現代草上飛 We all feel that the pace of life is getting faster and faster. But exactly how much faster? A latest research found that the walking speed of city dwellers worldwide has increased 10 % in the past decade... What does this mean? People are walking faster, so what? Do we live better lives? Let's check it out. The faster, the better?  最新消息 ◎　電子報編輯公告 我們的老編(前任小編)，雖然已經開始在美國展開窮留學生的生活(不禁讓我想起，當年在異鄉街頭啃麵包的景象)，仍留有遺作...不，應該是鉅作，留給我們這兩個後生小編，郁婷和滕偉，細細琢磨箇中奧妙。這些鉅作將不定期出現在宅急便的內容中，讓各位讀者們，不時地回味我們老編獨特的搞笑風格。當然，以希望各位能繼續給予我們支持及建議。 ◎　英語寫作、英文小老師諮詢服務（暑假無服務啦） 夏日炎炎正好眠，寫作諮詢也得閒。暑假到啦，諮詢老師們當然就忙裡偷閒ㄧ下，好好養精蓄銳ㄧ番，準備迎接下學期，繼續解決同學們的疑難雜症...什麼時候才能預約??? ↑top  E-Freeway主題介紹 Earth & Sky / Radio Shows Earth & Sky 提供給使用者對於科學上的相關主題，例如人文地理環境等等的各種討論報導，如果你常聽ICRT廣播，你會發現裡頭許多科學的報導就是源自Earth & Sky 的網站中。它的報導皆長度適中，內容頗具知識性的提昇，是一個相當不錯的多元網站，您還可以下載mp3音檔，讓您一窺探索科學環境的領域知識。......來拓展我的知識   GRE/ Self Assessment 網站介紹 暑假到了，準備赴美留學念研究所嗎？那您正在努力準備GRE嗎？想利用所剩時間好好衝刺嗎？不用擔心，English Freeway網站的Self-assessment區塊裡，已經幫你備妥了應戰密笈，本次為您介紹一個超讚的GRE 學習網站，裡頭包含1. Teach Yourself 2. Coach Yourself 3. Test Yourself 4. Prepare Yourself 四大學習區塊的資訊及練習，您可以充分瞭解GRE考試到底包含了什麼東東喔。...... 給我密笈！ ↑top  館藏介紹 Lecture Ready 3 先前曾介紹過一本Lecture Ready 2，不知大家還有沒有印象，這次介紹同一套書裡程度高一點的第三冊，喚起大家的回憶。這一套書是用來訓練學術英語聽力和筆記技巧，對於大家在聽課或聽演講方面有很大的幫助，最大的特點是有演講實境DVD，不只有得聽還有得看！另外一個小編最近才發現的特點是，對於準備新制電腦托福iBT的考試是很有幫助的，可謂對付iBT的一個大秘寶唷！......再看一點介紹 ↑top  英語宅急便 The faster may not necessarily be the better. 研究指出現在都市人走路的速度比十年前快了百分之十，這是表示生活更加進步，還是壓力越來越大呢？或許也該是考慮把步調慢下來的時候囉～ Schnell: Hey, Rover, can you walk a bit faster? You are really being a “rover” now. Come on and hurry up! Rover: Why do I have to hurry up? What’s the point of walking so fast? People’s walking speed has increased by 10 % in the last decade, but the world hasn’t changed for the better. Indeed, it’s become much, much worse. See what scourging sun we have this summer? That’s called global warming! I dare not imagine the summers to come. We’ll be burned down to ashes! Schnell: …… Rover: Why this silence? Schnell: I am stunned. Rover: Stunned by what? Schnell: By what?! I just wanted you to walk faster because we are going to be later for Prof. Grim’s class. Don’t you forget what he said, “One minute late, one point minus.” He’s just merciless! Rover: Yeah, that old fellow is not called “Grim” for no reason. However, his class is eight o’clock tomorrow morning. Schnell: Is it? Oh my god. What’s wrong with me? Old Grim is just making me stressed-out. But you are still overreacting. There’s no need to complain about global warming. Rover: Did I say anything about global warming? I can’t remember at all. Schnell: You did. You started by saying that people are walking 10% faster than they did ten years a ago. Rover: Oh yes, that was a research done in 32 cities. The result was compared with a similar research done in the late 90s. So the researcher declared that he discovered a 10% increase in people’s walking speed. Schnell: Alright, people walk faster, so what? I think this research is rather meaningless. Rover: No, it isn’t. Walking speed is a good indicator of the pace of people’s lives. For example, if you walk faster you are less likely to help others, and you also tend to have higher rates of coronary heart disease. Schnell: But we need to get more things done. People walk faster out of necessity, not by choice. To excel in today’s highly competitive commercial environment, efficiency is absolutely imperative. Rover: “Getting more things done” is a seductive mindset. But it’s also insidiously dangerous. Excessive focus on what you accomplish will surely make you lose the real point of living. We live to enjoy life, and we need time to do that. You can’t appreciate anything in your life if you don’t have time to do so. Schnell: Very well said. But given the large population in the big cities, if people don’t walk briskly there would be “pedestrian jam” every where. Besides, walking fast is probably the only exercise most white collar workers do. As a simple form of aerobic exercises I think it should be encouraged. Rover: I doubt how many people speed up for exercise’s sake. I admit that there are benefits from management of time in order that more may be accomplished. But there is also value in the introspection possible only from a more leisurely pace. Schnell: …… Rover: Why this silence? Schnell: Whatever you say, I am going really fast now. Rover: Why? Can’t you get my point? Schnell: Yes, I got it. But this is an emergency. I… Rover: You what? Schnell: I need to squeeze the lemon…   Wordbank： rover (n) 漫遊者 coronary (n) 冠狀動脈 scourge (v) 鞭打，使痛苦 imperative (adj) 必要的，極重要的 stunned (adj) 大吃一驚的，嚇傻的 seductive (adj) 誘惑的，吸引人的 merciless (adj) 無情的 ，殘酷的 mindset (n) 心態 grim (adj) 無情的，嚴厲殘忍的 insidiously (adv) 暗中為害地 stressed-out (adj) 過度緊張的 briskly (adv) 輕快地；迅速地 overreact (v) 反應過度 introspection (n) 內省，反思 indicator (n) 指標 squeeze the lemon (ph) 小便的含蓄說法   相關連結： Times：Modern Life: it's one step at a time, only much quicker The Age ：Urban striders shift into fast lane NY Times ：The 8th fastest walkers in the world ↑top
			編輯：黃山耘；滕 偉
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