學習園地

自由時報《中英對照讀英文》 2008-07-01

Man in wheelchair charged with drink-driving坐輪椅男子被控酒後駕駛

◎羅彥傑

Man in wheelchair charged with drink-driving

坐輪椅男子被控酒醉駕車

Police in Australia have charged a man for drink driving in a motorised wheelchair after he was found to be six times over the legal alcohol limit, local media reported last week.

澳洲警方控告一名乘坐電動輪椅的男子酒醉駕車，理由是他被人發現其酒精濃度超過法律規定上限，當地媒體上週報導說。

Police in the tropical northern Queensland city of Cairns said the man had a blood alcohol reading of 0.31, and was so drunk he was asleep at the controls of his motorised wheelchair in a turning lane of a major highway.

熱帶的昆士蘭北部城市肯因茲警方說，這名男子的血液酒精值讀數達0.31，他醉到在一條主要公路的迴車道上操控其電動輪椅時，竟然還睡著。

"It beggars belief," Police Inspector Bob Walters told the Cairns Post newspaper, adding wheelchairs, bicycles, horses and skateboards were all considered to be vehicles under the state’s road laws.

「真令人難以置信，」警局督察鮑勃．瓦特斯告訴《肯因茲郵報》，強調輪椅、腳踏車、馬與滑板全都被視為是應受該州道路法規範的交通工具。

"It’s unlawful, it is unacceptable and people should realise it could lead to a fatality," he said.

「這於法不合，令人無法接受，而且大家應體認到這可能會導致有人喪命。」他說。

Other motorists on the four-lane highway had to swerve to avoid the wheelchair, police said.

這條四線道公路的其他駕駛人必須突然偏離方向來避開這部輪椅，警方說。

新聞辭典

It beggars belief：成語，指令人難以置信。例句：It beggars belief that so much money can be spent on the project.（很難相信這項計畫竟然可以花費這麼多錢。）beggar是乞丐之意，當動詞有使貧窮，使不能（使無力）之意。例句：The scenery beggars description.（風景之美非筆墨所能形容）。

fatality：名詞，死亡者、死亡事故。例句：The accident caused several fatalities.（這起事故造成數人死亡。）

swerve：動詞，突然偏離方向。例句：The car swerved sharply to avoid hitting a bycycle.（汽車突然急轉彎，以免和腳踏車相撞。）