| Niger famine worst in history |
尼日爾面臨嚴峻饑荒 |
| Niger is now facing the worst hunger crisis in its history, the UN's World Food Programme says, with almost half the population - or 7.3 million people - in desperate need of food, BBC reported. After a prolonged drought, heavy rains have now hit parts of the country, killing at least six people. The WFP says 17% of children, or one in five, are acutely malnourished. The figure is well above the normal 15% threshold for declaring an emergency. WFP is appealing for US$213m (￡136m) in aid, but is still 40% short of its target. |
據英國廣播公司報道，聯合國世界糧食計劃署表示，尼日爾目前正遭受歷史上最嚴重的饑荒威脅，共有730萬人亟需糧食救濟，幾乎占到了該國總人口的50%。長期的干旱過后，暴雨又襲擊了尼日爾部分地區，致使至少6人死亡。世界糧食計劃署稱，約17%-20%的尼日爾孩子嚴重營養不良，遠高于15%這一標志著進入緊急狀態的門檻。日前，糧食計劃署呼吁對尼日爾提供2.13億美元的資金援助，但仍有40%的資金沒到位。 |
| Philanthropy the new status symbol |
做慈善成富豪地位新象征 |
| As dozens of U.S. billionaires pledge their fortunes to charity while the country struggles to shake off recession, philanthropy is becoming a status symbol among the rich, Reuters reports. Being truly wealthy may no longer be about how many properties or fast cars a billionaire owns - it could be about how much money they give away. Investor Warren Buffett and Microsoft founder Bill Gates are urging America's billionaires to sign a pledge to give away at least half their wealth during their lifetime or upon their death. While experts say recognition is not a key motivation for people to give, some say it would not be a bad thing if philanthropy became more of a badge of honor among the rich. |
路透社報道，在美國億萬富翁紛紛承諾捐贈善款和該國努力走出經濟衰退的大背景下，做慈善正逐漸成為富人社會地位的一種象征。一個人到底有多富有可能已與擁有房產或跑車的數量無關，而捐出多少善款似乎更值得一談。近來，“股神”巴菲特與微軟創始人比爾?蓋茨敦促美國億萬富翁們簽字承諾，在生前或死后將至少一半的財產捐獻出來。盡管專家稱人們施善的主要動機并非借以揚名，一些人還是表示說，如果做慈善在富人中成為一種更大的榮譽，那倒也不是什么壞事。 |
| Venice gets 1st female gondolier |
威尼斯迎來首位女船夫 |
| Venice has finally gotten its first ever female gondolier, the Telegraph reported. Giorgia Boscolo, a 24-year-old mother of two, passed her final exams on Friday and her name has now been added to the official list of those allowed to practice the age-old profession in the lagoon city. She is so remarkable because since gondoliers took to the waterways of Venice in 1094, there had never been a woman among them. The gondolier course lasts six months and includes 400 hours of instruction in using the single oar that is used to propel a gondola through the water. |
據英國《每日電訊報》報道，上周五，威尼斯終于迎來了首位女船夫喬治婭?博斯科洛。年僅24 歲的博斯科洛已是兩個孩子的母親。在通過最后的考核之后，她的名字被添加到獲準從事這一古老職業的官方名單中。博斯科洛之所以令人側目，是因為自從1094年威尼斯水路上出現船夫以來，還從來沒有過女性撐船人。威尼斯駕船課程共6個月，其中有400小時的課是講授如何用一支槳操縱狹長的平底船在水路上行進的。 |
| Childhood stress leads to adult ill health |
童年不幸影響成年健康 |
| A series of studies suggest that childhood stress caused by poverty or abuse can lead to heart disease and speed up cell ageing. The American Psychological Association meeting heard that early experiences "cast a long shadow" on health, BBC reported. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh looked at the relationship between living in poverty and early signs of heart disease in 200 healthy teenagers. They found that those from the worst-off families had stiffer arteries and higher blood pressure. Another study presented by Researchers at Ohio State University at the conference showed that childhood events such as the death of a parent or abuse can make people more vulnerable to the effects of stress in later life and even shorten lifespan. |
英國廣播公司從美國心理協會一次大會獲悉，一系列研究表明，童年時由于貧窮或受虐待造成的壓力會對一個人以后的生活帶來長遠的影響，比如導致心臟病，加速細胞老化。匹茲堡大學的研究者在探尋貧困生活和早期心臟病之間的關系時發現，200名參與實驗的青少年中，來自特困家庭的人在動脈硬化和血壓等指數上要高于其他人。在另外一項研究中，俄亥俄州立大學研究者發現，童年喪親或受虐待會使一個人在日后生活中更容易受壓力影響，甚至會折壽。 |
| Shopping is big try-on for women |
女性一生試衣2萬件 |
| Women will try on more than 21,000 items of clothing in a lifetime but will only buy half of them, the Daily Mail reported. On average, women go shopping four times a month and try on pairs of jeans, dresses or shoes on each trip. The average woman will try on 40 different items of clothing each month or 480 a year. That's more than 21,000 items of clothing over a typical 45-year shopping lifespan. The research shows that for many women, trying on different clothes is often the best part of a shopping trip. It's also an excuse to try on clothes that are too expensive. |
英國《每日郵報》報道，女性平均一生要試約2.1萬件衣服，不過最后能讓她們掏錢買下的只有一半。女性平均每月逛街4次，每次會試牛仔褲、裙子或鞋，平均每月要試40件不同款式的衣服，一年就是480件。以女性一生購物時間45年計算，一名女性一生大概要試2.1萬件服飾。調查顯示，試各式各樣的衣服是逛街時最令人開心的部分。對不少女性而言，她們還可以利用這個機會嘗試那些超貴的衣服。
（China.org.cn）
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