彈性

5.2

A = Amy, G = guard, O = organizer, F = friend, J = judge

A 12:30. In a long line outside the Conference Center in Portland.
G Remember, you need ID. You can’t come in if you don’t have ID.
A Here’s my passport.
G Thanks. “Amy Jones.” Yup, that’s you! OK, come in. Next, please!
A 12:45. In the waiting area with 350 other singers!
O1 OK, Amy, sit here and wait until we call your name.
A Thanks.
O1 Are you here for the audition, too?
F No, I’m not. I’m Amy’s friend. Can I wait with her?
O1 Yeah, sure.
F Thanks.
A Let’s sit here. I’m so nervous…
O2 Mike Smith, Pat Jones, Tony Cash, come with me. This way.
A Good luck!
A 4:00. Three hours later! My turn at last!
O2 Amy Jones, Naomi Williams, Justin Elliot? Can you come with me, please? It’s your turn now.
A Oh my goodness! It’s my turn.
F Good luck, Amy! You can do it!
A Excuse me. Can my friend come with me?
O2 No, she can’t. She can wait there. And you can’t take your bag into the audition. Leave it with your friend.
A OK.
A 4:15. In the audition, with three judges. Really nervous!
J Amy…Jones? What’s your song?
A One Day.
J We can’t hear you. Is the microphone on?
A Sorry. Sorry. Can you hear me now?
J Yes, that’s fine.
A My song’s One Day.
J Can you start, please?
A Oh no! I can’t remember the first line.
J Take your time.
A I’m OK now!

Bucket Lists

Track 8.6

Bucket Lists
Have you ever wanted to see the Great Wall of China, win an Oscar, or swim with dolphins? If so, you’re not alone.

We all have things we want to do in our lifetimes. Write those things down, and you have your very own bucket list. A bucket list is a list of things someone wants to experience before dying. It’s essentially a set of goals that people create to remind themselves to live life to the fullest.

Many people have fun or exciting activities on their bucket lists, like hot-air ballooning or scuba diving. Others include places or things they want to see, like the Taj Mahal or the northern lights. Some people list things they want to achieve, like learning a new language or completing a marathon. And others list things that are worthwhile and that make a positive difference in the world.

Laura Lawson is only 23, but she has already done half of the 333 items on her bucket list. She’s eaten an insect, visited Las Vegas, and gone skydiving. Her advice is simple: “Try not watching TV for a week. You’ll see how much time you have to suddenly try new things.”

Jack Reynolds shows that age is not a limit when it comes to bucket lists. At 104, he flew in a biplane. And at 105, he became the world’s oldest roller coaster passenger. For his 106th birthday, Jack wanted to ride in a Formula 1 car, but couldn't. So he went zip-lining instead!

Bucket lists are very personal. And the items on them don’t have to be expensive to be worth doing. The best bucket lists balance experiencing the world, trying new things, and finding yourself. So think about what you enjoy, and ask yourself:

What’s on your bucket list?

8.1

8.1

Every year, the city of Chiang Mai in Thailand hosts the Yi Ping Festival—the largest lantern festival in the country. The festival takes place around November each year, on the night of the full moon. People believe that releasing the lanterns brings good luck. They decorate their lanterns with wishes and prayers. They light their lanterns and wait for the air inside to heat up. They then release their lanterns and watch them float away together with thousands of other lanterns that fill up the night sky.

Track 8.1

Track 8.1

BRIAN: Hi, Katy. How was your weekend?

KATY: Hey, Brian. It was great. I went go-karting with my cousins.

BRIAN: Go-karting? So you drove a tiny race car around a track?

KATY: Yeah, but it wasn’t that small. And it was pretty fast, too!

BRIAN: Ah. I’ve never tried that before.

KATY: Have you done other interesting sports?

BRIAN: Well, I’ve gone surfing. I went last summer. I wasn’t very good, but it was fun.

KATY: Cool. Look, it’s Michiko. Hey Michiko, over here!

MICHIKO: Hey Brian. Hey Katy.

BRIAN: Guess what. Katy went go-karting last weekend. Have you ever done anything exciting like that?

MICHIKO: Wow. I’ve never tried go-karting… but I’ve tried bungee jumping. That was pretty crazy! I did it two years ago, on vacation with my parents.

KATY: No way! Were you scared?

MICHIKO: Of course I was. I’m glad I did it—but once is enough!

Track 4.1

Track 4.1

The world is full of amazing animals. Many of these animals behave in interesting ways.

Sloths live in the Amazon rainforest. They live in trees and move really slowly when climbing from branch to branch. But in the water, they move quickly. Sloths are one of the slowest animals in the world on land. But they are quick in the water.

Bees live all over the world, and they work really hard—they have to visit more than four million flowers just to make one kilogram of honey! They also work very well in groups. They actually “dance” to tell other bees where to find flowers.

The great gray owl lives in the forests of the United States. These birds are good hunters. They wait patiently for their food. And when they locate it, they move quietly and quickly to catch it.

In South Africa, you can see many different types of dolphins. These beautiful animals swim gracefully, and they like to have fun—you often see them jump playfully out of the water.

3.2

3.2
Plastics are everywhere. We use them in all sorts of things. But is this amazing material that we love so much now becoming a problem? Because plastic is so useful, we make a lot of it. Since 1950, humans have produced 9.2 billion tons of plastic. That’s the weight of nearly 1,600 pyramids! Much of this plastic becomes trash that never goes away. Single use plastics, like straws and plastic bags, are the most harmful. They make up about 40% of all plastic waste. They are often not recycled, and hurt the environment, animals, and communities around the world.

To fight plastic pollution, we have to change. A great way is to reduce the amount of single use plastics we use by choosing reusable alternatives. For plastics that already exist, we have to find other solutions. Some scientists are asking nature for help. Wax worms and meal worms eat plastics and break them down. Some microbes also help break down plastics more quickly, from hundreds of years to only a few days.

Manufacturers have to change, too. Some are already using new ingredients from plants to make biodegradable bio-plastics. These materials are just like plastic, but because they come from natural ingredients, they can biodegrade. Manufacturers can also use rubber tree latex instead of plastic. The tree’s latex is very useful. People use it to make many products, such as rubber gloves and tires.

To solve the world’s plastic problem, we have to look for more natural solutions… like the rubber tree.

The Island of Okinawa

The Island of Okinawa

Okinawa is an island about four hundred miles south of Japan. It is a beautiful island, with wonderful beaches and clear blue water. It also has more centenarians – people who are a hundred years old or more – than anywhere else in the world. What’s more, they seem to age more slowly than other people. According to scientists, people there who are actually seventy often have the bodies of fifty-year olds. Many of them are very healthy all through their lives.

What is their secret? Most people think it is because of their healthy lifestyle. They do not have big meals – they have a cultural habit called hara hachi, which means you always stop eating before you’re full. They usually just have fish and vegetables, especially sweet potatoes, and they eat a lot of seaweed, which is one of the healthiest foods there is.

But diet is not the only reason why they live so long. The Okinawans are very active, and they often work in their garden until they’re eighty or more. Many of them also do t’ai chi or martial arts, every day. They have a good social life. They visit friends or family, and a lot of them belong to community centers. Some play the traditional Okinawan guitar, an instrument similar to a banjo.

The old people of Okinawa are very positive and happy with their lives. They are not stressed, because they are never in a hurry. Their spiritual lives are important to them, especially the women, and many of them meditate every day.

In Okinawa, people say you’re a child until you are fifty-five. And when you reach ninety-seven, your local town holds a special ritual called kajimaya to celebrate the fact that now it is time to be young again, to be free of all responsibilities and to simply enjoy life.

靜宜大一英文期末考12/22 第七節 計中301

 

251122-Strong Gorilla

 

沙鹿聖教會英文班：聖誕午會

7.2, 7.3

7.2

It took three years to build, and less than three hours to sink. The Titanic is perhaps the most famous shipwreck in history.  

It was the biggest and most luxurious ship of its time. And it set sail just once, from England to New York, on April 10, 1912. The ship weighed a record-breaking 46,000 tons and took about 15,000 workers to build. Surprisingly, it had the best safety features at the time. A popular magazine called it “practically unsinkable.” People believed the ship could not sink. 

Because of this, there were no safety drills, and the crew did not tell passengers where to go or which lifeboats to board in an emergency. There weren't even enough lifeboats to begin with. There were only 20—enough for just half the ship’s passengers. Bruce Ismay, the owner, felt that 48 lifeboats—enough for everyone on board—would make the ship look messy. 

The Titanic was all about beauty. There were many luxuries inside, like the famous grand staircase, a heated swimming pool, a modern gym, four restaurants, and two barber shops. The total cost for all this? About 7.5 million dollars in 1912. That’s over 400 million dollars today.

7.3

Over a hundred years later, the Titanic lies at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, about 3000 meters deep. But how did it sink? On April 14th, 1912, the ship entered dangerous icy waters. It received six warning messages, and the captain turned the ship southward. But he did not slow down. By the time the crew saw an iceberg, it was too late.

In 1985, National Geographic Explorer Robert Ballard and French scientist Jean-Louis Michel discovered the lost shipwreck. They also found many old items that show the human side of the story, like an old notebook that belonged to this 17-year-old passenger. It contains pencil writing you can still read today. 

With the help of new technology, researchers continue to study the Titanic. Our interest in this famous ship is still as strong as ever. If anything, it is the story of the Titanic that is truly unsinkable.

7.1

7.1

In the 1950s and 60s, there was a race between the United States and the Soviet Union. This was called the Space Race. It began in 1957, when the Soviet Union sent Sputnik into space. This was the first human-made satellite. 

Then, on April 12th, 1961, the Soviets sent the first person into space. His name was Yuri Gagarin. 

The Americans responded quickly. On May 5th, 1961, Astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American to travel to space. And In 1962, John Glenn flew around Earth three times. He was the first American to orbit Earth. 

Next, the Americans began the Apollo program. The aim: to put a man on the moon. On July 20th, 1969, they finally succeeded. Two astronauts from Apollo 11 walked on the moon. Neil Armstrong was the first, and Buzz Aldrin was the second.

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Quiz

Track 7.3
NADINE: Hey, Ming. Is that you in this picture?

MING: Yeah, that’s me in preschool. My hair was a mess!

NADINE: Really? You think so?

MING: Can’t you tell? Here’s another photo of me in middle school. Look at my hair. What a disaster!

NADINE: Um, I think it looks fine. What about this photo? When did you go to New York?

MING: A year ago. I was there for two weeks. My hair’s terrible in that photo, too.

NADINE: You know … your hairstyle never changes.

MING: What? That’s not true!

3.1

3.1
Hi. I’m Marie McGrory with National Geographic Travel. Recently, I took a trip to Belize, and I challenged myself to do it without any single-use plastics. This is how I’m taking National Geographic’s Planet or Plastic pledge and putting it into action.

Avoiding single use plastics in everyday life is already pretty hard but doing it while you’re traveling can be even harder. It means you have to avoid things like plastic water bottles, and those shampoos at hotels, and pretty much anything you can eat at an airport.

Here’s what I chose to bring to replace the single use plastics that I would normally be using. A reusable grocery bag, bamboo utensils, a glass straw, collapsible Tupperware, bar soap and bar shampoo, two reusable water bottles, and a Steripen.

There is so much I learned from this experience. But here are four things that I think are really important.

First thing, you have to ask. “Got a straw on my first night and my last night.” Having a glass straw is not helpful if you forget to say, “No straw, please.”

Second thing is you have to research the water situation. I couldn’t drink the tap water in Belize. And I worried that if I couldn’t purify my water, I would end up using dozens of plastic water bottles. I was so relieved that all of the lodges I stayed in and a lot of restaurants had purified-water stations.

The third tip is that collapsible Tupperware is definitely underrated. Turns out it was great for carrying around snacks and grabbing food to go for when I was in a rush.

The last tool tip is you don’t always need tools. You can skip single use plastics without replacing them, by saying no to an airplane snack, skipping a sample at an ice cream shop, or asking for a cone instead of a cup.

Track 3.1

Track 3.1
Plastic. It’s everywhere, and it’s not going away.

It takes about 100 years for a plastic bag in the ocean to break down and disappear completely, and 450 years for a plastic bottle. Plastic is filling our oceans, and it’s killing the animals in it.

We use plastic all the time. But do we have to? And can we reduce the amount of plastic waste in the world? Yes, we can, but we have to follow three important rules.


First, we have to reduce. This is the most important rule. We have to buy and use fewer plastic things and stay away from plastic items we only use once, like straws and plastic bags.

Second, we have to reuse. Don’t throw away plastic yogurt containers—you can reuse them. They’re great for keeping leftover food, or for growing small plants.

And third, we have to recycle. When we can’t reuse plastic items, we have to recycle them. We can’t just throw them away with the rest of our trash. We have to separate them and put them in recycling bins.

There are many ways that we can use less plastic. In some places, stores aren’t allowed to give plastic bags to customers. They can only give paper or cloth bags that people can reuse.

Think about plastic, and how you can help make a difference. And tell your friends all about the plastic problem, too.

The Road/ Cormac McCarthy

 

三歲道道整天都在問為什麼

三歲道道整天都在問為什麼
最近他問爸爸：爸爸為什麼要去上班?
爸爸：因為要賺錢錢
道：那我上學有錢錢嗎？
爸爸愣住＠＠：你沒有
他的問題實在是太有趣了！！
但他最常問的是：為什麼要信上帝？
爸爸：因為上帝很愛你。........上帝比爸爸媽媽還愛你......祂為小林道預備爸爸媽媽來照顧你、愛你、保護我們沒有被車子撞到...常常給我們停車位....
道又問：可是我又看不到上帝
爸爸：你看得到風嗎？
道：看不到
爸爸：你看不到風，但你知道風在。你睡著時看得到爸爸媽媽嗎？
道道：看不到！
爸爸：你看不到，但是爸爸媽媽還是在啊，而且爸爸媽媽很愛你，會幫你蓋棉被...... 雖然你看不到上帝，但是上帝都在，祂會保護你.......
這樣類似的對話每天都重複著.....
想幫道道紀錄一本「為什麼系列書」
每天洗澡沖水的時候
道：為什麼要把泡泡沖掉？
媽媽：因為不可以跟泡泡一起睡覺....
道：泡泡要去哪裡？
媽媽：去水溝裡面。
道：為什麼泡泡要去水溝裡面？.....
媽媽：因為泡泡髒髒的
道：為什麼泡泡髒髒的？
媽媽： 因為泡泡洗掉你身體髒髒的東西…..
道：為什麼我的身體髒髒的？我有摸什麼嗎？
媽媽開始不知道怎麼回答了......開始轉移話題@&*@@

251115-David and Goliath

 

Strong Gorilla

Samuel

好喜愛神的同在，看見祂的手在引領……

最近讀完《撒母耳記》，我再次清楚地看見——神與大衛同在，祂掌管著歷史的進程。從掃羅的興起到大衛的登基，每一步都顯明：主在掌權，無論祂允許的事，或祂不允許發生的事，一切都出於祂絕對的主權與智慧。

而這位掌管歷史的神，同時也是鑒察人心的神。祂不以貌取人，祂洞悉我們心中未說出口的意念。在祂面前，外在的表現並非重點，祂所看重的，是那顆願意順服、安靜聆聽的心。

當我思想大衛的一生，我深深體會到：上帝的同在，不僅帶來豐富的祝福、保守與引導，也在必要的時候，成為生命的管教與提醒。

在閱讀過程中，我也不斷看見人的軟弱與敗壞——即便是被神揀選的人，仍會失腳、偏行。但正因如此，我們更能明白：神的憐憫、赦免與同在。

願靜聽主言，時刻享受主的同在，一切交托主來引導❤️

憂傷的靈

小時候看偉人傳記，總覺得他們都被描寫得完美無缺，彷彿神話中的英雄，遙不可及。這常讓我聯想到基督徒非常尊敬推崇的「大衛王」，在聖經裡卻誠實地記載著他曾犯姦淫，完全沒有因為他是一位偉大並被後世敬崇的「王」，而略加洗白、美化甚至刪除。

大衛因信靠上帝而勇敢擊退巨人歌利亞；在被掃羅嫉妒追殺時，他敬畏神，不敢加害受膏者；他已被膏為王，卻不急於登基，耐心等候神的時間；他憐憫寬容，為仇敵哀哭，以愛勝過報復；他作王後仍敬畏上帝，凡事求問祂的旨意。

然而，這位合神心意的王，也曾陷入非常深重的罪中—犯了姦淫，並設計將其丈夫(同時也是大衛的忠心將士烏利亞)派到前線殺敵並因此被殺。

什麼？聖經竟把這樣的罪行清楚地記錄下來！為何不只留美好的部分，而要把看似完美的偉人的醜陋不堪赤裸地展現？大衛最私密、最陰暗的一面，竟被完整呈現在世人眼前。

這正是聖經奇妙之處。上帝不是要樹立一個高高在上、完美無瑕的英雄，祂要讓我們看見：再好的人，也有軟弱、也會跌倒；而神的恩典，正是在軟弱中顯得完全。

每個人在上帝面前都是赤露敞開的，沒有任何人能向祂隱藏。我們曾有的過犯和心思意念的敗壞，上帝都是知道的。

我們應當如大衛一樣。當大衛被先知指出罪時，他沒有辯解，而是承認自己的過犯。神管教他，也從罪中釋放他，使他再一次被更新。在他的懊悔與悔改中，我們看見神赦罪的憐憫。

「神所要的祭，就是憂傷的靈；
神啊，憂傷痛悔的心，你必不輕看。」詩篇51:17

女兒送的卡片

女兒上了一年級之後，學會注音，主動寫卡片給媽媽「謝謝媽媽照顧我，媽媽是美麗的公主，還給我吃🫐藍莓」

弟弟則是在媽媽生氣😤的時候說：「媽媽是美麗的公主，不可以生氣！！！」（不知道從哪裡學的，聽了就不氣了@+*%#）

聽

小林聽做給媽媽的卡片，已經可以堆滿一個大膠箱了。她每天都在剪貼、做卡片、畫畫，樂此不疲。可是一旦不聽話被責備，她就氣沖沖地說：「哼，我不做卡片給妳了！」彷彿停止送卡片，是對媽媽的重大懲罰一樣。但小聽啊，媽媽真正看重的，不是妳送了多少張卡片，而是妳願不願意聽話。順服，比禮物更寶貴。

神與我們的關係也是如此。一個人若努力做事、熱心事奉，看似為神奔走忙碌，卻不聽從祂的命令，或只選擇性地順服，那樣的事奉，其實不是服事神，而是在服事自己，把榮耀歸給自己。

掃羅王正是如此。他擊敗亞瑪力人後，為自己立碑誇耀功績，又留下上好的牛羊，口裡說要「獻祭給耶和華」，卻違背了神要他「徹底滅盡」的一切（撒上15:3,9）。他以「自己的方式」事奉神——選擇性地順服、以自己為中心。當撒母耳責備他時，他仍為自己辯解：「我已經遵行了耶和華的命令。」（撒上15:13）這顯示，他的焦點不在神的心意，而在自己的成就。

願主保守我的心懷意念，深知真正的事奉，不在於我們做了多少事，而在於我們是否聽命於神。「耶和華喜悅燔祭和平安祭，豈如喜悅人聽從祂的話呢？聽命勝於獻祭，順從勝於公羊的脂油。」（撒上15:22）

親自與我們同在、看顧我們的主

我小的時候常戴著觀音菩薩的項鍊，心裡相信那能帶來平安與庇護。我一度也以為十字架本身具有某種神秘的力量，可以保護我免於災禍。直到後來我才明白，真正能保護人的，不是任何物品或象徵，而是那位又真又活的上帝自己。

今天讀到《撒母耳記上》第三章，看見以色列人抬著約櫃出去與非利士人爭戰，以為約櫃的「法力」能使他們得勝。約櫃本是上帝同在的象徵，但他們卻將之視為勝利的保證，把象徵當成依靠，把神的同在當成可操控的力量。結果，他們慘敗，因為他們倚靠的，不再是上帝，而是物件本身。

今天，即使我們擁有聖經、十字架、教堂或事奉的形式，若離開了神本身，這一切都失去力量與意義。信仰的核心不在於外在象徵與形式，而在於那位親自與我們同在、看顧我們的主。唯有祂自己，才是我們真正的倚靠、力量與拯救。