幾則有趣的新聞

早上在地鐵裏翻看免費報紙 Metro–Boston–Thursday, March 27, 2008，發現幾則很有意思的新聞。

（一）

Lotto ticket sales skyrocket

Boston. Despite a foundering economy, instant ticket sales are soaring, state lottery officials said today.

就是說雖然經濟形勢走弱，但是買彩票的人激增。

其實這一點也不奇怪。魯迅小說《白光》裏的陳士成每次縣考落榜，回家後所幹的是什麽事情？在家裏掘地找傳說中的寶貝。

（二）

Scientists’ self-catching fish

Boston. Call them Pavlov’s fish: Scientists are testing a plan to train fish to catch themselves by swimming into a net when they hear a tone that signals feeding time.

就是說科學家正在研究讓魚兒自己遊到網裏來。這項研究得到了$270,000的資助。

然後呢？這篇報道接著說：

What’s next, teaching them to coat themselves in batter and hop in a fryer?

就是說，教它們自己裹上麵粉然後自己跳到油鍋裏？

（三）

Did you know/ The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows?

It was fashionable in Renaissance Florence to shave them off.

是說蒙娜麗莎沒有眉毛，因為文藝複興時期流行把它們剃掉。

毛總是要剃的，隻是年代不一樣，所剃的毛也不一樣而已。

（四）

Bush says sorry to China

Washington. President Bush, addressing an embarrassing flap that has strained U.S.-China relations, told Chinese President Hu Jintao yesterday that the shipment of nuclear missile fuses to Taiwan was a mistake.

因為誤把洲際彈道飛彈引信當成直升機電池運送至台灣，布什對中國說對不起。

布什終究有點傻。他為什麽不說我們現在已經把錯誤改正了，所以還是偉光正？習慣於沉浸在撥亂反正偉大業績中的中國政府肯定心有靈犀，點頭稱是並表示理解和讚賞。