◎管淑平

What do you need to map a billion stars? A billion-pixel camera certainly helps.

你需要什麼來繪製一張10億顆恆星的星系圖？一台10億畫素的相機肯定幫得上忙。

Scientists hope to glean more clues about the origin and evolution of the universe, and in particular our own galaxy, after a camera of this incredible scale -- fitted to the Gaia space telescope -- was launched.

科學家希望，一台如此不可思議等級的相機裝設於蓋亞太空望遠鏡發射後，能蒐集更多有關宇宙、尤其是我們自己這個銀河系的起源和演進的線索。

Gaia, which lifted off from French Guiana, has been tasked with mapping the Milky Way in greater detail than ever before.

從法屬圭亞那升空的蓋亞望遠鏡，被賦予前所未有的更大精細度繪製銀河系星系圖的任務。

Designed and built by Astrium for the European Space Agency （ESA）, the makers say the telescope is so sensitive that it could measure a person’s thumbnail from the Moon, or to put it another way, detect the width of a human hair from 1,000km （620 miles） away.

由阿斯特里姆公司為歐洲太空總署設計、打造，製造者說，這具望遠鏡細膩度高到能夠從月球測量一個人的拇指指甲，或者換句話說，能從1000公里外偵測到一根人髮的寬度。

Gaia will study the position, distance, movement, chemical composition and brightness of a billion stars in the galaxy.

◎俞智敏

Cafes across Naples recently marked "Suspended Coffee Day", spotlighting a remarkable tradition of social solidarity in the crisis-hit Italian city that is now more needed than ever.

那不勒斯各地咖啡店最近紀念了「待用咖啡日」，凸顯出這個面臨經濟危機的義大利城市仍保留了一項傑出的社會團結傳統，而現在正是社會最需要團結的時刻。

Using chalk board signs in cafes and by word of mouth, dozens of cafes have let the city’s growing army of poor -- Neapolitans and immigrants alike -- know they can come for a free coffee with money left by better-off customers.

透過店外的黑板公告及口耳相傳，數十家咖啡店讓那不勒斯市人數愈來愈龐大的窮人，不分那不勒斯本地人和外來移民，都能夠知道他們可以進來喝一杯免費咖啡，這是由較有餘裕的其他顧客所預先支付的。

The practice of "caffe sospeso" is simple：leave money for a coffee when you are getting one yourself and someone who cannot afford one gets it for free.

「待用咖啡」的作法很簡單：喝咖啡的時候同時留下另一杯咖啡的錢，原本喝不起咖啡的人就可以免費喝到咖啡。

"It is something you used to do when you passed a university exam, or won the lotto or had your birthday. Pay for a coffee for someone you didn’t know," said Maurizio del Bufalo, a former UN aid worker and founder of the "Suspended Coffee Network" which now includes 200 cafes in Naples and around the world.

「這原本是當你通過大學考試、贏了樂透或過生日時都會做的事。替陌生人付一杯咖啡錢，」前聯合國救援工作者、「待用咖啡網路」創辦人戴布法羅說，那不勒斯及全球各地現在共有200家咖啡店加入了這個網路。

When it is compared to the Running of the Bulls in Spain, the Running of the Sheep at the Irish Woolfest in Boorowa, Australia is not so scary. It is actually fun and entertaining. Crowds gather to watch as four sheepdogs work together to herd a group of sheep down the main street. This is just the beginning of a fun-filled festival that includes everything from art shows to dog competitions.
Another event that celebrates the start of the Irish Woolfest is the Blessing of the Fleece. One sheep is shorn and its fleece is blessed by the three ministers who represent the major religions of the area. There is so much to see and do at the Irish Woolfest that it would be impossible to be bored.

（本文節錄自《常春藤生活英語》雜誌，請繼續鎖定明日《蘋果派生活美語》。
跟西班牙的奔牛節相比，澳洲布洛瓦 Irish Woolfest 這場慶典上的奔羊活動就沒有那麼嚇人了。事實上，它反倒是趣味十足。群眾會沿路聚集，觀賞四隻牧羊犬合力在鎮中的主要大街上趕羊。這只不過是一個充滿樂趣的節慶的開場活動，這項慶典還有各種包羅萬象的節目，從藝術表演到狗狗競賽都有。
另一項為歡慶 Irish Woolfest 而揭開序幕的活動則為 Blessing of the Fleece。主辦者會剪下一頭羊的羊毛，並由三位分別代表該地區各主要宗教的牧師來為羊毛進行祝禱。Irish Woolfest 上可供觀賞和從事的活動多不勝數，因此您絕對不會感到無聊。 

文章出處: http://www.appledaily.com.tw/

前幾天剛好在英語新聞裡聽到一個詞Off the cuff，某官員談到社會住宅問題時，說到這不是一個Off-the-cuff idea，而是深思熟慮之後的想法。Off-the-cuff是什麼呢？Cuff就是襯衫的袖口。Off the cuff的意思是：不經心地，臨時想起的，或者是很隨便的。當你回答一個問題，而你對你的答案又不太確定時，你就可以用off the cuff這片語。舉一個例子。
 
You want to know how many people work for our company? Off the cuff, I'd say about two thousand. But I'll have to look up the exact number and get back to you later. 

你想知道我們這個機構有多少工作人員？我的印象好像是2千人。但是，我得去查一下確切的數字，然後再告訴你。 

或者，還有個例子，某人正在考慮買一棟房子。他正在跟他的房地產經紀商討論借款和利率問題，計算每月要付多少錢。房地產經紀商說： 

If you want to borrow 80% of the total amount, with the interest rate at 3.5%, off the cuff, you probably will have to pay a little over fifteen hundred dollars a month. But I've got to do a detailed calculation before I can give you an exact number. 

◎張沛元

"Cronut," you just can’t win them all. On Wednesday, Dictionary.com announced that it had chosen "privacy" as its word of the year, beating out other finalists including the croissant-doughnut hybrid that became a national phenomenon in 2013.

「可頌甜甜圈」，你不可能處處吃香的啦。Dictionary.com網站週三宣布，「隱私」一字獲選為該網站的2013年度字彙，擊敗包括在2013年蔚為全美風潮的可頌加上甜甜圈的混合字等其他決選字彙。

Other finalists included "sequester," "shutdown," "share" and newly coined words such as "Obamacare" and "3D printing."

另外進入決選的字彙，包括「自動減支計畫」、「關門」、「分享」，以及「歐巴馬版健保」與「3D列印」等新創字。

The dictionary website says it chose "privacy" over the other finalists in large part because of the debate over government surveillance programs led by groups such as the NSA that recently came under heightened scrutiny.

該線上字典網站表示，「隱私」之所以能脫穎而出，主要肇因於近來遭嚴格檢視的國家安全局等機構主導的政府監聽計畫所引發的論戰。

Dictionary.com defines "privacy" as "the state of being free from intrusion or disturbance in one’s private life and affairs."

Dictionary.com將「隱私」定義為「維持個人私生活與事務不受打擾與妨礙的狀態」。

新聞辭典

When you get to the rainforest, you start hiking. Everything is green and beautiful, and you hear birds and buzzing insects. After walking for an hour, you see an amazing red frog. You stop to take a picture, but when you look up, you don't see your group anywhere. Calling out, you go in search of them, but with no luck. Eventually, you find a place to rest, but all your water is gone. You can survive without food, but not water. Then, the sound of running water hits your ears. Luckily, your OKO filter can clean the dirtiest water and make it drinkable. The next day, your group finds you. Thanks to your OKO filter, you are still strong enough to continue your adventure.

當你抵達雨林時，你開始健行。周遭景物翠綠而美好，你聽到鳥叫聲和嗡嗡的蟲鳴聲。走了一小時後，你看到令人驚訝的紅蛙。你停下來拍張照片，但抬頭一看，到處都找不到團員。你大聲呼喊並四處尋找其他人，但運氣實在不好。最後，你找到一個地方休息，但帶來的水都喝光了。沒有食物還可以存活，但沒有水就完了。這時，你突然聽到流水聲。幸運的是，你的OKO過濾器可以清潔最髒的水並把它變得可以飲用。隔 天，你的團員找到了你。多虧你的 OKO 過濾器，你仍然有充足的體力可以繼續這趟冒險。

文章出處：<a href="http://iservice.libertytimes.com.tw/Service/english/">自由時報電子報中英對照新聞

◎魏國金

Think kindly of the dragon Smaug. Shed a tear for Gollum. And give an orc a hug.

仁慈地想想巨龍「史矛革」，為「咕嚕」掬一把淚，並給半獸人一個擁抱。

If only they had tucked into the occasional quiche and salad or a touch of smoked salmon, or had a few sessions on a sunbed. How much kinder history would have been to them.

只要他們偶爾痛快吃個法式鹹派與沙拉，或一點煙燻鮭魚，或者來幾次日光浴。或許歷史將對他們仁慈許多。

So suggests an offbeat study which concludes that the evil characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s "The Hobbit" lost their battle against men, elves and dwarves because they suffered from vitamin deficiency.

一份特異的研究提出如此建議；該研究結論說，J.R.R.托爾金「哈比人」中的邪惡角色在與人類、精靈及矮人的戰爭中敗陣，是因他們的維他命攝取不足所致。

E: Ethan　　N: Nora
E: After we are done at Taipei 101, we can grab lunch at one of the many hotel restaurants in the area.
N: like the sound of that idea. If the weather is good, how about we rent a couple of the city's YouBikes and check out that part of town?
E: Better yet, why don't we hike up Elephant Mountain?
It's only a 15-minute walk from Taipei 101.
N: Is it a difficult trail? You know how bad my knees are.
E: The trail is not very long or difficult, but it has a lot of stairs.
N: I've heard that the views of the city from the top are stunning.
E: Also, we can finish out the first day of our staycation by watching the sunset from there.

小編曰：今天來看這幾句好用的美國俚語，要真的學起來用呢！

1. I’m a little edgy. edgy的意思是緊張，不耐煩。

She's been a bit edgy lately, waiting for a job offer.
她最近有些焦躁，因為在等一個工作通知。

◎陳伃軒

Poor Africans say they are still not benefiting from the continent’s economic rise, according to a landmark survey of citizens across 34 countries released on Tuesday.

根據週二公佈、針對34國民眾的一項指標性研究指出，貧困的非洲人說，他們依舊沒有受益於該地區的經濟成長。

Despite some of the world’s highest economic growth rates, many Africans still report shortages of water, food, healthcare and cash according to an Afrobarometer survey of over 50,000 people.

根據「非洲民意調查」針對超過5萬人的調查報告指出，儘管有些國家享有全球最高經濟成長率，但很多非洲人仍反映在水、食物、醫療照護與現金上短缺。

"Meeting their basic daily needs remains a major challenge for a majority of Africans, even at a time when their countries are reporting impressive economic gains," the survey found.

「滿足每日基本所需仍是非洲多數人的主要挑戰，儘管在他們的國家出現驚人經濟成長的時候」，這份研究發現。

The continent’s economy is expected to grow by almost five percent this year.

今年非洲大陸的經濟預計會成長將近5%。

But half of survey respondents said they occasionally lacked food, clean water, and medicine. One in five said they face frequent shortages.

The whole world celebrated with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as they brought their first child into this world at 4:24 in the afternoon London time on July 22, 2013. The proud parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton, have named the future King of England George Alexander Louis. Officially known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge, the baby is third in line for the British throne, after his grandfather Prince Charles and his own father Prince William. The Duchess of Cambridge was admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital, where Prince William himself was born in 1982, in the early morning hours. Thousands of people had even gathered at the gates of Buckingham Palace to await the official announcement from the Royal Family.

2013年七月二十二日下午四點二十四分，全世界與劍橋公爵及公爵夫人一起慶祝他們第一個出世的小孩。這對驕傲的父母親，也就是威廉王子與凱特．密道頓，將英國未來的國王命名為喬治．亞歷山大．路易斯。這個寶寶正式名為皇室劍橋喬治王子殿下，是英國王位的第三順位繼承人，排名在他的爺爺查爾斯王子和父親威廉王子之後。劍橋公爵夫人一早就被送往聖瑪莉醫院，這也是威廉王子於 1982 年出生的醫院。甚至有數千人聚在白金漢宮的大門等候皇室家族的正式宣告。 

文章出處: http://www.appledaily.com.tw/

Jennifer never thought she would meet her biological mother. She was born in Taiwan but adopted by a couple from the US when she was a baby. She grew up happily there because her adoptive parents treated her very well. However, Jennifer always wanted to know more about her biological mother.
On her 18th birthday, Jennifer decided she would travel to Taiwan to look for her biological mother. The only clue Jennifer had about her was an with her name and an old address on it. When she arrived in Taiwan, she contacted the local police for help. The police went to the address, but the woman had moved. Luckily, the neighbors had information about her whereabouts. With their help, Jennifer eventually found her biological mother and got a lot of her burning questions answered.

珍妮佛從未想過會見到她的生母。她在台灣出生，但有對來自美國的夫婦在她還是嬰兒時領養了她。她在美國快樂地成長，因為她的養父母對她很好。然而，珍妮佛總是想多知道一些關於她生母的事情。 
珍妮佛十八歲生日時，決定要去台灣尋找她的生母。珍妮佛擁有的唯一線索是一封寫著她生母名字及舊地址的信封。她抵達台灣後便聯絡當地警方尋求協助。警方抵達地址所在地時，發現她的生母已經搬走了。幸運的是，鄰居知道有關她下落的訊息。經由他們的幫忙，珍妮佛終於找到了她的生母，而且許多急切的問題都得到了答案。 

文章出處: http://www.appledaily.com.tw/

Almost everyone on Earth knows that people don’t float into outer space thanks to gravity. People, animals, and objects are pulled and fall to the ground due to gravity. Planets, moons, and stars are kept together because they have more gravity.
Man-made satellites and spacecraft also stay in orbit due to Earth’s gravitational pull. Astronauts like Commander Matt Kowalsky and medical engineer Dr. Ryan Stone depend on this fact during their mission in space. For Kowalsky, this is his last flight before retiring, while it is the first space mission for Dr. Stone. The two of them leave the safety of their craft for a routine spacewalk when disaster strikes. Space debris crashes into and destroys their space shuttle, so they are left stranded in space with a limited amount of oxygen in their spacesuits. To see what they do to survive, don’t miss Gravity in theaters.

幾乎地球上所有的人都知道，人們不會飄浮到外太空去是因為地心引力的緣故。由於地心引力，人、動物和其他物體都會被拉住而掉到地面。行星、月球，和恆星會聚集在一起是因為它們之間的引力更強大。
因為地球的萬有引力，人造衛星和太空船也會停留在運行軌道上。像指揮官麥特•瓦斯基和醫學工程師萊恩•史東博士這些太空人皆依此原理來執行太空任務。對瓦斯基來說，這是他退休前的最後一次飛行，但對史東博士來說，卻是他第一次執行太空任務。當災難來襲時，他們正好離開太空船的安全設施來進行例行性的太空漫步。太空殘骸衝撞並摧毀了他們的太空梭，所以他們只能憑著太空裝內有限的氧氣，無依無靠地在太空中流浪。若想知道他們怎麼做才能存活下來，就一定要進電影院看《地心引力》。 

◎thanks to...　　歸功於／幸虧……
Thanks to Zoe’s help, the surprise party was a huge success.
◎retire (vi.) 退休，退役
Our manager announced that he will retire at the end of the year.
◎limited (a.) 有限的

◎國際新聞中心

They were able to turn off the urge in mice while leaving the animals’ other senses, such as touch and temperature, intact.

它們可以關閉老鼠的強烈慾望，但老鼠的其他感官，例如觸覺與體溫，仍可完好無損。

It is hoped that a deeper understanding of itching could eventually lead to therapies for patients with chronic itch.

學界希望，對癢更深層的了解，最終可促成慢性癢病患的療法。

The study was published in the journal Science.

這份研究刊登在「科學」期刊。

The team at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the US National Institutes of Health, bred mice that were unable to produce a chemical called Nppb. It is a small signalling chemical that allows brain cells to communicate with each other.

隸屬美國國家衛生研究院的「國家牙齒與顱顏研究所」團隊，飼育不能製造一種名為「Nppb」化學物質的老鼠。這是一種可讓大腦細胞互相溝通的微小化學訊號物質。

◎魏國金

A four-year-old boy has stunned psychologists—after intelligence tests revealed him to have the same IQ as Einstein.

一名4歲男童讓心理學家大為驚嘆—鑑於智力測驗揭示他有著與愛因斯坦相同的智商。

Sherwyn Sarabi has tested off the scale for intelligence—scoring an IQ of 160—the highest mark on the test.

蕭文．撒拉比的智力測驗破表—IQ得分160—是該測驗最高分數。

It’s the same score that experts believe scientist Einstein had, as well as being identical to that of Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking.

專家咸信，科學家愛因斯坦有相同成績，也與比爾．蓋茲、史蒂芬．霍金的智商完全相同。

Sherwyn from Barnsley, Yorks, started school two years early and became a member of Mensa at the age of three.

來自（英國）約克郡巴恩斯利的蕭文早在2歲就上學，並在3歲時成為門薩學會的成員。

英語的俚語或成語是日積月累，它們看起來很簡單，用順了就透露出我們對語言的熟稔和掌握度。每天記一個，一年也能記 365 個。

• At odds, 意見分歧、不和。

Odds 的意思有很多，大家最熟的是「奇數」、「可能性」，可以衍申為不和或意見分歧。常見片語是 At odds ，意思即為 "in disagreement with" 。

*She is at odds with her boss. 他與老闆意見不合。
*This action is greatly at odds with his previous attitude. 這個舉動與他先前行為大相逕庭。 

• call someone on the carpet 訓斥某人；譴責某人

call 意指傳喚， carpet 意指地毯； to call someone to the carpet 是指把某人傳到地毯上，據說在 1800 年期間，一些英國的傭人，如果被主人叫到房間，就是被主人教訓。因為房間多半有地毯，故有這種說法。

*You must be very careful to do your work well, or you will be called on the carpet for our boss is very strict with us. 你得非常認真地做好你的工作，否則你會受到訓斥。因為我們的老闆對我們要求非常嚴格。

A wealthy, 84-year-old businessman married a 25-year-old fashion model. They were having a wonderful honeymoon in Switzerland when the old man suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital.
With his young wife at his side, the old man said, “Sweetheart, your future has been taken care of regardless of what happens to me. You will have an income of US$250,000 a year, my home in Palm Springs, my ranch in Texas, and my Mercedes. You’ll never need to worry about money.”
“Oh, sweetheart, please don’t talk that way,” his young wife cried. “You’ve already been so thoughtful, kind, and generous to me. There must be something I can do to help. Honey, please tell me what I can do for you?” The old man breathlessly answered, “Well, you can get off my oxygen tube for starters.”

一名八十四歲的富商娶了一位二十五歲的時裝模特兒為妻子。他們正在瑞士度過一個美好的蜜月，這時老頭因為心臟病發作被急速送往醫院。 
嬌妻於一旁服侍時，老頭說︰「親愛的，無論我發生什麼事，妳都無需擔心妳的將來，妳將會有二十五萬美元的年收入、我在棕櫚泉的房子、在德州的牧場以及我的賓士車。妳永遠都無需為錢而愁了。」 
「哦，親愛的，請別這麼說，」他年輕的妻子哭著道。「你一直是那麼貼心、心腸好又對我如此慷慨。一定有什麼事是我可以幫你的。親愛的，請告訴我，我能為你做些什麼呢？ 」老人氣喘吁吁地說，「嗯，首先妳可以不要壓著我的氧氣管。」 

生活必備字詞

suffer　　vt. 遭受 & vi. 受苦
Tim asked for medicine because

書店裡的陳設及其它類怎麼說？
1.rabbit　n. 兔子
2.scratching post　n. 貓抓柱
3.grooming noose　n. 寵物繩套／活扣
4.pet dryer　n. 寵物烘乾器
5.grooming table　n. 梳理台
6.pet groomer　n. 寵物美容師
7.poodle　n. 貴賓狗
8.dog house　n. 狗屋
9.bird cage　n. 鳥籠
10.bird seed　n. 鳥飼料
11.pet bed　n. 寵物床
12.catnip　n. 貓薄荷
13.cat food　n. 貓食
14.dog food　n. 狗食
15.pet carrier　n. 寵物提籠
16.litter box　n. 貓砂盆
17.pet bowl　n. 寵物碗
18.dog muzzle 　n. 狗嘴套
19.pet treat　n. 寵物點心
20.pet clothing　n. 寵物衣服
21.leash　n. （牽狗的）繩子
22.collar　n. 項圈
23.pet toy　n. 寵物玩具
24.cat litter　n. 貓砂
25.grooming brush　n. 美容刷子
26.grooming shears　n. 美容剪刀

文章出處: http://www.appledaily.com.tw/

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“Not a day goes by when someone doesn’t tell me that they saw my pictures posted on Match.com or another web site,” says Yuliana Avalos, a Florida mom and part-time model who never actually signed up for the site.

「我沒有一天不被告知說我的照片被放上『配對』網站或其他網站」，尤里亞娜．阿法若斯說，（她是來自）佛羅里達州的母親及兼職模特兒，她從未真正加入網站。

The popular dating site is engaging in “one of the biggest conspiracies ever executed on the Internet,” the class-action Manhattan Federal Court suit says.

那個受歡迎的約會網站涉入「網際網路所發生的最大陰謀之一」，曼哈頓聯邦法庭集體訴訟起訴書說。

“Thousands” of others, including celebrities, soldiers and adult actresses, have had their pictures plucked from Facebook and other sites and used for bogus profiles as well – even though they ’’are not and never were”members of Match’s dating sites, the suit says.

其他「數千人」，包括名人、軍人及成人片女優，他們的照片被從臉書或其他網站下載，也被用做假人物簡介，雖然他們「現在不是也未曾加入」配對約會網站會員，起訴書說。

Inflating the number of profiles on Match and its other 25 dating sites is good for their business.

把配對網站及其另外25個約會網站的人物簡介數量灌水，對它們的生意有幫助。

The suit also says the company could easily crack down on the numerous bogus profiles by using facial recognition software, but chooses not to.