twist sth into... 將某物扭曲成 Sarah twisted the wire into the shape of a star.
pretzel n. 椒鹽脆餅
Now, a new trend has started called Broga, which is the manlier version of yoga. In 2009, Robert Sidoti trademarked the name Broga, and he has licensed more than 200 Broga instructors since then. The main fear men have of going to a yoga class is that they will look foolish in front of a room full of women. Many men might feel embarrassed if they could not touch their toes while all the women beside them are twisting their bodies into pretzels. 現在，一種名為哥兒們瑜珈的新潮流已經展開，這是一種較為陽剛版本的瑜珈。 2009年，羅伯特 •希達堤為哥兒們瑜珈這個名字註冊了商標，並在那之後認證了兩百多位哥兒們瑜珈教練。男人對於參加瑜珈課程的主要恐懼來自於當他們置身於一個全是女人的場地前面時，他們會顯得很笨拙。當身旁所有的女人能把身體扭曲成脆餅狀時，大多數的男人會因摸不到自己的腳趾頭而感到尷尬。
Surfing super-cop cracks unsolved case 曾救溺水女學生 鑑識警官再揪逍遙八年搶匪
A fingerprint linking a suspect with a crime committed eight years ago is shown in a photograph provided by Taichung City Police Department’s Fengyuan Precinct.
臺中市豐原分局鑑識巡官高培邦憑這枚嫌犯指紋，再三比對出八年前搶匪身分。
Kao Pei-pang, a 27-year-old police inspector with Taichung City Police Department’s Fengyuan Precinct Criminal Investigation Corps identification team, was recently transferred to a post at Heping Precinct’s Criminal Investigation Corps. Kao, a lover of sports, hit the news more than three years ago while surfing in Miaoli county with two classmates from Central Police University, when he saved the life of a drowning first-year female student.
Two months ago, Kao reopened an old unsolved case and carried out a cross-check of the identification information. Surprisingly, the cross-check found a match with the identity of a thief in a robbery case involving a female student eight years ago. Following more than a month of investigation, Kao finally tracked down the male suspect, surnamed Yu. Although Yu denied his involvement in the criminal case, he was nevertheless unable to explain the evidence of his fingerprints and in the end was brought to justice by the police for the robbery.
(Liberty Times, translated by Edward Jones)
TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字
1. hit the news v. phr.登上媒體版面
例: My cat recently hit the news when she climbed up a tree and had to be rescued by the fire department.
(我的貓最近因為爬上樹被消防隊救了下來而登上新聞版面。)
2. following prep. 經
例: Following many years of tireless practice, Tom became fluent in Russian.
(經由多年的練習，湯姆的俄語變得很流利。)
3. bring to justice v. phr. 函送法辦
例: My team will work night and day to bring the killers to justice.
‘Too fat to fight’: thousands of British soldiers overweight 胖到不能打仗：數萬名英國軍人超重
British soldiers ride bicycles over Arnhem Bridge, in Arneham, Netherlands on Sept. 19. 英國軍人九月十九日在荷蘭阿納姆騎單車穿越阿納姆橋。
Photo: EPA 照片：歐新社
The British army has a global reputation for efficiency and performance, but new figures published on June 22 suggest that its soldiers might be getting a little soft.
More than 32,000 soldiers failed a basic fitness test at some point in the past three years, and more than 22,000 were found to be overweight and at risk of health problems, according to Ministry of Defense figures.
All soldiers in the British army are required to complete a personal fitness assessment twice a year, and those who fail must retake the test within seven days. Multiple failures could result in being discharged.
Men under the age of 29 must complete 44 press-ups in two minutes, followed by 50 sit-ups in two minutes, and a 2.4km run within 10.5 minutes.
Women have a slightly easier test, with 21 press-ups, 50 sit-ups and 13 minutes in which to complete the run.
According to the figures obtained by The Sunday Times newspaper, 29,600 men and 2,819 women failed their fitness tests between April 2011 and March this year.
“This figure represents 11 percent of the army serving in that period and many of those who failed will have subsequently passed their fitness test,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
The Sunday Times also revealed that more than 22,000 troops were found to be at increased risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease because they were so unfit.
Holding doors open for men threatens their masculinity 幫男人開門 威脅他們的男子氣概
A sure-fire way to ruin the self-esteem of a cocky colleague is to hold the door open for him, say psychologists.
Such a gesture could be taken to imply that the recipient looks needy and vulnerable.
This is likely to clash with their masculine identity and leave them deflated, professors Janice Kelly and Megan McCarty of Purdue University in Indiana suggested.
Their study, published in the journal Social Influence, found no evidence that women were effected in a similar way when men held doors for them.
The authors said even fleeting examples of unexpected help can have significant impact if they work against typical gender roles.
Men who had the door held for them by another man reported lower feelings of self-esteem and self-belief than men who did not have the door held for them.
No differences were seen in women, regardless of whether a door was held open for them or not.
(Liberty Times)
絕對能摧毀臭屁同事自尊的方法，就是幫他開門，心理學家說。
這可能與他們的男性認同有所衝突，並且讓他們很洩氣，印地安納州普渡大學博士凱利與麥卡尼強調。
他們的研究，刊登在期刊「社會影響」上，沒有發現證據顯示，女性在當男性幫忙開門時有受到同樣影響。
作者說，即使時間短暫的、突如其來的幫助有顯著的影響，若他們這些動作有違典型的性別角色。
被男人幫忙開門的男人，據稱其自尊心與自信心比沒有被幫忙開門的男人來得低落。
但在女性身上並沒有不一樣，無論她們是否被提供開門的服務。
（自由時報／翻譯：詹立群）
TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字
1. sure-fire adj. 必定能的
例: This is a sure-fire way to get publicity.
(這麼做必定能引人矚目。
2. cocky adj. 驕傲自大的
例: Don’t get cocky just because you’ve achieved some amount of success.
(別小有成績就把尾巴翹起來。)
3. clash with v. phr. 與…衝突
例: The color of the curtains clashes with the color of the wall.
The risks of resistant high blood pressure 頑固性高血壓 日吃三次藥仍中風
Neurosurgeon Liao Pen-li points out a 6 cm blood clot that caused hemorrhaging in the left side of a male stroke victim’s brain. 神經外科醫師廖本立指這名中風男子左腦出血的血塊直徑六公分。
Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Liberty Times 照片：自由時報記者蔡淑媛
TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字
1. cold snap n. ph 寒流
例: This is just a cold snap. It should not last very long.
(這只是個寒流，不會持續太久。)
2. soar v 飆高
例: Prices of vegetables often soar following a typhoon.
(蔬菜價格在颱風後常會飆高。)
3. plummet v. 驟降;墜地
例: Both engines failed, and the airplane plummeted to the ground.
(飛機因為兩個引擎都失效了而墜地。)
Sufferers of high blood pressure often ask, “I am already on three kinds of medication. Why is it that I still had a stroke due to high blood pressure?” Doctors point out that people with resistant high blood pressure are 20 percent more likely to get a stroke than those with regular high blood pressure, and if they do not control their blood pressure or pay attention to changes in the air temperature, they are vulnerable to having a stroke.
There was a 66-year-old man, not yet retired, who had high blood pressure. Although he took three different types of medication every day to keep his blood pressure under control, he didn’t visit the clinic on a regular basis, and neither did he keep an eye on changes in his blood pressure. The result was that when a cold snap came, one cold night, he lost the strength in his arm and leg on the left side of his body and he found he had trouble walking. After he was sent to the hospital, he was diagnosed as having had a stroke brought on by soaring blood pressure. He gradually recovered after being treated in hospital.
Doctors say that 60 percent of people in Taiwan over 65 years old have high blood pressure, and some of these people take three or more kinds of hypotensive medication, but are still unable to control their blood pressure properly, or have to take as many as four types of hypotensive drug before they can control their blood pressure to within the target range. This is when they are said to have resistant high blood pressure.
When the temperature plummets it is important to keep warm in order to minimize the risk of a stroke.
A doctor uses a stethoscope to listen to a child breathe in Hsinchu County on Oct. 8 last year.
一位醫師去年十月八日於新竹縣用聽診器聽小孩呼吸。
Photo: Tsai Chang-sheng, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者蔡彰盛
During a volunteer clinic for children that was organized by the Pediatric Department at Feng Yuan Hospital in April, they found that 40 percent of the children suffered from allergies. Hay fever accounted for the majority. It was also discovered that sneezing and runny noses are often treated as common colds. Doctors say that allergies are hereditary and that learning which allergens are causing allergies is the only way to effectively control them.
Ma Chih-hao, head of pediatrics at Feng Yuan Hospital, says that asthma, hay fever and eczema are the most common allergic conditions he treats, which are all closely related to a person being predisposed to allergies, he says, adding that different allergies exhibit different symptoms. For example, allergic conjunctivitis makes the eyes turn red, hay fever usually makes people sneeze, have runny and itchy noses in the morning or when the seasons are changing, rashes are particularly noticeable on the head, face, neck, and joint areas with eczema, while shortness of breath and wheezing are often associated with asthma.
Ma says that between 50 and 70 percent of people with both asthma and hay fever typically suffer from inflammation of the sinuses. If the inflammation persists, the asthma usually gets worse and can cause a child to feel low and sleepy during the day, and have difficulty paying attention, which can affect everyday life and cause learning disorders.
Ma says that the common cold is usually better within three to five days, while runny noses, coughing or asthma brought on by allergies can persist for one to two weeks. Asthmatic coughing is typically at its worst during the middle of the night or when sudden temperature changes occur between seasons, he says, adding that hay fever is usually worst right after getting out of bed in the morning. He suggests seeing a specialist to determine which allergens are affecting you and find a solution to control the problem. The most common causes of allergic reactions in Taiwan are dust mites, cockroaches, cats, dogs and mold, all of which can be controlled by keeping your living environment clean, Ma says.
Nostril cleaning works for colds and allergies
TODAY’S WORDS 今日單字
1. disorder n. 障礙；失調；不適
(例: Brent has been suffering from a mild stomach disorder. (布倫特患輕度胃病。)
2. specialist n. 專家；專科醫生
例: Sarah is a podiatrist, or foot specialist. (莎拉是一位足科醫師，亦稱為腳專家。)
3. mold n. 黴菌；霉 例: There’s mold all over the bread. Don’t it eat. (麵包都發霉了。不要吃。)
