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discipline n. 學科;紀律,教養
[例] It takes years of discipline to become a professional surgeon.
orientation n. 新生訓練
[例] We will outline the amenities on our campus at the orientation. 
register v. 註冊
[例] Christina went to the city hall to register the birth of her daughter.
tutorial n. 個別指導
[例] We are going to have a tutorial session tomorrow.
major n. 主修(的學科)
[例] John's major is zoology.

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✈ 在新聞中遇見雅思 (節錄自CNN - Taiwan's President Re-elected)
     Taiwan's incumbent President Ma Ying Jeou was re-elected Saturday in an election seen as critical to the future of an economy that has boomed thanks to warmer ties with China.

     Ma advocates maintaining the status quo with China under the "1992 Consensus," a tacit and ambiguous agreement reached 20 years ago between Beijing and Taipei under which both sides agreed on the principle of "one China" without agreeing on how it is to be defined or interpreted.

 incumbent a. 現任的  ambiguous a. 語意含糊的
 advocate n. 擁護者、提倡者  principle n. 原則、原理
 consensus n. 合意、共識  define v. 定義
 tacit a. 不明言的、緘默的  interpret v. 詮釋、理解

 

 


  

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✈ 在新聞中遇見雅思 (文字來源:CNN)
Japan's GDP shrinks 2.3% in fourth quarter 《日本第四季GDP萎縮2.3%》
     Japan's economy shrank for the third time in four quarters between October and December, after floods in Thailand damaged production and a strong yen and subdued overseas demand hurt exports.

     Cabinet Office figures on Monday showed that real GDP fell an annualized 2.3 per cent in the fourth quarter, much worse than consensus forecasts of a 1.3 per cent decline. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, output fell by 0.6 per cent, dragged down by exports -- which fell 3.1 per cent -- following a 1.7 per cent rise in the third quarter.

     The nation's currency has eased only a little since hitting a postwar high of Y75.35 against the US dollar in October. The trade balance for 2011 showed a deficit of Y2.5 trillion ($32 billion) -- the first annual deficit in 31 years -- as exports to the eurozone and Asia, including China, fell sharply. 
(Read Full Article)

 shrink v. 萎縮、縮減  annualize v. 按年計算
 subdue v. 壓抑、減弱、使服從  quarter-on-quarter a. 與去年同季相比的
 cabinet n. 內閣、櫥櫃  deficit n. 赤字、不足額

 

 


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 ✈ 在新聞中遇見雅思──創造歷史的十大旅館之一 (圖文來源:CNN)

John Lennon and Yoko Ono sleep-in: 
Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, Montreal, Canada

Fairmont Queen Elizabeth
Give sleep a chance.

Although a staggering number of the world’s royals -- including the eponymous monarch for whom it’s named -- have stayed here, this hotel is best known as the place where John Lennon and Yoko Ono staged a week-long sleep-in.

You can still book suite 1742 where they wrote and recorded “Give Peace A Chance” in 1969, the same year Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. He and fellow astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins also stayed in the Queen Elizabeth.

Montreal sees more than its fair share of diplomats and heads of state, and Nelson Mandela, Henry Kissinger, Boris Yeltsin, Yitzhak Rabi, George W. Bush and the Dali Lama also spent time here. Numerous celebs have followed in their wake.
(Read Full Article

 staggering a. 驚人的、巨大的  suite n. 套房
 eponymous a. 同名的  fellow n. 同伴、同事
 monarch n. 君王  diplomat n. 外交官

 

 


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 ✈ 在新聞中遇見雅思──日本情侶的第一次接吻發生在約會幾次後? (圖文來源:CNN GO)

japanesedating-banenr
The lucky man has actually been on one of these rare things called "dates" -- a practice of courtship common in the 20th century.

An article on Livedoor tries to discover the magic number for "How many dates until a couple's first kiss?" First they look at a COBS ONLINE survey of 141 men, where the most common answer at 28.2% was "the third date." That seems like a reasonable response, although a bit on the conservative side.

A survey on BBS 2ch, however, tried to replicate the study and got a very, very different result. After collecting answers to the question from 2000 people, the top result was "I have never kissed nor dated" at 39.5%. Yes, almost 40% of the sample seemed to have no romantic experience with the opposite sex. And on top of that some of the commenters wrote things like "Stop doing these polls. They depress me."

This whole exercise shows the inherent danger of using the Internet to poll Japanese tastes. As we can see, the Internet in Japan (or at least 2ch) is predominantly used by the otaku nerd community, who have shown a historical resistance to real-life interaction with the opposite sex. So polling them isn't really about learning something but just reminding everyone -- including the otaku themselves -- that yes, they live somewhat sad, lonely lives deprived of dating, kissing and possibly even hugging. Never has a questionnaire ever been such a punch in the gut to those surveyed.

 courtship n. 求婚、求愛  resistance n. 抵抗、反抗
 replicate v. 複製  somewhat ad. 稍微、有些
 inherent a. 固有的、與生俱來的  deprive v. 剝奪、使喪失
 predominantly ad. 佔主導地位地、顯著地  punch n. 猛擊

 

 

 


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 ✈ 在新聞中遇見雅思──美國18大奇特旅館之一:狗狗旅館 (圖文來源:CNN GO)

1200x600main 
For a prairie getaway with flair, visitors need not look further than the "largest beagle in the world."

"This is the only place one can sleep with 26 dogs and still get a good night's rest," says Dog Bark Park Inn owner Frances Conklin.

Many people have been in the doghouse, but few can say that they've actually slept in one. Then again, the Dog Bark Park Inn, while undoubtedly shaped like a dog -- albeit a dog nine meters high -- is no kennel.

Endearing dog-themed designs indoors -- like the 26 carved dogs or dog-shaped cookies -- create a comfortable and quaint atmosphere, belying the staggeringly large (for a beagle, that is) and vaguely Trojan exterior.

The entire bed-and-breakfast consists of a single room with a queen bed and adjacent loft with two twin mattresses. Single occupancy is $86, double starts at $96. 

 prairie n. 大草原  quaint a. 奇特而有趣的
 beagle n. 小獵犬  belie v. 掩飾
 albeit conj. 雖然  vague a. 少許的
 kennel n. 狗舍  adjacent a. 相鄰的
 endear v. 使受喜愛  mattress n. 床墊

 

 

 


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 ✈ 在新聞中遇見雅思──澳洲生物燃料飛機首航:Qantas Airline (圖文來源:CNN GO)

qantas
File photo of a Qantas Airbus 380. While biofuel remains significantly more expensive than regular aviation fuel, and is also criticized by some for not being green at all, many airlines are viewing it as an important viable alternative for the future of the airline industry. It's difficult to believe that it's only been four years since Time Magazine ran the headline “Can Airplanes Fly on Biofuel?”.

Now it seems that all airlines are jumping on the biofuel train (excuse our mixed metaphors), whether it's for the marketing factor (hey, we're writing about it), or because it's perceived as the hottest green initiative right now.

Case in point: Qantas is the latest airline to launch a flight powered by cooking ofil.

Tickets are currently on sale for Australia's first commercial biofuel flight, which is slated for April 13 from Sydney to Adelaide, not from Melbourne to Adelaide as some news agencies have been reporting.

The 300-seater Airbus 330 will use U.S.-imported biofuel in one of its two engines -- the same cooking oil that was previously used by Lufthansa in a six-month trial (the world's first) during which 1,200 biofuel-flights were completed between Hamburg and Frankfurt.

"Our ticketing website has not been updated to show that the April 13 flight will be run by biofuel," said Chung Kyung-rok, a representative for Qantas. "But it should be changed shortly."

One last thing for superstitious flyers -- the 13th is a Friday. But Qantas isn't worried, and you shouldn't be either.

 significant a. 重大的  perceive v. 察覺、認知
 aviation n. 航空、飛行  slate v. 預定
 viable a. 可實行的  trial n. 試驗
 alternative a. 替代性的  superstitious a. 迷信的

 

 

 

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 ✈ 在新聞中遇見雅思──亞洲七大罪惡城市之「台北」 (圖文來源:CNN GO)

Seven deadly sins -- seven lively Asian cities. We all stray off the path of righteousness from time to time.
So if you're going to end up in hell due to a temptation to eat more than your fair share of stinky tofu, take a detour to Taipei first. Or if pride's your vice, take a turn toward Manila.
Click through the pages to see how these Asian cities take a sin and turn it into a raison d'être.

1. Gluttony: Taipei, Taiwan

taipei  
Two men, four chopsticks, myriad good reasons to eat out again.

Cheap eats, everywhere, day or night. 

Taipei sports 18 streets dedicated to nothing other than food. Where you might usually expect a bus shelter, instead you'll find a barbecue. Sidewalks become snack stalls. The pungent smell of stinky tofu fills the air. Night markets in Taipei have become famous for their snack selections, or xiaochi, literally meaning "small eats." The dishes may be little, but so are the prices, running around US$1-2 dollars. A fat gut never came so easily. 

 righteous a. 正當的  raison d'être n. (法) 存在理由
 temptation n. 誘惑  gluttony n. 貪吃、暴食
 detour n. v. 繞道  stall n. 攤販
 vice n. 惡習、罪惡  pungent a. 有刺激性的

 

 

 

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