英倫翻譯社/ Trsmaster

2022/01/10 05:30
◎陳成良
Researchers found that women who have an index finger that’s shorter than their ring finger could actually have more strength.

研究人員發現，食指比無名指短的女性力氣可能更大。

The Austrian study looked specifically at handgrip strength and people’s 2D:4D ratios.

奧地利這項研究特別分析手掌握力與人們第2和第4根手指長度的比率關係。

The 2D:4D ratio is the most studied digit ratio and is calculated by dividing the length of the index finger of a given hand by the length of the ring finger of the same hand.

2D：4D比值是最常被研究的數字比值之一，它的計算方法是將某隻手的食指長度除以同一隻手的無名指長度。

Published in Proceedings of the Royal Society, Biological Sciences, the experts found women with a lower 2D:4D ratio had higher strength grip than those with a higher ratio.

專家發現，2D：4D比例較低的女性往往力氣更大。研究結果發表在《英國皇家學會生物學分會學報》。

2022/01/06 05:30
◎孫宇青

One desperate California school district is sending flyers home in students’ lunchboxes, telling parents it’s "now hiring." Elsewhere, principals are filling in as crossing guards and schools are moving back to online learning.

（美國）加利福尼亞州一個走投無路的校區，將傳單放入學生的餐袋帶回家，告知家長「學校正在招人」。在其他地方，有校長兼任交通導護，也有學校重啟線上教學。

Now that schools have welcomed students back to classrooms, they face a new challenge: a shortage of teachers and staff the likes of which some districts say they have never seen.

自開放學生返校上課以來，學校面臨一項新挑戰：老師和職員不足，這種情況在某些地區更是前所未見。

Public schools have struggled for years with teacher shortages, particularly in math, science, special education and languages. But the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the problem.

公立學校缺老師的問題行之有年，尤其是數學、科學、特殊教育和語言學門，而新冠肺炎疫情使之惡化。

The stress of teaching in the COVID-19 era has triggered a spike in retirements and resignations. Schools also need to hire staffers like tutors and special aides to make up for learning losses and more teachers to run online school for those not ready to return.（AP）

疫情期間的教學壓力導致一波退休和離職潮，學校也必須另聘輔導老師、特別助手來補足缺額，也得有更多老師為還沒準備好返校的學生線上教學。（美聯社）

2022/01/05 05:30
◎管淑平

When Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and threw its support behind separatists in the country’s east more than seven years ago, Kyiv’s underfunded and disorganized armed forces struggled to mount a credible response.

7年多前俄羅斯吞併烏克蘭的克里米亞半島，並支持該國東部的分離主義者，當時基輔政府的武裝部隊經費不足又組織散亂，難於給予有效的回應。

Now, amid fears that a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine’s border could signal a possible attack, military experts say Moscow would face stronger resistance this time.

現在，在擔心俄羅斯於烏克蘭邊境增兵可能是發動攻擊的訊號之際，軍事專家說，莫斯科這次會面臨更強大的抵抗。

But they emphasize that Ukraine would be well short of what it needs to counter Russia’s overwhelming superiority.

但是這些專家強調，烏克蘭仍十分欠缺反抗俄羅斯壓倒性優勢所需的能力。

Years of fighting the separatists have given Ukrainian veterans like Col. Viacheslav Vlasenko the battlefield experience for such a fight. "We Ukrainians are defending our land, and there is no place for us to retreat,’’ said Vlasenko. (AP)

多年打擊分離主義者的戰鬥經驗，讓弗拉申科上校這種烏克蘭退伍軍人，具備投入這類戰事的戰場經驗。「我們烏克蘭人在捍衛我們的土地，我們沒有退縮的空間」，弗拉申科說。（美聯社）

2022/01/02 05:30
◎周虹汶

A distracted trader accidentally sold a non-fungible token (NFT) for a hundredth of its market price.

一名心不在焉的交易員意外地以市價百分之一的價格賣出一枚非同質化代幣（ NFT ）。

NFTs are the latest cryptocurrency phenomenon to go mainstream. In the simplest terms, NFTs transform digital works of art and other collectibles into one-of-a-kind, verifiable assets that are easy to trade on the blockchain.

非同質化代幣是最新走向主流的加密貨幣。用最簡單的話來說，非同質化代幣把數位藝術作品和其他可收藏的物品轉換成獨一無二，可以驗證的資產，方便在區塊鍊上交易。

The Bored Ape Yacht Club is a collection of 10,000 pieces of digital NFT art living on the ethereum (eth) blockchain.

無聊猿遊艇俱樂部是由一萬件存在於以太坊區塊鍊上的數位NFT藝術作品的集合。

Max, who goes by the username maxnaut , said the mistake happened after "a lapse of concentration" when he accidentally listed the NFT for 0.75 eth ($2,844) instead of 75 eth ($284,495).

2021/12/29 05:30
◎管淑平

The Kremlin said Friday that it expects the United States to respond next month to Moscow’s request for security guarantees precluding NATO’s expansion to Ukraine.

克里姆林宮週五說，期望美國下個月回應莫斯科提出，排除北大西洋公約組織（NATO）向烏克蘭擴張的安全保障要求。

Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the West on Thursday to "immediately’’ meet Russia’s demand, accusing the U.S. and its allies of maintaining a military presence ``on the threshold of our home.’’

俄羅斯總統普廷週四敦促西方「立即」達成俄方的要求，指控美國及其盟邦持續「在我們家門口」部署軍力。

Last week, Moscow submitted draft security documents demanding that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries and roll back the alliance’s military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe.

上週，莫斯科提出安全文件草案，要求北約拒絕讓烏克蘭和其他前蘇聯加盟共和國加入，並縮減該聯盟在中、東歐的軍事部署。

Moscow presented its demand amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine that has stoked fears of a possible invasion. (AP)

莫斯科在俄羅斯於烏克蘭附近增兵，引發可能入侵的疑懼，導致緊張升高之際，提出該要求。（美聯社）

2021/12/29 05:30
◎管淑平

The Kremlin said Friday that it expects the United States to respond next month to Moscow’s request for security guarantees precluding NATO’s expansion to Ukraine.

克里姆林宮週五說，期望美國下個月回應莫斯科提出，排除北大西洋公約組織（NATO）向烏克蘭擴張的安全保障要求。

Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the West on Thursday to "immediately’’ meet Russia’s demand, accusing the U.S. and its allies of maintaining a military presence ``on the threshold of our home.’’

俄羅斯總統普廷週四敦促西方「立即」達成俄方的要求，指控美國及其盟邦持續「在我們家門口」部署軍力。

Last week, Moscow submitted draft security documents demanding that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries and roll back the alliance’s military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe.

上週，莫斯科提出安全文件草案，要求北約拒絕讓烏克蘭和其他前蘇聯加盟共和國加入，並縮減該聯盟在中、東歐的軍事部署。

Moscow presented its demand amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine that has stoked fears of a possible invasion. (AP)

莫斯科在俄羅斯於烏克蘭附近增兵，引發可能入侵的疑懼，導致緊張升高之際，提出該要求。（美聯社）

2021/12/27 05:30
◎陳成良

The Saudi Press Agency recently reported that over 40 camels were disqualified from this year’s King Abdulaziz Camel Festival pageant because of Botox injections and other cosmetic procedures.

沙烏地新聞社近日報導，超過40頭駱駝因注射肉毒桿菌和其他醫美手段，被取消今年「阿卜杜勒—阿齊茲國王駱駝節」的參賽資格。

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz Camel Festival is one of the several annual events that features a camel beauty pageant. These sort of competitions is such a big deal that some breeders reportedly resort to Botox injections and other cosmetic touchups to make their animals prettier.

「阿卜杜勒—阿齊茲國王駱駝節」是沙國幾場年度駱駝選美活動之一。這類比賽是大事，乃至一些飼養者據傳為了讓駱駝更漂亮，會給牠們注射肉毒桿菌和使用其他醫美修飾手段。

Apparently, Botox is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the illegal use of cosmetic intervention for camel beauty pageants. Using collagen lip fillers, artificially increasing the animals’ muscles with hormones, and inflating body parts with have all been documented in the past.

顯然，注射肉毒桿菌只是駱駝選美比賽眾多非法醫美手段之一。過去還出現過給駱駝使用膠原蛋白豐唇、用激素讓駱駝肌肉更發達，用橡膠圈來撐大身體部位。

新聞辭典

2021/12/23 05:30
◎孫宇青

A bunker built by German troops in Saint-Pabu in northern France during World War Two has been restored and refitted as an underground guesthouse.

納粹德國軍隊第二次世界大戰期間在法國北部聖帕比建造的一座地下碉堡已重見天日，並被改造成地下旅館。

Serge Colliou bought up a plot of land there and spent 18 months digging out and renovating the 400-square-meter structure, turning it into rental for up to eight people, complete with bar and living room.

薩傑．科里奧在當地買下一塊土地後，花費18個月挖掘並整修此一佔地400平方公尺的建築，改造成最高可容納8人的出租空間，內部還附設酒吧和客廳。

"We adapted (the bunker) while preserving a certain feel," Colliou said. "We wanted to give the building a second life, so we are not going to live in the past forever. We saved some aspects, you know where you are, there are historic cues, but this isn’t a museum either."

科里奧說：「我們改建（地堡）之際，也保留某種風情。我們想要賦予這個建築第二生命，而不是永遠活在過去。我們保存某部分外觀，你會知道自己身在何處，可以看到歷史線索，但這裡不會是博物館。」

War-time touches in Bunker L479 include helmets, reproduction guns and signs on the walls. Both German and French guests have stayed there since it opened a year ago, Colliou said.（Reuters）

頭盔、改造過的槍枝和牆上的符號等，都是L479地堡的戰爭元素。科里奧說，開幕1年來，德國和法國房客都曾入住。（路透）

2021/12/22 05:30
◎管淑平

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday warned that bitcoin presents a risk to younger generations, sounding a hawkish tone as his government prepares to introduce legislation to regulate cryptocurrencies.

在他的政府準備立法規範加密貨幣之際，印度總理莫迪週四發出強硬論調，警告比特幣會對較年輕世代帶來風險。

Speaking at an online cybersecurity forum, Modi framed virtual money as a domain that needs to be closely policed.

莫迪在一場網路安全線上論壇發表談話，將虛擬貨幣稱為需要密切監管的領域。

"Take cryptocurrency or bitcoin, for example," he told a forum hosted by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. "It is important that all democratic nations work together on this and ensure it does not end up in the wrong hands, which can spoil our youths." (AFP)

「以加密貨幣或比特幣為例」，他告訴「澳洲戰略政策研究所」舉辦的一場論壇，「重要的是，所有民主國家在這方面共同努力，確保加密貨幣不會落入錯誤的人手裡，那樣有可能毀掉我們的年輕人。」（法新社）

新聞辭典
spoil：動詞，破壞，毀掉。例句：Bad weather spoiled our vacation.（壞天氣毀了我們的度假。）

2021/12/20 05:30
◎陳成良

Japanese researchers have developed masks that use ostrich antibodies to detect COVID-19 by glowing under ultraviolet light.

日本研究人員開發出一種使用鴕鳥抗體的口罩，透過在紫外線下發光來檢測「2019冠狀病毒病」（COVID-19，武漢肺炎）。

The discovery by Yasuhiro Tsukamoto and his team at Kyoto Prefectural University in western Japan could provide for low-cost testing of the virus at home, they said in a press release.

他們在一份新聞稿中說，日本西部京都府立大學的塚本康浩與其團隊的發現，可以為在家中進行低成本的病毒檢測提供條件。

The scientists started by creating a mask filter coated with ostrich antibodies targeting the novel coronavirus, based on previous research showing the birds have strong resistance to disease.

這些科學家首先建立一個口罩過濾層，上面塗有針對新型冠狀病毒的鴕鳥抗體，因為先前的研究表明，鳥類對疾病有很強的抵抗力。

In a small study, test subjects wore the masks, and after eight hours, the filters were removed and sprayed with a chemical that glows under ultraviolet light if the virus is present.

2021/12/16 05:30
◎孫宇青

Pope Francis has received dozens of soccer jerseys and game balls during his eight-year pontificate and he got a new football-themed toy lately: his very own foosball table.

天主教教宗方濟各在任8年來收到許多足球衣和比賽用球，近來還獲得一組足球主題的新玩具：屬於他的手足球台。

Francis played a round on the table that was presented to him at the end of his general audience by representatives of a table football association, Sport Toscana Calcio Balilla in Altopascio, Tuscany.

這個手足球台是在教宗進行「公開接見」時，由托斯卡尼大區阿爾托帕肖市的托斯卡納手足球運動協會代表人所贈送，方濟各還玩了一局。

The mayor of Altopascio, Sara D’Ambrosio, wrote on Facebook that the table was designed to be inclusive and work well for people with physical disabilities to encourage their participation in sport.

阿爾托帕肖市市長莎拉．迪安布羅修在臉書寫道，這組手足球台設計上具有包容性，方便身體不便的人使用，鼓勵他們參與運動。

The Argentine-born pope is a well-known lover of soccer. He has long promoted sport as a way to promote solidarity and inclusion, especially for young people.（AP）

阿根廷出生的教宗是知名的足球愛好者。他長期推崇把運動當作促進團結和包容的方式，尤其對年輕人而言。（美聯社）

2021/12/15 05:30
◎管淑平

A Japanese train driver is suing his employer after his wages were docked 56 yen over a minute-long delay to the country’s famously punctual rail system, the company said Thursday.

一名日本火車司機員造成該國以準時出名的鐵路系統誤點1分鐘，因而被扣薪水56日圓，他正為此控告雇主，這家公司週四說。

The driver filed the suit against the West Japan Railway earlier this year after it fined him for a work mix-up in June 2020 which caused the delay, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported.

讀賣新聞報導，這名司機員因2020年6月工作疏失造成這起誤點事件，遭西日本旅客鐵道公司懲處後，於今年稍早控告該公司。

He is seeking 2.2 million yen in damages for mental anguish caused by the ordeal, the report said.

報導說，他尋求220萬日圓賠償他因此事受到的精神痛苦。

The company argues it was appropriate to dock the driver’s wages because no labour was performed during the mix-up. (AFP)

該公司主張，扣發這名司機員的工資是合宜的，因為他在該次工作疏失時並未執行勞務。（法新社）

2021/12/13 05:30
◎陳成良
Greece is to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for people aged 60 and over, in a drastic move to stem a new surge in coronavirus cases.

希臘將強制要求60歲及以上的人口接種COVID -19疫苗，這是遏制冠狀病毒新病例激增的一項重大舉措。

Fines of €100 will be imposed at monthly intervals from mid-January on those who refuse, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.

總理米佐塔基斯稱，從1月中旬開始，將對拒打疫苗者每月罰款100歐元（約3130台幣）。

The money will go towards the Greek health system, which is struggling with a surge in hospital admissions.

這些罰金將流入因住院人數激增而承受重壓的希臘衛生系統。

About 63% of Greece’s 11-million population is fully vaccinated, but data show more than 520,000 people over 60 are yet to get the jab.

希臘總人口1100萬人，其中約63％已完成疫苗接種，但資料顯示，逾52萬60歲以上人群尚未接種疫苗。

2021/12/10 05:30
◎張沛元

The authorities in southern India are investigating a couple who are reported to have chartered a plane and performed a marriage ritual in midair in front of scores of guests, a breach of Covid-19 guidelines in a country that is being devastated by a second wave of the coronavirus.

印度南部當局正在調查一對被舉報包下一架飛機並在數十名賓客面前舉行空中婚禮的夫妻，此舉違反這個正飽受第二波疫情襲擊的國家的武漢肺炎防疫指引。

The couple had intended to tie the knot in front of family and friends at a hotel in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, but coronavirus restrictions capped the guest list at 50 people.

這對夫妻原本打算在親友的見證下於南部泰米爾納德邦的一家飯店共結連理，但疫情限制規定賓客人數上限50人。

Instead, according to reports in the Indian news media, the couple chartered a commercial aircraft and boarded the plane on Sunday morning along with about 160 people.

根據印度新聞媒體的報導，這對夫妻因而改包下一架民航機，並於週日一早與大約160名賓客登機。

新聞辭典
charter：名詞，動詞，（交通工具的）包租。

2021/12/09 05:30
◎孫宇青

Cat owners who love to take pictures of their furry friends now have a new excuse to pull out their smartphones and take a snapshot: it may actually help the cat.

喜歡為毛小孩拍照的養貓者，現在有了拿出智慧型手機拍一張的新藉口，因為這麼做其實可以幫到愛貓。

A Calgary, Alberta, animal health technology company, Sylvester.ai, has developed an app called Tably that uses the phone’s camera to tell whether a feline is feeling pain.

（加拿大）亞伯達省卡加利市的動物健康科技公司Sylvester.ai，開發出一款名為Tably的應用程式，可透過手機相機偵測貓咪是否感到疼痛。

The app looks at ear and head position, eye-narrowing, muzzle tension, and how whiskers change, to detect distress.

該程式會觀察貓咪耳朵及頭部的位置、眼睛寬窄、口鼻緊繃狀況和鬍鬚變化，判斷牠們是否感到疼痛。

A 2019 study published in peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports found that the so-called ’feline grimace scale,’ or FGS, is a valid and reliable tool for acute pain assessment in cats.

同儕審核期刊《科學報告》2019年發表的研究發現，所謂的「貓科動物鬼臉量表」（FGS），是檢測貓咪急性疼痛的有效、可信的工具。

2021/12/06 05:30
◎陳成良

Household chores might seem a drag, but researchers have suggested tasks like dusting, scrubbing floors and washing the windows might help adults to stay healthy into old age.

家務瑣事也許看似累贅，但研究人員指出，清理灰塵、拖地、擦窗等家務活動，可能有助於成年人到老年以後，保持身體健康。

Writing in the journal BMJ Open, a Singapore-based team of researchers said regular physical activity “improves physical and mental health, mitigates the risks and effects of chronic diseases, and reduces falls, immobility, dependency and mortality among older adults”.

該研究結果由一個新加坡研究團隊發表在《英國醫學期刊》（BMJ Open）上。研究報告指出，常做體力活動可以「改善身心健康，減輕慢性病的風險和影響，降低老年人跌倒、臥床不起、失去獨立生活能力和死亡的機率。」

After taking into account factors including age and sex, the team found cognitive scores and attention scores were 8% and 14% higher respectively for older adults doing high amounts of heavy housework – on average 131 minutes a week – compared with low levels, which appeared to amount to none at all.

在考慮年齡、性別等因素後，研究團隊發現，做大量重度家務（每週平均131分鐘）的老年人，認知功能和注意力得分比很少做家務的老年人分別高出8％和14％。

新聞辭典
chore：名詞，日常家務，乏味的例行工作，困難或煩人的工作。例句：Doing taxes is a real chore.（報稅是很煩人的事。）

2021/12/02 05:30
◎孫宇青

An unoccupied kindergarten building has been transformed into a shelter for street dogs in Zumpango de Ocampo, on the outskirts of Mexico City.

在墨西哥城郊區松潘哥迪奧康柏市，一棟荒廢的幼兒園被改造成流浪犬的收容所。

The Doggies of Santa Lucia shelter run by the Mexican army was set up after a nearby new airport’s architects and workers noticed a large number of stray dogs wandering near the construction site.

墨西哥軍隊管理的聖塔露西亞狗狗收容所，是在附近一座新機場的建築師和工人注意到工地附近有為數眾多的流浪狗徘徊後才成立的。

"The shelter’s objective is to give the dogs a temporary home and to adapt them to live with humans and other dogs so they can be adopted by a family," said Second Lieutenant Carla Medellin, a veterinarian.

身為獸醫的少尉卡拉．梅德林說：「收容所的目標是給狗狗一個暫時的家，讓牠們適應與人類和其他狗狗生活，之後可以被家庭收養。」

Not all dogs that arrive at the shelter are intended for adoption. Specialists and veterinarians will also look for dogs that can work at the airport by detecting COVID-19 patients or even drugs.（Reuters）

不是所有來到收容所的狗狗都將被收養。專家和獸醫也將尋找可以在機場工作，幫忙篩檢COVID-19患者、甚至藥物的狗狗。（路透）

2021/12/01 05:30
◎管淑平

Worried that hospital staff were neglecting his ailing grandmother in a Siberian COVID-19 ward, a Russian man said he sneaked in disguised as a doctor to look after her himself.

一名俄羅斯男子說，他因為擔心醫院人員疏於照料住在西伯利亞一間新型冠狀病毒病病房的生病祖母，就假扮成醫生，溜進病房親自照顧她。

Sergei, who declined to give his surname, told Rain TV in an interview broadcast on Thursday that he donned protective clothing and walked into the hospital ward in the city of Tomsk last week where he looked after his grandmother for three days.

拒絕透露姓氏的塞爾蓋，在週四播出的訪問中向Rain電視台表示，他上週穿著防護衣，走進位於托木斯克的那間醫院病房，照顧他祖母3天。

Sergei confirmed his comments to the TV channel in a phone interview with Reuters on Friday. He also shared footage of what he said was him tending to his elderly grandmother in hospital.

塞爾蓋週五接受路透電話訪問，證實他向該電視台所說的內容，並提供據說是他在醫院照料年邁祖母的影片。

Local authorities in Tomsk said they were investigating his complaints. (Reuters)

托木斯克當地政府說，他們正在調查這名男子的不滿。（路透）

2021/11/29 05:30
Israeli startup Redefine Meat on Tuesday expanded operations into Europe where it hopes to reach thousands of restaurants by the end of next year and served for the first time its plant-based whole cuts of alternative meat.

以色列新創公司Redefine Meat週二拓展業務版圖，盼明年底前其產品能打入歐洲數以千計的餐廳，並首度推以植物為基礎的整塊替代性肉類。

The 3D-printed beef substitute was rolled out in Israel, as well as Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. A mix of soy and pea protein, chickpeas, beetroot, nutritional yeasts and coconut fat, it mimics flank steak, which is also known as bavette.

這種3D列印的牛肉替代品在以色列、德國、荷蘭和英國推出，融合黃豆、豌豆蛋白、鷹嘴豆、甜菜根、營養酵母與椰子油而製成，它模仿又名「bavette」的側腹牛排（flank steak）。

The company, which until now worked with about 150 restaurants in Israel, said the whole cuts will broaden the appeal of alternative meat products that have mostly been limited to ground-beef dishes, including hamburgers and sausages.

該公司表示，現階段人造肉製品多半僅用於牛絞肉料理，包括漢堡及香腸等，而整塊人造肉將擴大替代性肉製品的吸引力。該公司目前與以色列約150家餐廳合作。

新聞辭典
startup：名詞，新創立的公司。例句：A more established company might be safer, but startups are more dynamic.（一個較為成熟的公司或許較有工作保障，但新創公司較有活力。）

mimic：動詞，模仿、擬態。例句：Some animals mimic objects in their environment.（有些動物模擬其周遭物體的樣態。）

2021/11/26 05:30
◎國際新聞中心

A series of vandalism cases at public restrooms led a foundry here in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, to create a virtually indestructible urinal from cast iron.

一系列的公廁破壞案件，導致（日本）埼玉縣川口市的一家鑄造廠創造出一款幾乎堅不可摧的鑄鐵小便斗。

Ito Tekko Co. spent five years developing the "strongest receptacle," which is not damaged even when hit by a 7.5-kilogram iron ball dropped from a height of 1 meter.

伊藤鐵工株式會社耗費5年時間研發的「最強小便斗」，就算被從1公尺高度墜落的7.5公斤重的鐵球擊中，也不會受損。

Shungo Fujishige, vice chief of the company’s technical department, said the bowl can withstand strikes from almost anything a vandal may brandish.

該公司技術部副主任藤重俊吾（譯音）說，這款小便斗可承受破壞者可能揮舞的幾乎任何東西的攻擊。

"It can never be destroyed unless one resorts to a high-performance, industrial power tool," he said.