2010年度最离奇新闻大全

Some weird, wild and wonderful stories coloured the news in 2010:

- A Copenhagen bus company has put "love seats" on 103 of its vehicles for people looking for a partner. "Even love at first sight is possible on the bus," said a spokesman for the British owned Arriva company to explain the two seats on each bus that are covered in red cloth and a "love seat" sign.

- Shoppers at an international luxury fair in Verona, Italy, found a cell-phone-equipped golden coffin among the items on display. The phones will help "the deceased" contact relatives if they have been buried alive by mistake.

- Paul the octopus, who shot to fame during this year's football World Cup for his flawless record in predicting game results, died peacefully in his sleep in an aquarium.

- A Mozambican prisoner who had been released on parole broke back into jail after discovering he didn't like life on the outside.

- A robber in New York came up with a disarming way to pull off his latest bank heist, approaching the teller's window with a large bouquet of flowers and handing over a hold-up note.

- A Kuwaiti MP proposed state-aid for male citizens to take second wives, in a bid to reduce the large number of unmarried women in the oil-rich emirate.

- A Frenchman who lost all his limbs in an electrical accident successfully swam across the Channel, a challenge he had been preparing for two years.

- A set of dentures made for Britain's war-time prime minister Winston Churchill known as "the teeth that saved the world" sold for nearly 18,000 pounds (21,500 euros, 28,000 dollars) at auction.

- The strongest and most expensive beer ever created sold out within hours, a Scottish brewery said, as they courted controversy by packaging the bottles inside the bodies of stuffed squirrels and stoats.

- A British woman sparked an Internet hate campaign after she was caught on camera dumping a cat in a rubbish bin. She was fined 250 pounds (400 dollars, 280 euros) after pleading guilty.

- Two Australian men needed surgery after shooting each other in the buttocks during a drinking session to see if it would hurt.

- The BBC apologised "unreservedly" after a radio presenter jokingly announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died

2010年就要过去了，一起来回顾一下一年中最离奇、最荒诞、最精彩的新闻吧。

爱情专座。哥本哈根一家公交公司在103辆公交车上为寻找知心爱人的单身人士开设了“爱情专座”。这家英国所有的阿里纳公交公司的发言人说：“人们在公交车上也可能一见钟情。”每辆公交车上都特设两个标有“爱情专座”的座位，座位上盖着红布。

手机棺材。意大利维罗纳国际奢侈品博览会上展出了一个配有手机的金棺材。如果“逝者”被误葬，手机将帮助“他们”在醒来后联系亲属。

预测帝“保罗”。章鱼保罗在睡梦中安然离世，死于自己水族馆的家中。保罗因准确预测今年的南非世界杯赛果而一举成名。

恋上监狱。莫桑比克的一名罪犯在获准假释后，竟故意破坏监狱围墙，重返狱中。因为他发现自己已经不喜欢高墙外的生活。

持“花”抢银行。为成功抢银行，纽约一名劫匪想出了一种非常忽悠人的办法。他举着一大捧花走向银行柜台，并递出一张纸条，上面写着“交出钱来”。

补助娶二房？科威特一名议员提议为男性公民“娶二房”提供补助，以便解决这个产油大国剩女过多的问题。

无四肢男子横渡英吉利海峡。因电击事故而失去四肢的一位法国男子成功游过英吉利海峡。为了完成这项挑战，他已付出了两年的艰辛努力。

假牙拍出天价。英国前战时首相温斯顿．丘吉尔的一副被誉为“拯救世界的假牙”拍出近1.8万英镑的天价，约合2.15万欧元，或2.8万美元。

松鼠啤酒。世界上最烈、最贵的“松鼠啤酒”数小时内便销售一空，但生产这种啤酒的一家苏格兰啤酒公司却为此被拍板儿砖，因为他们使用松鼠和鼬鼠的标本作为外包装。

虐猫大婶。英国一位妇女因被摄像头拍下把小猫丢进垃圾桶而在网上引起公愤。在认罪后，她被处以250英镑（合400美元，280欧元）罚款。

澳洲蠢男。两名澳大利亚男子在喝酒后，（用一把气枪）互射对方臀部体验疼痛感，而后被迫接受外科治疗。

女王“驾崩”？英国广播公司(BBC)一名节目主持人开玩笑称女王伊丽莎白二世“驾崩”，随后BBC为此诚恳道歉。

Vocabulary:

release on parole: 假释

hold-up: a robbery, esp an armed one（持枪抢劫）