20100715 Trekking Through the Trees (2)

Trekking Through the Trees

Spending time in the trees

From the walkway, tourists can enjoy a spectacular view from canopy heights. Word about this unique form of ecotourism continues to spread and has become increasingly popular among travelers. Canopy walkways include a serious of suspension bridges stretched through canopy treetops and across several large and small ravines. Tourists who are willing to brave the heights enjoy a bird's eye view of the fascinating life that exists among the canopy branches. The more adventurous can opt to enjoy soaring through the jungle rooftop on a zipline excursion.

Those who are willing and brave are first fitted with a special body harness and taken through a safety training course. Once they have completed it, participants climb up ladders to reach platforms located to reach platforms located within the canopy branches. Finally, after being fastened onto a steel cable, participants take a deep breath and jump! Immediately, they are "flying" through the trees and over deep ravines, no doubt taking in a beautiful view as they glide through the air. While canopy walking and zipline excursions are not for everyone, those willing to brave the heights find delight in the canopy's beauty.

a bird's eye view 鳥瞰

eg: We took the ferris wheel and had a wonderful bird's eye view of the city.

=> 我們摩天輪並且欣賞了城市美麗的全景

eg: The pilot took many pictures from the bird's eye view of the military base.

=> 這位風行員從高空照了許多軍事基地的照片

soar v. 高速飛翔/遨翔

eg: The eagle soared above the ocean.

=> 老鷹在海面上遨翔

eg: The audience watched the jets soaring by in the sky.

=> 觀眾欣賞噴射機高速飛過天際

soar v. 急速上升

eg: Oil prices have soared in the past three months.

=> 油價在過去三個月急速上升

harness n. 安全鎖具

eg: The coach told the students to double-check their parachute harnesses before they jumped out of the plane.

=> 教練要學員在跳出飛機之前再次檢查他們的降落傘的安全鎖具

eg: The rider is very short, so the riding harness needs to be adjusted.

=> 騎士非常矮小，所以馬具需要調整

spectacular adj. 壯觀的

=> wonderful to see

ecotourism n. 到生態環境保存完好的自然地區所作的旅行

suspension bridge 吊橋

ravine n. 溝壑/深谷

=> a place of the earth that has been formed by water

zipline excursion

zipline 繩索

=> strong medal cable, people also attach themselves too

excursion n. 遠足/短途旅行

=> very short fun journey

glide v. 滑動/滑行

//== Chat room ==//

tourist who are willing to brave the heights

=> 勇於克服懼高症的遊客

brave v. 勇敢的面對

=> face a difficult/dangerous situation

eg: brave the bad weather 勇敢地面對壞天氣

eg: brave the elements(大自然的力量，像風雷雨等)

=> 如果在大風雨的晚上出門，就是brave the elements

guts n. 勇氣/毅力/膽量

=> courage

eg: Do you have the guts to swim with the sharks?

eg: He had the guts to take on the rubber.

eg: He has a lot of guts. 他有很大的膽量

//== More Infomation ==//

You can enjoy "the treetop life" in a rainforest or deciduous forest canopy depending on what part of life world you're visiting. For example, a tropical zipline adventure could be had the Monteverdi Cloud Forest Preserve in Costa Rica. The canopy includes over 400 bird species, 100 mammal species, 1,200 reptile and amphibian species, and 2,500 plant species. Amazing.

20100714 Trekking Through the Trees (1)

Trekking Through the Trees

Adventure awaits in the treetops

Tarzan's effortless flights through jungle treetops have had humans living vicariously through him for decades. If only swinging from branch to branch through the jungle rooftop were as feasible for real people. Thanks to canopy trekking, now it is! Today, humans can walk or "fly" through leafy treetops, all the while enjoying nature at its finest.

How it all started

Humans have long been drawn to the mysteries of rainforest canopies. Suspended at around 40 m in the air, these canopies are the most productive habitats on Earth.

As much as 40 percent of the world's species spend their lives living among the canopy branches! That's not surprising seeing as the green canopy leaves receive so much sunlight that there is constant food and warmth. Scientists were among the first to understand the vast diversity of rainforest canopies. In the 1970s they began to study canopies by using ropes to access their heights and building platforms for long-term surveillance. Today, even more elaborate methods are used to study the canopies. One of those methods, canopy walkways, has recently become more than a science project - canopy walkways are now popular tourist attractions too.

trek v. 健行

=> go for a walk, usually for long distances

trek trekked trekked trekking

eg: We trekked through the forest and reached the lake in the afternoon.

=> 我們健行穿過森林並且下午到達了湖邊。

eg: Sam and his friends went treakking in the mountains last weekend.

=> 山姆和他的朋友上個週末到山上健行。

vicariously adv. 間接地/代替地

eg: Through the author's description we can vicariously experience his exotic journey.

=> 我們可以透過作者的敘述彷彿親身經歷他的異國之旅。

eg: Those who are addicted to online games live vicariously through computers and stop living in the real world.

=> 網路遊戲上癮者透過電腦而生活，他們停止在真實的世界上生活。

sur- 在...之上

surveillance n. 監視/監督

under surveillance 在某人監視之下

=> observation

eg: The thief tampered with several surveillance cameras.

=> 竊賊破壞了好幾臺監視錄影機。

eg: The police put the suspect under surveillance last week.

=> 警察從上星期開始監視這名嫌疑犯。

Tarzan 泰山 (美國作家E.R.Burroughs的作品"人猿泰山"之主角)

feasible adj. 可行的/可實行的

=> possible, able to be done

canopy n. 遮雨篷/天篷

habitat n. (動物的)棲息地

seeing as

=> considering the fact that

=> realizing the fact that

diversity n. 多樣性

=> the quality of several different kinds of something

eg: The U.S.A has a diversity of people.

//== Chat room ==//

thanks to you 跟 thank you 不一樣

thanks to

= because of

thanks to you (可以用於好事和壞事，用在壞事往往帶著諷刺的語氣)

=> because of you

eg: Thanks to you, I was late to the meeting

=> 因為你的關係，我開會遲到了

eg: Thanks to your foolishness, we lost a lot of money.

=> 多謝你的愚蠢，我們損失了一大筆錢。

No thanks to you.你沒有功勞

=> You give me no help.

eg: I finally got my license. No thanks to you.

=> 我最後拿到駕照了，你沒有幫我任何忙

Thanks, but no thanks. 不要，謝謝

=> a polite way of turning down an offer

=> 可以用來婉拒別人的句子

=> 如果別人想要請你吃飯，你不想要去則你可以禮貌地說：Thanks, but no thanks.(我心領了)

//== Grammar on the Go ==//

If only swinging from branch to branch through the jungle rooftop were as feasible for real people.

=> I wish that swinging from branch to branch through the jungle rooftop were as feasible for real people.

if only (informal way)

=> I wish

eg: I wish my house were bigger.

=> If only my house were bigger.

eg: I wish the theater tickets were cheaper.

=> If only theater tickets were cheaper.

20100713 The Panama Canal Connecting Oceans (2)

The Panama Canal: Connecting Oceans

American President Theodore Roosevelt quickly took over where the French crew had left off. He bought the canal property and sent a team of workers to finish the project. Led by John Stevens, the American team got rid of the mosquitoes. This effort helped the team of nearly 40,000 workers to stay healthy and productive. The team used gigantic steam shovels to make a path for the canal. But even with the help of such lare equipment, the work progressed slowly.

Finally, after nearly 10 years of non-stop digging, the canal successfully opened in 1914. The story didn't make the headlines, though. The public was focused on World War I. Therefore the canal wasn't dedicated until July 12, 1920. Since the canal first opened, more than 960,000 ships have traveled through it. The Panama Canal has become an important link in global shipping. A journey that took weeks now takes hours.

crew n. 工作人員

eg: The camera crew already set up their equipment in the press conference room.

=> 攝影員已經在記者會的會場中設置好他們的裝備。

eg: The cabin crew started their service after the captain made the announcement.

=>機長廣播之後，機組人員就開始服務。

product n. 產品

productive adj. 產量高的

eg: a productive land 產量豐富的土地

productive adj. 效率高的/成效高的

eg: The meeting was very productive. A lot of important decisions were made.

=> 這個會議很有成效。很多重要決定都已經定案。

headline n. 頭條新聞/報紙的頭板

eg: The couple's wedding was in the headlines of the newspaper today.

=> 這對婚禮的新人是今天在報紙的頭條新聞。

make the headlines 成為頭條新聞

eg: The scandal surrounding the mayor made today's headlines.

=> 有關市長的醜聞今天成為頭條新聞。

gigantic adj. 巨大的, 龐大的

=> very large/huge, enormous

steam shovel 蒸汽挖土機

dedicate v. 以...奉獻/以...供奉

take over

= take charge of

//== Chat room ==//

英文有許多不可數名詞像

equipment 所有的裝備

luggage 行李

candy 糖果

如果要數的話，可以用piece

eg: a piece of candy 一顆糖果

eg: three pieces of luggage 三件行李

eg: five pieces of equipment 五個工具

work 是工作，也是不可數

可用jobs, tasks, projects, chores 來表示不同的工作項目

scenery U. 景色

views C. 視野

eg: I likes the views from Taipei 101.

eg: I like the scenery from Taipei 101.

//== Grammar on the Go ==//

The story didn't make the headlines.

=> The canal was finished. This event was treated as a news story.

make the headlines 成為頭條新聞

= make headlines

headlines

=> the title of a newspaper article

make

=> become or be treated as important news

eg: The young girl's darling attempt to rescue a horse in a burning barn made the headlines.

eg: The politician's son made the headlies when he was caught driving without a license.

20100712 The Panama Canal Connecting Oceans (1)

The Panama Canal: Connecting Oceans

A short canal saves ships thousands: of miles

European sailors in the 1500s sought a shortcut to the west coasts of the Americas. Back then, this trip required sailing around Cape Horn, which is the southernmost tip of South America. But Spanish explorer Vasco de Balboa's discovery offered hope. When he crossed the Isthmus of Panama in 1513, he discovered how narrow it was. Only 80.5 km of land separated the Atlantic from the Pacific! The Spanish surveyed the area in hopes of building a canal. But the local governor decided it was impossible.

Fast-forward to 1869. Ferdinand de Lesseps had completed the 163-km-long Suez Canal, a waterway linking Europe and Asia. France asked him to repeat his success at Panama. He agreed to try. When digging started in 1881, de Lesseps thought building a canal across Panama would be easy. But he didn't realize that digging in a jungle would be so dangerous. De Lesseps and his team abandoned their project after thousands of workers died from diseases caused by mosquitoes.



seek v. 尋求/追求
seek sought sought
eg: The charity organization is seeking financial support from the government.
=> 這個慈善組織正在尋求政府的財務上的支持。
eg: We sought a solution to the problem but found no answer.
=> 我們很努力想要尋求解決問題的方法，但是還沒有找到答案。

survey n. 調查報告
survey v. 勘查/檢視
eg: Engineers surveyed the surrounding area before building the dam.
=> 工程師在建造水壩之前勘測了附近的區域。
eg: Victor went to his farm to survey the tornado's damage.
=> Victor到農場巡視龍捲風所造成的損失。

abandon v. 放棄/中止
=> leave something alone
eg: We had to abandon the project due to insufficient funds.
=> 因為資金不足我們只好中止這項計劃。
eg: The mountaineers abandoned their attempt to reach the top because of bad weather conditions.
=> 因為天候不佳，這些登山者只好放棄了他們登頂的嘗試。



canal n. 運河
=> a very narrow area of water made by people

explorer n. 探險家/勘探者

Isthmus of Panama 巴拿馬海峽

fast-forward
=> move ahead quickly

waterway n. 水路/航道
=> another word for canal





//== Chat room ==//

the Panama Canal 巴拿馬運河

kennel 狗屋
= doghouse (美國人常用doghouse)

to be in the doghouse 因為做錯事受冷落受懲罰

20100701 Mackinac Island (1)

Mackinac Island

A place where horsepower takes on it new meaning

Imagine a vacation where you can sit quietly on a big porch and look out over blue water. Imagine no loud engines or car horns interrupting that quiet. Instead, the clip-clop of horses' hooves fills your ears. You'll find that on Mackinac Island, Mich. Located in Lake Huro off the coast of northern Michigan, the 3.8-square-mile island is accessible only by boat or plane. Its location made it attractive first to Native Americans and then to Europeans. Missionaries and fur traders arrived in the 17th century. In time, British and then American soldiers were also posted here.

In the 19th century, commercial fishermen used the island as a base. After the American Civil War (1861-1865), people wanted to escape the cities, and throngs of tourists found beauty and relaxation on Mackinac. The island became America's second national park in 1875.

But in 1895, the nation transferred it to Michigan, and Mackinac became Michigan's first state park. In 1898, when the automobile age threatened to come to the island, the city council banned the "horseless carriage." That policy allows the island to keep its 19th century atmosphere.

access n. 進入/使用

accessible adj. 可以進入的/可使用的

eg: The class website is only accessible for the listed students.

=> 只有列在名單上的學員可以進入班級的網頁。

eg: The village is easily accessible by car or boat.

=> 這個村莊坐汽車或小船都可以輕鬆到達。

post v. 軍隊駐紮

=> sent to work here, talk about soldier

eg: The troops have been posted in the valley for days.

=> 部隊已經在這個山谷駐紮了好幾天。

post v. 佈署/安排

eg: The chief posted 2 police officers at the eyewitness' home.

=> 院長在目擊者的家中佈署了2名警官。

post n. 崗哨

eg: The soldier remained at his post by order.

=> 這位士兵接受命令要留在崗哨上。

trans- 超越/通過

transfer v. 轉讓/調動/改變

transfer transfferred transferred / transferring

eg: After working 5 years in sales, Lisa was transferred to management.

=> 在業務單位服務5年之後，Lisa被轉移到管理部門。

porch n. 門廊/入口處

clip-clop

=> the sound that hourse made

hoof n. 蹄

throng n. 人群/大群

=> a very large number of people

missionary n. 傳教士

//== Chat room ==//

commercial n. (電視)廣告

commercial adj. 營利本位的/商業性的

commerce n. 商業/貿易/交易

commercial fishermen 商業漁夫

commercial businesses 一般的公司行號

commercial success 商業成就

profit n. 利潤/盈利/收益/紅利

non-profit organization 非營利的組織

=charity 慈善機構

//== More Information ==//

Quite a few people stay on Mackinac Island during the winter. When the lake water freezes, people travel to the mainland by way of snowmobile. After Christmas, Islanders drill a trail of holes in the ice and plant Christmas trees in them. That way, if a blizzard comes, people can still find their way back to the island-by following the trees.