International Literacy Day 國際掃盲日

 For most people, reading and writing are nothing special. They are just things you learn to do as you grow up. However, many people in the world do not have these abilities. In fact, one in five adults is illiterate1. By definition, a person who is literate2 can read and write an article about their everyday life. Think about how many times you read or write in one day. Now, imagine how different your life would be if you could not do either. Would you still have your job? Would friends treat you differently?
對大多數人來說，閱讀和書寫其實沒什麼特別的。它們只是您在成長過程中學會做的事。然而，世上有許多人並沒有這些能力。事實上，每五位成年人中就有一位是文盲。按照定義，一個識字的人能夠閱讀並寫下一篇關於他們日常生活的文章。試想您在一天中閱讀或書寫了多少次。現在，想像一下如果您既不能讀又不會寫的話，生活會變成什麼樣子。您是否依然保有自己的工作？您的朋友又會不會用不同的方式來對待您？
　　Everyone deserves a basic education. That is why International Literacy3 Day is held on September 8 every year. UNESCO developed the idea in 1965 and celebrated the first official International Literacy Day a year later. Today, some 800 million adults still cannot read or write. Two-thirds of them are women, and nearly 80 million children are out of school.
每個人都應該接受基礎教育。這就是為什麼國際掃盲日在每年的九月八日舉行。聯合國教科文組織在1965年構思了這個想法，並在一年後慶祝首屆正式的國際掃盲日。現今世上仍約有八億名的成年人無法閱讀或書寫。這當中有三分之二為女性，而且還有將近八千萬孩童失學。
　　In 2010, the theme was "The Power of Women's Literacy." It showed that when more women are literate, the world improves in many ways. Home life is better because mothers can get better jobs. Also, their children have a much greater chance of being literate. UNESCO knows that by helping and encouraging adults to learn to read and write, they also help children. Better yet, by helping children become literate, we build a brighter future for the whole world.
2010年的國際掃盲日主題為『女性識字的力量』。這個主題突顯出要是有更多女性識字時，世界上的許多層面就會獲得改善。由於母親們能得到更好的工作，因此家庭生活會更臻美滿。此外，她們小孩識字的機會也會更高。聯合國教科文組織明白，藉由幫助及鼓勵成人學習閱讀和書寫，這些成年人也會幫助兒童。更進一步的是，藉由幫助兒童識字，我們也為整個世界打造更光明的未來。

@Building Your Vocabulary
1. ability　n. 能力；才能
Ben has the ability to touch his nose with his tongue.
小班能用舌頭碰到自己的鼻子。
2. imagine　vt. 想像
It is difficult for me to imagine being an only child because I grew up with four brothers.
我是跟四個兄弟一起長大的，所以很難想像身為獨生子是什麼樣子。
3. deserve　vt. 應得
No one deserves the MVP award more than Hank because the team couldn't have won without him.
漢克最應該得到最有價值球員獎，因為球隊沒有他就贏不了。
4. some　adv. 大約
Some 5,000 people took part in the protest against experiments on animals.
大約有五千位民眾參加那場反對利用動物做實驗的抗議活動。
5. theme　n. 主題
The theme of our costume party is legendary heroes.
我們這次變裝舞會的主題就是傳奇英雄人物。







@Phrase for Learning
1. by definition　　從定義上來說，根據定義
Leila is by definition a feminist since she believes in equal rights for women.
萊拉在本質上就是一位女權主義者，因為她主張女性平權。
2. encourage + 人 + to + 原形動詞　　鼓勵某人……
My parents have always encouraged me to follow my heart and do the things that interest me.
我父母向來都鼓勵我要跟著感覺走，去做那些我感興趣的事。
3. better yet/still　　（比前面所提到的事物）更好的是
We could all go to that burger place, or better still, you guys could come over for dinner.
我們可以一起去那家漢堡店，不然更棒的是，你們可以來我家吃晚餐。







@Extra Words
1. illiterate　a. 不識字的，文盲的
2. literate　a. 識字的，有讀寫能力的
3. literacy　n. 識字，有讀寫能力
illiteracy　n. 不識字，文盲







@Tips In Use

In fact, one in five adults is illiterate.
（事實上，每五位成年人中就有一位是文盲。）
A in/out of (every) B　　每 B 個中有 A 個（表比例）
Four out of (every) five high school students in Taiwan are nearsighted.
（每五個台灣高中生裡就有四個是近視。）

Two-thirds of them are women...
（這當中有三分之二為女性……）
　　用英文表示分數時，分子須用基數（one, two...）表示，而分母則用序數（second, third...）。當分子大於"1"時，分母的字尾須加上"s"。分子與分母間通常有連字號"-"連接，但"a/one half"（二分之一）與"a/one quarter"（四分之一）間則沒有。例：
1/5 → one-fifth
3/10 → three-tenths
Vincent beat the other runners by one-tenth of a second to win the race.
（文森以零點一秒的差距打敗其他跑者，贏得這場比賽。）