《中英對照讀新聞》New Jersey school strafed by F-16 during night training exercise 紐澤西一所小學在F-16夜訓中遭誤炸

◎胡立宗

The U.S. Air Force will pay more than $500,000 to an elementary school that was mistakenly strafed by an F-16 on a training maneuver two years ago.

美國空軍將支付超過50萬美元給一間小學，這間學校兩年前遭一架在訓練中的F-16誤炸。

Under a settlement, the Air Force will pay $519,070 in compensation to the Little Egg Harbor Intermediate School. The building was damaged by 27 rounds of inert 20mm ammunition from an air cannon mounted on the plane during a Nov. 3, 2004 nighttime mission over the New Jersey Pinelands.

依照和解條件，空軍將支付51萬9070美元，補償小蛋港中學的損失。在2004年11月3日紐澤西松原區上空的夜間訓練中，學校建物被一架飛機機炮的27發20mm口徑訓練彈擊中。

No one was injured in the mishap.

在事故中無人受傷。

Eight of the 2-inch lead rounds punched through the school’s roof, knocking down ceiling tiles.

其中8枚2inch鉛彈頭射穿校舍屋頂，擊落天花板。

At least one round struck a child’s desk, and others scuffed the asphalt in the parking lot. The rounds explode on impact when they are live. The military blamed the pilot for the accident, but also said poorly designed controls in the F-16 played a role.

至少有一枚彈頭卡在學生的課桌椅上，其他的子彈打壞了停車場的柏油地面。實彈在撞擊時會產生爆炸。軍方將事故歸咎於駕駛員的疏失，但也承認F-16設計不良的操控系統也是原因。

新聞辭典

strafe：動詞，（猛烈）砲轟、（低空）掃射；名詞，砲轟、掃射。例句︰The air force carried out a strafe of enemy strategic targets.（空軍轟炸敵方戰略目標。）

settlement：名詞，解決、合解、結清款項。settlement of the dispute（解決爭議）。