To know what you are, first let’s define “ideas,” “events,” and “people.”
Discussing people here means to talk about a person, usually in a negative, sarcastic way. Discussing events means to talk about what happen in our life and how those things cause problems to us. Discussing ideas means to find out what is behind an event, for example, the cause or solutions to the problems. Don’t be the small minds!
Unfortunately we are surrounded by them in our life. They follow celebrity gossip, start office politics, and backstab and criticize others. Online, they shame or attack each other. In real life, they make comparisons and complaints about this and that. They are happy with others’ failures. Small minds are judgmental, get offended easily and tend to reiterate what has already happened. They are good at identifying others’ mistake, blaming others, yet they have no solution. Small minds discuss something that seems interesting, but detrimental to their relationship with others and family. Average minds look beyond people and focus on events. They identity facts, start conversation, and provide opinion based on the facts.
Yet it is a fallacy that just discussing events makes people smart. It probably does, but we can be smarter if we offer solutions to the problems. Great minds find solutions to problems, even if the problems don’t seem to relate to them. Stay average, but try to move closer to the great. Stay average, but prevent yourself from being the small.
We can change the words we use to change our mindset. No matter whether we talk to others or to ourselves. Mindset is how you see the world and how you see yourself in the world. With a negative mindset, our life seems difficult, small setbacks feel like failures, new situations feel daunting, and trying feels hopeless. With a positive mindset, mistakes are what we learn from, something new is an exciting challenge, hard work brings results, and our world is a great place.
Changing your mindset can be simple. You just need to change the words you use. Your choice of words is an important way to create a happy world around you. You can help your children, students, and friends to develop a positive mindset. You just need to change the words you say to them and help them to change the words that they say. Here are some examples of how to turn around words: ‘It is too hard’ becomes ‘It may take some time and effort.’ ‘You made a mistake’ becomes ‘Hey, mistakes help you improve.’ This creates a 180 degree turn around from a negative, hopeless feeling to a positive, forward-looking view.
Words are powerful and our brains believe what we hear. The right words spoken in the right way can bring us love, money and respect, while the wrong words—or even the right words spoken in the wrong way — can lead people to argument, distrust, or hatred. We must carefully orchestrate our speech if we want to achieve our goals and bring our dreams to fruition.” Help your children, family, people around you and yourself to hear the right words that are going to create your happy world.
This year’s Dragon Boat Festival is more than just a boat race. The Kaohsiung City Government is organizing activities for the whole family. This year they will have a boat race on wheels for the whole family. Local restaurants will have booths set up all day. And if you still have an appetite left, try your luck at the rice dumpling-eating contest. Local bands will be playing tunes all day. Don’t miss it. It’s guaranteed fun for the whole family.
Smoking electronic cigarettes is fortunately is not a growing problem among teenagers in Taiwan. Although e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful than smoking regular cigarettes, they still contain nicotine, which is addictive and detrimental to your health. Do you know other toxic chemicals have also been found in cigarettes? While it is lesser of two evils, with the long-term effects of vaping still unknown, let’s try to avoid this bad habit.
all or nothing竭盡全力；用極端方式- either completely or not at all She either loves you or hates you. It’s all or nothing with her. 她要不是愛你，就是恨你，就這麼極端。
back and forth來來回回– moving in one direction and in the opposite She swayed gently back and forth to the music. 她隨著音樂的節奏輕輕地來回搖擺著。
beck and call聽命於– always willing and able to do whatever someone asks Go and get it yourself! I’m not at your beck and call. 自己去拿！我才不聽你使喚呢。
bells and whistles華麗的點綴- special features that are added to a product Manufacturers still build luxury cars with all the bells and whistles. 製造商們依然在生產各種花俏華麗功能的豪華汽車。
bits and pieces七零八碎；零碎的工作– small things or jobs of different types The Airport Railway is being constructed in bits and pieces phase by phase. 機場鐵路是一段一段分期興建，全無系統可言。
bricks and mortar傳統實體運作 Click businesses are usually more flexible than brick-and-mortar operations. 網路事業經常比實體運作靈活。
bread and butter謀生的職業– a job for the money you need to live Gardening is my bread and butter right now. 眼下園兿工作是我的謀生之道。
by and large大體上，一般而言- overall; with an overview I don’t like everything about my job, but by and large it’s very enjoyable. 雖然有些小的地方讓我不太滿意，但總的來講我還是很喜歡這份工作的。
cut and dried已成定局的– already decided and unlikely to be changed We need a cut-and-dried decision by the end of the week. 到這週末我們要把這事徹底定下來。
cut and thrust唇槍舌劍– interesting and exciting arguments She enjoys the cut and thrust of party politics. 她喜歡黨派政治中的唇槍舌劍。
do’s and don’ts規則– rules about actions and activities The teacher spent ten minutes explaining all the dos and don’ts in the classroom.. 老師花了十分鐘解釋課堂紀律。
(from) far and wide從四面八方– from a large number of places People came from far and wide to see the house. 人們從各地前來參觀這所房子。
fight tooth and nail竭盡全力– work very hard to get something We fought tooth and nail to get the route of the new road changed. 我們奮力抗爭，爭取改變新修道路的路線。
give or take互相讓步遷就– willingness to accept suggestions In every friendship there has to be some give and take. 任何一份友誼都需要雙方互相忍讓。
hustle and bustle喧囂、忙亂、使人心煩 I don’t like the hustle and bustle of office’s life. 我不喜歡辦公室裡忙碌的人生。
in step協調，一致/ out of step步伐錯亂 TV companies need to keep in step with public opinion. 電視公司需要順應民意。 I’m not good at dancing. I always get completely out of step. 我不擅長跳舞，總是踩不到點上。
last but not least最後但同樣重要的– importantly after everyone else I would like to thank all my colleagues and, last but not least, my husband. 我要感謝所有同事，最後同樣要感謝我的丈夫。
life-and-death生死攸關的– involving the possibility that someone will die We were now in a life-and-death situation. 我們現在處於生死攸關的情形下。
little by little漸漸地 Little by little the flood water receded. 洪水漸漸退了。
live and learn（對所知感驚訝）真想不到– finding that something that is surprising I had no idea they were related. Oh well, you live and learn. 我一點都沒想到他們之間還有聯繫。唉，真是想不到啊。
loud and clear清晰易懂的– very clear and easy to understand I can hear you loud and clear. 我能非常清楚地聽到你講話。
make or break不成則敗的– great success or complete failure. The council’s decision will make or break the local theater. 政務委員會將要決定當地劇院的命運。
more or less或多或少- mostly I hope my explanation will prove more or less helpful to you. 但願我的解釋會對你多少有點幫助。
moversandshakers有權勢的人– people with a lot of power and influence Movers and shakers are assembling in Brussels for the summit. 行動派人士聚於布魯塞爾，即將展開一場峰會。
name and shame公開指責– to publicly say that a person has done something wrong The report names and shames companies that are not doing enough to fight industrial pollution. 這報導公開抨擊那些未盡力制止工業污染的公司。
neat and tidy乾淨俐落 This is a neat and tidy method to take on the responsibility. 這是一個能承擔這個任務的乾淨俐落的方法。
nuts and bolts 基本要素、具體細節- the practical facts about a particular thing Let’s get down to the nuts and bolts of how we are to achieve our goals. 我們要達成既定目標，就得從這些具體細節著手。
odds and ends零碎東西，零星雜物- various things of different types Big things were moved to the house, but there are a few odds and ends left. 我把大部分大傢什都搬到新房去了，但還有些零碎的東西要收拾。
on and off間歇地– sometimes I’ve had toothache on and off for a couple of months. 我牙疼斷斷續續了幾個月。
out and about活躍的；正常行動的– doing the things you usually do She’s making a good recovery and she should be out and about in a few days. 醫生說她復原得很好，幾天後應該就可以正常行動了。
out-and-out徹頭徹尾的，十足的 – in every way The whole project was an out-and-out disaster. 整個企劃案徹底搞砸了。
out and away (與最高級連用)無可比擬的– by a great amount She is out and away the best student I have ever taught. 她無疑是我教過的學生當中最出色的。
part and parcel是…必要部分– to be a feature that cannot be avoided Being recognized in the street is part and parcel of being a celebrity. 走在街上被人認出是身為名人在所難免的。
peace and quite寧靜- tranquility and freedom from disturbance. He might have ended his days in quiet and peace. 他本來可以在寧靜與和平中結束他的一生。
pros and cons好處與壞處- the advantages and disadvantages We’re just weighing up the pros and cons of moving to a bigger house. 我們正在權衡搬進大房子裡住的利弊。
rock and roll非常流行– very popular and fashionable Could hip-pop be the new rock and roll? 嘻哈會火爆流行嗎？
safe and sound安然無恙- not in danger or likely to be harmed In some cities you don’t feel safe and sound going out alone at night. 在某些城市，夜晚獨自外出會覺得不安全。
short and sweet短且令人高興的- surprisingly short in a way that is pleasing This morning’s meeting was short and sweet. 今天早上的會很短很棒。
sick and tired of煩厭- to have experienced too much of someone or something I’m sick and tired of you asking me for money. 我對你跟我要錢這事感到很煩厭.
dim and distant遙遠模糊的– from the past and not clearly remembered The times of huge profits are now a dim and distant memory. 巨額利潤的時代已經是遙遠模糊的過去了。
skin and bones暴瘦- extremely thin Your brother is just skin and bones – has he been sick? 你的弟弟非常瘦，他生病了嗎？
slice and dice切割成小塊 To save money for the company, our boss sliced and diced our marketing budget 公司為了節約開支,老板大幅度地減少了用于市場行銷的預算資金
song and dance 長篇謊言；胡言亂語– long story that is not true She gave me some song and dance about how busy she is. 她對我嘮叨了半天說她有多忙
sooner or later遲早 Sooner or later she’s going to realize what a mistake she’s made. 她遲早會意識到她犯了一個多麽嚴重的錯誤。
spick and span嶄新的；極整潔的- very clean and tidy His task was to keep the place spick and span. 他的工作是保持那地方乾淨清潔。
take it or leave it接不接受由你– accept or refuse the offer completely It’s my final offer. You can take it or leave it. 那是我最後的報價，接不接受由你。
touch and go形勢不確定的– an uncertain situation The doctor says that it’s touch-and-go whether Mary will be okay. 醫生說瑪麗能否挺過去還很難說。
tossing and turning輾轉難眠- to move about and turn over in bed What is the key to sleep well without tossing and turning? 晚上不會睡不著的關鍵是什麼？
tooth and nail竭盡全力– to try very hard We fought tooth and nail to get the route of the new road changed. 我們奮力抗爭，爭取改變新修道路的路線。
ups and downs盛衰；沉浮– good and bad things Like most married couples we’ve had our ups and downs, but life’s like that.和大多數已婚夫婦一樣，我們也經歷過沉浮波折，但生活就是如此。
wear and tear (一時期內的)磨損，損耗- the damage during a period Seat covers on buses take a lot of wear and tear. 火車上的座套磨損比較嚴重。
wheeling and dealing玩弄手腕– using clever methods to get advantages Mr. Smith made a fortune by wheeling and dealing on the stock market. Mr. Smith在股票市場上投機取巧，發了大財。
willy-nilly無可奈何地– something happening against your will Both sides were drawn, willy-nilly, into the conflict. 雙方都不由自主地被捲進了衝突中。
hands down輕鬆取勝– to win very easily The last time we played tennis, he beat me hands down. 我們上一次打網球時他輕鬆將我擊敗。
wine and dine設酒宴款待– to entertain by giving food and drinks The survey concludes that most women like to be wined and dined on the first few dates. 調查的結論是，大多數女性在最初幾次約會時喜歡去餐館用餐小酌。
The entrance to the museum is on the other side of the building.
The access to the museum is on the other side of the building. 如果是指建築物的「入口」，這兩個字可互換。
「exit出口」是這兩個字的相反詞。
The exit of the museum is on the other side of the building.
如果是用動詞的話則是：
You can enter the museum from the other side of the building.
You can access the museum from the other side of the building. 你能從建築物的另一頭進入博物館。
You can exit the museum from the other side of the building. 你能從建築物的另一頭走出博物館。
但有幾點要注意：
enter當動詞時後面不需要介係詞，例如I entered high school last year.許多人說成I entered into school last year. 這是錯誤的。
2. access可用來表達「獲得某樣權利的許可」，這與entrance的意義不同： (1) The station has been upgraded with step-free access, which helps the disabled get entrance to the platforms. 這裡的step-free access是指身障人士無需上下臺階的通道。
(2) This is our VIP entrance. I’m afraid you do not have access to the lounge. 這裡的access是指進入VIP包廂的許可。
(3) After you pass the entrance, there is no Internet access in this building. 這裡的Internet access是指供應網路的服務，也可以說Internet connection。
超凡遠距 
