● Literature Applied (I)
I am frequently asked how and in what ways Literature makes us better. How does it help us achieve better results in our home, workplace and community? What are the practical uses of reading a book? Let me begin with Shakespeare. In Macbeth, we hear Duncan, the King of Scotland, make this observation:
There’s no art
To find the mind’s construction in the face;
He was a gentleman on whom I built
An absolute trust.
These lines strike a most familiar chord for they draw our attention to the fact that appearance can be – and very frequently are – deceiving. How often have we repeated these very same sentiments in our lives? “I thought he was a good person.” Or, “Looking at him I never would have thought he’d do such a thing!”
文學之用(上)
我經常被問到，文學如何提升我們。它如何幫助我們在家裡、在職場裡、在社區裡達到更高的境界？讀一本書究竟有何實際效用？就讓我從莎士比亞說起；在他的一部戲劇「馬克白」裡，我們聽到蘇格蘭王鄧肯如是說：
我無法從一個人的面貌
看出他的內在；
曾經他是個
讓我絕對信任的君子。
這幾行字巧妙觸動了我們的心弦，提醒我們一個熟知的事實，就是外表可能(甚至非常可能)是騙人的。在我們生活當中，豈不是經常一而再、再而三地重蹈這種覆轍？例如：「我以為他是個好人。」或者：「從他的外表，我從未想過他會幹這種事。」鄧肯的話教導了我們生活上以及一生中最重要的一堂課。假如我們參透這些話的真義，就會對我們的世界和我們自己有更多的發現。同時更進一步知道，我們是多麼容易受騙，也因此必須更加提高警覺。
(RD2011, 11月號, 30頁)
● Literature Applied (II)
Mahatma Gandhi wrote:
Because I am their leader I must follow them.
All of us know about leaders; some of us are leaders ourselves, others report to leaders or follow them. At one point or other, in some context, I think we are all called upon to display leadership skills. Gandhi states the most essential skill a good leader must possess and show is humility. Humility personified through example. This is a rare quality, which few great leaders in history have demonstrated – the capacity to follow the people they lead.
I’d like to highlight another critical practical use of literature: its ability to help us become better communicators. We live in an age given to everything instant. The world of social media (Facebook, Twitter) demands that we say what we want to say fast, quickly, briefly, and right now! And yet our human experience tells us that in doing this we sacrifice Truth because it’s hard to say what we experience quickly and briefly. Here is where Literature comes into play. (RD2011, November, p.30)
文學之用(下)
聖雄甘地曾經寫道：
因為我是他們的領袖，所以我必須順從他們。
我們都知道領袖是什麼；我們當中有些人就是領袖，另外有些人則追隨領袖。從某個角度或某個意義來說，我認為我們每個人都被要求展現領袖的能力。甘地的話告訴我們，一個卓越的領袖必須具備和展現的最重要的能力是「謙卑」；而謙卑必須由「以身作則」來體現。古今多少偉大的領袖，卻沒有幾位具有這種特質——即︰順從他們所領導的人們的雅量。
容我再提出文學另一個非常重要的實用性，就是能夠幫助我們成為一個更好的溝通者。我們生活在一個凡事講求速成的時代；所有的社交媒體(如臉書、推特)都要求我們將想講的話很快地、很簡短地、並且立即地講出來！可是經驗告訴我們，速成會造成失真，因為用快速、簡短的方式來表達我們的見聞是一件非常困難的事。這時候，文學就有用了。 (RD2011, 11月號, 30頁)
● Deep Roots
The next time some braggart barks that you and your fellow actors/musicians/dancers/artists are “just a bunch of amateurs”, give him a refresher on his Latin roots: Amateur is from amator, “lover”. Remind him that you don’t require your name on a marquee – your commitment and your craft provide all the satisfaction you need. (RD2011, November, p.27)
字源探索
如果下次有某一個自大狂向你嗆聲，說你和你的那一票演員或音樂、舞蹈、藝術工作者「不過是一群不入流的業餘者罷了」，你可以提醒他說，業餘者(amateur)這個字來自拉丁文amator，意思是「愛好者」。告訴他，藝術愛好者不在意他們的名字是否出現在劇院外的看板上；他們獻身藝術的熱忱以及所獲得的造詣，就可以讓他們心滿意足了。 (RD2011, 11月號, 27頁)
● Is Calcium Good or Bad?
What you have always heard. Calcium is good – especially for women, who can lose as much as 20 percent of their bone mass in the decade after menopause. It can help prevent osteoporosis and has also been linked to better blood pressure, lower risk of colorectal cancer, and easier weight loss.
What headlines are saying now. Calcium might be bad for your heart, at least if you get it from a pill. A recent analysis of seven years of data from more than 36,000 postmenopausal women found that starting daily supplements (1000 mg of calcium plus 400 IU of vitamin D) increased the risk of heart problems by up to 22 percent. When combined with other data, they suggest that if 1000 people began taking calcium supplements, the pills would prevent three fractures but cause six heart attacks or strokes. (RD2011, November, p.22)
鈣質是好還是壞？
你經常聽說︰鈣質是好的，尤其是對女性；她們在停經後十年內會損失高達20%的骨質。鈣質可以防止骨質疏鬆，而且有助於較佳的血壓值、較低的直腸癌罹患率、及較好的減重效果。
目前的說法是︰鈣質可能對心臟有害——尤其是由鈣片取得的鈣質。一項最新的由三萬六千多名停經婦女歷經七年所蒐集到的資料分析，顯示開始每日服用鈣片(內含1000毫克的鈣質和400國際單位的維他命D)之後，增加心臟毛病的風險高達22%。如果再參考其他的數據，他們推估：如果有1000個人開始服用鈣片，其中會有三個人可以避免骨折，但有六個人會因此罹患心臟病或中風。 (RD2011, 11月號, 22頁)
● Ask Aunty
Dear Aunty,
My husband has a ton of goals and dreams, and I give him the time he needs to make them a reality. The only trouble is, he doesn’t reciprocate. If I’m ever invited out by friends and ask him to watch the kids, he throws a fit. I try to respond coherently, but I freeze. What do I say, and how do I say it? A Frightened Fighter
Dear Frightened,
Pay attention to the fact that your husband throws fits that make you freeze. Realize this is not normal, not good and not healthy. Stand up for yourself and remind him that marriage is a partnership and right now you’re doing all the work. Tell him you would like to renegotiate duties. If he throws a fit and you feel afraid, call the marriage counselor immediately. (RD2010, February, p.36)
請問張阿姨：
我老公老是有一大堆的目標和夢想，我都給他足夠的時間去實現。唯一的問題是，他從未對等地對待我；有時朋友們邀我外出，我要求他幫忙看顧孩子，他就勃然大怒。我想跟他講理，但總是嚇得不知如何開口。請問，我該說什麼？如何開口？ 害怕的爭權益者
親愛的害怕者：
你說你老公一生氣，你就不敢吭聲，這一點值得注意。這種事是不正常的、不好的、不健康的。你要起來捍衛自己，並且提醒他婚姻是一種合夥關係，而且該做的你都有在做。告訴他，妳想要重新把話講清楚雙方的義務是什麼。如果他還是暴怒而使妳感覺害怕，請馬上打電話給婚姻諮商人員求助。 (RD2010, 2月號, 36頁)
● Jazz
No-one knows exactly where the term jazz comes from. It was popularized in the US
爵士
沒有人確實知道「爵士」這個詞的來源。「爵士樂」是在美國流行起來的，但它可能起源於非洲的象牙海岸，隨著奴隸輸入美國。「爵士」一詞在廿世紀初開始廣為流傳，當時是指一種拍子繁複的舞蹈，後來變成這種舞蹈的伴奏音樂。它也是個動詞，意思是「活潑起來」。因此這個詞跟爵士樂一樣多變而無法捉摸。 (RD2011, 6月號, 30頁)
● High Fat is Better for Your Heart
The idea that dietary fat causes heart disease is deeply, deeply ingrained. We all know the Atkins diet kills people – that’s what we’ve been told, anyway. When I started eating this way, my wife made me get a life insurance policy. But over the last decade, dozens of studies have finally looked at the Atkins diet, and they show that heart disease risk factors improve more on this kind of low-carb diet than on the low-fat, low calorie diet that doctors and the American Heart Association want you to eat.
The low-fat diet that people have been eating in hopes of protecting their heart is actually bad for their heart, because it’s high in carbohydrates. The public health effort to get everyone to eat that way is one of the fundamental reasons that we now have obesity and diabetes epidemics.
Basically, I’m just saying, Eat what humans evolved to eat. Highly refined grains and sugars were not part of our diet for 99.999 percent of human history. Back when we were hunter-gatherers, we ate meat as often as we could get it, and when we ate plants, they were much tougher and higher in fiber than they are today – much lower in digestible carbs, in other words. This isn’t a diet. The fundamental idea is, Don’t eat the foods that make you fat. Beyond that, you can eat as much as you want. (RD2011, October, p.46)
高脂肪食物有益心臟
食物裡的脂肪會引起心臟病，這種觀念已經非常根深蒂固。大家都聽說「吃肉減肥法」會吃死人的——總之他們都這樣告訴我們。當初我開始實施「吃肉減肥法」時，我老婆就要我去買個壽險。但在過去十年間，許多研究已經開始重視「吃肉減肥法」了；他們證明，這種低碳水化合物的飲食比一般醫生和美國心臟協會所推薦的低脂肪、低熱量的飲食更能夠改善心臟病的風險因子。
人們想藉由低脂肪的飲食來保護心臟，事實上卻是適得其反，因為這類飲食含有高碳水化合物。公共健康單位大力推行這種飲食，正是目前肥胖症及糖尿病不斷蔓延的基本原因之一。
基本上我要說的是，人類在演化過程中吃甚麼，我們現在就吃甚麼。在人類的歷史當中，99.999%的時間並沒有食用高度精製的穀物和糖類。當初人類還是狩獵者和採集者的時候，他們經常取得的食物是肉類，而且有多少就吃多少；他們所吃的植物比現在粗糙得多，纖維含量也比現在高得多——易言之，可消化的碳水化合物含量比現在低得多。我們根本不必用節食來減肥；基本觀念是：不吃使你肥胖的食物；而且，你愛吃多少就可以吃多少。 (RD2011, 10月號, 46頁)
[譯註] 本文為讀者文摘之觀點, 提供參考。● Laughter
Three drunks hailed a taxi. The driver – seeing that they were wasted – decided to pull a fast one. So he switched the engine on, then quickly switched it off and announced, “We are here!”
The first guy handed him the fare, and the second guy said, “Thanks.” But the third guy just angrily smacked the cabbie’s head.
“What was that for?” asked the cabbie, afraid that he’d been caught.
“That,” said the passenger, “is for driving too fast!” (RD2011, October, p.144)
笑 譚
三個醉漢叫了一部計程車；運將看他們醉醺醺的，想誆他們一下。因此他先發動引擎，然後馬上關掉，說：「到了！」
第一個傢伙付給他車資；第二個傢伙說：「謝啦！」而第三個傢伙則很生氣地摑運將的頭。
「你這是幹嘛？」運將問道，擔心詭計穿幫。
這第三個傢伙說：「你開得太快了！」 (RD2011, 10月號, 144頁)● A Way
Our mothers grew up believing refined carbohydrates and starches were fattening
- pasta, potatoes, bread, sweets, rice, and corn. And they were right: These foods literally make you fat. Sweets are probably the worst, along with sugar-water combinations, which can be anything from fruit juice to Coca-Cola. The reason is that refined carbohydrates raise your insulin levels.
Scientists have known since the early1960s that insulin is the primary hormone that regulates your fat tissue. This is not controversial – if you go to an endocrinology textbook and look up what makes a fat cell fat, it’ll tell you all the ways insulin does it. Then you look up obesity, and it’ll say people get fat because they eat too much and exercise too little. There’s a complete disconnect between the fundamental science and the cause of human obesity.
All I’m saying to obesity researchers is, Pay attention to the hormonal and enzymatic regulation of the fat tissue. If you do, you’ll get a different answer for what causes obesity and what cures it. Basically, Dr Atkins got it right with the Atkins diet, although he didn’t get all the science right. (RD2011, October, p.43)
減重的方法
我們媽媽那一輩的人從小都相信，精製的碳水化合物和澱粉類食物(包括麵食、馬鈴薯、麵包、甜食、米飯、和玉蜀黍)都會讓人變胖。她們是對的：這些食物真的會讓人變胖。甜食可能是最糟糕的，而摻糖的飲料(從果汁到可口可樂的所有飲料)也一樣。原因是精製的碳水化合物會升高你體內的胰島素水平。
自1960年代初期，科學家們已經知道胰島素是調節人體脂肪細胞的主要激素，這已經是定論。你只要翻開任何一本內分泌學課本，查一查什麼東西會使脂肪細胞肥大，它一定會告訴你是胰島素的種種作用所致。然而你再查一查「肥胖」這一項時，它卻說人類變胖是因為吃得太多、運動太少。顯然，這種說法跟基本科學完全連不起來。
我要向研究肥胖的專家們提出呼籲：注意激素和酶對脂肪細胞的作用才是正途。如此，你們將會對於肥胖的原因及其療法得到截然不同的答案。基本上， Atkins醫生早年所提倡的「吃肉減肥法」是正確的，只是當初他沒能提出正確的科學理論。 (RD2011, 10月號, 43頁)
● Laughter
“Wow!” said my tween daughter. She was reading the nutrition label on a bag of cheese curls. “These must be loaded with cholesterol. The label lists it as Omg!”
My tween son took a look. “That’s zero milligrams, doofus, not Oh My God.” (RD2011, October, p.56)
笑 譚
「哇！」我念國小的女兒在閱讀一袋乳酪捲包裝上的營養標示時，驚訝地說：「這裡面一定含有很多膽固醇，因為包裝上寫著——膽固醇Omg!」
我兒子(也是念國小)瞄了一眼說：「那是『零毫克』的意思啦，呆子！不是Oh My God (我的天)啦！」 (RD2011, 10月號, 56頁)
【註】tween 是指8至12歲的孩子。
● Dementia
With the population ageing, prevalence of dementia will increase; the higher the number of elderly people, the higher the number of people with dementia. The Alzheimer’s Society describes dementia as “a set of symptoms which include loss of memory, mood changes, and problems with communication and reasoning”.
There are many types of dementia. The two most common are Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
Alzheimer’s Disease. Scientists do not yet understand the causes of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia. They think that abnormal protein structures, called “plague and tangles”, are responsible for nerve cell death.
Vascular Dementia. Vascular dementia occurs when blood flow to the brain is diminished, starving cells of oxygen and nutrients. It is usually caused by a major stroke or a series of small strokes. For this reason, vascular dementia is deemed to be the most preventable because it is closely linked to the heart and blood vessels. (RD2011, October, p.126)
失智症
隨著人口的老化，失智症罹患率將會增加；老年人越多，失智症患者也越多。阿茲海默症醫學會說，失智症的症狀包括「失憶、情緒異常、以及語言和推理的能力出現問題」。失智症有許多類型；最常見的是阿茲海默症和血管栓塞型失智症。
阿茲海默症。科學家們尚未了解阿茲海默症(最常見的失智症類型)的原因。不過他們認為不正常的蛋白質結構(稱為「糾結與纏繞」)是造成神經細胞死亡的原因。
血管栓塞型失智症。血管栓塞型失智症的病因是流往腦部的血液受阻，使得腦部細胞缺乏氧氣和養分。這通常是由一次大的中風或一連串小中風所造成。因此，血管栓塞型失智症最容易預防，因為它與心臟、血管都有密切的關係。 (RD2011, 10月號, 126頁)
● Good Health?
A review of 40 studies over the past four years shows that walking for 30 minutes a day can cut your risk of about 25 different diseases. The more you walk, the greater the benefits. You can:
Shed weight. A person weighing 60kg could burn 150 calories with half an hour of brisk walking.
Halt bowel cancer. A new study shows that those who exercise regularly are up to a third less likely to develop polyps, which can become malignant.
Slash your risk of heart disease. About 37% of heart disease deaths are linked to inactivity. Walking decreases the risk.
Strengthen bones. Walking helps guard against osteoporosis. All it takes is 180 minutes a week to maintain bone density.
Keep your marbles. Just 1.6km a day might halve your chance of developing dementia. Amazingly, a US
Protect against colds. You’re less likely to pick up coughs and sneezes if you go for walks regularly because exercise boosts the immune system. (RD2011, October, p.20)
想要健康？
檢視過去4年間的40項研究結果，顯示每天步行30分鐘可以避免大約25種疾病的威脅；而且走得越多，效果越好。好處包括：
減重。一個體重60公斤 的人健行半小時，可以消耗150大卡的熱量。
避免腸癌。一項新的研究顯示，經常運動的人腸內長息肉的的機率可降低三分之一；息肉很可能變成惡性腫瘤。
降低心臟病的風險。大約有37%因心臟病死亡的人跟不喜歡運動有關；步行可降低這種風險。
增強骨骼。步行可以避免骨質疏鬆；只要每星期有180分鐘的步行，即可維持骨骼的密度。
保持心智正常。只要每天步行1.6公里 ，可以減半罹患失智症的機率。不可思議的是，美國一項研究發現，步行可增加老年人的「灰質」(中央神經系統的主要成分)。
不易感冒。經常走動的 人比較不會染上咳嗽及打噴嚏，因為運動會增強免疫系統。 (RD2011, 10月號, 20頁)
● Laughter
A man was drinking with his wife, when out of the blue, he announced, “I love you.”
“Is that you or your beer talking?’
“It’s me,” he said, “talking to the beer.” (RD2011, October, p.144)
笑 譚
有一個人跟太太一起喝酒，突然間冒出一句話：「我愛你。」
「是你說的還是啤酒說的？」
「我說的——」他說：「對啤酒說的。」 (RD2011, 10月號, 144頁)
● Laughter
A man walks into the street and hails a passing taxi.
“Perfect timing,” he tells the driver. “You are just like Frank.”
“Who?” asks the cabbie.
“Frank Fielding. He did everything right. Great tennis player, wonderful golfer, sang like Pavarotti.”
“Sounds like quite a guy.”
“Not only that, he remembered everyone’s birthday, was a wine connoisseur, and could fix anything. And his wardrobe? Immaculate. He was the perfect man. No-one could ever measure up to Frank.”
“Amazing. How’d you meet him?”
“Oh, I never met Frank.”
“How do you know so much about him?”
“I married his widow.” (RD2009, April, p.53)
笑 譚
有一個人走上街道，攔了一部路過的計程車。
「時間控制得分秒不差，」他告訴運將說：「這一點你很像弗朗克。」
「誰？」運將問道。
「弗朗克．菲爾汀。他啥事都行；網球打得好，高爾夫球沒話說，而且唱歌唱得像帕華洛第。」
「聽起來這個人真的不得了。」
「不僅如此，他記得每個人的生日，是個品酒的行家，並且啥東西都會修理。他的衣櫃呢？井井有條、一塵不染。總而言之，他是個完美的男人。天下沒有一個人比得上弗朗克。」
「太讚了！你是怎麼認識他的？」
「喔，我根本不認識他。」
「那你怎麼知道他這麼多？」
「我娶了他的遺孀。」 (RD2009, 4月號, 53頁)
● Paper or Plastic?
A key ingredient in plastic bags is fossil fuel, and making them – from drilling and refining oil to actually manufacturing the bags – is a messy business. Turning timber into paper bags isn’t exactly clean either. Paper mills contribute to acid rain, global warming, and respiratory ills. Plus, they demand loads of energy and water. Even bags made from recycled paper are six times as heavy as their plastic cousins, so trucking them across the country means more gas consumed and more noxious fumes.
But, you cry, paper bags decompose in landfills and plastic doesn’t. Wrong! Virtually nothing decomposes in a landfill, where garbage is kept from air and water to prevent bad stuff from leaching into ground water. And what does biodegrade can take tens, even hundreds, of years and, in the process, releases methane gas, which is linked to global warming. 
Reader’s Digest Version: Paper and plastic are both lousy choices. Take your own reusable canvas bags. (RD2009, June, p.108)
紙袋或塑膠袋?
塑膠袋的主要原料是石油；其製造過程 – 從鑽井、煉油、到真正製成塑膠袋 – 是嚴重汙染的事情。由木材變成紙張的過程也乾淨不到哪裡去；造紙廠是酸雨、全球暖化、以及各種呼吸道疾病的元凶。而且，造紙廠需用掉大量的能量和水。即使是用再生紙做的袋子，由於是塑膠袋的六倍重，運送到全國各地時會耗費更多的汽油，製造更多有毒的廢氣。
也許你會辯解說，紙袋在垃圾場裡會分解，塑膠袋不會。錯了！垃圾場裡的所有東西大致上是不會分解的；垃圾場裡的垃圾都與空氣和水隔絕，以免髒東西滲漏到地下水。因此生物分解的過程可能要花上數十年甚至數百年的時間，並且會釋出甲烷，這種氣體與全球暖化有密切的關係。
讀者文摘的看法：紙袋和塑膠袋都不是好的選擇；最好是攜帶可重複使用的帆布袋。 (RD2009, 6月號, 108頁)
● Life is a Movie
An American journalist asked me why I live in Asia . Since his sole source of information about the region came from US television news, he thought of Asia as a place of endless natural disasters governed largely by atrocious leaders. “That’s actually pretty accurate,” I told him. “But it’s still a great place to live. In the US Asia , life is a movie.”
I told him about a case I once reported on in Japan
生活就是一部電影
一位美國記者曾經問我為什麼住在亞洲。由於他對這個區域的唯一資訊來源是美國國內的電視新聞，因此他所認知的亞洲是個天災頻仍、統治者大多暴虐無道的地方。我告訴他：「事實大致如此沒錯，但亞洲仍然是個居住的好地方。在美國，一切都是平凡無奇；要體會戲劇化或張力十足的事情只有到電影院；但在亞洲，生活就是一部電影。」
我告訴他我在日本報導過的一則新聞。有一位20歲的傢伙，名叫佐藤勝文，在路上看到一個漂亮的小姐，馬上墜入情網，於是決定尾隨她。本來這沒什麼 —— 只是當時他正開著車。他一路開上一段階梯，穿過火車站，再開下一段階梯，然後駛上人行道，撞毀了護欄。結果他以「蓄意破壞公物」的罪名被告發。其實真正的罪名應該是「蓄意混淆真實生活與愛情影片」。 (RD2011, 9月號, 34頁)
● Lupus
Lady Gaga the singer, 25, recently admitted to testing “borderline positive” for lupus and that it ran in her family. She would have every right to pull a poker face – lupus is an incurable autoimmune disease that damages joints, muscles and organs. It can also cause heart and kidney disease. The most common symptoms are aching joints and muscles, and exhaustion. “I have to take good care of myself,” Lady Gaga said. Lupus can be controlled by medication. (RD2011, September, p.22)
狼瘡
今年25歲的名歌星「女神卡卡」最近承認被檢驗出「疑似」患有狼瘡，並且說她的家族裡有許多人都患有這種病。她儘可以整天擺個臭臉——因為狼瘡是一種自動免疫系統失調的疾病，目前無法根治。這種病會損害關節、肌肉、以及身體器官，還可能引起心臟和腎臟的病變。最常見的症狀是關節及肌肉疼痛，全身倦怠。卡卡說：「我得好好照顧我自己。」狼瘡無法根治，但可以用藥物控制。 (RD2011, 9月號, 22頁)
● Ask Aunty
This is embarrassing, but my dad is addicted to pornography. When I was a little girl, I found his magazines under the bed. In high school, I caught him on the computer looking at inappropriate pictures. I’m now in college, and his habit has gotten worse. I said something to my mum, but she brushed it off. Should I alert my dad to the fact that we all know he likes porn, or is it none of my business? Disgusted Daughter
Dear Disgusted,
This is rough terrain; so I consulted some professionals. All agree: Stay out of your father’s business and focus on yours. No child – even a college-age child – should have to deal with this. Talk to your mother again. Let her know that you are burdened by knowing way more than you ever wanted to know about your father. Remember, it’s not up to confront or “cure” him of an obsession. Your job is to grow into a healthy, productive adult. Don’t let your dad’s secrets get in the way of that. If they do, don’t suffer silently – visit a counselor. (RD2011, September, p.133)
親愛的張阿姨：
說來很沒面子，我老爸竟然沉迷於色情刊物。當我很小的時候，我常在床下發現一堆色情雜誌。我讀高中時，我逮到老爸在電腦上偷看不堪入目的圖片。我現在上大學了，他的惡習更是變本加厲。我曾經向媽提及此事，但她置之不理。我是否應該提醒老爸，說我們大家都知道他的怪癖，或是少管閒事為妙？ 作嘔的女兒
親愛的作嘔：
這種事很棘手；所以我請教了一些專家。他們都認為：自己的事管好就好，老爸的事情少管為妙；這不是小孩(即使上了大學)該管的事。妳可以再度跟媽談談，告訴她你知道老爸不可告人的秘密，因而造成你心理負擔。請記住：別想要處理或治療他這個老毛病。妳的任務是讓自己成長為一個健康有用的人；千萬別讓老爸的私德妨礙妳的成長。萬一有妨礙，千萬別隱忍——趕快找個諮商人員談談。 (RD2011, 9月號, 133頁)
● Laughter
The onus of instilling discipline in children has always been on mothers. One day, while testing my five-year-old son on number-counting, I was utterly surprised to get these answers:
Mum: Son, what comes after one?
Son: Two.
Mum: Good. What comes after two?
Son: Three.
Mum: Clever son! And what comes after three?
Son: The cane. (RD2011, September, p.51)
笑 譚
教導小孩守規矩的責任一直都落在媽媽身上。有一天，當我正在測試五歲兒子的算數能力時，居然得到這種令人驚奇的答案：
媽咪：兒子，1的後面是甚麼?
兒子：2
媽咪：很好！那2的後面呢？
兒子：3
媽咪：好聰明喔！那3的後面呢？
兒子：籐條。 (RD2011, 9月號, 51頁)
● The Best Fix: Exercise
When it comes to preventing heart disease, regular exercise is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal, experts say – as potent as statin drugs. Women who exercise briskly at least three hours per week slash their risk of heart attack by 30 to 40 percent, according to the ongoing, massive Nurses’ Health Study.
But you don’t need to join a gym. Studies show that exercise is just as effective when done in discrete chunks throughout the day – climbing the stairs at work, taking a fast walk at lunch, or doing housework. (RD2011, September, p.42)
最佳健康法: 運動
說到預防心臟疾病，經常運動是最有效、最方便的方法之一；專家說，它跟降膽固醇的藥物一樣有效。根據正在進行的大規模研究，女性每週至少做三小時的快節奏運動會降低心臟病突發率30%至40%。不過你不一定要上健身房；許多研究顯示，一天當中累積斷斷續續的運動一樣有效——例如：上班時間不坐電梯改爬樓梯、午餐時間快步走、或勤作家事等。 (RD2011, 9月號, 42頁)
● Bombarded
Dear Aunty, 
I made the mistake of giving an acquaintance my e-mail address. Now I’m the unhappy recipient of 20 forwarded messages a day. I ran into her recently, and she guilt-tripped me for not responding to any of her e-mails. How can I get out of this? Bombarded
Dear Bombarded,
I feel your pain. There’s nothing like being forced to download a dancing chicken while you’re trying to work. My suggestion? E-mail her a request to be removed from the list. Blame it on a virus if you want, but really, no explanation is necessary. If she thinks you’re rude, so be it. You’re not. You’re merely protecting your own space. A note to all serial forwarders: Stop and think! Make sure you’re sending only to those who’ve asked to be included in the circle. (RD2011, August, p.133)
被轟炸的人
親愛的張阿姨：
我犯了一個錯誤，竟然將我的email地址給了一個朋友。現在可好了，我每天都會收到20封轉寄郵件。最近我碰到她，結果她一直埋怨我對她的email都沒有回應。請問我該如何脫身呢？ 被轟炸的人 敬上
親愛的被轟炸：
我了解你的痛苦。當你想要工作時，卻被迫要下載一些沒營養的檔案，是可忍孰不可忍。我的建議嘛……寄給她ㄧ封email，要求她將你從名單上除名。你可以隨便編個裡由，比如說郵件有病毒；但事實上根本不用任何解釋。在此敬告各位喜好隨便轉寄郵件的朋友：先停下來想一想！務必只發送郵件給要求加入群組的人，切記切記。 (RD2011, 8月號, 133頁)
● Laughs
We “silver surfers” sometimes have trouble with our computers. One such time, I called Eric, the 11-year old computer whiz who lived next door at the time. He came over, clicked a couple of buttons and solved the problem in no time at all.
As he was leaving, I called after him. “So, what was wrong?” I asked.
“It was an ID-ten-t error,” he said.
I didn’t want to look stupid, but I enquired, “An ID-ten-t error? What’s that? In case I need to fix it again.”
Eric grinned. “Haven’t you ever heard of an ID-ten-t error before?”
“No,” I replied.
“Write it down,” he said, “I think you’ll be able to figure it out.”
So I wrote it down: ID10T. (RD2011, August, p.50)
笑 譚
我們這些「銀髮上網族」三不五時會遇到電腦的問題。就有這麼一次，我打電話給隔壁的電腦高手，11歲的艾瑞克。他過來之後，敲了幾個鍵就立即把問題解決了。 他正要離開時，我叫住他：「別走！問題到底在哪？」
他說：「那叫做ID-ten-t 錯誤。」
我不想當傻瓜，但我還是問：「ID-ten-t 錯誤？告訴我那是甚麼意思，萬一下次碰到時我可以自己來。」
艾瑞克笑得合不攏嘴：「難道你沒聽說過ID-ten-t 錯誤？」
我回答說：「沒有。」
他說：「用筆寫下來，我想你就會瞭解啦。」
我寫了下來：ID10T。 (RD2011, 8月號, 50頁)
【註】ID10T暗指IDIOT(白癡)。
● What’s Down Your Loo?
A survey reveals that only one in five people clean their toilets every day, as recommended. That’s scary given that your toilet bowl could be home to 3.2 million bacteria per square inch!
Bellow, we lift the lid on some of the unsavory guests lurking in and around your lavatory:
Shigella – a prime suspect for severe diarrhea, even dysentery.
Staphylococcus – the little nasty behind MRSA.
Salmonella – food poisoning.
E. coli – at best, a tummy upset; at worst, kidney failure or more.
Streptococcus – throat infections, impetigo and even meningitis.
Hepatitis A – that’s right: sickness, diarrhea and jaundice.
Oh, and make sure you close the lid when flushing – germs can spray up to 1.8 meters, lightly misting your toothbrush. Yum! (RD2011, August, p.23)
馬桶裡有甚麼?
一項調查顯示，五個人當中只有一個人照規矩每天清洗自己的馬桶。這是非常可怕的事情，因為你的馬桶裡每平方英吋可能住著320萬隻細菌喔！
下面我們將揭露藏在你的馬桶內外的一批「奧客」：
志賀氏菌 – 導致腹瀉甚或痢疾的頭號嫌犯；
葡萄球菌 – 緊跟在MRSA(抗藥性金黃色葡萄球菌)的小壞蛋；
沙門氏菌 – 食物中毒；
大腸桿菌 – 輕者引起腹痛；重者引起腎衰竭，及其它；
鏈球菌 – 喉嚨感染、小膿皰疹，甚至引起腦膜炎；
A型肝炎 – 沒錯：會引起肝炎、腹瀉、及黃疸。
喔！還有，沖馬桶時記得要蓋馬桶蓋 – 細菌可能會隨水霧噴上1.8公尺 的高度，輕輕附在你的牙刷上。哇，「喔伊細！」 (RD2011, 8月號, 23頁)
● Weighty Light
A team of Ohio State University
If confirmed in humans, it would suggest late nights in front of the computer or TV may mess with our metabolism. “Light at night is an environmental factor that may be contributing to the obesity epidemic in ways we don’t expect,” he says. (RD2011, August, p.21)
致胖的光線
俄亥俄州立大學的一個研究團隊發現，在夜間燈光下生活的老鼠即使沒吃更多也會變胖。共同研究人員涅爾森說，夜間的光線會使老鼠們在錯誤的時間進食，導致食物的新陳代謝不正常。生活在夜間燈光下的老鼠體重的增加比控制組多50%。
如果以人做實驗也得到相同結果的話，表示深夜待在電腦或電視前不睡，將會擾亂我們身體的新陳代謝。涅爾森說：「夜間的光線可能是一項導致肥胖的環境因素，其影響遠超乎我們想像。」 (RD2011, 8月號, 21頁)
沒有留言:
張貼留言