◎　電子報編輯狂賀公告

各位讀者，您知道您目前正在看的視聽館英語學習報，在新出爐的台大電子報資料探勘推薦榜上，排名第一位嗎？沒錯！雖然小編搞了老半天也不知是探勘了什麼資料，不過突然得了個第一，都還沒想好要感謝誰呢......。那麼，就感謝各位讀者的支持，也請大家繼續定期收看唷，感恩甘溫啦！

◎　寫作中心公告

畢業季的腳步來越接近，相信很多即將成為社會新鮮人的讀者最近都在準備投履歷找工作囉！如果找不到人幫忙看看寫好的英文履歷表，寫作中心的免費諮詢或許可以幫忙你唷！......我要預約

◎　英文小老師諮詢服務（長期公告）

英文小老師服務線上預約系統已經啟用，時間地點和諮詢的內容在網頁上也都可以看到喔，歡迎大家多多利用。...... 我要預約

全民英檢參考字表

想知道全民英檢中高級程度應該認識的英文字彙有哪些嗎？財團法人語言訓練測驗中心針對不同英檢級數而整理了一份參考字表提供查閱，而且中高級測驗中有九成的字彙都有在這份字表裡喔！不過啊，學習英文不要只是強記單字，更重要的是，要會活用這些字彙，學習每個字的用法，這樣才會讓你的英文突飛猛進喔！… 來熟悉全民英檢字彙

BBC Skillswise—Reading

不曉得該如何增進自己的英文閱讀嗎？BBC Skillswise針對閱讀部份提供了相當豐富的「撇步」，不僅敎你如何快速瀏覽閱讀文章，還交你分辨各種不同文章類型，更有趣的是，還有遊戲來「測試」你是否已經學會了這些閱讀的技巧喔！... 來學閱讀技巧吧！

　EasyTest_GEPT　Part I

上一期的電子報已經向讀者們預告過，這次要介紹的是English Freeway網站裡的EasyTest線上英檢模擬測驗。實在是因為小編很擔心，跟大家重複重複再重複的苦口婆心做宣傳，最後怕是不敵「沒圖沒真相」的鐵律，所以這回用上了大量的截圖，毫不心疼手軟，只怕你電腦下載不夠快！務必要讓大家知道這個EasyTest的葫蘆裡是在賣什麼膏藥，讓大家都來使用看看。

若是台大學生的英檢通過率有提高，小編也可號稱盡了一份心力。當然，對於不考英檢的人，這也是很棒的學習材料唷！不過因為內容實在太多，這次先介紹初試部份，複試請見下回分曉...... 有圖有真相

Would you like a "McJob"?

速食巨人麥當勞常淪為大家消遣的對象，這回他們與牛津字典的對決會成功嗎？

(The neutrality of this dialogue may be disputed, evidenced by the names of its participants.)

Ken: Hey Tucky, I heard you just lost your job. What happened?

Tucky: Doesn't matter. It's just a McJob, anyway.

Ken: McJob? I didn't know you were working at McDonald's. I thought you were working in Bobby's car wash.

Tucky: I was in the car wash. But don't you know that McJob can be broadly used to refer to those kinds of jobs?

Ken: What kind of job do you mean?

Tucky: According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a McJob is "an unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects, especially one created by the expansions of the service sector." So a car washer is 100% a McJob.

Ken: Wow, you can find this word in Oxford English Dictionary? Isn't it the most prestigious dictionary in the world?

Tucky: You may say so, and that's probably the reason why McDonald's wouldn't appreciate this inclusion into the OED. Actually, McDonald's U.K. branch has launched a campaign to have the dictionary publishers revise their definition of “McJob.”

Ken: Why? I think that definition is just pertinent and succinct. It's a very accurate description of a crummy job that requires working extremely long hours, flipping thousands of burgers, and dealing with irate customers.

Tucky: Yet our fast-food giant wouldn't think so. McDonald's claimed that the OED's definition "is out of date, out of touch with reality and most importantly it is insulting to those talented, committed, hard-working people who serve the public every day.”

Ken: Was Uncle McDonald trying to be humorous? Yesterday I just heard my auntie yelling at my little cousin, who refused to go to school. Do you know what she said? "If you don't study hard, you'll end up working at McDonald's all your life!"

Tucky: I think this is just the image that McDonald's has been trying so hard to get rid of. It coined another word to counterattack McJob, that is, "McProspects."

Ken: And what might be their definition of McProspects?

Tucky: That means "over half of McDonald's executive team started working at the counter." So one might start with a McJob and finally get the McProspects for advancement, at least that's what they said.

Ken: I really wonder how many people ever get their McProspects and how many others end up doing a McJob all their lives.  

Tucky: McProspects or not, I think this latest foray against lexicographers just made McDonald look bad. Their lobbying actually helped promote the usage of "McJob."

Ken: Indeed. Dictionary editors can't cater to external pressure from industry. They must make honest appraisals of the language as it is used by people.

Tucky: Yes, I think McDonald's misunderstood one thing. People don't use words because they're in the dictionary. The words are in the dictionary because people use them.

Ken: Wow, that sounds wise. Can I call you a McPhilosopher?

Tucky: I'd rather you don't. Thank you.

 

Wordbank：

neutrality (n) 中立，中立地位	succinct (adj) 簡潔的
dispute (v) 質疑	crummy (adj) 微不足道的
unstimulating (adj) 無法激勵人心的	irate (adj) 發怒的
prospect (n) 前途，前景	coin (v) 創造（新字）
sector (n) 部門	executive team (ph) 管理團隊
prestigious (adj) 有名望的	advancement (n) 升遷，晉升
launch (v) 發起	foray (n) 突襲
revise (v) 修訂	lexicographer (n) 詞典編纂者
pertinent (adj) 恰當的，中肯的	lobbying (n) 遊說

Hey, you! Go study English. Now!

相關連結：

abcNews：McDonald's has a beef with the OED

AP Artical ：McDonald's seeks to redefine "McJobs"

Wikipedia：McJob and McWords