中國網站品牌欄目（頻道）
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Two year-old octopus Paul, the so-called "octopus oracle" predicts Spain's 2010 soccer World Cup final victory over The Netherlands by choosing a mussel, from a glass box decorated with the Spanish national flag instead of a glass box with the Dutch flag, at the Sea Life Aquarium in the western German city of Oberhausen July 9, 2010.(Agencies) |
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Paul, the oracle octopus who shot to fame in the World Cup this summer for his uncanny ability to predict the results of Germany's soccer matches, has died at his home in Oberhausen at the age of two. English-born Paul made headlines across the globe after he correctly forecast how Germany would fare in seven matches, before his psychic powers were tested again for the final. After Germany's semi-final defeat, Paul tipped Spain to beat the Netherlands in the final, which prompted one news agency to report he had spurred a jump in demand for Spanish government bonds. Paul's prediction duly came to pass: Spain won. Staff at the Oberhausen Sea Life Center in western Germany said in a statement they were "devastated" to learn of Paul's death when they returned to work on Tuesday. "He appears to have passed away peacefully during the night, of natural causes, and we are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life," said the centre's manager Stefan Porwoll. Before matches, two containers of food were placed in the eight-legged creature's tank, each one bearing the flag of one of the teams about to compete for their chance to become world champions. The container Paul picked first was seen as his pick. Following the World Cup, a Spanish zoo made a transfer bid for Paul but his German keepers refused to sell. Paul will be kept in cold storage until the center decides how to mark the mollusc's extraordinary life, Porwoll added. "We may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds and erect a modest permanent shrine," he said. Paul, who was hatched in Weymouth, England, may yet continue to dazzle the world with predictions from beyond the grave. A Russian newspaper said in July it had got Paul to predict who would be Russia's next president -- but that the results would be kept secret until the election year of 2012. Sea Life said Paul would live on as the object of a host of commercial enterprises ranging from special clothing lines to mobile phone applications inspired by his fame in Oberhausen, one of Germany's most cash-strapped cities. Meanwhile, donations made in honor of Paul's achievements would help to fund a planned permanent rescue center for sea turtles on the Greek island of Zakynthos, Sea Life said. (Read by Lee Hannon. Lee Hannon is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
章魚保羅近日在奧伯豪森水族館的家中去世，享年兩歲。這只神算章魚因在今夏世界杯期間準確預測德國足球隊全部賽果而一舉成名。 在準確預測了德國隊七場賽事結果后，出生于英國的保羅立即成為全球大熱，之后它神奇的預測能力又在決賽中得以驗證。 在德國隊折戟半決賽后，保羅預測西班牙隊將戰勝荷蘭隊捧杯，有家通訊社甚至因此報道稱，保羅此舉還使西班牙政府債券的需求量激增。保羅的預測終于成真：西班牙隊最終奪冠。 德國西部奧伯豪森水族館的工作人員在一份聲明中稱，他們在本周二上班后得知保羅去世“悲痛萬分”。 水族館經理斯特凡?波爾沃爾說：“他在夜里平靜離世，是自然死亡。他在世時享受到了精彩的一生，我們對此感到欣慰。” 在每場比賽之前，工作人員會在這只八爪章魚的水箱里放兩盒食物，每個盒子里各放一面下一輪交鋒球隊的國旗。保羅首先選中哪個盒子就代表他認為誰將取勝。 本屆世界杯結束后，西班牙一家動物園想出價讓保羅“轉會”，被其德國主人斷然拒絕。 波爾沃爾補充稱，在水族館決定如何為保羅舉行葬禮儀式前，他的遺體將被冷藏保存。 他說：“我們可能會在院子里給他找一塊小墓地，再為它豎一塊樸素的永久紀念碑。” 保羅生于英格蘭韋茅斯，雖然它已經離世，但他生前的預測仍將影響后世。 俄羅斯一家報紙今年7月份稱，保羅已對俄下屆總統大選做出預測，但預測結果在2012年大選前將保密。 奧伯豪森水族館稱，由于保羅在奧伯豪森名聲大振，他的形象仍將用于服裝品牌、手機應用軟件等一系列商業產品中。奧伯豪森是德國最貧困的城市之一。 水族館表示，與此同時，為紀念保羅成就而進行的捐款將用于按計劃在希臘扎金索斯島修建一家海龜永久救援中心。 相關閱讀 （中國日報網英語點津 Julie 編輯：馮明惠） |
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Vocabulary: shoot to fame: 一舉成名，迅速走紅 beyond the grave: 死后 cash-strapped: 資金短缺的 |
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