A 12-year-old boy with 12 fingers and 12 toes won’t be having surgery to remove his extra digits – because they are not affecting the functions of his hands and feet.

Ouyang Guangchun, from Songpo village in southern China’s Hunan province, is the only member of his family with the condition known as polydactylism.

It is not unusual for children to be born with additional digits, but it is rare for the extra digits to look and function normally.

Guangchun’s mother said: “If people don’t look at his hands or feet carefully, they can hardly tell any unusualness, as the extra digits are growing so naturally with the others.”

Strangely, three months before the birth of Guangchun, his family’s sow also labored a weird shaped piglet, which had eight legs, two mouths and four ears.

“The pig died two days later. It possibly was a bad omen to the family, leading to the birth of my son with extra fingers and toes,” the mother added. (Orange News)

《字詞解析》

digit — (n.) 手指 (finger)；腳指 (toe)。這個字平常大多作「數字」解。

polydactylism — (n.) 多指症。

unusualness — (n.) 稀奇；不尋常；與眾不同。為 unusual 的名詞。

sow — (n.) 母豬。這個字亦可當動詞用，意為「播 (種)」，但發音與母豬的 sow 不同。

labor — (v.) 分娩。

weird — (adj.) 古怪的；離奇的。與 strange, eerie 等同義。

piglet — (n.) 小豬。

omen — (n.) 預兆；兆頭。(a) good/bad omen：好/壞預兆。

延伸閱讀：新聞英語的語法結構

ShareThis

Almost everyone stood when the bride walked down the aisle in her white gown, but not the wedding conductor, because she was bolted to her chair.

The nuptials at this ceremony were led by “I-Fairy,” a 4-foot (1.5-meter) tall seated robot with flashing eyes and plastic pigtails. Sunday’s wedding was the first time a marriage had been led by a robot, according to manufacturer Kokoro Co.

“Please lift the bride’s veil,” the robot said in a tinny voice, waving its arms in the air as the newlyweds kissed in front of about 50 guests.

The wedding took place at a restaurant in Hibiya Park in central Tokyo, where the I-Fairy wore a wreath of flowers and directed a rooftop ceremony. Wires led out from beneath it to a black curtain a few feet (meters) away, where a man crouched and clicked commands into a computer.

Japan has one of the most advanced robotics industries in the world, with the government actively supporting the field for future growth. Industrial models in factories are now standard, but recently Japanese companies are making a push to inject robots into everyday life.

The I-Fairy sells for about 6.3 million yen ($68,000) and three are in use in Singapore, the U.S. and Japan, according to company spokeswoman Kayako Kido. It has 18 degrees of motion in its arms, and mainly repeats preprogrammed movements and sounds. (AP)

《字詞解析》

walk down the aisle — (v.) 結婚。本成語在此語帶雙關 (punning)。英文的結婚有好幾種說法，除本成語外，其他的說法請參閱「英文資訊交流網」的《結婚的不同說法》。

white gown — (n.) 白色婚紗。in her white gown：穿著白紗。

wedding conductor — (n.) 主婚人。conduct wedding：主持婚禮。

bolt — (v.) 拴。

nuptial — (n.) 婚禮。nuptial 當名詞用時須用複數型，即 nuptials，後接複數動詞，相當於 a wedding (ceremony)。

seated — (adj.) 就座的；坐著的。

pigtail — (n.) 辮子。

veil — (n.) 頭紗。

tinny — (adj.) (聲音，尤指金屬聲) 細小的，微弱的。

newlywed — (n.) (通常用複數) 新人；新婚夫婦。

wreath of flowers — (n.) 花環；花圈。

crouch — (v.) 低著頭；蹲伏。

click — (v.) 點按 (滑鼠)。

command — (n.) 指令。click commands into a computer：將指令輸入電腦。

robotics — (n.) (用作單數) 機器人學。

make a push to — (v.) 致力於；力促。

inject…into — (v.) 把…注入。

preprogrammed — (adj.) 預編程式的；預先計畫的。

延伸閱讀：新聞英語的語法結構

ShareThis

A solid gold and gem-encrusted mobile phone that is worth tens of thousands of pounds has been unveiled.

British designer Stuart Hughes, 38, is to make only 10 sets of the exclusive Privé Phones, which cost £140,000 each.

The phones each weigh 900 grams but are cast with solid 22-carat gold.

Each handset will feature modern phone technology, including internet access, text messaging and colour screens and the ability to watch mp4 videos.

But extra features include an adornment of 76 flawless diamonds and original granite packaging, marked with the number on the limited edition phone.

The phones are eight inches long and three inches wide with an aerial measuring almost four inches.

They weigh a hefty 1,380 grams and include an ion battery that lasts for up to a week. (Daily Telegraph)

《字詞解析》

solid — (adj.) 純的。solid gold：純金；solid silver：純銀。

encrusted — (adj.) 有…硬殼的。solid gold and gem-encrusted mobile phone：有純金和寶石外殼的手機；a jewel-encrusted box：有珠寶外殼的盒子。

mobile phone — (n.) 手機。亦叫做 cell phone, cellphone。

unveil — (v.) (新聞用語) 將…公諸於眾；公布。

exclusive — (adj.) 高檔的；高級的。

handset — (n.) 手機。與 mobile phone 和 cellphone 同義。

internet access — (n.) 上網。

text messaging — (n.) 傳簡訊。

mp4 video — (n.) mp4 影片。

adornment — (n.) 裝飾；裝飾品。

flawless — (adj.) 無瑕疵的，完美的。

original granite packaging — (n.) 原廠花崗石包裝。

limited edition — (n.) 限量；限量版。

aerial — (n.) 天線。aerial 是英式英語，美式英語的天線叫做 antenna。

hefty — (adj.) 重的；壯的。

ion battery– (n.) 鋰電池。這款鋰電池待機可達一個禮拜 (lasts for up to a week)。

延伸閱讀：新聞英語的語法結構

ShareThis

A Beagle cross named Lulu is the world’s oldest dog after reaching the age of 147 – in dog years.

Her owner, Travis Buckly, 60, has credited the dog’s longevity to it’s diet of freshly cooked fillet steak, veal and sausages.

Lulu, from Coventry, is now believed to be the world’s oldest canine after the previous record-holder died last summer and Britain’s most senior dog Otto, 20, passed away in January.

Mr Buckly said: “If there’s a steak and a sausage in the fridge you can guarantee she’ll be having steak and sausage for tea. That’s her favourite meal.”

“Lulu always has the finest meats in the house. Sometimes it’s gammon or on the rare occasion it’s been veal. I’m sure that’s why she’s lived this long – a really strong diet.”

Dog years are calculated as one human year being equivalent to seven canine years.

The world’s previous oldest dog, Chanel, from New York, died last summer aged 21.

The title was then inherited by Britain’s oldest dog Otto, a Dachshund terrier cross, who passed away in January aged 20.

Mr Buckly has now applied to Guinness World Records and is awaiting their response.

A Guinness World Records spokesman said: “The world’s oldest dog category is currently vacant following Otto’s death earlier this year.

“We’re looking for a new oldest dog so what we need now is for the owners to make an application.”

“But 21 years is certainly very old. We would have to investigate. The application takes around six weeks to verify.” (Telegraph)

《字詞解析》

Beagle cross — (n.) 雜種的米格魯。

dog years — (n.) 狗年齡。根據第 6 段的敘述，狗年齡的計算方式是，人類 1 歲相當於狗 7 歲。

credit …to — (v.) 把…歸因於。

longevity — (n.) 長壽。

freshly cooked — (adj.) 現煮的。

fillet steak — (n.) 菲力牛排。

veal — (n.) 小牛肉。

canine — (n.) 犬，狗，犬科動物。

pass away — (phr.) 過世。這個片語動詞是 die 的委婉語。

have — (v.) 吃。在「have + 食物」中，have = eat。

for — (prep.) 代替。

gammon — (n.) 燻火腿。

inherit — (v.) 繼承。

Dachshund terrier cross — (n.) 雜種的達克斯獵犬。

apply — (v.) 申請。apply + for (後接工作、職位、獎學金、簽證等)，如 He has applied for a post in England. (他已申請在英國任職)；apply + to (後接機關、部門、單位等) (+ for + 工作、職位、獎學金、簽證等)，如 You have to apply to the passport office for a visa. (你須向護照局申請簽證)。

Guinness World Records — (n.) 金氏世界紀錄 (機構)。

vacant — (adj.) 空缺的。

延伸閱讀：新聞英語的語法結構

狗的名稱中英對照

ShareThis

Anybody want to share a bottle of red? A group of Chinese winemakers have claimed the new world record for the world’s biggest ever bottle of wine.

The 15ft (457 cm) high bottle contains an astonishing 1,850 litres of booze, produced by Wang Chen Wines in Liaoning, northern China.

That’s over three times the amount held by the previous record-holders, Austrian winemakers Kracher, whose bottle held 490 litres of Grande Cuvee TBA NV No.7 2005.

‘We are very proud, and the wine is very good. We have all had a glass from the bottle to celebrate,’ said a company spokesman. (Metro)

《字詞解析》

red — (n.) 紅葡萄酒 (= red wine)。

winemaker — (n.) 葡萄酒製造商。

15ft (457 cm) — (n.) 15 英尺 (457 公分)。測量單位縮寫後可與數值寫在一起或分開，如 heights of 5, 10, and 20 cm, from 1.2m to 1.8m。縮寫後的測量單位，複數也不加 s。

astonishing — (adj.) 令人驚訝的；驚人的。

booze — (n.) (口語) 酒 (alcoholic drink)。在此指的是 wine。booze 亦可當動詞用，意為「喝酒」(to drink alcohol)。

over three times the amount — (phr.) 某數量的三倍多。英文表示倍數的寫法為「倍數詞 + 數量」，而超過幾倍要用「more than 或 over + 倍數詞 + 數量」，如 more than double that amount, over three times the amount。

record-holder — (n.) 紀錄保持者。

have a glass — (v.) 喝一杯。

延伸閱讀：新聞英語的語法結構

ShareThis

Burned or underdone toast could soon be a thing of the past thanks to a new glass toaster – which lets you see your bread as it browns.

Bread is placed between two sheets of heated glass and cooked in full view so you can eject your slice at the perfect moment.

No longer will you need to put the bread back down and run the risk of burning your breakfast.

Melinda Hart, from product developer Inventables, said: ‘This transparent toaster allows you to see bread while it is toasting so you’re never surprised by toast that comes out too dark.

This idea is based on a transparent heating glass technology. However, the current design only fits one piece of bread at a time. (Daily Mail)

《字詞解析》

burned — (adj.) 烤焦的。

underdone — (adj.) 未烤熟的。

toast — (n.) 土司。

thanks to — (phr.) 由於；拜…之賜。

toaster — (n.) 烤麵包機；烤爐；烤箱。

brown — (v.) 變成褐色 (或棕色)。

two sheets of heated glass — (phr.) 兩塊被加熱的玻璃。glass 為不可數名詞，若要表示數量，須使用 piece, sheet 等量詞，如 a piece of glass, two sheets of glass。

in full view — (phr.) 大家都看得到。

eject — (v.) 跳出：退出。

run the risk of (doing sth) — (phr.) 冒著 (做某事) 的風險。例如：You run the risk of upsetting her if you tell her the truth. (如果你告訴她真相，可能會使她難過)

transparent — (adj.) 透明的。

toast — (v.) 烤 (麵包等)。

延伸閱讀：新聞英語的語法結構

ShareThis

Varsha Vinod, 5, the girl from Allappuzha, India, is the world’s youngest female karate black belt. In May, Varsha became the youngest ever girl to get an officially recognized black belt.

Varsha, who is a student at the KoInChi Academy of Martial arts in Allappuzha, India, has to train for a gruelling two and half hours a day to keep her skills fresh. Varsha has been training since she was just two years old.

The five-year-old’s talents are so amazing computer game makers and creators of the Lara Croft Tomb Raider series, Eidos, have taken notice.

Her skills have been replicated in the software houses’ latest computer game Mini Ninjas.

She said: “I hope I can get better and I want to keep doing karate.”

The Guinness Book of Records and India’s own record book Limica are now looking into Varsha’s achievement to create a new world record. (Telegraph)

《字詞解析》

karate — (n.) 空手道。

black belt — (n.) (柔道、空手道等上段的) 黑帶。

the youngest ever — (adj.) 歷來最年輕的。the youngest ever girl = the youngest girl ever。「最高級形容詞-ever + 名詞」(最高級形容詞和 ever 之間一般都有連字號) 這種句型相當常用，亦可寫成「最高級形容詞 + 名詞 + ever」，如 ” worst-ever disaster = worst disaster ever ” (歷來最為慘重的災難)。

officially recognized — (adj.) 正式承認的；正式認可的。

martial arts — (n.) 武術。

grueling — (adj.) 令人受不了的。

skills — (n.) 搏鬥技巧。

Lara Croft Tomb Raider — (n.)《古墓奇兵：風起雲湧》(電腦遊戲名稱)。

Eidos — (n.) 一家電腦遊戲開發商。

take notice — (v.) 注意。

replicate — (v.) 複製。

Mini Ninjas — (n.)《迷你忍者》(電腦遊戲名稱)。

do karate — (v.) 打空手道；練空手道。

Guinness Book of Records — (n.) 金氏世界記錄大全。

Limica — (n.) 印度記錄大全。

延伸閱讀：新聞英語的語法結構

ShareThis

Amanda Holden is seen here demonstrating a novel way of wearing your shoes.

The Britain’s Got Talent judge stripped down to a pair of leopard print knickers and kept her modesty intact by placing a pair of silver stilettos over her bosom.

The 38-year-old actress was pictured in the racy pose as part of a charity campaign to raise funds for research into women’s illnesses including ovarian cancer. (Daily Mail)

英國女星艾曼達侯頓在這張照片中展示了新奇的穿鞋方法。

這位英國版超級星光大道 (Britain’s Got Talent) 節目的評審脫得僅剩一件豹紋內褲，但為了不失端莊，她將一雙銀色細跟高跟鞋放在她傲人的胸部上。

這位現年 38 歲的女星擺出撩人的姿態拍照，此舉係一項慈善募款活動的一環，所募得的款項將用作研究卵巢癌等女性疾病的經費。

《字詞解析》

cheeky — (adj.) 調皮的，淘氣的；沒分寸的，放肆的。

stiletto — (n.) 細跟高跟鞋。複數為 stilettos 或stilettoes。

strip — (v.) 脫 (衣服)。strip down to 意為「脫到僅剩…」。

leopard print — (n.) 豹紋。

knickers — (n.) (英) 女性內褲。美國叫做 panties。

keep one’s modesty intact — (phr.) 不失端莊。modesty (n.)：(尤指女性的) 端莊；intact (adj.)：完整無缺的，原封不動的，未受損傷的。

bosom — (n.) (女性的) 胸部。bosom 亦可用來指女性的乳房，bosom 是一個，bosoms 是兩個；不過，在指女性胸部大小時，bosom 則被視為整體，即一對乳房，如 a woman with an ample bosom (大胸脯女人；波霸女人)。

racy — (adj.) 撩人的；猥褻的。

charity campaign to raise funds — (n.) 慈善募款活動。

ovarian cancer — (n.) 卵巢癌。ovary (n.)：卵巢。

延伸閱讀：新聞英語的語法結構

ShareThis

A pig goes for a swim in the crystal clear waters off the island of Big Major Spot in the Bahamas.

Known locally as ‘Pig Beach’, the waterfront sees brown and pink feral pigs and piglets taking a dip in the waters, and being fed by locals as they trot along the tropical beach.

After lounging in the sun the piglets run into the water, and even sometimes swim out to incoming boats. (Metro)

《字詞解析》

go for a swim — (v.) (去) 游泳。與 go swimming 同義。「go for a + 活動」意為「去進行某活動」(= go + V-ing)，如 go for a picnic = go picnicking (去野餐)。

crystal clear — (adj.) 1. 清澈的；明淨的 2. 顯而易見的；清晰明瞭的。

waters — (n.) (複數) 水域；海域。

off — (prep.) 在…附近/旁邊；靠近海岸的。例如：waters off the island of Big Major Spot：靠近 Big Major Spot 島的水域；The restaurant is just off the main road. (餐廳就在大路附近)。

waterfront — (n.) 濱水地區。

feral — (adj.) 野生的。

take a dip — (v.) (口語) (去) 游泳。亦寫成 have a dip 或 go for a dip。

trot — (v.) 快步行走。

tropical — (adj.) 熱帶的。

lounge — (v.) 閒逛。

延伸閱讀：新聞英語的語法結構

ShareThis

Surgeons have been astonished by the medical rarity of a 26-year-old man trapped in the body of a two-year-old toddler.

Jerly Lyngdoh – who lives with his farmer parents in Meghalaya, northern India – looks like any other tot with his tiny head and delicate 2ft 9ins long body.

But it’s only when he opens his mouth to reveal a full set of adult teeth that the truth about the world’s oldest baby is revealed.

Experts believe glands which secrete growth hormones may be damaged in the 22 lbs medical miracle.

‘Jerly’s infantile features are remarkable, and the only thing he shares with an adult are his teeth,’ said paediatrician Dr J. Ryndong.

‘We think this is a case of pan-hypo pituitarism leading to poor secretion of growth hormones from the pituitary gland. He is a genuine rarity,’ he added.

Jerly – who is still dressed in baby clothes by his parents – measures up at just four inches taller than China’s He Pingping, officially the world’s smallest man. (roundup)

《字詞解析》

medical rarity — (n.) 醫學上罕見的人。與第4段的 medical miracle 同義。

trap — (v.) 陷入；困在。

toddler — (n.) 幼童；學步的兒童 (年紀比嬰兒 baby 或 infant 來得大一點)。

tot — (n.) (口語) 小孩。

delicate — (adj.) 嬌小的。這位文中所稱「世界年紀最大的嬰兒」(world’s oldest baby) 身高只有2呎9吋，亦即大約84公分，僅比金氏世界紀錄正式承認的全世界最矮的人何平平 (見最後一段) 高出約10公分。他的體重僅22磅，即10公斤。

reveal — (v.) 揭露；顯露出。

gland — (n.) 腺。

secrete — (v.) 分泌。

growth hormone — (n.) 生長激素。

medical miracle — (n.) 醫學奇蹟。與第1段的 medical rarity 同義。

infantile — (adj) 嬰兒的；幼稚的。

paediatrician — (n.) 小兒科醫師。這是英式英語的拼法，美式英語沒有 a，亦即拼成 pediatrician。這一拼字規則亦適用於大多數有二合字母 (digraph) ae 和 oe 的單字，即美式英語沒有其中的 a 和 o，如 anaemic (英) / anemic (美)，manoeuvre (英) / maneuver (美)。

pan-hypo pituitarism — (n.) 泛腦垂體功能不足。

secretion — (n.) 分泌。為 secrete 的名詞。

pituitary gland — (n.) 腦下垂體。

measure up — (phr. v.) 測量。

He Pingping — (n.) 何平平 — 金氏世界紀錄正式承認的全世界最矮的人。本網站的「萬象奇觀極短篇」有一篇中英對照短文對何平平作了比較詳細的介紹，有興趣的網友可以參閱。

ShareThis