#EZTALK #你不知道的美國大小事
#KimJongUn

Is Kim Jong-un Critically Ill? 👀
💬 金正恩病危❓

最近這幾天最常看到的新聞，除了新冠肺炎外，就是北韓領導人突然消失的新聞，今天就來聊聊這件事。進入文章前，先來看看單字～

【✍主題單字】
1. critically ill「病危的」：critically 常用來形容「病情危急地」。
2. absent「缺席的」
3. speculation「猜測，推斷」：當名詞，動詞為 speculate。
4. credible「可信的」
5. severity「嚴重性，嚴重程度」：當名詞，形容詞 severe。
6. North Korean defector「脫北者」：defector「叛逃者」，指脫離原本國家、逃到對立政治立場的另一個國家者。
7. obesity「過胖」
8. decline「拒絕，謝絕」：比 reject 跟 refuse 要婉轉一些。
9. in light of「有鑑於」

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On April 15, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was absent from the celebration of his grandfather Kim Il-sung’s birthday. Kim Il-sung was the founder of North Korea, and the anniversary of his birth is the nation’s most important holiday. Ever since then, there has been speculation about Kim Jong-un’s health. Kim’s last known appearance was at a Politburo meeting on April 11.
4 月 15 日，北韓領導人金正恩缺席祖父金日成的誕辰。金日成是北韓國父，所以他的誕辰可說是北韓全國上下最重要的國定節日。自此之後，有關金正恩健康堪慮的傳言四起。而金正恩最後一次現身，是參加 4 月 11 日勞動黨中央政局會議。

According to a U.S. official, Kim is in grave danger after undergoing surgery. And another U.S. official told American media that the concerns about Kim’s health are credible, but the severity of his condition is hard to access. What kind of surgery? Daily NK, a newspaper run by North Korean defectors, reports that Kim received heart surgery because of “excessive smoking, obesity and overwork.” On the other hand, two separate South Korean government sources have said that the reports about Kim’s health aren’t true, and that there have been no unusual signs coming from North Korea.
一名美國官員指出，金正恩術後病危，而另一名美國官員告訴媒體，有關金正恩健康的揣測是可信的，不過嚴重程度還不得而知。那麼，金正恩做的是什麼手術？由脫北者經營的韓國媒體《Daily NK》指出，金正恩所接受的手術是心血管手術，因為他有「嚴重煙癮、過重而且過勞」。不過另一方面，兩個不同的南韓政府消息來源指出，有關金正恩的健康傳聞並非屬實，北韓看起來並沒有任何不正常的徵兆。

When asked about Kim’s health condition, the U.S. National Security Council and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment. The State Department and the CIA have also made no public statements. But in light of the military exercises carried out by North Korea on April 14, which included the launch of several missiles, U.S. intelligence agencies are continuing to closely monitor the situation.
當被問及金正恩的健康狀況，美國國家安全委員會與國家情報總監都拒絕評論。國務院與中央情報局也沒有做任何公開聲明。不過，鑑於北韓在4月14日執行軍事演習，其中還發射數枚導彈，美國情報單位仍密切關注情勢發展。

【📎美國新聞相關】
1. the U.S. National Security Council「美國國家安全會議」：簡稱國安會，是由美國總統主持的最高級別國家安全及外交事務決策委員會，處理外交與安全事務。
2. the Office of the Director of National Intelligence「國家情報總監」：處理有關國家安全的情報事務時的主要諮詢對象，統領 16 個美國情報體系。在建立國家情報總監之前，美國情報體系龍頭是中央情報局（CIA）總監。
3. the State of Department「美國國務院」：美國政府負責外交事務的行政部門。

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🔔 按下「搶先看」，每週五【美國大小事】，由 Judd 編審分享最即時美國新鮮事！想知道更多美國文化，請看 👉 http://bit.ly/EZTalk嚴選

除了開心、傷心、生氣，你還有什麼情緒形容詞？沮喪和低落有什麼不同？氣憤、不滿和暴怒之間的差異又在哪裡？

這可不是在考你的國文能力。研究發現，能夠細緻區辨不愉快感受的「高情緒粒度」者，在調節情緒時往往更有彈性，更能找出恰當的面對方法，心理狀況也更健康。相反的，情緒區辨能力低則可能對憂鬱、焦慮者帶來不良影響：http://bit.ly/3a1faOb

#EZTALK #你不知道的美國大小事 #ratVSmouse
🇺🇸 Idioms 美國生活用語：老鼠 rat╱mouse 🐁

說到美國老鼠，你會想到可愛的米老鼠，還是《料理鼠王》裡頭的老鼠？趁鼠年第一天，來介紹老美眼中的老鼠！

💪順便搞懂 rat 跟 mouse 的不同之處吧！

1⃣ rat
2⃣ rat out/on
3⃣ smell a rat
4⃣ the rat race
5⃣ quiet at a mouse
6⃣ poor as a church mouse
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As we enter the Year of the Rat, it’s a good time to think about rodents and their cultural significance. The first animal in the Chinese Zodiac, rats are associated with intelligence, diligence and ambition. And people born in the Year of the Rat can look forward to being wealthy and successful.

鼠年即將到來，正好來介紹一下鼠類跟其文化意涵。身為十二生肖排名第一，老鼠通常會讓我們想到聰明、勤勞且有野心。鼠年出生的人可望成功富有。

In America, however, rats don’t have such a positive image. They are seen as dirty pests that steal food and spread disease. It’s therefore no accident the rat-related idioms are all negative. 1⃣ First, the term “rat” itself. In colloquial American English, a rat is a deceptive, disloyal person or an informant. Ex: Don’t trust Tommy—he’s a rat!

不過在美國，老鼠可就沒有這麼正面的形象。牠們被視為髒東西，愛偷食物並且散播疾病，所以沒有意外地，跟老鼠有關的美國用語都是負面的。首先來看看 rat 這個字，在美式口語英文中，講某人是 rat，就是說他是「騙子、不忠實」，或是「告密者」。如：Don’t trust Tommy—he’s a rat!（別相信湯米，他是個騙子！）

2⃣ “Rat” can also be used in the verb phrase “rat out/on,” which means “to inform on sb.” Ex: The thief ratted out his accomplices to avoid jail time. 3⃣Another phrase is “smell a rat,” which means “to suspect an instance of wrongdoing, deception or betrayal.” Ex: The witness smelled a rat when he saw the suspect leaving the scene of the crime. 4⃣Finally, “the rat race” describes the intense competition and long hours of the urban work environment. Ex: Eric dreamed of leaving the rat race and buying a small farm.

因此 rat 也可延伸作為動詞：rat out/on，指「出賣某人」，如：The thief ratted out his accomplices to avoid jail time.（那個小偷出賣他的同夥逃避坐牢。）另一個片語則是 smell a rat，指「發覺有可疑之處」，如：The witness smelled a rat when he saw the suspect leaving the scene of the crime.（目擊者看到嫌犯離開案發現場時覺得行為可疑。）最後是 the rat race，用來形容職場競爭激烈且工時長的現象。如：Eric dreamed of leaving the rat race and buying a small farm.（艾瑞克夢想著離開這競爭激烈的工作環境，去鄉下種田。）

While the Chinese “shu” is usually translated as “rat,” it can also refer to mice. And mice have a slightly better reputation in English than rats. Mice are small, quiet and shy, so 5⃣ “quiet at a mouse” refers to someone who is shy and timid. Ex: The new student in our class is quiet as a mouse. 6⃣And if someone is “poor as a church mouse,” they’re really poor. This is because churches usually don’t usually store food, so mice who lived in them would have nothing to eat. Ex: My parents were poor as a church mouse when I was born.

雖然中文字「鼠」常常翻作 rat「大老鼠」，不過也可以指 mouse（複數形 mice）「小老鼠」。在英文中，小老鼠的形象比大老鼠稍微好些。小老鼠體型較小，安靜又害羞，所以 quiet as a mouse 可以用來形容某人「害羞膽怯的」，如：The new student in our class is quiet as a mouse.（我們班新來的學生很害羞。）要是說某人 poor as a church mouse，就是說他們「非常窮」。由來是因為教堂通常不會儲藏食物，所以住在教堂裡的老鼠根本沒東西可吃。如：My parents were poor as a church mouse when I was born.（我父母在我出生時候非常窮。）

【✍重點單字】
1. rodent「嚙齒類動物」
2. Chinese Zodiac「十二生肖」：zodiac指西洋占星的十二星座。
3. diligence「勤奮」：當名詞，形容詞 diligent。
4. it’s no accident that…「沒有意外，……」
5. colloquial「口語的」：相對於書寫文字而言，較不正式的說法。
6. deceptive「愛騙人、說謊的」：當形容詞，名詞 deception。
7. informant「告密者」
8. urban「都市的」：相反詞為 rural「鄉下的」。
9. reputation「名聲」

#鼠年行大運 #鼠錢鼠不完
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🔔 按下「搶先看」，每週五【美國大小事】，由 Judd 編審分享最即時美國新鮮事！想知道更多美國文化，請看 👉 http://bit.ly/EZTalk嚴選