Weird, wild and wonderful events of 2006
- Drinkers had to be evacuated(1) from a Welsh pub when somebody realised that a tubular(2) object that the landlord's wife had long used as a rolling-pin(3) was in fact a World War II shell.
- Policewomen in the Netherlands were furious when they were issued with new uniforms including blouses(4) which turned out to be transparent.
- A British taxi driver who showed up at BBC headquarters in London to pick up a fare(5) was mistaken for a computer expert, and bustled(6) into a studio and given a microphone to be interviewed.
- Vietnamese police broke up a network that was helping students to cheat in exams via mobile phones hidden under long wigs.
- A canny(7) Canadian internet user showed the potential of online trading systems by gradually bartering(8) a paperclip into a three-bedroomed house. The clip was first exchanged for a wooden pen, which was traded for a ceramic(9) doorknob, and the process continued right up to the house.
- Small fish rained down on a village in southern India. A scientist said they were probably picked up by a waterspout(10) or mini-tornado out at sea.
- The US fast food giant McDonald's agreed to change the shape of the cups used for one of its desserts after English animal lovers complained that hedgehogs(11) -- a threatened species -- were getting their snouts(12) stuck in them and dying.
- A 68-year-old man in northern Nigeria told reporters that after having married a total of 201 women in 48 years, he had resolved to make do with the four wives he still had. His main complaint: older wives had an unfortunate tendency to turn the younger ones against him.
- To greet the annual Nobel Prizes, tongue-in-cheek(13) scientists in the United States handed out their own "Ignobel" awards. They included rewards for boffins(14) who had researched into why woodpeckers don't get headaches from all that tapping, and whether dung beetles really enjoy their diet of faeces.
- The Marine Corps in the United States said it had finally decided to accept a gift of 4,000 Jesus dolls which recited the scriptures(15), and were destined to be(16) given to needy children for Christmas. The group which had donated them had complained vocally when officials tried to refuse the gift.
- 威尔士一酒吧中的客人都被赶出来了，因为有人发现老板妻子长期使用的管状擀面杖其实是二战时期的弹桶。
- 荷兰警察对新制服感到愤怒，因为上衣是透明的。
- 一位英国司机去伦敦BBC总部接客人，被误认为是计算机专家，被抓进录音间，按在麦克风前面接受采访。
- 越南警方击破一个帮助学生作弊的犯罪团伙。他们将手机藏在长假发下面进行作弊。
- 一位精明的加拿大网民用区别针逐渐交换到一所三卧室的大房子，显示了互联网交易的潜力。首先，他用区别针换到一支木钢笔，然后是陶瓷门把手，努力不懈的结果便是这座房子。
- 印度南部小村庄突然下起“小鱼”雨。科学家说它们很可能是被龙卷风从海上卷来的。
- 美国快餐大亨麦当劳收到来自英国热爱动物组织的抱怨，称濒危动物箭猪可能会卡在其甜点杯中致死。最终麦当劳同意改变纸杯形状。
- 尼日利亚北部一位68岁的老人告诉记者，他在过去的48年中和201位女人结过婚，现在他只想和现有的四位妻子平静生活。他最主要的麻烦是：年纪稍大的妻子总挑拨年轻妻子和他的关系。
- 为了庆祝一年一度的诺贝尔颁奖，搞笑的科学家们也颁出属于他们自己的“另类诺贝尔奖”。其中包括奖励研究啄木鸟为什么不头疼、金龟子是否真正享受大粪的科学家们。
- 美国海军陆战队称最终决定接受4000个耶稣诵经造型的娃娃，在圣诞节期间作为礼物送给贫穷的孩子们。政府曾经拒绝接受这些礼物，但没抵过赠送组织的声讨。
中国国际广播电台 译
1. evacuate：撤出
2. tubular：管状的
3. rolling-pin：擀面杖
4. blouse：衬衫，宽松的上衣
5. fare：旅客
6. bustle：匆匆忙忙
7. canny：精明的，谨慎的
8. barter：物品交换
9. ceramic：陶瓷的
10. waterspout：海上龙卷风
11. hedgehog：美洲箭猪，豪猪中的一种
12. snout：猪嘴
13. tongue-in-cheek：搞笑的
14. boffin：科技人员
15. scripture：手稿，圣经
16. be destined to：预定要…
|
|
肯定很壮观