2016 DSE English Past Paper 閱讀材料 (中英翻譯 + MP3 配音) 免費版

2016 DSE English Past Paper

• (A) The Scientific Study of the Lucky Mind

  
  

• (B1) FOOD TRUCK REVIEW

  
  

• (B2) Mexicue Moves Beyond the Food Truck

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 10 COMMON SUPERSTITIONS - A  

10 個常見的迷信

1.FOUR LEAF CLOVER  Finding a clover with four leaves is lucky because clovers usually only have three leaves.

2.CAREFUL WITH THAT MIRROR  If you break a mirror, you will have seven years of misfortune.

3.KEEP THEM CROSSED

Crossing your index and middle finger is lucky because it symbolizes the support between two friends.

4.FALLING LEAVES

If you catch falling leaves in autumn, every leaf you catch means a lucky month next year.

5.BLACK CATS

You're in luck if you meet a black cat. However, that depends on who you ask —some say it’s a sign of good things to come, but for others, it’s a terrible warning.

6.DON’T WALK UNDER A LADDER

This superstition is practical because walking under a ladder, possibly with someone on it, is already a risky thing to do.

7.HORSESHOE

Hanging a horseshoe over a door is lucky. But the horseshoe needs to be the right way up with the two ends pointing down so that the good fortune will shower upon you.

8.NO UMBRELLAS INSIDE

Opening an umbrella indoors brings bad luck and danger —you might just poke someone’s eye out.

9.MIND THE SALT

Spilt the salt? Oh, no! If you have, you must throw some over your shoulder to counteract the bad luck, but make sure it is the left one.

10.THERE GOES A MAGPIE

It’s bad luck to see one magpie, but it’s lucky to see two.

The Scientific Study of the Lucky Mind

 By Professor Richard Wiseman

People have searched for an effective way of improving the good fortune in their lives for many centuries. Lucky charms, such as keeping a rabbit’s foot, have been found in virtually all civilizations throughout recorded history. The pagan ritual of ‘knocking on wood’ was designed to elicit the help of benign and powerful tree gods. Superstition represents people’s attempts to control their destiny by warding off bad luck while enhancing the good.

There is just one problem.superstition doesn’t work.At least it doesn’t work in the way most people think it does. Superstition is based on outdated and incorrect thinking. It comes from a time when people thought that luck was a strange force that could only be controlled by magical rituals and bizarre behaviours. Several researchers have tested these age-old beliefs and found them wanting.

Ten years ago, I started to examine why some people consistently encounter chance opportunities whereas others do not. In my experiment, I first asked volunteers to complete a questionnaire to determine if they considered themselves lucky or unlucky. Then I gave each group a newspaper, and asked them to look through it and tell me how many photographs were inside.

On average, the unlucky people took about two minutes to count the photographs whereas the lucky people took just seconds. Why? Because the second page of the newspaper contained the message “Stop counting —There are 43 photographs in this newspaper.” This message took up half of the page and was written in text that was over two inches high. It was staring everyone straight in the face, but the unlucky people tended to miss it and the lucky people tended to spot it.

Personality tests revealed that unlucky people are generally much more tense and anxious than lucky people, and research has shown that anxiety disrupts people’s ability to notice the unexpected. The harder they looked, the less they saw. And so it is with luck -— unlucky people miss chance opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else.

The experiment I conducted revealed that luck is not a magical ability or the result of random chance. Nor are people born lucky or unlucky. Instead, although lucky and unlucky people have almost no insight into the real causes of their good and bad luck, their thoughts and behaviour are responsible for much of their fortune. My research revealed that lucky people are more skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities.

But a lucky life is not just about noticing chance opportunities. Another important principle revolved around the way in which lucky and unlucky people dealt with the ill fortune in their lives. Imagine competing in the Olympic Games. You do very well, and win a bronze medal. How happy do you think you would feel? Most of us would, I suspect, be overjoyed and proud of our achievement. Now imagine we did even better and won a silver medal. Most of us think we would feel even happier with a silver medal.

But research suggests that athletes who win bronze medals are actually happier than those who win silver medals. And the reason for this has to do with the way in which the athletes think about their performance. The silver medalists focus on the notion that if they had performed slightly better, then they would have perhaps won a gold medal. In contrast, the bronze medalists focus on the thought that if they had performed slightly worse, then they wouldn’t have won anything at all. This is “counterfactual” thinking and it is often associated with perceptions of luck.

After ten years of scientific research, my work has revealed a radically new way of looking at luck and the vital role that it plays in our lives. lt demonstrates that much of the good and bad fortune we encounter is a result of our thoughts and behaviour. More importantly, it represents the potential for change, and has produced an effective way of increasing the luck people experience in their daily lives. The research is not simply about debunking superstitious thinking and behaviour. Instead, it is about encouraging people to move away from a magical way of thinking and toward a more rational view of luck. Perhaps most important of all, it is about using science and scepticism to increase the level of luck, happiness, and success in people’s lives.

FOOD TRUCK REVIEW - B1

餐車評論

[1] Fred’s Food Truck serves American favourites, like hot dogs and cupcakes. The food truck is a huge hit all around town. It is always on the go, stopping at different locations around town. I was lucky enough to try Fred’s great pork sandwich and it was mouth-watering, I with just the right amount of BBQ sauce on top, served with home-made French fries.

THE STANDARD

Trucking along with local culinary treats

Thursday 26 February 2015

Trucking along with local culinary treats

[2] Food trucks could soon be on the streets of Hong Kong, with John Tsang revealing the government is investigating introducing the concept.

[3] "Hong Kong has many locations suitable for alfresco dining where visitors can enjoy delicacies and Hong Kong's spectacular scenery at the same time," Tsang said. "I have asked relevant departments to implement as early as possible the proposal to introduce food trucks. Their popularity abroad will add to the mix of Hong Kong's existing food scene."

LETTER TO THE EDITOR | 14 March 2015

 [4] In his budget speech, Financial Secretary John Tsang suggested the introduction of food trucks in Hong Kong. They are a common sight on the streets of many cities in the West. However, I am concerned that there could be adverse side effects if they were allowed to operate in Hong Kong. 

[5] They would have an impact on a long-standing culinary tradition here — food hawkers. These mobile outlets and the hawkers will in effect fill the same niche. Hong Kong is a small city and I cannot see food trucks and hawkers successfully coexisting. Given that these hawkers are a tradition we are justly proud of, Mr Tsang should rethink his food truck proposal. 

[6] There are other problems that appear to have been overlooked. Land is scarce and expensive in Hong Kong, so the truck operators would face the problem of finding suitable and affordable locations to do business. Also, traffic is busy, especially in urban areas, so they could make congestion worse than it is already. Finally, there is the hygiene issue as they would have to discharge waste water in the street. 

[7] There would certainly have to be a lot of feasibility studies and research by the relevant government departments before any go-ahead was given for this project. However, I do believe that the most important thing is to consider the harm they would do to our traditional hawkers. They are part of what makes Hong Kong unique and attracts so many tourists. They are an integral part of the city's history, whereas food trucks are very much a Western tradition. In fact, I hope we will see more food hawkers on the streets of Hong Kong in the future and that the government will encourage this.

Chris Wong, Mong Kok

LETTER TO THE EDITOR (16 March 2015)

[8] I refer to the letter by Chris Wong dated March 14. I understand her concerns but some of the problems she raised were solved by moving many food hawkers' street-level outdoor stalls to food courts inside buildings. So, why go back to eating outside in dirty streets and roads?

[9] I have seen some vans selling lunch boxes in Tai Po Industrial Estate. They offer a useful service, because there are no fast food shops in the area and some of the factory buildings do not offer an in-house canteen. These vans also operate in other remote work sites. There is clearly a market for these trucks.

Chan Tai Man, Shatin

LETTER TO THE EDITO  - 18 March 2015

[10] Regarding the introduction of food trucks in Hong Kong, there is no doubt that in many parts of Europe and in the US, food trucks are popular and have sometimes been turned into successful businesses. They are very convenient and offer a cheap alternative to restaurants. The best mobile operators offer good food at affordable prices. Each truck will have its own particular dishes and style of food. I think these trucks would be popular with young Hongkongers, especially the ones offering Western food, as they would be seen as being trendy and stylish.

[11] The only mobile food business currently operating in Hong Kong is the fleet of Mister Softee ice-cream vans. Street food has been in decline with few hawker licences being issued since the 1970s. The licences given to hawkers before then will expire when they retire or die. Some Hong Kong people may be sceptical about this proposal, saying that food trucks will cause traffic congestion in crowded areas of the city. However, I have not heard of such complaints regarding the Mister Softee fleet.

[12] People may also raise concerns about hygiene. This is an issue that is often raised when people are discussing the merits of street food. However, you see stalls selling fish balls, chicken wings and other snacks. They operate in similar conditions to food trucks.

[13] I do not really understand why this proposal appears to be regarded as so controversial by some people. I think critics are exaggerating the problems that these vehicles could bring to the city's streets. I would welcome their introduction. I think these mobile eateries would offer citizens a wider range of culinary options and I am sure they would be able to cater to the demands of the city's very demanding diners who expect good-quality food.

John Smith, Tsim Sha Tsui

Mexicue Moves Beyond the Food Truck - B2

Mexicue 超越餐車

FORBE  - SMALL BUSINES

Mexicue Moves Beyond the Food Truck

[1] The arrival of food trucks to New York several years ago was greeted by a city hungry for refined street food, willing to pay higher prices to reward hard-working culinary entrepreneurs. But, what was initially a story of success, as the Mexicue truck can attest, quickly became a nightmare.

[2] Initially, the food truck business model looked attractive. As Mexicue co-founder Thomas Kelly told Forbes sitting in the top floor of their store on Seventh Avenue, the truck was cheaper, offered lower risk than opening a restaurant and allowed him and partner David Schillace to test out their concept without having to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars. While they sunk their life savings into the truck, putting it together cost less than $100,000.

[3] As early adopters, the Mexicue crew saw explosive growth. Their first day, parked in midtown Manhattan surrounded by the skyscrapers that investment banks call their home, the Mexicue truck attracted lines around the block. Early on, they were making $2,000 to $3,000 on good days. The happy days of the food truck dream are long gone, though.

[4] The odds were stacked against them. Competition in New York City is ferocious, and the food truck business is no different. Mexicue found itself struggling to find good parking spots, a major factor in food truck success, as other trucks would leave as early as 3:30 in the morning to secure a solid location. The New York Police Department, seeing mobile vendors flood the streets, started aggressively handing out tickets, while regulators began to crack down on the industry.

[5] Exhausted by the hustle, Schillace and Kelly made a U-turn and in 2011 opened their first brick-and-mortar store. Located on Seventh Avenue, it complements their previous expansion into catering (which got them through their first winter). Next to the volatile food truck business, running a restaurant appears as a balanced, steady task. Without having to tough it out through inclement weather or ticket-issuing cops, the duo knows what to expect on most days, seeing a steady stream of revenues.

[6] While the truck is no longer a cash cow, it remains integral to their brand and image. A billboard on wheels, the truck still serves food at festivals, corporate events and even weddings.

FORBES 

LIFESTYLE

America’s astonishingly 

[7] Having covered food for more than 15 years, I’ve seen a lot of trends come and go. Some recent developments have been great, but not every food trend is good, and some astonishingly stupid trends have thrived. Here are some of the worst offenders.

[8] Food trucks: There is nothing wrong with the individual food truck per se, but the overall trend is both ridiculous and in some cases, morally reprehensible. The food media continues to treat these as a new form of cuisine and some sort of breakthrough invention when they are nothing more than a way to deliver food to consumers, akin to the “invention” of home delivery, takeout containers or the drive through. When grouped together in parking lots, food trucks become an outdoor version of a longstanding American culinary tradition - the shopping mall food court, and nothing more. Foodwise, there is nothing new about trucks which serve foods you can already get in countless traditional eateries, albeit with much more limited menus. People act as if tacos, dumplings, or brick oven pizza have somehow been “discovered”by food truck cooks.

[9] One major magazine recently suggested that food trucks had brought affordable ethnic cuisine to the people of Los Angeles - seriously? LA has always had hundreds of brick and mortar eateries serving exactly this kind of affordable ethnic cuisine. | think that one of the reasons for their hipster popularity is that food trucks bring such cuisine to people who are afraid to go to actual ethnic restaurants in diverse neighborhoods to eat it. Ironically, in many markets the food trucks do more harm than good to the existing restaurants on which they are patterned, competing unfairly with rent-paying establishments while cannibalizing hard-to-get public parking spots and squatting on public property.

[10] Admittedly in some markets, like LA, food trucks can serve a real purpose, bringing quality dining selections to extremely pedestrian-unfriendly areas, especially near office buildings where nothing else is available within walking distance. But these practical food trucks are nothing new - such trucks and carts and sidewalk vendors always existed. The real trend is the redundant food truck - like one serving pizza parked across the sidewalk from a rent paying pizzeria. When | visit New York, | see trucks parked curbside in neighborhoods overflowing with good and diverse restaurants and having no need at all of food trucks. This strikes me as absurd. In many cases these are merely a lower barrier to entry for wanna-be “chefs” who can’t actually start a restaurant. More a fad than a trend, I’ve yet to see any tangible benefits of the food truck craze to the average consumer.

THE ECONOMIST NEW UNITED STATE

Movable Feasts 

[11] FOOD is risky. You can choke on a hot dog, be poisoned by a pizza or die slowly from years of eating too much. Clearly, businesses that sell food are suspect. And what could be more suspicious than an outlet that sells food—and then drives away before its customers expire? It’s small wonder that so many American cities frown on food trucks.

[12] Miami makes it extremely hard for them to operate, as do Baltimore and Chicago. Rochester, Pittsburgh and San Diego are nearly as stern. In New York City, a cap on the number of foodtruck licences available has created a black market, pushing up prices into the thousands of dollars.

[13] How bad can food trucks be? Your intrepid correspondent sampled injera with tilapia from one serving Ethiopian nosh in Washington, DC. As The Economist went to press, it had not yet killed her. Perhaps this is unsurprising: food trucks are typically required to cook their food in inspected commercial kitchens.

[14] Nonetheless, they stir up fury. Local restaurants complain that they steal customers and pay no rent. Officials worry that their garishness will lower the local tone. Many think they are just filthy (“roach coaches”is the sneer).

[15] After years of legal wrangling, Alexandria’s city council in Virginia has at last decided to allow food trucks in parks and parking lots. Not in the streets, mind. The experiment starts in July, and the typically mean-spirited conditions are there to protect the immobile restaurant trade.

[16] Such rules are misguided. Not only is street vending an important step for aspiring entrepreneurs, but food trucks have enlivened the gastronomic scene and generated new business—and local taxes—wherever they have been allowed to roam. Chow down on that.