Mon, Oct 20, 2008 page15

• Chinese giant becomes world’s tallest dad 世界第一長人當爸爸了！

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  The world’s tallest man, China’s Bao Xishun, has become a father but his normal-sized son could have trouble filling his dad’s big shoes.

  Bao, who stands 2.36m tall, and his wife, Xia Shujun, celebrated the birth of the boy in the northern province of Hebei, Xinhua news agency said earlier this month.

  The baby, named “Tianyou”, weighed in at 4.2kg and was 56cm long, slightly taller than most Chinese newborns, the agency said.

  Bao, a herdsman from the Inner Mongolia region of northern China, captured the hearts of many worldwide two years ago when he launched a search for a bride who would measure up.

  After a lifetime as a bachelor, Bao, who is a celebrity in China, heard back from more than 20 interested women from across the country.

  His search ended in July 2007, when after a one-month courtship, he married Xia, who barely reaches his elbow and who, at 29, is about half Bao’s age. Bao is believed to be 57.

  The gentle giant also made headlines in 2006 when he was called upon to use his long arms to pull plastic rubbish from the stomachs of two dolphins at an aquarium in northeastern China.

  Bao was confirmed as the world’s tallest living man by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2006.

  He lost his title last year to Leonid Stadnyk of Ukraine, whose height was certified by a local doctor as a whopping 2.53 metres.

  However, Bao has since been reinstated after Stadnyk refused to be measured by an official adjudicator.(AFP)

  世界最高男子─中國的鮑喜順當爸爸了，但他體型正常的兒子恐怕難以克紹箕裘了。

  新華社本月稍早報導，身高兩百三十六公分的鮑喜順和太太夏淑娟，在中國北部的河北省慶祝兒子的誕生。

  報導指出，這個名叫「天佑」的男嬰，體重四千兩百克，身長五十六公分，比一般中國新生兒稍微高一些。

  兩年前，來自中國北方內蒙古的牧人鮑喜順公開徵求條件相符的新娘，讓全球許多人感動。

  打了一輩子光棍的鮑喜順在中國相當出名，他公開徵婚後，收到中國各地二十幾位女子的回應。

  他二ＯＯ七年七月認識夏淑娟，經過一個月的追求後，他娶回了美嬌娘。年紀比鮑喜順小了快一半的夏淑娟現年二十九歲，身高還不及他的手肘；據信鮑喜順五十七歲。

  這位溫柔的巨人也曾在二ＯＯ六年登上報紙頭版，當時他應邀到中國東北一家水族館，用他的長手臂把卡在兩隻海豚胃裡的塑膠垃圾拉出來。

  金氏世界紀錄二ＯＯ六年確認鮑喜順為世界現存最高的男人。

  去年他這個頭銜被烏克蘭的李奧尼德．史塔尼克搶下，當地一位醫生判定他的身高高達兩百五十三公分。

  然而，在史塔尼克拒絕接受官方評判員測量身高後，鮑喜順又重新登上第一長人寶座。（法新社�翻譯：袁星塵）

  For your information

  TODAY’S WORDS 今日單字

  1. agency n. 社 (she4) 例: Sue called a detective agency to locate her missing husband. (蘇請徵信社查明失蹤丈夫的下落。) 2. worldwide adj. 遍及全球的 (bian4 ji2 quan2 qiu2 de5) 例: The game was watched by two million people worldwide. (全球有兩百萬人看了那場比賽。) 3. bachelor n. 單身漢 (dan1 shen1 han4) 例: Although his family pressures him to get married, Chris is happy being a bachelor. (雖然家裡催他結婚，但克里斯樂於當個單身漢。) 4. celebrity n. 名人 (ming2 ren2) 例: Although nobody has heard of him here, Jake is a celebrity in Japan. (雖然這裡沒人知道他，但傑克在日本可是個名人。)

  For your information

  SAY WHAT? 說說看

  fill somebody’s shoes 接替某人 If you fill somebody’s shoes you take their place or position. This idiom is usually used metaphorically, but in the article it also has a literal meaning. For example: “Ivor scored over 30 goals last season, so Harry knew it would be difficult to fill his shoes when he left,” or “His father was a successful banker, so Ernie often worried that he wouldn’t be able to fill his shoes.” 如果你「fill somebody’s shoes」，就表示你取代某人的地位或職務。這個成語通常用作隱喻，但上文中也有字面上的意思。 例如：「艾佛上一季拿下超過三十分，所以他離開時，哈利就知道要找到替補他的人很難」，或是「厄尼的父親是一位成功的銀行家，所以厄尼常常擔心自己無法做得像父親一樣好」。

  For your information

  OUT LOUD 對話練習

  Alex: Congratulations on your marriage! Janice: Thanks a lot. I was very nervous on the wedding day, but the honeymoon was fantastic. Alex: So when can we expect to hear the patter of tiny feet? Janice: Don’t hold your breath for that. I think we’re going to wait a while and go traveling first. Alex: That sounds nice. 艾力克斯：恭喜你結婚了！ 珍妮絲：感謝。我結婚那天好緊張喔，但蜜月旅行超棒的！ 艾力克斯：那我們什麼時候才會聽到寶寶的好消息啊？ 珍妮絲：別太期待，我想還要再過一陣子吧，我們想先四處走走看看。 艾力克斯：聽起來不錯。 the patter of tiny feet　幼兒 When people talk about the patter of tiny feet, they are referring to a small child. For example: “When can we expect to hear the patter of tiny feet?” Grandpa asked. 人們在談論「the patter of tiny feet」時，指的就是幼兒。例如：「爺爺問：『我們什麼時候才可以抱孫子啊？』」
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