Lailai Cove 觀海亭

This is a story of friendship and justice. What is choice when you, a law-enforcer, are faced with a good friend who is a criminal? Read on.... Author: O Henry The policeman on the beat moved up the avenue impressively. The impressiveness was habitual and not for show, for spectators were few. The time was barely 10 o'clock at night, but chilly gusts of wind with a taste of rain in them had well nigh depeopled the streets. Trying doors as he went, twirling his club with many intricate and artful movements, turning now and then to cast his watchful eye adown the pacific thoroughfare, the officer, with his stalwart form and slight swagger, made a fine picture of a guardian of the peace. The vicinity was one that kept early hours. Now and then you might see the lights of a cigar store or of an all-night lunch counter; but the majority of the doors belonged to business places that had long since been closed. When about midway of a certain block the policeman suddenly slowed his walk. ...

The Necklace PART 2 She had a rich friend, an old school friend whom she refused to visit, because she suffered so keenly when she returned home. She would weep whole days, with grief, regret, despair, and misery. * One evening her husband came home with an exultant air, holding a large envelope in his hand. "Here's something for you," he said. Swiftly she tore the paper and drew out a printed card on which were these words: "The Minister of Education and Madame Ramponneau request the pleasure of the company of Monsieur and Madame Loisel at the Ministry on the evening of Monday, January the 18th." Instead of being delighted, as her husband hoped, she flung the invitation petulantly across the table, murmuring: "What do you want me to do with this?" "Why, darling, I thought you'd be pleased. You never go out, and this is a great occasion. I had tremendous trouble to get it. Every one wants one; it's very select...

The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant PART 1 She was one of those pretty and charming girls born, as though fate had blundered over her, into a family of artisans. She had no marriage portion, no expectations, no means of getting known, understood, loved, and wedded by a man of wealth and distinction; and she let herself be married off to a little clerk in the Ministry of Education. Her tastes were simple because she had never been able to afford any other, but she was as unhappy as though she had married beneath her; for women have no caste or class, their beauty, grace, and charm serving them for birth or family, their natural delicacy, their instinctive elegance, their nimbleness of wit, are their only mark of rank, and put the slum girl on a level with the highest lady in the land. She suffered endlessly, feeling herself born for every delicacy and luxury. She suffered from the poorness of her house, from its mean walls, worn chairs, and ugly curtains. All...

信函乃是不速之客，郵差是帶來驚喜的無禮使者。 每週我們都應當保留一小時讀信，然後再去洗澡。--尼采

I wish you could keep up with the Joneses in your study.

Read the story and write a report. You may go to the department for the form or download at http://anewday.myweb.hinet.net/writing_a_report.htm The story took place in the early 20th centure in New York. It happened at a restaurant in one day. Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O Henry There is one day that is ours. There is one day when all we Americans who are not self-made go back to the old home to eat saleratus biscuits and marvel how much nearer to the porch the old pump looks than it used to. Bless the day. President Roosevelt gives it to us. We hear some talk of the Puritans, but don't just remember who they were. Bet we can lick 'em, anyhow, if they try to land again. Plymouth Rocks? Well, that sounds more familiar. Lots of us have had to come down to hens since the Turkey Trust got its work in. But somebody in Washington is leaking out advance information to 'em about these Thanksgiving proclamations. The big city east of the cranberry bogs has made Thanksgiving D...

年度風雲詞 Word of the Year 2008 著名的牛津英文辭典每年都會選出一個"年度風雲詞" Word of the Year。 今年2008中選的字是hypermile 這個字典上尚未登錄的新詞是什麼意思？ 根據一般的說法， hypermile是動詞，意為利用各種方法增進汽車的效能， 達到省油的目的。在經濟不振、油價狂飆的年代，尤其是2008年上半年， 駕駛人要節省油費，節約能源，除了減少無必要的旅遊外，就是要想盡各 種方法，增加汽油每單位的里程。這些方法包括：改變駕駛技術與習慣、 避免等候時引擎空轉過久、慢慢加速、在高速路上尾隨前車或卸下貨架 減少風阻、使用低濃度的機油等。 省油省錢是運用策略省油者(hypermiler)的主要考量。 但很多人hypermiling原因不只於此，有些人是為了環保， 節能減碳，減少空氣污染，有的是為了飆車運動。 像在美國有個車隊以每加侖110英里(約為每公里 46.78 公升)的 平均耗油量用四十七小時飆車1397英哩(2248 公里)。 hypermile, 這個英文字是由hyper加上mile兩部分合成的。 hyper意為超、超級，mile是哩，美國人計算距離的單位， 合起來有"作到超里程"的意思。相關的衍生詞有hypermiler (hypermile的人), hypermiling(其動作) 這個新詞最早出現在2004年，一位叫偉恩格德思Wayne Gerdes 的人在他的網頁中使用。後來在美國總統競選活動中，因為兩位 候選人辨論有關外海開採石油的問題，如何省油的議題成為焦點， 也使這個新詞成為眾所周知的單字。 英文例句： Generally, the recommended way to hypermile is using only the common techniques. 一般來說，推薦的省油策略就是只要運用一般的技巧即可。 Nascar Driver Uses Hypermiling Tricks to Win Race. 納思卡駕駛運用省油策略贏得賽車冠軍。(新聞標題)