Deserted Thai beaches lure rare turtles to build nests

人跡罕至的泰國海灘吸引稀有龜類築巢

【摘要2020.5.11.自由】◎陳成良

Thailand has found the largest number of nests of rare leatherback sea turtles in two decades on beaches bereft of tourists because of the coronavirus pandemic, environmentalists say.

生態學家表示，由於冠狀病毒全球大流行，泰國海灘少了遊客，卻迎來大量稀有的棱皮龜築巢，數量創20年新高。

The 11 turtle nests authorities have found since last November were the highest number in 20 years, said Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong, the director of the Phuket Marine Biological Center.

普吉島海洋生物中心主任貢吉亞特表示，當局自去年11月以來發現11個海龜巢，為20年之最。

"This is a very good sign for us because many areas for spawning have been destroyed by humans," he told Reuters. No such nests had been found for the previous five years.

他告訴路透：「我們覺得這是非常好的跡象，因為許多產卵地都遭到人類破壞。」 過去5年完全沒有發現海龜巢。

"If we compare to the year before, we didn’t have this many spawn, because turtles have a high risk of getting killed by fishing gear and humans disturbing the beach."

「如果和1年之前比較，那時的蛋沒這麼多，因為當時海龜面臨高風險，或被漁具糾纏致死，或在海灘上遭人類侵擾。」

Leatherbacks are the world’s largest sea turtles. They are considered endangered in Thailand, and listed as a vulnerable species globally by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

棱皮龜是全世界最大的海龜。牠們在泰國被視為瀕危動物， 也被「國際自然保育聯盟」列為全球易危物種。

新聞辭典

bereft：形容詞， 失去…的；被奪去…的。例句：He was bereft of friends, money, and purpose. （他失去了朋友、金錢和意志）。

spawn：動詞，產（卵）；生育。當名詞指（魚或其他水生動物的）卵、產物及後代等。

vulnerable：形容詞，弱勢的。例句：Huge failure in the election put the party leader in a vulnerable position.（選舉重挫讓該黨領袖處於弱勢境遇。）

Living La Vita Bella in Italy

絕美義大利小鎮免費讓你入住

【摘要2020.5.11.蘋果】

In many places around the world, housing prices are on the rise. But in one Italian village, housing isn’t just cheap, it’s free! Where is this affordable housing paradise?

 It’s in a beautiful Italian countryside where your new neighbors are waiting for your arrival. A 90-minute drive from the city of Palermo will take you to the village of Cammarata. It’s a mountain town in Sicily, an island off the Italian Peninsula.

全球許多地方的房價都在上漲。但有個義大利小鎮的住宅不只是便宜而已，它根本就是免費的！這個經濟實惠的住屋天堂在哪裡呢？它就在美麗的義大利鄉間，此處你的新鄰居正在引頸盼望你大駕光臨。

從巴勒摩市（編按：西西里島首府）出發，只需九十分鐘的車程便可以抵達卡馬拉塔小鎮。這是一座在西西里島上的山城，而西西里島則是一座位於義大利半島旁邊的離島。

housing n.住房；住房條件（不可數）
be on the rise / increase 不斷上漲╱增加
The number of convenience stores in this city always seems to be on the rise.
peninsula n.半島