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進入《中英對照讀新聞》Dutch museum says ’moon rock’ worthless wood 荷蘭博物館說，「月岩」是沒價值的木頭
◎ 魏國金
A piece of moon rock showcased in a key Amsterdam museum is nothing but petrified wood, museum authorities said of a gift made to a former Dutch prime minister by a US envoy.
展示於阿姆斯特丹一家重要博物館的一塊月岩，不過只是石化的木頭，館方提到這個由美國特使送給前荷蘭總理的禮物時說。
The exhibit at the Rijksmuseum, originally gifted to Willem Drees in 1969 by then US ambassador William Middendorf as a souvenir of a pathbreaking trip by three US astronauts on July 20, 1969.
這塊陳列於國立博物館的展品，原本是由當時的美國大使威廉．米登道夫於1969年，當作是同年7月20日3名美國太空人率先登月的紀念品，贈送給威廉．德瑞斯。
"When we received it, we insured it for 100,000 florins or 50,000 euros in today’s money," said Xandra van Gelder, the editor-in-chief of the museum’s internal magazine.
「當我們收下它後，為其投保10萬佛羅林（荷蘭貨幣），也就是相當於今日的5萬歐元」，該博物館內部刊物的總編輯參德拉．范．格爾德說。
But she told AFP that it was "hardly worth 50 euros," adding that museum authorities had been alerted by space and other experts. This was confirmed by independent studies on the object, which is roughly the size of a matchbox.
然而，她告訴法新社，它「幾乎不值50歐元」，並補充，太空與其他專家曾警告過館方。對這個約是火柴盒大小的物品進行的獨立研究證實了這項警告。
"What is also strange is that in 1969, when Willem Drees was given this ’rock,’ it was 11 years after he had stepped down as prime minister."
「也令人不解的是，當威廉．德瑞斯被贈送這塊『岩石』時是1969年，當時他卸任總理職位已11年了。」
新聞辭典
nothing but︰片語，只不過、僅僅。例句︰She did nothing but gurmble.（她只會發牢騷。）
pathbreaking︰形容詞，開路先鋒的、開創性的。例如︰pathbreaking scientific discoveries（開創性的科學發現。）
insure︰動詞，給……投保。例句︰He insured his house against fire.（他給自己的房子保了火險。）
