Venezuela’s Chavez offers cure for kids’ insomnia 委內瑞拉的查維茲提供治小孩失眠的對策

 ◎ 魏國金
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is offering parents a cure for children who don’t want to go to sleep. Have them watch his televised speeches.
委內瑞拉總統查維茲提供父母對付不想睡 覺的孩子妙方：讓他們看他的電視演說。
In a television appearance on Thursday to extol the virtues of a portable computer his socialist government plans to introduce at public schools, Chavez said youngsters had stopped him in the street to tell him they saw him on television.
在週四一個對其社會主義政府，計 畫引進公立學校的手提電腦之長處大加吹捧的電視節目上，查維茲說，曾有小孩在街上擋下他，告訴他，他們在電視上看到他。
"It seems that there are mothers who, instead of putting their kids to sleep with cartoons, put them to sleep with Chavez," he said.
「似乎有媽媽們不是用卡通影 片，而是以查維茲讓她們的小孩入睡，」他說。
"And the child dozes off and dozes off, and Chavez speaks and speaks and speaks. And the child falls asleep," said the loquacious leader, well known for speeches that can last for hours.
「孩 子打起盹、昏昏欲睡，而查維茲說、再說、一直說，然後孩子沉睡，」這位以滔滔不絕演說數小時功力而聞名的健談領袖表示。
Venezuelan TV stations are interrupted regularly for Chavez’s speeches, which can range from global politics to the nationalizing of businesses. Every Sunday, he hosts his "Hello President" program, which starts at 11 a.m. and often lasts most of the day.
委內瑞拉的電視台常受查維茲範圍從全球政治到企業國營化等題材的演說干 擾。每週日他主持「哈囉總統」節目，該節目從上午11點播出，常一播就是大半天。
新聞辭 典
put to sleep︰片語，使入睡，也有消除、打消之意。例句︰You always seemed so well-behaved that my fears were put to sleep.（你似乎總是如此的舉止有禮，我的擔心也就打消了。）
doze off︰片語，打瞌睡。例句︰I dozed off in the middle of the boss’s speech.（老闆講話時，我打了一會兒瞌睡。）
loquacious︰形容詞，多話的。例句︰The brandy make him a bit loquacious.（喝了白蘭地，他的話多了起來。） 也可指（鳥）啁啾不休的、（水）潺潺不息的。