2017年5月29日 星期一

【Another thought-provoking Tedtalk】

"I can't promise my child a life without bias -- we're all biased -- but I promise to bias my child with multiple perspectives."

https://www.ted.com/talks/raghava_kk_shake_up_your_story?language=en&utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=talk&utm_term=education


Artist Raghava KK demos his new children's book for iPad with a fun feature: when you shake it, the story — and your perspective — changes. In this charming short talk, he invites all of us to shake up our perspective a little bit.

0:11Hi everyone. I'm an artist and a dad — second time around. Thank you. And I want to share with you my latest art project. It's a children's book for the iPad. It's a little quirky and silly. It's called "Pop-It," And it's about the things little kids do with their parents.
0:31(Music)
0:33So this is about potty training — as most of you, I hope, know. You can tickle the rug. You can make the baby poop. You can do all those fun things. You can burst bubbles. You can draw, as everyone should.
0:54But you know, I have a problem with children's books: I think they're full of propaganda. At least an Indian trying to get one of these American books in Park Slope, forget it. It's not the way I was brought up. So I said, "I'm going to counter this with my own propaganda." If you notice carefully, it's a homosexual couple bringing up a child. You don't like it? Shake it, and you have a lesbian couple.(Laughter) Shake it, and you have a heterosexual couple. You know, I don't even believe in the concept of an ideal family.
1:25I have to tell you about my childhood. I went to this very proper Christian school taught by nuns, fathers, brothers, sisters. Basically, I was brought up to be a good Samaritan, and I am. And I'd go at the end of the day to a traditional Hindu house, which was probably the only Hindu house in a predominantly Islamic neighborhood. Basically, I celebrated every religious function. In fact, when there was a wedding in our neighborhood, all of us would paint our houses for the wedding. I remember we cried profusely when the little goats we played with in the summer became biriani. (Laughter) We all had to fast during Ramadan. It was a very beautiful time.
2:06But I must say, I'll never forget, when I was 13 years old, this happened. Babri Masjid — one of the most beautiful mosques in India, built by King Babur, I think, in the 16th century — was demolished by Hindu activists. This caused major riots in my city. And for the first time, I was affected by this communal unrest. My little five-year-old kid neighbor comes running in, and he says, "Rags, Rags. You know the Hindus are killing us Muslims. Be careful." I'm like, "Dude, I'm Hindu." (Laughter) He's like, "Huh!"
2:44You know, my work is inspired by events such as this. Even in my gallery shows, I try and revisit historic events like Babri Masjid, distill only its emotional residue and image my own life. Imagine history being taught differently.
3:01Remember that children's book where you shake and the sexuality of the parents change? I have another idea. It's a children's book about Indian independence — very patriotic. But when you shake it, you get Pakistan's perspective. Shake it again, and you get the British perspective.
3:16(Applause)
3:21You have to separate fact from bias, right. Even my books on children have cute, fuzzy animals. But they're playing geopolitics. They're playing out Israel-Palestine, India-Pakistan. You know, I'm making a very important argument. And my argument [is] that the only way for us to teach creativity is by teaching children perspectives at the earliest stage. After all, children's books are manuals on parenting, so you better give them children's books that teach them perspectives. And conversely, only when you teach perspectives will a child be able to imagine and put themselves in the shoes of someone who is different from them.
4:00I'm making an argument that art and creativity are very essential tools in empathy. You know, I can't promise my child a life without bias — we're all biased — but I promise to bias my child with multiple perspectives.
4:14Thank you very much.
4:16(Applause)

2017年5月28日 星期日

【Three enjoyable smartphone activities to get learners talking】

Source: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/blogs/neil-t-millington/three-enjoyable-smartphone-activities-get-learners-talking?utm_source=TE_Facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bc-teachingenglish

Recently I have been experimenting with using mobile devices in my university communication classes. Here are three enjoyable smartphone activities that have helped to get my learners talking.
I have been experimenting with using mobile devices in my university communication classes over the last couple of years. I have had some success and in other cases it hasn’t worked as well. These days, all of my learners have smartphones and they use them a lot. I have teacher friends who have tried banning their use in class but with not a great deal of success. I guess they are part and parcel of a student’s life and I wanted to find ways to best utilize them in class. As I mentioned, I tried various ways of using them and here are three activities that worked well with my learners.
Say What You See
This activity is very simple to set up and administer and my learners find it a lot of fun. However, I have found it works better with higher level learners. With lower level learners I would recommend scaffolding the activity by teaching phrases and strategies to help them describe a picture or photo before. I start the activity by putting the learners into pairs. I then ask one of the pair to get out their smartphone and find a picture to describe to their partner. I ask the other to get out a pencil and piece of paper. The aim is the first student describes a picture they found and their partner will draw it. I generally suggest they show pictures of cartoon characters, scenes of nature, or scenes from movies or characters they like. This activity certainly brings the energy levels of the class right up, and it works well as a warm up activity. 
Changing the Environment
This second activity involves more preparation. Last semester, I did this activity every second week with one of my speaking classes. During the first week, we would cover a relevant topic. For example, after the New Year’s break the topic was good fortune. In Japan, many people go to a shrine to pray for good luck for the coming year and buy an omikuji and omamori. (The first is a piece of paper that predicts your fortune and the second is a good luck charm.) During the first class, the students discussed visiting a shrine and different superstitions in Japan. The following week, the learners made small groups and were given 20 minutes of class time to go out of class with their friends and make a short video with their smartphones of a superstition or something lucky or unlucky happening. The only limitation was their imagination. When they returned to class, I gave them a worksheet with a series of simple questions about the videos they had made. They then had time to work with their group members and prepare their answers to these questions. Once they had all done this, they edited their video and shared it amongst their group members. Each group then took their worksheets and smartphones and talked to people from another group and shared their videos.
Video Speed-chat
This is a variation of a blog I wrote for the British Council Magazine last year. If you are interested, you can check it out here: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/blogs/neil-t-millington/speed-chat-a-minimal-resource-activity-get-your-learners-talking Video Speed-chat is an easy to implement activity and only requires learners to have their mobile device. It is a concept which involves learners talking about a single topic for a few minutes before rotating to a new partner and repeating the process. I like to do this activity after a break in the semester but it can be done anytime. I ask the learners to get out their smartphones and choose several pictures to talk about. For lower level learners, I prepare a list of questions for them to answer or give them a list of Wh questions, but for higher level learners I just give them a couple of minutes to think about what to say to their partners. Each learner then takes their smartphone and they make two lines facing each other and talk for a couple of minutes before rotating to the next partner. 
What do you think? Have you tried any activities similar to these? Would these work with your students? Let me know what you think in the comments box!

2017年5月18日 星期四

【A very inspiring video clip !!! A must-see!】

This five-minute video clip from voicetube is super inspiring ! 
My junior- high-school- aged pupils found it enlightening!

"Every person on this Earth has a gift."
"Do you have the courage to grab the dream that picked you, that befits you, and grips you?
Or would you let it get away and slip through?"
"There is a thief in your mind who is after your dreams. His name is doubt. "
"Just remember, there's no such thing as a smooth mountain. If you want to make it to the top,
then there are sharp bridges that must be stepped over....."  
"Because pain is life, but you can choose what type. Either the pain on the road to success,
or the pain of being haunted with regret. "   
"You cannot go back and make a brand new beginning. But you can start now and make a brand new ending."

In my opinion, this clip is more suitable for senior high school students 
and college students than junior high school learners, though 
(in terms of content) 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗
The vocabulary words used are not very difficult. 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗


2017年5月17日 星期三

【ClassroomScreen.com: The best screen for your classroom!

ClassroomScreen.com:
The best screen for your classroom!】
This website, designed as a digital classroom screen, provides several handy teaching tools for language teachers while teaching:
1. Customized background (Yes. Unlike blackboard in a traditional classroom, you can choose your favorite background! )
2. Random name generator (You can type all your students' names here and click "choose". This could be useful when you want to draw lots.)
3. A calculator
4. Generate a QR code (Students scan the code and will be taken directly to a website.)
5. A drawing pad (useful when you want to explain concepts in diagrams or ask your students to make doodles)
6. A notepad (You can type words here.)
7. Visual prompts (These are for classroom management. Four work symbols for you to choose from, including "work together," " ask neighbor, " "whisper," and "silence.")
8. Interactive traffic lights (Useful when you want to play a classroom game :) ?)
9. A countdown timer
10. A clock
_____________________________________________
**Note: 

1. No need to use traditional blackboard when this digital classroom screen is being used.

2. Perhaps one of the strengths of this digital classroom screen is its language choice. That is, this classroom screen can be presented in 9 languages, depending on language of instruction. It would be better to have Chinese language option to better serve L2 Chinese learners and teachers who are native speakers of Chinese, though.  

**See introduction to this fascinating website:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O70WXwHZKg
🤗🤗🤗!

偶爾用用英文寫好了, 畢竟觀眾也有一些美國人和歐洲人:) !

2017年5月15日 星期一

【5 smart tips for teaching grammar through extensive reading】

Source:  https://oupeltglobalblog.com/2017/05/15/reads-reading-has-read-5-smart-tips-for-teaching-grammar-through-extensive-reading/

(Reads, reading, has read): 5 smart tips for teaching grammar through extensive reading

Nigel A. Caplan, PhD, is an associate professor at the University of Delaware English Language Institute in the United States and the co-author of Q: Skills for Success and Inside WritingIn this post he provides some useful tips for teaching grammar skills through your reading program.
We often encourage language learners to read for pleasure, read for comprehension, and read for vocabulary. But reading is also an excellent way to learn and practice grammar. It is important for teachers and learners to recognise that grammar is not a separate skill divided into discrete chunks (or textbook chapters!), but rather the resources which make meaning in a language. In other words, grammar is everywhere, and everything a learner does with the language is an opportunity to improve their grammar.
Here are some activities you can suggest to your students to help them discover the grammar of their reading beyond the classroom walls.

1. Read for meaning first and grammar next

We have limited attentional resources as we read, so it is natural to read first and foremost for meaning. However, language learners benefit from multiple readings of the same text. So, once they have understood the text and checked the meaning of any important new vocabulary, encourage your students to read all or part of the same text again and pay attention to the language use.

2. Start with verb tenses

One of the most interesting questions readers can ask is which tenses are used in the text. This will tell you a lot about the type of text you are reading. For example, we would expect to find a lot of present tenses in scientific texts because they describe facts and phenomena, but a sudden shift to the past tense might indicate a discussion of the history of an idea or a particular scientist. Meanwhile, historical texts unsurprisingly use mostly past tenses, but they may nonetheless contain present tense verbs to discuss the current significance of past events.
Also encourage your students to look for less frequent verb tenses; if there’s a present perfect progressive verb, why is it used? Could the writer have chosen a different tense?

3. Learn the grammar of new vocabulary

We want learners to notice new and useful vocabulary when they read, but the context of the text is an opportunity to learn more about the word than its meaning. When encountering a word, in particular a word that the student understands but doesn’t yet use, ask questions about its use in the sentence. For a noun, is it countable or uncountable? What verb goes with it? For a verb, is it transitive or intransitive? What prepositions go with it? What kinds of nouns are its subject? This approach will encourage learners to see words in collocations and phrases, which will expand both their receptive and productive vocabularies.

4. Play with the Grammar

Grammar is a system of choices, and for every choice a writer makes, there are others which could be made. These choices are worth exploring.
We can encourage learners to rewrite texts using alternative grammar patterns. For example:
  • If the writer repeats the same nouns a lot, could pronouns be used instead?
  • If there are many short sentences, how could they be combined?
  • If an advanced text uses a lot of reduced clauses, what would the full (finite) clause be?
  • If the text is academic, how could you rewrite it for a different audience, such as magazine readers?
  • If it’s written in a less formal register, what changes would you make for formal, academic writing?
The last example exercise benefits both reading comprehension and writing development. Readers of sophisticated and academic texts, such as those in Q: Skills for Success, may need to “unpack” long noun phrases and reduced relative clauses in order to understand the structure and ideas.
Meanwhile, when writing for academic purposes, students can draw on the techniques they see in their reading, such as nominalisation, demonstrative pronouns (this, those), and reductions.

5. Keep a Grammar (B)Log

In order to develop their grammar, students need to notice the language they are reading and internalize it, not just move on to the next page, show, or app. A great way to develop independent study skills is to have students keep a grammar log, journal, or blog to complement their extensive reading.
In my classes, I ask students to post an entry on the discussion board in our learning management system in which they write about an interesting phrase or sentence that they’ve read. They have to either explain the grammar or ask a question about it (I don’t allow them to focus only on word meanings: there are dictionaries for that!). I then encourage students to answer their peers’ questions before I provide an answer. Students might wonder why a verb has a third-person ending, why an uncountable noun has been unexpectedly used in the plural, what a new clause connector means, or what a pronoun refers to. This works at all proficiency levels! Most importantly, the grammar log helps students develop the habit of looking for new and interesting structures while reading, and the discussions allow for the kinds of negotiations over language that can promote acquisition.
These simple techniques can be used for homework or self-study to turn any reading activity into a grammar lesson! If you try these with your students, let me know in the comments how they worked.
Get a sneak peek at the exciting free resources being made available for Q: Skills for Success from August, including new Skills Videos and a new Extensive Reading program in which every unit has been matched with a free, downloadable chapter from Oxford Graded Readers.

2017年5月12日 星期五

【The 14 most innovative schools in America】

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-innovative-schools-in-america-2016-4/#star-school-flagstaff-az-the-school-thats-off-the-grid-1


美國頂尖創新K-12學校
【駐洛杉磯辦事處教育組】
美國商業/娛樂新聞網“商業內幕”(Business Insider)在2016年依據Google專家及InnoveEdu及Noodle歷年評鑑,公佈美國14所最創新中小學,第1名為亞利桑那星學校,該小學特色為所有能源來自太陽能。第2名為加州舊金山Brightworks School,教導學生嘗試一些最危險東西。

第3名為加州聖地牙e3 Civic High School,學校位於聖地牙市中心中央圖書館內,為低收入戶學生提供研究設備,出國留學機會及專題式學習(項目指導),提供幾乎無限資源滿足學生好奇心.e 3代表投入,教育與賦能(engagement,educate,empower),3年前設立原因發現學生都離開市中心去上高中,才設立此所特許高中(特許高中),學校在北聖地牙哥中央圖書館第6及第7層,該校獲得美國綠建築金牌認證(LEED Gold-certified),為可移動的壁,組合家具與聚會用餐的廣場。
另外威斯康辛州聯盟學校為想要阻止霸凌的學校,THINK Global School位於紐約市,為無國界高中,學生每學期在不同國家學習不同文化,THINK為地方本位(place-based)學習活動。紐約市青年婦女領導網絡學校追求男女平權。
密西根州急流城的動物園,只有一個年級即六年級,將學生一整年融入約翰·鮑爾動物園,讓學生養動物,上解剖學與天文學,發展研究計畫。另外紐約市哈維牛奶高學校為第一所學校專門為LGBT(男同性戀,女同性戀,雙性戀及跨性戀)設立,提供一個安全學習空間。紐約州布魯克林市的P-TECH高中為高中與大學搭橋,由IBM創辦,為6年制課桯,完成第5年及第6年可獲頒副學士學位,該校轉型不同於一般高中4年制。
在加州舊金山的AltSchool完全不同於傳統教育,反對傳統測驗模式,應用最新科技,提供學生彈性學習思考與適應世界變遷。學生將每日東西轉變成電路版,學習3D模式建立遊戲屋。教育目標為全人教育(全名兒童)透視鏡學會問題解決及社會情緒學習等。
羅德島州大圖學習學校打破傳統,將學校與真實世界連結,k-12學生創造熱情第一,教師要點燃學童創熱情,在全美已有55所,為實習中學習(通過實習學習, LTI)。
在伊利諾伊的緬因州高中區207,該學區在谷歌努力革命改造教育,藉合作團隊為學生提供雲端(雲基)工具及網路機會,第一所成立Chromebook學校。
在加州聖地牙哥高科高學校學生以大規模方案/專題學習,有一天會變成企業公司,學校強調真實世界學習,勝於記憶課本,最大計畫為Wicked Soap Company,學生製作實習肥皂,再變成企業計畫賣給消費者,所有收入繳回學校或作為捐款懟善機構。
另外加州蒙特里的約克學校給予學生80%時間學習學校作業,但有20%時間學習任何有興趣的創造計畫。
此外創新公司Noodle於2015年公佈全美k-12最新學校41所在,位於加州聖莫尼卡的十字路口藝術與科學學院(k-12)為社會情緒學習及全人教育先鋒者,第一所要求畢業須有45小時學習服務的學校,包括1項25小時專題學習及1項15小時專題學習及10小時服務學習。該校重視生活本領(生活技能)如培養自尊,責任與作決策等能力,藉由團體治療,寫作活動與指引式沉思探索認同,文化與自我反思。培育環境領袖為該校治校核心目標之一,所有學生必須完成一項地方本位(基於地點的)自然教育課程,稱為環境與戶外教育(環境與戶外活動,EOE),大約一周的校外教學,包括露營與在Owens Valley寫詩。大約有98至100%學生繼續升大,藝術課程完全編織圍繞在所有課程內,許多畢業生成為知名電影製作人,演員,作家,音樂家與視覺藝術家。該校為進步主義教育網 (Progressive Education Network)成員之一,為5所屬私立學校之一,率先致力推動社會正義與全人教育。
融合學院為6 - 12年級學校,計有32校園,遍布在加州,紐約,德州,伊利諾伊,紐澤西及康乃狄克斯。提供個人化教學模式,適合彈性學習者,也重視社會情緒學習培育。由學生決定每學期所修學分數及註冊就學長短。為營利私立學校,通常吸引運動或表演生涯學生,需要彈性學習時間。一對一個別化教學為其最大特色。
KIPP為預K-12公立特許學校,在全美20州及華盛頓地區包括183所學校,追求學術卓越,教師隨時服務學生,家長每晚檢查學生功課,在紀律方面行政人員有相當大自主權,除了嚴格學術標準,同時也重視品格教育,包括熱情,堅強意志力,樂觀,自我控制,感恩,社會智商與好奇心,沒有藉口的行為管理制度,KIPP成為特許學校龍頭.KIPP學生在各方面評量表現均優,除了嚴格學術要求與品格養成外,來自弱勢家庭投入支持證明高學業成績無關學區。
美國教育家學會(美國教育家協會)指出這些創新學校推出新課程或教學育學方法,對學生產生永續與正向成果;借鏡這些學校模式前,必須在自己學校或教室考量採取如下上課模式:翻轉教育,遊戲化課程,現象本位學習,學生主導管理,廣用科技,工程師與教育家合作,校外教學,個別化課程,團體合作方案/專題學習等。
評量等級包括入大學比率,學生標準測驗表現,上學率改善情形,減少霸凌比率,減少逃學情形,創造支援學習環境等。
譯者人:梁琍玲摘要
資料來源:2017年3月7日,商業內幕 - 美國最具創新力的學校14家; 麵條,美國最具創新力的K-12學校;美國教育家協會,41個最具創新力的K-12學校,以及他們在教育
領域取得的前9名的方式http://www.businessinsider.com/the-most - 創新學校... / ...
https://www.noodle.com/articles/innovative-schools-2015 https : //www.aaeteachers.org /.../ 1547-the-41-most-innovative- k
...

2017年5月11日 星期四

現職英文老師的教學部落格

http://teacherleo.pixnet.net/blog/post/114197912

免費的教學資源網站 (很多free, printable 的worksheet 可以下載喔!)

https://www.havefunteaching.com/blog/teaching-english-as-a-second-language/

2017年5月4日 星期四

【10個有「人名」Adam, Bob, Murphy, Roger, Peter, Paul, John, Joe, Sam, Susan 的英文俚語】

10個有「人名」Adam, Bob, Murphy, Roger, Peter, Paul, John, Joe, Sam, Susan 的英文俚語
為什麼有些俚語我們總是看不太懂呢?原因在於組成俚語的單字雖然簡單,但合在一起後直翻的意思 往往不合邏輯,或是字面上意義不大,因此今天想向大家分享這些含有名字的慣用語,讓你在未來聽到這些說法時不再東猜西猜滿頭問號!(在仔細看解釋前,大家不妨先猜猜看它們的意思哦!)
1. Murphy’s Law
覺得這說法相當熟悉嗎?沒錯!這就是「只要沒帶傘就剛好會下雨」的莫非定律!它的具體意思是 「凡是可能出錯的事必定會出錯」(Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.),想避開Murphy’s Law只有一個做法,那就是時時刻刻做好準備,迎接隨時都有可能出現的插曲囉!
e.g. Well it’s Murphy’s law. Washing your car usually seems to bring rain.(這就是莫非定律,你洗完車後通常都會下雨。)
2. Roger that.
你可以先唸唸看這句話,是不是覺得有些耳熟呢?在許多動作片或是戰爭片裡時常能聽到角色對著無線電說 “Roger that.”,這是國際通用的通訊用語,意思是「收到」,那麼為什麼不是“Jason that”或是“Sandy that”呢?有個說法是Roger的“R”與receive(收到)同字首,因此 “Roger that.” 代表「收到」的意思。
e.g. Roger that. I’ll make my own decisions to engage.(知道了,我會照自己的判斷作戰。)
3. Uncle Sam
你知道“山姆大叔”是什麼嗎?它代表的是美國政府。英美戰爭時期由於一位暱稱為Uncle Sam的肉類商人在供應美軍的牛肉桶上印上了同為United State的US字樣,其後Uncle Sam便被視為美國的代稱,表示有著吃苦耐勞及愛國的精神,上面那張圖所代表的就是Uncle Sam精神奕奕的形象囉!
e.g. When Uncle Sam stops buying, interest rates should rise.(當美國政府不再支出購買時,利率會上升。)
4. Bob’s your uncle.
如果有人向你說這句話,可別真的回答 “Bob’s not my uncle.” 或是 “How did you know his name?”,“Bob’s your uncle.” 源自於歷史上大英帝國擴張版圖時充滿裙帶關係的政局,因此它是英式的說法,用來形容做事易如反掌,很容易達到目的。
e.g. Don’t worry about the computer. You just change the keyboard and it should work fine. Bob’s your uncle!(別擔心你的電腦了,只要把鍵盤換掉應該就會好了,很簡單的!)
5. Adam’s apple
亞當的蘋果是什麼呢?答案是喉結!因為傳說當時亞當與夏娃偷嚐禁果被發現時,亞當嘴裡有一口的蘋果還沒吞下去,上帝便懲罰亞當讓它哽在喉頭中,因此就將喉結比喻為Adam’s apple囉!
e.g. Wilson has got an incredibly huge Adam’s apple.(Wilson有超大的喉結。)
6. Dear John letter
相信看過電影 “Dear John” 就會知道這是什麼意思囉!Dear John letter的意思是女方寫給男方的分手信,那麼為什麼人名一定要是John呢?原因是John在美國是個很常見的菜市場名,而它也時常被用來代指無名的 人士,人們普遍認為這個詞源自於二戰時期,由於當時許多的軍人女友不願意長時間獨守空閨而選擇離開,因此大多會用充滿愛意憐惜的口氣 “Dear …” 當作寫信開頭表達分手的意願。
e.g. Kyle didn’t come to class today, for he got a Dear John letter from his girlfriend.(凱爾今天沒來上課,因為他收到了封女友寫給他的分手信。)
7. Average Joe
Joe與John一樣都是非常常見的菜市場名,而average的意思是「平均水準的」,因此 “average Joe” 所代表的就是再也平凡不過的普通人。
e.g. To her, I’m just an average Joe.(對她來說,我只不過是一個普通人罷了。)
補充:A cup of Joe = 一杯咖啡。據說二次大戰期間,有個美國海軍廚師G.I. Joe極度迷戀咖啡,而且沖煮咖啡(brew)的技巧是好得沒話說,幾乎每個士兵作戰時都習慣跟他要求沖泡杯咖啡,就會逗趣的說我要a cup of Joe,意思是來一杯咖啡,後來慢慢流傳至其他軍隊,戰後士兵返國,亦使用這句a cup of Joe,因此美國人就將Joe代為Coffee之同義字。但這個傳說也有人認為是無稽之談,其實Joe就是代表普羅大眾,因為咖啡太普及了,幾乎人手一 杯,所以就用a cup of Joe取代a cup of coffee。A stiff cup of Joe(一杯濃咖啡)。
8. Jack of all trades
如果你想形容一個人是萬事通,什麼都會的話,那麼用Jack of all trades就沒錯了!也有另一種說法,“Jack of all trades, master of none.” 意思是「什麼都會,但是都不專精」,因此這是個褒貶兼具的用法,用的時候可要多注意一下哦!
e.g. There is nothing he can’t do. He really is a jack of all trades.(沒有他無法不會做的事,他真的是個萬事通。)
9. Rob Peter to pay Paul
你猜得出它是什麼意思嗎?“Rob Peter to pay Paul”,「搶了彼得去還保羅錢」,代表這種行為等於「挖肉補瘡」,無濟於事,起源據說是在1550年時,聖彼得大教堂入主倫敦主教區,而其中許多的物 資被挪用來修葺倫敦主教區內的聖保羅大教堂,因此才會有「Rob Peter to pay Paul」的說法。
e.g. If you are in the English classroom to prepare for the math test, it is rob Peter to pay Paul.(如果你在英文課準備數學考試,那麼這樣根本是挖肉補瘡,無濟於事。)
10. Lazy Susan
到底什麼是懶惰的蘇珊呢?所謂 “lazy Susan”所代表的就是常見於中式餐廳裡的餐桌轉盤,那麼為什麼不是lazy Emily或lazy David呢?相傳美國過去的女僕普遍叫做Susan,而有位女僕不想在上菜時總是繞著餐桌走,因此才有了餐桌轉盤“lazy Susan”的發明!
e.g. When a person is reaching for a dish, you mustn’t turn the lazy Susan!(當有人正在拿菜時,你千萬別去轉餐盤哦!)
[Source: http://www.jimwegryn.com/Names/CommonNamePhrases.htm、Wikipedia、辭源典故]