《中英對照讀新聞》Twice lucky：Michigan family welcomes second leap year daughter 好事成雙：密西根家庭喜迎第二位閏年千金

◎周虹汶

A southeast Michigan couple is twice lucky after the birth of their daughter on Feb. 29, the second time the mother has given birth to a baby girl on that day in a leap year.

密西根東南部一對夫婦好運成雙，就在他們的女兒2月29日出生後，這是這位媽媽第2次在閏年這一天產下女嬰。

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Chad and Melissa Croff, from Columbus Michigan, welcomed Evelyn Joy into the world at 3：06 a.m., the Henry Ford Health System said in a statement. She arrived 10 days after her due date.

亨利福特醫療集團在一份聲明中說，來自密西根州哥倫布鎮的查德和梅麗莎．克羅夫，上午3時6分歡迎艾芙琳．喬伊來到這個世界。她比預產期晚了10天到來。

Weighing in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces, the little girl shares a birthday with older sister Eliana Adaya, who was born Feb. 29, 2012, the last time there was a leap year, the hospital system said.

該醫院集團說，重達6磅9盎司，這個小女孩和生於上次閏年2012年2月29日的姊姊艾蓮娜．阿達雅共享同一天生日。

"It’s a little surreal," Melissa Croff told Reuters in an interview. "It’s kind of winning the lottery ; the baby lottery." She added that labor was not induced. Neither drugs nor a Caesarian section delivery method were used.

梅麗莎．克羅夫訪談中告訴路透：「這有些超現實。」「它有點像中樂透：寶寶樂透。」她補充說，未以引產分娩。藥物或剖腹產方式也都沒用。

The serendipitous timing doesn’t happen often. Guinness World Records lists five siblings born on the same day in the United States, Feb. 20, from 1952 to 1966, according to the hospital system. （Reuters）

這種時間巧合不常發生。該醫院集團說，《金氏世界紀錄大全》列有1952至1966年都在2月20日這天於美國出生的5個兄弟姊妹。（路透）

新聞辭典

leap：名詞，指跳躍、跳過的距離、激增；動詞，指躍過、立即著手、突然發生。例句：Don’t take a leap in the dark.（別貿然行動。）

induce：動詞，指引起、引誘、歸納。例句：The melody induces sleep.（這個旋律讓人想睡。）

serendipitous：形容詞，指偶然發現的、意外收穫的。例句：The serendipitous encounter with that girl changed his life.（和那個女孩的偶遇改變了他的生命。）