英倫翻譯社/ Trsmaster

◎管淑平

There’s an old adage that says if something is too good to be true, it’s probably a good idea to avoid it. One woman, who purchased what she thought was a killer bargain for an iPad on Thursday, found out the hard way that this bit of wisdom was all too true.

有句老話說，若某樣事物好得不可能是真的，或許最好還是避開。一名以為用無敵划算的價錢買到一台iPad的婦人，就吃了苦頭學到這智慧名言說得太對了。

Jalonta Freeman of Arlington, Texas wanted to get some gas for her car at a service station when a man pulled up in a car beside her and offered to sell her an $800 iPad for just $200.

德州阿靈頓的潔瓏塔．費曼，開車到加油站要加油時，遇到一名男子在她旁邊停下車來，用200美元的價格向她兜售一台市價800美元的iPad。

Ms. Freeman thought it sounded like a great deal, especially as a Christmas gift, and couldn’t resist the outstanding deal.

費曼女士心想，這聽起來非常划算，尤其是買來當耶誕禮物，她抗拒不了這個很棒的交易。

She paid the man $200 and he gave her a Fed Ex box with the Apple iPad inside. Her sister opened the box and the iPad she thought she had purchased turned out to be a mirror that was pasted with the images of the front and back of an iPad.

她付了那名男子200美元，他給她一個裝有那台蘋果iPad的聯邦快遞紙盒。她的姊妹打開盒子，發現那個她以為買到的iPad，是一面貼了iPad正、反面圖片的鏡子。

Ms. Freeman said that she felt stupid because she was taken into this scam, but became philosophical about the whole ordeal and told others to never purchase anything from anyone on the street.

◎魏國金

Governments are "not on track" to achieve a target of keeping the average global temperature rise below two degrees Celsius, the UN climate chief said.

各國政府在達成維持全球平均溫度上升低於攝氏2度的目標上，「沒上軌道」，聯合國首席氣象官員說。

Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change（UNFCCC）, told a forum in Singapore that the world was moving in the right direction, but not fast enough.

聯合國氣候變遷綱要公約（UNFCCC）執行秘書菲格蕾絲在新加坡舉行的一場論壇上說，全球朝正確的方向前進，但速度不夠快。

"Even if governments were to comply with all the mitigation pledges that are on the table, it will still only provide 60 percent of the effort that is necessary to keep global average temperature rise to under two degrees," she said.

「縱使各國政府遵守談判桌上所有的緩和承諾，對於維持全球平均溫度升高低於2度的必要努力上，仍僅盡了60％的心力，」她說。

World leaders agreed in December 2009 to the Copenhagen Accord, which introduced a plan to cap the rise in temperatures to below two degrees to stave off the worst effects of climate change.

世界領袖於2009年12月同意哥本哈根協議，該協議推行抑制溫度上升低於2度的計畫，以避免氣候變遷最惡劣的結果。

"We are clearly moving toward a low-carbon economy. What we’re not doing is we’re not moving with the speed and at the scale that the science demands," Figueres said.

◎陳維真

Two dozen pro-nudity activists wearing little but their righteous indignation assembled on the steps of San Francisco City Hall on Wednesday to protest a proposed municipal ban on public nakedness.

20幾名支持裸體權的活動人士幾乎赤身裸體，只帶著義憤填膺的情緒，週三集結在舊金山市政廳的階梯上，抗議禁止在公共場所裸露的市政提案。

"We are here today in response to an attack on our fundamental freedom, our freedom to be ourselves in our own city," disrobed rally organizer Gypsy Taub declared as her fellow activists displayed signs saying, "Nudity is Natural" and "Nude is not Lewd."

光溜溜的集會組織人陶布表示，「今天，我們在這裡，是要回應對我們基本自由的攻擊，這是我們在自己的城市做自己的自由。」她的集會夥伴則展示標語牌，上面寫著「裸體是自然的」、「裸體不下流」。

"Nudophobic bigotry has now taken root here in San Francisco," Rusty Mills, 69, stripped down to his birthday suit, told his fellow demonstrators as they stood in the sunshine.

「恐懼裸體的偏見已經在舊金山扎根了」，69歲的米爾斯脫到一絲不掛，他和示威的同伴們一起站在陽光下。

On the way back to City Hall, elementary school children playing on a schoolyard gawked and pointed at the naked demonstrators.

裸體示威人士走回市政廳時，在學校運動場玩耍的小學生們瞠目結舌地看著他們，還指指點點。

Supervisor Scott Wiener introduced the proposal to curb undressing after residents complained about a daily gathering of naked men in Jane Warner Plaza, a square in the Castro District.

◎國際新聞中心

Smokers may get fewer hours of sleep and have less restful slumber than non-smokers, according to a German study that looked at more than two thousand people.

根據德國一項觀察2000多人的研究，吸菸者睡眠時數可能比不吸菸者少，也較容易淺眠。

Researchers whose work appeared in the journal Addiction Biology found that of nearly 1,100 smokers surveyed, 17 percent got fewer than six hours of sleep each night and 28 percent reported "disturbed" sleep quality.

成果刊登在「成癮生物學」期刊的研究人員發現，在他們調查的近1100名吸菸者中，17%每天晚上睡不到6小時，28%表示睡眠品質「受到干擾」。

That compared with rates of seven percent and 19 percent respectively among more than 1,200 non-smokers who were also surveyed, said lead researcher Stefan Cohrs, of Charite Berlin medical school in Germany.

德國柏林夏里特大學醫學院的研究計畫主持人寇爾斯說，調查的1200多名非吸菸者中，睡不到6小時與睡眠品質受到干擾的比例，分別是7%與19%。

The findings cannot prove that smoking directly impairs sleep, since smokers may have other habits that could affect their shut-eye such as staying up late to watch TV or getting little exercise.

這項研究發現無法證明吸菸會直接損害睡眠，因為吸菸者可能還有其他習慣影響闔眼，例如熬夜看電視或運動太少等。

新聞辭典

◎張沛元

A traveling ABBA exhibit is to get a permanent home in a new museum dedicated mostly to the Swedish quartet that has sold nearly 400 million records since its heyday in the 1970s.

阿巴合唱團的巡迴展，將以一座獻給這個唱片銷售量自1970年代當紅之際起，高達近4億張的瑞典4人組合的展覽館，做為永久的落腳地。

Former band member Bjoern Ulvaeus said that "ABBA The Museum" will be part of a Swedish music hall of fame to be inaugurated in Stockholm next spring.

前團員畢約恩．奧瓦爾斯表示，「阿巴展覽館」會是一座明年春天於（瑞典首都）斯德哥爾摩揭幕的瑞典音樂名人堂的一部分。

The museum will feature some of the band’s glitzy stage costumes, instruments and other mementos that were displayed in the ABBAWORLD exhibition that toured Europe and Australia in 2009-2011.

該展館的收藏品包括該合唱團誇張的舞台裝、樂器與其他曾在2009年到2011年巡迴歐洲與澳洲的「阿巴世界」展中展示過的紀念品。

Ulvaeus said he hoped all four former ABBA members would attend the opening, set for April or May, but ruled out any chance of a stage comeback.

奧瓦爾斯說，他希望阿巴的4名前團員都能出席預定明年4或5月舉行的展館開幕儀式，但排除4人有任何復出機會。

The other band members were Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They started the band as two married couples, consistently topping charts in the English-speaking world after winning the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with "Waterloo." They continued performing after both couples divorced, but drifted apart in the early ’80s. （AP）

◎陳成良

As the American waistline continues its spread, fitness is shaping up as one of the hottest careers of this tepid economic recovery.

隨著美國民眾腰圍越來越粗，健身正逐漸成為經濟緩慢復甦下最熱門職業之一。

Employment of fitness trainers and instructors is expected to grow by a brisk 24 percent in the decade to 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as businesses, health professionals and insurance companies take sharper aim at the sedentary lifestyle.

根據美國勞工部勞工統計局，隨著企業、保健專家及保險業者都更清楚聚焦在久坐不動的生活型態，預期截至2020年的10年間，健身教練及指導員的職缺將成長24%。

"Helping individuals be more active is important and fitness professionals can be at the center of that," said Cedric Bryant, chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise （ACE）, which has certified more than 50,000 fitness professionals.

美國運動協會（ACE）科學長塞德里克．布萊恩說：「幫助民眾多多運動很重要，健身專業人士可以扮演關鍵角色。」ACE已經認證超過5萬名健身專業人士。

Obesity rates have sky-rocketed in the last 20 years. More than one third of adults in the United States are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

肥胖率在過去20年飆高，據美國疾病管制暨預防中心指出，美國超過3分之1的成人都有肥胖問題。

Bryant said the health crisis is strongly linked to the lifestyle choices that fitness professionals, such as personal trainers and group fitness instructors, address.（Reuters）

◎俞智敏

Fight a hobbit for an aisle seat? Get life jacket instructions from a beautiful female elf? Only on a plane to Middle Earth - or in an Air New Zealand safety video.

跟哈比人爭奪走道旁座位？由美麗的女精靈解說救生衣使用方式？這種事只會發生在飛往中土的飛機上，或者在紐西蘭航空的飛安宣導影片裡。

The company’s latest in a series of variations on the usual dull pre-flight safety instructions has lifted a page from J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic "The Hobbit" in the run-up to the world premiere of the film later this month, a bid to attract visitors to the nation where much of the film was shot.

紐航曾數度讓這種通常枯燥乏味的起飛前安全說明影片面目一新，而最新的一段影片則取自作家托爾金名著「哈比人歷險記」中的段落，並且趕在本月底由這部小說所改編的電影全球首映前推出，企圖吸引遊客前往電影拍攝地點紐西蘭觀光。

"An Unexpected Briefing," a play on the movie’s title of "The Hobbit： An Unexpected Journey," features crew members explaining flight safety to passengers embarking on a pilgrimage to Middle Earth, Tolkien’s land of treasure, dragons and magic rings.

這段影片名為「意外的簡報」，不但片名仿效電影「哈比人：意外旅程」，片中的機組人員更向準備前往中土，也就是托爾金作品裡充滿寶藏、惡龍和魔戒之地朝聖的乘客解釋飛安說明。

Director Sir Peter Jackson, who received Academy Awards for the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, makes a cameo appearance in the four-minute video, playing a passenger among the Orcs, pointy-eared elves and furry-footed hobbits that otherwise pack the seats.

曾因「魔戒」三部曲獲奧斯卡獎的導演傑克森也在這段四分鐘的影片中客串一角，坐在擠滿了半獸人、尖耳朵精靈和毛毛腳哈比人的機艙裡。

Die-hard Tolkien fans have flocked to the town of Matamata in the country’s North Island, which earlier this year began tours to the set of Hobbiton, the town from which the story’s hero, Bilbo Baggins, starts his journey.

◎陳維真

British researchers have come up with a new body scanning device that gives accurate measurements and could boost online clothes shopping.

英國研究人員發展出新的身體掃描儀器，可準確測量出身材尺寸，有望提振網購衣服的買氣。

Shoppers are still nervous about ordering clothes online because they often do not fit and, some say, there will never be a substitute for trying something on - one reason why the boom in online retail has not had the same impact on clothing as on music, books and electronics retailing.

由於網購衣服常有不合身的問題，讓消費者對網購衣服有些不安。有些人說，永遠沒有可以取代試穿的方法，這也是音樂、電子產品零售買氣強強滾，衣服卻沒有同樣效果的原因。

In the United States, for instance, the consultancy ComScore estimated that only 14 percent of online spending went on clothes and accessories in the year to June.

舉例來說，顧問公司ComScore估計，美國截至今年6月的網路購物花費，僅有14％花在服飾和配件。

Some firms are already offering home scanners that use a webcam, but the British developers say their system is able to measure in unprecedented detail.

部分公司已提供使用網路攝影機的家用身形掃描器，但英國的研發人員說，他們的系統可以量到前所未有的細節。

With the new system, a shopper inputs his or her height as a reference and can then take a single full-length picture with a webcam or smartphone from which all their other measurements are calculated.

◎魏國金

A family puss has been named National Cat of the Year, thanks for his role in enabling a little boy with an anxiety disorder to utter the words "I love you".

一隻家貓榮膺（英國）年度國家貓咪獎，以感謝牠在讓一名焦慮症小男童能夠開口說「我愛你」上所扮演的角色。

The two-year-old feline, known as Jessi-Cat, was honoured at the Cats Protection’s National Cat Awards ceremony on Thursday.

2歲的「傑西-貓」週四在貓咪保護組織的國家貓咪獎頒獎典禮上接受表揚。

Jessi-Cat is a constant companion to seven-year-old Lorcan Dillon, who has selective mutism, a condition which affects his ability to speak and express himself and often leaves him feeling isolated and lonely.

傑西-貓是7歲的洛肯．迪倫忠實的朋友，洛肯患有選擇性失語症，這種狀況影響他說話與表達自我的能力，常讓他感覺疏離與孤獨。

Thanks to Jessi-Cat, Lorcan is finally able to say ’’I love you’’ and has learnt ways to share his emotions when he finds it difficult to speak to people.

由於傑西-貓，洛肯終於能夠說「我愛你」，並在發現難與人交談時，學會分享情緒的方法。

The Cats Protection’s National Cat Awards are the UK’s largest celebration of real-life stories of companionship, bravery and survival in the feline world.

◎魏國金

A family puss has been named National Cat of the Year, thanks for his role in enabling a little boy with an anxiety disorder to utter the words "I love you".

一隻家貓榮膺（英國）年度國家貓咪獎，以感謝牠在讓一名焦慮症小男童能夠開口說「我愛你」上所扮演的角色。

The two-year-old feline, known as Jessi-Cat, was honoured at the Cats Protection’s National Cat Awards ceremony on Thursday.

2歲的「傑西-貓」週四在貓咪保護組織的國家貓咪獎頒獎典禮上接受表揚。

Jessi-Cat is a constant companion to seven-year-old Lorcan Dillon, who has selective mutism, a condition which affects his ability to speak and express himself and often leaves him feeling isolated and lonely.

傑西-貓是7歲的洛肯．迪倫忠實的朋友，洛肯患有選擇性失語症，這種狀況影響他說話與表達自我的能力，常讓他感覺疏離與孤獨。

Thanks to Jessi-Cat, Lorcan is finally able to say ’’I love you’’ and has learnt ways to share his emotions when he finds it difficult to speak to people.

由於傑西-貓，洛肯終於能夠說「我愛你」，並在發現難與人交談時，學會分享情緒的方法。

The Cats Protection’s National Cat Awards are the UK’s largest celebration of real-life stories of companionship, bravery and survival in the feline world.

◎國際新聞中心

A genetically modified cow that produces milk less likely to cause allergic reactions has been engineered by New Zealand scientists. Up to 3% of infants are allergic to cows’ milk in their first year of life.

一種乳汁比較不會造成過敏反應的基因改造乳牛，已經被紐西蘭科學家以基因工程技術製造出來。多達3%的嬰兒在出生第一年會對牛乳過敏。

The modified cow produced milk without beta-lactoglobulin - a whey protein to which some people are allergic. The study has been labelled a "milestone" by one scientist, but some campaign groups say it raises ethical concerns.

這種基改牛的牛乳沒有β乳球蛋白，一種會讓一些人過敏的乳清蛋白質。一名科學家認為這是「里程碑」的研究，但部份倡議團體認為，此項研究會引發道德關切。

The instructions for making the beta-lactoglobulin protein are contained in genes in the cow’s DNA. The scientists added extra genetic material to disrupt the manufacturing process using a technique called RNA interference.

製造β乳球蛋白的指南包含在乳牛DNA的基因裡。科學家利用核醣核酸（RNA）干擾技術添加額外的基因材料干擾製造過程。

Writing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers said： "All milk samples from the transgenic calf were devoid of any detectable beta-lactoglobulin."

研究人員在「國家科學院院刊」撰文指出：「改造基因的小牛所有乳汁樣本都缺少偵測得到的β乳球蛋白。」

新聞辭典

◎張沛元

Passengers and crew on two commercial jets helped locate a missing yachtsman off Australia by looking through the windows with binoculars.

兩架民航噴射機上的乘客與機組人員藉由拿望遠鏡透過機窗向外看，來協助確定一名在澳洲外海失蹤的遊艇駕駛的所在位置。

An Air Canada jet and an Air New Zealand aircraft swooped down to 4,000ft to assist rescuers in the search for the solo yachtsman who had activated his emergency beacon.

一架加拿大航空客機與一架紐西蘭航空客機將飛行高度驟降到4000呎，以協助搜救人員尋找一名已啟動應急救援無線電信標的單人遊艇駕駛。

His remote location was out of helicopter range so rescuers asked the planes’ pilots to get involved as they were flying over the yacht’s GPS position.

該遊艇駕駛位於超出直昇機搜救範圍的偏遠地區，因此搜救人員要求這兩架正飛越該遊艇全球衛星定位系統位置上空的客機的機長，參與救援。

According to Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, one passenger wrote on Facebook： "15 hour flight ends up being 17 hours as we descended to 4,000ft to locate a capsized yacht for search and rescue."

根據雪梨每日電訊報，一名乘客在臉書上寫道：「隨著我們下降到4000呎以便確定一艘翻覆的遊艇的所在位置，15小時的飛行以17小時作收。」

"Amazing, and slightly off putting, to see what a Boeing 777 aircraft can do when not on autopilot and flying/circling low over the ocean."

Following a week of violence that left 140 people dead, Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire that began early this morning. But there are still doubts over how long it will hold, with both sides saying they are ready to resume fighting if the other side violates the deal. 

After eight days of fighting, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a truce.

Mohammed Kamel Amr 
Egyptian Foreign Minister 
Each side has agreed to a cease-fire that we hope will bring peace and end the bloodshed. 

Hillary Clinton
US Secretary of State

The 49th Golden Horse Awards will take place tomorrow in Yilan. A bit of controversy arose today when a worker trying to clear pigeons from the area killed one with a BB gun. The county government quickly apologized. 

The Golden Horse Awards are scheduled to take place tomorrow night at Yilan’s Luo Dong Cultural Workshop. As part of the preparations, workers used BB guns to clear the venue of pigeons.

To animal rights activists, the action seemed cruel and extreme.

Chu Tseng-hung
EAST Director
Peace doves are released in many celebrations. And now that they are preparing for a temporary event, they want to get rid of these pigeons. They even accidentally harmed one. I think it’s a poor model for art and culture events.

Many are surprised to see popular Taiwanese locations such as Sun Moon Lake and Cingshui Cliffs featured in the new Chinese passport issued this year. After prodding by lawmakers, the Mainland Affairs Council expressed its outrage today. 

On May 15 of this year, China’s new passport was issued. Each page in the passport contains watermark images of well-known tourist locations from each province. 

Many were surprised that Taiwanese sites were included, such as Sun Moon Lake and the east coast’s Cingshui Cliffs. A brief description said: “Taiwan Province is well known for its mountains and ocean scenery.” The wording made clear that Taiwan is a part of China.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs first response was asking the Mainland Affairs Council to comment on the matter. In the morning, the MAC had no immediate response. But the Philippines and Vietnam did. They were angry over the inclusion of disputed islands in the South China Sea.

Philippines Foreign Ministry
The Philippines does not accept the validity of the nine dash lines that amount to an excessive declaration of maritime space in violation of international law. 

Some opposition Taipei councilors are happy that the government is reducing the amount of debt that the city can take on. They say it’s needed a step to rein in wasteful spending by Mayor Hau Lung-bin. 

Workers come out in force to excavate the road. A few years ago Taipei was proud of this bike lane on Dunhua South Road. But it only stayed open a year. Beset by criticism over the design, the city removed it. The road returned to the way it was before. More than NT$100 million went down the drain.

Taipei Resident
I think this is a waste. The government shouldn’t keep changing its policies.

Other symbols of waste dot the city. There is the empty extreme sports park in Nangang and the rarely visited Deaflympics memorial. Another target is the costly infrastructure left over from the Flora Expo. 

Chang Mao-nan

Municipality leaders are blasting a new debt proposal from the cabinet. The most furious among them is Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin, who could see his city’s remaining borrowing power lowered by over two-thirds. The proposal would free up the other four municipalities to borrow more money, but the mayors of Taichung and Kaohsiung say the changes don’t go far enough. 

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin led a contingent of eight KMT lawmakers from the city in protest today. They are furious over a proposed amendment to the Public Debt Act, which would lower the remaining debt his city could still take on from NT$269 billion to NT$85 billion.

Hau Lung-bin
Taipei Mayor
Work may have to slow down or even stop on the Wanda Line, the Airport Line passing through Xinzhuang and the East Section of the Circular Line through Xinyi.

Alex Tsai
KMT Legislator

Divers have a new reason to visit Kenting, even if it is something they can barely see. Tiny hairy shrimp, under a centimeter in size, have been spotted in Kenting’s waters and were filmed by a diver there recently, drawing plenty of interest. 

This is a hairy shrimp filmed by a diver in waters off Kenting. As the name suggests, the mollusk has tiny hairs on its shell. One can also see its eyes and long antennae.

Divers in Kenting have spotted both orange and the much rarer green variety of hairy shrimp. 

Also known as algae shrimp, the crustaceans are tiny, under a centimeter in length and often barely 5 millimeters. They’re mostly found in waters in East Asia. To catch a glimpse of them, Taiwanese divers have headed in the past to the Lembeh Strait in northern Indonesia. 

But local divers are thrilled to have found that compared with the Lembeh Strait, Kenting’s waters have far more of the tiny creatures. 

Just as it tries to recover from severe flooding, England is about to get hit by a cold front that could eventually deliver record low temperatures. Authorities there are bracing for the worst. 

Heavy rains in recent days have caused flooding throughout England. As cleanup efforts begin, many areas and homes are still submerged in water, cut off from outside transportation links. The authorities have warned that some rivers could still surge.

Even worse, weather forecasters are saying temperatures over the weekend could fall to minus three degrees Celsius and could fall to minus 20 in December and January. The arrival of what could be England’s coldest winter on record was simply more bad news for those already displaced by the floods.

The unusual weather has extended to southern Italy. A massive tornado struck the port of Taranto on Wednesday, causing severe damage to a steel factory. About 20 workers were injured and one was still unaccounted for. Video of the tornado as it rolled into the town showed a big burst of fire.

In northern Italy, the region of Tuscany has experienced heavy rains and flooding, and a small coastal town was ravaged by a tornado, the roofs of many houses badly damaged and trees uprooted. Exhausted firefighters continue to clean up the area.

Ahead of preparatory fishery talks, negotiators from Taiwan and Japan signed two unrelated agreements today. Analysts interpreted it as a gesture of goodwill ahead of the more sensitive talks tomorrow, but officials said the close timing was simply coincidental. 

Taiwanese and Japanese officials will discuss fishery rights tomorrow. Before then, the chairman of the Japan Interchange Association met with Liao Liou-yi, head of Taiwan’s Association of East Asian Relations. They signed an agreement to mutually recognize each other’s inspections of machinery and electronics goods and an MOU on industrial cooperation. Analysts think the timing shows that the two sides want to ease tensions following the recent controversy over the disputed Tiaoyutai Islands. 

Liao Liou-yi
Association of East Asian Relations
Your question overanalyzes. This wasn’t the meaning. It just happened that the 37th trade meeting took place at the end of November. It was the original plan. We are working hard to sign MOUs and MRAs, and the timing of the two unrelated events just happened to overlap.

Fishermen in Taiwan are most concerned about fishing talks, specifically where they will be allowed to fish. For an answer, they’ll have to wait for another day.