英倫翻譯社/ Trsmaster

2022/09/21 05:30

◎管淑平

The Indian Air Force has dismissed three officers for accidentally firing a supersonic cruise missile into neighbor and rival Pakistan during a routine military exercise in March.

• 

  印度布拉莫斯巡弋飛彈。（美聯社檔案照）

印度空軍將3名軍官解職，因這3人在3月例行軍演中，不慎將1枚超音速巡弋飛彈射進敵對的鄰國巴基斯坦。

An inquiry “found that deviation from standard operating procedure,” a spokesman for the air force Wing Commander Ashish Moghe said via text message late Tuesday. “Three officers have primarily been held responsible.”

空軍發言人、中校阿什希‧莫格週二晚間透過簡訊表示，調查「發現違反標準作業程序」，「3名軍官對此負有主要責任」。

The BrahMos medium-range cruise missile was fired on March 9 from the garrison town of Ambala, about 200 kilometers north of the capital New Delhi.

布拉莫斯中程巡弋飛彈3月中從安巴拉一處軍事屯駐地發射，該地位於首都新德里以北約200公里處。

The missile landed in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Islamabad was prepared for retaliatory strike but held back because an initial assessment indicated something was amiss.

2022/09/19 05:30

◎陳成良

A Dutch city will become the first in the world to ban meat adverts from public spaces in an effort to reduce consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

• 

  為減少碳排放，荷蘭城市全球首禁肉食廣告。示意圖。（法新社）

荷蘭的一座城市將在全球率先禁止在公共場所投放肉食廣告，以減少消費和溫室氣體排放。

Haarlem, which lies to the west of Amsterdam and has a population of about 160,000, will enact the prohibition from 2024 after meat was added to a list of products deemed to contribute to the climate crisis.

位於阿姆斯特丹以西、擁有約16萬人口的哈勒姆市，將從2024年開始頒布肉食廣告禁令。此前肉食被加入導致氣候危機的產品清單。

Adverts will not be allowed on Haarlem’s buses, shelters and screens in public spaces, prompting complaints from the meat sector that the municipality is “going too far in telling people what’s best for them”.

哈勒姆市將禁止巴士、候車亭和公共場所的螢幕上出現肉食廣告，引發肉食產業的抱怨，他們聲稱市政府「在告訴人們什麼對他們最有利方面，做得太過份了。」

Recent studies suggest global food production is responsible for one-third of all planet-heating emissions, with the use of animals for meat accounting for twice the pollution of producing plant-based foods.

2022/09/16 05:30

◎張沛元

Japan further relaxed its infection border controls on Wednesday, but its insistence on visitor visas means the yen’s plunge won’t translate to a tourism boom any time soon.

• 

  日本政府進一步放寬入境管制措施，盼能吸引更多海外遊客赴日。圖為7日在東京淺草仲見識通邊走邊吃的外國旅客。（歐新社）

日本週三進一步放寬防疫邊境管制，然其堅持（外國旅客事先申請）旅遊簽證，意味日圓的走跌短期內無法轉化為旅遊業的興盛。

The government raised the daily ceiling of inbound travelers to 50,000 from 20,000 and scrapped a requirement for visitors as well as returning residents to undergo pre-departure COVID-19 tests, easing what have been the most restrictive border measures among major economies.

（日本）政府將每日入境旅客人數上限從2萬調升至5萬，也取消訪客與返日居民行前必須做武肺篩檢的要求，放寬向來堪稱主要經濟體中限制最多的邊境措施。

Travel bookings have increased since the easing was announced last month, but a true recovery will be delayed as long as visitors are still required to get visas to enter the country, said Japan Airlines Co. executive Koji Masumura.

日本航空高層增村浩二表示，旅行預訂自上月宣布鬆綁（邊境管制）以來已有所增加，但只要遊客仍需取得簽證才能入境日本，旅遊業不會真正復甦。

新聞辭典

curb：動詞／名詞，控制；限制，約束；抑制。例句：The mayor announced steps taken to curb crimes in the city. （市長宣布為遏止該市犯罪所採取的步驟。）

choke off：片語，中止，避免，扼殺。例句：High prices have choked off demand.（高價格扼殺需求。）

2022/09/15 05:30

◎孫宇青

Tired of speaking to a machine when you call the bank or power company?

• 

  西班牙政府擬立法要求公家單位和私人企業必須提供真人客服。示意圖。（路透檔案照）

對於打電話到銀行或電力公司，卻總是跟機器說話感到厭倦了嗎？

Spain’s government wants to end those nerve-shattering, one-sided conversations with a computerized answering service by making it obligatory for companies to offer a real, flesh-and-blood customer service worker when so requested by a caller.

西班牙政府希望終止那些單方面溝通、令人神經疲勞的機械化應答服務，要求企業必須在致電者請求下，提供真正有血有肉的顧客服務人員。

"Customer service far too often causes endless headaches for Spanish families because far too many companies create bureaucratic labyrinths to stop you from exercising your right to service," said Consumption Minister Alberto Garzón.

消費者事務部長阿爾貝托．加爾松說：「客服電話實在太常讓西班牙家庭頭痛不止，因為實在太多企業創造出官僚迷宮，阻止你行使接受服務的權利。」

The bill would also seek to do away with long wait times by forcing companies to answer calls within three minutes.

2022/09/14 05:30

◎管淑平

Dozens of Vietnamese casino workers allegedly forced to toil without pay in Cambodia have fled back to their homeland by swimming across a river, authorities in Phnom Penh said Friday.

• 

  柬埔寨施亞努市的一家賭場。（彭博檔案照）

金邊政府週五表示，數十名據稱被迫在柬埔寨賭場無薪工作的越南員工，游泳渡河逃回家鄉。

About 40 staff with the Golden Phoenix Entertainment Casino in Kandal province － which neighbours Vietnam － fought off security guards to escape, leaving one missing after being swept away by the current, Vietnamese state media reported.

越南國營媒體報導，毗鄰越南的柬國甘丹省金鳳娛樂城賭場約40名員工擊退守衛逃走，1人在渡河時被水流沖走失蹤。

"These people might have been here working illegally," Cambodian Interior Minister Sar Kheng told reporters.

柬國內政部長紹肯向記者說，「這些人或許是在這非法打工」。

"They were promised salaries, but they did not get what they were promised... They crossed back to Vietnam because they could not reach a deal. They fled the place."

2022/09/12 05:30

◎陳成良

South Korea has again recorded the world’s lowest fertility rate with the number sinking to a new low. The rate in the country first dropped lower than one child per woman in 2018.

• 

  去年的南韓不僅史上首度進入「人口負成長」，原本就已是全球最低的國家總生育率（TFR）更再度打破紀錄，僅剩0.84。（法新社檔案照）

南韓再次創下世界最低生育率紀錄，數字又跌到新低。該國的生育率在2018年首次下降到低於每名婦女生育1個孩子的水準。

But on Wednesday, figures released by the government showed the figure had dropped to 0.81 - down from 0.84 the previous year, and a sixth consecutive decline.

但政府週三公布的數據顯示，這一數據已經從1年前的0.84降到0.81，連續第6六年下降。

In comparison, the average rate across the world’s most advanced economies is 1.6 children

相比之下，世界最發達經濟體的平均生育率為（每名女性生育）1.6個孩子。

Countries need at least two children per couple - a 2.1 rate - to keep their population at the same size, without migration.

2022/09/08 05:30

◎孫宇青

28-year-old Malaysian man Sabri Tazali explained that he often spends about 15 minutes playing games on his mobile device while defecating.

• 

  馬來西亞一名男子如廁時，被一隻蛇咬住屁股。示意圖。（歐新社檔案照）

28歲馬來西亞男子薩布里‧塔札利解釋，他在排便時通常約花15分鐘用掌上裝置玩遊戲。

However, one time, he stood up in shock only to find that the snake had latched itself to his buttock. Panicking, Tazali pulled the reptile off and rushed to leave the bathroom, smashing the door in the process.

然而，有一次，他起身時赫然發現一隻蛇咬住他的屁股。慌張的他拔開這隻爬蟲類，連跑帶爬離開廁所，一把甩上門。

He immediately called the nearby Fire and Rescue Department, following which a python was captured.

他立即聯絡鄰近的消防隊，他們之後抓到一條蟒蛇。

Tazali went to a hospital, where he was given an anti-tetanus shot. He said that this was the first time that such an incident occurred in his housing area since his family has been living there for 40 years.

2022/09/07 05:30

◎管淑平

Promises of freedom and riches are made to convicts in cramped jail cells. Frantic phone calls ensue between relatives and inmates weighing the offer.

• 

  俄羅斯士兵在烏克蘭馬立波的亞速鋼鐵廠巡邏。（美聯社檔案照）

被關在擁擠監獄裡的罪犯被承諾，可獲得自由和金錢，接著囚犯與家屬之間一陣密集電話聯絡，考慮這項提議。

Then prisoners vanish, leaving their loved ones to sift through reports of the wounded arriving in hospitals.

然後這些受刑人不知去向，使他們的親屬必須仔細從送醫傷患的報導中尋找訊息。

With a regular army stretched thin after nearly six months of a bloody invasion of Ukraine, there’s increasing evidence that the Kremlin is making ugly choices in its ugly war and recruiting Russia’s prisoners to fight.

由於經過將近6個月的血腥侵略烏克蘭行動，正規兵力吃緊，愈來愈多證據顯示，克里姆林宮正在這場醜陋戰爭中做出醜陋的選擇，招募俄國的囚犯上戰場。

"They will accept murderers, but not rapists, pedophiles, extremists, or terrorists", one prisoner said. "Amnesty or a pardon in six months is on offer."

2022/09/05 05:30

◎陳成良

The earth is getting as crowded as it’s ever been as the world’s population is due to cross the 8 billion mark this year.

今年全球人口將突破80億大關，地球正變得前所未有的擁擠。

The global population is projected to reach 8 billion on 15 November 2022 according to a UN study.

根據聯合國一項研究，預計到2022年11月15日全球人口將達到80億。

In spite of the huge number, the world’s population is growing at its slowest rate since 1950, having fallen under 1% in 2020.

儘管人口數量龐大，但全球人口成長率仍處於1950年以來的最低水準，2020年降至1％以下。

The latest projections by the United Nations suggest that the world’s population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050. It is projected to reach a peak of around 10.4 billion people during the 2080s and to remain at that level until 2100.

根據聯合國最新預測，全球人口數量可能在2030年成長到85億左右，在2050年成長到約97億。預計到2080年代，全球人口數量將達到峰值，約104億，並將一直保持到2100年。

2022/09/02 05:30

◎張沛元

The owner of a bakery in northern England has been left with a bitter taste in his mouth after authorities told him he had to stop using banned sprinkles sourced from the US.

• 

  英國烘焙店被禁用在美國合法的糖粉屑。圖為甜甜圈上的糖粉屑。（取自Krispy Kreme Doughnuts臉書）

在被當局告知必須停止使用來自美國的遭禁糖粉屑後，英格蘭北部的1家烘焙坊的老闆感到不悅。

West Yorkshire Trading Standards said the sprinkles contained an artificial coloring which isn’t approved for use in sprinkles in the UK.

西約克郡貿易標準局說，這些糖粉屑含有1種在英國未獲准可用於糖粉屑的人工色素。

But the owner of the bakery isn’t happy that his most popular product has lost out on its prize topping.

但這家烘焙坊的老闆很不滿，因為這讓他最暢銷的產品少了最完美的配料。

Rich Myers, director and founder of Get Baked bakery in Leeds, told CNN he had been using the sprinkles since opening the business in July.

2022/09/01 05:30

◎孫宇青

Sanjeev and Sadhana Prasad are taking their son to court demanding that he and his wife either produce a grandchild within a year or cough up almost $650,000.

• 

  印度一對父母控告兒子和兒媳不生孫子，要求金錢賠償。示意圖。（歐新社檔案照）

桑吉夫和薩哈娜‧普拉薩德夫婦準備控告自家兒子，要求兒子和兒媳在1年內生個孫子，否則掏腰包支付近65萬美元。

The Indian couple say that they exhausted their savings raising and educating their pilot son and paying for a lavish wedding. Now they want payback.

這對印度夫婦說，他們窮盡存款撫養及教育這個機師兒子，還幫他辦了豪華婚禮。現在他們想要回報。

The compensation they are demanding – 50m rupees ($646,000) – includes the cost of a wedding reception in a five-star hotel, a luxury car worth $80,000 and paying for the couple’s honeymoon abroad.

他們要求的賠償金為5000萬盧比（64萬6000美元），其中包含5星級飯店婚宴費用、一輛8萬美元轎車，以及兒子夫婦的海外蜜月旅行支出。

新聞辭典

cough up：動詞片語，勉強提供某物。例句：To not see the advertisements, he coughs up the monthly subscription fee.（為了不看到廣告，他只好支付月訂閱費。）

2022/08/31 05:30

◎管淑平

Top Gun: Maverick has officially become Paramount Pictures’ highest-grossing movie in the United States and Canada, surpassing Titanic.

• 

  電影「捍衛戰士：獨行俠」劇照。（美聯社檔案照）

「捍衛戰士：獨行俠」，正式成為派拉蒙影業在美加地區最高票房電影，超過「鐵達尼號」。

While the 1997 romance-disaster epic technically racked up close to $660 million at the domestic box office including both its original run and several subsequent re-releases, it earned $600.8 million on its first run — a number that has now been surpassed by Maverick.

儘管這部1997年的浪漫災難鉅作包括首輪上映和之後幾次重新發行，在國內的實際票房累計達到接近6億6000萬美元，但該片首輪上映賺進6億零80萬美元—這個數字現在被「獨行俠」超越了。

The sequel to 1986’s Top Gun has raked in $601.9 million domestically to date since its May 27 release, according to Box Office Mojo.

根據票房統計網站「票房魔酒」，這部1986年電影「捍衛戰士」的續集，自5月27日上映至今，國內票房累積達6億零190萬美元。

Internationally, the action flick has earned $587.9 million, for a global total of $1.19 billion.

2022/08/26 05:30

◎張沛元

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority shut down the escalators at one of New York City’s deepest subway stations, and the outage is set to last until February. “This is just not acceptable,” one rider said.

• 

  美國紐約市的181街地鐵站一口氣停用3台手扶梯進行維修升級，迫使乘客爬樓梯出站。圖為乘客走下樓梯進入紐約地鐵的教堂大道站。（法新社檔案照）

（美國紐約市）大都會運輸署已關閉紐約市最深地鐵站之一的數台手扶梯，預計一直停用到明年2月。「這太扯了，」1名乘客說。

All three escalators at the 181st Street station on the A line, which sits 80 feet underground, have been out of service since Monday. They were taken out of commission as part of a scheduled outage and won’t be up and running again until February, the M.T.A. said.

位於地下80呎、（紐約市地鐵）A線上的181街車站的3台手扶梯，全部都從週一開始暫停服務。大都會運輸署表示，這些手扶梯之所以無法使用，是預定（的手扶梯）停運的一部分，要到明年2月才會恢復運行。

Inside the station this week, the escalators were walled off, with orange signs at the top and bottom informing riders they had two options: Take one of the three elevators at the opposite end of the platform, or climb six flights of stairs — a total of 89 steps.

在該車站內，（停運的數台）手扶梯本週已經被圍起來，最上方與底部有橙色告示告知乘客有2種選擇：去搭位於月台另一頭的3台升降梯，或者去爬總共89階的6段樓梯。

新聞辭典

out of commission：片語，（機器、軍艦等）壞了，不可使用，退役；（非正式用法）生病或受傷而無法工作。例句：Her back injury put her out of commission for one month.（她的背傷讓她1個月無法工作。）

2022/08/25 05:30

◎孫宇青

《中英對照讀新聞》

• 

  美國學者在月球土壤中成功種植阿拉伯芥。（路透檔案照）

Scientists grow plants in lunar dirt, next stop moon

科學家從月球土壤中種出植物 下一步登月種植

For the first time, scientists have grown plants in soil from the moon collected by NASA’s Apollo astronauts.

科學家從美國航太總署阿波羅登月計畫太空人收集的月球土壤中，成功種出植物，這是史上首見。

Researchers wanted to see if the moon soil could be used to grow food by the next generation of lunar explorers. The results stunned them.

研究員希望了解月球土壤能否被下一個世代的月球探索者用於栽培糧食作物，而實驗結果令他們大為驚喜。

2022/08/24 05:30

◎管淑平

It was a spectacular night of sprinting at the World Championships on Thursday as records tumbled in both the men’s and women’s 200m finals.

• 

  牙買加選手謝瑞卡‧傑克森7月21日在世界田徑錦標賽女子200公尺決賽贏得金牌後，與她締造的新世錦賽紀錄合影。（法新社檔案照）

週四是世界田徑錦標賽短跑賽令人驚嘆的夜晚，男子和女子200公尺決賽都破了紀錄。

First, Shericka Jackson set a new national and championship record after beating Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce to gold.

首先，傑克森擊敗謝里—安‧佛瑞塞—普萊斯，奪得金牌，締造新的全國和世錦賽紀錄。

The Jamaican dominated the race and won in a time of 21.45 seconds － becoming the second fastest woman of all-time behind only American Florence Griffith-Joyner.

這名牙買加選手稱霸這項賽事，以21.45秒獲勝，也成為史上跑得第二快的女子，僅次於美國的佛羅倫斯‧葛瑞菲斯—喬伊娜。

It was shortly followed by Noah Lyles retaining his title in the men’s race and smashing the American record previously set by Michael Johnson 26 years ago.

2022/08/19 05:30

◎張沛元

Pet owners in South Korea have been warned to stay on their guard after more than 100 fires were started by cats over the past three years, according to fire officials in the capital Seoul.

• 

  2020年3月31日，2名消費者在南韓首爾一家寵物咖啡店逗弄店貓。（法新社檔案照）

南韓首都首爾的消防官員表示，貓在過去3年引發超過100起火災，警告寵物飼主保持警覺。

A statement Thursday from the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Department said cats caused a total of 107 house fires between January 2019 and November 2021.

首爾大都會消防與災難部門週四發表的一份聲明說，從2019年1月到2021年11月，貓總共引發107起住宅火災。

The cats are believed to have started the fires by switching on electric stoves, the department said. Cats can turn electric stoves on by jumping on touch-sensitive buttons – and once overheated, the appliances can catch fire.

該部門說，據信是貓打開電爐開關而引發火災。貓能夠藉由跳上觸動感應式按鈕而打開電爐──而電爐一旦過熱，就會起火。

Four people were injured in the fires, just over half of which started while pet owners were out, the statement added.

2022/08/18 05:30

◎孫宇青

A new study published in the journal Science confirms what dog lovers know - every pup is truly an individual.

• 

  研究發現，有些黃金獵犬並不會狩獵。（法新社檔案照）

一份刊登於《科學》期刊的新研究，證實了愛狗人士都知道的一件事：每隻狗狗確實都是獨立個體。

The researchers surveyed more than 18,000 dog owners and analyzed the genomes of about 2,150 of their dogs to look for patterns.

研究人員訪查逾1萬8000名狗主人，並分析他們所養的2150隻狗狗的基因組，找尋其中是否有規律。

They found that some behaviors, such as howling, pointing and showing friendliness to human strangers, do have at least some genetic basis. But that inheritance isn’t strictly passed down along breed lines.

他們發現，吼叫、鎖定陌生人並示好之類的行為，的確至少有某種基因依據，但並未完全在各品種間遺傳下來。

For example, they found golden retrievers that don’t retrieve, said co-author Kathryn Lord. Some breeds, such as huskies and beagles, may show a greater tendency to howl. But many of these dogs don’t.（AP）

2022/08/17 05:30

◎管淑平

British primatologist Jane Goodall has got a Barbie in her likeness, fulfilling a longtime wish of having her own doll to inspire young girls.

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  靈長目動物學家珍‧古德拿著以她的模樣為原型的芭比娃娃。（法新社）

英國靈長目動物學家珍‧古德有了依照她模樣做的芭比，滿足長期以來期盼有她自己模樣的玩偶，來激勵年輕女孩的願望。

Mattel Inc unveiled the new Barbie, which the toymaker says is made from recycled plastic, as part of its Inspiring Women Series, nodding to Goodall’s groundbreaking studies of chimpanzees and conservation efforts.

美泰兒公司發表這款以回收塑膠製成的新款芭比娃娃，向珍‧古德開創性的黑猩猩研究以及保育努力致敬；這是該公司「帶來啟發的女性」系列一部分。

"I’ve seen...little girls playing with Barbie dolls and certainly at the beginning, they were all very girly girly and I thought little girls need...some choice," Goodall told Reuters.

「我看過小女孩玩芭比娃娃，當然初期這些娃娃都非常女孩樣，我想小女孩需要有一些選擇」，珍‧古德告訴路透。

"Mattel has changed its range of dolls. So many children learn about me at school. They’ll be thrilled to have the Barbie doll." (Reuters)

2022/08/15 05:30

◎陳成良

Just a week after its first images were shown to the world, the James Webb Space Telescope may have found a galaxy that existed 13.5 billion years ago, a scientist who analyzed the data said Wednesday.

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  韋伯太空望遠鏡可能發現135億年前最遠銀河GLASS-z13。（法新社）

一位分析數據的科學家週三表示，就在向世界展示第一張照片一週後，詹姆斯韋伯太空望遠鏡可能發現一個存在135億年前的星系。

Known as GLASS-z13, the galaxy dates back to 300 million years after the Big Bang, about 100 million years earlier than anything previously identified, Rohan Naidu of the Harvard Center for Astrophysics told AFP.

哈佛天體物理中心的科學家羅罕‧納伊度告訴法新社，這個被稱為GLASS-z13的星系可追溯到「宇宙大爆炸」後3億年，比之前發現的任何星系都早了大約1億年。

The more distant objects are from us, the longer it takes for their light to reach us, and so to gaze back into the distant universe is to see into the deep past.

物體距離我們愈遠，光線傳到我們眼中的時間愈長，因此觀測遙遠的宇宙，等於是凝視深遠的過去。

Though GLASS-z13 existed in the earliest era of the universe, its exact age remains unknown as it could have formed anytime within the first 300 million years.

GLASS-z13存在於宇宙最初期時代，但我們還不清楚其確切年齡，因為GLASS-z13可能是在宇宙誕生3億年內的任何時期形成。

2022/08/12 05:30

◎張沛元

A man in Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture who was mistakenly sent 46.3 million yen in COVID-19 relief funds by his town said he had gambled the money away on overseas casino sites.

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  大批日本媒體記者5月19日守候在山口縣的一處警察局外，等候有關當地1名男子將誤收到的鉅額紓困金揮霍殆盡並被捕的消息。（美聯社）

（日本）山口縣阿武町的1名收到町公所誤匯給他的4630萬日圓的武漢肺炎紓困金的男子說，他已在海外賭博網站上把這筆鉅款賭光了。

His lawyer had said the previous day that the man has already spent all the money.

該男的律師前一日說，該男已將所有錢花光。

Abu Mayor Norihiko Hanada told reporters May 17 it would be "unforgivable" if the man actually gambled all the money on casino sites.

阿武町町長花田憲彥5月17日告訴記者，該男若真的把錢全部拿到賭博網站上賭掉，將「令人不可原諒」。

He said it was hard to imagine that such a large sum of money had been lost in one go.