英倫翻譯社/ Trsmaster

The rose is one of the most popular symbols of love today. It's no wonder, then, that roses are often given to that special someone on Valentine's Day. What might be surprising, though, is that this beautiful flower also has a long and intriguing history.

Roses have existed for 35 million years. However, they only began to be cultivated around 5,000 years ago. First grown in Asia, they eventually spread to the rest of the world. Roses were valued not only for their beauty, but also for the medical properties they were believed to have. The ancient Romans, for example, believed that these flowers could be used as a cure for wrinkles and even to prevent drunkenness. In the seventeenth century, rose water became so popular that it took the place of money in some parts of Europe!

Mass cultivation of roses began in the late eighteenth century in Europe. Through crossbreeding, new colors, such as yellow, orange, green, and red, were soon introduced to join the traditional roses. Rose colors took on different meanings as well, with red representing love, yellow friendship, and white innocence.

玫瑰是今日最受歡迎的愛情象徵之一。那麼，情人節那天玫瑰通常會拿來送給心儀的對象就不足為奇了。不過或許令人驚訝的是，這種美麗的花朵也有一段悠久且引人入勝的歷史。

玫瑰已存在三千五百萬年了。然而，它大約在五千年前才開始被人類培育種植。玫瑰原生於亞洲，最後散布到世界其他各處。玫瑰被看重的不只是花美而已，據信玫瑰還具有醫療的特性。舉例來說，古羅馬人相信這些花朵可以用來治療皺紋，甚至能預防酒醉。在十七世紀時，玫瑰水變得非常受歡迎以致於在歐洲某些地方取代了金錢的功用！

玫瑰大量培育始於十八世紀末的歐洲。透過混種培育，黃色、橘色、綠色和紅色等新的顏色很快被引進，加入傳統玫瑰的行列。玫瑰的顏色也具有不同的意義，紅色代表愛情，黃色代表友誼，而白色代表純真。

文章出處：Live互動英語雜誌

New Zealand has two main islands with sights of natural beauty. Now, the newly opened Te Araroa trail links many of those sites and offers a variety of sceneries to tourists.

Starting in Bluff, at the southernmost part of the trail on the South Island, visitors head north and enter the Otago region, which has grand mountains and river valleys. Queenstown sits along a beautiful lake and offers the chance to get a taste of adventure. White-water rafting, waterskiing, and jet boating are popular summer activities, while bungee jumping, skydiving, and horse riding are available all year.

Many tourists also go to this region to see sites made famous by the Lord of the Rings films. The location of Glenorchy, around 45 kilometers from Queenstown, provides the scenery for the fortress of Isengard. At nearby Paradise, you can see the setting of Lothlorien, the forest of the Elves. 

Further north is Mount Cook National Park, which has the tallest mountains and the largest glacier in New Zealand. Walking along one of the Park's ten trails, you may even be lucky enough to spot a kea, the world’s only alpine parrot.

紐西蘭有兩座擁有天然美景的主要島嶼。現在，最近開放的蒂阿拉羅瓦步道連接了當中許多景點，讓遊客飽覽各式各樣的景色。

遊客從位於南島步道最南端的班夫出發，向北進入歐塔哥區，這裡有雄偉的山脈和河谷。皇后鎮座落在一座美麗的湖畔，提供體驗探險的機會。急流泛舟、滑水和搭噴射汽艇是夏季的熱門活動，而高空彈跳、高空跳傘和騎馬則全年皆宜。

Moving objects with the mind may seem unbelievable, but it's actually what happens every time we move our body. The brain sends electrical signals to the muscles, which in turn produce movement such as walking or breathing.

This process has led scientists to think that tracking and interpreting the electrical signals can allow the thinker to control things beyond the body. Indeed, a recent technology using electrodes linked to the scalp is enabling people to move objects with their thoughts.

Elderly and disabled people have been the first to benefit from this technology. One system, developed in Japan, lets brain signals move a wheelchair. In the United States, scientists are testing brain-wave devices to help paralyzed patients. One device allows patients to control a robotic arm that can grab objects the user wants. Another, connected to a cast wrapped around the user's arm, produces repeated motions through the user's thoughts to retrain the damaged brain. Even more amazing is the thought-controlled robot created by Swiss scientists. Through a head cap and computers, paralyzed users can command their robot with their mind from one hundred miles away—similar to something that would happen in the film Avatar!

利用意志來移動物品似乎令人難以置信，但卻是每次我們移動身體時實際發生的事。大腦會傳遞電子信號給肌肉，進而產生走路或呼吸之類的動作。

這樣的過程讓科學家認為追蹤並轉譯這些電子信號可以讓人用思考來控制身體以外的事物。事實上，最近有一項科技利用將電極連接到頭皮上，讓人用自己的想法來移動物品。

年長者和殘障人士是首批受益於這項科技的人。有一套在日本開發出來的系統能讓腦波信號移動輪椅。在美國，科學家正在測試腦波裝置以協助癱瘓的病人。其中一項裝置讓病人能夠控制機械手臂，拿取使用者想要的物品。另一項裝置則連到使用者手臂上裹著的石膏，透過使用者的思緒產生重複性的動作，以重新訓練受損的大腦。更令人稱奇的是由瑞士科學家創造出來的機器人，可用思想來控制。透過頭罩和電腦，癱瘓的使用者可以在一百英里以外用意志來指揮機器人──就像電影《阿凡達》中發生的劇情。

文章出處：Live互動英語雜誌

It's a tradition in Taiwan to clean your home from top to bottom before Chinese New Year. While making your home tidy, it's important to make the air cleaner, too. According to a recent study, indoor air pollution can be just as harmful as outdoor air pollution. To improve the air in your home, first you need to know what may be causing this pollution.

Some of the most common indoor air pollutants may surprise you. Air fresheners cover bad smells, but some can also harm your health. Many artificial air fresheners contain a chemical that can cause birth defects. Scented candles made from paraffin wax aren't much better, as they can release as many toxins as cigarettes do. To remove odors more safely, put baking soda near garbage cans or place some cotton balls dipped in essential oils around the room to create a pleasant scent. 

Another source of indoor air pollution is the printer. Every time you print something, your printer releases ink into the air, which can hurt the lungs. Be sure to stand at least ten feet back while printing, and avoid using color ink since it is more harmful to your health than black ink.

台灣有個習俗是在農曆新年前把家裡徹底打掃乾淨。把家裡弄整齊的同時，讓空氣更乾淨也很重要。根據最近的一項研究指出，室內的空氣污染危害的程度可能和戶外的空氣污染一樣。為了改善家裡的空氣品質，首先你需要知道導致這種污染的有什麼。

最常見的一些室內空氣污染物可能會讓你感到驚訝。空氣清新劑會掩蓋臭味，但有些清新劑也可能危害你的健康。許多人造的空氣清新劑含有一種會導致先天性缺陷的化學物質。石蠟製成的香氛蠟燭也沒好到哪去，因為它們所釋放出毒素種類跟香煙一樣多。想要更安全地去除臭味，就把小蘇打粉放在垃圾桶附近或在房間四周放些沾過香精油的棉球來製造怡人的香氣。

另一個室內空氣污染源是印表機。每當你列印東西時，印表機會把墨水釋放到空氣中，這會對肺部造成傷害。列印時一定要站在至少十英尺遠的地方，並避免使用彩色墨水，因為它對健康的傷害比黑色墨水來得大。

We often hear stories about kind people saving the lives of animals. Perhaps they pulled a cat from a burning building or adopted a dog from a shelter where the animal might otherwise have died. Well, more and more stories about animals rescuing people are emerging, too.

Take Pudding, a 9.5-kilogram cat, for example. After being adopted from a shelter by a woman and her son, he was able to return the kindness almost immediately. During the night, he sensed that the woman, who was having a diabetic seizure, was sick. He jumped on her chest and nipped her face to wake her up. Then, he went to wake her son so he could call for help. Pudding's quick actions saved the woman's life.

Jake, a Rottweiler from England, is also a hero. While walking in a park with his owner, the dog heard some screaming. He ran to the rescue and chased away a man who was attacking a woman. Even pet birds have been known to save the day. When Willie the parrot saw two-year-old Hannah choking, he kept shouting “Mama, baby!” This strange behavior caught the babysitter's attention and drew her into the room, where she saw Hannah needed help.


我們常聽到好心人士拯救動物生命的故事。他們也許是把一隻貓從失火的建築物中抱出來，或是從收容所裡領養一隻狗，否則這隻動物在那裡可能就死掉了。不過也有愈來愈多動物拯救人類的故事不斷出現。

就以布丁為例，牠是一隻九點五公斤重的貓。在被一位女士和她的兒子從收容所領養之後，布丁幾乎馬上就回報了他們的善心。在那天晚上，牠察覺到那位患有糖尿病性癲癇的女士發病了。牠跳上她的胸口、輕咬她的臉要叫醒她。然後牠跑去叫醒她兒子好讓他打電話求救。布丁的迅速行動救了那位女士一命。

傑克，一隻來自英國的羅威納犬，也是個英雄。當牠和主人在公園散步時，這隻狗聽到尖叫聲。牠跑去營救並趕走一名正在攻擊一位女子的男人。甚至連寵物鳥都已知有過救命的紀錄。當鸚鵡威利看到兩歲大的漢娜噎住時，牠不斷大叫：「媽媽，寶寶！」這個奇怪的舉動引起了臨時保姆的注意並吸引她走進那個房間，她在房間裡看到漢娜需要幫助。