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Can That Possibly Be True? 新奇新闻一箩筐

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Did you read the story about a swan that fell in love with a swan boat? Or the one about a man who sued his doctor because he lived longer than the doctor had predicted? Well, these are not made-up funny stories. Rather, they are genuine events that make it into the news not because they are important, but because they are bizarre.

你听过天鹅爱上天鹅船的故事吗？或有个人因为活得比医生预期的久，而控告那位医生吗？其实，这些都不是杜撰出来的搞笑情节。相反的，这些真实事件会被当作新闻来播报，不是因为它们很重要，而是因为很古怪。

It makes sense that people enjoy reading strange news. Much of the regular news is usually quite serious and sometimes depressing. People like to learn about unusual, amusing things that have really happened. In the United States, one syndicated column titled “News of the Weird” is featured in many newspapers. “Least Competent Criminals,” one of its recurring sections, tells stories of people who are just not cut out for crime. For instance, there is one story about a man who intended to rob a bank. He put on a ski mask, entered the bank and waited in line for his turn. A customer alerted the police, and he was arrested immediately after walking out of the bank. Pathetic, you say?

人们喜欢看奇闻异事的心态不难理解。一般的新闻大多很严肃，有时还令人沮丧。人们喜欢知道一些不寻常又有意思的真实事件。在美国，有许多报纸都有一个联合专栏叫「怪诞新闻」，当中有一个常态性版面是「最蹩脚的罪犯」，报导一些根本没本事使坏的人。例如有名打算抢银行的男子，戴上滑雪面罩进银行排队，有位顾客报了警，于是这个人一走出银行马上就被逮捕。你说，是不是很可悲？

With the advent of the Internet, weird news has become even more accessible. Many portals and news websites have areas for strange news. Next time you visit the Yahoo! portal on the Internet, check out the section called “Odd News.” You might find some stories to brighten your day!

随着因特网问世，怪诞新闻变得更容易读取了。许多入口网站和新闻网站都有奇闻异事的专区，下次你造访雅虎网站时，瞧瞧「怪异新闻」区，你可能会发现一些让你开心一整天的新闻！

−by Joseph Schier

Vocabulary

单词发音

bizarre [bɪˋzɑr] adj. 奇异的；异乎寻常的

weird [wɪrd] adj.【非正式】古怪的﹐奇异的

competent [ˋkɑmpətənt] adj. 有能力的

pathetic [pəˋθɛtɪk] adj. 可怜的；可悲的

accessible [ækˋsɛsəb!] adj. 可（或易）接近的; 可（或易）得到的

More Information

单词发音

genuine [ˋdʒɛnjʊɪn] adj. 真的；非伪造的

make sense 合理

depressing [dɪ`prɛsɪŋ] adj. 令人忧愁的﹐令人沮丧的

amusing [əˋmjuzɪŋ] adj. 引人发笑的; 有趣的，好玩的

syndicate [ˋsɪndɪkɪt] v. 透过供稿联合组织在报刊上同时发表

feature [fitʃɚ] v. 特载; 以……为特色；是……的特色

cut out for  something 适合从事...工作 suited for something

advent [ˋædvɛnt] n. 出现；到来

portal [ˋport!] n. 入口网站

brighten [ˋbraɪtn] v. 使快乐高兴