He probably saw it coming. But for fans of Paul the psychic octopus, the news of his sudden death yesterday was a shock. The British-born oracle, who dazzled the world with his accurate World Cup predictions over the summer, passed away peacefully in his tank in Germany.

　　虽然章鱼保罗的粉丝们有心理准备，但是他们不知道这一天到来得那么突然，让大家措手不及。这个闻名世界的“英国籍”章鱼保罗凭借“预测”世界杯球赛结果的傲人成绩，在2010年的夏天让全世界的球迷“又爱又恨”。

　　His owners – who turned down lucrative offers for the octopus from zoos and restaurants around the world – say he died of natural causes, and that there was nothing fishy about his end. Paul passed away in the night aged two and a half years, when all three of his hearts ceased to beat at once. He was unmarried and leaves no larvae.

　　世界杯期间，也就是保罗“炙手可热”的日子里，保罗的主人拒绝了各种企图“利用”保罗发财的各种“餐馆”以及“动物园”的好心。保罗的主人称，保罗属于自然死亡，章鱼保罗“享年”2岁零6个月，它的3个心脏是在同一时间停止跳动，临走的时候无任何“伴侣”，所以也没有“小章鱼保罗”的说法。

　　‘Paul delighted people from all continents with his seven consecutive correct predictions for the matches of the German national team and for the final,’ said the aquarium’s general manager, Stefan Porwoll. ‘He was dear to all our hearts and we will sorely miss him. He died peacefully in the night of a natural death.

　　怀念章鱼保罗的球迷们都对它的“神算”崇拜得五体投地，保罗在进行德国国家队的7场比赛以及世界杯决赛的预测时达到了100%命中率。养育保罗的水族馆经理Stefan Porwoll说：“我们会十分想念保罗的，保罗离开的时候很安详。”

　　Paul will achieve immortality in a range of enterprises, from clothing lines to mobile phone applications. He will also feature in a documentary to be released next year. His final prediction was that England would win the right to host the World Cup in 2018.

　　保罗虽然离我们而去了，但是它的商业价值依然还在，有公司打算利用保罗的“民望”建立衣服品牌以及手机硬件，明年还会出版保罗的“个人传记”。据悉，保罗的最后一次预测是预测英国即将拿到2018年世界杯主办权，不知道保罗的“绝版”预测是否正确呢？

Vocabulary:

　　octopus n. 章鱼