Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Taking fish oil during pregnancy could lower child’s asthma risk 懷孕時攝取魚油可降低孩童罹患氣喘風險


TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字
1. asthma n. 氣喘 
2. placebo n. 安慰劑 
3. wheeze v. 喘鳴 
4. incidence [of a disease] n.發病率 
5. inflammation n.發炎 
Women who took fish oil during the last three months of pregnancy significantly lowered the risk that their children would develop asthma, a study in Denmark has found.
Among children whose mothers took fish-oil capsules, 16.9 percent had asthma by age three, compared with 23.7 percent whose mothers were given placebos. The difference, nearly 7 percentage points, translates to a risk reduction of about 31 percent.
But in the study released on Dec. 28 last year, the researchers say they are not ready to recommend that pregnant women routinely take fish oil.
Before doctors can make any recommendations, the study should be replicated, and fish oil should be tested earlier in pregnancy and at different doses.
Doctors are eager to find ways to prevent asthma, a chronic disease that causes wheezing, coughing and breathing trouble, and that sends many families to the emergency room again and again.
The incidence has more than doubled in developed countries in recent decades.
Previous research had suggested that fish oil might help prevent asthma. The idea is plausible, because inflammation in the airways and lungs plays a major role in asthma, and fatty acids in fish oil are thought to prevent inflammation. The richest sources in food include fish like herring, sardines, mackerel, eel and salmon.
■ This article is an edited version of a piece that originally appeared in the New York Times
(New York Times / Denise Grady)


一項丹麥的研究發現,婦女在懷孕後期三個月攝取魚油可顯著降低孩童未來罹患氣喘之風險。
母親懷孕時服用魚油膠囊的孩童有百分之十六點九在三歲前罹患氣喘;而對照組母親懷孕時服用安慰劑的孩童,罹患氣喘的機率則為百分之二十三點七。其近七個百分點的差異,可換算出服用魚油將使罹患氣喘之風險減少約百分之三十一。
但在這份去年十二月二十八日發表的報告中,研究人員說他們尚不會建議懷孕婦女定期攝取魚油。
在醫師做出任何建議之前,研究應再經多次實驗驗證,並且應就懷孕較早期和不同劑量的變數再做測試。醫師亟欲找出預防氣喘之道。氣喘是一種會造成喘鳴、咳嗽和呼吸困難的慢性疾病,並造成許多家庭不斷出入急診室。
在近幾十年中氣喘在已開發國家的發病率已增加了一倍以上。
先前已有研究顯示魚油可能有助於預防氣喘,這看來是很合理的,因為氣管及肺部的發炎是造成氣喘的主要原因,而魚油中的脂肪酸則可預防發炎。最富含魚油的攝取來源包括鯡魚、沙丁、鯖魚、鰻魚、鮭魚等魚類。
■ 本文為編輯後的版本,原文已於紐約時報刊登。
(台北時報編譯林俐凱譯)

Saturday, February 4, 2017

Traditional Lunar New Year celebrations: Vietnam 越南慶祝春節的傳統

There is no cat in the Chinese zodiac. There is one in the Vietnamese one, though. Vietnam inherited the zodiac and the lunar calendar from the Chinese, who ruled it for a millennium a millennium ago. They replaced the rabbit with a cat.
The Vietnamese believe there are 12 sacred animals from the zodiac, and these take turns supervising earthly affairs. Lunar New Year’s eve sees the animal overseeing the old year end its term and hand the baton to the new animal. This year, for the Vietnamese — as for the Taiwanese — is the Year of the Rooster.
Although Vietnam has followed the Gregorian calendar since 1954, the traditional lunisolar calendar, mostly based on the Chinese lunar calendar, is still used to observe lunisolar holidays and commemorations, Tet being one of them.
Tet Nguyen Dan — Tet for short — is Sino-Vietnamese for “Feast of the First Morning of the First Day”. It is Vietnamese New Year’s Day, falling this year on Jan. 28, the arrival of spring, and the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture. The final day of the old year is about preparing food to offer to the ancestors. The actual dishes differ, depending on the climates of the northern, central and southern parts of the country.
The Vietnamese also believe that the new year’s first visitor determines the fortunes of the family for that year. It is very important that you don’t visit a family on that day unless invited. Sometimes, the owner of the house pops outside a few minutes before the clock strikes the midnight hour, and then returns a few minutes into the new year. That way, the year’s first visitor is at least presentable.
(Paul Cooper, Taipei Times)
TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字
Chinese zodiac n. phr. 生肖
sacred adj.神聖
hand the baton to v. phr.交棒給
lunar/solar calendar n. phr.
陰陽曆
feast n.盛宴
中國的生肖裡沒有貓,但是在越南的生肖中卻有貓。越南曾受中國統治了一千年,直到一千年前才擺脫中國統治。越南繼承了中國的十二生肖和農曆,但他們用貓取代了兔子。
越南人相信黃道十二宮有十二個神聖的動物,這些動物輪流掌管人間事務。在除夕夜送走掌管舊年的動物,並交棒給下一任動物。今年越南和台灣一樣是雞年。
雖然越南自一九五四年起便改採公曆,但其主要本於中國農曆的傳統陰陽曆,仍然用來過節日和紀念日,Tet便是其中之一。
Tet Nguyen Dan- — 簡稱Tet — 在越語中意謂「第一天的第一早的盛宴」。今年一月二十八日是越南的春節,是慶祝春天的到來,也是越南文化中最重要的慶典。越南人在舊年的最後一天準備食物來供奉祖先。實際上供奉的菜餚則根據國家北、中、南部各地的氣候而有所不同。
越南人也相信,新年的第一個訪客決定了那一年家裡的運氣。所以請千萬記住,除非你受到邀請,否則不要在新年的第一天到訪一戶人家。有時屋主在午夜前幾分鐘出門,然後在時針超過午夜幾分鐘後再回到家。這樣,今年第一位來訪的起碼是個像樣的人。(台北時報編譯林俐凱譯)


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Sunday, January 15, 2017

Unwitting snowboarder chased down piste by bear in Japan 現實版“荒野獵人”:滑雪女子被熊尾隨毫不知情


Vocabulary
piste:滑雪道
unwittingly:不知情地
clip:疾飛而過
snowboard (v.) 滑雪板,單板滑雪

snowboard (n.) 滑雪板


It could be the best action selfie of all time - but there's speculation that a video of a female snowboarder unwittingly being chased by a bear is fake.史上最佳自拍視頻可能已經出爐:滑雪女子被熊尾隨毫不知情。不過也有人覺得這個視頻是假的。Sydney student Kelly Murphy says she filmed the video while snowboarding at Japan's Hakuba 47 Ski Resort over the weekend.悉尼學生凱莉·墨菲稱,她是週末在日本“白馬47滑雪場”滑雪時拍攝的這個視頻。

In it, she's seen clipping on her board before slowly moving down the mountain, wearing headphones and singing to Rihanna's song "Work", when a bear appears hot on her tail.視頻中,墨菲先是乘著滑雪板疾馳,之後減速向山下行進。她全程一直頭戴耳機,口裡哼唱著蕾哈娜的《Work》,然後一隻熊突然出現在她後面的滑道上。The video shows the bear chasing the 19-year-old a short distance, but she soon picks up speed and escapes.視頻顯示,熊追逐了墨菲一小段距離,但不久後,19歲的墨菲加速前進,就甩掉了它。現實版“荒野獵人”:滑雪女子被熊尾隨毫不知情.

Murphy captioned the video: "OMG! I was going through my snowboarding videos and I found a bear chasing me!!! I nearly got eaten!!! This was at Hakuba 47 in Japan, filmed yesterday! Be careful people!!!"墨菲為視頻配文道:“天哪!我在回看我滑雪視頻的時候,發現有一隻熊在後面追我!!!我差點兒被吃掉!!!這個視頻是在日本白馬47錄的,就發生在昨天!!!大家要小心啊!!!”She told Nine News in Australia that she was "freaking out" when she watched the video, and had notified staff at the resort.墨菲對澳大利亞“九新聞”表示,她回看視頻的時候簡直“嚇瘋了”,已經把有熊出沒的事情告訴了景區工作人員。



However, her viewers were skeptical of its authenticity.不過,看她視頻的觀眾們對視頻的真實性持懷疑態度。"Do they have brown bears in Nagano, in central Japan? Because that looks like a gigantic freakin' brown bear. Nice try. I call fake," one YouTube user wrote.
一位YouTube用戶寫道:“長野位於日本中部,那兒有灰熊嗎?從視頻上看就是一隻體型巨大的變態灰熊。錄得不錯啊。但我覺得是假的。”

 "The movement of the bear is fairly well done. The tonal values are way off however," Stephen McSorely said. 史蒂芬·麥克索裡稱:“熊出沒那段編排的不錯。就是色調太差了點。”Ashley Clarke added: "I wish the fake bear had fake eaten her to stop that awful song." 阿什利·克拉克則表示:“真希望這只假熊能假裝吃了她,省得她繼續哼那個怪調。”



Sunday, January 8, 2017

Beauty Trends for 2017最新妝容流行趨勢

還在關注韓式平眉、水光肌、咬唇妝?那你就OUT了!2017年的美妝時尚將回歸自然淡雅,濃重的高光和誇張的修容將不再流行。彩色睫毛、雀斑妝、漸變唇等妝容將成為最潮的彩妝趨勢。一起來看看2017年必須get的彩妝術還有哪些吧。

Vocabulary

contour: 外形,輪廓
luscious: 十分性感的


ombre: 顏色深淺漸進的


If you've only just mastered the art of contouring and highlighting, look out.如果你剛剛才掌握修容和高光的技巧,那要注意了。An expert has predicted which beauty trends will set Instagram ablaze in 2017 - and fortunately, they don't all require incredible skill and a careful hand.有專家預測了2017年將在Ins走紅的美妝趨勢——幸運地是,掌握它們不需要驚人的技巧和細緻的手法。

Rather than heavy-handed highlighting and dramatic contouring, makeup artist Rachael Brook told news.com.au that she is looking forward to a return to natural looks next year. 化妝師瑞秋•布魯克告訴澳大利亞新聞網,她預計明年的妝容將回歸淡雅自然,而不再流行濃重的高光和誇張的修容。

'We will see more creamy, blended contours rather than harsh distinctions between contour and highlight,' Ms Brook told the website.布魯克告訴該網站,"我們看到的修容顏色將是偏奶油色的,且暈染更自然,修容和高光之間沒有強烈對比。 Here are Ms Brook's top trends to start experimenting with in the New Year...以下就是布魯克認為明年將流行起來的最潮風尚……



FAKE FRECKLES 仿雀斑妝


Ms Brook says natural, beautiful skin will be huge this year - with 'raw' skin teamed with bold eye and lip make up.布魯克女士稱,明年將流行在"未打底"的肌膚上畫上明顯的眼唇妝以打造自然、靚麗的肌膚感。Freckles will be such a huge trend, that even if you aren't naturally blessed - they can be drawn on or even stuck on. 雀斑妝將火到即便你沒有天生的雀斑也可以畫上甚至是貼上。


SUNSTRIPPING 曬傷妝

Forget strobing, 'sunstripping' is the latest craze to make your skin appear sun-drenched without a vacation. 別想著水光妝了,明年的最新潮流是"曬傷妝",即使你沒有去度假,這種妝容也能讓你的皮膚看起來像沐浴過陽光一樣。 Instead of using highlighter, the look is achieved by using a matte bronzer and sweeping it generously across the nose and both cheeks before blending out.
打造這款妝容使用的是古銅色的啞光修容粉,而不是高光粉,將啞光修容粉輕輕的刷過兩頰和鼻子,直至暈染開。



COLOUR COORDINATION 色彩協調

Ms Brook says colour co-ordinated beauty looks will be huge in 2017 - sweeping one shade of blush from the eyelids down to around the cheeks. 布魯克稱,色調一致的美妝造型將風靡2017——打造這種妝容要將同一色調的腮紅從眼瞼掃至臉頰周圍。The look is complete with a lip colour in the same shade, but can also be applied lightly for a more 'naturally flushed' look, according to Ms Brook. 再配上同色系的唇彩就完妝了。但是也可以把妝上得更柔和,打造更"自然紅暈"的妝容

COLOURED MASCARA 彩色睫毛膏

Black will still be big in the New Year when it comes to luscious lashes, but Ms Brook says 'coloured mascara is here to play!' 提到性感迷人的睫毛,2017年主要流行的還是黑色。但布魯克稱,"彩色睫毛膏也會湊個熱鬧!" She says electric blue lashes paired with a smoky eye is a fun look, but if you're nervous about experimenting with such a bold colour, try metallic gold instead. 她說,電光藍睫毛搭配煙熏妝的妝容很有意思,但如果你沒有信心嘗試這樣大膽的顏色,可以試著用金屬黃色代替。


BOLD LIPS AND FEATHERED EDGES 大膽的唇色和羽狀唇邊

Ms Brook says bold - sometimes bright and sometimes dark - lips will be a massive trend, with looks including feathered edges, high shine, metallic, ombre and glitter making a comeback.
布魯克稱,顏色大膽(亮色或暗色)的唇妝將是2017年的大勢,羽狀唇邊、亮晶晶的唇妝、金屬唇色、漸變唇色以及帶有亮片的唇妝等將再度流行。


COLOURED ILLUMINATORS 彩色的提亮乳

Coloured highlighters lit up Instagram in 2016, but Ms Brook says 2017 will be all about coloured illuminators. 2016年,彩色的高光粉在Ins上走紅,但布魯克稱,2017年流行的將是彩色的提亮乳。She says using a product like MAC Strobe Cream, which is now available in multiple colours, will give you the illusion of being 'lit from within.'
魅可的晶亮潤膚乳現在已經有多種顏色選擇,這類產品會幫你營造一種皮膚"由內而外散發光彩"的錯覺。


Saturday, December 31, 2016

New Year’s Resolutions, anyone? 你有新年計劃了嗎?

 Yoga for your Liver 瑜伽為您的肝臟


Over the holidays, many of us will drink, stay up past bedtime, eat an extra slice of pie and sleep in. Fun as they are, these activities can tamper with our circadian rhythms, the feedback loops that sync our body’s functions to our external environment.
The liver, which helps regulate your body’s metabolism, gets thrown off by unhealthy patterns of sleep or by changes in diet or alcohol consumption. If you’re experiencing indigestion or your energy levels are low after too many holiday parties, your liver could be out of sync.
Circadian rhythms are important for helping the liver anticipate the body’s demands throughout the day, such as stockpiling energy after meals and releasing it when we sleep.
Our daily liver cycles are molded by an interplay between sleep, food and alcohol. Sleep affects the master clock in our brain. Like most other bodily organs, the liver is partly governed by this central rhythm.
But the liver also has its own internal clock, which can be affected by food and alcohol.
To keep your liver’s clock consistent this holiday season, avoid extreme behaviors, said Lei Yin, an assistant professor of physiology at the University of Michigan.
That means maintaining your central circadian rhythm with a regular sleep schedule. You can stay up a little later, but try to avoid doing so more than two hours past your normal bedtime. A helpful tip is to go on a walk in the mornings. Light is the most powerful way to reset our internal clock, Dr. Yin said.
It also means staying cognizant of how food and alcohol affect your liver’s timers. Try to stick to normal mealtimes. And it’s fine to drink a little, but avoid binge drinking, which is defined as more than four or five drinks in two hours.
DID YOU KNOW?
你知道嗎?
A circadian rhythm is part of what we would call the “body clock.” Technically, it is any biological process of an endogenous oscillation of about 24 hours — the term “circadian” comes from the Latin “circa,” (around/ approximately), and “diem” (day) — that can also be adjusted via environmental conditions such as light, temperature and lifestyle habits.
In the short term, sticking to these guidelines might ease your transition back to reality, once the holidays are over. In the long term, maintaining a regular schedule and drinking less can safeguard your metabolism and prevent disease.
This article is an edited version of a piece that originally appeared in the New York Times
(New York Times, Steph Yin

假期中,很多人都會飲酒、熬夜、吃宵夜、晚睡晚起。這些行為儘管好玩,卻會擾亂生理時鐘,也就是讓身體功能與外部環境保持協調的反饋迴路失調。
肝臟是幫助調節身體新陳代謝的器官,不健康的睡眠模式、飲食方面的變化或者飲酒,都會擾亂它的節奏。如果你有消化不良的症狀,或者在參加多場假日派對之後感到疲憊不堪,有可能你的肝臟已經失調了。
在幫助肝臟全天候調節身體需求方面,例如在飯後儲存能量,或在睡覺時釋放能量,生理時鐘發揮著重要的作用。
肝臟每天進行的循環是由睡眠、食物和酒精之間的相互作用所主導的。睡眠會影響我們大腦中的主要生理時鐘。正如人體大部份的器官,肝臟在一定程度上也受這個主要生理時鐘所主宰。
但肝臟也有自己的內部生理時鐘,而該生理時鐘會受到食物和酒精的影響。
密西根大學生理學助理教授雷音說,要讓肝臟的生理時鐘在放假期間正常運轉,必須避免極端的活動。
這包括保持規律的作息時間,讓主要生理時鐘維持正常。你可以稍微晚一點睡,但盡量避免比平常就寢時間晚兩小時以上。一個實用的小撇步是在早上出門散步。「沐浴在陽光下是重設內部生理時鐘最有效的方式,」雷音博士說。
此外,要維持肝臟的正常運作,也須要隨時注意自己攝取的食物和酒精對肝臟的生理時鐘所造成的影響。應規律進食三餐。只喝一點酒沒有關係,但應避免飲酒過量,即兩個小時內飲酒四到五杯以上。
從短期來看,遵守這些原則應該可以讓你在假期結束後較為容易地回歸平日作習。從長期來看,規律作息以及少飲酒可以保護身體的新陳代謝機能並預防疾病。
本文為編輯後的版本,原文已於紐約時報刊登
(紐約時報李瓊譯)

Sunday, December 25, 2016

Helping Daddy quit betel nuts in a sweet way 老爸長年檳榔癮 全靠女兒「愛的融化糖」戒掉

He's got an addictive personality. 他具有成癮人格。


Baoye binged on betel nuts regularly, but whenever he saw his daughters eating fudge, he would want to join them and eat some pieces himself. His daughters, who were still in elementary school, came up with an idea to help their father quit betel nuts. They made a pact with him: “Daddy, these packets of fudge are all for you. Whenever you feel the desire to eat betel nuts, you can eat the fudge instead. And when you finish them all, we will supply you with new ones.”
Baoye did not cut down his betel nut consumption because of that, but whenever he chewed them, the image of his daughters’ faces when they offered him the suggestion would temporarily come to his mind. Once in the not-so-distant past, the whole family was preparing for a trip to Korea, and Baoye was going to purchase some betel nuts from the betel nut stands as he customarily did for trips, but when he reached into his pockets for his wallet, he found a pack of fudge.
As it turned out, several days before the trip, his daughters discovered that their daddy was not very keen on quitting betel nuts at all. So they thoughtfully split the fudge into several small packets for their father and put them in his jacket pockets. “Splitting them up into small packets makes it more convenient, so there is no excuse now, is there? Next time you go out to buy betel nuts, remember to eat the fudge instead.”
At that time, Baoye still chewed betel nuts, but a thought came to him: “There will be no place to buy betel nuts in Korea anyway. I might as well just quit chewing them.” Five days of travelling in Korea went by and he did not even chew one betel nut. After he returned to Taiwan, he successfully resisted the betel nut lady’s allure as well. That was when a revelation came to him. For all those years, he had thought betel nuts were "unquittable" for him, but in reality they were not as important as he imagined.
TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字
1. binge v. 吃得很兇,狂吃 
例: Bob binges on ice cream whenever he gets annoyed at work.
(每當鮑勃工作煩躁,他就會狂吃冰淇淋。)
2. temporarily adv. 短暫的,暫時的
例: You have to learn to relax, even just temporarily.
(你必須學會放輕鬆,即使只是暫時的也好。)
3. allure n. 誘惑 
例: How can you resist the allure of Japanese Ramen?
(你如何能抗拒日本拉麵的誘惑?)
After publishing his experience online, Baoye’s article swiftly drew heated discussions among netizens. One netizen even shared his version of the story: “When I was a kid, I also used to pester my grandfather to quit smoking by saying I would only come to him and let him hug me if he did not smell of smoke, and in the end he managed to quit smoking.”
(Liberty Times, translated by Ethan Zhan)

檳榔吃得很兇的寶爺,每當看到女兒在吃「融化糖」時總會湊過去想吃幾顆,兩個就讀小學的女兒便想出讓爸爸戒檳榔的方法。她們和他立了「約定」,「把鼻,這些融化糖全部給你。當你想吃檳榔的時候,你就可以吃融化糖代替檳榔。等你吃完,我再補新的給你。」
寶爺並未因為這樣少吃檳榔,只是每次在吃檳榔時女兒叮嚀的臉孔總是短暫出現在腦海中。直到不久前,全家準備去韓國遊玩,寶爺本想「按照慣例」地去檳榔攤「存糧」,往口袋想找皮包時,卻摸到了一包融化糖。
原來女兒在前幾天發現爸爸根本就沒有努力戒檳榔,於是貼心地幫爸爸把一串的融化糖拆成一小包,塞在外套口袋裡,「拆成一小包一小包更方便了,你總沒理由了吧。下次要買檳榔時,記得吃糖!」
當下寶爺仍吃著檳榔,不過心裡卻想著,反正接下來幾天在韓國也買不到檳榔,乾脆趁機戒掉。韓國行五天過去,他也成功地「一顆未碰」。回到台灣後,也沒有受到檳榔攤老闆娘的「誘惑」。這才發現,多年來一直以為戒不掉的吃檳榔習慣,在心中的分量其實並沒有他以為的那麼重。
此篇文章PO上網後隨即引發網友熱議,還有網友分享「我小時候也是常在爺爺旁邊撒嬌要他戒菸,他沒有菸味我才會湊過去給他抱抱....結果他戒菸成功了!」
(自由時報)

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Dutch police trains eagles to tackle pesky drone problem 荷蘭警方:老鷹大戰無人機


荷蘭警方:老鷹大戰無人機

The Dutch are using an ingenious, low ­cost, totally organic solution to the country's increasing drone problem – they're having eagles trained to attack the flying machine as they would their usual prey.

 如今,無人機引發的問題日益嚴重,荷蘭警方不 得不另闢蹊徑,訓練老鷹來“捕獵”無人機,既節 省了開銷,也保護了環境。

 Drones are becoming a major problem all over the world – they block airspace and interfere with official operations like emergency air ambulance landings. Despite regulations, drone operators are able to get away with misuse. They're often hidden from view, making it very difficult for authorities to detect their exact position and take action against them.

 無人機給全世界都帶來了不小麻煩,有的私占了空域,有的甚至妨礙了飛機的緊急迫降。儘 管各國現已出臺相關法規,但不少無人機使用者仍逍遙法外,畢竟他們時常遠端操縱,執法 人員因此很難精准定位,將其繩之以法。


 The Dutch police were looking at tech­ based solutions like remotely taking control of drone operating systems, but forcing a drone to autoland could backfire as it could go completely out of control. Thankfully, raptor training company 'Guard From Above' came up with a much better idea – to make use of eagles' natural hunting instincts.

 此前,荷蘭警方曾嘗試遠端干預無人機作業系統,迫使其自動著陸,但結果卻事與願違,因 為無人機很容易徹底失控。幸運的是,猛禽訓練公司“空中保鏢”棋高一著,提出可以使用老 鷹來捕獵無人機。 荷蘭警方:老鷹大戰無人機

 Guard From Above claims to be the first company in the world to use birds of prey to intercept hostile drones. They're now assisting the Dutch police force to create a fleet of police eagles that are trained to attack and snatch drones in mid­air using their strong talons. “The eagle sees the drone as its prey,” explained Sjoerd Hoogendoorn, who works for the company. “So he tries to take it to a safe location and guard it once he gets there.”

 利用猛禽攔截惱人的無人機——空中保鏢公司的理念可說是前無古人。目前,荷蘭警方正與 該公司合作,訓練一群警鷹。這群“空中奇兵”將以利爪,獵捕橫行半空的無人機。空中保鏢 職員舍爾德•胡根道解釋道:“這些警鷹視無人機為獵物,一旦捕獲,就會飛到安全的地方, 將其保護起來。”


In Hindu mythology Garuda is known as the king of birds. He transports the God Vishnu and is eager to help humanity fight against demons. The word is usually rendered into English as "eagle," though according to one dictionary the name literally means "devourer," because Garuda was originally identified with the "all-consuming fire of the sun's rays".

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