《中英對照讀新聞》My awful wedded wife! Couple met on ’ugly’ website to get married 我娶的醜老婆！「醜人」網站的情侶要結婚

◎管淑平

When Tom Clifford,36, and Janine Walker, 31, got together on a date, things could have turned very ugly. But instead things have turned out rather beautifully - because the couple - who share a love of junk food and TV dinners - have engaged after just four dates. They are due to get married in December.

當36歲的湯姆．克利佛，和31歲的珍奈．沃克在一次約會中在一起時，事情原有可能變得非常難看，但最後反而很漂亮地收場，因為這對都喜歡吃垃圾食物、邊吃飯邊看電視的情侶，約會4次後已經訂婚，現正準備在12月結婚。

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Tom spotted Janine on website www.theuglybugball.com in late August. The specialist website offers "dating for the aesthetically challenged".

湯姆是8月底在醜人約會網站發現珍奈，這個網站專門提供「美感受挑戰的人約會」。

He was impressed by her and fired her off a cheeky email："Dear Janine, Just seen your beautiful face on The Ugly Bug Ball and would love to meet up," "I’ve got a face that makes children cry but, as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder - and I think you’ll love me, too."

他對她感到驚豔，就發了一封很厚臉皮的電子郵件：「親愛的珍奈，剛在醜人約會網站看到你那美麗的臉龐，很想見面」，「我有一副小孩看了都會哭的長相，但是，就如人們說的，情人眼裡出西施，我想，你也會愛上我的。」

His words proved to be prophetic. It will be the site’s first wedding.

他這番話後來證明真料中了。這將是該網站促成的第一樁喜事。

Tom said："I’ve been a joke to women for years because of the way I look. I always thought I was too ugly to meet Mrs Right but my life changed when I met Janine."

湯姆說：「因為我的長相，我一直被女人當笑話。我原本都以為，我醜得遇不到真命天女，但當我遇見珍奈，我的人生有了改變。」

A delighted Janine said："I appreciate that Tom isn’t Brad Pitt, but then I’m no Angelina Jolie either." "To me Tom’s the perfect, handsome prince...I’m head over heels in love."

高興的珍奈說，「我很感激湯姆不是布萊德．彼特，但是，我也不是安潔莉娜．裘莉」，「對我來說，湯姆是完美又英俊的王子……我是徹底的愛上了。」

新聞辭典

aesthetically challenged：俚語，用於指稱長相醜的人的委婉說法。其他類似用法如：horizontally challenged，在水平線上受挑戰的人，意指「胖子」，vertically challenged，垂直線上受挑戰的人，意指「矮子」。

be due to：片語，準備做某事，由於。例句：The mayor is due to express his support for the candidate in his speech.（市長準備在他演說中表態支持這名候選人。）

cheeky：形容詞，厚臉皮的、魯莽無禮的。例句：You are just awfully cheeky.（你太厚臉皮了。）