地狹人稠的台灣,雖然近期並不平靜,但請別忘記,這座寶島仍有許多值得驕傲的地方!

美國有線電視新聞網 CNN 列舉台灣 10 項做得比其他地方都好的優點,包括  夜市、主題餐廳、免費WiFi、棒球及博物館等均入列。

 

 

 

 

1. 夜市 Night Markets

 

Craving oyster omelets and bubble tea in the middle of the night? Crowded with street hawkers, the 300 or so bustling bazaars on this tiny island operate until the small hours.

 

For an island smaller in area than Switzerland, Taiwan sure has a lot of night markets -- an estimated 300 island-wide. These open-air bazaars are particularly loved for street food, referred to locally as xiao-chi, literally "small eats."

 

Perennial favorites are oyster omelets, stinky tofu and an assortment of snacks on a stick straight off the grill. Specialty drinks range from bubble tea to shots of snake blood.

 

According to the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, some 70% of tourists to Taiwan will visit a night market. The top three Facebook check-ins for 2013 in Taiwan were all night markets; Tainan Flower Night Market (12th globally) nabbed the top spot, followed by Luodong and Feng Chia night markets in Yilan and Taichung, respectively.

 

 

CNN 報導,面積比瑞士還小的台灣,卻有高達 300 個夜市,提供蚵仔煎、臭豆腐、雞排等人氣美食  據台灣觀光局數據指出,7成訪台觀光客都會到夜市一遊。而 2013 年台灣臉書打卡前三名的地方分別是台南花園夜市(全球第 12 名)、宜蘭羅東夜市及台中逢甲夜市。

 

crave (v.) 渴望獲得;迫切需要  = covet, desire

 

The artist craved recognition of his talents. 這位藝術家渴望他的天才得到承認。

 

hawker (n.) 小販

bustling (adj.) 熙來攘往的;繁忙的,熱鬧的 ※ bustle (n./v.) 忙亂,喧囂

﹡bazaar (n.) 市場,市集 ※ open-air bazaars 露天市集

small hours 凌晨

He returned in the small hours. 他午夜過後才回來。

 

﹡perennial (adj.) 長期的

﹡assortment (n.) 各式各樣東西的混合;什錦

 

 

 

 

2. 主題餐廳 Themed Restaurants

 

The island is home to a treasure of quirky restaurant concepts: hot pink Barbie, Hello Kitty and toilet restaurants where guests eat out of miniature urinals, to name a few.

 

除了夜市之外,台灣還有琳琅滿目的主題餐廳,也獲CNN點名,逗趣搞笑的便所餐廳及粉紅滿天下的Hello Kitty餐廳或全世界第一家的Barbie餐廳,以及有如置身飛機上的A380空中廚房,和其他各式主題的特色餐廳,超乎你的想像。

 

﹡quirky (adj.) 古怪的;奇特的

﹡urinal (n.) 小便斗

 

 

 

 

3. 免費無線熱點 Free Wi-Fi

 

Taiwan has a free, nationwide WiFi network. It was one of the first places in the world to offer free WiFi on a mass scale.


In June 2013, the service was rolled out to tourists in four of the five largest cities, using more than 4,400 hotspots. Visitors can sign up for an iTaiwan account with their passport at Taiwan Tourism Bureau centers and offices in transportation stations, then receive complimentary WiFi in Taipei, New Taipei, Taichung and Tainan.

 

CNN 也認為,台灣免費無線網路(WiFi)服務也做得比別國好。免費的 iTaiwan 熱點於 2011 年推出,並於 2013 年 6 月起,把服務範圍擴大至台灣五大都會區,擁有超過 4400 個熱點。

 

﹡roll out 推出
﹡complimentary (adj.) 免費的;贈送的

There was a complimentary bottle of champagne in the hotel room.

賓館房間內有一瓶免費供應的香檳。

 

 

 

 

4. 博物館與中國文物 Museums and Chinese Artifacts

 

You might think it'd be in Beijing or Shanghai, but the National Palace Museum in Taipei houses the largest collection of Chinese artifacts and artwork in the world, with a permanent collection of more than 650,000 items.

 

除此之外,台灣故宮博物院是世界上最大的中國古董博物館,擁有超過65萬件古董及藝術品, 超越上海及北京,讓你一次看完中國5千年歷史,絕對是個值得讓你一來再來的好地方。

 

﹡permanent (adj.) 永久的,永恆的;固定性的 ↔ momentary, temporary

 

 

 

 

5. 動新聞 Animated News

 

With an army of about 400 animators, Next Media Animation (NMA), a Taiwan-based animation studio, can turn any news story into a cartoon in as fast as 90 minutes.

 

你可能跟小編一樣驚訝,原來台灣的動新聞也是台灣之光

原來壹傳媒動畫公司(NMA)聘請大約400名動畫人才,最快只要花費90分鐘,就能讓新聞以 動畫呈現,這也是世界上許多國家都做不到的。

 

 

 

 

6. 素肉 Mock Meat

 

One of the world's most vegetarian-friendly destinations, Taiwan offers 6,000 or so restaurants serving an impressive variety of delicious vegetarian fare to feed the 10% of the country that shuns meat.

 

Taiwan is the best place to hit when you're craving meat but don't actually want to eat any. That's right, we're talking about mock meat.

 

至於喜歡素食的人有福了,台灣有逾 6 千家提供素食佳餚的餐廳,讓國內10%的素食人口享用。且所做的素肉甚至能以假亂真欺騙過食肉主義者的味覺。

 

﹡fare (n.) 食物;餐點 ※ bill of fare 菜單

﹡shun (v.) 躲開;迴避  = avoid, evade, dodge

Victims of the disease found themselves shunned by society.

這種病的受害者發現社會上的人都躲着他們。

 

 

 

7.  棒球 Little League Baseball

 

Baseball may be Taiwan's most popular sport -- diamonds are almost as common as dumplings around the island. Taiwan holds the record for the most Little League World Series championship titles (17), nearly double that of its closest runner-up, Japan.

 

台灣人的棒球魂,也名列台灣最值得驕傲的前10名。在台灣,棒球是最受歡迎的運動了,而台灣少棒隊更是世界聞名,多次奪得世界少棒冠軍,是最強勁對手日本的近2倍。

 

 

 

 

8.  全民健康保險 National Health Coverage

 

In a year when the Obamacare debacle played out in global headlines, it's worth to noting that Taiwan has what many call the best universal healthcare system in the world.

 

Taiwanese citizens can visit any doctor in the country. Fees are reimbursed by the National Health Insurance Administration, whose 2% administrative costs are the lowest in the world.

 

台灣的健保體制看似爭議不斷,改制、濫用、資源浪費等問題層出不窮,但在歐巴馬健保(Obamacare)上路跌跌撞撞,頻頻躍上全球媒體頭條之際,在他國人民眼中,台灣擁有全世界都羨慕的「全民健保」制度,堪稱是全球最佳的全民健保體系。

 

﹡debacle (n.) 瓦解;崩潰
﹡reimburse (v.) 償還;補償

The company will reimburse you for any costs incurred on the course.

你上課的全部費用可以向公司報銷。

 

 

 

 

9.  Hello Kitty 狂熱 Hello Kitty Obsession

 

Taiwan's obsession with the Japanese-born Sanrio character doesn't stop at feline-themed restaurants. Not only does the island have a Hello Kitty cafe, but Kitty-themed beer, airplanes and hotel rooms.

 

台灣人對 Kitty 的狂熱不止在餐廳,無論是啤酒、飛機和旅館,都能見到她的蹤跡,可說是包辦台灣人生活的吃喝玩樂!

 

 

 

 

10.  小籠包 Little Soup Dumplings

 

Taiwan's national food, "xiaolongbao", have earned Michelin stars and been listed in the Miele Guide. Even better? CNN put Din Tai Fung at number two on its list of best franchises for travelers.

 

最後,當然不得不提世界知名、備受民眾和觀光客喜愛的「鼎泰豐」小籠包了,絕對能 滿足各國饕客的味蕾,台灣用小籠包征服了全世界。

 

 

 

 

完整新聞:http://edition.cnn.com/2014/01/15/travel/10-things-taiwan/index.html

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