The Cure For Rising Divorce Rates?

想離婚？先蹲監獄看看吧

【摘要2020.4.11.蘋果】

If a couple is considering breaking up, they can ask the town bishop to lock them in the “marriage prison.” Inside a dark room near the village’s church, they will share everything, from a single pillow to one place setting. They can spend up to six weeks there to hopefully work out their problems, and it seems to work. In the past three centuries, Biertan has recorded only one divorce.

如果一對夫妻考慮離婚，他們可以請求鎮上的主教將他們關在「婚姻監獄」裡。在一間鄰近村莊教堂的暗房裡，夫妻將共享一切，從單獨一個枕頭到一套餐具。夫妻能在那裡花上六週的時間以期解決彼此的問題，而這也似乎奏效了。過去的三個世紀裡，別爾坦只記載過一次離婚。

生活必備字詞

◎divorce n. 離婚
The woman underwent a very difficult period of her life after the divorce.
◎bishop n. 主教
◎place setting n.（一套）餐具

Silver lining? Russia’s Cossacks don modified masks against coronavirus

一線希望？俄羅斯的哥薩克人戴上改良過的口罩來抵禦冠狀病毒

【摘要2020.4.11.自由】◎周虹汶

Cossacks and police officers enforcing the coronavirus lockdown in Russia’s western city of Kaliningrad have donned modified face masks that local scientists say can be worn for days without being replaced.

在俄羅斯西部城市加里寧格勒強制執行冠狀病毒封城令的哥薩克人和警察，戴著當地科學家所說可用在身上好幾天不用換的改良版口罩。

The trick, they say, is to line the cheap cotton fabric of the masks with an ultra-thin coating of silver.

他們說，秘訣是口罩的廉價棉織物鋪上超薄銀塗層當襯裡。

The benefits of the use of silver against the coronavirus have not been tested and are therefore unproven. But Kaliningrad’s Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University believes the technique could give the masks additional protective properties, although - like single-use masks - they still would not guarantee full protection from the virus.

拿銀對付冠狀病毒的好處還沒測試故未經證實。但加里寧格勒的伊曼努爾．康德波羅的海聯邦大學相信，這項科技或可帶給口罩額外防護力，雖然──如同一次性口罩──它們依然不能保證面對病毒可全面防護。

“In my view we’re able to slightly increase the efficiency of this accessory, because we believe the active silver surface can kill some amount of the virus,” Aleksander Goyhman, the director of the university’s nano-materials centre, said. （Reuters）

該校奈米材料中心主任亞歷山大．高曼說，「我認為我們能夠稍微提高這項配件的效能，因為我們相信這個活性銀表層可以殺死一定數量的病毒。」（路透）

新聞辭典

lining：名詞，指襯裡、內層。例句：Every cloud has a silver lining.此為英國諺語，字面意義是每道烏雲都有一條透光的銀邊，引申為黑暗中總有一線光明。

don：動詞，指穿戴、披上、裝模作樣。例句：He has been donning two hats for a long time.（他長期身兼二職。）

line：名詞，指線條、繩索、行列、戰線、消息、台詞；動詞，指劃線、使起皺紋、排隊、加襯裡。例句：The government took a hard line on protests.（政府對抗爭採取強硬路線。）