八八節快樂！

父親節是向父親表達敬意的節日，這一天我們會感謝爸爸並送他們禮物。然而，每個國家的父親節都在不同天。葡萄牙和西班牙的父親節是在 3 月 19 日，這天也是聖約瑟日，一個天主教的節日。而有超過 80 個國家的父親節都在 6 月的第 3 個星期日，這始於 1910 年的美國。話雖如此，臺灣並不採用這兩個日期，而是在 8 月 8 日，因為在中文裡「八」聽起來像「爸」一樣。

Celebrating Father's Day

Father's Day is a holiday to honor fathers. It's a day to thank our fathers and give them gifts. However, the date of Father's Day isn't the same in every country. Father's Day in Portugal and Spain is on March 19. It's the same day as St. Joseph's Day, a Catholic holiday. Over 80 countries celebrate Father's Day on the third Sunday in June. This date began in the US in 1910. Taiwan doesn't use either of these dates, though. Father's Day in Taiwan is August 8, or 8/8. That's because in Chinese, “eight” (bā) sounds similar to “dad” (bà).

食之無味的飛機餐 誰來負責？！

Q: 為什麼飛機上的餐點不好吃呢？

(A) 食物在高空中會快速地腐壞。

(B) 航空公司沒有花很多錢在食物上。

(C) 你的味覺在機艙內沒那麼敏銳。

飛機餐通常淡而無味，但可別因為難吃而指責航空公司！它們已經盡力讓食物嚐起來美味了。然而，當你身處機艙內時，味覺會比較不靈敏。這是因為吵雜的引擎聲影響了我們的味覺；機艙的乾燥空氣也導致我們的味覺遲鈍。這些因素使我們感官混亂，讓我們無法享受機上的餐點。

The Truth about Airplane Food

Q: Why don't meals on airplanes taste good?

(A) Food goes bad quickly high up in the air.

(B) Airlines don't spend a lot of money on food.

(C) Your sense of taste doesn't work well inside an airplane.

Airplane food often tastes bland. Don't criticize the airlines for making bad food, though! They do their best to make the food delicious. However, your sense of taste is less active when you're on an airplane. That's because the loud engine noise modifies our sense of taste. The dry air on planes also makes our sense of taste worse. These things distract us, so we often don't enjoy our meals on airplanes.

2019熱氣球嘉年華再度席捲臺灣

臺灣國際熱氣球嘉年華自2011年開辦，每年總是吸引數以千計來自臺灣及世界各地的遊客。今年該活動不辜負其名聲，將帶來40顆新的熱氣球，其中有些是卡通人物的造型。如果你以前從來沒有看過高21公尺的海綿寶寶，現在就是你親眼目睹的機會。

如果這些還不過癮，熱氣球也將在臺東縣巡迴展出。八場入夜後的燈光秀將會在熱氣球嘉年華活動期間的每週六舉辦，而所有活動會於8月12日在鹿野高台舉辦的壯觀閉幕音樂會畫下句點。現在就到官方網站瀏覽一下，進一步了解這個有趣的活動將為臺東的天空帶來什麼樣的變化。

Sail into the Skies at the Taiwan International Balloon Festival

The hot air balloon festival started in 2011 and always draws in thousands of visitors from around Taiwan and beyond. This year, it's living up to its reputation with 40 new balloons, some of which look like cartoon characters. If you've never seen a 21-meter-tall SpongeBob before, now's the time to see one.

If that's not enough, the balloons will also be touring Taitung County. Eight after-dark light shows will be taking place every Saturday of the festival. All this will end on August 12 with a spectacular closing concert at Luye Highlands. Find out more about how this fun event will transform Taitung's skies by checking out its official website.

贏過Google地圖的倫敦計程車運將

在倫敦，沒有人能夠比計程車內的駕駛更快速地帶你穿梭於這座城市。黑色計程車駕駛，或許可以提供全世界最好的計程車服務，這是因為他們習得了一個有用的技能。不需要地圖或是地址就能夠在超過六萬條的倫敦街道中找到最快的捷徑。

計程車司機能夠做到這件事情是因為他們必須要通過一個非常困難的駕駛執照考試─倫敦知識大全。這考試需要他們憑記憶力描述如何在十萬個城市地標中的兩個點行進的路線。只有大約百分之二十的駕駛能夠通過考試，而那些通過測驗的人可以祝賀一下自己，因為這是在英國最受尊敬的工作之一呢！

The Secret Skill That Drives London's Taxis

It's a rainy London morning, and you're already late for an important meeting. You rush out of your hotel and call for a taxi. A car pulls up in front of you. Instantly, you breathe a sigh of relief. It's a black cab, and no one can get you around this city faster than the driver inside it.

Black-cab drivers, or “cabbies,” might offer the world's best taxi service. That's because they've learned a valuable skill. Without a map or an address, they're able to find the shortest route around more than 60,000 London streets. Cabbies can do this because they've had to pass a terribly difficult driving test: the Knowledge of London. This requires them to describe how to travel between two of over 100,000 city landmarks—from memory! Only about 20% of drivers manage to make the cut. Those who do can pat themselves on the back, though. This is one of the most widely respected jobs in the UK.

比利時的華麗首都──布魯塞爾

比利時的布魯塞爾雖然比其他歐洲國家的首都小得多，但其地位絕對重要。這座擁有一百二十萬人的城市是好幾個國際組織的總部，包括北大西洋公約組織和歐盟（EU）。因此，你常會在這裡找到比世界上任何其他地方更多的政治家和記者。

雖然政治可能會驅使許多人探訪布魯塞爾，但其他人來到這裡是因為其令人驚嘆的建築。布魯塞爾大廣場於西元 1998 年被列為聯合國教科文組織世界遺產，這座精巧複雜的商行廣場同樣震驚了遊客和當地人。在花毯節期間，藝術家會用將近一百萬朵的鮮花裝飾廣場。尿尿小童也是比利時最受歡迎的景點之一；你可以在商店的櫥窗裡、明信片上找到他，甚至能找到尿尿小童形狀的巧克力。有著令人印象深刻的建築和歐風魅力，布魯塞爾絕對有夠多事物值得一遊。

Brussels: A Brief Guide to Belguim's Charming Capital

Brussels, Belgium, is one of Europe's oddest places. A mostly French-speaking city surrounded by a Dutch-speaking region, it's a melting pot of different languages and cultures. Many tourists skip over this charming city in a rush to reach Amsterdam or Paris. However, stick around for more than a day, and you'll find that it's much more than just another name on the map.

While much smaller than other European capitals, Brussels is by no means unimportant. This city of 1.2 million people serves as the headquarters for several international organizations, including NATO and the European Union (EU). As a result, you'll often find more politicians and journalists here than anywhere else in the world.

While politics may motivate many visits to Brussels, others come here for the city's amazing architecture. Wander the capital's historic center, a maze of winding medieval streets, and marvel at its crown jewel: the Grand Place. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998, this square of elaborate merchant houses stuns tourists and locals alike. This is especially true during the Flower Carpet, when artists decorate the plaza with nearly a million fresh blossoms.

Other parts of the city show Brussels's unique sense of humor. The Manneken Pis is one funny example; it's a 61-centimeter bronze statue of a little boy peeing into a fountain. This little guy is one of the country's most widely loved attractions; you'll find him in shop windows, on postcards, and even shaped into chocolate. With impressive architecture and European charm, there's more than enough in Brussels to make the city well worth a visit.

再買剁手！向衝動購物說不！

身為人類，我們的大腦被設計來欣賞並尋找新奇的景象、聲音及體驗。這就是為什麼獲得一雙流行的運動鞋或最新的智慧型手機會帶給我們如此多的快樂。購物會觸發大腦的酬償中樞釋放使人愉悅的化學物質多巴胺。這種化學物質與人們沉溺於成癮行為如吸毒和賭博時充滿大腦的物質一樣。每當你買東西，你都會受到多巴胺的衝擊。然而，就像受到毒品或酒精影響的人做出錯誤的選擇一樣，購物的快感也會使人們做出糟糕的財務決定。

隨著購物變得比以往都容易，花錢亂買不需要的東西是很誘人的。下次購物時，建立一個清單並嚴守所列事項。將信用卡留在家中，並使用現金付款。如果你即將要衝動購物，請走開幾分鐘。如果你花一些時間重新考慮要不要買，可能會發現你沒那麼想要它。聰明購物，這樣你就不會陷入購物的快感中。

Don't Fall Victim to the Shopping High

As humans, our brains are wired to appreciate and seek out novel sights, sounds, and experiences. This is why getting hold of a fashionable pair of sneakers or the latest smartphone gives us so much pleasure. Shopping, just like other enjoyable experiences, triggers the brain's reward center to release the feel-good chemical dopamine. This is the same chemical that floods the brain when people engage in addictive behaviors like drug use and gambling. Every time you buy something, you get a hit of dopamine. However, just as people under the influence of drugs or alcohol make bad choices, the high from shopping can also cause people to make poor financial decisions.

With shopping becoming easier than ever, it can be tempting to spend money on things you don't need. The next time you go shopping, create a list and stick to it. Leave your credit cards at home and pay for your purchases with cash. If you're about to make an impulse buy, walk away from it for a few minutes. If you take some time to reconsider the purchase, you might find that you don't want it all that badly. Be smart about shopping so you don't get caught up in a shopping high.