doctors, often in cahoots with families, to lie in the face of a terminal illness to a patient about his chances, out of fear the truth would be too upsetting, to avoid his calls to continue with costly treatments and even to avoid association with spirits of the afterlife。

　　China has virtually no discussion of end-of-life care, such as hospice, according to the study. “Most family members of the patients can’t fully understand it,” says Ma Ke, director of the Third People’s Hospital of Kunming Hospice Department, in the study. (The report says around 30 hospitals in China offer hospice care。)

　　But in addition to traditions about death, China’s one-child policy may be worsening things for the roughly 9.38 million Chinese who die each year, or just over 0.7 percent of the population. (2008 figures) “The ratio of working people to dependents is shrinking rapidly, particularly in China, where the one-child policy will leave parents with fewer offspring to care for them in old age,” the report says。

　　美国《华尔街日报》网站7月14日文章，原题：住在杭州，死在伦敦。中国有句俗话，“生在苏州，住在杭州，吃在广州，死在柳州”。但一项新研究显示，其实伦敦才是“好死”之地。

　　连氏基金会委托英国经济学人信息部发布的“死亡质量”指数显示，按临终护理水平排名，中国在40个国家中几乎垫底。排名最高的是英国，其次是澳大利亚、新西兰和爱尔兰。这些国家在公众意识、相关培训、止痛药品覆盖面和所占权重最大的医患关系透明度等指标上均得分较高。

　　随指数一道发布的报告称，全球平均年龄将继续提升，尤其在富国。但在死亡质量指数中垫底的是人口众多、发展迅速的“金砖四国”，还有乌干达和墨西哥。报告说：“死亡和濒死在某些文化中被视为禁忌，比如说中国文化。”

　　在该指数的总分中，医患关系透明度占了40%的比重，从这点不难看出为何中国表现如此之差。在中国，面对绝症患者，医生会就其生存几率说谎，经常是和家属一道，因为他们害怕真实信息让病人太难受，以此避免病人要求持续昂贵治疗，甚至是因为想避免病人死后鬼魂的纠缠。

　　研究显示，中国人几乎从不讨论临终看护问题。昆明第三人民医院临终看护部主任马克(音)说，大多数家庭对此问题都没有充分了解。报告说，中国只有约 30家医院提供临终关怀服务。

　　除了关于死亡的文化传统问题，独生子女政策也可能让每年去世的938万中国人晚境更加凄凉(2008年数据)。“就业人数与负担人数之比正快速缩小，这在中国尤其突出，独生子女政策让父母年老体迈时得不到足够的关怀，”报告称。

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