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紅色字型：重點單詞
藍色字型：重點片語
下劃線：重點句子
Belgian racing pigeon fetches record price of $1。9 million
HALLE， Belgium （AP） — New Kim is worth her weight in gold and then some — actually much， much more。
哈雷，比利時（美聯社）——名叫新金的賽鴿的價值相當於她同等重量的黃金，甚至更多——實際上要多得多。
A wealthy Chinese pigeon racing fan
put down
a world record price of 1。6 million euros （$1。9 million） for the Belgian-bred bird， saying a lot more than merely what kind of money can be made in the
once-quaint
sport， which seemed
destined to
decline only a few years back。
一位富有的中國賽鴿愛好者為這隻比利時繁殖的鴿子開出了160萬歐元（約合190萬美元）的世界紀錄，他說的不僅僅是這項曾經古色古香的運動能賺到多少錢，而就在幾年前，這項運動似乎註定會衰落。
During a frantic last half hour Sunday at the end of a two-week auction， two Chinese bidders operating under the pseudonyms of Super Duper and Hitman drove up the price by 280，000 euros （$325，000）， leaving the previous record that Belgian-bred Armando fetched last year well behind by 350，000 euros （$406，000）。 Super Duper got the 3-year-old hen。
週日，在為期兩週的拍賣會結束的最後半小時裡，兩名化名超級杜珀（Super Duper）和希特曼（Hitman）的中國競拍者將價格推高了28萬歐元（約合32。5萬美元），遠遠落後於比利時品種阿曼多去年創下的35萬歐元（約合40。6萬美元）的紀錄。Super Duper得到了這隻3歲的母雞。
It was proof again that
an age-old hobby in Western Europe identified with working-class men now has a new，
elitist
foreign
lease
on life。 Top breeders relying on generations of family experience can now sell their birds for prices unheard of merely a decade ago， and often China is their destination。
這再次證明，西歐人認同工人階級的古老愛好，現在又有了一種新的、精英的外國生活方式。依靠幾代人的家庭經驗，頂級飼養者現在可以將他們的鳥類以十年前聞所未聞的價格出售，而中國往往是他們的目的地。
On this occasion
， successful breeder Gaston Van de Wouwer retired at 76 and his son had too busy a professional life to continue the famed pigeon coop。 All 445 birds were put on auction and the overall sale was closing in on 5 million euros （$5。8 million）。 A second part of the auction is ending on Monday， but did not include any bird that could match New Kim。
這一次，成功的飼養員加斯頓·範·德·伍沃在76歲時退休，他的兒子太忙了，無法繼續著名的鴿子圈子。所有445只鳥都被拍賣，總成交價接近500萬歐元（580萬美元）。拍賣的第二部分將於週一結束，但不包括任何可能與新金匹配的鳥。
Belgians have long
stood out
as the best breeders， both because of their generations-long experience and the density of a network where many breeders can organize races close together。 It‘s not a short-term endeavor， however， since becoming expert at genetic breeding with the constant mixing and mating of birds takes years， if not decades。 Birds can live up to 15 years。
比利時人長期以來一直是最好的飼養者，這既是因為他們世代以來的經驗，也是因為他們的網路密度很高，在這個網路中，許多飼養者可以緊密地組織比賽。然而，這並不是一項短期的努力，因為要成為鳥類不斷混合和交配的遺傳育種專家，需要數年甚至數十年的時間。鳥類的壽命最長可達15年。
“Everybody
is interested in
our pigeons，“ Pascal Bodengien， head of the Belgian pigeon federation， told The Associated Press。
比利時鴿子聯合會主席帕斯卡爾·博登吉恩告訴美聯社：“每個人都對我們的鴿子感興趣。”
Only a decade ago， the record price for a pigeon stood at one-tenth of New Kim’s price。 And the current price of gold stands about 26，000 euros （$30，350） per pound。
就在十年前，一隻鴿子的創紀錄價格是新金價格的十分之一。目前的黃金價格約為每磅26，000歐元（30，350美元）。
As so often， globalization has made the difference。
就像往常一樣，全球化帶來了改變。
With the rise of business wealth in China came also conspicuous consumption and a new venue for gambling。 Somehow， pigeons
fit the bil
l。 China often features one-loft racing， where pigeons all
get used to
one coop for months and then are released many hundreds of miles away to make their way back with their unique sense of orientation and special speed training。 Prize pots can reach into the tens of millions of euros。
隨著中國商業財富的增長，炫耀性消費和新的賭博場所也隨之而來。不知何故，鴿子符合這一要求。中國通常只有一個閣樓的比賽，鴿子們都習慣了幾個月的一個籠子，然後被放到數百英里外的地方，帶著它們獨特的方向感和特殊的速度訓練返回。獎金高達數千萬歐元。
For breeding， though，
there is no place like
Belgium。 This is where， little more than a generation ago， the national weekend radio news
was followed by
announcements on whether pigeons were released in faraway places in France or even Spain and what weather conditions the birds were facing。
然而，在繁殖方面，沒有一個地方比得上比利時。一代人多一點以前，國家週末廣播新聞之後，法國甚至西班牙的遙遠地方是否放飛了鴿子，以及鴿子面臨的天氣條件是什麼。
After World War II， Belgium had over 250，000 members in the pigeon fancier federation。 Now there are 18，000， Bodengien says。
二戰後，比利時有超過25萬名鴿子愛好者聯合會成員。Bodengien說，現在有1。8萬個。
Pigeon breeding demands constant attention， every single day of the year。 Those demands had
turned away
many modern folk， once sending the sport into a decline。
鴿子繁殖需要持續關注，一年中的每一天。這些要求讓許多現代人望而卻步，一度讓這項運動陷入衰落。
“To be the best， it has to be your life‘s work。 For some， it may seem boring。
Day in， day out。 Winter and summer， always those pigeons
。” he said。
“要做到最好，這必須是你畢生的心血。對一些人來說，這可能看起來很無聊。日復一日，日復一日。冬天和夏天，總是那些鴿子。“他說。
Once bitten though， many remain committed for life。 And the news that a pigeon can sell for $1。9 million could prompt new challengers to enter the sport。 Bodengien welcomed that development but urged patience and a reality check。
然而，一旦被咬，許多人仍將終身致力於此。一隻鴿子可以賣到190萬美元的訊息可能會促使新的挑戰者進入這項運動。博登吉恩對這一進展表示歡迎，但敦促耐心和現實檢查。
“Anybody thinking about getting into our sport to get money out of it had better think again and move to another sport，“ he said。
他說：“任何想要進入我們這項運動來賺錢的人最好三思而後行，轉而從事另一項運動。”