New Zealand's giant snails -- descendants of creatures that lived 200 million years ago -- are on the move. They are being taken away from their traditional home on a mountain on South Island by coal miners.
New Zealand's Conservation Minister, Chris Carter, calls the meat-eating giants the "sumo wrestlers of the snail world," and says they are as big as a man's fist. Carter approved their removal in April, bowing to the demands of the state-owned energy company that wants the 5 million tons of coal underneath the snails' native habitat.
Carter approved moving the snails even though conservationists ran a Save the Snails campaign and his own officials advised him not to.
PHOTO: AP
Carter said the government had to consider the economic benefits that New Zealand's coal resources bring to the nation.
He ordered the Solid Energy company to move the 250 rare native snails known to be in the area and relocate them far from coal mines. The mountain is the only place in the world where the snails exist.
Before mining starts, the company must recreate an area for the snails that is similar to their old home. The company also must protect them with a fence.
But Frances Mountier, spokeswoman for conservationists fighting the coal mine, said that the Department of Conservation has said that the only way to make sure that the snails survive is to leave them where they are. "Why is the minister ignoring his own scientists' advice?" she asked.
The snails are some of the biggest in the world. They eat meat and can suck up worms like humans eat spaghetti. (DPA)
兩億年前物種的後裔?紐西蘭巨型蝸牛要搬家了。煤礦工將牠們帶離位於南島山上的傳統老家。
紐西蘭保育部長克里斯.卡特將肉食性的巨蝸稱為「蝸牛界的相撲手」,說牠們跟男人的拳頭一樣大。國營能源公司覬覦蝸牛原生地底下的五百萬噸煤礦,卡特在四月屈服於能源公司的要求,同意讓蝸牛搬家。
雖然保育人士發起「拯救蝸牛」的活動,保育部同僚也建議卡特不要答應,但卡特仍同意讓蝸牛搬家。
卡特表示,政府必須考量紐西蘭煤礦資源帶給國家的經濟利益。
他命令 Solid Energy 公司遷移當地已知的兩百五十隻稀有蝸牛,把牠們重新安置到距煤礦遙遠的地方。那座山是這些蝸牛目前在世上唯一的生存之地。
採礦工作開始前,Solid Energy 必須為蝸牛重新創造一個與牠們老家相似的地區。這家公司也必須設立圍籬來保護牠們。
不過代表反煤礦保育人士發言的法蘭西絲.蒙蒂耶說,保育部曾表示確保蝸牛生存的唯一方式就是讓牠們待在原地。她問說:「保育部長為何棄自己科學家的建議於不顧?」
這些蝸牛是世上最大的蝸牛種類之一。牠們屬肉食性,吸食蟲類就宛如人類吃義大利麵一樣。 (德通社/翻譯:賴美君)
A: Yet another shopping mall has just opened in Taipei. B: Do you mean the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang? A: Yeah, the shopping mall run by Japanese Mitsui & Co. opened last week. B: I hear the mall features about 300 stores, Vieshow Cinemas and Japanese Lopia supermarket. A: With the opening, a war is breaking out between Taipei’s department stores. A: 台北又有新的購物商場可逛啦。 B: 你是說Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport 南港? A: 對啊這家日本三井集團旗下的商場上週開幕。 B: 聽說商場有威秀影城、樂比亞日系超市,還有多達300家專櫃。 A: 新商場一開幕,看來又要掀起一場百貨大戰啦! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張迪)
A: Hey, didn’t you go to the opening of the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang last week? B: Yeah, there are about 300 shops, including the first overseas branch of Japan’s Mahou Dokoro — a famous Harry Potter-themed store. A: Wow, I’ve always wanted to get a magic wand. B: There are also a bunch of great restaurants, such as Smart Fish hotpot restaurant. A: I wish I had Harry Potter’s “apparition” and “disapparition” magic, so I could teleport to the mall right now. A: 你上週不是有去LaLaport南港的盛大開幕嗎?有什麼特別的? B: 那裡有多達300家專櫃,包括魔法之地的海外首店——它可是日本知名的《哈利波特》專賣店。 A: 哇我一直想買根魔杖。 B: 另外還有各式各樣的美食,像是林聰明沙鍋魚頭。 A: 真希望我也有哈利波特的「現影術/消影術」魔法,能瞬間移動到商場去! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張迪)
When it comes to movies, some people delight in watching spine-chilling horror films. Surprisingly, apart from containing a few scares, horror movies may also offer an unexpected __1__. According to a study, watching 90 minutes of a scary movie can burn an average of 113 calories, which is roughly __2__ to taking a 30-minute walk. Researchers from the University of Westminster carried out an experiment in which they __3__ participants’ oxygen intake, carbon dioxide output, and heart rates while they were watching horror movies without any distractions. The results revealed that physiological responses to fear play a crucial role
Dos & Don’ts — 想想看,這句話英語該怎麼說? 1. 你覺得這部電影怎樣? ˇ What do you think of the movie? χ How do you like the movie? χ How do you think of the movie? 註︰What do you think of = What is your opinion of。 think 的受詞是 what,不能用 how。 2. 你認為哪一個歌星唱得最好? ˇ Which singer do you think is the best? χ Do you think which singer is the best? 註︰英語中 which singer 似乎是 do you think 的受詞,實則 do you think 是插入語,其他例子如下: 你以為他喜歡誰? Who do you think he likes? 你以為我住在哪裏? Where do you think I live? 你想我昨天在公園裏碰到了誰? Whom/Who do you think I met in the park yesterday? 3. 他不論到什麼地方,總是帶著一把雨傘。 ˇ No matter where he goes, he