許多讀者都了解英文是國際語言也是將來商業、旅遊、餐飲、科技、法律和無數的領域都需要交流和調解的關鍵工具，但誠如老師提過的「深入文化」所習得的語言才能成為「骨骼」，而學過的詞彙、文法、慣用語才有機會長成「肌肉」，而利用英文去思考生活的大小事情才賦予「靈魂」在各種表達的字句中。同學應該還記得前陣子英國交通部長Susan Barmer為表示國際外交形式上的友好，贈送了「懷錶」(Pocket Watch)卻誤觸了中華文化中「送鐘(終)」的諧音禁忌，這在國際上可是不能犯的gaffe (無心錯誤)，也更突顯各國對於「禮品」的概念有所不同；另一方面，台北市長在第一時間表示可以"regift"(轉送)給其他人或是賣給收破銅爛鐵的商人(scrap metal dealer)換取現金比較實際，也引起了大眾譁然(the heated debate)，認為雖然看似隨性作風但給英國政府洗臉(give a lesson)一番，也算是失言(misspeak)和成了社交失禮(social faux pas)的示範。或許這次事件也有助外國人了解華人文化不適宜送鐘錶的禁忌。就像AFP形容這是"double diplomatic gaffe"，雙方都有失禮之處：外國人的報導主要聚焦於這位外賓送禮觸犯華人禁忌（外賓並已對此做出聲明表示歉意），台灣的報導則主要環繞在新市長的失言（off-the-cuff remark gaffe)今天一開場就要讓同學用國際媒體看台灣外交躍上世界時事焦點的用語和介紹囉！
★ British Minister Breaks Taboo With Watch Gift for Taipei Mayor
英國(交通)部長誤觸禁忌，贈送台北市長懷錶事件
A British transport minister on a trade visit to Taipei got a lesson in the perils of diplomatic gift giving Monday when she presented a pocket watch to the city's mayor -- a taboo act in Chinese culture.(本周一時，英國交通部長在這趟台灣的商務參訪中，確實在外交贈禮危機中學了寶貴的一課，當她正式贈與台北市長一只懷錶:恰好為中華文化中的禁忌。)
Baroness Susan Kramer apologized for the inadvertently inauspicious gift -- the word for a watch or clock in Chinese sounds like "the end" and many associate it with death.(蘇珊卡門爾為這無心贈與且附有不祥意涵的禮品致上歉意，由於「手錶」或是「鐘」在中文裡都意指"終了"，而且許多人都會立刻聯想到死亡。)
"We learn something new each day. I had no idea a gift like this could be seen as anything other than positive: In the UK a watch is precious - because nothing is more important than time," she later said in a statement.(蘇珊表示：「我們每天都學習新事物。我並不知道這種禮物會被視為如此負面，在英國手錶是相當珍貴的，因為每寸光陰是最寶貴的。」)
But the recipient, Mayor Ko Wen-je, also came under fire for his "rude" response. Ko, who was recently elected and isn't a career politician, told reporters that he had "no use" for the pocket watch.(台北市長柯文哲身為贈禮對象，卻因為自己的"魯莽"言論而遭受多方抨擊。新上任的柯市長並不是資深政客，也告知記者自己不知道怎處理這只懷錶。)
"I can just regift it to someone or take it to a scrap metal dealer and sell it for cash," he was quoted as saying. On Tuesday, he apologized and said he would undertake some "diplomatic etiquette" training.(在市長的發言中提到:我大概會轉送給別人或是拿到收破銅爛鐵的商家換現金。在週二時也親自道歉並表示他會正式參加外交禮儀訓練課程。)
Kramer and Ko can take comfort that it's not the first time an exchange of official gifts has stirred controversy.( 卡門爾和柯文哲都可以放輕鬆些，因為這並不是第一回官方贈禮惹出禍端了。)
※歐巴馬總統在2009年就被英國媒體大力撻伐，因為給予當時英國首相布朗一份影音光碟，竟然是完全無法在英國撥放系統上觀看。但反觀英國所贈送的筆筒就相當有水準，這可是在維多利亞時期反奴役船隻所用的木材而製，可說是意義非凡的贈禮心思。
<名人英文開講時間>：一向爭取人權和種族平等權力文明的美國社會，對於同性婚姻和相關法案仍存在相當大的爭議。目前為科技龍頭蘋果公司首席執行長公開出櫃，認為自己身為公眾人有其必要來為真正的平等和正義發聲，也在許多人心中投下了震撼彈!Apple的CEO庫克(Cook)公開表示他的性向並寫了封公開信給大眾，用字遣詞及內容十分精湛。
Throughout my professional life, I've tried to maintain a basic level of privacy. I come from humble (卑微的) roots, and I don't seek to draw attention to(吸引目光) myself. Apple is already one of the most closely watched companies in the world, and I like keeping the focus on our products and the incredible things our customers achieve with them.(回顧我的專業生涯中，我總對基本隱私相當重視。出身清寒，我也並不尋求太多關注，而蘋果電腦公司早已是世界上前景看好的公司之一，我也很喜歡專注於公司產品和客戶使用後能獲得的絕妙效果。)
At the same time, I believe deeply in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, who said: "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" I often challenge myself with that question, and I've come to realize that my desire for personal privacy has been holding me back from doing something more important. That's what has led me to today.(在同時我也深信馬丁路德‧金恩博士曾說過：「在人生最需持續和努力關注的問題就是『你曾為別人做過些什麼嗎？』」) 我常這麼自省且問著自己這件事情，也同時意識到在渴望更多個人隱私，讓我竟退怯而不去做更有意義的事情。這也是今天讓我站在這裡的原因。
For years, I've been open with many people about my sexual orientation (性取向). Plenty of colleagues at Apple know I'm gay, and it doesn't seem to make a difference in the way they treat me. Of course, I've had the good fortune to work at a company that loves creativity and innovation (創新) and knows it can only flourish (繁盛) when you embrace (擁抱) people's differences. Not everyone is so lucky.
While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven't publicly acknowledged (承認) it either, until now. So let me be clear: I'm proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.(多年來我都和許多人公開我的性向，許多在蘋果公司的同事也知道我是同性戀者，但這並不改變她們對我的態度。當然，我也是非常幸運可以在這個熱愛創意和創新的公司上班，而且在包容彼此間的差異下更加壯大。但並不是每個人都像我這樣幸運。我從不否認我的性向，但我也從未公開承認，直到說話的這個當下。我想說的是:身為同性戀者我相當的驕傲，而且我認為身為同性戀者是上帝給我最棒的禮物之一。)
Being gay has given me a deeper understanding of what it means to be in the minority (少數) and provided a window into the challenges that people in other minority groups deal with every day. It's made me more empathetic (有同理心的), which has led to a richer life. It's been tough and uncomfortable at times, but it has given me the confidence to be myself, to follow my own path, and to rise above adversity (困境) and bigotry (偏執). It's also given me the skin of a rhinoceros (犀牛), which comes in handy when you're the CEO of Apple.(這讓我體察到少數族群的身分也可以讓我多了份挑戰去感受其他少數族群每日所經歷過的掙扎。這讓我變得更有同理心，也導向我更豐富的人生。每每感到人生的艱苦和難過，我也從中拾獲自信，去走出自己的道路，從困挫中學會堅強和些頑固。我常戲稱在擔任蘋果首席執行長時，這一切一切的過去讓我可以像有著犀牛皮般百毒不侵。)
The world has changed so much since I was a kid. America is moving toward marriage equality, and the public figures who have bravely come out (出櫃) have helped change perceptions (觀感) and made our culture more tolerant. (從孩提時期開始，這世界變了很多。美國社會也提倡平等婚姻權和許多公眾人物勇敢出櫃改變社會觀點，也讓我們的文化更兼容並蓄。)Still, there are laws on the books in a majority of states that allow employers to fire people based solely on their sexual orientation. There are many places where landlords can evict (驅逐) tenants (房客) for being gay, or where we can be barred from visiting sick partners and sharing in their legacies. Countless people, particularly kids, face fear and abuse every day because of their sexual orientation(性向).(現行律法中有許多州，讓雇主可以僅因性向開除員工；甚至有些房東可以「依法」驅離同性戀房客，甚至也不能探視生病的伴侶或得到任何遺產。無數的人們，尤其是孩子每天都因為自己的性向而活在恐懼和暴力中。)I don't consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I've benefited from the sacrifice (犧牲) of others. So if hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with (接受) who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it's worth the trade-off with my own privacy.The company I am so fortunate to lead has long advocated (倡導) for human rights (人權) and equality for all. We stood for marriage equality in our home state of California. We'll continue to fight for our values, and I believe that any CEO of this incredible company, regardless of (不顧) race, gender, or sexual orientation, would do the same. And I will personally continue to advocate for equality for all people until my toes point up.(公司可貴地倡導平等，而加州國會也如同我們支持同性婚禮立法及通過任何不受歧視的平等法案。在我們公司中任何的高級主管都會做一樣的事情，不管種族、性別、或性向，全力支持人權和提倡平等，直到盡了最後一份力氣。)When I arrive in my office each morning, I'm greeted by framed photos of Dr. King and Robert F. Kennedy. I don't pretend that writing this puts me in their league. All it does is allow me to look at those pictures and know that I'm doing my part(盡本分), however small, to help others. We pave (舖路) the sunlit path toward justice (公平正義) together, brick by brick. This is my brick.(每早到辦公室，馬丁路德博士和甘迺迪總統的照片總招呼著我的到來，這麼說並不代表我有如此偉大，但這讓我感受到即使能力有限，但我正在盡自己的本份幫助他人。這灑滿陽光通往正義的道路，一磚一瓦，亦步亦趨，可貴的一步。)