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人人都會病，但應無咩人想有病！
#曾鈺成 #由同求異
【有請曾主席】人人都唔想病，但人人都難免會病，人生認真矛盾。喺英語詞彙中，有一系列字詞都關於病痛，如illness、sickness、disease、complaint、disorder、condition、ailment......而各自喺意思上都有些少分別。goo.gl/Q5o7Y6
#信報 #曾鈺成 #由同求異 #英文運用
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訂閱《信報》-> bit.ly/23J4bnc
【我愛英文單字篇】
其實英文單字並不是我的強項，由我鼓吹練習閱讀時不要查單字就可得知。某些單字，尤其是副詞或形容詞，我常常只由上下文推測它是正面或負面意思，並不知道確切的意思。可是這個做法是有原因的：英文單字本來就有分「等級」，其實是常用度，有些字典會在常用字前面打三顆星，有些一顆都沒有。所以背單字的時候其實要勢利一點，三顆星表示會常常碰到，要優先背，知道用法與衍生字，沒有星的表示有這個單字但不常遇到，認得就可以，有閒暇時間再深入研究。
以下整理我認為背單字時的要領：
1. 例句：
背單字時務必要看例句，學用法，尤其是具有多重用法的單字。隨便舉一個例子，represent 是代表的意思，這個字究竟可以「代表」多少東西，又該怎麼用？根據劍橋英語辭典的例句有下列定義與用法：
a. to speak, act, or be present officially for another person or people:
They chose a famous barrister to represent them in court.
I sent my husband to represent me at the funeral.
Women were poorly represented at the conference.
b. to be the Member of Parliament, or of Congress, etc. for a particular area:
Ed Smythe represents Barnet.
c. to be the person from a country, school, etc. that is in a competition:
She was chosen to represent France at the Olympics.
d. to express or complain about something, to a person in authority:
We represented our grievances/demands to the boss.
e. to show or describe something or someone:
The statue represents St. George killing the dragon.
This new report represents the current situation in our schools.
f. to be a sign or symbol of something:
To many people the White House represents the identity of the United States.
g. to be the result of something, or to be something:
This book represents ten years of thought and research.
The new offer represented an increase of 10 percent on the previous one.
以上這些例句顯示這個單字除了「代表」之外還有「代理」、「代表選民」、「提出」、「描述」、「象徵」等意義，詳讀例句不止有助理解單字的正確用法，還有它的廣泛意思，若在閱讀及其他地方看到這個單字時能加深印象。
2. 衍生字
衍生字就是單字的親戚，單字家族，例如represent的家族包括representable、representation、representational、representative、通常在字典相近處，用一樣的方法研究例句與用法，背單字時順便認識整家人，不一定要同時背下來，但至少知道有這些變化，遇到的時候會有印象。
3. 上下文（context）
有些單字的多重意思乍看之下八竿子打不著關係，其實暗藏玄機，例如terminal、 terminate、termination可以用在完全不同的領域。
Terminate 是動詞（好啦名詞就是terminator），是終結的意思，terminal當名詞有「終點站」的意思（王爾德拿來取笑某人在車站出生），飛機航廈也是terminal，電腦終端機也是terminal。當形容詞則是「末期的」（terminal cancer）。terminate 除了有「終結某事」的意思（terminate the contract），也用在形容終止妊娠（terminate the pregnancy）。所以termination 是abortion的另一個用法。學到這個字時就順便學非人工流產是miscarriage（懷孕失敗），衍生詞是miscarriage of justice（司法不公）。
記住「單字家族」和「多重意義」這兩個特性，遇到貌似熟悉的單字時藉由上下文「推測」單字的意思，而非直接查字典，或推測過後再查字典求證，會比直接查字典更印象深刻。
4. 以中文大量吸取知識
所謂知識包括一般知識與專長領域或興趣。當然，要用英文也可以，只是這部分用中文比較快。這是我覺得最重要的一點，有時候，單字背不起很可能是因為連這個單字的中文意思都不確定，不知道背景故事，或不知道那個概念的來源。例如我喜歡看《實習醫生》，所以我對各科別的英文名稱耳熟能詳，如果有人說他的專長是cardiovascular，我就知道cardio是心臟，vascular是血管，加起來就是心血管的。terminal、chronic、acute分別代表「末期」、「慢性病」和「急性」疾病，但terminal illness、chronic disease和acute illness有哪些例子？糖尿病屬於哪一種？闌尾炎屬於哪一種？這是不需要靠英文也可以學得的知識，但在學英文時絕對會有幫助。
如果讀到一篇關於冷戰的英文文章，事先知道冷戰的背景一定比完全不知道要來得容易，也比較容易猜測、記憶單字的意思。
我不知道市面上的英文學習書提供什麼樣的學習建議，以上是我的經驗談。我覺得學英文是多方面齊步並進的，沒有單一訣竅，關鍵在於保持好奇心，把自己當成海綿吸取知識，永遠不嫌多，就會變得很厲害了。
裘莉醫師：割乳後 罹乳癌機率從87%降至5%
2013年05月14日16:04
現年37歲美國好萊塢女星安潔莉娜裘莉（Angelina Jolie），今日在《紐約時報》投書表示，為了降低罹患乳癌和卵巢癌的風險，進行了割除雙乳的手術。而裘莉也在文中提到，她的主治醫師向她表示，割乳後罹患乳癌的機率為從87%，降至5%。
另外，裘莉也提到，整個手術療程為時3個月，分為3階段進行。其中有一個手術階段是將引流管插入乳房，她直呼：「好像在拍科幻片一樣。」裘莉也說，手術最後一個階段就是將填充物植入胸部，她表示接下來需要花幾年時間來做復健，「但相信結果會非常美好」。
切除雙乳防癌／安潔莉娜裘莉：無損我的女性特質
2013-05-14 Web only 作者：吳凱琳編譯
美國女星安潔莉娜‧裘莉（Angelina Jolie ）14日投書《紐約時報》，表示為了預防乳癌的發生，進行預防性手術，切除乳房。
一切都源自於她母親早逝帶給她的傷痛。
她母親因罹患癌症，年僅56歲便離開人世，「我的孩子們常問我，我會不會也像自己的母親那樣早地離開他們，我總是告訴他們別擔心，」但事實上，安潔莉娜‧裘莉心裡明白，經過醫學檢查，證實她體內帶有BRCA1 基因。女性若遺傳到這種基因，罹患乳癌和卵巢癌的機率將大增。安潔莉娜‧裘莉的醫師預估，她罹患乳癌和卵巢癌的機率分別為87％與50％。
於是，她做出了常人難以想像的重大決定：切除雙乳，預防乳癌發生。
整體療程開始於今年2月2日，歷經乳房組織切除與義乳重建等手術，直到4月底，總計9星期的療程全部結束。安潔莉娜‧裘莉形容，整個過程就像是科幻電影的場景般，休息幾天之後，便可立即恢復正常生活。
更幸運的是，她的乳癌病發機率從87％驟降為5％。她也沒有因為乳房切除手術而感到任何的不適應，「我並沒有因此感覺自己不再像是女人，我反而覺得自己做了很勇敢的決定，而這個決定絲毫未減損我的女性特質。」
在文章中，她特別感謝人生的伴侶布萊德‧彼特（Brad Pitt ），「在經歷手術過程的每分每秒，他都一直陪在我身旁。我們倆都認為這是對我們的家庭最正確的決定，這個決定也讓我們彼此更為親密。」
文章最後她特別提到，之所以決定公開自己的隱私，目的是期望幫助更多女性選擇正確的醫療方式，遠離癌症威脅。根據世界衛生組織統計，每年死於乳癌的女性高達45.8萬人，或許她的經驗可以提供參考。不過，究竟預防性手術是否是治療癌症的最恰當方式，恐怕有待醫療專業的評估。（吳凱琳編譯）
安潔莉娜‧裘莉投書《紐約時報》「My Medical Choice」全文
My Medical Choice
By ANGELINA JOLIE
Published: May 14, 2013
MY MOTHER fought cancer for almost a decade and died at 56. She held out long enough to meet the first of her grandchildren and to hold them in her arms. But my other children will never have the chance to know her and experience how loving and gracious she was.
We often speak of “Mommy’s mommy,” and I find myself trying to explain the illness that took her away from us. They have asked if the same could happen to me. I have always told them not to worry, but the truth is I carry a “faulty” gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
My doctors estimated that I had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, although the risk is different in the case of each woman.
Only a fraction of breast cancers result from an inherited gene mutation. Those with a defect in BRCA1 have a 65 percent risk of getting it, on average.
Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much I could. I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy. I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higher than my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more complex.
On April 27, I finished the three months of medical procedures that the mastectomies involved. During that time I have been able to keep this private and to carry on with my work.
But I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience. Cancer is still a word that strikes fear into people’s hearts, producing a deep sense of powerlessness. But today it is possible to find out through a blood test whether you are highly susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer, and then take action.
My own process began on Feb. 2 with a procedure known as a “nipple delay,” which rules out disease in the breast ducts behind the nipple and draws extra blood flow to the area. This causes some pain and a lot of bruising, but it increases the chance of saving the nipple.
Two weeks later I had the major surgery, where the breast tissue is removed and temporary fillers are put in place. The operation can take eight hours. You wake up with drain tubes and expanders in your breasts. It does feel like a scene out of a science-fiction film. But days after surgery you can be back to a normal life.
Nine weeks later, the final surgery is completed with the reconstruction of the breasts with an implant. There have been many advances in this procedure in the last few years, and the results can be beautiful.
I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy. But it is one I am very happy that I made. My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent. I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer.
It is reassuring that they see nothing that makes them uncomfortable. They can see my small scars and that’s it. Everything else is just Mommy, the same as she always was. And they know that I love them and will do anything to be with them as long as I can. On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.
I am fortunate to have a partner, Brad Pitt, who is so loving and supportive. So to anyone who has a wife or girlfriend going through this, know that you are a very important part of the transition. Brad was at the Pink Lotus Breast Center, where I was treated, for every minute of the surgeries. We managed to find moments to laugh together. We knew this was the right thing to do for our family and that it would bring us closer. And it has.
For any woman reading this, I hope it helps you to know you have options. I want to encourage every woman, especially if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, to seek out the information and medical experts who can help you through this aspect of your life, and to make your own informed choices.
I acknowledge that there are many wonderful holistic doctors working on alternatives to surgery. My own regimen will be posted in due course on the Web site of the Pink Lotus Breast Center. I hope that this will be helpful to other women.
Breast cancer alone kills some 458,000 people each year, according to the World Health Organization, mainly in low- and middle-income countries. It has got to be a priority to ensure that more women can access gene testing and lifesaving preventive treatment, whatever their means and background, wherever they live. The cost of testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2, at more than $3,000 in the United States, remains an obstacle for many women.
I choose not to keep my story private because there are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadow of cancer. It is my hope that they, too, will be able to get gene tested, and that if they have a high risk they, too, will know that they have strong options.
Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.
Angelina Jolie is an actress and director.
