Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Sentences of the Week每週句型

  1. Vick was relieved that it didn't rain on the day of the beach party.
    海灘派對那天沒下雨讓Vick鬆了一口氣
  2. Carl reluctantly shares the candy bar with his sister.
    Carl不情願地和妹妹分享糖果。
  3. I couldn't sleep last night because a mosquito was buzzing around.
    昨晚因為有蚊子嗡嗡的飛來飛去讓我睡不著。

句型取材自 Live ABC英語自學資源庫 英檢中級題庫

Sunday, December 24, 2006

後來 - 有獎稿創意徵稿活動 - 青蛙王子2另類續集投稿作品分享

你我都聽過的童話故事「青蛙王子」,其實還有後續發展喔!除了在本學期初舉辦的「聽故事學英文活動 -青蛙王子2」中利用作者Jon Scieszka寫的The Frog Prince Continued一書有另類發展之外,本校音樂系一年級林怡君也有自己的版本要和大家分享喔!以下就是怡君投稿的另類續集:

The Princess kissed the frog. He turned into a prince. And they lived happily ever after...

However, all of the Prince's friends, including the fish and shrimp, who lived in the pond missed the Prince very much. They hoped to see the Prince soon, but he stayed at the castle with the Princess all day long. It was unfair for them that the Prince just stayed with the Princess. In order to meet the Prince, a“frog”they had lived together and been friends with, they decided to look for a witch who could turn the Prince back into a frog. Once the Prince was turned back into a frog, they would live together in the pond forever.

One day, a witch walked pass by the pond. "Miss Witch," the fish called out. "we wonder if you could turn the Prince back into a frog? We miss him so much." "Of course, my dears. I'd be glad to help." However, the witch had some other plan in mind. Although she promised to help them, she wanted to tease and play a trick on them. She waved her wand and cast a spell on them. Suddenly, the friends were turned into humans. The witch disappeared instantly.

The friends were stunned. They were so nervous they didn't know what to do except for going to the castle for help.

When they arrived, unfortunately, the Prince was not home. But the Princess welcomed them with warm greeting and treated them to dinner. They fell in love with her personality right away. They chatted happily until the Prince came home. Once the Prince walked into the room, all of them gave him a big hug.

The Princess was happy to become acquainted with the Prince’s friends.She invited them to stay and live in the castle. And they lived happily ever after.

The end

英文要怎麼說,才能溫和有禮而堅定呢?

如何客氣而堅定的請人做或不做某件事?如何避免不自覺中因為莽撞的言語使人感覺不舒服? 來看看下面的例子吧:

I'm afraid I can't. / No.
如何表示拒絕呢? 簡單的「No.」容易令人感覺不舒服;「恐怕不行」(I'm afraid I can't.)比較好喔!

How about / You should…
You should (你應該…) 有比較強硬的命令語氣;How about / Did you try/ why don’t you則是提供客觀意見或建議喔!

Can you pass me...? / Give me...
請人遞東西給你的時候,應避免命令式的語氣(Give me the newspaper.),而使用請求的句子(Can you pass me the newspaper?)

Could you give me five minutes? / Go away.
在忙的時候有人一直來煩你,或者現在沒有心情講話嗎? 試著用Could you give me five minutes? 或 I need a moment, please. 來表達需要獨處一下;Go away是粗魯的叫別人「走開」喔!

I don't know… / I don’t agree.
想要表達不同立場? 除了直接告訴別人你不同意之外,你還可以說 I am not sure about it. / I don't know. 然後說出你的意見。如,有人在批評一位你覺得還不錯的老師時,你可以說:I don't know. I think he's a pretty good teacher.

I would like... / I want... 你可以說:「I want a cup of coffee」,但你也可以改口告訴服務生說:「(I'd like) A cup of coffee, please」; 他才不會在咖啡裡面吐口水喔!

Would you mind...? / Stop it!
「Would you mind not using your phone in the cinema, please?」是客氣的說; 「Stop talking on your phone in the cinema!」則是生氣了的語氣, 比較強硬喔!

Hold on, please. / Wait.
電話中或是在接待處, 哪一個比較有禮貌? 還可以怎麼說? 試試:
I'll be with you in a minute. / I'll be right back. / Just a minute, please. / One moment, please.

Excuse me. / Move.叫別人走開「Move (get) out of the way」是很粗魯的; 試試「借過」(Excuse me) 吧!

原文參考改寫自 「Mike Davis教授實用英語專欄 - 用英語讓你有氣質」
網址: http://englishtown.msn.com.tw/sp/teacher.aspx?articleName=152-polite&etag=None-art152-polite

Sentences of the Week

Government officials are worried about threats from the terrorists.
政府官員憂心恐怖份子的威脅。

Could you pick up a box of cereal from the grocer?
你能幫我從雜貨店帶一盒榖片嗎?

He is going to go far. He is a brilliant student.
他是一個前途看好的優秀學生。

句型取材自 Live ABC英語自學資源庫 中級英檢題庫