2013-12-18《中英對照讀新聞》

來源；自由電子報

4-year-old genius has same IQ as Einstein

4歲天才有著與愛因斯坦相同的智商

◎魏國金

A four-year-old boy has stunned psychologists—after intelligence tests revealed him to have the same IQ as Einstein.

一名4歲男童讓心理學家大為驚嘆—鑑於智力測驗揭示他有著與愛因斯坦相同的智商。

Sherwyn Sarabi has tested off the scale for intelligence—scoring an IQ of 160—the highest mark on the test.

蕭文．撒拉比的智力測驗破表—IQ得分160—是該測驗最高分數。

It’s the same score that experts believe scientist Einstein had, as well as being identical to that of Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking.

專家咸信，科學家愛因斯坦有相同成績，也與比爾．蓋茲、史蒂芬．霍金的智商完全相同。

Sherwyn from Barnsley, Yorks, started school two years early and became a member of Mensa at the age of three.

來自（英國）約克郡巴恩斯利的蕭文早在2歲就上學，並在3歲時成為門薩學會的成員。

He spoke his first words aged just 10 months and has been amazing his parents, teachers and doctors ever since.

他10個月大就會說話，此後就一再讓他的父母、老師與醫師驚奇。

Now after gaining the maximum marks in his most recent IQ test, 160 marks on the Whechsler Scale, Sherwyn has proven his intelligence to be extraordinary.

現在，在他最近的智力測驗獲得魏氏量表最高的160分後，蕭文證明他的智力異乎尋常。

Educational psychologist, Dr Peter Congdon said： "Sherwyn has a very superior level of intelligence, he is incredibly gifted and his vocabulary is out of this world. His mental age is measured at 8 years and 9 months, more than twice his actual age."

教育心理學家彼得．康登博士說︰「蕭文有非常優越的智力，他天賦異稟，他的字彙能力好得不得了。他心智年齡測量出是8歲9個月，超過他實際年齡兩倍多。」

Sherwyn’s mother, Amanda Sarabi said： "His general knowledge is amazing for a four year old, I think it’s because of all the questions he asks all day long. Sherwyn has read over 190 books and his favourite is the encyclopedia as he loves learning new things."

蕭文的母親亞曼達說︰「對4歲孩子來說，他的常識令人驚奇，我認為這是因為他整天問個不停。蕭文已閱讀超過190本書，他的最愛是百科全書，因為他熱愛學習新事物。」

新聞辭典

off the scale︰慣用語，超過標準。例句︰Government debt is already off the scale.（國債已經破表了。）

out of this world︰介詞片語，出乎意料的好、好極了。例句︰The taste of the cake my mother makes is out of this world.（我媽做的蛋糕好吃得不得了。）

encyclopedia︰名詞，大全、百科全書。例如︰an encyclopedia of agriculture（農業大全。）

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2013-12-17 《中英對照讀新聞》

Florida mom’s photos used in bogus Match.com profiles

佛羅里達媽咪的照片被用在約會網站假人物簡介

◎詹立群

Not a day goes by when someone doesn’t tell me that they saw my pictures posted on Match.com or another web site,” says Yuliana Avalos, a Florida mom and part-time model who never actually signed up for the site.

「我沒有一天不被告知說我的照片被放上『配對』網站或其他網站」，尤里亞娜．阿法若斯說，（她是來自）佛羅里達州的母親及兼職模特兒，她從未真正加入網站。

The popular dating site is engaging in “one of the biggest conspiracies ever executed on the Internet,” the class-action Manhattan Federal Court suit says.

那個受歡迎的約會網站涉入「網際網路所發生的最大陰謀之一」，曼哈頓聯邦法庭集體訴訟起訴書說。

“Thousands” of others, including celebrities, soldiers and adult actresses, have had their pictures plucked from Facebook and other sites and used for bogus profiles as well – even though they ’’are not and never were”members of Match’s dating sites, the suit says.

其他「數千人」，包括名人、軍人及成人片女優，他們的照片被從臉書或其他網站下載，也被用做假人物簡介，雖然他們「現在不是也未曾加入」配對約會網站會員，起訴書說。

Inflating the number of profiles on Match and its other 25 dating sites is good for their business.

把配對網站及其另外25個約會網站的人物簡介數量灌水，對它們的生意有幫助。

The suit also says the company could easily crack down on the numerous bogus profiles by using facial recognition software, but chooses not to.

起訴書也說，（網站）公司可輕易地藉由使用臉部辨識軟體抑制數量龐大的假人物簡介，卻選擇不這麼做。

新聞辭典

conspiracy：名詞，陰謀、共謀。例句：He claimed that it was all a conspiracy againt him.（他說這一切都是針對他的陰謀。）

inflate：動詞，膨脹、浮誇。例句：He inflated his chest to make his concluding speech.（他挺起胸膛開始說結語。）

crack down on：片語，制裁、鎮壓。例句：The police began to crack down on speeding.（警方開始取締超速。）

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2013-12-16《中英對照讀新聞》

UN plan charts path to climate accord limiting pollution 聯合國方案畫出邁向限制污染的氣候協議的路線

◎管淑平

Envoys from almost 190 nations endorsed a program that sets out steps toward the next agreement aimed at reducing global warming, after accepting a compromise that watered down the responsibilities of developing nations such as India and China.

來自近190國的特使接受淡化印度、中國等開發中國家責任的折衷方案後，簽署一份計畫，訂出邁向下一份旨在減少全球暖化協議的步驟。

Delegates at a United Nations conference in Warsaw backed a plan from India and China calling for all nations to make ’’contributions’’ to reducing fossil-fuel emissions within the next two years. The language was less strict than the ’’commitments’’ suggested by the U.S. and Europe.

在華沙召開的聯合國會議上，與會代表支持印度和中國提出的方案，當中呼籲所有國家做出「貢獻」，在接下來2年內降低化石燃料排放量。此一用語不如美國和歐盟所建議的「承諾」一詞嚴格。

The conference ran a day behind schedule amid divisions between richer nations and poorer ones about who was responsible for climate change and who must move first.

這場會議在較富與較窮國之間為了誰該為氣候變遷負責、誰又必須先採取行動的意見分歧中，比原訂時程延長1天。

The envoys had locked horns on finance. The typhoon that devastated the Philippines in early November also amplified the anger of developing countries that industrial nations are backtracking on previous pledges.

出席代表在資金問題上激烈爭辯。11月初重創菲律賓的颱風，也擴大開發中國家對工業國家背棄先前承諾的憤怒。

Japan, Australia and Canada have watered down commitments on emissions. The Warsaw talks mark the first time since the UN started these discussions in 1992 that ambitions have been scaled back.

日本、澳洲和加拿大都淡化對減少碳排量的承諾。華沙會談是自從聯合國1992年起召開氣候會議以來，首見縮減對減碳的雄心。

新聞辭典

locked horns：動詞片語，起紛爭，激烈爭辯。例句：Jack and his boss locked horns over increasing his workload.（傑克和他的老闆就增加他的工作量一事槓上了。）

water down, scale back：動詞片語，淡化、縮小（規模）。例句：After considering the limited budget, we have scaled back the project.（基於預算有限的考量，我們縮小了這項計畫的規模。）

backtrack：動詞，撤回，改變心意，反悔。例句：The governmet has backtracked on the decision to raise tax rates on rich people.（政府撤回對富人增稅的決定。）

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●2008-07-06《中英對照讀新聞》

進入：

http://iservice.libertytimes.com.tw/Service/english/english.php?engno=225043&day=2008-07-06

Researchers open secret cave under Mexican pyramid研究人員開啟墨西哥金字塔底下的秘密洞穴

Archeologists are opening a cave sealed for more than 30 years deep beneath a Mexican pyramid to look for clues about the mysterious collapse of one of ancient civilization’s largest cities.

考古學家正在開啟一個被封存超過30年的洞穴，此洞穴位在墨西哥一個金字塔的地下深處，他們希望找到遠古文明最大城市之一的神秘瓦解的線索。

The soaring Teotihuacan stone pyramids, now a major tourist site about an hour outside Mexico City, were discovered by the Aztecs around 1500 AD, not long before the arrival of Spanish explorers to Mexico.

高聳的迪奧狄華肯石造金字塔距墨西哥市一小時路程，現在已經成為重要的觀光景點。該金字塔最早是由阿茲提克人在西元1,500年時所發現，不久後西班牙探險家就抵達了墨西哥。

But little is known about the civilization that built the immense city, with its ceremonial architecture and geometric temples, and then torched and abandoned it around 700 AD.

但對建造這座龐大城市的文明，現代人的所知仍然有限。這座有著儀式性建築設計及幾何形神殿的城市，在西元700年遭焚毀及遺棄。

Archeologists are now revisiting a cave system that is buried 20 feet beneath the towering Pyramid of the Sun and extends into a tunnel stretching for some 295 feet with a height of 8 feet.

考古學家目前正在重新造訪埋藏在高聳的太陽金字塔下方20呎的洞穴系統，此一洞穴延伸出一條長295呎、高8呎的地道。

They say new excavations begun this month could be the key to unlocking information about the sacred rituals of the people who inhabited the city, later dubbed "The Place Where Men Become Gods" by the Aztecs who believed it was a divine site.

他們說本月開始的新挖掘工程可能是揭開居住此城民族神聖儀式訊息的關鍵，此城後來被阿茲提克人稱為「羽化成仙之地」，因為他們相信此地是個聖地。

新聞辭典

soaring：形容詞，高聳的。本文後面的towering也為同義。towering的另一個意思為卓越的、傑出的。例如，a towering intellect（一位傑出的知識份子）。

immense：形容詞，巨大的、廣大的。

geometric：形容詞，幾何的、幾何圖案的。名詞為geometry，幾何學。

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Mexico - Chichen Itza (Mayan Pyramids) .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxjlN9bjH3s

Chichen Itza is an ancient Mayan city in the jungles of Mexico where my family visited in 2006. This video contains footage of the famous Pyramid of Kukulkan, the Temple of 1000 Columns, and the largest ancient ballcourt in the Americas. It also features other ruins in the city, iguanas, and rare footage of leaf cutter ants in action! It ends with shots of the vendors and colorful shops that line this once great city.

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