1. Getting married：最常用到的說法。 2. Hitched：常看到的口語。 3. Tie the knot：字面上是打個結，有永結同心的用意，可用這個詞來代表結婚。 4. Walk down the aisle：走紅毯。西方國家通常是父親牽著女兒走向紅毯的另一端，再把手交給新郎，所以它也可以直接當作結婚用。 5. Take the plunge：說明要大膽嘗試某件事，在這裡也可當作結婚，因為婚姻是人生中的大事，需要很大的勇氣，大膽放手一搏！
According to a recent article in the Economist marriage rates are dropping in various Asian countries, especially Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and Hong Kong. It indicates that marriage rates are falling partly because people are postponing gettinghitched. Although marriage ages have risen all over the world, but the increase is particularly marked in Asia.
According to CNN International, the proportion of unmarried 30-somethings in Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong has swollen20 percent or more in just 30 years.
1. Michelle pinned her hopes for a better life on finding a new job. (寄予厚望) 2. The tax office wants us to turn over all our records from last year. (繳交) 3. Competing on price alone is a no-win situation. (雙輸) 4. According to the statistics, economic recovery is on the way. (復甦中) 5. Leave it to me. I'll fix your laptop and bring it to you later. (留給...) 6. The project is on track and should be completed by next month. (上軌道) 7. It's a tough call. I don't know how on line product will do on the market.(很難下決定) 8. Building and running your own business involves a lot of hard work and commitment.（投入心力） 9. If I find myself to be worth more, I'll take steps to get it. (採取行動) 10. I had been meaning to call you about my expired membership, but I've been extremely busy recently. (一直想)
Wrestling with Conflict Minerals 文/Rex Lo(世界公民文化中心) 閱讀暖身 有關衝突礦產的議題就像是電影「血鑽石」的電子產業版本，所謂衝突礦產就是錫、鉭、鎢和黃金等現代人消費電子零件的主要原料來源。內戰長達15年的剛果共和國，就是因為反政府軍掌握這些礦產，使武力日益強大，致使2009年聯合國下令制裁剛果及周邊國家，而美國近來推行金融改革法案，也讓衝突礦產再次成為焦點。 進入本文前，請先想想以下單字： (A)衝突礦產 (B)反抗軍 (C)阻礙 An iPhone can do a lot of things. But can it arm Congolese (B)rebels? That is the question being debated by a battalion of lobbyists from electronics makers, mining companies and international aid organizations that has descended on the Securities and Exchange Commission in recent months seeking to influence the drafting of a Dodd-Frank regulation that has nothing to do with the financial crisis. 一支iPhone 可以做到很多事，但是也能用來武裝剛果反抗軍?近幾個月這個問題已被許多遊說團體拿來辯論，包含電子廠商、礦業公司以及國際救援組織都找上美國證券交易委員會，並企圖影響金融改革法案的其中一條法規，雖然這條規定跟金融危機一點關係也沒有。 Tacked ontothe end of that encyclopedic digest of financial reform is an odd provision. It requires publicly traded companies whose products use certain minerals commonly mined in strife-torn areas of Central Africa to report to shareholders and the S.E.C. 這項法案結尾被附加了一條較為奇特的條款。它規定所有公開上市公司的產品若使用中非特定爆發激烈衝突地區的礦物，都必須向股東以及美國證券交易委員會報告。 The measure is aimed at cutting off the brutal militia groups that have often taken over the mining and sale of so-called (A)conflict minerals to finance their military aims. Just about every company affected by the law says they support it, but many business groups have also been pushing aggressively to put wiggle room in the restrictions, calling for lengthy phase-inperiods, exemptions for minimal use of the minerals and loose definitions of what types of uses are covered. 這項規定是為了斷絕殘酷的武裝組織擴充軍力的機會，這些組織通常都握有「衝突礦產」的採集及銷售權。雖然有很多受到規定影響的公司宣稱支持法條的推行，然而也有更多公司積極推行更大彈性空間，如加大分段實施的區間、限制金屬用途以及寬鬆定義使用類型範疇。 繼續閱讀>>> 歡迎訂閱世界公民College電子報
辦公室裡上司的要求讓你頭痛嗎？還是老闆有踰矩的行為、越過了公事的界線(cross the line)？近期Forbes雜誌上刊載了一篇檢測上司、老闆是否對於下屬有踰矩越職的文章，本文節錄其重點內容、帶讀者邊學英文、並懂得判別並拒絕太超過的老闆。
If your boss’s comments or actions consistently make you feel uncomfortable, then there’s a good chance that he or she is stepping over the line of professionalism into inappropriate behavior! If your boss has done one or more of these things with regularity, then it’s time to speak up.（老闆的言行舉止有任何讓你一再困擾的嗎？那他極可能對你做出超過專業範圍的踰矩行為了！如果你的老闆經常有以下的行為發生，那麼是時候為自己挺身而出。）
上面這段話有一句"to step over the line of”，用來表示「超過界線、踰矩」，除此之外，”cross the line”也是相同的意思。”Inappropriate” (adj.)，是：不妥、不恰當、不適當、不相稱的。反義詞是”appropriate”。
1. Your boss makes references to your salary in front of other staff.
你的老闆在其他同事面前提起你的薪水。
2. Your boss reprimands you in front of other employees.
你的老闆在其他員工面斥駡你。
3. Your boss has unreasonable expectations.
你的老闆對你的期待太不合理。
4. Your boss shares too many personal details.
老闆跟你分享了太多他的私事。
5. Your boss makes inappropriate references.
老闆對你有失禮且不恰當的評論。
6. Your boss implies that sex, race, age or religion is a factor in work performance.
Yoshikazu Tanaka started out at Sony, then worked for fellow billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani at online shopping site Rakuten. Left in 2004 to set up Gree at a tech (A)incubator; a name inspired by American social psychologist Stanley Milgram's concept of "six degrees of separation."
田中良和最早於索尼工作，進入三木谷浩史的線上賣場樂天， 2004年離開樂天，在科技育成中心創立了Gree。Gree這個名稱靈感來自於一位美國社會心理學者史丹利米爾葛蘭(Stanley Milgram)所提出的「六度分隔理論」(six degrees of separation)。
Tanaka Eventually transitioned the site into mobile gaming to better compete with rivals. Attracting around a million new subscribers a month, who pay for virtual clothes and accessories for online avatars that participate in social games on their mobile phones.
One of Asia's youngest self-made billionaires, 35-year-old Yoshikazu Tanaka looks the partof a young internet tycoon. What makes Tanaka's success so intriguing is that he's built a profitable business (B)against the tide.
