2010/07/31

Man forced to marry cow faints at wedding 被迫與母牛成親 男子昏倒在婚禮上

  ◎陳成良
A teenager collapsed during his marriage to a cow he had earlier been caught having sex with after claiming it had flirted with him.
一名青少年在他與一頭母牛成親時昏倒,他先前被人逮到與這頭牛做愛,他宣稱是這頭牛對他調情。
Unemployed Ngurah Alit, 18, was seen in a Bali paddy field standing naked behind the animal. He claimed he believed the cow was a young and beautiful woman, and it had seduced him with flattering compliments.
無業的恩古拉.阿利特,18歲,在峇里島一處稻田中被人撞見全身赤裸站在那頭動物後面。他聲稱,他相信這頭母牛是個年輕美女,牠用甜言蜜語勾引他。
He was then forced to marry the cow to cleanse the coastal village of Yeh Embang of the bestiality.
後來他被迫與這頭母牛成親,好讓濱海村莊耶安邦洗刷人獸交污名。
But during the ritual Alit passed out as locals and police – drafted in to keep journalists at bay – looked on and his mother began screaming, according to Detik.com.
不過,就在婚禮進行中,當地居民及被徵召來阻隔記者的警察在旁觀看時,他的母親開始尖叫,此時阿利特昏倒了,據Detik.com網站報導。
One villager said:"Poor kid. He’s actually a quiet kid."
一名村民說:「可憐的孩子。他實際上是個文靜孩子。」
Alit quickly then became a widower when his new bride was drowned in the sea as part of the Pecaruan ritual. Alit was only symbolically drowned and bathed on the beach. Chief Ida Bagus Legawa declared that the village had then been "cleansed" from the "defilement from the incident."
阿利特隨即變成鰥夫,因為他的新娘被淹死在海中,作為「Pecaruan」儀式的一部分。阿利特只象徵性地浸入水中,並在海灘上沐浴。隨後村長伊達.巴格斯.列佳瓦宣布,該村已「洗清」了「這起事件的穢氣」。
新聞辭典
pass out︰片語,昏倒,或委婉指稱過世。
keep at bay:片語,不讓……接近,困住。The strategy worked and kept the enemy at bay.(戰略奏效,成功阻止敵人進逼。)
defilement:名詞,弄髒;污穢。例句:The miraculous spring would wash away all defilement.(奇妙的泉水會洗掉一切污穢。)

This Day in History July 31 歷史上的今天 7月31日

Antoine de Saint-Exupy was a French writer and aviator. He worked as a pilot before and during World War II.
Saint-Exupy wrote adventure stories about pilots traveling to exciting places. His most famous book was The Little Prince. Although there was a lot of imagination to it, The Little Prince was actually a story about life. Saint-Exupy drew on his experience of surviving a plane crash in the Sahara Desert while writing the novella. The Little Prince went on to become one of the best-selling books of all time. On this date in 1944, Saint- Exupery disappeared on a flight during a special mission over the Mediterranean.
安東尼.聖修伯里是法國作家和飛行員。他在二次大戰前和大戰期間的工作是飛機駕駛。
聖修伯里所寫的冒險故事是關於飛行員到各個有趣的地方旅行。他最著名的書叫做《小王子》。雖然書中充滿許多想像,不過《小王子》這本書實際上談的 是關於人生的故事。聖修伯里寫這部短篇小說時借用了自己在撒哈拉沙漠墜機的生還經驗。《小王子》後來成為史上最暢銷的書籍之一。1944年的今天,聖修伯 里在一次飛越地中海的特殊任務中失去蹤影。

知識大補帖

1944年聖修伯里(圖,資料照片)在任務中神祕消失,大家卻遍尋不著他 的遺骸(corpse)和飛機殘骸(wreckage),直到2004年4月,失蹤近60年後,飛機殘骸才在法國南部馬賽(Marseille)附近的海 底被尋獲。法國在聖修伯里逝世50周年時,曾將他與「小王子」的形象印在50元法郎的鈔票上,以紀念這位天馬行空的作家,而他家鄉里昂(Lyon)的聖修 伯里機場(Lyon-Saint-Exupry Airport)也是以他的名字來命名的。2008年3月,一位在二戰時期擔任德國戰鬥機飛行員(fighter pilot)的霍斯特.李伯坦承自己是擊落聖修伯里座機的人。

單字片語

˙aviator n.飛行員
˙pilot n.飛機駕駛員
˙draw on... 利用……
例:The detective drew on his years of experience to solve the mystery.(這名偵探運用他多年的經驗解開這樁懸案。)
˙crash n.墜毀;撞擊
˙novella n.短篇小說
˙best-selling a.暢銷的
例:The best-selling author will show up at the launch party to promote her new book.(該暢銷作家會在她的新書宣傳發表會上現身。)
˙best-seller n.暢銷書,暢銷品

2010/07/30

This Day in History July 30… 歷史上的今天 7月30日

The first FIFA World Cup was held in Montevideo, Uruguay. It started on July 13 and ended on this date in 1930. The tournament was created because soccer would not be included in the 1932 Summer Olympics. Thirteen teams from North America, South America, and Europe played in the first World Cup. Argentina, Yugoslavia, Uruguay, and the US were the best in their respective groups and advanced to the semifinals. In the final game, Uruguay beat Argentina four goals to two. Around 93,000 people watched from the stands as Uruguay became the first-ever World Cup Champion.
第一屆世界盃足球賽 在烏拉圭的蒙特維多舉行,賽事從1930年的7月13日開始,於當年的今天結束。這項錦標賽之所以創立是因為足球並沒有被納入1932年的夏季奧運會。來 自北美洲、南美洲及歐洲的13支球隊參與了首屆的世足賽。阿根廷、南斯拉夫、烏拉圭和美國分別是他們各個組別中戰績最好的隊伍,因此都晉級進入準決賽。在 決賽當中,烏拉圭以4比2打敗了阿根廷,當時觀眾台上有9萬3000人見證烏拉圭成為第一屆世界盃足球賽的冠軍。

單字片語

●tournament n.錦標賽;比賽;聯賽
●include vt.包括,包含
例:Typical symptoms of the flu include a fever and cough.(流感的典型症狀包括發燒及咳嗽。)
●respective a.個別的,各自的
respectively a.個別地,各自地
例:We waved goodbye and went our respective ways after the party.(派對結束後,我們就揮手道別,然後各自回家。)
●advance vi.晉升;進步
例:Computer technology has advanced greatly in recent years.(電腦科技近幾年來發展神速。)
●semifinal n.準決賽
●beat vt.擊敗,勝過;打,擊

知識大補帖

國際足球總會(FIFA,為法文Federation Internationale de Football Association的縮寫,英文為The International Federation of Association Football)選擇由烏拉圭擔任主辦國的原因是為了慶祝該國獨立100周年,以及烏拉圭國家足球隊奪得1928年的夏季奧運會金牌(gold medal)。第一屆世界盃足球賽是唯一沒有資格賽(qualification)的賽事,而且缺乏歐洲球隊,原因是旅程的成本過高和賽期過長。後來因為 當時國際足總主席的介入,才成功邀請到4隊歐洲球隊參賽。(圖為本屆世界盃總冠軍賽,西班牙國家隊奪冠情形。)

2010/07/29

Big head may protect against dementia 頭大或許能對抗失智

 ◎國際新聞中心
Having a big head may help protect against the worst ravages of dementia, say researchers. They found that people with Alzheimer’s with the largest craniums had better memory and thinking skills than patients with smaller skulls.
研究人員說,頭大可能有助對抗失智症的摧殘,他們發現,罹患阿茲海默症而頭骨較大者,記憶力與思考能力比頭骨較小的病患佳。
The Munich University team believe a larger head means there are greater brain reserves to buffer against dementia-related brain cell death. Their findings, based on 270 patients, are published in the journal Neurology.
慕尼黑大學團隊認為,頭比較大意味大腦容量較多,能為對抗失智症相關腦細胞的死亡提供緩衝。他們根據270名病患所得的研究報告,刊登於「神經學」期刊。
The patients were recruited through research registries or specialist memory clinics in the US, Canada, Germany and Greece. They were given memory and cognitive skill tests and a brain scan to gauge the extent of their disease. They also had their head size measured.
病患是從美國、加拿大、德國與希臘的病歷研究或記憶力專門診所募集而來,他們接受記憶力與認知能力測試及大腦掃描以評估罹病程度,同時也被測量大腦大小。
A larger head was linked to better performance in the tests, even when patients had the same amount of Alzheimer’s-related brain cell loss. Although brain size is largely determined by genetics, the researchers say lifestyle can have an impact. Poor nutrition or disease in early life can compromise growth, for example.
在病患們的大腦中,即使是與阿茲海默症相關的腦細胞耗損量都一樣時,頭大的人測試表現仍然較好。雖然腦部大小大致上是基因決定,研究人員說,生活方式也有影響,比方說,營養不良或年紀輕就生病,就可能影響成長。
新聞辭典
ravage:動詞/名詞,破壞,蹂躪。例句:The area has been ravaged by war.(這個地區飽受戰爭蹂躪。)
cranium:名詞,頭蓋骨。
compromise:動詞,妥協,連累。例句:Don’t compromise your beliefs for the sake of being accepted.(不要為了被接受妥協你的信仰。)

This Day in History July 29歷史上的今天 7月29日

It was the fairy tale wedding every girl dreamed of. Lady Diana Spencer, a schoolteacher, married Charles Windsor, the Prince of Wales on this date in 1981. The wedding was held at St. Paul’s
Cathedral in London. There were 3,500 invited guests in attendance at the ceremony, while some 750 million people watched the service on TV worldwide. Everyone was excited by Charles and Diana’s romance because she was the first British commoner to marry an heir to the throne in over 300 years. Diana’s over-the-top wedding dress added to the fairy tale feeling. It cost more than $13,000 at the time and had a 25-foot train!

歷史上的今天 7月29日…

這是每個女孩都夢想擁有的童話般婚禮。在1981年的今天,身為學校老師的黛安娜.史賓賽女士嫁給了威爾斯王子查爾斯.溫莎。這場婚禮在倫敦的聖保羅大教堂舉行。共有3千5百位受邀參加的賓客出席這場典禮,而全球有大約7億5千萬民眾在電視前收看婚禮的轉播。因為黛安娜是3百多年來首位嫁給王位繼承人的一般英國百姓,所以她和查爾斯這段佳話特別令世人津津樂道。黛安娜極其奢華的結婚禮服更是增添了童話般的氛圍。這件禮服在當時造價超過1萬3千美元,而且還有長達25英尺的裙襬!

知識大補帖

黛安娜王妃與查爾斯王子的婚禮(圖,資料照片) 雖然不是有史以來耗資最鉅,但受矚目的程度絕對是前所未有,因此常被世人稱為「世紀婚禮」(wedding of the century)。除了上述所列出的賓客及電視觀眾人數,在黛安娜搭禮車前往聖保羅大教堂的路上,就有將近兩百萬人夾道歡迎,爭相目睹黛安娜的丰采。此 外,婚禮上還發生了一段有趣的小插曲,黛安娜在朗讀婚約誓詞(wedding vows)時,誤將查爾斯的全名Charles Philip Arthur George念反,說成查爾斯父王的名字Philip Charles Arthur George,也因此查爾斯隨即開玩笑說:She’s married my father!(她嫁給了我父親!)

單字片語

◎in attendance 出席,參加
例:Over 200 people were in attendance at the protest last Sunday.(上個星期天的抗議活動共有兩百多人到場參加。)
◎service n.(婚禮,葬禮等)儀式;(宗教)禮拜
◎commoner n.平民
◎over-the-top a.過於誇張的
例:Jim Carrey’s over-the-top comedy made him a very popular actor.(金凱瑞極度誇張的喜劇表演使他成為很受歡迎的演員。)
◎add to... 增添……
例:The soft lighting in the restaurant adds to the romantic atmosphere.(那家餐廳柔和的燈光增添了浪漫的氣氛。)

2010/07/28

Man ’forgot’ expired license for 30 years 男子忘記駕照逾期達30年

 ◎羅彥傑
An Ontario man charged with driving without a license said he has not had a license in 30 years because he forgot to renew it.
一名被控無照駕駛的安大略省男子表示,他30年來都沒有駕照,是因為他忘記換新照。
Bruce Newton, 73, of Innisfil, said he did not have the money to pay for his license renewal in 1980, so he decided to wait and eventually just forgot, The (Toronto) Star reported Tuesday.
73歲、印尼斯菲鎮的布魯斯.紐頓說,他在1980年時沒有錢支付駕照換新費用,所以他決定等一等,最後就忘了,(多倫多)星報週二報導說。
Newton, who continued to drive for 30 years, was found out by police May 22 when he was pulled over for a minor traffic offense.
持續開車30年的紐頓,5月22日因為一個輕微的交通違規事故遭路邊攔停,才被警方揭發此事。
"I meant to renew it, but at first I couldn’t afford it and after a while, I never really thought about it, I just kind of forgot," he said. "I was just old and stupid, I guess."
「我原本打算要換照,但一開始我負擔不起,而且過了一段時間,我真的從來沒想過此事,我就是忘了,」他說。「我就是又老又笨,我猜。」
Newton, who was charged under the Highway Traffic Act with driving without a license, said he is working on obtaining a new license, but he will have to start over with a beginner’s permit.
因無照駕駛而被依照「公路交通法」告發的紐頓說,他正努力取得新照,但他將必須用新手駕駛許可證重新開始。
He is due to appear in court in August.
他預計8月出庭。
新聞辭典
pull over:片語,把(車子)駛向路邊。例句:Once the vehicle did pull over, the driver was taken into custody.(等到這輛車一停靠路邊,駕駛人便遭到收押。)
find out:片語,查出…罪行,揭發出。例句:If you pretend, you may be found out.(如果你作假,有可能會被揭露的。)
start over:片語,重新開始。例句:I am starting over, trying to rebuild my own self-esteem.(我正在重新開始,設法恢復我的自尊心。)

This Day in History July 28

She is remembered as one of the most famous First Ladies in US history. Jacqueline Kennedy was born on this date in 1929 in the state of New York. She later married John F. Kennedy, who became America’s
35th president. As First Lady, Jackie got lots of attention. The clothes she wore started trends, and she is still considered a fashion icon today. She also restored the beauty and history of the White House. After JFK’s assassination, Jackie helped hold the nation together as well as mourn. Today, she represents grace and elegance in good times and bad.

歷史上的今天 7月28日…

在大眾的記憶裡,她是美國歷史上最著名的第一夫人之一。賈桂琳.甘迺迪於1929年的今日在紐約州出生,她後來嫁給了當上美國第35任總統的約翰.甘迺迪。身為第一夫人,賈姬受到眾人矚目。她的穿著引領時尚潮流,而且至今她仍被視為流行指標人物。她也重建白宮的光彩及輝煌歷史。在約翰.甘迺迪被暗殺後,賈姬協助全國人民團結起來並哀悼。時至今日,不管時局是好是壞,賈桂琳都是優雅與高尚的代表。

知識大補帖

賈桂琳在1961年成為美國史上最年輕的第一夫人,準備退位的艾森豪總統夫人(Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower)帶領她 巡視白宮時,她就對白宮內充斥著毫無歷史感的複製家具感到沮喪。她認為既然白宮代表著美國,就應當要有其歷史形象,因此在正式成為第一夫人後,她要求組成 一個美術委員會來進行重建工作,並到處尋找古董家具和歷史藝術作品。重建工作完成後,賈桂琳還出面帶領CBS電視台的一位主持人拍攝巡遊整個白宮的電視專 題節目。圖為美國前總統甘迺迪與夫人賈桂琳合照。

單字片語

◎be remembered as… 被記得是……;被緬懷為……
例:My aunt was remembered as a kind-hearted and generous lady.(大家都記得我嬸嬸是個善良又慷慨的女士。)
◎attention n.注意
.pay attention to… 注意……
例:Pay attention to the traffic lights! You just ran a light back there.(注意交通號誌!你剛剛闖紅燈了。)
◎trend n.時尚,趨勢
◎icon n.崇拜對象,偶像
◎restore vt.重建;恢復
例:The good job you did on the last project restored my confidence in you.(上個專案你做得非常好,讓我重拾對你的信心。)
◎assassination n.暗殺,行刺
◎mourn vi.哀悼
◎represent vt.代表
例:Brian was selected to represent his school in the speech contest.(布萊恩被選去代表學校參加演講比賽。)
◎grace n.優美,優雅

2010/07/27

Indonesian Muslims told to change prayer direction 印尼穆斯林被告知改變祈禱方向

 ◎魏國金
Indonesia’s Muslims learned on Friday they have been praying in the wrong direction, after the country’s highest Islamic authority said its directive on the direction of Mecca actually had people facing Africa.
在該國的最高伊斯蘭機構週五表示,其對麥加方向的指示實際上是讓人民面對非洲後,印尼的穆斯林才知道他們一直往錯誤的方向祈禱。
Muslims are supposed to face the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia during prayer and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued an edict in March stipulating westward was the correct direction from the world’s most populous Muslim country.
穆斯林在祈禱時理應面對沙烏地阿拉伯的聖城麥加,伊斯蘭學者理事會(MUI)3月間頒布一道敕令,規定朝西是從這個全球最多穆斯林人口之國(朝向麥加)的正確方向。
"But it has been decided that actually the mosques are facing Somalia or Kenya, so we are now suggesting people shift the direction slightly to the north-west," the head of the MUI, Cholil Ridwan, told Reuters. "There’s no need to knock down mosques, just shift your direction slightly during prayer."
「不過這被判定清真寺實際上面對的是索馬利亞或肯亞,所以現在我們建議民眾稍微轉移方向至西北方,」MUI主席喬利.里德旺告訴路透說。「沒有理由拆毀清真寺,只要祈禱時稍微轉移你的方向。」
Ridwan said Muslims need not fear that their prayers have been wasted because they were facing the wrong way. "Their prayers will still be heard by Allah," he said.
里德旺說,穆斯林無須擔憂他們的禱告白費了,因為他們面對錯誤方向。「他們的禱告仍被阿拉垂聽,」他說。
The MUI has, in the past, issued controversial edicts banning Muslims from chanting during yoga, and from smoking.
過去MUI發布爭議性的敕令,禁止穆斯林在練瑜伽時聊天與禁止穆斯林抽菸。
新聞辭典
stipulate︰規定、約定、確定。例句︰You must stipulate how many hours you can work in a day.(你必須確定你一天能工作多少小時。)
knock down︰拆毀、拆卸、擊倒。例句︰The house is being knocked down to make way for a new road.(這棟房子正被拆毀以便為新建道路騰出空間。)
waste︰浪費、耗損、蹂躪、糟蹋。例句︰Invading armies wasted the countryside.(入侵的軍隊蹂躪鄉村。)

This Day in History July 27 歷史上的今天 7月27日

In 1996, the Summer Olympics were held in Atlanta, Georgia, with 197 countries participating in the international event. However, the happy celebrations were broken up by a terrible event. On this date in Centennial Olympic Park, a bomb exploded. The explosion killed Alice Hawthorne and wounded 111 other people. A cameraman also died as a result of a heart attack caused by the explosion. Even so, the Olympic Games continued, and those hurt or lost were not forgotten. Eventually, the bomber confessed after he was arrested for bombing a clinic a few years later.
1996年的夏季奧林匹克運動會在喬治亞州的亞特蘭大舉行,共有197個國家參與這場國際性的賽事。不過,歡樂的慶祝活動遭恐怖事件破壞。在當年的今日,奧林匹克紀念公園發生炸彈爆炸事件。爆炸威力造成愛莉絲.霍桑身亡及其他111人受傷。一名攝影師也因爆炸引起心臟病發作而去世。即使如此,奧林匹克運動會仍持續進行,而受傷以及去世的人們並沒有被遺忘。幾年後,該炸彈客因一起診所炸彈事件被捕,最後坦承自己曾犯下當年的奧林匹克運動會爆炸事件。

單字片語

participate in... 參加……
例: Jerry said he would participate in the play if he got the lead role.(傑瑞說如果他當主角的話,他就參與這齣劇的演出。)
explode vi. 爆炸
eventually adv. 最後,終於
例: If you work hard, you will eventually achieve your goals.(如果你努力,最後你就會達成目標。)
confess vi. 承認,坦承
例:Julia has confessed to taking money from my wallet.(茱莉亞坦承從我的皮夾拿走了錢。)
arrest vt. 逮捕
例:The serial killer was finally arrested after many years on the run.(那個連續殺人犯逃亡多年後終於被逮捕歸案。)

知識大補帖

亞特蘭大在1990年擊敗雅典(Athens)、貝爾格勒(Belgrade)、曼徹斯特(Manchester)、墨爾本(Melbourne)和多倫多(Toronto),成為主辦城市。不過這場奧運會因大量倚賴贊助商(sponsor),所以被批評過度商業化(commercialized)。而特定為這場比賽而建的奧林匹克紀念公園(圖,資料照片),也因爆炸事件而蒙上一層陰影。當時的美國總統比爾.柯林頓指責這是個「邪惡的恐怖行動」(an evil act of terror)。

2010/07/26

Historian Cracks ’The Plato Code’ 歷史學家破解「柏拉圖密碼」

 ◎管淑平
His works have been scrutinised and debated for more than 2,000 years by the greatest minds in history. But it turns out the Greek philosopher Plato still has a few surprises up his sleeve.
他的作品已被史上最偉大的思想家們審視、辯論了2千多年。但結果發現,這名希臘哲學家還隱瞞了一些令人意外的東西。
A British academic claims to have uncovered a series of secret messages hidden in Plato’s writings. The codes suggest that Plato was a secret follower of the philosopher Pythagoras and shared his belief that the secrets to the universe lie in numbers and maths.
一名英國學者宣稱發現了柏拉圖著作中隱藏一系列秘密訊息。這些密碼顯示,柏拉圖是哲學家畢達哥拉斯的秘密追隨者,都相信宇宙奧秘就在數字和數學中。
Claims that an ancient text contains secret messages should normally be taken with a large pinch of salt. But the latest study comes from respected Classical scholar Dr. Jay Kennedy of Manchester University.
有關古老著作中藏有秘密訊息的說法通常應以大幅保留的態度看待,但這份最新研究來自備受敬重的曼徹斯特大學古典學家甘迺迪博士。
Kennedy spent five years studying Plato’s writing and found that in his best-known work the Republic he placed clusters of words related to music after each twelfth of the text. This regular pattern represented the twelve notes of a Greek musical scale. At the locations of the harmonic notes he described sounds associated with love or laughter, while the locations of dissonant notes were marked with screeching sounds or war or death.
甘迺迪花了5年研究柏拉圖著作,在他最知名的著作「理想國」中發現文中與音樂有關的文字依12分之1的規律安排,這種規律代表希臘音樂音階12音符,他在屬於和諧音的位置形容與愛或笑聲有關的聲音,不和諧音就以尖銳聲或戰爭、死亡標示。
The findings overthrow conventional wisdom on Plato. Modern historians have always denied that there were codes; now Dr Kennedy has proved otherwise.
這些發現推翻了對柏拉圖的傳統看法。現代史學家一直否定柏拉圖書中有密碼的說法,現在甘迺迪已證明其實不然。
新聞辭典
have something up one’s sleeve:片語,有還沒派上用場的妙計。例句:He still has some tricks up his sleeve that might work.(他還有一些也許有用的妙計。)
take something with a pinch of salt:片語,對某事半信半疑。例句:You should take his words with a pinch of salt, for he is used to bluffing. (你應該對他說的話持保留態度,因為他習慣唬人。)
conventional wisdom:名詞,一般、傳統看法。例句:The candidate is challenging the conventional wisdom on politics. (這名候選人在挑戰對政治的傳統看法。)

This Day in History July 26… 歷史上的今天7月26日

To end World War II for good, the US, the UK, and China drafted a document. On this date in 1945, the Potsdam Declaration was given to Japan to sign. The terms Japan had to follow were created at the Potsdam Conference. This famous document was sent with a warning. If Japan did not surrender, it would face "prompt and utter destruction." The leaders of the country did not heed the warning, and a few weeks later, the US dropped two atomic bombs on Japan.
為了永久結束第二次世界大戰,美國、英國和中國草擬了一份文件,在1945年的今天提交《波茨坦宣言》給日本簽署。宣言中那些日本必須遵守的條款是在波茨坦會議上所擬定。這份著名文件在送交給日方時還附帶了一項警告。要是日本不投降的話,就會面臨「迅速且完全的破壞」。該國的領導階層漠視這項警告,所以幾個星期後,美國就在日本投下兩枚原子彈。

知識大補帖

《波茨坦宣言》是1945年7月26日在波茨坦會議(圖為會議時英美俄代 表合照,資料照片)上,由美、中、英三國政府領袖杜魯門(Harry S. Truman)、蔣介石(Chiang Kai-shek)和邱吉爾(Winston Churchill)聯合發表的一份公告。這篇公告的主要內容是聲明3國在戰勝納粹德國(Nazi Deutschland)後,將致力於戰勝日本以及履行開羅宣言(The Cairo Declaration)等戰後對日本的處理方式的決定。

單字片語

◎draft
vt. 草擬
例:The lawyer will draft the divorce papers for Mandy on Monday.
(律師周一將為曼蒂草擬離婚文件。)
◎document
n. 文件
◎conference
n. 會議
例:I will represent my company at the conference in Singapore next month.
(我將代表我們公司出席下個月在新加坡舉行的會議。)
◎warning
n. 警告;前兆
例:The earthquake struck without warning.
地震無預警地發生。)
◎surrender
vi. 投降;屈服
例:The escaped criminal refused to surrender to the police and was shot dead.
(那名脫逃的罪犯搶匪因拒絕向警方投降而遭槍殺。)
◎prompt
a. 迅速的;立即的
例:The boss made a prompt decision to solve our business crisis.
(老闆迅速下決定來解決我們的商業危機。)

2010/07/25

Farmers’ blockade could sink Munich Winter Olympics bid 農民的反對恐影響慕尼黑爭辦冬季奧運計畫

 ◎俞智敏
A clutch of Bavarian farmers may torpedo Germany’s bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, after a representative said they were unlikely to make their land available for the event.
在一群巴伐利亞農夫反對下,德國爭辦2018冬季奧運的計畫可能泡湯,一位村民代表表示,村民們不可能把自家土地讓出來辦奧運。
Munich in southern Germany is one of three cities vying to host the games but the farmers’ opposition in the Alpine ski resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen 80 kilometres to the southwest could sink the application.
位於德國南部的慕尼黑是爭取主辦冬季奧運的三座城市之一,但在距慕尼黑西南方80公里處的阿爾卑斯山滑雪勝地格爾米許—帕滕基興地區,當地農夫的反對卻可能破壞這項申請計畫。
The chairman of the Pasture Association Garmisch, Josef Glatz, said that only two of about 80 property owners had signed contracts to make their land available if the region manages to lure the Olympics in eight years’ time.
格爾米許牧場協會主席葛拉茲指出,80位地主中只有兩位簽署合約,表明假如慕尼黑爭取在8年後主辦奧運,就同意提供土地給主辦單位使用。
Glatz accused state leaders and the local Olympic committee of having simply assumed that the property was theirs to use if the region wins the bid and to have ignored warnings to the contrary. "People are bitter," he said.
葛拉茲指控邦領袖與當地奧委會一廂情願地認定,假如當地爭得奧運主辦權,就可自由使用土地,完全不理會反對警告。「村民們都很不滿,」他說。
Munich hosted the Summer Olympics in 1972 and if it wins the current bid, it would be the first city to host both the summer and winter games.
慕尼黑曾於1972年主辦過夏季奧運,假如此次爭取成功,就將成為第一座主辦過夏季和冬季奧運的城市。
But the application has run into scepticism among budget hawks and recently faced protests in the town of Oberammergau, where residents successfully blocked an attempt to reserve it for the cross-country skiing events.
但這項申請案卻受到預算鷹派陣營的質疑,近來更在奧伯拉瑪高鎮面臨抗議,當地居民已成功阻止一項企圖把該鎮保留為越野滑雪比賽場地的計畫。
新聞辭典

sink:動詞,原指下沈、沈沒,亦可指搞垮、破壞某事,如This rain could sink our plans for the garden party.(這場雨可能讓我們舉辦花園派對的計畫泡湯。)
torpedo:名詞原指魚雷或水雷,文中作動詞用,為非正式用語,指毀滅、破壞,如He accused them of trying to torpedo the peace process.(他指控他們試圖破壞和平進程。)
run into sth:片語,指撞到、碰上(尤指遇到麻煩或問題),如We ran into bad weather/debt/trouble.(我們碰到了壞天氣/債務/麻煩。)

This Day in History July 25 歷史上的今天7月25日

Having children is a dream for many people. For some couples, having a baby naturally just doesn't work. On this date in 1978, the first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, was born in the UK. Louise's parents decided to try a new way to have babies. It involved taking eggs out of Louise's mother and sperm out of Louise's father. The egg was fertilized by the sperm and then reinserted into Louise's mother's uterus. Nine months later, Louise was born. This method is now frequently used to help couples have babies.
生兒育女對許多人而言是個夢想。但對某些夫婦來說,他們就是無法自然懷孕。在1978年的今天,第一個試管嬰兒——露薏絲.布朗(圖,資料照片)在英國出生了。露薏絲的父母決定嘗試用一種新的方式來懷孕。這種方式包含從露薏絲母親那裡取出卵子以及從露薏絲父親那裡取出精子。卵子在受精後就重新植回露薏絲母親的子宮內。9個月後,露薏絲便呱呱墜地。如今這種方式經常用來協助夫妻擁有小孩。

單字片語

★test-tube a.試管的
★involve vt. 包含,需要
例:Running your own business usually involves working long hours.(自行開業通常需要長時間工作。)
★sperm n.精子
★fertilize vt.使受精;施肥於
例:The eggs found in grocery stores and supermarkets are not fertilized.(在雜貨店或超市裡可買到的蛋都是未受精蛋。)
★uterus n.子宮
★frequently adv.經常地,頻繁地
例:James frequently dozes off in class because he stays up late playing video games every night.(詹姆士因為每晚熬夜打電動,所以時常在課堂中打瞌睡。)

2010/07/24

Oldest swingers 人瑞交換老伴

 ◎陳成良

A couple in the UK claim to be the oldest swingers in the country.
英國一對夫妻據稱是全國年紀最大的換夫換妻檔。
Ian Smith, 70 and his wife Jean, 75, admit they "love" to go out and meet other couples who enjoy the same passion for extra-marital sex.
70歲的伊安.史密斯和他75歲的妻子琴恩坦承,他們「喜愛」外出,並會見其他同樣熱愛婚外性愛的夫妻。

Ian said: "I admit we’re a little older than most ’swingers’ but we’re not over the hill quite yet."
伊安說:「我承認,我們比多數『換夫換妻者』年長一些,但我們還沒超過巔峰期。」
"We love going out, meeting new people and, of course, getting to know those people intimately if the situation or opportunity arises. "
「我們喜歡外出,見見新人,當然,若情勢與時機出現,我們會親密地與這些人相識。」

"Our children know but they prefer to say nothing about it. I guess it doesn’t matter how old you get, you can still be embarrassed by mum and dad."
「我們的兒女都知情,但他們寧願不發一語。我猜想,無論你年紀多大,爸媽都能讓你難為情。」
However, swingers could be threatening the population with sexually-transmitted diseases, and the oldest swingers appear to be the worst unsafe sex offenders, according to a new study.
然而,據一項新研究指出,換夫換妻者可能透過性病威脅到整個人口群,而人瑞級換夫換妻者似乎是最不遵守安全性愛的一群人。
新聞辭典
swinger:名詞,原意是「趕時髦的人」,流行語中是指相互公開、交換性伴侶的人。動詞swing原意是「搖擺」的意思,也指自由的行動,延伸為一種隨心所欲的自由情慾狀態。
extra- marital:形容詞, 婚姻以外的。常見的詞是extra-marital affair(外遇)。extra這個字首(prefix),意思是「在…以外的」,例如extracurricular activities「課外活動」,因為curriculum是「課程」,還有extraterrestrial是「不屬於地球的」,也就是「外星」、 「太空的」。
sexually-transmitted disease:名詞, 性傳染病,簡稱STD。以往所稱的性病(venereal disease,VD)是指透過性交直接傳染的疾病(花柳病),STD則是泛指與性行為、性接觸密切相關的各種疾病。目前已普遍用STD代替過去使用的 VD一詞。

This Day in History July 24 歷史上的今天 7月24日

High in the mountains of Peru sits an amazing ancient city. Machu Picchu was built around 1450 for an Incan emperor. Although it was on a mountain peak, it had everything, including fields for growing food. Then, it was mysteriously abandoned. For thousands of years, locals knew about the city in the sky, but explorers from the outside world did not. On this date in 1911, Hiram Bingham rediscovered Machu Picchu. This ancient city still amazes travelers today. Machu Picchu has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is also one of the most famous places in all of South America.
高聳在祕魯山上的馬丘比丘是座令人驚奇的古城,大約在1450年為了一位印加國王所建。雖然處於山頂上,但它應有盡有,包括種植糧食的田地。之後,馬丘比丘卻神祕遭到遺棄。好幾千年來,當地人一直知道這座天空之城,但外地來的探險家並不知情。1911年的今日,希朗.賓漢重新發現馬丘比丘這座城市。這座古城至今仍令旅客為之驚豔。馬丘比丘已經列入聯合國教科文組織(UNESCO)的世界遺產,也是南美洲最有名的地點之一。

單字片語

●sit vi.座落於,位於
例:The house sits right on the side of the mountain.(這間房子就座落在山邊。)
●amazing a.驚人的,令人吃驚的
例:It's amazing how people can survive in the icy conditions of Alaska.(人們能夠在阿拉斯加的冰冷環境中生存是件令人驚奇的事。)
●emperor n.君主;皇帝
●peak n.山峰;高峰,頂端
●mysteriously adv.神秘地
●abandon vt.拋棄,遺棄
●local n.當地居民,本地人& a.當地的
例:I like that small town because the locals are friendly.(我喜歡那個小鎮,因為當地居民都很友善。)
●explorer n.探險者
●rediscover vt.重新發現;再發現
●heritage n.遺產
例:Italy is famous for its cultural heritage.(義大利以其文化遺產聞名。)

知識大補帖

有「失落之城」(The Lost City of the Incas)之稱的馬丘比丘(圖,資料照片)座落在2430公尺高的山上,俯瞰烏魯班巴河(Urubamba River)。大多數的考古學家(archaeologist)認為馬丘比丘是為印加國王帕查庫蒂(Pachacuti)建立的莊園,大致分為都市區和農 業區(the Urban and Agricultural Sectors),其中都市區又分為神聖區(the Sacred District)、通俗區(the Popular District)和祭司與貴族區(the District of the Priests and the Nobility)。

2010/07/23

No more "comrades" on Beijing buses 北京公車「同志」不再

 ◎張沛元
China’s bus drivers and ticket sellers have been urged to leave communism behind, with a new training manual instructing them to call travelers "sir" or "madam" instead of "comrade," state media reported on Monday.
中國國營媒體週一報導,中國的公車司機與售票員被籲請把共產主義拋諸腦後,因為一份新的訓練手冊指示他們稱呼乘客為「先生」或「女士」,而非「同志」。
Older Beijingers, a few of whom still wear "Mao suits" that were once a virtual uniform for China’s hundreds of millions of citizens, will be exempt from the new ruling.
老一輩北京人──其中少數如今仍身著一度儼然是數億中國公民制服的「毛裝」──豁免適用這項新規定。
"Old comrade" is listed as the final possible choice of address for elderly travelers, but it comes after "elder master" and "elder sir," the Beijing Youth Daily reported.
北京青年報報導,「老同志」被列為稱呼年長乘客的最後一個可能選項,排在「老師傅」與「老先生」之後。
A newly released manual for Beijing bus staff suggests forms of address ranging from "student" to the plain "passenger" for younger travelers, for whom comrade has a different gloss, as a slang term for gay.
專為北京公車的工作人員所頒布的一份新手冊建議,稱謂從稱呼年輕乘客為「同學」到簡單稱之為「乘客」不一而足;對這些年輕乘客來說,同志具有不同意義,是同性戀者的俗稱。
China’s communists picked up the habit of calling each other comrade from the Soviet Union, as it was considered a more egalitarian, friendly form of address than traditional titles.
中國共產黨員以同志互稱的習慣來自於前蘇聯,此一稱謂過去被視為比傳統頭銜更為平等與友善。
新聞辭典
leave someone or something behind:片語,遺忘了某人或某物。例句:Oh, I left my wallet behind.(唉呀,我忘了帶皮夾了。)
exempt someone from something:片語,讓某人豁免某責任或義務。例句:The members of Congress exempted themselves from the wage freeze.(國會議員讓自己免於凍薪。)
pick up:片語,學到,獲得。例句:Can adults pick up a language just by listening to it?(成年人能光靠聽就學會一種語言嗎?)

This Day in History July 23

Is there anyone that hasn’t eaten an ice cream cone? It’s the perfect treat on a hot day. It’s cold and delicious, and most importantly, you don’t need a dish or a spoon. But where did the cone come from? There are many stories, but one of the best says ice cream cones were invented by Charles Menches in the US. He and his brother sold ice cream from a truck, and they usually sold it in dishes. However, at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, the ice cream vendors started to run out of dishes. Thinking quickly, Charles bought a bunch of baked waffles and rolled them into cones. As a result, on this date in 1904, the ice cream cone was born.

歷史上的今天 7月23日…

有人沒吃過冰淇淋的嗎?冰涼美味的冰淇淋是大熱天裡最棒的甜點,更重要的是,你根本不需要用到盤子或湯匙。但冰淇淋的甜筒是怎麼來的呢?它的由來眾說紛紜,但最精彩的一個版本說是美國的查爾斯.曼徹斯發明了甜筒冰淇淋。他和他兄弟原本開著貨車賣冰淇淋,而且通常是裝在盤子裡販售。但是在1904年的聖路易斯世博會上,那些賣冰淇淋的攤販都開始用光了盤子。腦筋動得快的查爾斯於是買了一堆烤鬆餅,並把它們捲成圓錐狀。結果在1904年的今天,甜筒冰淇淋就這麼誕生了。

知識大補帖

世界上關於吃冰的最早文獻可回溯至西元前2000年的中國。據說當時宮中的御廚為了讓皇帝(emperor)消暑,於是建造冰屋及地窖,用以將冬天的雪保存下來,等到夏天才讓皇帝食用。義大利龐貝古城(Pompeii)的考古研究上也發現,當時的商店流行一種將融雪拌入蜂蜜製成的冰沙,這項發現則成為義大利最早的吃冰紀錄。但是人們到底是在何時將冰加入牛奶、乳酪等製成現今我們所熟知的冰淇淋(圖,資料照片)則無切確的紀錄可尋。

單字片語

◎cone
n.(裝冰淇淋的)錐形甜筒;圓錐體
˙an ice cream cone  甜筒冰淇淋
◎spoon
n.湯匙體
◎vendor
n.小販
˙a street vendor  路邊小販
◎run out of…
用光……
例:Cheryl ran out of money while on vacation and had to use her credit card.(雪柔渡假時把錢都花光了,所以她只好刷卡。)
◎a bunch of…
大量的……
˙bunch n.大量,大批
例:Maria made a bunch of cookies for her boyfriend on Valentine’s Day.(瑪麗亞在情人節那天烤了一堆餅乾給她的男友。)

2010/07/22

Big hips impair women’s memory, a study finds研究發現,臀部大影響女性記憶

 ◎國際新聞中心
A woman’s body shape may influence how good her memory is, according to US researchers. Although carrying excess weight anywhere appears to impair older women’s brains, carrying it on the hips may make matters worse, they say.
根據美國研究人員指出,女性的身型可能影響她們的記憶力,雖然太胖不管如何似乎都會有害年紀較大的女性的大腦,但如果肥肉是堆積在臀部,可能會讓事情更糟。
The Northwestern Medicine team found "apple-shaped" women fared better than "pears" on cognitive tests. But depositing fat around the waist increases the risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease, experts warn.
西北大學醫學團隊發現,「蘋果型」女性的認知測驗結果比梨型女性好,不過專家警告,脂肪堆積在腰部,會增加癌症、糖尿病與心臟病風險。
The researchers believe belly fat makes more of the female hormone oestrogen that naturally dips after the menopause. Oestrogen is thought to help protect the brain from cognitive decline.
研究人員認為,腹部脂肪會製造更多雌激素。被認為有助大腦認知能力免於下降的雌激素,通常是更年期之後才會自然減少。
The study involved 8,745 post-menopausal women aged 65 to 79. These women were asked to complete a 100-point memory test that doctors use to judge brain function. They were also weighed and measured, then scored on an obesity scale known as Body Mass Index or BMI. Over two-thirds of the women were overweight or obese.
8745名過了更年期、年齡在65到79歲的女性參與研究,這些女性被要求填寫滿分一百分的記憶力測驗,醫師據以評估大腦功能,她們也測量體重,接著根據她們的身體質量指數(BMI)來評量肥胖程度,超過3分之2的女性為過重或肥胖。
The researchers found that for every one point increase in a woman’s BMI, her memory score dropped by one point. And pear-shaped women - those with smaller waists but bigger hips - scored particularly poorly.
研究人員發現,女性BMI值每增加1,她的記憶力就會下降1分。梨型女性(腰部較細但是臀部較大的)分數特別差。
新聞辭典
impair:動詞,破壞。例句:A recurring knee injury may have impaired his chances of winning the tournament.(膝傷一直復發可能影響他獲勝的機會。)
fare:動詞,進展。例句:How did you fare in your exams?(你考試考得怎樣?)
dip:動詞,下跌、降低。例句:House prices dipped in the first three months of the year.(今年頭3個月房價下跌。)

This Day in History July 22

During World War II, Adolf Hitler blamed the Jews for the bad things happening to Germany and the world. After Hitler took control of Poland, a special place was made to house all the Polish Jews. This place was called the Warsaw Ghetto and the situation was bad. The Jewish people had very little food, it was dirty, and they got sick easily. Then, they began dying in large numbers, but Hitler did not think they were dying fast enough. On this date in 1942, the first Jews were moved from the Warsaw Ghetto to Hitler's death camps. This was an important part of the Holocaust, one of the darkest times in history.

歷史上的今天 7月22日…

第二次世界大戰期間,希特勒把發生在德國和全世界的壞事都歸咎猶太人。在希特勒掌控波蘭後,他建造了一個特殊的地方來容納波蘭籍的猶太人。這個地方被稱為華沙猶太人區,而且當時環境很糟。猶太人僅有少量的食物,容身之處又相當髒亂,很容易染上疾病。於是猶太人開始大量死亡,但希特勒並不認為他們死亡的速度夠快,於是在1942年的今日,第一批猶太人從華沙猶太人區被移往希特勒的屠殺場。這是大屠殺事件中很重要的一部分,也是歷史上最黑暗的時期之一。

知識大補帖

當身困在華沙猶太人區的猶太人得知第一批被送去屠殺場的人都全數喪生後, 有些人決定起身反抗。1943年,當納粹(Nazi)要遣送剩餘的猶太人時,爆發了華沙猶太區起義(Warsaw Ghetto Uprising)。不過這場起義最後以悲劇收場,德軍幾乎燒毀所有猶太區的建築物,殺了每個被捕的猶太人(圖,資料照片),總計5萬多人死亡。1970 年,在一場悼念當時罹難的猶太民眾的典禮上,當時戰後西德的總理威利.勃蘭特(Willy Brandt)下跪默哀,成了聞名後世的「華沙之跪」(Warschauer Kniefall)。而關於華沙猶太區和起義的相關歷史,也被國際大導演羅曼.波蘭斯基(Roman Polanski)拍進電影《戰地琴人》(The Pianist)中。

單字片語

◎Jew n. 猶太人
.Jewisha. 猶太人的;猶太教的
◎take control of... 掌控/掌握……,控制……
例:Mr. Lin took control of the class in less than a minute.(林老師不到一分鐘就控制了班上的秩序。)
◎house vt. 供給住所,收容 & n. 房子
例:The government decided to house the flood victims in the school temporarily.(政府決定暫時把水患災民安置在學校裡。)
◎ghetto n.(舊時在歐洲的)猶太人居住區;貧民窟
◎camp n. 拘留營
◎Holocaust n.(二戰時納粹對猶太人的)大屠殺

2010/07/21

’Psychic’ octopus picks Gillard as election winner「通靈」章魚選吉拉德為勝選者

 ◎ 魏國金
An Australian newspaper has taken a leaf out of the football World Cup play book, unveiling its own "psychic" octopus that it says has predicted Prime Minister Julia Gillard will win next month’s poll.
一家澳洲報紙向世界盃足球賽看齊,公開它自己的「通靈」章魚,說 牠預測總理茱莉亞.吉拉德將贏得下月的選舉。
The Sydney Morning Herald showed off "Cassandra" just as Gillard told the Australian people that they would go to national elections on August 21.
正當吉拉德告訴澳洲人民,大選將在8月21日舉行之際,雪 梨晨驅報亮出「卡珊卓拉」。
The paper hopes Cassandra will rival the predictive powers of "Paul", a German octopus that called a string of results including the World Cup winner.
該報希望卡珊卓拉能與「保羅」的預測威力匹敵,德國章魚保羅正確預測出一 連串的比賽結果,包括世界盃的冠軍。
"Cassandra’s preference for Julia Gillard was clear," the newspaper said. "Despite being a solitary animal, she wrapped her long arms around the Prime Minister," it said.
「卡珊卓拉對吉 拉德的偏愛是顯而易見的,」該報說,「儘管是獨行動物,但是牠的長臂纏繞著總理,」報導指出。
Marine science expert Professor Rob Harcourt however warned that as octopuses have "episodic personalities", Cassandra could change her eight-tentacled vote at any time. "On any given day, an octopus may be bold in all situations and then shy and timid the next day," he told the paper.
然而海洋科學專家哈廓特教授 警告說,由於章魚具「不連貫個性」,卡珊卓拉可能隨時改變她的八腳式投票。「在任何一天,一隻章魚可能在所有情況中表現大膽,但第二天就害羞膽小,」他告 訴該報。
新聞辭典
take a leaf out of sb. book︰片語,以某人為榜樣,效法某人。例句︰You ought to take a leaf out of your brother’s book, he was never late.(你應該學學你兄弟,他從不遲到。)
rival︰動詞,比得上, 與…匹敵。例句︰No one can rival her in eloquence.(在口才方面沒人比得上她。)
call︰動詞,正 確預測到。例句︰He has an awesome reputation for calling stock market turns.(他因擅於預測股市的漲跌而極負盛名。)

This Day in History July 21… 歷史上的今天 7月21日

For years, people had looked at the moon and wondered what was up there. After spending years and billions of dollars developing space travel, the world found out. In the late hours of July 20, 1969, the first humans landed on the moon. It took them four days to travel through space after being launched from the US. After spending a few hours in preparation, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people to walk on the moon on this date in 1969. Armstrong put his boot on the moon and proclaimed, “That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.” Within a few hours, the astronauts gathered samples and left the moon. Their mission was successful, and history was changed forever.
長久以來,人類看著 月亮,想知道上頭有什麼東西。經過多年時間並耗資數十億元發展太空之旅,全世界的人類終於發現月球真 正的面貌。1969年7月20日的深夜,人類首次登上月球。自美國升空後,他們共花了4天的時間進行太空之旅。在1969年的今天,尼爾.阿姆斯壯和伯 茲.艾德林在進行了幾個小時的準備工作後,成為頭兩位在月球上漫步的人類。阿 姆斯壯穿著太空靴踏上月球,並宣布:「這是個人的一小步,卻是人類的一大步。」幾個小時內,這些太空人收集樣本後就離開月球。他們的任務圓滿達成,也永遠 改變了歷史。

單字片語

wonder vt. 納悶,想知道
例:I wonder how Brenda knew about her surprise party.(我納悶為何布蘭達會知道要幫她辦的驚喜派對。)
launch vt. 發射(火箭、飛彈等)
例:The space shuttle exploded soon after it was launched.(太空梭發射不久後便爆炸了。)
preparation n. 準備
例:The boxer is training hard in preparation for his big match next month.(那名拳擊手正努力訓練準備他下個月的大賽。)
proclaim vt. 宣布
例:The judges proclaimed Ms. South Africa the winner of the beauty contest.(裁判宣布南非小姐為選美比賽冠軍。)

知識大補帖

阿姆斯壯在他的名言中忘了在man之前加上不定冠詞 a(one small step for man),導致這句話的語意不通,因為單獨的man往往指的是「人類」而不是「個人」。他承認自己有時會漏掉個別的音節,但他也希望歷史允許他犯下這個小錯,因為當時他不 是故意漏掉的。阿姆斯壯和艾德林踏上月球表面後,在地上插了一面美國國旗(圖,資料照片)。這面國旗的頂端有一根鐵絲,使旗子在無風的情況下依然能夠展 開。由於鐵絲沒有被拉直,而且國旗之前被摺疊起來,所以看起來似乎是有風在吹一般。

2010/07/20

Robber drops all but $1 of loot 搶匪弄丟幾乎所有贓款 僅保住1美元

 ◎羅彥傑
An armed robber who held up a convenience store in Pittsburgh made a less-than-clean getaway - dropping all but $1 of the money he’d stolen as he fled.
一名搶劫匹茲堡某便 利商店的武裝搶匪,逃逸得實在不甚高明-在逃走時把自己偷來的錢全部弄丟,只剩1美元。
Pittsburgh police are hunting for the clumsy robber - who, to his credit, did manage to get away with seven packets of cigarettes in addition to the $1 he kept hold of.
匹茲堡警方正緝捕這名烏龍搶匪-此人確實成功地帶走7包香菸外加保住的1美元,很了不起(暗諷語)。
Auhtorities say the man robbed the Uni-Mart in the Troy Hill area of Pittsburgh at around 11:30pm on Sunday night.
當局表示,這名男子週日夜間11時30分左右,搶劫了位在匹茲堡特洛丘 地區的Uni-Mart便利商店。
Wearing a ski mask and brandishing a handgun at the store’s clerk, the robber made the clerk hand over the packs of cigarettes and $66 in cash.
戴上滑雪面罩並對著商店店員揮舞手槍,這名搶匪逼店員交出香菸盒及66美元的現 金。
But as he fled, he dropped $65 of the cash.
但他在逃逸時,弄丟了65美 元的現金。
Nobody was hurt in the robbery. Police were examining surveillance video, but have not yet made any arrests.
這起搶案沒有人受傷。 警方正調閱監視錄影,但尚未進行任何逮捕行動。

新聞辭典

hold up:片語,持械搶劫。例句:Several masked men held up a bank.(數名蒙面歹徒持槍搶劫了銀行。)
to one’s credit:片語,給某人帶來榮譽、值得讚揚。例句:Much to his credit, he won the first prize at the speech contest.(他在演講比賽中獲得一等獎,給他帶來很大榮譽。)
hand over:片語,交出、移交。例句:The thief was handed over to the police.(小偷被移交給警方。)

This Day in History July 20… 歷史上的今天 7月20日

Bruce Lee made martial arts famous. He was a well-known actor that created his own style of martial arts called Jeet Kune Do. Lee thought that everyone should be able to learn martial arts, which went against the norm at the time. Lee's family was originally from Hong Kong. When he was 18, he moved to the US, where he got involved in movies and TV. Some of his most famous films were The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, and Enter the Dragon. On this date in 1973, Bruce Lee died. A lot of mystery surrounded his death because it was not easy to explain how he died. Today, Lee is still a cultural icon loved by movie and martial arts fans of all ages.
李小龍讓武術名聞遐 邇。他是一位頗負盛名的演員,而且還創立一種叫做截拳道的獨門武術。李小龍認為每個人都應該能夠學習武術,但這在當時卻有反常規。李氏家族原本來自香港。 他18歲的時候搬到美國,並在那裡參與電影及電視演出。他最著名的一些電影包 括《唐山大兄》、《精武門》以及《龍爭虎鬥》。在1973年的今天,李小龍去世了。由於他的死因很難解釋,因此他的去世也籠罩在一團迷霧之中。時至今日, 李小龍仍是廣受各個年齡層影迷及武術迷所喜愛的文化代表性人物。

單字片語

●martial art n. 武術(常用複數)
●well-known a. 知名的,眾所皆知的
例:Kenting National Park is a well-known scenic spot in southern Taiwan.
墾丁國家公園是南台灣知名的風景區。)
●go against... 違背……;與……不符
例:Cheating on her spouse goes against Lisa’s morals.
(對配偶不忠違背莉莎的道德原則。)
●originally adv. 最初,原先
例: I originally planned to study abroad after graduation, but then I changed my mind.
(我原先計畫畢業後要出國深造,但後來改變了主 意。)
●fist n. 拳,拳頭
●fury n. 狂怒,盛怒

知識大補帖

李小龍原名李振藩,1940年出生於美國舊金山(San Francisco),小時候就跟隨父母返回香港。1970年,李小龍在香港拍攝《唐山大兄》,當時粵語片正陷於低潮,而且幾乎停產;但他憑藉著一身好武 藝與個人銀幕魅力,在70年代初期掀起一股電影熱潮,將觀眾拉回了戲院。而《龍爭虎鬥》則為李小龍的巔峰之作,是打鬥場面最大、使用武器最多以及系列中最 賣座的一部。在片中比武時,李小龍也展現出少林齊眉棍、菲律賓短棍、雙節棍(圖,網路照片)(nunchucks)等各種不同的絕技。

2010/07/19

Wayne Rooney world’s ugliest footballer:website魯尼獲網站票選為全球最醜足球員

 ◎ 管淑平
After a hugely disappointing World Cup, England striker Wayne Rooney is unlikely to be cheered by his latest accolade:ugliest footballer on the planet.
英格蘭隊射腳魯尼在世界盃表現令 人大失所望後,他獲得的最新讚美不太可能令他高興:地球上最醜的足球員。
The Manchester United goal machine, who flopped after being hyped as a potential superstar in South Africa, heads the list of unattractive players on dating website BeautifulPeople.com.
這名在南非世界盃被捧成表現可能有如超級巨星,卻以失敗收場的曼聯進球機器,在約會網站「俊男美 女」的最不吸引人的球員榜上拔得頭籌。
Most beautiful, according to online voters subscribing to the site, are Italy’s Fabio Cannavaro, Fernando Torres and David Villa of Spain, US mainstay Landon Donavan and France’s Thierry Henry.
根據登入該網站的線上投票者票選,最好看的球員是義大利隊的卡納瓦羅,西班牙隊的托雷斯和比亞,美國隊的唐納 文,以及法國隊的亨利。
Rooney has the company of England team mate John Terry in the top 10 ugliest, but it’s the Algerian team that comes out as collectively the least attractive on the planet, according to the poll.
魯 尼在10大最醜球員榜上,有英格蘭隊友泰瑞作伴,但阿爾及利亞隊整體來說卻是地球上長相最不吸引人的球員,根據這份調查。
BeautifulPeople.com claimed that 200,000 people had already voted in the polling.
俊男美 女網站表示,有20萬人在這場票選中投票。
新聞辭典
accolade: 名詞,讚揚(在本文中為反諷法)。例句:The drama received huge accolades from art critics.(這部劇作大受藝評家讚賞。)
flop:動詞、名詞,失敗。例句:My first book was a complete flop, and only tens copies are sold.(我的第一本書徹底失敗,只賣出幾十本。)
hype: 動詞、名詞,為了廣告或宣傳而提出的誇大說詞。例句:What he’ve said is just a hype. Don’t take it seriously.(他剛說的都是噱頭,別太當真。)

This Day in History July 19… 歷史上的今天7月19日

Ages ago, people did not understand sickness and death. They could not figure out why some animals died or why crops failed. These were very scary events for them. In early US colonies, people blamed witches when bad things happened. Anyone accused of being a witch was arrested and put on trial. Some of the most famous were the Salem Witch Trials. However, the trials were not fair. Most of the accusations could not be proven to be true. On this date in 1692, five women from Massachusetts were hanged for being witches. Altogether, 19 people were hanged as a result of the Salem Witch Trials.
很久以前,人們並不 了解疾病和死亡。他們搞不懂為何有些動物會暴 斃,或是為什麼農作物會歉收。這些對他們而言是極其可怕的事。在早期美國的殖民地中,當有壞事發生時,人們會把事情怪罪在女巫頭上。任何被指控為女巫的人 都會遭到逮捕並受到審判。這當中最著名的就是一連串的賽林女巫審判案。不過這些審判一點都不公平。大多數的指控都無法獲得證實。在1692年的今天,5位 來自麻塞諸塞州的女子因被判為女巫而被吊死。最後共有19位民眾因賽林女巫審判案而被處以絞刑。

知識大補帖

賽林是波士頓(Boston)北邊的一個小鎮,在1692年的一月,當地 的山繆.派瑞斯這位牧師(Reverend Samuel Parris)的女兒和姪女久病不癒,村裡的醫生診斷他們中了妖術,導致150多位被懷疑是女巫的村民被捕。當時的州長(governor)更成立了一個法庭(圖,網路照片),試圖將施咒的女巫揪出並繩之以 法。整起事件後來愈演愈烈,共有14名女子和5名男子被吊死,還有數百人被關入獄中。最後因民眾群情激憤而使得法庭解散,獵殺女巫事件才宣告平息。

單字片語

◎figure out...
想出……,找出……
例:Thomas had to figure out a way to pay his rent after he lost his job.
(丟掉工作後,湯瑪斯必須想個辦法來付房租。)
◎crop
n. 農作物
◎fail
vi.(農作物)歉收
◎blame
vt. 歸咎;責怪
例:The report blamed the terrible accident on the dense fog.
(這份報告將這起嚴重意外的起因歸咎於濃霧。)
◎accuse
vt. 指控;指責
.accuse sb of sth  指控╱指責某人(做)某事
例:Kevin seemed upset when his classmate accused him of lying.
(當凱文的同學指責他說謊時,凱文顯得十分難過。)

2010/07/18

Overcoming taboo, Iraq turns to dogs to fight bombs 克服禁忌,伊拉克轉向狗兒求助對付炸彈

A "dirty dozen" bomb-sniffing dogs whose canine nature makes them taboo in the Arab world is helping to win over Iraqis to the idea dogs are man’s best friend -- especially when the animal saves your life.
犬類的天性使其成為阿拉伯世界的禁忌,但十多隻「骯髒」的嗅彈犬現正協助說服伊拉克人, 狗兒其實是人類最好的朋友,尤其是當這種動物能夠救你一命時。
At Baghdad’s police training college, some of the 12 Alsatians and other breeds now deployed as bomb sniffers in the capital speak to the cultural aversion that has likely cost lives in the fight against a still potent insurgency.
在巴格達的警 察訓練學校中,12隻分屬德國狼犬與其他品種的狗兒已被部署為首都的嗅彈犬,這反映出當地文化對狗的排斥,但這種文化排斥在對付勢力依舊強大的叛軍時卻可 能奪走人命。
The names of the dogs -- Tom, Pieter, Benny and Shirley, all four donated from Europe -- are often a mouthful for their Iraqi handlers, but they haven’t been changed.
這些嗅彈犬的名字包括湯姆、彼特、班尼和雪莉,這4 隻狗都是由歐洲捐贈的,伊拉克的照顧人員叫起來經常很頭大,但他們卻沒有替狗兒改名。
If they had been altered, "I might get offended if a dog has the same name as me," laughed a veterinary official at the college, adding: "English names are good."
假 如牠們被改了名字,「如果狗的名字跟我一樣,我恐怕會覺得很不舒服,」警犬學校的獸醫官笑說,「用英文名字比較好。」
Dogs are viewed as unclean by many Muslims because of Islamic teachings that say they put their snouts everywhere. Guard dogs, kept outside of houses, are permissible but many Iraqis shudder at the thought of a dog nosing through personal items in their bags or in their cars.
許多穆斯林認為狗不乾 淨,因為伊斯蘭教誨中指稱,狗會把鼻子伸進任何地方。養在屋外的守衛犬可被接受,但許多伊拉克人一想到讓狗把鼻子探進自己的袋子或車裡搜尋個人物品,就會 渾身不自在。

新聞辭典
win sb over/round:動詞片語,指說服某人支持或同意某事,如They’ve won over a lot of the electorate since she’s been leader of the party.(自從她當上黨魁之後,他們已爭取到許多選民支持。)
speak to something:指出或顯示某事,如Your present state of employment speaks to your need for a better education.(你目前的就業狀態,反映出你需要接受更好的教育。)
mouthful:名詞, 非正式用語,指冗長而難念的字詞或句子,如That Russian name is really a mouthful.(那個俄文名字真是拗口。)


This Day in History July 18

No one is perfect at all times. However, some people like Nadia Comăneci can boast of small moments of perfection. She was a Romanian gymnast during the 1976 Summer Olympics. Her special moment was when she became the first gymnast to be given a perfect score of 10. Comăneci ended up with seven perfect scores and three gold medals, and she helped make gymnastics one of the most watched Olympic events. In 2000, Comăneci was named one of the Laureus World Sports Academy's athletes of the century.

歷史上的今天 7月18日…

沒有人能始終保持完美。然而有些人,像是娜蒂亞.科曼妮絲(圖,資料照片),卻能夠自豪擁有短暫的完美時刻。 她是1976年夏季奧運的羅馬尼亞籍體操選手。她的特殊時 刻就是當她成為史上第一位取得滿分10分的體操選手的時候。科曼妮絲最後共獲得7個滿分,並贏得3面金牌,也使得體操項目成為奧運比賽中最多人觀看的賽事 之ㄧ。在2000年,科曼妮絲更榮獲桂冠世界運動學院的世紀最佳運動員之一。

單字片語

◎perfect a. 完美的
例:Flea markets are perfect for browsing and shopping without spending a lot.(跳蚤市場是不必花大錢就能到處逛和血拼的絕佳地點。)
◎at all times 始終,一直;隨時
例:When driving, you should keep your eyes on the road at all times.
(開車時,你應該隨時注意路況。)
◎boast vi.(人)誇耀& vt.(地方)以擁有……自豪
例:Hank boasts of having finished college in only three years.
(漢克誇耀自己3年就完成大學學業。)
◎gymnast n. 體操選手
◎medal n. 獎牌,獎章

2010/07/17

Teens Arrested for ‘Sexting’ 青少年因傳送「色情簡訊」被捕

 ◎陳成良
‘Sexting,’ one of the new rages in cell phone use, is leading some teens to problems with the law. The new craze of using the cell to take photos, send or receive photos of nudity has resulted in eight high school students, from a school in Pennsylvania, of being arrested. The charge is for sending child pornography via the internet.
一種新流行的手機使用方式「色情簡訊」,正為一些青少年
惹來官 司問題。這種利用手機拍照、傳送或接收裸照的新風潮,已導致賓州一所高中的8名學生遭逮捕,罪名是透過網路傳送兒童色情物品。
The students, who range in age from 13 to 17, have each been charged with felony pornography. It is reported that the police have one short video of oral sex.
年紀介於13至17歲的這些學生,每人都被控以加重色情罪。據報導,警方握有(他們傳送的)一段口交短片。
Perry County District Attorney Charles Chenot has previously prosecuted two sexting cases, which involved ten minors, during the last year. He said he finds sexting to be a form of child pornography.
此前,裴利郡地區檢察官查爾 斯.奇諾特去年曾起訴兩起色情簡訊案子,共有10名未成年人涉案。他表示,他發現色情簡訊是一種兒童色情形式。
However, a former U.S. Representative and present Harrisburg civil rights attorney, Don Bailey, is skeptical of the situation. He asked if these should be crimes at all. He said, “this is an over-zealous and inappropriate application of the criminal law.”
然而,前美國眾議員、目前在哈里斯堡擔任民權律師的唐恩.貝利對這種 情況持懷疑態度。他質疑,難道這些行為算是犯罪嗎?他說,「這是刑法遭到浮濫且不當的應用。」
新聞辭典
sexting:結合sex(色情)和texting(傳簡訊)兩個字而成的 新創名詞,指傳送色情內容的簡訊。
rage:名詞,風靡一時的事物。例句:Smartphone is the rage now. (智慧型手機是現在流行的東西。)
felony : 重罪;重刑罪。例句 In ancient times, a person who committed a felony would have his family members sentenced to death with him.(古時候的人如果犯了重罪,就會被判處滿門抄斬。)

This Day in History July 17… 歷史上的今天 7月17日

In the underwater city of Bikini Bottom, a sweet yet strange cartoon comes to life. On this date in 1999, the first official episode of SpongeBob SquarePants premiered on TV. The cartoon series was created by Stephen Hillenburg, a marine biologist and animator. It is about the funny adventures of SpongeBob SquarePants and his mix of friends. One of them is a squirrel who needs to wear a diving suit to visit SpongeBob. The show is on Nickelodeon and, by its second season, became one of the station's highest-rated shows. Now, its popularity goes beyond the Nickeloden demographic as teenagers and young adults have embraced SpongeBob as a cultural phenomenon.
在水底下的比奇堡 中,一個可愛卻奇特的卡通誕生了。1999年的今日,《海綿寶寶》第一集正式在電視播放。這部卡通是出自於海洋生物學家兼動畫師史蒂芬.海倫伯格之手。這是個關於海 綿寶寶以及他一幫好友趣味橫生的歷險故事。海綿寶寶其中一位 好友是隻松鼠,必須穿著潛水裝備才能去拜訪他。這部卡通在尼可兒童頻道播出,到第二季時就成為該頻道收視最高的節目之一。如今,《海綿寶寶》不只受到尼可 兒童頻道的孩童觀眾喜愛,也風靡了青少年和青年人,成為一種文化現象。

單字片語

●underwater a. & adv.水中的/地,水面下的/地
●come to life 栩栩如生;活了起來
例:The wizard uttered some magic words, and the statue came to life.(那名男巫唸了一些咒語後,那座雕像就活過來了。)
utter vt.說,發出(聲音等)
●episode n.(電視影集/連續劇的其中)一集
●premiere vi. & n.初次上演
例:The popular TV series premiered on this channel in 1980.(那部受歡迎的電視影集於1980年首次在這個頻道 播出。)
●marine a.海洋的
●biologist n.生物學家
●animator n.動畫/卡通製作者
●adventure n.冒險(經歷或活動)
例:Laura told us of her adventures in Africa.(蘿拉告訴我們她在非洲的冒險故事。)
●squirrel n.松鼠
●diving suit n.潛水衣
●popularity n.普及,流行

知識大補帖

海綿寶寶的英文名稱原先叫做 Spongeboy ,是個外型貌似廚房用海綿的海底生物(圖,資料照片)。他在蟹堡王餐廳(The Krusty Krab)擔任廚師,是名熱愛工作的好員工。他飼養一隻名為小蝸(Gary)的海蝸牛(sea snail)為寵物。一隻名為派大星(Patrick Star)的粉紅色海星(starfish)是海綿寶寶的好麻吉,腦袋總是不太靈光,常鬧出一些笑話。

2010/07/16

It's a bee market as insects swarm Wall Street 蟲蟲大軍壓境 華爾街現蜂市

 ◎張沛元

Forget bears and bulls. It’s bees that are making waves on Wall Street.
忘了熊與牛吧。現在在華 爾街興風作浪的是蜜蜂。
About 15,000 of them buzzed the posh Cipriani Wall Street restaurant this week, blanketing an elegant front door and forcing police to cordon off the block.
大約1萬5000隻蜜蜂本週在華爾街的時尚餐廳 Cipriani外嗡嗡作響,佈滿該店的一扇典雅的前門,迫使警方封鎖Cipriani所在的街區。
"We had 15,000 girls who wanted to get in and have a nice, fresh Bellini on a hot, sunny day," general manager Eric Bonnetain joked Tuesday.
「當時有1萬 5000名女郎想在這個艷陽高照的大熱天進入本店並來一杯清涼的Bellini,」該餐廳總經理艾瑞克.波恩坦週二打趣說。
At noon Monday, with the markets closed for Memorial Day and tourists filling Wall Street, Bonnetain was outside when he suddenly saw "thousands of bees flying around."
週一中午,當股市因美國陣亡戰士紀念日而休市一天、華爾街充斥遊客之際,人在店外的波恩坦突然看 到「成千上萬隻蜜蜂到處飛舞。」
Soon, the female worker bees landed at Cipriani.
沒 多久,雌工蜂便蜂擁於Cipriani。
"They could sting, but they were pretty quiet because they were following the queen bee, which was trying to get in," he said. The queen had disappeared into a crack of the closed portal.
「牠 們可能螫人,但牠們非常安靜,因為牠們是跟隨想進店內的女王蜂而來,」他說。女王蜂已鑽進關閉的餐廳大門門縫裡消失無蹤。
新聞辭典
bear/bull market:bear market,熊市,指空頭市場,投資人看壞股市,預計股價下跌;bull market,牛市,指多頭市場,投資人看好股市,預計股價看漲。例句:Do you know there’s a charging bull bronze sculpture on Wall Street?(你知道華爾街上有一座蓄勢衝鋒的公牛銅像嗎?)
make waves:俚語,製造麻煩(通常用於負面情況),即興風作浪。例句:Don’t make waves. Keep a low profile.(別興風作浪。保持低調。)
cordon something off:片語,封鎖;以繩索、膠帶、絲帶等標示出一個禁止人員進入的區域。

This Day in History July 16… 歷史上的今天 7月16日

As one of the most famous families in American history, the Kennedys have seen many sad times. Many family members, including former President John F. Kennedy, were killed in the prime of their lives. On this date in 1999, John F. Kennedy, Jr., his wife, and his sister-in-law were added to that list. They died when their plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on a hazy night. JFK, Jr. was a skilled pilot who flew often. The flight started in New Jersey and was supposed to land in Massachusetts. Experts said JFK, Jr. had become disoriented and gotten too close to the water, which caused the crash.
名列美國歷史上最著 名的家族之一,甘迺迪家族發生過許多悲劇。許多家庭成員,包括前總統甘迺迪在內,都英年早 逝。1999年的今天,小約翰.甘迺迪和妻子及小姨子加入了那個行列。在一個霧濛濛的夜晚,他們因為飛機在大西洋墜毀而喪生。小甘迺迪經常駕駛飛機,是個 熟練的飛行員。這架飛機從新澤西州起飛,預定在麻州降落。專家說小甘迺迪迷失方向並且離海面太近,因而造成墜機。

單字片語

in the prime of one’s life 某人正值壯年之際
例:Mr. Brown was killed in the prime of his life. (布朗先生正值壯年時遭到殺害。)
crash into... 撞上……
例:The car crashed into a tree, killing the driver on the spot.(這輛車撞上一棵樹,駕駛當場死亡。)
hazy a.有薄霧的;朦朧的
skilled a.熟練的
disoriented a.迷失方向的
例:Alan became disoriented in the city’s maze of streets.
(城 裡迷宮般的街道使亞倫迷失了方向。)

知識大補帖

小甘迺迪(左)與妻子在空難中雙亡。資料照片
小甘迺迪(左)與妻子在空難中雙亡。資料照片
甘迺迪總統的父親約瑟夫.甘迺迪在二次大戰期間曾任駐英大使,當時他拒絕 簽發500名猶太人的簽證,結果這些猶太人通通被送進集中營(concentration camp)慘死,外傳甘迺迪家族詛咒(Kennedy Curse)就是這樣來的。首先是約瑟夫.甘迺迪的長子小約瑟夫.甘迺迪在二次大戰期間擔任空軍飛官殉職,接著次子約翰.甘迺迪在總統任職期間遇刺 (assassinated),而他另一個擔任司法部長的兒子羅伯.甘迺迪也在眾目睽睽下遇刺身亡。到了第三代,羅伯.甘迺迪的一個兒子死於吸毒過量,另 一個則在滑雪時撞樹身亡;甘迺迪總統的兒子小約翰.甘迺迪駕駛飛機失事,這些意外使得甘迺迪家族的詛咒之說更顯離奇。

2010/07/15

Depression may double dementia risk, say researchers 研究人員說,憂鬱症或加倍失智風險

 ◎國際新聞中心
Having depression may nearly double the risk of developing dementia later in life, new research suggests.
憂鬱症可能讓晚年罹患失智症的風險增加將近一倍,新研究顯示。
Experts know that the two conditions often co-exist, but it is not clear if one actually leads to the other.
專家知道憂鬱症和失智症這兩種疾病通常共存,但不清楚是否真的是一種疾病會導致 另一種。
Now two studies published in the American journal Neurology suggest depression does mean dementia is more likely, although they do not show why. And the researchers stress that the findings merely reveal a link, not a direct cause. They say more studies are needed to find out why the two conditions are linked.
現在兩份刊登在美國期刊《神經學》的研究顯示, 憂鬱症確實代表比較容易失智,不過研究並未說明原因。研究人員強調,研究結果只是顯示關聯而非直接原因,他們說,還需要更多研究,來找出兩種疾病相關的原 因。
They believe brain chemistry and lifestyle factors like diet and the amount of social time a person engages in may play a role. Dr Jane Saczynski of the University of Massachusetts, who led the first of the two studies, said:"While it’s unclear if depression causes dementia, there are a number of ways depression might impact the risk of dementia.
他們相信,大腦化學物質與生活型態因子,像是飲食與一個人的社交時間,可能有影響。領導兩份研究中第一份研究的麻薩諸塞 大學薩欽斯基博士說:「雖然不清楚憂鬱症是否造成失智,但憂鬱症可能從很多方面影響失智症風險。」
新聞辭典
stress:動詞/名詞,強調。例句:During his speech, he laid particular stress on the freedom of the press.(他在演講中特別強調言論的自由。)
merely:副詞,只是。例句:I wasn’t complaining, I merely said that I was tired.(我不是抱怨,我只是說我累了。)
cause:名詞,原因。例句:The police are still trying to establish the cause of the fire.(警方仍在試著了解這起火災的原因。)

This Day in History July 15… 歷史上的今天 7月15日

The First Crusade started in 1096 after Byzantine Emperor Alexius I called on Pope Urban II and Western countries for help. The emperor's land was being invaded by Seljuk Turks, so he needed help driving them away. However, the fighting soon turned into a religious mission. Christians wanted to take back the Holy Land and Jerusalem, which were controlled by Muslims at that time. On this date in 1099, Christian soldiers overtook one of Jerusalem's heavily defended walls and eventually the city. It was a long, hard fight that ended with the Christians controlling Jerusalem again.
第一次十字軍東征始 於1096年,在拜占庭君主阿歷克塞一世向教宗烏爾巴諾二世與西方國家求援之後展開。阿歷克塞一世的領土被塞爾柱土耳其人侵占,所以他需要協助以驅逐他 們。然而這場戰爭卻迅速轉變為一場宗教任務,因為基督徒想要拿回聖地以及耶路撒冷,而這些地方當時都被穆斯林所掌控。在1099年的今天,基督教的軍隊奇 襲耶路撒冷一面重兵防守的城牆,最後奪下了該城。這是一場漫長的硬戰,結果是由基督徒重新取得耶路撒冷的掌控權收場。

單字片語

˙crusade n.十字軍東征(作此用法時須大寫);聖戰
˙emperor n.君主;皇帝
˙call on sb for... 請求/要求某人……(協助或做某事)
例:Gerard called on his friend for technical assistance.(傑瑞德拜託朋友給予他技術性方面的協助。)
˙pope n.教宗
˙invade vt.侵略,入侵
例:The army invaded the village and robbed the villagers.(軍隊入侵這個村落,並洗劫村民。)
˙drive...away/drive away... 驅逐/趕走……
例:John drove away the rat with a broom.(約翰用掃帚把那隻老鼠趕走。)
˙turn into... 轉變成……

知識大補帖

十字軍東征是在教宗的准許下,所進行的一系列宗教性軍事行動,也是基督教 世界與伊斯蘭教(Islam)世界之間的長期戰爭。當時原屬於基督教聖地的耶路撒冷落入了伊斯蘭教的手中,基督教徒為了收復失地,便多次進行東征。十字軍 本身是由兩次宗教會議與由兩位宗教重要人物的號召行動所促成,會議分別是在義大利與法國召開,而人物則為主持會議的教宗烏爾巴諾二世與四處宣傳的隱士彼得 (Peter the Hermit)。十字軍乃因參加的騎士皆在胸前或肩上佩戴象徵十字架的徽章而得名。圖為描述十字軍戰役的電影《王者天下》(Kingdom of Heaven)劇照。

2010/07/14

NM man set on fire after losing drinking bet 新墨西哥男子尬輸酒後被放火

 ◎ 魏國金
A 47-year-old man’s friends set his prosthetic leg on fire after he lost a drinking bet, causing him to suffer severe burns to his buttocks and lower back.
一名47歲男子的友 人,在他尬輸酒後,放火燒掉他的義足,導致他的臀部與下背嚴重灼傷。
Dona Ana County sheriff’s deputies found the man naked on the side of U.S. Route 70 with his prosthetic leg in flames. Deputies learned that the man and his friends were drinking and bet that whoever drank the least would be set on fire.
多 納安納郡的警員發現這名男子赤裸待在美國70號公路旁,而他的義足著火。警員得知男子與友人喝酒,同時打賭誰喝得最少將被火燒。
The man told investigators that at six beers, he drank the least, and agreed to let his friends set him on fire. He said his friends ignited his prosthetic leg, and the flames spread to his body.
男子告訴調查員,他灌了6罐啤 酒,喝得最少,因此同意讓友人放火燒他。他說,他的朋友燃火燒他的義足,而火舌蔓延到他的身體。
The sheriff’s office said the man took his clothes off because of the pain and his friends decided to take him to the hospital. But they got nervous and instead dropped him off on the side of the highway. The man was taken to a Texas burn treatment center.
郡警局辦公室指出,由於疼痛,該男脫下他的衣服,而他的朋友決定帶他到醫院。不過他們感到 緊張,讓他就在公路旁下車。這名男子被送進德州一家燒燙傷治療中心。
新聞辭典
set on fire︰片語,縱火。pull out of the fire則指轉危為安、使免遭毀滅。例句︰We just pulled the game out of the fire.(我們好不容易勝了這場比賽。)
flame︰名詞,火舌、燃燒。fan the flames指火上加油、煽動情緒。例句︰His speech fanned the flames of racial dissension.他的言論讓這場激烈爭吵更火上加油。
drop off︰片語,掉落、下車、睡著。例句︰She dropped off in front of the fire.(她在爐火前睡著了。)

This Day in History July 14… 歷史上的今天 7月14日

The story of Billy the Kid is one of the most infamous in American history. He was a symbol of the Wild West at a time when outlaws were both loved and hated. By the time he was 18, Billy the Kid had killed several people. After killing a sheriff in 1878, Billy became the most wanted outlaw in the West. Three years later, Billy was captured but later escaped. On this date in 1881, Sheriff Pat Garret found out where Billy was hiding and hid in Billy's room while he was gone. Then, when Billy entered, Garret shot him to death. Although the man called Billy the Kid died, his story will live on in history.
關於比利小子的故事 是美國歷史中最惡名昭彰的一段。在亡命之徒讓人又愛又恨的那個年代,他可說是美國大西部時代的象徵。當他年滿18歲之際,比利小子身上早已背負了好幾條人 命。比利於1878年射殺了一位警長之後,就成了西部人人欲緝捕到案的非法之徒。3年後,比利遭到逮捕,但隨後脫逃成功。在1881年的今天,派特.賈雷 特警長發現了比利的藏身之處,並趁他出門時躲在他的房內。之後當比利進門時,賈雷特便持槍將他擊斃。這個叫比利小子的傢伙雖然命喪黃泉,但他的故事卻將在 歷史中繼續流傳。

單字片語

●infamous a.聲名狼藉的,惡名昭彰的
例:The police officers were unable to stop the city's infamous crime lords.(警方無法制止該城市中那些惡名遠播的黑社會老大。)
●symbol n.象徵
例:The dove is a symbol of peace.(鴿子是和平的象徵。)
●outlaw n.歹徒,罪犯,亡命之徒
●wanted a.被通緝的,被警方追捕的
例:The man was wanted for stealing company funds.(那名男子因盜用公款而遭通緝。)
●capture vt.逮捕;捕獲
例:The police have finally captured the leader of the criminal organization.(警方終於逮捕了該犯罪集團的首腦。)

知識大補帖

比利小子於1859年11月23日出生於紐約市,本名為亨利.麥卡蒂 (Henry McCarty,圖,網路照片),是美國西部的著名槍手(gunman)及傳奇人物。由於他的個子不高,所以大家都叫他「小子」,他也因此得到這個著名外 號。比利小子雖為非法之徒,但他叛逆的形象卻成為當時美國大西部時代的象徵。於1988年上映的美國電影《少壯屠龍陣》(Young Guns)就是在描述他的故事,而續集也邀請到搖滾巨星邦喬飛(Jon Bon Jovi)為其製作當時十分暢銷的電影主題曲《榮耀之光》(Blaze of Glory)。