Time‏

What is time? Is it a thing to be saved or spent or wasted, like money? Or is it something we have no control over, like the weather? Is time the same all over the world? That’s an easy question, you say. Wherever you go, a minute is 60 seconds, an hour is 60 minutes, a day is 24 hours, and so forth. Well, maybe. But in America, time is more than that. Americans see time as a valuable resource. Maybe that’s why they are fond of the expression, “Time is money.” 時間是什麼？是一種像金錢一樣可 以節省、花用或浪費的東西嗎？或者它 像天氣那樣，是一種我們無法掌握的東 西？全世界的時間是不是都一樣呢？你 會說，那是一個簡單的問題，不管你去 那裡，一分鐘都是6 0秒，一小時是6 0分 鐘，一天是2 4個小時，以此類推。嗯， 也許是這樣吧。但是在美國，時間的意 義不只是如此而已。美國人視時間為一 項重要的資源，也許這就是為什麼他們 喜歡說「時間就是金錢」的緣故。 ecause Americans believe time is a limited resource, they try to conserve and manage it. People in the U.S. often attend seminars or read books on time management. It seems they all want to organize their time better. Professionals carry around pocket planners—some in electronic form—to keep track of appointments and deadlines. 美國人認為時間是一項有限的資 源，所以他們試著去愛惜時間且加以管 理。美國人經常參加有關時間管理的研 習會或閱讀這方面的書籍，他們似乎都 希望能把自己的時間安排得更好。專業 人士隨身帶著口袋型記事本，有些甚至 是電子的記事本，好隨時留意所訂的約 會與工作截止日期。 People do all they can to squeeze more life out of their time. The early American hero Benjamin Franklin expressed this view best: “Do you love life? Then do not waste time, for that is the stuff life is made of.” 人們想盡辦法要在 有限的時間內擠出更多的時間來。早期 的美國英雄班哲明‧富蘭克林將這種想 法表達得最淋漓盡致：「你愛生命嗎？ 如果愛就不要浪費時間，因為生命即是 由時間組成的。」 To Americans, punctuality is a way of showing respect for other people’s time. Being more than 10 minutes late to an appointment usually calls for an apology, and maybe an explanation. 對美國人來說，守時是一種尊重他 人時間的表現。通常若約會遲到超過1 0 分鐘，就應該向對方道歉或解釋原因。 People who are running late often call ahead to let others know of the delay. Of course, the less formal the situation, the less important it is to be exactly on time. At informal get-togethers, for example, people often arrive as much as 30 minutes past the appointed time. But they usually don't try that at work. 知道自己會遲到的人往往會先打個電 話，讓對方知道自己會晚一點到。 當然，會面場合愈不正式，精確準 時的重要性就愈小。舉例來說，在非正 式的聚會中，人們往往會在約定時間過 後3 0分鐘才到，不過，他們上班通常就 不會這樣做。 American lifestyles show how much people respect the time of others. When people plan an event, they often set the time days or weeks in advance. Once the time is fixed, it takes almost an emergency to change it. 美國人的生活型態表現出他們對別 人的時間有多尊重。當人們在計劃一項 活動時，通常會在幾天或幾個星期前把 時間定好。時間一旦決定，除非情況緊 急，否則不會輕易改變。 If people want to come to your house for a friendly visit, they will usually call first to make sure it is convenient. Only very close friends will just “drop by” unannounced. Also, people hesitate to call others late at night for fear they might be in bed. The time may vary, but most folks think twice about calling after 10:00 p.m. 如果有人想到 家裡拜訪你，他們通常會先打電話過 來，以確定你是否方便，只有很熟的朋 友才會未經通知就突然造訪。同時，人 們也不太喜歡太晚打電話給別人，因為 怕對方已經上床睡覺了。何時才算太晚 並不一定，不過，大部分的人若想在晚 上10點鐘以後打電話，都會再三考慮。 To outsiders, Americans seem tied to the clock. People in other cultures value relationships more than schedules. In these societies, people don’t try to control time, but to experience it. Many Eastern cultures, for example, view time as a cycle. The rhythm of nature—from the passing of the seasons to the monthly cycle of the moon—shapes their view of events. People learn to respond to their environment. As a result,they find it easier to “go with the flow” than Americans, who like plans to be fixed and unchangeable. 對外人而言，美國人似乎很依賴時 鐘；其他文化背景出身的人則看重人際 關係甚於時間表。在那些社會型態中， 人們不會設法去控制時間，而是去經歷 享受它。舉例來說，很多東方文化把時 間視為一個周期。從季節的更替到每個 月亮圓缺變化的周期，這些大自然的節 奏塑造了他們對事情的看法。人們學習 去因應環境的變化，因此他們比美國人 更容易視情境而作彈性的應變；而美國 人則喜歡將計劃固定好不要更動。 Even Americans would admit that no one can master time. Time—like money— slips all too easily through our fingers. And time— like the weather— is very hard to predict. Nevertheless, time is one of life’s most precious gifts. And unwrapping it is half the fun. 不過連美國人都承認，沒有人能夠 完全掌握時間。時間就像金錢一樣，很 容易就從我們的指間溜走；時間也像天 氣一樣，是很難預測的。然而，時間是 生命中最寶貴的禮物之一，而拆開（這 項難以掌握和預料的）禮物本身就已經 是一種樂趣了。 ?Word Bankfond of something (adj phr) 喜歡某事物 conserve (v) 保存 seminar (n) 講習會；研討會 keep track of something (v phr) 留意某事的進度或發展過程 squeeze (v) 壓榨；擠 punctuality (n) 守時；準時 call for something (v phr) 需要某事物 delay (n) 耽擱；遲延 fixed (adj) 固定的 tied to something (adj phr) 和某事物緊密連結的；依賴某事物的 cycle (n) 週而復始之循環 go with the flow (idiom) 隨機應變；有彈性地視情況而應變 predict (v) 預測 The Day's Phrase   Our expert explains what psychologists do and how they can help 聽專家告訴你，心理師的工作有哪些，以及他們如何幫助人們 Betsy is known the world over for her kindness to everyone. 全世界的人都知道貝琪對每個人都很好。

How much do you know about the star of the Mid-Autumn Festival?
你對中秋節的「明星」了解多少呢？

Both of them are finally willing to tie the knot.
他們兩個最後終於願意結婚了。

Discover the delights of proper punctuation
嚐嚐用對標點符號的樂趣Richard looks like a poor man, but it turns out that he is very rich.
理查看起來像個窮人，其實他是非常富有。

Because Jay left his bicycle in the road, it became flat as a pancake.
由於傑把他的腳踏車丟在路上，它就被車壓得像鬆餅一樣扁了。

From crime to immigration, Sir Alec Jeffreys changed the way we identify individuals
艾利克‧傑佛瑞爵士改變了辨識個人身分的方式，從犯罪到移民，無一不包
I want to go to the flea market and see if I can get some really cheap clothes.我想去跳蚤市場看看我能不能買到一些很便宜的衣服。

Despite difficulties, China's greatest teacher left a lasting legacy
即使歷經艱難，這位中國的至聖先師仍為後人留下了永存的遺產

"I have a burning question for you," Maria said. "Who was that woman you were with?"
「我有個很急迫的問題要問你，」瑪莉亞說，「跟你在一起的那個女人是誰？」

Are you having fun at this party?" Suzanne asked. "Yes, I'm having a ball," said Bill. 「你在這個派對中玩得愉快嗎？」蘇珊問道。「嗯，我玩得很痛快。」比爾說。