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    Where there's puke there's plunder 找到鯨魚嘔吐物就發了!



    Tuesday, Mar 18, 2008,Page 13

    People look at a dead sperm whale on the beach in Changle in southeast China's Fujian province on Jan. 15, 2008.

    一月十五日,民眾在中國南部福建省長樂市的海邊,觀看一尾死亡的抹香鯨。

    照片:美聯社


    PHOTO:AP

    An Australian beachcomberis hoping to strike it rich. He has found a lump of sperm whale vomit. He found it near Melbourne on the south coast.

    "The research I've done on it, it's worth a fortune. But at this stage, I don't know what I'm going to do with it," Stephen Atkinson said last week.

    More properly, the name for the belched-up blob of vomit is "ambergris." It is rare and highly valued by perfume makers. The 7kg lump could fetch more than A$100,000 (NT$2.8 million).

    The ambergris, which is lighter than water, might have bobbed in the ocean for more than a decade after being coughed out.

    Sperm whales are the largest of the toothed whales. They can grow to up to 18m and can weigh 31 tons. 

    (DPA)

    澳洲一名在海邊撿拾漂流物的男子有機會一夜致富了,因為他在澳洲南部墨爾本附近沿海發現了一大坨抹香鯨的嘔吐物。

    史帝芬.阿特金森上週說:「我做了一些研究,發現這坨東西價值不斐;但我現在還不確定要怎麼處理它。」

    更精確地說,這一團嘔吐物名為「龍涎香」;對香水公司來說,這是相當稀有珍貴的,這團七公斤重的龍涎香可以賣超過十萬元澳幣(新台幣兩百八十萬元)。

    因為龍涎香的比重比水輕,這坨龍涎香在抹香鯨吐出後,可能已在海上漂浮超過十年之久。

    抹香鯨是世界上最大的齒鯨,牠們能長到十八公尺長、重達三十一公噸。

    (德通社/翻譯:袁星塵)

    TODAY'S WORLDS 今日單字
    1. beachcomber n.

    在海邊撿拾漂流物的人 (zai4 hai3 bian1 jian3 shi2 piao1 liu2 wu4)

    例: Sol is a beachcomber.

    (索爾在海邊撿拾漂流物。)

    2. vomit n.

    嘔吐物 (ou3 tu4 wu4)

    例: What do you think vomit smells like?

    (你覺得嘔吐物的味道聞起來像什麼?)

    3. research n.

    研究 (yan2 jiu4)

    例: We decided to respond to their research by changing our advert.

    (我們決定更換廣告以回應他們的研究。)

    4. perfume n.

    香水 (xiang1 shui3)

    例: I bought my mom some perfume for Mother's Day .

    (我買香水送給我媽當作母親節禮物。)

    This story has been viewed 767 times.

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