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進入《中英對照讀新聞》Balloon proposal falls flat 熱氣球求婚洩氣
◎管淑平
A US vicar’s romantic proposal to his girlfriend in a hot air balloon fell flat when he dropped the engagement ring.
一名美國牧師向女友的浪漫熱氣球求婚失敗，當他掉了求婚戒指。
James Ng, 27, had hidden the £2,000 diamond ring in his camera case. Buts as the pair floated above Ohio, Mr Ng accidentally fumbled his camera case over the side and watched in horror as it fell 500 feet into the woods, said the reports.
27歲的詹姆士．恩格事先把這枚2000英鎊的鑽戒藏在他的相機包裡，但是當這對情侶搭熱氣球升上俄亥俄州上空，恩格笨手笨腳不小心把包包弄掉，驚恐地眼看著它墜落500英尺下的樹林裡，報導說。
But his girlfriend Sonya Bostic caught on, leaving Mr Ng with little choice but to drop onto bended knee and pop the question with a £5 Wal-Mart ring. She said yes.
但是他的女友頌雅．波斯提克已經明白他要做什麼，讓恩格沒什麼選擇，只能硬著頭皮跪下，用一枚5英鎊的大賣場戒指求婚。她答應了。
Unable to believe the ring was lost for good, the vicar mapped the co-ordinates of the balloon’s journey from the sky and searched for the bag over the following week.
無法相信那枚戒指就這樣丟了，這名牧師從空中畫出熱氣球行經路線的座標，然後在接下來那週尋找那個相機包。
After seven arduous days of searching the three-mile-square area, they found the camera bag. The only thing still inside it was the ring.
辛苦的找了7天、搜遍3平方英里後，他們找到了，相機包裡唯一還在的東西，就是那枚戒指。
"I think the first thing I said was holy cow," said Mr Ng. "Then I called Sonya right away."
「我想當時我說的第一句話是不會吧」，恩格說，「然後我馬上打給頌雅。」
Now the couple plan to marry in June.
現在這對情侶準備在明年六月結婚。
新聞辭典：
fall flat：動詞片語，失敗。flat原有氣球或輪胎洩氣、fall有墜落之意，本文中一語雙關。例句：The project which he has worked for a whole year eventually fell flat.（他努力了一整年的計畫最終還是失敗了。）
fumble：動詞，笨手笨腳或胡亂地用手摸索、拿某物；漏接（球）；支支吾吾地說話。例句：He tried to explain but fumbled for words.（他試圖解釋，但是支支吾吾地說不清楚。）
holy cow：口語，表示非常驚訝到不敢置信。類似詞還有holy crap。
