《中英對照讀新聞》Pandas wed in the heat, rain of Thai zoo泰國熊貓結婚囉 熱雨助生機

◎ 張沛元

Two pandas were married by proxy in Thailand recently to mark the 28th birthday of their zoo and what officials hope is the start of their mating season.

兩隻熊貓日前在泰國透過代理人結為連理，以紀念牠們（所居住）的動物園開園28週年，官員們則希望，這會是牠們交配季節的開始。

The traditional Chinese ceremony was held for 5-year-old male Chuang Chuang and 4-year-old female Lin Hui, lent to the zoo in the northern city of Chiang Mai for 10 years in 2003, Thai and Chinese officials said.

泰國與中國官員表示，這場傳統的中式典禮，是為了外借給這座在泰國北部城市清邁的動物園內5歲大的公熊貓強強（譯音），與4歲大的母熊貓琳慧（譯音）所舉行。

"Start making children soon. Don’t let me down," Chinese Consul Peng Ren Dong told a couple dressed as pandas -- which are notoriously difficult to breed in captivity -- during a colourful tea ceremony which is part of Chinese wedding rites.

「早生貴子。別讓我失望，」中國駐清邁總領事彭仁東在這個中式結婚典禮一場多彩多姿的奉茶儀式上，向一對裝扮成熊貓的男女說。熊貓在豢養情況下，向來難以繁衍後代。

Zoo officials said they hoped Thailand’s hot climate would bring forward the pandas’ mating season to November from the March-May period in their native China.

動物園人員表示，他們希望泰國炎熱的氣候，能使熊貓的交配季節從其原產地中國的3到5月間，提前到11月。

新聞辭典

by proxy：片語，為…代理。proxy，名詞，代理人，代表權；形容詞，代理人的。例句：She made me her proxy.（她讓我做她的代理人）。

mark：動詞，做記號，留下痕跡，評分；名詞，痕跡，刻度，分數，馬克（德國等國的貨幣）。例句：Rockefeller made his mark as a philanthropist.（洛克斐勒以慈善家之名留名青史）。

rite：名詞，（宗教的）儀式，禮節。rite of passage，為人生階段如出生、命名、結婚、死亡等而舉行的儀式，或標誌人生進入一個新階段的重大事件。

bring forward：提前，把…帶上前來，提出／提議。例句：Please bring the issue forward at the next meeting.（請在下次開會時提出這件事情）。