We’re hiring: Babies wanted for Japan nursing home

我們正在招聘：日本療養院需要嬰兒

【2022-12-06二.自由】◎林雨萱

A nursing home in southern Japan is “hiring” babies for a very important job — to keep its elderly residents company and make them smile.

日本南部一間療養院正在招聘嬰兒，擔任非常重要的職位──陪伴年長居民、讓他們開心。

A job advert pinned to the wall informs would-be workers they will be compensated for their services in diapers and powdered milk.

一個釘在牆上的工作廣告告知未來的員工，他們將會收到尿布和配方奶做為服務報酬。

New recruits at the facility in Kitakyushu must be under four years old, and their guardians have to sign a contract stipulating that the babies and toddlers can show up for work “whenever they feel like it.”

這間北九州機構的新成員必須小於4歲，而且他們的監護人必須簽署一份合約，明文規定嬰兒和學步幼童可以依照他們的意願，想上班的時候再出現。

More than 30 babies have been signed up so far, tasked with lifting the spirits of more than 100 residents who are mostly in their 80s.

至今已有超過30名嬰兒報名，他們被賦予提升逾百名居民興致的任務，這些居民大多超過80歲。

新聞辭典

toddler：名詞，學步幼童。例句：This baby walker is suitable for toddlers.（這款學步車適合學步幼童。）

compensate：動詞，付報酬，彌補。例句：Laurie treats me to dinner to compensate for keeping me wait.（勞利請我吃晚餐做為讓我久等的補償。）

lift the spirits：動詞片語，提升興致。例句：Jenny cracked some jokes to lift the spirit of her family.（珍妮講幾個笑話提升家人的興致。）

When Sugar Is All You ve Got： Cotton Candy

棉花糖：只融你口的甜蜜雲朵

【摘要2022-12-06二.壹蘋】

Start by mixing four cups of sugar with a cup of water, a cup of corn syrup, and a quarter teaspoon of salt. Stir these together in a pan over medium heat. Heat the mixture to 160°C, and then add the coloring and flavoring. Next, line a tray with baking paper. Add a small amount of the mixture to the paper, and then whisk it swiftly. Soon, strings of sugar should start to appear.

首先，將四杯糖、一杯水、一杯玉米糖漿及四分之一茶匙的鹽巴混合在一起。在平底鍋中用中火將這些攪拌在一起。將這些混合物加熱至攝氏一百六十度，然後加入食用色素及調味劑。再來，在托盤上鋪上烘焙紙。將少量的混合物放到紙上，接著快速地攪打。很快地，一絲一絲的糖應該會開始出現。

生活必備字詞：
mix vt.混合
mixture n. 混合（物）
stir vt.攪拌
medium a. 中等的
line A with B 把 B 鋪在 A 上
Sandy lined the drawers with colorful paper.

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