Noisy pet bird "saved" owner’s life 吵鬧的寵物鳥「救了」飼主一命

◎自由時報轉載

A 72-year-old man has credited his pet cockatiel with saving his life after raising the alarm by making a "heck of a noise" when he had a stroke.

一名72歲男子把自己能撿回一命，歸功於所養的寵物雞尾鸚鵡，因為鸚鵡在男子中風時，製造出「夠大的噪音」示警。

Brian Molineaux, a night porter, collapsed at his home in Chelmsford, Essex, before he could feed his 17-year-old pet, called Budgie.

布萊恩．莫里尼克斯是夜間門房，在還沒餵食17歲大、叫作「布吉」的寵物前，就在艾塞克斯郡切姆斯福市的家中昏倒。

The bird made "such a fuss" that it alerted his wife, Shirley, 68, who called for help.

這隻鳥「聒噪抱怨」，驚動到他68歲的妻子雪莉呼救。

Mrs Molineaux, who was in bed at the time, said her "sixth sense" alerted her to the fact that something "wasn’t quite right" on the morning of March 2.

當時在床上的莫里尼克斯太太說，她的「第六感」讓她驚覺到，3月2日這天上午有些「不太對勁」。

"Budgie is a free-flying bird in the house and when Brian gets up he always changes her feed," she said. "This morning he didn’t and she was waiting, as if to say：Where’s my food?"

「布吉在屋內是一隻自由飛翔的鳥，當布萊恩起床時，他總是會替她換飼料，」她說。「這天上午他沒有這麼做，而她正等著，就像是在說：我的食物呢？」

"She started making a lot of noise and a sixth sense made me come downstairs."

「她開始製造一堆噪音，第六感讓我下樓。」

新聞辭典

to credit~with …：片語，把…歸功於～；認為～有（某種優點或成就）。herbs credited with healing powers.（被認為具有治療疾病功能的草本植物。）

a heck of a~：片語，指極度的、糟糕的。heck是hell的委婉用語，用來加強語氣或咒罵。例句：They had a heck of an argument.（他們爭執不下。）

fuss：名詞，緊張、急躁、大驚小怪、抱怨或反對。例句：Don’t make such a fuss over losing money.（別為掉錢一事大驚小怪的。）

The Truth on Whether ’Opposites Attract’ 是否真會「異性相吸」？

@自由時報轉載

Do opposites really attract? A new study finds that when it comes to personality, people seek partners with their same qualities - but claim to want someone who is different.

異性真的會相吸？一份新研究發現，當與性格有關時，人們會找與他們有相同特質的人為伴侶，但是嘴巴上卻說想要的是與自己完全不同性質的人。

The study asked 760 members of an online dating site to answer questionnaires regarding their personality traits, as well as the traits they would want in an ideal long-term partner. They then were asked if they most wanted a partner that complemented them, or resembled them.

這份研究對一個交友網站的760名會員做問卷調查，詢問他們的人格特質，以及他們心中理想長期伴侶所要具備的人格特質。接著再問他們最想要的伴侶是要與他們互補還是相似。

Their answers showed a preference for someone with the same sort of personality。These findings are supported by previous research. A study conducted by the University of Iowa in 2005, for example, stated that similarity in personality was more important than similarities in attitude, religion, and values in forming a happy marriage. Like-minded people validate each other’s beliefs and views, and there tend to be fewer conflicts as a result.

他們的答案顯示偏好找有相同人格特質的人。這些發現並有先前研究佐證。例如2005年愛荷華大學的一份研究表示，要塑造快樂的婚姻，人格特質的相似性，比態度、宗教和價值觀上的相似重要得多。性格相似的人會支持彼此的看法和觀點，也因此比較不會起衝突。

But despite the personality correlations, the new study has found that 85.7 percent of participants claim to want someone who has their opposite traits.

但是儘管人格特質的相關性，這份新研究也發現，85.7％接受調查的人說，想要找與他們人格特質相反的人。

◎新聞辭典

complement：動詞，補……之不足。例句：You two can complement each other very well.（你們兩個可以互補得非常好。）

resemble：動詞，與……相似。

like- minded：志趣相投，在此指性格相似。例句：The couple are like-minded opera enthusiasts and resemble each other in musical taste. （這對夫妻是志趣相投的歌劇愛好者，音樂品味很相似。）

Scientists develop test for melamine in milk 科學家研發出檢驗牛奶三聚氰胺方法

◎自由時報轉載

U.S. researchers have developed a quick way to test milk for the presence of melamine, an industrial chemical found last year in milk in China that killed at least six children and made thousands sick.

美國研究人員已研發出一種快速檢驗牛奶是否含有三聚氰胺的方法。去年中國傳出牛奶中含有這種工業化學物質，至少造成6名兒童死亡、數千人生病。

Researchers at Purdue University in Indiana said on Wednesday the method can detect tiny traces of the chemical in liquid and powdered milk in about 25 seconds.

印地安那州普渡大學的研究人員週三表示，這種方法可以在大約25秒鐘內偵測到液態奶或奶粉中是否含有微量的三聚氰胺。

The analysis method uses a simplified version of a mass spectrometer, a tool that can be used to separate and identify molecules in compounds. The team developed the tool specifically to detect melamine, which was also found in contaminated pet food that killed thousands of dogs and cats in the United States in 2007.

這種分析方法使用到一個簡化版的質譜儀，這是一種用來在化合物中分離和識別分子的工具，該團隊將這種工具開發成為專門用於檢驗三聚氰胺的儀器。2007年在美國奪走數千隻貓狗性命的遭污染寵物食品中，也被驗出含有三聚氰胺。

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last November issued guidelines limiting melamine in dairy products to 1 part per million or less.

美國食品暨藥物管理局去年11月份公布了一份指導方針，將乳製品中三聚氰胺的含量限制到百萬分之一或更少。

"This situation created an immediate need for an analytical method that is highly sensitive, fast, accurate and easy to use," R. Graham Cooks, who led the team, said in statement.

「在這種狀況下，需要立即出現一種高敏銳度、快速、準確、方便使用的分析方法」，該研究團隊的負責人庫克斯在聲明中說。

新聞辭典 Dictionary

trace：名詞，指「絲毫、微量」。trace elements則是「微量元素」。

dairy：名詞，製酪場、牛奶及乳品業；形容詞，牛奶製的、乳品的。例句：He runs a dairy near Madison. （他在麥迪遜附近經營一家牛奶場。）

mass：物理學名詞，質量。例句：A liter of gas has less mass than a liter of water. （一公升汽油的質量比一公升水的小。）；mass-spectrometer 為「質譜儀」。

Young Russians dream of job at Kremlin 俄羅斯年輕人夢想在克里姆林宮工作

@ 自由時報轉載

Young Russians would rather work at the Kremlin or the Interior Ministry than with high-tech companies or multinationals, a poll shows.

根據一項民調顯示，俄羅斯年輕人寧可在克里姆林宮或內政部工作，也不想進入高科技公司或跨國公司。

Seven out of the top 10 jobs coveted by Russian students are in the government or at state-run firms, according to the poll published by the Trud newspaper.

根據俄羅斯勞動報（Trud）所公布的民調結果顯示，俄羅斯學生所嚮往的工作中，有十分之七屬於政府部門或國營公司。

National gas giant Gazprom is the top choice, cited by 21 percent of respondents, while the Kremlin administration is the next most popular, with 11 percent of preferences.

國營的天然氣龍頭Gazprom是首選，獲21%受訪者青睞，而克里姆林宮則是第二受歡迎的機關，有11%的人選擇。

Close behind are posts at the state-run savings bank Sberbank, the government-controlled oil giant Rosneft and the Interior Ministry.

緊接在後的則是國營儲蓄銀行Sberbank、由政府掌控的石油巨擘Rosneft及內政部等機關的職務。

Jobs at Western high-tech companies or multinationals coveted by young people in Europe, the Americas or Asia, seem much less popular in Russia.

在歐洲、美洲或亞洲最受年輕人喜愛的西方高科技公司或跨國大企業等工作，在俄羅斯卻似乎沒那麼受歡迎。

Only two percent suggested chip maker Intel or search engine Google as dream jobs, while one percent mentioned consumer goods giant Procter and Gamble or soft drinks company Coca-Cola.

只有2%的受訪者表示晶片大廠英特爾或網路搜尋引擎公司Google是他們嚮往的工作，提到消費商品龍頭寶僑集團或汽水公司可口可樂的受訪者更僅有1%。

新聞辭典

Kremlin：克里姆林宮，原指俄羅斯首都莫斯科的城堡，現泛指俄羅斯（或前蘇聯）政府。kremlin（字母k小寫時）則指俄羅斯任一城市裡的城堡。

covet：動詞，正式用語，指垂涎、貪圖或渴望，尤其指當渴望的東西屬於其他人時。如He always coveted power but never quite achieved it.（他一直渴望擁有權力，卻始終無法如願。）envy、begrudge及covet等動詞均可指對他人的優勢或所有物感到忌妒或強烈渴望，但 covet尤指對自己無權擁有的事物暗中嚮往。形容詞covetous亦帶有貶意。

Groom gets cold feet, sets wedding hotel on fire／卻步新郎放火燒舉行婚禮的飯店

◎自由時報轉載

A Japanese man who set fire to a hotel in a bid to buy himself time to chose whether to stay with his wife or marry his girlfriend was sentenced to five years jail, a court official said.

一名放火燒飯店，希望多爭取一點時間來決定自己到底是要跟老婆在一起，還是跟女友結婚的日本男子，被判處5年有期徒刑，一名法院官員表示。

Presiding Judge Yasushi Watanabe called 40-year-old defendant Tatsuhiko Kawata "egoistic and short-sighted" and dismissed the defence argument that no-one was hurt in the fire, the Kyodo news agency reported.

主審法官渡邊康稱40歲的被告河田達彥「自私又短視」，並駁斥沒有人在這場火災中受傷的答辯，據共同新聞社報導。

Kawata, who had been married to his wife since 1994, had also been seeing another woman for about three years and promised to marry her last October at the Risonare hotel in the mountain resort of Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture.

1994年與妻子結婚的河田，與另一名女性交往約3年，並在去年10月承諾女友會在山梨縣的度假山城北杜市的Risonare飯店結婚。

However, on the eve of the ceremony, the still-married Kawata sought to delay the ceremony by spilling seven litres of petrol in the hotel and setting it on fire, causing minor damage and forcing the evacuations of several guests.

然而，就在婚禮前夕，已婚的河田為了延後婚期，竟對飯店潑灑7公升汽油並點火引燃，導致飯店輕微受損與迫使多名賓客疏散。

新聞辭典

cold feet：俚語，因為害怕膽怯以致無法完成某事，卻步。例句：I was going to tell him the truth but I got cold feet.（我本來打算跟他說實話但因膽怯而卻步。）

set…on fire：片語，放火燒。例句：A monk set himself on fire in protest against the authorities. （一名僧侶引火自焚以抗議當局。）

on the eve of something：片語，在某件事的前夕。

Cartoons could help spot autism 卡通有助發現自閉症

◎自由時報轉載

Watching how a toddler responds to animations could help diagnose autism, research has suggested.

研究顯示，觀察幼兒如何回應動畫，有助診斷自閉症。

Babies usually start paying attention to movement soon after birth, and pick up information from the cues they see but children with autism often do not.

嬰兒出生後不久，通常會開始注意動作，也會從看到的線索之中取得資訊，不過有自閉症的孩童通常不會這樣。

A study, published in Nature, where two-year-olds were shown manipulated animations found those with autism focussed on movement linked to sound.

刊登於自然期刊的一項研究，讓兩歲孩童觀看被處理過的動畫，發現自閉症孩童，專注於與聲音相關的動作。

In the Yale study, researchers created five versions of animated children’s games, each with sound. On the other half of the screen, the same animation was presented upside down and in reverse, but with the same audio as the upright version.

在這項耶魯研究中，研究人員設計了5種孩童遊戲的動畫版本，每種都有聲音。螢幕的另一半畫面，同樣的動畫被上下、正反顛倒地播放，不過聲音與直立的版本相同。

Previous studies have shown that, normally, children’s attention is drawn to such changes from around eight months old.

過去的研究發現，通常大約8個月以上的孩童，注意力會受到這種改變吸引。

Twenty-one toddlers with autistic-spectrum disorders （ASD）, 39 who were developing normally and 16 who had developmental problems but did not have autism were studied.

21名有泛自閉症障礙症候群（ASD）的幼兒、39名發育正常的幼兒、16名有發育問題但沒有自閉症的幼兒接受研究。

Both the toddlers who were developing normally and those with developmental problems showed a clear preference for looking at the upright animations. However the toddlers with ASD showed no preference and looked backwards and forwards between the two halves of the screen.

發育正常以及有發育問題的幼兒，明顯偏好注視直立動畫；但自閉症幼兒無此偏好，而是會來回觀看兩邊螢幕。

新聞辭典

spot：動詞，找到、發現。例句：If you spot any mistakes in the article just mark them with a pencil.（如果你在文章裡發現錯誤，就用鉛筆畫出來。）

preference：名詞，偏好。

backwards and forwards ：片語，來回地。例句：Paul paced anxiously backwards and forwards.（保羅緊張地來回踱步。）

French pole vaulter runs naked through Paris 法國撐竿跳選手巴黎街頭裸奔

◎ 自由時報轉載

A French pole vaulting champion has run naked with his pole through the streets of Paris and posted the video on the Internet, hoping to draw attention to his quest for a new sponsorship deal.

法國一名撐竿跳好手，裸身拿著他的長竿跑過巴黎街道，並將影帶張貼在網路上，希望有人注意到他正在爭取新贊助合約。

Romain Mesnil, who won a silver medal at the 2007 Athletics World Championships in Osaka, used to be sponsored by U.S. sports brand Nike but says his contract expired last year and was not renewed.

2007年大阪世界運動錦標賽撐竿跳亞軍得主羅曼．梅斯尼曾接受美國體育品牌耐吉的贊助，但他說，他的合約去年到期，而且沒有續約。

"It was probably for budgetary and strategic reasons. It’s the crisis," he wrote on his website （www.romain-mesnil.com）.

「這可能是預算與策略的理由，這是一項危機。」他在自己的網站（www.romain-mesnil.com）上寫道。

Many athletes have reported difficulties obtaining corporate sponsorship as companies cut costs because of the global economic downturn.

在企業體因全球經濟衰退而刪減成本之際，許多運動員表示，面臨獲取企業贊助的困難。

In his video, Mesnil runs with his pole as if preparing for a vault at tourist spots like Montmartre and the Pont des Arts across the River Seine. A black square has been added to the footage to cover his private parts.

在影帶中，梅斯尼握著他的長竿奔跑，宛如準備在蒙馬特、橫跨塞納河的藝術橋等觀光景點撐竿跳。一個黑方塊附在影片上，以遮住他的私處。

The video has succeeded in drawing attention to Mesnil’s plight, at least in France. It was broadcast on primetime state television news bulletins.

這影帶成功地讓梅斯尼的困境受到關注，至少在法國是如此。它在黃金時段的國營電視新聞快報中播放。

新聞辭典

pole vault︰撐竿跳。vault可當動詞或名詞，指撐物跳躍、（一躍而）達某種程度。例句︰He vaulted to fame on the strength of his discovery.（由於他的發現，他一舉成名。）

budgetary︰形容詞，預算的。

primetime︰黃金時段的、高峰時間的。例句︰The President will hold his second primetime news conference next Tuesday.（總統將在下週二舉行他第二場黃金時段的記者會。）