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Red means stop, yellow means slow down, and green means go. Around the world, traffic lights come in these three colors and represent the same instructions. Even young children are familiar with this before they get behind the wheel . But where and why was this color scheme first used?
Before traffic lights were invented, traffic police stood at major intersections to direct traffic. In 1868, the first traffic lights were installed at a busy intersection in London. But the idea for them, proposed by a railway engineer, had already been used on railway lines for decades. When train engineers saw a red light, they stopped. Red was chosen because, being the color of blood, it had represented danger for centuries. Meanwhile, a white light meant go, and a green light told the driver to exercise caution. White was used simply because it required no color filter. Green was chosen probably because it contrasts nicely with red. This system seemed to work well; however, when the color filters for red and green lights fell off, they appeared white and accidents occurred. As a result, white was eliminated, and yellow was adopted to represent caution, while green meant go. Yellow was suitable because it differentiated itself from the other two colors.
George represented his company at the press conference.
喬治代表公司出席記者會。
This ring, though inexpensive, represents my love for you.
這只戒指雖然不貴,卻代表著我對你的愛。
This ring, though inexpensive, stands for my love for you.
這只戒指雖然不貴,卻代表著我對你的愛。
Exercise and proper diet are essential for good health.
運動和適當的飲食對健康很重要。
My father exercises every morning at the park.
我爸爸每天早上都在公園運動。
Did you finish the exercises in the chapter?
你做完這一章的練習題了嗎?
Henry exercised his horses twice a day.
亨利一天操練他的馬兒 2 次。
Many fail to exercise their right to vote.
很多人都沒有去行使他們的投票權。
All drugs should be used with caution.
所有的藥物都應謹慎使用。
All drugs should be used cautiously.
所有的藥物都應謹慎使用。
The park rangers cautioned us to avoid entering the park after dark.
公園管理員警告我們天黑後避免進入園區。
Joe’s doctor cautioned against smoking or drinking because of Joe’s poor health.
喬的醫生警告他健康欠佳,所以不要吸菸或飲酒。
Tom is introverted. By contrast, his brother John is extroverted.
湯姆很內向。相對之下,他哥哥約翰就很外向。
The puppy appears small in contrast to its mother.
這隻小狗和母狗比起來模樣小多了。
When you contrast Edward with Henry, you’ll find a big difference between them in terms of personality.
你將愛德華與亨利對比時,會發現兩人的個性有很大的差異。
Our troops made a surprise attack and eliminated the enemy.
我軍發動奇襲,把敵人消滅了。
We have to eliminate the losing team from the competition.
我們必須把這支快輸的隊伍從比賽中淘汰掉。
The CEO pushed to eliminate all unnecessary spending from the budget.
執行長積極推動將預算中所有不必要的支出刪除。
The general manager adopted my proposal without hesitation.
總經理毫不猶豫地採用了我的提案。
Ben's wife is barren, so they've decided to adopt a baby boy.
班的太太不孕,因此他們決定領養一個小男嬰。
As Nicole couldn't have a baby of her own, she decided to adopt.
因為妮可沒辦法懷有自己的小孩,她決定領養一個。
Emma adopted a new religion while studying abroad.
艾瑪在留學期間接受了新的宗教信仰。
I can’t differentiate the genuine bag from the fake
one because they look so much alike.
我分不清真的名牌包跟仿冒品,因為它們看起來太像了。
A good journalist can differentiate between facts and
opinions.
好的記者要能分辨事實與意見的不同。
In 1949, the Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb.
1949 年,蘇聯引爆它的第一顆原子彈。
The newspapers showed pictures of the plane after it exploded.
報紙登出這架飛機爆炸後的照片。
We exploded the bridge so the enemy troops couldn't cross it.
我們把橋炸掉,好讓敵軍無法通過。
We blew up the bridge so the enemy troops couldn't cross it.
我們把橋炸掉,好讓敵軍無法通過。
The population of this town has exploded in recent years.
該鎮的人口近年來激增。
It’s a universal truth that people need to be loved.
人人皆需要愛,舉世皆然。
Smiling is a universal expression.
微笑是全世界共通的語言。
The philosophy professor talked about universals, such as the need to feel loved.
哲學教授談到了一些普遍的概念,如被愛的需要。
Kevin has been scheming to get that promotion since the day he joined the firm.
自凱文進公司的那天起,他就一直想辦法要奪得那個位置。
The finance minister has been scheming against the prime minister for months now.
財政部長密謀對抗總理已數個月了。
The company owner was fined for an illegal scheme to avoid paying taxes.
這家公司的老闆因為非法圖謀逃漏稅而被罰款。
Our olive oil is extracted from fine olives and
processed in our own factory.
我們的橄欖油是由精選的橄欖中所提煉出來,然後在我們自
己的工廠內加工的。
The following paragraph was extracted from the
writer’s latest book.
下面這段話摘錄自該作者最新的書。
The gangsters may torture Tommy in order to extract
information about the whereabouts of his brother,
who owed them a fortune.
這些黑幫成員可能會對湯米進行刑求,以得知他哥哥的下
落,而他哥哥欠了這幫人一大筆錢。
This facial cream is made from natural plant extracts
and is suitable for sensitive skin.
這面霜是由天然植物萃取物做的,適合敏感性肌膚。
Slow down, or you’ll get a ticket.
放慢速度,否則你會被開罰單。
The shirt comes in three sizes: small, medium, and large.
這款襯衫有三種尺寸:小、中和大。
Are you familiar with my boss?
你和我老闆熟嗎?
After I took the shirt out of the washing machine, its top button fell off.
我從洗衣機拿出我的襯衫後,上面的第一顆扣子掉了。
We saw a car powered by solar energy at that car exhibition.
我們在那場車展中看到一臺太陽能驅動的汽車。
I get nervous whenever my wife is behind the wheel.
每當我太太開車時,我都很緊張。
The cost of living varies from country to country.
不同國家的生活費用各不相同。