《中英對照讀新聞》Australia's Crocodile Attack澳洲鱷魚攻擊事件

◎ 羅彥傑

A 56-year-old man apparently became the second diver to be killed by a saltwater crocodile off the northern Australian coast in five days, police said.

一名56歲男子顯然成為5天以來第2名被澳洲北海岸外的河口鱷咬死的潛水伕，警方說。

Police said they recovered the body of the man, whose identity has not been released, from a beach near Cape Don, a remote section of Gurig National Park popular with fishermen in Australia's Northern Territory.

警方說，他們在頓角附近的海灘上尋獲這名男子的屍體，不過他的身份並未公佈。頓角位於古立格國家公園內的偏遠一隅，澳洲北領地漁民經常在此作業。

A post-mortem examination will be required to determine the exact cause of death, but police Superintendent Dean McMaster said the man had injuries consistent with a crocodile attack.

還必須進行驗屍以確定死亡的真正原因，但警局督察長狄恩•麥克馬斯特說，該名男子的傷口與遭到鱷魚攻擊相符。

The man was reported missing by a diving companion who also saw a large crocodile nearby, McMaster said.

一名潛水同伴報案指這名男子失蹤，並表示也在附近見到一隻大鱷魚，麥克馬斯特說。

Saltwater crocodiles, which can grow up to seven meters in length, are common in rivers and in the sea around northern Australia. Their numbers have exploded in recent years thanks to a ban on widespread hunting imposed in the 1970s when it was feared the giant animals could be wiped out by people shooting them for their skins.

能長到7公尺長的河口鱷，在澳洲北部的河流與海洋裡相當常見。近年來牠們的數目暴增，這是1970年代實施廣泛禁獵的結果，當時外界擔心這種大型動物可能因為人類濫殺以取其外皮而滅絕。

新聞辭典

saltwater crocodile：河口鱷，這種鱷魚能適應高鹽度的水質，主要居於海岸和河口交界鹹淡水區域。

post-mortem examination：屍體檢驗，post-mortem指死後的、事後的。例句：The forensic expert conducted a post-mortem examination on the body of a victim.（法醫對一名罹難者的屍體進行驗屍。）

consistent：一致的、相符的。例句：The two statements are not consistent.（這兩篇聲明並不一致。）

wipe out:徹底摧毀、消滅。例句：Pesticides can also wipe out insects that amphibians rely on for food.（殺蟲劑也可能會消滅兩棲動物賴以維生的昆蟲。）