Real snowbird in Southern California? Snowy owl to be exact

 

真的雪鳥現蹤南加州？準確來說是雪鴞

【摘要2022-12-30六.自由】◎周虹汶

Snowbirds are a common sight in Southern California in wintertime. A snowy owl to be exact.

雪鳥在南加州冬季很常見。準確來說是隻雪鴞。

Crowds of bird-watchers have been showing up regularly in an Orange County neighborhood to gawk at a snowy owl, a species normally found around the Arctic, Canada and several northern U.S. states.

橘郡有個街區經常出現目不轉睛地看著一隻雪鴞的賞鳥人潮，該物種通常出現在北極、加拿大附近和美國北部諸州。

It’s current home is a rooftop perch in the balmy city of Cypress.

牠現在的家位在氣候溫和宜人的賽普拉斯市一處屋頂邊緣。

“It is absolutely unique as a bird observation,” Vic Leipzig, who teaches birding at Saddleback College, told The Orange County Register this week.

在馬鞍背學院教導觀鳥的維克．萊比錫本週告訴《橘郡紀事報》，「做為觀鳥活動，這絕對是獨一無二的。」

The newspaper reported that local bird experts speculated that the owl could have arrived in Southern California aboard a ship or could be a captive bird that escaped.（AP）

該報報導指出，當地鳥類專家推測這隻貓頭鷹可能是搭船抵達南加州，也可能是一隻逃脫的圈養鳥。（美聯社）

新聞辭典

gawk：名詞，指呆頭呆腦的人；動詞，指呆頭呆腦地看、無禮地瞪眼看、張口瞠目。例句：People came to gawk.（民眾趕來看熱鬧。）

perch：動詞，指坐在邊緣上、棲息於、停留於；名詞，指鱸魚、鳥的棲息處、能很好地俯視低處的高處。例句：The village is perched on top of a hill.（村子坐落於一座山丘頂處。）

captive：名詞，指俘虜、囚徒、獵獲物、著迷的人、受控制的人；形容詞，指被俘的、受監禁的、受控制的、被迷住的。例句：He was a captive to your charms.（他被妳的魅力擄獲了。）

Chaucer the Rapist? Newly Discovered Documents Suggest Not.

 

喬叟是性侵犯？新發現的文件暗示並非如此

【摘要2022-12-30五.自由】◎張沛元

For nearly 150 years, a cloud has hung over the reputation of Geoffrey Chaucer, the author of “The Canterbury Tales,” long seen as the founder of the English literary canon.

近150年來，長期被視為英國文學經典始祖、《坎特伯里故事集》作者傑佛瑞．喬叟，其名聲始終烏雲罩頂。

A court document discovered in 1873 suggested that around 1380, Chaucer had been charged with raping Cecily Chaumpaigne, the daughter of a London baker.

1873年發現的一份法庭文件顯示，約在1380年，喬叟被控性侵倫敦一名麵包師傅的女兒，塞西莉．香帕尼。

But this week, two scholars stunned the world of Chaucer studies with previously unknown documents that they say show that the “raptus” document was not in fact related to an accusation of rape against Chaucer at all.

但本週，2名學者針對前所未知的文件所做的喬叟研究震驚世界，他們說，（其研究結果）顯示，「強姦」文件事實上與喬叟被控性侵一點關係也沒有。

新聞辭典

a cloud hangs over somebody/something：慣用語，指某人或某事物籠罩在不被信賴、負面、悲觀或不確定的感覺下；烏雲罩頂；憂心忡忡。例句：Since an investigation found the American teenager Hans Niemann has benefited from “illegal assistance” in more than 100 online chess games, a cloud of suspicion has hung over the sport.（打從調查發現美國青少年漢斯˙尼曼在超過100場線上西洋棋比賽中靠「非法協助」獲益後，該項運動便疑雲罩頂）。

canon：名詞，（教會認定的）正典，經典聖經；（某作家的）真作集。

stun：動詞，使吃驚，使目瞪口呆。例句：We were all stunned at his sudden resignation.（我們大家都被他的突然去職給驚呆了。）

 

Let’s Go Curling!
冰壺：保齡球、溜冰還是大掃除？

【摘要2022-12-30五.壹蘋】

In fact, every curling stone used in every Olympics since the 2006 games in Turin, Italy, has been made of stone sourced from Ailsa Craig. Why? Because the granite found on the island is known to be the hardest and purest in the entire world. The World Curling Federation won’t use stones from anywhere else in its worldwide competitions. The only curling stone company that has the rights to the rocks on Ailsa Craig is Kays of Scotland.

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事實上，從 2006 年義大利杜林冬奧開始，每屆奧運使用的石壺都是由艾爾薩岩產的石頭製造的。為什麼呢？因為這座島上發現的花崗岩被認為是全世界最堅硬且最純淨的。世界冰壺聯盟在其全球性比賽中不會使用來自其他任何地方的石壺。唯一一家有權在艾爾薩岩上採石的冰壺石公司為蘇格蘭凱斯。

生活必備字詞：

source vt.（從特定來源）獲得（商品、零件）

This skirt is sourced from recycled items.

pure a. 純淨的，純潔的

competition n. 競賽

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New Zealand property owner stands out with “buy my house, get free Tesla”offer

 

與眾不同 紐西蘭屋主喊出「買房子送特斯拉」條件

【摘要2022-12-29 四.自由】◎孫宇青

A New Zealand property owner is hoping to stand out from other sellers by offering a free Tesla to the person who buys their home.

紐西蘭1名屋主準備為買下其房屋的人免費提供1輛特斯拉電動汽車，希望這麼做可以令他有別於其他賣家。

The house - a seven-bedroom, five-bathroom property - has reportedly been on the market for weeks. The owner has thrown in the offer of a new car to try to sweeten the $1.8m deal.

據報導，這間7房5衛的房子已待售數週。賣家拋出送新車的提議，試圖讓180萬美元（約565萬台幣）的售價看起來更有甜頭。

New Zealand house prices have seen their biggest drop in 30 years and were down 10.9% in October - their 11th consecutive month of falling.

紐西蘭房價出現30年來最大降幅，10月跌價更達10.9％，已是連續11個月下滑。

"Rising mortgage rates continue to weigh on house prices and sale activity," said Kiwibank economists.

克威銀行經濟學家指出：「貸款利率攀高持續壓抑房價和買賣活動。」

After purchasing the property, the new owner would get to pick the car’s color - the Tesla Model Y has five options - and it will then be ordered and shipped straight from the manufacturer.

在買下房屋後，新屋主還得從特斯拉Model Y型號的5種顏色中挑出1種，製造商接獲訂單後就會直接把車送上門。

新聞辭典

stand out：慣用片語，顯眼、出眾。例句：Of all the applicants, Brenda stood out as the best one.（在所有申請人中，布蘭達顯然是最佳人選。）

on the market：慣用片語，待售；上市。例句：Bennett will put his house on the market next week.（班奈特下週會出售他的房子。）

sweeten：動詞，使變甜；使更誘人。例句：Baylor added in an apple to sweeten the curry.（貝勒在咖哩中加入1顆蘋果，使滋味更甜。）

 

Let’s Go Curling!
冰壺：保齡球、溜冰還是大掃除？

【摘要2022-12-29 四.壹蘋】

Curling involves two teams of four players, who are led by a “skip,” or team captain. Each team member throws two stones per round. They throw from the “hack,” something like a runner’s starting block, towards the house. The house is a big circular target, and the goal is to get your stones as close to the center as possible. While one player throws, two other players furiously sweep the ice in front of the stone to help it travel farther and straighter.

Playvolume00:00/00:00壹蘋10點強打｜秦良丰痛捨4年戀情　1600天傘兵奇蹟全靠「就是拼了」｜壹蘋新聞網TruvidfullScreen

冰壺由兩隊各四人組成，各隊由「主將」或隊長領導。每隊的成員會在每局投擲兩次石壺。他們從「踏板」── 一個類似賽跑起跑架的東西，向大本營推擲。大本營是一個龐大的圓形標的物，而目標就是要使己方的石壺盡可能地靠近其中心點。一個選手推擲時，會有其他兩個選手瘋狂地將石壺前方的冰掃除，以幫助它滑行得更遠更直。

生活必備字詞：

captain n. 隊長，領隊

target n. 目標，對象

as + Adj./Adv. + as possible 盡量地∕盡可能地……

If you get lost, shout as loudly as possible.

sweep vt. 掃除

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Stowaways survive 11 days at sea by clinging to rudder of oil tanker

 

（偷渡客攀附在油輪船舵上 在海上撐了11天）

【摘要2022-12-28三.自由】◎管淑平

Three men have been rescued from the rudder of an oil tanker after spending 11 days crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

3名男子經過11天航越大西洋後，從一艘油輪的船舵上被救下來。

The men spent nearly two weeks at sea after the Alithini II left Lagos, Nigeria, according to MarineTraffic, a website that tracks shipping.

根據追蹤船隻動向的「海事交通」網站資料，這3人在這艘「艾里西尼二世」（Alithini II）離開奈及利亞拉哥斯後，在海上度過將近兩週。

Spanish authorities tweeted a picture of the stowaways, showing them perched together on the rudder apparently unable to lie down or even sit up straight due to the limited amount of space under the hull of the ship.

西班牙當局推文貼出這批偷渡客的照片，顯示他們一起坐在船舵上，由於船艙下方空間有限，3人顯然無法躺下、甚至伸直身體。

The Spanish coastguard picked up the men as the tanker was anchored in the port of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.

西班牙海岸防衛隊在這艘油輪停泊在大加納利島拉斯帕馬斯港後，將這群人救下來。

新聞辭典

stowaway：名詞，偷渡者；動詞用法：stow away。例句：The police found a stowaway on the ship.（警方在船上發現一名偷渡客。）

pick sb./sth. up：片語，接人、救起，取（物）。例句：I’ll pick the children up from school.（我會去學校接小孩。）

Your Best Companion on a Road Trip: Beethoven
古典樂 ＋ 電動車 ＝ 節能減碳？Recently, South Korean car company Kia

【摘要2022-12-28三.壹蘋】

carried out a study on how the music that people listen to in cars affects their driving patterns. In a Kia electric car, drivers with no previous experience with electric vehicles drove a 30-kilometer route with traffic jams, winding country roads, and a long, straight road. All of the drivers were listening to fixed playlists at the same volume and were hooked up to wearable devices that recorded their measurements. The playlist included Beethoven, Adele, Kanye West, The Weeknd, and more.

最近，南韓汽車公司起亞展開了一項研究，觀察人們聆聽的音樂如何影響他們的開車模式。在一輛起亞電動車中，不曾有駕駛電動車經驗的駕駛人駛經塞車長達三十公里的路線、蜿蜒的鄉村小路，以及一條又長又直的路。所有駕駛人都以同樣的音量收聽同一個播放清單，並連接了記錄他們測量數據的穿戴式裝置。該播放清單包含貝多芬、愛黛兒、肯伊．威斯特、威肯以及許多歌手。

生活必備字詞：

carry out... 執行∕進行……（計畫等）

The hospital is carrying out tests to find out what’s wrong with Clay.

winding a. 曲折的

volume n. 音量

be hooked up to... 與……連接

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Philippine artist creates paintings using his own blood

 

（菲律賓藝術家用自己的鮮血作畫）

【摘要2022-12-27二.自由】◎盧永山

The 52-year-old Philippine artist Elito Circa uses blood taken from his own veins to create canvas paintings, which has drawn both praise and criticism because of his unusual choice of medium.

52歲的菲律賓藝術家艾利托‧瑟卡用自己血管的鮮血來創作油畫，卻因不尋常的媒材選擇，同時引來讚譽和批評。

Born in a low-income household with little access to school supplies and art materials, Circa explored different mediums, but it was when he scraped himself as a young boy that his fascination with using blood began.

瑟卡出生於一個很難取得學習用品和藝術材料的低收入家庭，他曾探索各種不同媒材，直到少年時期刮傷自己，他開始對使用鮮血著迷。

Now, Circa goes to the town’s health clinic once every three months to have his blood extracted, usually in increments of 500 ml, which he stores in a cooler in his studio.

現在，瑟卡每3個月就會去鎮上的健康診所抽血，通常每次抽500毫升，並將血液袋存放在工作室的冷藏箱裡。

Circa has set his sights on a more ambitious project - to create in 2023 the largest "blood painting" ever on a 100-metre canvas, setting a world record.

瑟卡已著眼於1個更野心勃勃的計畫，就是2023年在100公尺的畫布上創作史上最大的「血畫」，締造世界紀錄。

新聞辭典

canvas : 名詞，油畫，油畫布、帆布。例句，Claude Monet’s canvas "Le Parlement, soleil couchant" was sold for 75,960,000 USD.（莫內的油畫「國會大廈，落日」以7596萬美元賣出。）

set sights on：片語，立志，著眼於。例句，She set her sights on becoming the first woman president of the United States.（她立志成為美國首位女總統。）