2006 年 05 月 26 日 (No. 52)

 
Politics
歐盟入會談判受阻　賽爾維亞政府展開地毯式搜索　矢言逮捕戰犯穆拉迪奇（2006/05/08）
Serbs scour western town in Mladic hunt
泰國憲法法庭裁定四月國會大選無效　須重新選舉（2006/05/09）
Thais face new poll as election result is quashed
Society
小時候胖不是胖？　專家警告：忽視嬰兒肥當心導致成年肥胖症（2006/05/08）
Adiposity in teenagers has its roots in childhood puppy fat
塔斯馬尼亞兩受困礦工逃出生天　澳洲舉國歡騰（2006/05/09）
Scene of 'total elation' at mine
Business
比爾蓋茲親赴 E3 電玩展　竭力推銷「隨處玩」概念（2006/05/10）
Bill Gates pitches 'anywhere' gaming at expo
美財政部報告出爐　未將中國列為「匯率操縱者」（2006/05/11）
U.S. declines to name China a currency manipulator
Science & Technology
北達科他州大學生研製之火星專用太空衣原型亮相（2006/05/08）
Prototype Mars space suit unveiled in N.D.
任天堂推出新一代主機 Wii　於 E3 電玩展大出風頭（2006/05/12）
Nintendo's Wii stealing show at video game expo
Entertainment
布蘭妮正式坦承再度懷孕　推遲復出計畫全心待產（2006/05/10）
One more time: Another baby on the way for Britney Spears
阿湯哥人氣下滑票房失利　好萊塢眾明星紛紛聲援給予友情支持（2006/05/11）
Hollywood friends rally around Tom Cruise
Sports
邦茲轟出第 713 號全壘打　即將追平貝比魯斯記錄（2006/05/09）
Bonds on cusp of history after mighty swat
接球摔斷手腕　松井秀喜連續上場紀錄中斷（2006/05/12）
Yankees' Hideki Matsui suffers broken wrist; playing streak over
 
 
Mary Takes on Kerry
 
 錢尼同性戀女兒出書　槓上民主黨參議員凱利
Mary Cheney, daughter of U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, has stepped out of the shadow of her famous father and released a memoir that details her time spent running the elder Cheney's political campaign and her own lesbianism.
Cheney's sexual orientation is hardly a bombshell, but her reaction to how it played into the 2004 presidential election has reignited a war of words between her and her father's former political rivals -- Senators John Kerry and running mate John Edwards.
  美國副總統迪克•錢尼的女兒瑪麗•錢尼，已經走出她父親盛名的陰影，並發表了一本詳細記載她為錢尼助選那段日子的回憶錄，內容並觸及她身為女同志的話題。瑪麗•錢尼的性向算不上是令人震驚的大新聞，但是瑪麗對於自身的性向問題在二○○四年總統大選中遭到對手操作的反應，卻再度引發了她與父親的前政敵──凱利參議員及其競選搭檔約翰•艾德華茲之間的口水戰。
In Now It's My Turn, the 37-year-old Cheney refers to Kerry as nothing less than a "son of a bitch" and Edwards as a "total slime" for bringing up Cheney's orientation during the debates.
In both cases the candidates were responding to questions regarding a proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage -- something that the Bush / Cheney ticket favored in a bid to shore up support from conservative Christians.
Though the younger Cheney admitted that she considered stepping down over the issue -- she opposes the ban -- she chose instead to continue running her father's campaign.
  在《該我發言》這本書中，三十七歲的瑪麗•錢尼稱凱利為「狗娘養的」，艾德華茲則是個「噁心的爛人」，原因是他們在辯論時提及她的性向問題。當時兩名候選人都是在針對當局擬將禁止同性婚姻入憲的相關問題作答。布希和錢尼這組候選人都對此表示支持，企圖藉此爭取保守基督徒的支持。雖然瑪麗•錢尼承認她曾考慮過為了這個議題而辭職，因為她本人反對禁止同性婚姻，但後來她卻選擇繼續為父親的選戰操盤。
Gay rights activists are so far unmoved by Cheney's newfound willingness to talk about her sexuality.
They point to a double standard in which her father's opponents are not allowed to discuss her lesbianism, while she remains silent when conservative Republicans, like failed congressional and presidential candidate Alan Keyes, accuse her of "selfish hedonism" for living a gay lifestyle.
  同性戀權益活躍人士迄今對於錢尼忽然變得願意談論她的性向問題並不買帳。他們說瑪麗•錢尼有雙重標準，她不允許她父親的對手談論她的同志傾向，但是當保守派共和黨，例如爭取眾議員及總統選舉提名未果的候選人艾倫•凱耶斯因為她是同性戀者而指控她是「自私的享樂主義者」時，她卻保持緘默。
"So she is a lesbian who came out against the federal marriage amendment, big deal. Am I supposed to be grateful?" asked Robin Tyler, executive director of Equality Campaign.
"She can't be cast as a gay savior. She could have had the principle to withdraw from her father's campaign two years ago.
Frankly, Mary Cheney still embarrasses me."
  「平權運動」的執行主管羅賓•泰勒便問道：「她不過是個出面反對聯邦婚姻修正案的女同志罷了，難不成我還該為此感謝她？」「她不能被形塑為一個同志的救星，她早在兩年前就應該把握住原則，退出她父親的選戰。老實說，瑪麗•錢尼還是讓我覺得丟臉。」
take on　與……較量
The candidate took on his opponent in a heated debate on live television.
該候選人在一場電視現場轉播的激烈辯論中與對手一較高下。
step out of the shadow of...　走出……的陰影
Thousands of illegal immigrants stepped out of the shadows to claim their rights.
成千上萬的非法移民從暗處走了出來，爭取他們應享的權利。
memoir　n. 回憶錄
campaign　n. 宣傳活動
lesbianism　n. 女同性戀傾向
orientation　n. 性取向
bombshell　n. 令人震驚的消息
reignite　v. 再點燃；重新激起
Mark's passion for life was reignited by the birth of his daughter.
女兒的出世使馬克重新燃起了對生命的熱情。
slime　n. 令人噁心的黏膩物；爛人
constitutional　adj. 憲法的
The United Kingdom's system of government is a constitutional monarchy.
英國的政府體系屬於君主立憲制。
step down　下台；辭職
After the scandal, the president was forced to step down.
經過這次醜聞風波，總統被迫下台。
unmoved　adj. 無動於衷的
The judge was unmoved by the defendant's passionate testimony.
法官對該被告熱情奔放的證言無動於衷。
hedonism　n. 享樂主義
amendment　n. 修正案；修改
be cast as　被描述為……
The unpopular lawmaker was cast as the wicked witch of the west by the press.
那個顧人怨的立法官員被媒體形容成《綠野仙蹤》裡的西方壞女巫。
withdraw from　退出；離開
The Democrat candidate had to withdraw from the election race due to illness.
那位民主黨候選人因疾病的緣故而必須退出選戰。
shore up　幫助；支持
shore 除了表示「海岸」之外，另有「支柱；支撐物」這組詞義。動詞片語 shore up 原指利用木頭或金屬製的支柱撐住不穩固的圍牆，引申出對運作不順利或可能失敗的事物加以「支撐、支持」的解釋。類似的片語還有 prop up。
We must shore up our defenses against the threat of radical Islam.
我們必須加強鞏固國防，以對抗激進回教徒的威脅。
 
 
True or False:
T
F
1 . When you withdraw from a race, you are likely to win.
2 . If someone is unmoved, they have no emotional reaction.
3 . To scour an area is to search it thoroughly.
4 . To quash something is to validate it.
5 . If someone pitches something, they try to sell it.
 

Choose the best word or phrase to complete each sentence.
a. rallied around b. reignited c. prototype d. stole the show e. memoir
6.
 The scientist invented a robot.
7.
 Jan at the dance competition.
8.
 Supporters the controversial politician.
9.
 After retiring, the film star decided to write a .
10.
 After years of separation, Josh and Rebecca their relationship.
 

Answer

 1：F 2：T 3：T 4：F 5：T
6：【c】 7：【d】 8：【a 】 9：【e】 10：【b】
 
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