◎張沛元

A golf course in tropical Australia has a new water hazard:a crocodile that took up residence in a lake at the 14th hole.

澳洲熱帶區的一座高爾夫球場有了一個新的水障礙：一隻鱷魚在第14洞的湖泊定居。

Club owner Don Matheson in the Queensland state city of Townsville said the small, freshwater crocodile posed no "significant threat" to people, but that the club doesn’t allow them on the course.

這座位於昆士蘭州湯斯威爾的（高爾夫）俱樂部老闆梅斯森說，這隻小的淡水鱷魚對人類不會構成「重大威脅」，但俱樂部不能讓牠們待在球場。

"It’s quite novel that we have got a croc who has made his home here. If we allowed it, he would stay here," Matheson added.

「我們有一隻鱷魚以這裡為家，真是新奇。但要是我們任由他去，牠會一直待在這兒。」梅斯森補充道。

The meter-long crocodile moved into the lake at the Willows Golf Club during flooding that followed heavy rains in recent weeks, Matheson said, adding that he’ll ask wildlife authorities to place the animal back in the wild.

梅斯森說，最近幾週來的豪雨導致大水，這隻1公尺長的鱷魚趁這段時間搬進楊柳高爾夫俱樂部的湖泊，他並補充說，他將要求野生動物主管當局將這隻動物送回野外。

新聞辭典

water hazard：水障礙，高爾夫球用語，包括球場內的海、湖、池塘、河川、溝渠、地面排水溝、露天水渠（無論是否積水）、以及其他類似的障礙。

freshwater：形容詞，淡水，與saltwater（鹽水的）相對。其他有water的字彙還有heavywater（重水）；lightwater（輕水）。例句：North Korea insisted that it has every right to build a light-water reactor for civilian power use.（北韓強調他們有權興建一座輕水核子反應爐，供民間電力之用。）

pose threat to：對…構成威脅，與 pose danger to 意思相似。例句：Bird flu virus poses no threat to human health, but it may be deadly to many avian species.（禽流感病毒對人類健康不構成威脅，卻可能導致許多種類的禽鳥死亡。）