From the Classroom to the Boardroom▼ 創業不是夢 ── 十四歲少年勇闖職場 One teenager's invention could become the world's next big success story. 一位青少年的發明有可能成為世上下一個十分成功的故事。
Taylor Rosenthal is not your typical teenager since he spends his time negotiating million-dollar business deals. This 14-year-old boy from Alabama had an idea for a new kind of vending machine. Rather than selling candy or soda, it would give out first-aid▼ materials. Now, Rosenthal's idea could make him one of the world's newest multi-millionaires. The idea came to Rosenthal when he was at a baseball tournament▼ . He noticed that many of the players got minor injuries. His first thought was to set up a small stand to sell medical supplies, but he realized it would cost too much to pay someone to sit there. Thus, the RecMed vending machine was born. He made a prototype▼ in 2015 and quickly raised a hundred thousand dollars from investors▼ . This would be an amazing accomplishment on its own, but he wasn't done yet. Last year, Rosenthal tried to sell his vending machines at amusement parks and stadiums. Seeing the possibilities, one business offered him US$30 million for the idea. Amazingly, Rosenthal turned it down because he was looking for something in the neighborhood of US$50 million, and not a penny less. This young man is shaping up to be the next business icon.
invention n. 發明（物） Many great inventions were made in the 20th century. 許多偉大的發明都是在二十世紀問世的。
typical a. 典型的 This mountain scenery is typical of South America. 這是南美洲典型的山岳景色。
give out sth／give sth out 放出……；分發…… Carrie helps give out food to homeless people every week. 凱莉每個星期都去幫忙分發食物給遊民。
minor a. 輕微的；較小的 Vincent thought he was very healthy, until he suffered a minor heart attack. 直到一次輕微心臟病發之前，文森一直以為自己很健康。
injury n.（身體上的）傷 Ella's back injury resulted from a bike accident. 艾拉的背部受傷起因於一次自行車意外。
accomplishment n. 成就 The first landing on the moon was a great accomplishment for mankind. 首次登陸月球是人類一項偉大的成就。
amazingly adv. 令人驚訝地 Amazingly, nobody was hurt in the fire. 令人驚訝的是，這場火災並沒有人受傷。
shape up to be sth 逐漸發展為某物 Dad's company is shaping up to be a pretty big business. 父親的公司逐漸發展成為大企業。
▼boardroom n.（董事會的）會議室 ▼ first-aid a. 急救（用）的 ▼tournament n. 錦標賽 ▼prototype n.（新型汽車和機器等的）原型，雛型 ▼investor n. 投資者
neighborhood的片語用法 本文 "... because he was looking for something in the neighborhood of US$50 million, and not a penny less." 中的名詞 neighborhood 原本是「附近社區；鄰近地區」的意思。然而，文中的片語 in the neighborhood of... 則表「大約／接近……」；而若要表示「在某人的社區／鄰近地區」則可以用 in sb's neighborhood。例：
We invited the Brown family to our party since they are new to the neighborhood. （我們邀請布朗一家人來參加我們的派對，因為他們才剛搬到這個社區不久。）
The building project will cost in the neighborhood of eight million dollars. （這項興建計劃將耗資大約八百萬元。）
Sylvia was in my neighborhood last night, so she stopped by and had dinner. （希薇亞昨晚在我家附近，所以她就順道來吃晚餐。）
