Mercedes-Benz makes some of the most iconic cars in the world. Anyone who sees one will recognize the logo right away. A Benz is the gold standard for many car owners. But very few people will know just how important the company is.
梅賽德斯-賓士製造了一些世界上最有代表性的汽車。任何人只要一看到標誌都可以立刻辨識是賓士車。對許多車主而言，擁有一台賓士是終極目標。但沒有多少人知道這間公司的重要性多大。

In 1886, Karl Benz built the very first car to use a combustion engine. To test it, Karl’s wife Bertha Benz drove the machine almost 100 kilometers through Germany. This is considered by many people to signify the dawn of the car as a way to travel.
在1886年時，卡爾賓士(Karl Benz)利用燃氣引擎建造了第一台賓士車。為了測試車子性能，卡爾的太太貝塔賓士(Bertha Benz)開了這台機器將近一百公里的距離橫跨德國。許多人認為這件事代表駕車旅行的時代開端。

The company Mercedes-Benz officially began in 1926, when the Benz company merged with another German car maker. At the time, Mercedes was the name of a popular car model, and it was named after the daughter of a race car driver. The new company decided to call itself Mercedes-Benz to bring good luck to its new car business. The famous logo of a star with three points represents the company’s success on land, water and in the air.
賓士與另一間德國汽車製造商合併後的梅賽德斯-賓士公司在1926年正式開幕。在當時，梅賽德斯是款有名的車型，這種車款以某位賽車手的女兒之名來命名。新公司決定更名為梅賽德斯-賓士(Mercedes-Benz)期許為新公司增添好運。賓士著名的商標是顆三芒星，代表公司在陸上、海上及天上三處都能取得成功。

Today, Mercedes-Benz is the largest premium car company in the world, building 2.3 million cars every year. Besides the headquarters in Germany, there are factories in 30 other countries around the world. The company also has one of the most successful race car teams in history, winning championships at the highest levels.
現代的Mercedes-Benz是世界上最大的高級汽車製造公司，每年建造兩百三十萬台車輛。除此德國的總部之外，其他三十個國家都有工廠。公司還擁有史上最成功的跑車團隊之一，贏得最高級別的冠軍。

So you shouldn’t be surprised that so many people dream to have a Benz of their own.
因此你看到這麼多人夢想要擁有一台自己的賓士，也不該覺得訝異。

Vocabulary 好字精選

1. iconic (adj) very famous or easily recognized  偶像的；代表的
Michael Jackson was really an iconic singer.
麥克傑克森（Michael Jackson）真是一名具代表性的歌手。

2. logo (n) a picture which represents a company 商標
The McDonald’s logo is very simple, but everyone knows it. 
麥當勞（McDonald）的商標非常簡單，但每個人都認得。

3. combustion (n) burning of something 燃燒；氧化
If you add a spark to gas, combustion will occur.
假如你在瓦斯中加入一星點的火光，就會開始燃燒。

4. signify (v) to be a sign of something  表明；示意
A skull on a sign signifies danger. 
骷髏頭標誌代表危險。

5. merge (v) to combine two things into one 合併；同化
The river water merged with the ocean.  
河流流進大海中。

6. premium (adj) having a high quality and cost 高價的；優質的
Starbucks is known for selling premium coffee.
星巴克因銷售優質咖啡而聞名。

7. headquarters (n) the center office or location of a business   總部
Tom had to visit the company headquarters for training. 
Tom必須去公司總部參加訓練。

Phrases and Sentence Patterns 句型解析

1. the gold standard (phr) the best in a category   黃金標準；最佳的事/物/人
Judy is such a great teacher. She’s really the gold standard for the whole school.
Judy真是位好老師。她真是全校的最佳典範。

2. the dawn of sth. (phr) the invention or beginning of something 破曉；黎明；開端；曙光
The 1990s was really the dawn of the Internet for most people. 
一九九零年代對大多數人來說確實是網際網路的開端。

Exercise 課後練習題

1. We were so surprised to see such a(n) _______________ movie star in the restaurant.
看見具代表性的電影明星出現在餐廳時，我們都感到驚訝。

2. The company designed a _______________ to go with the new product. 
公司設計一款商標搭配新上市的商品。

3. The _______________ in a modern engine is when the gas burns and moves the parts inside. 
現代引擎的燃燒就是指汽油燃燒後帶動車內零件。

4. Giving a flower to someone _______________ love.
送花給別人就是示愛的表現。

5. We decided to _______________ our two teams to work together on the project. 
我們決定將兩個團隊合併一起合作這個項目。

6. Instead of always buying the cheapest food, you should try a _______________ meal some time. 
你應該偶爾吃吃看優質的餐點，而不是每次都買便宜的食物。

7. The company president decided to move the _______________ to France.
公司總裁決定將總部搬到法國。

8. For many people, Apple is _______________ of smartphone makers. 
對許多人來說，蘋果是智慧型手機製造商的最佳典範。

9. When Tony’s first child was born, he felt it was _______________ a new time in his life. 
當Tony第一個孩子出世時，他覺得這揭開了他人生新時代的序幕。

解答：
1. iconic
2. logo
3. combustion
4. signifies
5. merge
6. premium
7. headquarters
8. the gold standard
9. the dawn of

Comprehension Questions 閱讀理解

1. Who was the first person to drive a car a long distance?
a. Karl Benz
b. Bertha Benz
c. A famous race car driver
d. A girl named Mercedes

2. Which of the following is NOT true about Mercedes-Benz today?
a. The logo represents the beauty of their cars.
b. It is well-known for race cars.
c. Many different countries build Mercedes-Benz cars.
d. They make over two million cars every year.

1. 第一位開長途車程的人是何人？
a. 卡爾（Karl Benz）。
b. 貝塔賓士（Bertha Benz）。
c. 一位有名氣的賽車手。
d. 一位名叫梅賽德斯的女孩。

2. 關於現代賓士汽車（Mercedes-Benz）的敘述，以下何者為非？
a. 汽車商標代表車輛的美感。
b. 以賽車而聞名。
c. 許多國家都會建造賓士汽車。
d. 賓士公司每年建造超過兩百萬輛汽車。