《中英對照讀新聞》Ageing Aussies strip in pension protest 澳洲老人脫衣抗議退休金太少
Protesting pensioners brought traffic to a stand still in Australia’s second largest city recently when some stripped to demand more money from the government.

示威的年長人士最近曾讓澳洲第二大城的交通動彈不得，部份示威者乾脆脫掉衣服，要求政府給老人更多錢。

The scantily-clad seniors braved the autumn weather in a 150-strong protest against federal budget, which offered them little despite a 21.7 billion dollar surplus.

這些穿著清涼的老人頂著秋天的寒風，集合了150多人一起抗議聯邦政府預算，在這份預算書中，儘管政府盈餘高達217億元，撥給老人的經費卻非常有限。

Most at the "Fair Go for Pensioners" rally in downtown Melbourne kept their clothes on, but several threw convention to the wind and stripped to their underwear.

這場在墨爾本市中心區舉行的「退休老人要求公平待遇」示威，多數參與者都穿著整齊，但少數人卻不顧一切地把衣服脫到只剩內衣。

As bemused police looked on, a bespectacled man stripped to his briefs and socks, while a couple of lively ladies whipped off their tops and paraded in their bras.

在困惑的警察注視下，一名戴著眼鏡的男子脫得只剩內褲和襪子，另外幾名精力充沛的女士們則迅速脫掉上衣，只穿著胸罩走上街頭。

The leader of the minority Family First party, Senator Steve Fielding, who took off his shirt in solidarity with the seniors, said the country’s 3.5 million pensioners were "overlooked Australians."

澳洲小黨「家庭第一黨」黨魁、參議員費爾丁也脫掉襯衫以示與年長選民站在同一陣線，他說澳洲三百五十萬名退休老人是「遭忽視的澳洲人」。

"Pensioners have no voice and are left to survive on a meagre allowance each week that most people would never manage on," he said. "They are buckling under the pressure of higher petrol and grocery prices."

「退休老人沒有聲音，被迫每週靠著微薄的退休金維生，多數人光靠這點錢絕對沒辦法生活，」他說。「在汽油與民生物資價格上漲的壓力下，他們已經快活不下去了。」

新聞辭典

brave：動詞，指勇敢面對困境，如Shall we brave the snow and go for a walk（= go for a walk although it is snowing）?（我們要不要冒雪去散步？）

go：名詞，文中指機會，美式英語則多用turn，如Hey, it’s my go now!（嘿，這次該輪到我了！）

throw caution to the wind／winds：片語，指不顧後果、冒險去做某事，如I threw caution to the wind and bought the most expensive wine.（我孤注一擲地買了最貴的酒。）文中則把片語中的caution改為convention，意指打破常規。

自由時報-970519
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