★ 左撇子的美麗與哀愁(上) Left- Handedness

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左撇子生活在右撇子世界中的苦與樂

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Chris, Minnie

左撇子生活在右撇子世界中的苦與樂 The ups and downs ▼ of being a left-hander in a right-handed world

D id you know that about 90% of people in the world are right-handed? Although this subject is rarely discussed , life is often difficult for lefties in a right-handed world.

　　你是否知道世界上約有九成的人是右撇子？雖然大家鮮少討論這個主題，但在右撇子世界中，左撇子的生活通常很辛苦。

 　　 Many cultures have not been friendly to lefties over the years. The word “left” was linked to negative ideas in several languages. In Latin, it was connected with something “unlucky” and “evil.” In Old English, “left” meant “weak.” In Islamic culture, people commonly use their left hand to clean themselves after they use the toilet, so many Muslims ▼ feel the left hand is unclean. Christians ▼ also like the right hand better. The Bible ▼ says that Jesus is seated on God ’ s right side in Heaven.

　　長久以來許多文化對左撇子不是很友善。「 left 」這個字在許多語言與負面的概念有關。在拉丁文中，「不幸」和「邪惡」與之相關聯。在古英語裡，「 left 」意味著「軟弱、虛弱」。伊斯蘭文化中，人們通常在如廁後用左手清潔，因此許多伊斯蘭教信徒覺得左手是不潔淨的。基督徒也較偏愛右手。聖經中敘述了在天堂，耶穌坐在聖父的右側。

 

 　　 Because of these ideas, parents often force their left-handed children to write with their right hands. Unfortunately, this can cause problems with their development . Studies show that forcing left-handed children to use the right hand can cause learning disorders ▼ and speech issues ▼ . Besides these challenges , lefties must use tools which aren ’ t made for them. Most scissors ▼ , knives, and musical instruments are designed for righties. Using these items can be difficult or even dangerous for lefties.

　　因為這些看法，父母通常強迫左撇子的孩子改用右手書寫。不幸地，這樣會造成孩童的發展問題。研究顯示強迫左撇子孩童改用右手會導致學習障礙和語言溝通問題。除了這些挑戰，左撇子還須使用不是為他們而設計的工具。大部分的剪刀、刀具和樂器都是設計給右撇子來使用的。左撇子使用這些器具會很困難甚至很危險。

延伸學習｜because of... vs. because

because of... 與 because 皆用來說明「原因」，表「因為∕由於……」之意。前者為片語介詞，後面接名詞或動名詞，後者為副詞連接詞，後面接子句；使用時，均可置於主要子句前面或後面，放在主要子句前面時，要用逗號與主要子句隔開。

• We put off the baseball game because of the heavy rain.
  因為下大雨，我們將棒球賽延期了。
• Because Ian felt sick, he didn’t go picnicking.
  因為身體不舒服，伊恩沒去野餐。

以下為其他常見表「因為、由於」的片語介詞：
due to（第二天文章）、owing to、thanks to、as a result of、on account of

• We were able to finish the work on time thanks to your help.
  由於你的幫助，我們得以準時完成工作。

 

You Can Do This    英文試金石
請將下列字詞組合成一正確通順的句子

1. The villagers’ ___________________ dirty water.
   linked / are / to / health problems
2. The report showed a ___________________ industry.
   side / the movie / negative / of
3. Ryan was ___________________ the window.
   at / near / seated / the table

 

Ans:

1. The villager’s health problems are linked to dirty water.
2. The report showed a negative side of the movie industry.
3. Ryan was seated at the table near the window.

 

 編輯小叮嚀 
本雜誌提供的中文翻譯依英文上下文意，經潤飾以求通順，故僅作為參考用，請勿逐字逐句對照學習。

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