學生問到一個字點裡找不到的字，“umami”是個由日文 借過來的外來語，A loanword from the Japanese (うま味), umami can be translated as "pleasant savory taste". 相當於中文的 “鮮味”，與甜(sweet)、酸(sour)、苦(bitter)和鹹(salty) 形成五種基本味道

今天來講個有趣的俚語: where the rubber meets the road  想想看: 車胎(橡膠rubber在此之意)一碰到地面, 行不行/管不管用馬上就知道! 簡單的說就是"事物真相揭曉的時刻" ( the moment of truth of something) 舉例而言:  An athlete can train all day, but the race is where the rubber meets the road and they'll know how good they really are. 運動員成天都在訓練，但比賽成效優劣才見分曉。

學生聽到廣播　問到一個有趣的片語　cherry picking (採櫻桃謬誤) 是何意...??? 想想看cherry (櫻桃) 的嬌嫩...採起來可要小心僅慎....後來往負面衍生：　指刻意 挑選支持自己的人,論點, 資料來呈現，

而將重要但不支持論點的人, 論點, 資料忽略不計 ....pretty interesting, huh? 是不是覺得在政界很常用呢? Good science looks at all the evidence rather than cherry picking only favorable evidence. （良好的科學著眼於所有的證據，而不是刻意挑選有利的證據） Happy Friday, everyone.....!!!

What is "muggle" (麻瓜)???  (by Andy Lee)
昨天我媽看電視問我甚麼是麻瓜 (muggle), 字典裡面可能找不到這個字 首先 它是個俚語 (slang) 指的是一個大麻作的香煙 (a marijuana cigarette), 在來就是沒有特殊技能或無知的俗人 Harry Potter 電影囉 作者 J.K. 就用mugger來講那些不具神力的平凡人. My mom asked me what is "mugger" while watching the TV yesterday. Well, first of all, you probably can't find it in your dictionary. It's an old slang (back in 1920s) which means "a marijuana cigarette". And it is also referred to people who are ignorant, people without special skills or power. J.K. Rowing used this word in Harry Potter to indicate people without magic power.
 What is "muggle" (麻瓜)???  (by Andy Lee)

 Top World Taboos 《culture》世界著名禁忌《文化篇》  (by Andy LEE)

下週我們要講 Top World Taboos 《culture》世界著名禁忌《文化篇》 應該是個挺有趣的話題 基礎板班及個別班的學生可有要求選修此課
1. Chopsticks (筷子: 中國 日本)---There are many stories about chopsticks. In Japan, whatever any reason, you can’t stick chopsticks into the rice bowl and then leave away, because it’s an omen of unlucky and it makes Japanese associate as gravestones. By the way, using one end which you put into your month to pick up food into your bowl is though as a rude behavior, you should use the other end. In China and other countries, it’s impolite to point to other people with chopsticks.

Car rental租車 (by Andy LEE)

下裡拜上租車 (car rental) 基礎班及個別班的同學有興趣可以要求聽講此課程 這對於你未來的國際旅遊很有幫助喔
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你租過車嗎? Have you rented a car before? 租車有太多的陷阱及注意事項 too many tips & pitfalls to watch out when it comes to renting a car....!!!下次就來聊一聊租車這個話題吧...Let's talk about Car Rental next time.....see you guys soon....:-)))
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transport/transit/MRT 有關大眾捷運系統交通相關問題 (by Andy Lee)

questions regarding transport/transit/MRT 這裡拜上有關大眾捷運系統交通, 在此對於同學所提的一些相關問題統一作回答;

questions:

  the Earth Day 世界地球日 (by Andy Lee)

明天就是世界地球日了 節能減碳作了沒呢 注意一下我們留下的碳足跡喔 (Carbon Footprint)....還記得環保三R是甚麼嗎? 大家跟我一起來想想英文怎麼講吧....:-)))

Organ Recipe:12favoritefoods for your organs & body parts
translated by Andy Lee(English part)

✿1.眼睛 (eyes)———雞蛋 (eggs)。蛋黃中含類胡蘿蔔素 (carotene)、葉黃素 (lutein)、玉米黃素 (zeaxanthin)等抗氧化物 (antioxidants)，能夠幫眼睛延緩衰老 (aging)。研究顯示，堅持每天吃一個雞蛋，只要5個星期，就能見效。蛋黃顏色深的雞蛋含有更多的葉黃素和玉米黃素，護眼效果更好。

about "sync" 有關"sync" ~ by Andy Lee
有 同學問到　sync 這個字,　當然大家都會先聯想到　NSYNC 這個紅及一時的少年團體 (那只是一個名字縮寫的巧思),　Microsoft 不是也有跟 Ford 車廠合作出了　SYNC system, 那是一種原廠設計並裝置於車內的聲控系統,　兼具有通訊及娛樂的功能. 其實, sync 是　synchronization 的縮寫, 是 "協同一致" 的意思, sync oil 就是車子保養時加的合成機油 (比一般機油穩定　也比較貴),　以前在發燒玩音樂的時後,　曾在忠孝東路一家知名樂器行搶購一台日本進口台灣的合成樂器 KORG M1　(給我訂到全國第二台)　合成樂器就叫作　synthesizer ,而使協同一致的動詞片語就是　get in sync,  例如說　I tried so hard to get the sound and the picture in sync, but it didn't work. 我很努力使聲音與畫面同不,　但是沒搞定......so, 記住囉　get in syn"c 使協同一致"　"使同步"的意思.

Proverbs about Time (關於時間的諺語) ~Andy Lee
introducing you guys some saying/proverbs regarding "time"~~~enjoy!!!　介紹大家一些有關於時間的諺語

Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
今日事，今日畢。

這些 "鬼" 的英文怎麼講??? How do you say those "ghosts" in English??? (by Andy Lee)

Modals 語態助動詞 (by Andy Lee)

Our goal is to e able to define “modal” and related words. In my class, I will teach you how to explain words like may/might, can/could, will/would, shall/should, must and so on. Please be noted that the past terms of those words could have multiple meanings and functions.
 我們應學會定義甚麼是語態助動詞 及其這相關的詞彙。我的課會教你如何解釋 may/might, can/could, shall/should, will/would, must…等字及其使用時機。請注意: 這些字的過式是有很多不同的意義及功能。

以下就是一些我上課的內容大綱 below is the content to discuss in my classes...

Astrology (Zodiac) & Personality (By Andy Lee)

 Whether you believe in Zodiac traits not, once you study your own sign and the signs of those you care about,  you are very likely to think that there must be something to this.
無論你相不相信星座特質，一旦你研究你自己的和那些所關心的人們的星座，你很可能會認為星座與個性之間有著一定的關聯。
In my personal experience, even when I don't think a certain individual fits into his/her category initially, as time goes by, I found that they indeed do fit with amazing accuracy.  Certainly, classifying everyone on earth into 12 personality types seems absurd, but surprisingly it seems to work very well in some mysterious way......

"light up" & "lighten up" 之間的差異 (by Andy Lee)

  (1) To light up is to make something brighter or happier.

(A) "They light up their house with beautiful lanterns whenever they have parties." (Literal)

"不婚族" 的英文怎麼說? How to call those people who don't want to get married? (by Andy Lee) 

今天有人問我　"不婚族"　的英文怎麼說　沒有一個完美的答案　以下說法供你參考

Someone asked me how to say " 不婚族" today. I really don't know a perfect term for it and neither can I find an appropriate way to describe those people who do not want to get married for all kinds of reasons, but there are a couple of various ways to describe people in this situation ust for you reference:

(1) I saw a website that uses the term "marriagefree" to refer to people who have made a conscious decision not to get married, or are actively opposed to marriage. It includes single people and those in relationships.

 TOEIC 閱讀策略　the strategy of TOEIC reading (by Andy Lee)

首先，不讀過於艱難的教材，在測試前，你在閱讀上的階段任務是提高你的閱讀速度，而不是增加字彙量。

其次，“瀏覽”的文章的主要思想。有時候，你沒有必要徹底閱讀整篇文章。你需要做只的是“瀏覽”文章迅速獲得文章大意　你不須要詳細閱讀它的每一個單字。