英倫翻譯社/ Trsmaster

印度一名女大生，上個月遭到六名暴徒，性侵虐待致死，引起印度民眾，連日激烈抗議。今天在台灣，清華大學跟交通大學的印度留學生，不分男女，也發起遊行，表達他們的憤怒，呼籲印度政府需要改變。

舉著尊重女性，停止暴力的標語，印度留學生，把黑布條綁在頭上，表達悼念，還有人把布條綁在嘴上，象徵無言抗議。

[[交大印度籍女學生]] 
“我們聚在這裡，希望除了政府之外，我們在個人層面可以做些，消滅這個社會針對女性的暴力”

上個月在印度，有女大生在公車上被性侵虐待致死，殘忍的手法引發印度人民上街抗議。清華跟交通兩間大學的印度籍學生，也出面響應，連竹科的印度籍工程師，都抱著下一代趕來參加。

[[竹科印度籍工程師]] 
“因為這不是印度一地的問題，這是世界廣泛的問題，對女性的暴力不該有任何藉口被允許，在印度發生的是真正的暴行，施暴者應被重懲”

[[清大印度籍服務科學所助理教授 Soumya Ray]] 
“這是我們的訊息，她不再只是受害者，她是我們的英雄，我們可以做一些改變，號召每個人加入我們，踏出改變的第一步”

遊行的學生燃起點點燭光，讓火光在彼此的手上傳遞，呼籲停止針對女性的暴力。

Students at Tsinghua and Chiao Tung University turned out in public today to express solidarity with a young woman who died after being sexually assaulted on a bus in India. Many of the participants were Indian citizens who called upon their government to grant more protection to women. 

A foreign student from India, tied strips of black cloth to her head to draw attention to the plight of women and the violence they face. Others followed her lead to show solidarity as well as express mourning for victims in today’s silent protest.

Chiaotong University,
Indian student
We have gathered so that besides the government what we common people can do on an indiviaul level, to eliminate violence against women in society.

In India last month, a female student was sexually assaulted and tortured aboard a bus. She eventually died as the cruelty of this assault led many Indian people to take to the streets in protest. Indian students at Tsinghua and Chiao Tung University stepped forward today along with engineers working at the Hsinchu Science Park.

Hsinchu Science Park
Indian engineer
Because this is not only an Indian problem, this is a normal problem. So the violence against women is really not acceptable at any case. So what happened in India, is brutal violence so the culprit should be punished heavily.

Soumya Ray
National Tsinghua University Professor
Here is our message, she is not a victim anymore. She is our hero, we can make a change, and we call everyone to join us, so we take the first step today.

Later, these overseas students participated in a candlelight vigil which called for an end to violence against women.

文章出處 ：民視英語新聞

馬總統今天親自和教師座談年金改革，面對蘇貞昌曾喊話，如果召開國是會議，113可以不上街嗆馬，馬總統國是會議，花錢又花時間，年金座談會效率好得多，蘇貞昌反駁說，如果不是前總統李登輝當年開了國是會議，哪有今天的馬總統。

馬總統和教師談年金改革，不過致詞卻是回應民進黨主張的召開國是會議，解決年金問題。

[[總統 馬英九]]
“國是會議我個人剛好有點經驗，1990年花了3300萬，籌備大概就需要3個月的時間，以我們進行到現在的座談會來看，不論是從議題的深度，廣度，恐怕都超過20多年前，舉辦的國是會議”

馬總統用數字告訴蘇貞昌國是會議是沒有效率的作法，人在屏東的蘇真昌，要總統想想，如果不是李前總統召開國是會議，打開民主道路，哪來現在的馬總統。

[[民進黨主席蘇貞昌]]
“享受成果的馬英九，竟然反過來批評當年的國是會議，這個人坐享其成，享受成果，卻是心理永遠反改革的人，所以這樣的總統永遠做不好”

民進黨希望擴大參與、開國是會議的要求，一再被馬總統潑冷水，民進黨也只能號召全民113台北街頭見。

President Ma continued to pour cold water on the DPP’s request to host a national conference. Ma said such an event would be a waste of time and money. The DPP insists such a conference is needed and on January 13th is calling for people to take to the streets of Taipei in a public protest. 

President Ma spoke with teachers about pension reform, but also responded to the DPP’s call to convene a national conference to help solve the pension problem.

Ma Ying-jeou 
President 
A national conference, from my personal experience, cost NT$33 million to host in 1990, and required three months of preparation. Now, our current forums, with respect to the depth of topics and the breadth of issues are much more effective than the national conference held 20 years ago.

President Ma used numbers to tell Su Tseng-chang that a national conference is actually inefficient. Speaking from Pingtung today, Su told Ma to think carefully about the national conference initiated by former President Lee Teng-hui, telling him that he is one of the beneficiaries of the event. 

Su Tseng-chang
DPP Chairman
Enjoy the fruits Ma Ying-jeou. Even though you criticize the national conference, you are currently sitting back and enjoying the benefits of this event. At heart, you seem to always oppose reform, so you will never do a good job as president.

The DPP hopes to put more pressure upon Ma to host a national conference, even calling for citizens to take to the streets of Taipei on January 13th to demand such an event.

文章出處 ：民視英語新聞

◎俞智敏

France, the land of wine, is planning heavy taxes on beer, and that is not going down well with brewers _ even in other nations.

葡萄酒國度法國正打算對啤酒課徵重稅，釀酒業者對此表示無法接受，就連其他國家的釀酒業者也不例外。

President Francois Hollande is pushing through legislation to increase taxes on beer by 160 percent to help fund struggling social programs as France tries to contain a budget deficit hit hard by the economic crisis. The tax would affect local brews and the 30 percent of imported beer the French drink. The change means the price of a beer will increase by about 20 percent in bars and supermarkets, said Jacqueline Lariven, spokeswoman for the French brewer’s federation Brasseurs de France.

受到經濟危機衝擊，法國政府正試圖控制預算赤字，總統歐蘭德打算推動立法把啤酒稅提高160％，以資助搖搖欲墜的社福計畫。這項啤酒稅將影響法國本地啤酒及30％的進口啤酒。法國啤酒釀造業聯盟發言人拉希凡說，這項改變表示酒吧和超市販售的啤酒價格將上漲約20％。

The Brewers of Europe trade group called the measure a "kick in the teeth", especially since brewers have seen beer production plummet by 6 percent and consumption by 8 percent in the EU since the region’s economic crisis began in 2008. Outside France, Belgium and Germany would be worst affected once the new legislation kicks in, said Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, head of the Brewers of Europe.

歐洲釀酒聯盟則稱此政策為「落井下石」，尤其是當歐盟地區經濟危機自2008年開始以來，啤酒生產量已下滑6％，消費量也減少了8％。歐洲釀酒聯盟主席貝哲宏說，當這項新法律生效後，比利時和德國將是法國以外地區受衝擊最嚴重的國家。

France, like most other European Union nations, is doing all it can to keep its budget on an even keel, and Hollande has been using taxation to raise income. His government said it hopes to raise some（euro）480 million from the increase in beer taxation to boost social benefits such as medical insurance and elderly care. （AP）

跟多數其他歐盟國家一樣，法國也正盡全力保持預算平衡，歐蘭德則打算利用課稅來增加國庫收入。歐蘭德政府表示希望能靠啤酒稅增加4億8000萬歐元的財源，以提供如醫療保險和老人照顧等社會福利計畫資金。（美聯社）

新聞辭典

◎管淑平

Justin Jedlica may have had 90 surgeries and spent $100,000 to look like Mattel’s Ken doll, but he’s not interested in imitating the plastic toy’s love life.

賈斯汀．傑利卡或許是動了90次手術、花了10萬美元以使他看起來像美泰兒公司的肯尼娃娃，但他沒興趣仿效這個塑膠玩具的愛情生活。

The US model ended internet speculation over a possible relationship with Barbie lookalike Valeria Lukyanova when he said she was "beautiful" but not authentic enough for him.

這名美國模特兒說，外貌酷似芭比娃娃的維樂莉．路可亞諾娃「漂亮」，但對他來說不夠真實。這番話終結了網路上有關兩人可能發展戀情的揣測。

In an interview with The Huffington Post, the "human Ken doll" compared Ms Lukyanova to a drag queen because she relied on makeup, fake hair and corsets to look like Barbie.

這名「真人肯尼娃娃」在「赫芬頓郵報」的訪問中，將路可亞諾娃小姐與變裝皇后相提並論，因為她靠化妝、假髮和馬甲使她看起來像芭比娃娃。

"A true ’body mod’, such as myself, lives with a conviction to their alternations and doesn’t wash them off," he said.

「一名真正的『人體模特兒』，就像我，堅信身體的改造，不會把它們洗掉」，他說。

"I can appreciate that she is a talented artist, but if at the end of the day she is only presenting this ’human Barbie doll’ on days the camera is filming … I’m not sure just how much credibility I would give her in being a real human Barbie."

◎陳維真

Scientists said on Tuesday they had proof that climate change was hitting the Perigord black truffle, a delight of gourmets around the world.

科學家週二表示，他們掌握到氣候變遷衝擊佩里戈黑松露的證據。黑松露是廣受全球老饕喜愛的美食。

Trufflers have long suspected that global warming is affecting Tuber melanosporum -- dubbed "the black diamond" on account of its colour and extraordinary price -- in its native habitat in southwestern France, Spain and Italy.

松露採集者早就懷疑全球暖化已影響法國西南部、西班牙、義大利等天然產地的黑松露，黑松露因其顏色與昂貴價格，被稱為「黑色鑽石」 。

A century ago, French trufflers notched up a harvest that, according to legend, reached 1,000 tonnes in a year. In the 1960s, truffle yields were still 200-300 tonnes annually. But in recent years, they have been a meagre 25 tonnes or so, prompting retail prices to rocket to as high as 2,000 euros a kilo.

一個世紀前，據傳法國松露採集者的收穫可達到一年1000噸；在1960年代，松露的收穫量每年仍有200到300噸。但到了近年，收穫量僅剩微薄的25噸左右，導致零售價格飆高至一公斤2000歐元。

In a letter to the journal Nature Climate Change, Swiss scientists said they now had clear data that drier summers were to blame, as this affected the oak and hazelnut trees on which the prized fungi grows.

瑞士科學家在寫給「自然氣候變遷」期刊的信中表示，現在有清楚的數據顯示，原因就在於夏季氣候更乾燥，影響到珍貴黑松露菌生長的榛子樹和橡樹。

The team found that harvests in France’s Perigord and in Spain’s Aragon region fell at roughly the same pace from 1970-2006, and this trend was in line with an overall decline in summer rainfall.

◎魏國金

The shells of some marine snails in the seas around Antarctica are dissolving as the water becomes more acidic, threatening the food chain, a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience said.

南極周邊海洋的一些海螺螺殼，因海水變得較酸而消溶，該現象將威脅食物鏈，一份刊載於自然地球科學期刊的研究指出。

Oceans soak up about a quarter of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each year and as CO2 levels in the atmosphere increase from burning fossil fuels, so do ocean levels, making seas more acidic.

海洋每年吸收約4分之1釋放進大氣的二氧化碳，而當大氣中的二氧化碳濃度因燃燒化石燃料而增加時，海洋的CO2濃度也如此，而使海洋更酸。

Ocean acidification is one of the effects of climate change and threatens coral reefs, marine ecosystems and wildlife.

海洋酸化是氣候變遷的效應之一，並威脅珊瑚礁、海洋生態系與野生動物。

The shell of the pteropod sea snail in the Southern Ocean was severely dissolved by more acidic surface water, the researchers from the British Antarctic Survey, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration （NOAA） and other institutions found.

英國南極調查所、荷蘭皇家海洋研究所、美國國家海洋暨大氣總署（NOAA）以及其他研究機構的研究人員發現，南冰洋的翼足類海螺被更酸的表層水嚴重溶解。

And although the snails did not necessarily die, it increased their vulnerability to predators and infection which could affect other parts of the food chain.

◎國際新聞中心

Doctors have warned of a "lack of knowledge" about the dangers of mixing some medications with grapefruit. The fruit can cause overdoses of some drugs by stopping the medicines being broken down in the intestines and the liver.

醫師警告對某些藥物與葡萄柚混用危險的「知識缺乏」。葡萄柚可能造成某些藥物在腸子與肝臟內停止分解，導致藥物過量。

The researchers who first identified the link said the number of drugs that became dangerous with grapefruit was increasing rapidly.

率先發現這種連結的研究人員說，與葡萄柚混食會造成危險的藥物，數量迅速增加。

The team at the Lawson Health Research Institute in Canada said the number of drugs which had serious side effects with grapefruit had gone from 17 in 2008 to 43 in 2012. They include some drugs for a range of conditions including blood pressure, cancer and cholesterol-lowering statins and those taken to suppress the immune system after an organ transplant.

加拿大勞森醫療研究所團隊說，與葡萄袖混食會造成嚴重副作用的藥物，從2008年的17種，增至2012年的43種。它們包括多種疾病的藥物，包括血壓藥、癌症藥物、降膽固醇的斯達汀類（statin）藥物，以及器官移植後的免疫抑制劑。

Chemicals in grapefruit, furanocoumarins, wipe out an enzyme which breaks the drugs down.

葡萄柚中的化學物質「香豆素」會消滅分解藥物的酵素。

新聞辭典

◎張沛元

A man who used to own McDonald’s restaurants in North Dakota is about $10,000 richer after selling a 20-year-old container of McJordan barbecue sauce to a buyer in Chicago.

一名過去在（美國）北達科他州擁有幾家麥當勞餐廳的男子，在賣掉一罐有20年歷史的麥可喬丹烤肉醬汁給一名芝加哥的買家後，賺了1萬美元。

The sauce was used on McJordan Burgers, named for basketball icon Michael Jordan. The promotional item was sold in limited markets for a short time in the 1990s, when Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships.

這種醬汁是用在以籃球大帝麥可喬丹為名的「麥可喬丹漢堡」上。此一促銷商品只在1990年代、喬丹帶領美國職籃芝加哥公牛隊拿下6屆NBA冠軍時，在某些市場短暫販售過。

Mort Bank, of Bismarck, saved the gallon jug of sauce after selling his McDonald’s restaurants in Bismarck-Mandan and Minot in 1996.

（北達科他州）俾斯麥的莫特．班克在1996年把他位於俾斯麥—曼登與米諾特的麥當勞餐廳轉賣給他人後，留下了這罐1加侖的醬汁。

Bank advertised the sauce on eBay, saying： "A once in a lifetime chance to own the rarest of rare Michael Jordan and McDonald’s collectible!" It sold for $9,995 to a buyer from Chicago whom Bank has not identified.

班克在eBay上幫這罐醬汁寫的廣告詞說：「擁有超級罕見的麥可喬丹與麥當勞收藏品的一生難得一次的機會！」該醬汁以9995美元賣給一名班克未透露身分的芝加哥買主。

Bank told the Chicago Tribune that the buyer was not Jordan himself. "I’m sure he’s a Bulls or Michael Jordan fan, and hopefully he’s not going to put it on his ribs or his burger," Bank told KXMB-TV of the buyer. "But it’s up to him; he can do whatever he wants with it."

◎陳成良

Sri Lanka on Tuesday began interviews for the post of hangman a year after two positions fell vacant, with at least 480 convicts on death row.

斯里蘭卡週二開始進行劊子手的求職面試。該兩個職位懸缺已1年，而監獄至少關押著480名死刑犯。

But it was not quite clear how the two successful candidates would fill their days - the death penalty has not been used in Sri Lanka, a predominantly Buddhist country, since 1976.

不過，尚不十分清楚兩名成功的求職者將如何履行職責，因為自1976年以來，佛教盛行的斯里蘭卡沒有執行過死刑。

"About 176 applicants are there and interviews are going on today and tomorrow," Gamini Kulatunga, commissioner operations at the Prisons Department, told the reporters. "Only males will be eligible for the post."

「大約有176名求職者，面試將在今明兩天進行」，斯里蘭卡獄政部專員加米尼．庫拉頓加說，「只有男性有資格申請該職位。」

The two posts fell vacant after one hangman was promoted and the other retired.

自一名劊子手獲升職，另一名退休後，兩個劊子手職位一直空缺。

At least 480 people convicted of murder and drugs offences could potentially be executed, Kulatunga said.

◎俞智敏

Why learn French when you could learn Klingon?

假如你可以學克林貢語，何必還要學法語？

The language created more than 30 years ago for the "Star Trek" race of long-haired warriors has moved boldly into pop culture where few other alien tongues have gone before.

這種語言是30多年前為了電影「星艦奇航記」裡的長髮戰士族所創造，但現在卻已勇敢地跨入其他外星語言從未進入過的流行文化圈。

With a new book about the classic Klingon starship, Bird-of-Prey, and a Klingon spoof of the "Gangnam Style" music video racking up millions of views on YouTube, Klingons are showing a fun side that outstrips their Trekkies fan base.

隨著一本有關克林貢經典星艦「猛禽號」的新書推出，以及克林貢版「江南Style」音樂影片在YouTube網站上獲數百萬人次點閱，克林貢人正展現出風趣的一面，影響力甚至超越了星艦奇航記原本的粉絲群之外。

Marc Okrand, a Washington, DC-based linguist, first created the guttural language for the 1984 film "Star Trek III：The Search for Spock." He also created the Vulcan and Romulan dialogue for the 2009 feature film "Star Trek." But he says neither language has caught the imagination of fans or the wider public the way Klingon has.

華府語言學家歐克朗是在1984年替電影「星艦奇航記：石破天驚」首先創造出這種喉音語言。他同時也替2009年的「星艦奇航記」電影創造出瓦肯語和羅慕倫語的對話。但他說後兩者都未能像克林貢語那樣令影迷或廣大公眾著迷。

"Vulcan didn’t catch on, probably because Vulcans aren’t as much fun as Klingons. They are much more serious. The Klingons let loose and the Vulcans don’t," said Okrand.

◎管淑平

British woman Rebecca Blake, 29, and Irish man Conor McRedmond, 28, were sentenced to three months in jail by a Dubai court. They were said to have stripped naked and indulged in sexual intercourse in the back of a taxi after a 10 hour drinking session.

29歲的英國女子瑞貝卡．布萊克與28歲愛爾蘭男子科諾．麥克雷蒙遭杜拜法院判處監禁3個月。據說他們喝了10小時的酒後，在一輛計程車後座脫得精光交歡。

The pair were arrested on May 4 after meeting just hours earlier in a hotel bar. They had been knocking back glasses of white wine and vodka at a drink-all-you-like ￡35-a-head brunch in the hotel.

這兩人5月4日被捕前數小時才在一家飯店酒吧認識。他們在那家飯店的一人35英鎊隨你喝早午餐上，豪飲好幾杯白葡萄酒和伏特加。

The sentence is the latest case of Westerners running afoul of the social codes in the United Arab Emirates, which maintains strict laws on sex-related issues although it often turns a blind eye.

這項判決是最新一起西方人在阿拉伯聯合大公國違反當地社會規範的案例，當地對於與性有關的議題仍實施嚴格法律，儘管常睜隻眼閉隻眼。

The pair denied the charges and claimed they were just hugging. They accused the taxi driver of fabricating the story after a fare dispute.

這兩人否認這項指控，稱他們只是摟摟抱抱。他們指控計程車司機在發生車資爭議後，編造此事。

◎陳維真

Smoking "rots" the brain by damaging memory, learning and reasoning, according to researchers at King’s College London.

倫敦國王學院的研究人員表示，吸菸會損害記憶、學習與推理能力，「腐蝕」大腦。

A study of 8,800 people over 50 showed high blood pressure and being overweight also seemed to affect the brain, but to a lesser extent. Scientists involved said people needed to be aware that lifestyles could damage the mind as well as the body.

一份調查8800名50歲以上民眾的研究顯示，高血壓與過重可能也會影響大腦，但影響程度較小。參與的科學家表示，大家必須注意生活型態，因為它不只影響心理，也影響身體。

Researchers at King’s were investigating links between the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke and the state of the brain. The results showed that the overall risk of a heart attack or stroke was "significantly associated with cognitive decline" with those at the highest risk showing the greatest decline.

國王學院的研究人員針對心臟病發作或中風可能性與腦部狀態的關連性展開研究。結果顯示，心臟病發作或中風的整體風險與「認知退化有顯著關連」，最可能發生心臟病發作或中風的人，認知退化最嚴重。

It also said there was a "consistent association" between smoking and lower scores in the tests.

研究同時指出，抽菸與腦部測驗分數較低「有所關連」。

Dr Simon Ridley, from Alzheimer’s Research UK, said： "Research has repeatedly linked smoking and high blood pressure to a greater risk of cognitive decline and dementia, and this study adds further weight to that evidence."

◎魏國金

Cigarette butts are widely reviled as an urban nuisance but birds in Mexico City see them as a boon, apparently using them to deter parasites from their nests, scientists say.

菸蒂被廣泛痛斥為城市公害，不過墨西哥市的鳥兒卻視其為一項恩惠；牠們顯然利用菸蒂阻斷寄生蟲入侵鳥巢，科學家說。

Local sparrows and finches incorporate smoked cigarette butts in their nests to provide cosy cellulose lining for their chicks and nicotine to ward off mites, they believe.

當地麻雀與雀鳥在其巢內混入抽過的菸蒂，為幼鳥提供舒適的纖維內襯，尼古丁則可避開小跳蚤，他們認為。

A team led by Constantino Macias Garcia at the National Autonomous University monitored 57 nests and found that the tally of bugs declined as the number of smoked butts in each nest increased.

由國立自治大學學者賈西亞率領的一個團隊監測57個鳥巢，發現當每個鳥巢裡的菸屁股數量增加時，小蟲數量就下降。

Sparrow nests had between none and 38 used butts, with an average of eight per nest, and finch nests between none and 48, with an average of 10.

麻雀巢有0到38個用過的菸蒂，平均每巢有8個菸蒂，雀鳥巢有0到48個用過的菸蒂，平均為10個。

The behaviour is an example of how birds adapt to an urban environment, according to the study, which appears on Wednesday in the journal Biology Letters, published by Britain’s Royal Society.

◎國際新聞中心

Chimpanzees and orangutans may experience a "mid-life crisis" like humans, a study suggests.

研究顯示，黑猩猩與紅毛猩猩可能像人類一樣經歷「中年危機」。

An international team of researchers assessed the well-being and happiness of the great apes. They found well-being was high in youth, fell to a low in midlife and rose again in old age, similar to the "U-shape curve" of happiness in humans.

一個國際研究團隊評估這種大型猿類的幸福與快樂。他們發現年輕的黑猩猩幸福度高，步入中年時幸福度下滑，老年幸福度又重新上升，類似人類幸福度的「Ｕ型曲線」。

The sample subjects included 508 chimpanzees and orangutans of varying ages, from zoos, sanctuaries and research centres. They were assessed by zoo keepers, volunteers, researchers and caretakers who had worked with the primate subject for at least two years and knew its behaviour.

樣本包括508隻不同年齡層的黑猩猩與紅毛猩猩，分別來自動物園、保護區與研究中心。牠們由曾參與靈長類主題工作至少2年、了解靈長類行為的動物園管理員、志工、研究人員與照護者評估。

The animals were numerically scored for well-being and happiness on a short questionnaire, which was based on a human well-being model but modified for use in non-human primates.

這些動物的幸福與快樂以簡短的問卷評分，問卷是根據人類的幸福度模型，但修改為可供非人類的靈長類使用。

新聞辭典

◎張沛元

Good fortune and having children just seem to go together for Norwegian mother Hege Jeanette Oksnes.

對挪威媽媽海婕．珍妮特．歐克斯尼斯來說，好運道與生小孩似乎形影不離。

Each time the 29-year-old petrol station attendant from tiny Austevoll island off Norway’s west coast gives birth, someone in her family wins the national lottery.

這名29歲、來自挪威西岸外海小島奧斯特沃爾的加油站員工，每次只要一生小孩，她的家人就會簽中國家樂透。

"This is completely insane... we don’t even play the lottery that often," Oksnes said only days after the family collected 12.2 million crowns （$2.12 million） with their third lottery win in six years.

「這簡直太瘋狂了……我們也沒那麼常玩樂透，」歐克斯尼斯在他們家在6年內第3次簽中樂透、領取1220萬挪威克朗（212萬美元）後如是說。

Oksnes, who serves hot dogs at a petrol station, gave birth to her first child in 2006 just one day after her father Leif won 4.2 million crowns on the national lottery.

2006年，在加油站裡賣熱狗的歐克斯尼斯在她的父親列夫中了420萬克朗國家樂透的隔天，生下頭一胎。

Three years later, Oksnes herself won, claiming 8.2 million crowns one day before giving birth to her second child.

◎陳成良

Divorce rates are far higher among "modern" couples who share the housework than in those where the woman does the lion’s share of the chores, a Norwegian study has found.

共同分擔家務的「現代」夫婦，離婚率比妻子承擔絕大部分家務的夫婦高得多，挪威一項最新研究發現。

In what appears to be a slap in the face for gender equality, the report found the divorce rate among couples who shared housework equally was around 50 per cent higher than among those where the woman did most of the work.

該報告顯示，共同分擔家務的夫婦離婚率比妻子承擔絕大部分家務的夫婦高出約50%。這不啻賞了性別平等理念一記耳光。

"What we’ve seen is that sharing equal responsibility for work in the home doesn’t necessarily contribute to contentment," said Thomas Hansen, co-author of the study entitled "Equality in the Home".

該研究的共同作者托馬斯．漢森說：「我們所見的是，在家裡共同分擔家務並不一定會促成滿足感。」這份報告名為《家庭中的平等》。

The lack of correlation between equality at home and quality of life was surprising, the researcher said.

家庭中的平等和生活品質缺少關聯性，這很令人吃驚，該研究人員說。

"One would think that break-ups would occur more often in families with less equality at home, but our statistics show the opposite," he said.

◎俞智敏

Speaking at the inaugural Reading Agency Lecture at the British Library, award-winning author Jeanette Winterson suggested the cost could be met by Google, Amazon and Starbucks.

作品曾經獲獎的作家溫特森在大英圖書館舉行的「閱讀協會講座」開幕演講中建議，增設圖書館的經費可以由Google、亞馬遜和星巴克等公司來支付。

The three companies were recently grilled about tax avoidance before a committee of MPs. The firms have paid little UK corporation tax although they argue that they operate within tax rules.

這三家公司最近因為避稅而在英國國會小組委員會中遭到議員圍剿。這些公司在英國繳交的企業稅極少，卻辯稱它們都是依照稅務法規定行事。

Winterson said："Either we stop arguing and agree that libraries are doing their best to reinvent themselves, and that with a bit of help, financial and ideological - they belong to the future, or we let them run down until they disappear."

溫特森指出，「除非我們現在就停止爭執，同意各圖書館正盡全力重新打造新面目，只要多一點協助，不論是財務或意識形態上的協助，它們就能屬於未來，否則我們就眼睜睜地看著它們繼續破敗下去直到消失為止。」

"Libraries cost about ￡1bn to run right now. Make it ￡2bn and charge Google, Amazon and Starbucks all that back tax on their profits here."

「圖書館目前的營運經費約為10億英鎊。把經費提高到20億英鎊，並要求Google、亞馬遜和星巴克補繳它們在英國營業獲利理應繳交的稅金。」

Winterson also offered the companies in question another option - "do an Andrew Carnegie and build us new kinds of libraries".

◎ 管淑平

The sharply divided US Congress has been able to agree on one thing at least - that the word "lunatic" should be banned.

極度分歧的美國國會至少在一件事上能有共識：應該禁用「瘋子」這個字眼。

The House of Representatives voted 398-1 on Wednesday to strike the term from all federal legislation, after the Senate did the same in May.

眾議院週三以398票對1票的票數通過，將這個用語從所有聯邦法案中刪除。此前參議院已於5月做出相同決定。

The measure is designed to remove language that has become outdated or demeaning from the US code.

這項議案旨在刪除美國法規中已過時或有貶意的語言文字。

Senator Kent Conrad, one of the sponsors of the measure, said："Federal law should reflect the 21st Century understanding of mental illness and disease, and that the continued use of this pejorative term has no place in the US code."

支持這項議案的參議員肯特．康瑞德說，「聯邦法律應反映21世紀對心理問題和疾病的了解，不容許繼續在美國法規中使用這種貶損用語。」

The only "no" vote came from Texas congressman Louie Gohmert, who said it was madness for lawmakers to waste time on such a measure when more high-profile issues loomed, such as the federal debt.

◎陳維真

The governor of the US state of New Jersey, leading Republican politician Chris Christie, says it’s "ridiculous" to think that his being fat would make him a poor president.

美國新澤西州長、共和黨大將克里斯蒂表示，認為他太胖不能當個好總統的想法很「荒謬」。

Christie is increasingly talked about as a possible candidate to replace President Barack Obama, a Democrat whose final term expires in 2016.

越來越多人談論克里斯蒂成為可能取代總統歐巴馬的人選。民主黨籍總統歐巴馬任期將於2016年屆滿。

In an interview with ABC television late Wednesday, Christie did not say he would run, but continued to stir expectations. The former prosecutor rose to national prominence during last month’s Hurricane Sandy, which struck New Jersey hard.

克里斯蒂週三晚間接受美國廣播公司（ABC）訪問時，並未說要參選，但談話仍引發期待。這位前檢察官在上月因珊蒂颶風而受到全國矚目。珊蒂重創新澤西州。

Christie, in his trademark blue fleece, was a constant presence on television and caused upset in his own party’s ranks when he effusively praised Obama’s handling of the disaster response just before his reelection.

穿著招牌刷毛藍外套的克里斯蒂經常在電視上露臉，並在總統大選前熱情洋溢地讚賞歐巴馬的災害應變處理能力，讓黨內同志大為不滿。

Christie’s weight and possible related health issues, however, would likely be an immediate issue if he sought the White House in four years.

◎魏國金

Carbon dioxide emissions from industry rose an estimated 2.6 percent in a weak global economy this year, a study showed, powered by rapid emissions growth in China and India.

一份研究顯示，來自工業的二氧化碳排放量在今年全球疲弱的經濟中仍預估上升達2.6％，該趨勢由中國與印度快速的排放成長所驅動。

The study by the Global Carbon Project also says emissions grew 3.1 percent in 2011, placing the world on a near-certain path towards dangerous climate change, such as more heat waves, droughts and storms.

這份由「全球碳計畫」進行的研究也指出，2011年碳排放成長3.1％，使世界幾乎篤定邁向諸如更多熱浪、乾旱與暴風的氣候變遷危險之途。

Total emissions for 2012 are estimated to be 35.6 billion tonnes, researchers said in the study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

2012年預估總排放將達356億公噸，研究人員在這份刊登於「自然氣候變遷」期刊的研究中指出。

Current emissions growth is placing the world on a path to warm between 4C and 6C, says the study, with global emissions jumping 58 percent between 1990 and this year. The study focuses on emissions from burning fossil fuels and cement production.

當前的排放成長正將世界置於通往暖化攝氏4度至6度的軌道上，該研究說；而全球碳排放在1990年至今年間飆升58％。這份研究聚焦於來自燃燒化石燃料與水泥生產的碳排放。

A few big developing nations are fuelling the emissions growth, the study says, even though the global financial crisis spawned long-term green stimulus plans by China, India, the United States and others to attempt to curtail CO2 output.