Do you want to know more about outer space? Yes, definitely. I think it’s mysterious, I mean, despite all the research that’s been conducted over the last century and this century, I feel it still remains an enigma to humanity. There’s even, apparently, space research, which if I remember correctly, was performed by the European Space Agency (ESA), and they determined that our Milky Way galaxy was pretty much in the center of the background radiation tests they performed, which to a layman, sounds pretty extraordinary, so there seems to be an infinite amount of knowledge that awaits discovery. When you really ponder the stars, it’s quite incredible really. * mysterious 神秘的 * conduct...research 研究 * an enigma 谜团 * humanity 人类 * European Space Agency 欧洲航天局 * determined 算出 * Milky Way 银河 * galaxy 银河；银河系 * background radiation 背景辐射 * layman 外行人 * sounds 听起来 * extraordinary 非凡的 * an infinite amount of 无限的 * awaits discovery 等着发掘 [图片] Do you want to go into outer space in the future? Well, to be honest, I’m not a space-based creature. I mean, sure, people have gone into the furthest reaches of our atmosphere, but what lies beyond still seems like an abyss into nothingness. I mean sure, there are photos and videos of other planets on the Internet, for instance, of the Moon and Mars, but they look like endless deserts, in fact, they kinda look like the Dry Valleys in Antarctica, at least Mars does, and I’m sure these alien landscapes are impossibly inhospitable to life, so, no, I’m not keen on the idea of visiting outer space, in part because it seems wholly impossible to me, and second, because it also seems uninhabitable. * the furthest reaches of 到了最远端/最遥远的地方/最深远之处 * atmosphere 大气层 * abyss 深渊 * nothingness 虚无 * endless deserts 无尽的沙漠 * alien landscapes 外星地形 * inhospitable 不适合居住的 * not keen on the idea of 对……不感兴趣 * uninhabitable 无法居住的 [图片] Do you like science fiction movies? Absolutely, yes. But I have to admit that I’ve only watched a few movies from the science fiction genre so far, for instance, 2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s a story of the evolution of the human race and outer space. In the movie, there’s this really, well, sort of bulky long spacecraft manned by two men and a supercomputer. It’s a long movie, but every single frame is so captivating that I was hooked from the very beginning. It’s a masterpiece directed by a movie maestro, Stanley Kubrick. There’s another science fiction film on my ‘to-watch’ list: The Three-Body Problem. It’s a film adapted from a novel, which I read last year. 《三体》的英文版翻译有多好 * genre 流派；派别 * the evolution of 进化 * the human race 人类 * bulky 庞大的 * spacecraft 宇宙飞船 * manned by 由……掌控 * captivating 迷人的 * hooked from the very beginning 一开始就迷上了 * a masterpiece 大师之作 * directed by 由……导演 * maestro 大师 [图片] Have you ever learned about outer space? Yeah, I remember back in the science class during my primary school years, we were introduced to the nine planets in the solar system: Mercury – the smallest one among the nine, Venus, Earth of course, Mars, and there’s Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and what’s the last one? Oh, Pluto. That was the first time I learned about outer space and the cosmos and it certainly kindled my curiosity in this field. * Mercury 水星 * Venus 金星 * Earth 地球 * Mars 火星 * Jupiter 木星 * Saturn 土星 * Uranus 天王星 * Neptune 海王星 * Pluto 冥王星 * the cosmos 宇宙 * kindled my curiosity 点燃了我的好奇心

Do you think shopping is good for a country’s economy? Yes, certainly. Buying and selling are the foundation of an economy. When the average person goes out and purchases an item, be it an item as small as a pen or as expensive as a car, they are generating demand and thus creating a small ripple within a plethora of economic contributors, such as manufacturing, logistics, and retail, and that’s how an economy is able to flow, from manufacturing to procurement, shopping by an individual being one very small component of that process. Consequently, shopping, in this way, is beneficial for a nation’s economy. * buying and selling 买卖 * the foundation of ……的根基 * generating 产生；引起 * ripple 涟漪 * a plethora of 大量的 * economic contributors 经济贡献 * manufacturing 生产 * logistics 物流 * retail 零售 * procurement 购买 * one very small component of 一个很小的组成部分 * beneficial 对……有益 [图片] Why do people like shopping more now than in the past? I think there are a few reasons for this phenomenon, among which the advent of e-commerce technology plays a paramount role. I mean, technology has made it so much easier for everyone to shop; to buy anything, groceries, skin care products, clothing, and even home appliances, all one needs to do is go to some mainstream shopping site and browse whatever he or she needs, adds them into a digital shopping cart, then pays…and they’ll be delivered to the door within one to four days, at least here in China. The second reason is probably that better traffic and logistics systems both domestically and internationally have shortened the distance and time to transport products, bringing more types of goods and fresh foodstuffs, meaning more shopping options for people. Faced with so many more alternatives, people are more motivated to shop more often. Last but not least, compared to the past, the economy has become better, and for the average person, this means more disposable income, and so they can afford more items that they desire. Overall, these are the three fundamental factors I think for people shopping more these days than before. * the advent of ……的出现 * e-commerce technology 电子商务科技 * paramount 至关重要的 * groceries 杂货 * skin care products 护肤品 * home appliances 家电 * mainstream 主流的 * browse 浏览 * digital 电子的 * shopping cart 购物车 * domestically 国内 * internationally 国际 * foodstuffs 食品 * alternatives 可选物；替代物 * motivated 积极的；有动机的 * disposable income 可支配收入 * fundamental factors 基本因素 [图片] How should children spend their allowance money? It really depends on the kid’s preferences. In most families, children’s basic needs, like food, clothing, and toys are already provided for, so when they have their own pocket money, they can spend it on whatever they like, for instance, a particular snack, a cute pencil, a dinosaur toy, or a storybook. * preferences 喜好 * provided for 提供 [图片] How should bosses reward employees? Well, I guess there are a few ways a company can remunerate or incentivize staff, including salary, shares, bonus, paid holidays, and other perks such as snacks, team-building, and flexible working hours. However, in saying that, I think the best reward for employees is a financial reward because except for those well-off employees, the majority of people work because they need the money to support themselves and their families. It might sound a little shallow but let’s face it, for most employees, money is the main motivator to work. * remunerate 付报酬 * incentivize 奖励 * bonus 奖金 * paid holidays 带薪假 * perks 福利 * team-building 团建 * financial reward 经济报酬 * well-off 富裕的 * the majority of people 大多数人 * motivator 动力