早上在地铁里翻看免费报纸 Metro–Boston–Thursday, March 27, 2008，发现几则很有意思的新闻。

（一）

Lotto ticket sales skyrocket

Boston. Despite a foundering economy, instant ticket sales are soaring, state lottery officials said today.

就是说虽然经济形势走弱，但是买彩票的人激增。

其实这一点也不奇怪。鲁迅小说《白光》里的陈士成每次县考落榜，回家后所干的是什么事情？在家里掘地找传说中的宝贝。

（二）

Scientists’ self-catching fish

Boston. Call them Pavlov’s fish: Scientists are testing a plan to train fish to catch themselves by swimming into a net when they hear a tone that signals feeding time.

就是说科学家正在研究让鱼儿自己游到网里来。这项研究得到了$270,000的资助。

然后呢？这篇报道接着说：

What’s next, teaching them to coat themselves in batter and hop in a fryer?

就是说，教它们自己裹上面粉然后自己跳到油锅里？

（三）

Did you know/ The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows?

It was fashionable in Renaissance Florence to shave them off.

是说蒙娜丽莎没有眉毛，因为文艺复兴时期流行把它们剃掉。

毛总是要剃的，只是年代不一样，所剃的毛也不一样而已。

（四）

Bush says sorry to China

Washington. President Bush, addressing an embarrassing flap that has strained U.S.-China relations, told Chinese President Hu Jintao yesterday that the shipment of nuclear missile fuses to Taiwan was a mistake.

因为误把洲际弹道飞弹引信当成直升机电池运送至台湾，布什对中国说对不起。

布什终究有点傻。他为什么不说我们现在已经把错误改正了，所以还是伟光正？习惯于沉浸在拨乱反正伟大业绩中的中国政府肯定心有灵犀，点头称是并表示理解和赞赏。