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香皂 在使用髒話之後，小海倫凱勒被處罰了（譯註：以前在歐美國家，若小孩講話「出口成髒」的話，家長會警告要拿肥皂洗小孩的嘴巴作為懲罰，但美國已故身心障礙教育家海倫凱勒失聰且失明，因此她在本漫畫中由於寫了不雅的字眼而被罰洗手。）

「沒錯，女士，我們會為您舖上我們最好的複合式屋瓦屋頂……在房子的屋頂。」『好啊。』冷血的屋頂建築業電訪人員確定時機恰當的停頓通常都是成功銷售的秘訣（譯註：打電話的人說 on the house 是指「在屋子的屋頂舖瓦」地意思，但是電話中的女士卻誤以為是要「免費」替她舖瓦之意。）

「好啦，我會跟你比賽，不過先讓我把我富含糖分、牛磺酸、咖啡因、高單位果糖、人蔘的超級棒棒糖吃完。」少年藍斯阿姆斯壯（譯註：少年藍斯阿姆斯壯手上拿的棒棒所含的化學物質皆具有提神的功效，所以本漫畫以此暗諷這名因為服用禁藥而聲敗名裂的前自由車選手。）

「現在往這裡走！護士，馬上給我一個 P195/60R14…標準型輪胎！」米其林（譯註：本漫畫的傷患是米其林輪胎的吉祥物 Bibendum（亦稱 Michelin Man）。外科醫師說的 P195/60R14 指的是某型號規格的輪胎，因為傷患是由各種不同大小的輪胎組合而成的。）

全世界最忙碌的專業工作 股票經紀人 航管人員 聯邦快遞員工 「你們可以在我們廿四小時候填完洛夫女士的處方籤後再來嗎」「那樣時間夠嗎？」名人藥局（譯註：本漫畫的最後一格影射因濫用藥物和毒品而形象不佳的搖滾女歌手 Courtney Love，並暗諷好萊塢藥局為了滿足名流在這方面的需求，必須廿四小時全天營業。）

在把回溯機器設定成一八五六年，晉見了維多利亞女王後，皮巴迪先生破壞了王室禮儀。（譯註：本漫畫影射美國知名動畫影集《The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show》中戴眼鏡的狗 Mister Peabody，狗在碰到未曾見過的東西時，總是會先用鼻子去聞，但這個習慣動作卻冒犯了英國的維多利亞女王。）

「妳沒泡泡啊，卡莉？超～～～無聊的！」「我猜她根本沒打入二氧化碳！哈哈！」身為沒泡泡的可樂的痛苦（譯註：在本漫畫中，flat 是形容「汽水沒氣」以及「胸部小」一語雙關。）

二○○九年一名加州婦女使用體外受精技術誕下八胞胎的案例使人聚焦大數目多胞胎的問題，多胞胎的數字下降了，但雙胞胎則不然。美國疾病防治中心最新的統計數字顯示，百分之四十六的體外受精嬰兒是多胞胎──主要是雙胞胎，而且百分之卅七是早產兒。相較之下，未經受孕技術處理而誕下的嬰兒中，只有百分之三是雙胞胎，同時也只有百分之十二是早產兒。這主要是一個美國人的問題，有些負擔受精治療費用的歐洲國家規定，每次只能用一個胚胎。

美國生育醫學學會目前也在設法使這一點成為美國固定的做法，該學會今年稍早才作了最新修訂的指引宣稱，對有合理成功機會的婦女，應主動提供單一的胚胎供移植之用，一次最多不能超過兩個。但胚胎數目隨著年齡而增加，最高四十歲的婦女每次可以有兩三個胚胎，因為年齡較大的婦女比較不容易成孕。為了使這種建議更有份量。指引主張應該針對一胎多嬰和胚胎移植的風險給予婦女輔導，同時在這些婦女的病歷紀錄中提及有關討論。

The 2009 case of a California woman who had octuplets using IVF focused attention on the issue of big multiple births, and the numbers have dropped, except for twins. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's most recent numbers show that 46 percent of IVF babies are multiples— mostly twins —and 37 percent are born premature. By comparison, only 3 percent of babies born without fertility help are twins and about 12 percent are preterm. It's mostly an American problem — some European countries that pay for fertility treatments require using one embryo at a time.

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine is trying to make it the norm in the U.S., too. Its guidelines, updated earlier this year, say that for women with reasonable medical odds of success should be offered single embryo transfer and no more than two at a time. The number rises with age, to two or three embryos for women up to 40, since older women have more trouble conceiving. To add heft to the advice, the guidelines say women should be counseled on the risks of multiple births and embryo transfers and that this discussion should be noted in their medical records.

美國受孕科醫師立志降低雙胞胎出生率

自從所謂「八胞胎媽媽」案例發生後的五年間，美國一胎多嬰的情形已經減少了很多，但雙胞胎的出生率卻幾乎在原地踏步。現在受精問題專家在尋求一個新目標，那就是一胎只生一個。

American fertility doctors aim to lower rate of twin births

在歐洲、澳洲與紐西蘭，兒童體適能衰弱的情形似乎有回穩，而在北美洲過去的幾年間或許也回穩了。不過，這個情形在中國卻繼續每況愈下。在兩千五百萬名的研究對象中，有兩千萬名是亞洲兒童。

在中國，每年的體適能測驗數據顯示，學生在過去幾十年間愈趨遲鈍與肥胖。專家與教育界人士將這樣的衰退現象，歸因於國內對競爭激烈的大學入學考試成績的執迷，以及像是電玩與上網等室內活動的流行。中國教育部的數據顯示，在二○一○年，男大生跑一千公尺的速度平均比十年前的成績慢了十四至十五秒，女大生跑八百公尺則慢了十二秒左右。

The decline in fitness seems to be leveling off in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and perhaps in the last few years in North America. However, it continues to fall in China. About 20 million of the 25 million children in the studies were from Asia.

In China, annual fitness test data show the country's students have been getting slower and fatter over the past couple of decades. Experts and educators blame an obsession with academic testing scores for China's competitive college admissions, as well as the popularity of indoor activities like gaming and Web surfing, for the decline. Data from China's Education Ministry show that in 2010 male college students ran 1,000 meters 14 to 15 seconds slower on average than male students did a decade earlier. Female students slowed by about 12 seconds in an 800-meter run.

一項全球性研究顯示，這一代兒童的體能比父母輩年輕時來得差

這一代的兒童趕不上他們父母的腳步。以全球各地數百萬名兒童為對象的研究分析顯示，這些兒童與他們的父母輩年輕時相比，跑得沒有那麼快，也沒有那麼遠。平均而言，現在的兒童跑一哩（一點六公里）要比父母輩卅年前時多花九十秒鐘。從一九七五年開始，九至十七歲兒童心臟功能相關的體適能，每十年就下降百分之五。

Children today are less fit than their parents were: global study

對於各種選舉語言感到困惑嗎？每一個美國選舉都會拋出新的 專門用語，及2004年的總統的種族問題沒有什麼不同的。隨著11月選舉逼近，口水戰絕對會被左右的輿論所影響。為了能更了解所有有關於這些惱人的名字稱呼，看一看我們對於John Kerry 及 George W. Bush競選語言指南。

Indian Angami Nag tribesmen look on during the Angami Naga Sekrenyi festival at Kisama, some 12 kilometers from Kohima, in the northeastern state of Nagaland, India on Tuesday, Feb. 25. Sekrenyi, a purification festival, is celebrated by Angami Nagas with a series of rituals and ceremonies, and takes place after the harvest, falling on the 25th day of the Angami month of Kezei. (AFP)

A leopard leaps across an under-construction structure near a furniture market in the Degumpur residential area as a bystander moves out of the way in Meerut, India on Sunday, Feb. 23. A leopard sparked panic in a north Indian city when it strayed inside a hospital, a cinema and an apartment block before evading captors, an official said. (AFP)

Kadrie Avdikova, a Bulgarian Muslim bride, has her face decorated with special wedding makeup at the end of a two-day wedding ceremony in the Rhodope Mountains village of Ribnovo, 200 kilometers south of the Bulgarian capital Sofia on Sunday, Feb. 23. The wedding ritual has been resurrected with vigor among the Pomaks — Slavs who converted to Islam under Ottoman rule. The highlight of the ceremony is the painting of the bride's face; in a private rite, her face is covered in thick, chalky white paint and decorated with colorful sequins. (AP)

A woman shares a tender moment with her pet during international dog sled race "Zavirukha" (Snow Storm) in the Belarus capital Minsk on Saturday, Feb. 22. About 140 athletes from Belarus, Russia, Latvia and Lithuania take part in competitions. (AFP)