Week 6 Day 1

The Newspaper Umbrella
Our neighbor is an affluent inventor whose latest brainstorm, a feasible umbrella substitute, has been featured in many magazines. As simply as the eye can discern, it is a hard plastic strip, about the size of a ruler, which fits comfortably into a woman's handbag or a man's suit jacket. When a person is caught in a sudden rainstorm, he swings the plastic strip open in a shape of a cross. Attached to each arm is a clip-like device. Next, he takes the newspaper he is carrying and slides it under each of the four clips. Now equipped with a rigid head covering he can sally forth to face the elements. To the consternation of the umbrella manufacturers, it has been enjoying a brisk sale, especially among commuters. If it continues to do well, it could have a pernicious effect upon the umbrella industry.
報紙做的雨傘
我們的鄰居是一位很有創造力的發明家，他的最新靈感，就是一件很實用的雨傘替代品，已經在各大雜誌上特載過。這個產品簡單的用眼睛就可以發覺，是一組硬的塑膠條，大概只有一支尺的大小，恰恰好可以放在女生的手提袋裡或是男生的西裝外套中。若突然遇到風雨，就可以把這個塑膠條展開成十字架的形狀。每個塑膠條的手臂都有一個夾子般的裝置。接下來便將隨手帶的報紙拿出來，把報紙放在四個夾子的下面。如此一來，使用者便可以利用這個頭上裝載堅硬的覆蓋物，在雨天的氣候下往前衝刺。這個產品，特別是對於通勤族，銷量非常驚人，已經使得雨傘製造業者大呼驚愕。假若它再持續熱賣下去，將會對雨傘工業造成有害的衝擊效應。

Words
1. affluent 豐富的 adj.
2. feasible 可行的 adj.
3. discern 分辨，察覺 v.
4. sally 衝出 v.
5. consternation 驚愕，驚駭 n.
6. brainstorm 突來的靈感，腦力激盪 n.
7. feature 特載 n.
8. strip 條，帶 n.
9. swing 懸掛，揮轉 v.
10. clip 夾子 n.
11. rigid 堅硬的 adj.
12. the elements 惡劣的天氣n.
13. pernicious 有害的 adj. (Week 5 Day 4)

Today's Idiom
I'm from Missouri
這句俗諺，比較完整的句子應該是I'm from Missouri and you'll have to show me.。Missouri是美國的密蘇里州，1899年眾議員Willard Duncan Vandivr在費城發表演說時說了這句話( I am from Missouri. You have got to show me. )，表示密蘇里人對於事情採取懷疑的態度，不太願意相信別人，除非拿出證明來。所以密蘇里州在美國也稱作"show me" state。因此這句話便成為懷疑別人，不太容易信服的人。


Grammar 名詞藍色 動詞(片語)咖啡色 受詞綠色 連結詞橘色 關係代名詞紫色
1.Our neighbor is an affluent inventor whose latest brainstorm, a feasible umbrella substitute, has been featured in many magazines.
第一句話的whose就是關係代名詞，代表"他的"的意思，而a feasible umbrella substitute就是brainstorm的同位語，所以用兩個逗號分開。後面用現在完成式表示在雜誌上刊載已經是完成的動作，已經發生了。


2.As simply as the eye can discern, it is a hard plastic strip, about the size of a ruler, which fits comfortably into a woman's handbag or a man's suit jacket.
as + Adj.+ as +N.+ V.就是如N.所能V.一般的 Adj.，about the size of a ruler是用來形容這個strip的大小，後面的which也是代表strip的關係代名詞。


3.When a person is caught in a sudden rainstorm, he swings the plastic strip open in a shape of a cross.
is caught in a sudden rainstorm就是突然遇到下雨，swing open就是把東西展開，in a shape of 就是用什麼樣的形狀的意思。


4.Attached to each arm is a clip-like device.
attached to each arm這裡的用法是被動語態，主詞其實就是後面的受詞 a clip-like device。所以原來的句子也可以寫成 A clip-like device is attached to each arm.，把分詞掉到句首，可讓句型變化些。


5.Next, he takes the newspaper he is carrying and slides it under each of the four clips.
he takes the newspaper he is carrying其實就是省略掉一個關係代名詞that，若把that補上，變成為 he takes the newspaper that he is carrying，當關係代名詞that代替的東西是關係代名詞後面句子的受詞時，that可以省略。


6.Now equipped with a rigid head covering he can sally forth to face the elements.
equipped with a rigid head covering前面似乎少了主詞，其實是因為這個主詞跟後面的主詞一樣，所以可以省略。這裡的主詞就是he。equipped with 是he is equipped with的省略，被動語態寫成分詞時，就把BE動詞跟主詞一起省略。


7.To the consternation of the umbrella manufacturers, it has been enjoying a brisk sale, especially among commuters.
to N.就是對某某而言很N.的意思。brisk是活潑的意思，在這邊便成了銷售很熱烈的意思。


8.If it continues to do well, it could have a pernicious effect upon the umbrella industry.
have an effect on/upon這個片語就是對...有影響。