英倫翻譯社/ Trsmaster

◎ 魏國金

A Swedish man who was arrested after trying to split atoms in his kitchen said Wednesday he was only doing it as a hobby.

一名因試圖在自家廚房分裂原子的瑞典男子週三說，他這樣做只是出於興趣。

Richard Handl told The Associated Press that he had the radioactive elements radium, americium and uranium in his apartment in southern Sweden when police showed up and arrested him on charges of unauthorized possession of nuclear material.

理查．韓德告訴美聯社說，當警察出現，以未經授權持有核物質罪名逮捕他時，他在瑞典南部的公寓內擁有鐳、鋂與鈾等放射性元素。

The 31-year-old Handl said he had tried for months to set up a nuclear reactor at home and kept a blog about his experiments, describing how he created a small meltdown on his stove.

31歲的韓德說，他幾個月來試圖在家裡建造一座核子反應爐，並持續在部落格記錄他的實驗，描述他如何在爐子上引發小型的（反應爐爐心）熔毀。

Only later did he realize it might not be legal and sent a question to Sweden’s Radiation Authority, which answered by sending the police.

只是後來他了解到這可能違法，因此去信詢問瑞典的放射線當局，該單位報警作為答覆。

◎陳維真

As the price of gold reaches new record highs, recreational prospecting for gold has turned into an ever more popular pastime. Not just in the US or Australia, but also across parts of the Alps in Switzerland.

隨著國際金價再創新高，娛樂性質的淘金活動也空前熱門，而且不只美國和澳洲，現在淘金熱更延燒到瑞士的阿爾卑斯山。

The so-called Napfgebiet, an hour south of Zurich, is a picturesque area carrying tiny splinters of the shiny metal. Toni Obertuefer is the organizer of gold washing tours. He has been in the business for 20 years and says he’s having one of the busiest summers of his career.

這個名為「Napfgebiet」的地方，位於蘇黎世南方僅1小時車程，風景如畫， 還蘊藏黃金這種閃亮金屬的微小碎片。東尼是淘金行程的負責人，入行已20年，他說，今年夏天是他從事這行以來最忙碌的1年。

School groups, companies and families, equipped with boots, pans and shovels, flock to the creeks of the area to try their luck, hoping to make that once-in-a lifetime discovery of a big golden nugget.

學校團體、公司、家族，裝備著靴子、盆子和鏟子，蜂擁進入這裡的小溪來試試運氣，希望能有一生一次的發現，找到大金塊。

To find one kilogram of gold in Switzerland, experts say it may take five years of continuous panning. Commodities analysts believe the price of gold could rise to $1,900 /oz by year-end. It could have even more upside potential in 2012 as the price per ounce could reach $2,000.

專家說，淘金要連續5年不間斷，才能在瑞士找到1公斤的黃金。期貨分析師認為，金價可在今年底漲至每盎司1900美元，在2012年上漲空間更大，每盎司可望觸及2000美元。