零起点美语-Filing Methods

Filing Methods

归档方法
　　As you all know, in English things are filed by alphabetical order. But what some of you may not realize is that in English-speaking countries people's names are virtually always filed according to their family or last name. This makes a difference if you're looking for a book by a certain author in a library or a bookstore or a CD by a particular singer.
　　This method of filing is different from the one used in Taiwan for English names. For instance, in most CD stores in Taipei George Michael's CDs are under "G". But if you look for his CDs under "G" in the U.S., you aren't going to find any. Instead, you have to look under M. Of course, it's different with bands or artists with one name. You'll find Madonna under "M" in the U.S. just like in Taiwan.
　　大家知道，在英文中，物品是以英文字母排序来归档的。但是有些人也许不知道在英语系国家中，人们的名字事实上是依他们的姓来归档的。这点造成了大家在图书馆或书店找某个作者的书或找某一个歌手的CD时，会有些不同。
　　这种英文名字的归档方法和台湾的不一样。例如，在台北，大部份的CD唱片行，乔治‧麦可的CD归类在"G"檔下。但是如果在美国你在"G"的归类里找他的CD，是找不到的。相反地，你得在"M"檔下去找。当然，如果是乐团或是单一名字的歌手来说，情况就不是这样了。在美国，你会在"M"档下找到玛丹娜，就像在台湾一样。