迪士尼的八大秘密(上)－Holly老師的英語新天地

你知道樂園裡有真人骨灰嗎?

你知道樂園趕走Mickey以外的鼠輩所用的秘密武器嗎 ?

你知道超open的女生最愛在哪一區「袒胸」露背?

你知道創辦人Walt Disney能有，卻不允許男員工有的?

讓媒體巨擘 CNN為大家揭發這全球最有名樂園的秘密 <secrets>

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/07/01/ten.secrets.disney.mf/

學英文兼長知識！來向成功者取經吧 ~

<老師將文章貼上，並標記實用單字片語。>

試著不翻字典，用有限中文線索了解各點大意吧！Come on...You can do it ~

From how to score a cocktail to where to scatter grandma's ashes, this is your ticket to the real Magic Kingdom.

1. There are dead bodies in the Haunted Mansion 鬼屋裡有屍體

The Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland is one of the scariest places in the park, but not for the reasons you'd expect. In his 1994 book "Mouse Tales," former Disney employee David Koenig tells the story of a tourist group that requested a little extra time on the ride so they could hold a quick memorial for a 7-year-old boy.

Disney gave the family permission, but it turns out, the memorial was only half their plan. When the mourners were spotted sprinkling a powdery substance off their "doom buggies," the Haunted Mansion was quickly shut down until all the remains could be cleaned up.

Amazingly, this wasn't an isolated incident. Stealthy ash scatterings have occurred all over Disneyland. Not everyone tries to skirt the rules, though. Every year, several families ask for permission. According to one Disney spokesperson, the answer is always no.

單字片語：

mansion (n.) = big house
memorial (n.) 追思會, 紀念活動 (something designed to preserve the memory of a person…etc. )
it turns out = the result is….結果
powdery (a.) ; powder (n.) 粉
substance (n.) = thing
isolated (a.) 孤立的
incident (n.)= incidence [類似 accident] 事故
ash (n.) 灰

2. The cats own the night 貓咪主宰夜晚

Each night at Disneyland, after the sunburned families and exhausted cast members have made their way home, the park fills up again -- this time, with hundreds of feral cats. Park officials love the felines because they help control the mouse population. (After all, a park full of cartoon mice is more enticing than a park full of real ones.)

But these cats aren't a new addition to the Disney family. They first showed up at Disneyland shortly after it opened in 1955, and rather than spend time chasing them away, park officials decided to put the cats to work.

Today, there are plenty of benefits to being a Disney-employed mouser. When they're not prowling the grounds, these corporate fat cats spend their days lounging at one of the park's five permanent feeding stations. Of course, Disney also goes to great lengths to manage its feline population. Wranglers at the park work to spay and neuter adult cats, and any time kittens are found, they're put up for adoption.

單字片語：

exhausted (a.) = tired
feral (a.) = wild [反義字：domesticated]
population (n.) 人口、動植物數量
enticing (a.) = attractive；to entice (v.) = to attract
put + n. + to work 讓n.幹活兒
corporate (a.) 公司的；corporation (n.) = company
permanent (a.) = forever (adv.) [反義字：temporary]
to go to great lengths to v. 盡力去做 v. 一事
to spay and neuter 結紮
to be put up for adoption 被開放領養；to adopt (v.)

3. It's a good place to be a flasher, again 這是袒胸的好所在

Just before the final, five-story drop on Splash Mountain, Disney cameras take a snapshot of the riders to catch their facial expressions. The idea is to provide guests with a wholesome keepsake of the experience.

But in the late 1990s, the photographs took a turn for the obscene after exhibitionists started baring their breasts for the camera. Soon, Splash Mountain had gained a reputation as "Flash Mountain," and Web sites featuring the topless photos began cropping up.

In its effort to curb this Tourists Gone Wild phenomenon, Disney began hiring employees to monitor the photos, training them to pull anything offensive before it got displayed on the big screen. Since then, the number of flashers has dwindled.

In fact, the countermeasure was so effective that in May 2009, Disneyland decided that it didn't need employees to monitor the photographs anymore, putting an end to what must have been one of the strangest jobs in the park -- watching for topless riders.

單字片語：

story (n.) = 在此：floor 樓層
take a snapshot of + n. 快拍n.
facial expression 臉部的表情；face (n.)臉
to bare one’s breasts 袒胸
to gain a reputation as + n. 贏得n.這樣的名聲
topless photo 上空照
to curb = to control = to restrain
phenomenon (n.) 現象
offensive (a.) 冒犯的；to offend (v.)
to dwindle = to reduce in number
countermeasure (n.) 反制法 [counter-=反]
to put an end to + 事：了結某事

4. Fully formed mustaches are welcome 已長成的八字鬍是被接受的

Even though Walt Disney had a mustache himself, he wanted his employees clean-shaven. The idea was to make sure they looked as different from the stereotypical image of a creepy carnival worker as possible.

So, for 43 years, Disney theme park workers were forbidden from growing facial hair. But on a momentous day in March 2000, the company took a giant leap forward and decided to grant the park's male employees the right to sport mustaches. (Beards, goatees, and Chester A. Arthur-style muttonchops were still off limits.)

There wasn't much time for rejoicing, though. When several employees started to grow out their facial hair, management realized that they hated the stubbly look. The rule was quickly amended.

Today, in order to have a mustache at the park, Disney employees must either have them when they're hired or grow them during vacation.

單字片語：