《中英對照讀新聞》Gator: Orange is the new green 鱷魚：橘色是新綠色

◎張沛元

A Hanahan resident came across a gator in his neighborhood this week and while seeing the animal in that area isn’t unusual, the reptile’s color was.

（美國南卡羅萊納州）哈那汗的1名居民本週在住家附近巧遇1隻鱷魚，在該區看到這種動物並不算不尋常，不尋常的是這隻爬蟲類的顏色。

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Instead of the normal green-ish brown color that gators normally sport, this 4-5 foot guy was a shocking shade of orange.

相較於鱷魚通常的偏綠棕色，這隻4呎5吋的傢伙卻是驚人的橘色。

New photos, courtesy of local photographer Phillip Clark, showed not only another angle to the scaly Oompa Loompa but a turtle friend.

當地攝影師菲利浦．克拉克提供的新照片不僅從另一個角度顯示這隻有鱗的「奧柏倫柏人」（譯註：「巧克力冒險工廠」一書中在工廠工作的棕橘色皮膚小矮人），還能看到牠有1名烏龜朋友。

Some on social media speculated the gator was hibernating in orange colored clay. Others said he’s just celebrating Clemson’s National Championship.

社交媒體上有人猜測說，這隻鱷魚曾在橘色黏土裡冬眠。另有人說，牠只是在慶祝（南卡州）克萊門森大學（美式足球校隊老虎隊）贏得全國冠軍（譯註：橘色為該校與該球隊代表色）。

Some experts explained the real reason.

一些專家解釋鱷魚變色的真正原因。

"I suspect it’s related to where it’s hanging out for the winter," said Jay Butfiloski, alligator program coordinator with the SC Department of Natural Resources. "（It） might be iron oxide （rust） that has discolored it. It may be using a rusty steel culvert pipe, I would bet there is one nearby."

「我懷疑這跟牠冬天經常出沒的地方有關，」南卡州自然資源局的鱷魚計畫統籌專員傑．巴費爾羅斯基說。「可能是氧化鐵（銹）讓牠變色，牠可能以生銹的鐵溝管為窩，我猜附近有一根（鐵溝管）。」

新聞辭典

come across someone or something：慣用語，偶然碰見。例句：I came across one of my high school classmates on the street the other day.（我前幾天在街上偶然碰見我的1名高中同學。）

hibernate：動詞，冬眠。

hang out：慣用語，經常出入（某場所）；（與某人）廝混。例句：He doesn’t hang out with his friends on weekend anymore.（他週末時再也不跟朋友廝混了。）