宜誠鼎峰社區

If you need a story for inspiration, read on. It took place in Puebla, Mexico during the French-Mexican War on this date in 1862. The French army, which was stronger and better equipped, invaded Puebla, Mexico. The soldiers in Puebla were greatly outnumbered and suffering from a lack of supplies. Even so, they were determined not to give up. After a full day of fighting, the French army finally retreated. This was one of the first victories for Mexico during the war. Today, May 5, or Cinco de Mayo, is a holiday that celebrates overcoming great obstacles and Mexican pride.

Just five minutes of exercise a day in the great outdoors can improve mental health, according to a study.

根據一份研究，每天只要在野外運動5分鐘，就能增進心理健康。

Tributes have been paid to a dog who shot to fame for taking the bus to his local pub.

一條狗因為搭巴士到當地的酒館而成名，受到激賞。

For author Margaret Mitchell, one book was enough. After working on it for seven years, she finally published Gone With the Wind in 1936. Even though it was her only published work, the novel is one of the most popular books of all time. The story centers around a privileged young woman named Scarlett O'Hara, who desires nothing but to be the center of attention, during the American Civil War. On this date in 1937, Gone With the Wind won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Two years later, Gone With the Wind was turned into a very popular movie that many people still enjoy watching today.

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez has joined the ranks of those who say, "If you can’t beat ’em, tweet ’em."

委內瑞拉總統查維茲已成為那些說「如果不能打倒他們，就推他們」的人的一份子。

遇到喜歡自己、但自己並不喜歡的對象時，我們該怎麼拒絕呢？似乎找任何藉口都很虛假，這時倒不如直截了當地告訴對方：「You’re not my cup of tea.」告訴對方「你不是我喜歡的類型」。另一個常見的用法還有You’re not my type.，同樣都是「不是我的菜」之意。

舉例：

Anne Boleyn was the Queen of England for three years before her life went downhill very quickly. Things went sour because Anne did not give her husband, King Henry of England, a son. They did have a daughter, though, who would later become Elizabeth I of England. On this day in 1536, Anne was arrested and put in jail. King Henry said she was unfaithful to him and eventually had her killed. However, after Elizabeth became Queen, she cleared her mother's name. Today, Anne Boleyn is considered an important figure in England's long history.

經過1年半的修復，世界上最大的科學儀器「大強子對撞機」（Large Hadron Collider，LHC），日前在歐洲核子研究中心（CERN）啟動對撞，對撞能量達7兆電子伏特，成功爆出美麗「煙火」。對撞實驗目的是要模擬宇宙形成之初的狀態，探究「質量」和「空間」形成之謎。據外電報導，「大強子對撞機」30日啟動對撞時，前兩次質子束還未加速到最高能量前就消失，直到第三次重新注入質子束才對撞成功。

科學家宣稱，人類已對地球造成非常廣泛而前所未見的變化，因此就地質學而言，地球已進入地質史上的新時期「人類世」（Anthropocene），亦即邁入新人類的新紀元。據英國《每日電訊報》報導，包括諾貝爾化學獎得主克魯岑（Paul Crutzen）在內的科學家認為，環境汙染、人口暴增、都市化、人類移動、大量採礦及使用化石燃料，已徹底改變地球生態，且影響將擴及未來數百萬年。這些科學家在《環境科學與科技》期刊中指出，人類的破壞將會導致地球發生第6次大規模物種滅絕，數以千計的動植物將不復存在。屆時人類將邁入新人類的新紀元，也就是所謂的「人類世」期，這也是單一物種行為所形塑的第一個地質時期。

櫻桃有紅有白，草莓也不例外。荷蘭農夫復育成功一種瀕臨絕種的白色草莓，在英國上市銷售，這種乳白色草莓，香氣和味道近似鳳梨，稱作「鳳梨莓」（pineberry）。據《英國每日郵報》報導，鳳梨莓外型和口感和一般草莓差不多，香氣和味道卻像鳳梨，因此得名。鳳梨莓原是南美洲野生種，一度瀕臨絕種，荷蘭農人復育成功，現在英國超市就能買到，一籃約台幣190元。 

最近媒體報導，由於虎年忌諱多，在「月曆效應」（Calendar effect）發酵下，今年婦女總生育率恐怕「破1」，至少，今年前兩個月新生兒數已經比去年同期大減9%。人口學者表示，去年台灣總生育率已是全球最低，平均每名育齡婦女僅生1人，今年更將「破1」，也就是有兩到三成婦女終身不打算生育。至於台灣出生人數低於死亡人數的「死亡交叉」，最快更可能4年後出現，人口負成長則會在民國106年發生。

冰島火山爆發，歐洲幾乎全籠罩在火山灰雲（volcanic ash cloud）的陰霾下。全球停飛航班增加，平均每4個航班就有3個被迫取消，歐陸各國繼續關閉部分或全部領空，受阻旅客達數百萬人，停飛規模為二戰以來之最。連亞洲也陷入一團混亂，從北京到新加坡的飯店都忙得不可開交，航空公司為數以千計滯留機場的旅客安排住宿。航空業每天損失估計逾台幣97.5億元。甚至受冰島火山灰雲影響，包括美國總統歐巴馬在內的各國領袖，都在4月17日取消原定前往波蘭，參加因空難喪生的卡欽斯基（Lech Kaczynski）總統的喪禮。

摩艾石像（Moai，又譯復活節島人像、摩埃石像、毛埃石像）位於復活節島。多半一體成形，也就是說從一塊大石頭刻出來的，但有時石像頭上會加一塊普卡奧（Pukau）當帽子。全復活島已知有逾600尊摩艾石像，大多數摩艾石像產於拉諾拉拉庫（Rano Raraku）。

Chances of seeing a burqa in Belgium are only a little better than spotting a liquor shop in Saudi Arabia. Yet Belgium soon may be the first European nation to outlaw the burqa and other Islamic garb that completely hides a woman’s body and face.

在比利時見到穆斯林罩袍的機率，大概只比在沙烏地阿拉伯發現烈酒專賣店的機率高一點。但比利時很快就可能成為歐洲第一個立法禁止罩袍及其他完全遮住女性身體及臉孔等伊斯蘭服裝的國家。

Take a look around. There are people working everywhere even if you don't realize it. On this day, workers are celebrated around the world. Today is May Day, Labor Day, and International Workers' Day. These holidays honor workers and the hard work they do to keep things in our lives running smoothly. It also celebrates the changes that have been brought about to make jobs safer and better for workers. In many places, parades and other festivities are held in city streets. Altogether, millions of people participate in these holidays each year.

A Mafia boss has reportedly won the right to go to the toilet in private while behind bars.

據報導，一名黑手黨大哥爭取到服刑期間可以私下上廁所的權利。

He was one of the most famous people in history. Everyone knows his name and what he did. Even today, we are scared and amazed by his power. Adolf Hitler was born in Austria and became the leader of Germany. During World War II, he was responsible for the killing of millions of people. On this date in 1945, he committed suicide just before Germany surrendered to the Allied forces. His body was found by German troops, so they burned and buried it. However, there had been many rumors that Hitler was still around. Although this is very unlikely, some people have claimed to have found information that shows Hitler is still alive and kicking today.

Whether you want to live like a rock star or a cowboy, or become an urban gardener or just opt for the simple life, there is a town in America to suit everyone’s taste.

無論你是想過得像個搖滾明星還是牛仔，抑或是成為都市園丁或只想選擇過簡單的生活，人人都能在美國找到一座適合其喜好的小鎮。

On this day in 1992, people in Los Angeles, California started rioting. They were angry about the verdict in the Rodney King trial. In the case, four white police officers badly beat up an African-American man. The jury acquitted the police officers of breaking the law. However, thousands of people felt the police officers did something very wrong. They took to the streets and began robbing and looting before the military was called in to help control the situation. Things quieted down after six days, but even now, people are still upset about the court case.

Babies born in autumn or winter are more likely to develop a food allergy than those born in spring or summer, US researchers have found. The Boston scientists believe the trend may be explained by a lack of the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D.

美國研究發現，秋冬出生的寶寶，比出生在春夏的小孩容易食物過敏。波士頓的科學家認為，這個趨勢或許能以他們缺乏陽光維他命，也就是維他命D來解釋。