常春藤生活英语【72】母子之约

Patricia and her husband, Mike, were having an argument about another woman in Mike's lifehis mother. You two haven't dined together for so long, Patricia said. Mike replied by saying that his busy job occupied most of his time. He also said that he

常春藤生活英语【89】Mosquito Repellent

Many people regard summer as a time for relaxing, eating ice cream, and...ouch! I just got bitten by a mosquito! For centuries, people have been searching for effective ways to prevent mosquito bites. What they have been looking for is mosquito repel

常春藤生活英语【88】Stonehenge Decoded

Throughout history, some mysteries about our world have been solved, while others have not. One of the greatest mysteries of all time is Stonehenge1 in England. This very old structure2 was built with huge stones that stand upright3. Some are even pl

常春藤生活英语【78】Boating in Taiwan『船』承台湾

Boating1 has long been a part of Taiwan and its surrounding islands. Almost everyone has been on a boat while fishing, competing, or getting from place to place. After all, Taiwan is an island in the Pacific Ocean and it has many rivers. However, boa

常春藤生活英语【73】终结宠物的孤单

There is a humorous comic strip1 about a dog that is lying on a psychiatrist's2 couch. Sometimes I feel like I'm barking up the wrong tree, doctor! says the worried dog. Pets don't seem to have the same problems and fears that people do. But pets can

常春藤生活英语【85】Cheering for the Team

One evening, many friends came over to my house to watch an important baseball game. It was the last game of the championships1, and we were all rooting for the Elephants. Everyone was cheering and shouting throughout the close game. After eight and

常春藤生活英语【99】All about November

November is the eleventh month of the year. The word November, however, comes from the Latin1 word novem, which means nine. This is because November was originally the ninth month of the year. Before 713 BC, the Roman calendar was used and a year had

常春藤生活英语【97】最牛中国

New things are happening in China as it moves into the future. This month, National Geographic Channel will report on some interesting stories of change. For a long time, Japan has been in the lead in making eco-2cars. Now, China wants to try, too. I

常春藤生活英语【76】I Love to Wear Shades

The sunglasses we know and love today are available in all shapes and sizes. However, they appeared long after people startedexperimenting with lenses2. In Rome, Emperor Nero is said to have watched events through an emerald, which may haveacted as a

常春藤生活英语【75】Sense of Direction 迷路记

Dialogue A Marla and Hank are driving to Marlas sisters new house. Marla: Are you sure this is the right street? Hank: No, I have absolutely no idea where we are. Marla: Well, you have a lousy1 sense of direction so I knew we'd get lost. Hank: It's n

常春藤生活英语【91】防台准备

Dialogue A Jerry and Susan are in their office. Jerry: It has been raining since last night. Susan: I heard a typhoon is approaching. It's going to hit our city tonight. Jerry: Will it be a strong one? Susan: Yes, it will. So we had better finish our

常春藤生活英语【90】Louis XIV　法王路易十四

Louis XIV was the king of France from 1643 to 1715. Many thought his birth was a miracle1. This is because King Louis XIII and his wife had been married for 23 years without having a child. When Louis was finally born, he was named Louis-Dieudonn, wh

常春藤生活英语【100】极限维修大挑战

It takes a lot of people to get huge buildings and machines finished on time and under budget. In the beginning, a team of engineers1 has to map out exactly what needs to be done. Then, groups of workers need to figure out how to cooperate and work i

常春藤生活英语【104】Reading in the Internet Age

Reading a good book has been compared to going scuba diving for the first time. Once a reader dives in, the brain swims in all kinds of new knowledge or interesting stories. This feels just like being at the bottom of the ocean and seeing all of the

常春藤生活英语【93】Bob Ballard Specials

This month on National Geographic Channel, we learn more about National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence1 Dr. Robert Ballard. He is best known for finding the Titanic. On NGC, he shares stories about his secret life while working for the US Navy2. Yo

常春藤生活英语【101】Not Quite the Same

One afternoon while I was in the middle of my favorite TV show, I heard my mother calling me in the kitchen. I got up from the sofa reluctantly and went to see what was going on. She was baking a cake and had just run out of sugar, so she wanted me t

常春藤生活英语【94】No More Bad Blood

Dialogue A Katie and Stan are eating lunch in the office together. Katie: Hey, Stan. Have you met the new blood yet? Stan: You mean Bill, right? I had to work with him all morning. He just couldn't seem to get anything right. It was absolutely terrib

常春藤生活英语【84】Waiting for Doughnuts

Nick found a newly opened doughnut store on the way home. Because he felt curious and hungry, he decided to buy some. Despite the long line of people that were already waiting in front of the shop, Nick lined up. He waited for almost an hour, but he

常春藤生活英语【96】The Traditions of Halloween

Halloween is a well-known holiday all over the world even though it is not celebrated in every country. The main traditions of Halloween are wearing costumes, carving pumpkins, telling stories, and going trick-or-treating1. But how did they start? Li

常春藤生活英语【87】Deja Vu 似曾相识

Have you ever been in a place for the first time and felt strange? Maybe it was a feeling that you had been there before. However, you knew you had never been to that place. You wondered if you had seen it in a movie recently. Perhaps the place looke