A+ 字彙程度：500~2000字
主要對象：英檢初級；新多益225分

拒絕快時尚！法國立法禁丟新衣

法國在 2016 年時禁止超市丟棄未售出的食物。現在，又準備用另一種方式幫助地球──2019 年前，法國店家將被禁止丟棄或燒毀未售出的衣服，他們必須將這些衣服回收或捐給慈善機構。

這項改變是減少製造廢棄物計畫中的下一環。法國人每年丟棄約 70 萬噸的衣服，但現今只回收了 16 萬噸。法國首相也冀望法國可以不再製造垃圾和浪費了。

France to Stop Stores from Throwing Out Clothes

France stopped supermarkets from throwing away unsold food in 2016. Now, it's preparing to help the planet in another way. By 2019, stores in France must not throw away or burn unsold clothes. They will need to recycle these clothes or give them to charities.

This change is the next part of France's plan to create less waste. People in France throw away about 700,000 tons of clothes every year. They only recycle 160,000 tons right now. France's Prime Minister, Édouard Philippe, wants the country to stop creating garbage and wasting things.

幸運餅乾的身世之謎

幸運餅乾在美國的中式餐館非常流行，然而，是誰最先製作出這種餅乾的呢？

(A) 中國人

(B) 日本人

(C) 美國人

要恭喜選(B)的你答對了！在 17 世紀的日本，人們吃中間包有籤詩的餅乾。19 世紀時，一位日本移民將它們改良帶進美國。不久便廣受歡迎並且出現在許多美國的日式餐廳中。然而，在二次世界大戰美國與日本對戰時，美國政府將許多日本人送往集中營。自那時起，中式餐館便開始販賣幸運餅乾了。

The History of Fortune Cookies

Q: Fortune cookies are popular in Chinese restaurants in the US. Who first made this kind of cookie, though?

(A) The Chinese.

(B) The Japanese.

(C) The Americans.

In the 17th century in Japan, people ate cookies with fortunes inside them. In the 19th century, a Japanese emigrant took them to the US. However, he changed their flavor to fit Americans' tastes. He sold the cookies at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco, California.

Fortune cookies soon became popular and showed up in many Japanese restaurants in the US. However, the US and Japan fought each other in World War II. The US government sent many Japanese to internment camps. From then on, Chinese restaurants started selling fortune cookies.

A+ 字彙程度：500~2000字
主要對象：英檢初級；新多益225分

4U 字彙程度：1500~3500字
主要對象：英檢中級；新多益550分

厭倦成功案例？失敗博物館給你信心

人們總有關於發明的好點子，但到頭來這些發明不全然會成功。位於瑞典赫爾辛堡，Samuel West的失敗博物館充滿著不符預期的產品。West自己搜集了部分物品，而剩下則是被郵寄來的。

這座博物館包含一些真的很奇怪的想法。舉例來說，牙膏公司高露潔推出一款即食的牛肉千層麵。這項產品其實是要鼓勵人們飯後刷牙，然而沒人相信高露潔會做出好吃的餐點。另一項產品是可口可樂的Coke Blak，這是一款咖啡口味的汽水。博物館內甚至有哈雷摩托車公司設計的一款香水，這款香水名叫Hot Road，而且據說聞起來就像木頭和菸草。

而博物館內最奇怪的物品或許就非Rejuvenique面膜莫屬了。它是一款穿戴後能讓皮膚看起來更年輕的面膜，藉由傳送輕微的電擊到穿戴者的臉部來達成此效果。這款面膜非常失敗，是因為它看起來就像是恐怖片裡會出現的物品！

West期盼他的博物館內的物品可以持續增加，但是這想法不是為了要嘲笑它們。而是想要把這些失敗案例轉換為教訓，因為我們應該要接受失敗且把它當作研發新產品的重要過程。

The Museum of Failure

People have great ideas for inventions all the time. Sadly, not all of these end up being successful. In fact, many more fail than succeed, either because of a problem with the idea or an error in the design. Samuel West's Museum of Failure, in Helsingborg, Sweden, is filled with products that just didn't hit the mark. West collected some items himself, while others were sent to him in the mail.

The museum includes some seriously strange ideas. For example, toothpaste company Colgate put out a ready-made beef lasagna. It was supposed to encourage people to brush their teeth after meals. However, no one trusted Colgate to make a tasty meal. Another item, Coke BlaK by Coca-Cola, was a coffee-flavored soda. It failed so badly that it was pulled from shelves after two years. There is even a perfume designed by motorcycle company Harley-Davidson. It's called “Hot Road” and is said to smell like wood and tobacco.

2020東金奧運期間限定：世界の和服

日本以它多采多姿的和服而聞名，為主持2020奧運所做的準備工作之一便是為參賽的196個國家做和服。

這些和服是為了要推廣日本的傳統服飾，不只對全世界推廣同時也要向日本的年輕世代推廣。每件和服都有特別的設計，例如德國的和服上有音符和鋼琴鍵，這是為了向德國眾多知名作曲家如貝多芬、巴哈和華格納等人致敬；另一方面，俄國的和服上則有聖彼得堡的艾米塔吉博物館跟西伯利亞森林等等，而且製作一件和服得花上將近2百萬日圓（約54萬臺幣）。

這個和服計畫是和一間位於京都的和服店負責製作的。店長希望這個計畫能產生人們對和服產業的興趣。因為目前人們對和服的興趣正在逐漸下滑，而且許多這個產業的專業工匠也沒了工作，或許有了這個計畫能讓和服強勢回歸。

Olympic Kimono Project Makes International Kimonos

Japan is well-known for its traditional culture, including its colorful kimonos. As part of Japan's preparations for hosting the 2020 Olympic Games, it's now making kimonos for each of the Games' 196 countries.

The kimonos are meant to promote Japan's traditional clothing, both to the world and to Japan's younger generations. Each has a special design. Germany's kimono, for example, includes musical notes and piano keys. This is a reference to its many famous composers, such as Beethoven, Bach , and Wagner. On the other hand, the kimono for Russia shows the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, a Siberian forest, and more. It costs about ¥‎2 million (about NT$540,000) to make just one of these kimonos.

Imagine Oneworld Kimono Project and a Kyoto-based kimono shop are responsible for the kimonos. Yoshimasa Takakura, the shop's owner, hopes the project will create interest in the kimono industry as well. Interest in kimonos is dropping, and many skilled workers in the business have lost their jobs. Perhaps this project could put kimonos on the map once again.

4U 字彙程度：1500~3500字
主要對象：英檢中級；新多益550分

ED 字彙程度：4000~7000字
主要對象：英檢中級/中高級；新多益750分

揭開古埃及彩妝的神秘面紗

如果你有在研究古埃及的雕像，應該會覺察到他們喜歡呈現出自己最好的一面。這在很大程度上是因為他們對美妝品的喜好。而最常見的品項是身體油。由於埃及氣候嚴酷，對人們來說保持皮膚溼潤相對非常重要。身體油提供保溼，因此人們就可以長時間在戶外工作。事實上，古埃及勞工常常會獲得身體油作為部分薪水。

綠色和黑色化妝品常常被塗抹在埃及人的眼睛周圍，以營造出杏眼的錯覺。然而，這種化妝品有助於保護眼睛不受到強烈陽光照射。埃及人也相信，化妝品可以祈求荷魯斯和拉兩位神祇的療癒力，並會保護他們免於疾病。

埃及人視芳香的味道為上天的禮物，所以香水也是極受歡迎的美妝品。肉桂、豆蔻和沒藥都是他們的配方中常見的成分，這也讓埃及成為古代世界香水的最大出口國。

古埃及人深深喜愛美妝品，以至於他們甚至會把它帶進墳墓裡。眼部化妝品、身體油和香水被塗抹在遺體上，以便讓此人來世能展現出最好的一面。考古學家在探索古墓時，仍會在陶罐中發現殘餘的化妝品。雖然距埃及文化鼎盛時期已過了好幾百年，他們的獨特時尚感仍持續使人著迷。

The Important Role of Cosmetics in Ancient Egypt

If you study statues from ancient Egypt, you'll notice something remarkable. While people from most civilizations at the time preferred a simple and plain appearance, ancient Egyptians liked to look their best. This was due in large part to their fondness for cosmetics. In ancient Egypt, everyone used cosmetics, regardless of their place in society.

The most common item was body oil. Because of Egypt's harsh climate, it was essential for people to keep their skin moist so it wouldn't dry out. Body oils provided hydration, so people could work long hours outside. In fact, ancient Egyptian workers were often given body oils as part of their salaries.

Green and black makeup was commonly applied around Egyptians' eyes to create the illusion of almond-shaped eyes. In addition, this makeup helped shield the eyes from the powerful rays of the sun. Egyptians also believed makeup invoked the healing powers of the gods Horus and Ra and would keep them free of disease.

Perfume was extremely popular as well. Egyptians considered fragrant smells a gift from the heavens and they frequently wore perfumes to make their bodies smell sweet. Cinnamon, cardamom, and myrrh were common ingredients in their recipes. Their creations were so divine that Egypt became the ancient world's top exporter of perfumes.

Ancient Egyptians' love for cosmetics ran so deep that they even took it to their graves. Eye makeup, body oils, and perfumes were applied to dead bodies so the person would look their best in the afterlife. Archaeologists still discover leftover makeup in clay pots when they explore ancient tombs. Although centuries have passed since Egyptian culture was at its height, their unique fashion sense continues to fascinate people.

果汁沒你想像中健康

無論在哪裡，我們都將果汁視為一種健康潮流。不幸的是，果汁並非健康產品。整顆的水果不僅因為含有維他命和礦物質而健康，更是因為它的纖維。這種纖維幫助調節消化並使你感到飽足。然而，從水果榨出果汁後會剩下纖維。沒有了它，果汁主要由天然的糖分及水分構成。你的身體無法區分來自果汁的糖和來自糖果或汽水的糖有何不同。事實上，果汁通常與汽水有差不多的含糖量。糖漿會藉由提供立即的能量來混淆你的身體，但是它卻也會讓你沒有飽足感而想吃更多東西。也因為果汁不需要咀嚼，所以很容易喝太多。那些飲用大量果汁的人最後可能會發胖，因為當身體攝取高於自身能處理的糖分時，有些糖分會轉成脂肪。

如果你習慣每天喝果汁，不要沮喪。進餐時飲用適量的果汁是沒問題的。你也可以試試混合低糖及富含纖維蔬菜的果昔取代純果汁。只要記得果汁是美味飲品，而不是零卡食物。

Is Fruit Juice Really Healthy?

We see fruit juice as a health trend everywhere: in supermarkets, juice shops, and even in gyms. People consume juice for its vitamins and minerals and often use it as one of their five recommended servings of fruits and vegetables a day. After all, whole fruit is healthy, and juice comes from fruit, so people assume juice must be healthy, too. However, is juice really as wholesome as everyone thinks?

Unfortunately, juice is not a health product. Whole fruit isn't healthy just because it contains vitamins and minerals, but also because of its fiber. This fiber helps regulate digestion and makes you feel full. However, squeezing the juice from fruit leaves the fiber behind. Without it, juice is mostly natural sugar and water. Your body can't tell the difference between sugar from juice and sugar from candy or soda. In fact, juice often contains just as much sugar as soda. Liquid sugar confuses your body by giving you immediate energy, but it causes you to want to eat more because you don't feel full. Since juice doesn't require chewing, it's very easy to drink too much of it. Those who consume a lot of juice could actually end up gaining weight. That's because when the body takes in more sugar than it can handle, some of it gets turned to fat.

If you are used to drinking juice every day, don't despair. It's fine to consume moderate amounts of juice with meals. Instead of pure juice, you can try smoothies with low-sugar, fiber-rich vegetables blended in. Just remember that juice is a treat, not a zero-calorie food.

ED 字彙程度：4000~7000字
主要對象：英檢中級/中高級；新多益750分