離開
進入《中英對照讀新聞》Boomerang comes back after 25 years回力標在二十五年後歸來
◎俞智敏
Boomerangs really do come back—even after 25 years. Officials in an Australian Outback town were surprised when a boomerang arrived in the post. Along with it was a note from a guilt-ridden American who said he stole it years earlier from a museum in the mining town of Mount Isa, and now felt rotten about it.
回力標真的會回頭──即使在事隔25年後。澳洲內陸一個小鎮官員最近在郵件中發現一支回力標而大感吃驚，包裹裡還附有一張由一個充滿愧疚的美國人所寫的字條，他自稱是在多年前自礦城伊薩山的博物館中偷走了這支回力標，現在卻懊悔不已。
"I removed this back in 1983 when I was younger and dumber," said the note, according to Mount Isa Mayor Ron McCullough. "It was the wrong thing to do, I’m sorry, and I’m going to send it back," said the note.
根據伊薩山市長麥庫洛表示，字條上寫著，「我是在1983年時偷走這支回力標，當時我年幼無知。」字條上還說，「這是一個錯誤，我很抱歉，所以我要把它寄回去。」
McCullough gave the contrite thief’s first name as Peter but said it would be unfair to release his full identity.
麥庫洛表示，這名懺悔竊賊的名字叫彼得，但如果公布他的全名就太不公平了。
McCullough said the parcel was sent to the location of the old museum, now a paper manufacturing plant and community center, and was then handed to the Mount Isa council. The boomerang would be returned to its rightful owner, if he could be found.
麥庫洛說，這個包裹是寄到舊博物館的原址，現在博物館已改為造紙廠和社區活動中心，所以包裹又被轉到伊薩山市議會。這支回力標將被歸還給合法的失主，如果他能被找到的話。
Boomerangs were traditionally used by Aborigines as a hunting weapon. A typical returning boomerang can travel up to 150 feet in the air before returning to the thrower.
回力標是澳洲原住民的傳統狩獵工具。一支典型的回力標在回到投擲者身邊前，可在空中飛行達150英尺。
新聞辭典
boomerang：名詞指回力標，亦可引申為自作自受之意，也可做動詞，如Our plan to take over the business could boomerang on us if we’re not careful.（假如不夠謹慎，我們接管這家企業的計畫可能招致反效果。）
rotten：動詞rot原指腐爛，rotten即指腐爛的、腐敗的，文中意指極差的、令人討厭的、糟糕的，如What rotten weather!（天氣真是糟透了！）
contrite：正式用語，指悔罪的、懺悔的，如a contrite apology（悔罪的道歉。）
