6th HP Book Breaks Sales Records
《哈利·波特6》: 创销售新高
The new Harry Potter book "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" sold an astonishing 6.9 million copies in its first 24 hours, breaking the record held by the previous release. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" averaged better than 250,000 sales per hour, more than most books sell in a lifetime. John Grisham and Terry Pratchett, the most popular writers of adult fiction, sell no more than 20,000 books in the first week of sale.
最新出版的"哈利·波特"系列第6本《哈利·波特与混血王子》首发当天24小时内销量达到惊人的690万册，突破了《哈利·波特5》的销售记录。《哈利·波特与混血王子》平均每小时售出25万多册，这比大部分图书的销售总量还要高。即使是最畅销成人小说作家约翰·葛里逊和特里·普莱奇的新书，发行一周内的销量也不过2万册。
Discovery's Successful Landing
发现号成功着陆
After an extra day in space, the crew of Discovery returned to Earth, landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California early on the morning of August 9. The shuttle and its crew spent two weeks in space, most of it aboard the International Space Station. It was the first flight of NASA's space-shuttle fleet since February 2003, when the shuttle Columbia came apart while re-entering Earth's atmosphere. NASA officials delayed Discovery's return for one day because of cloudy weather in Florida, where the shuttle was supposed to land. "We're happy to be back," responded mission commander Eileen Collins. "We congratulate the whole team on a job well done." Discovery had a very busy mission in space, compared to past missions. The space shuttle docked with the International Space Station for nine days, delivering badly needed supplies and repairing damaged parts. The crew spent a lot of time testing new repair techniques on their own shuttle, conducting three different spacewalks (where astronauts exit the space shuttle to do work outside). With the shuttle and its crew safely back on firm ground, NASA is hailing this mission as a huge success.
8月9日早晨（美国东部时间），发现号航天飞机成功返回地球，降落在加利弗尼亚的爱德华兹空军基地，比原计划的降落时间推迟了一天。航天飞机与机组在大空飞行了两周，大多停留在国际空间站。这是自2003年2月哥伦比亚号航天飞机在着陆前解体以来，美国宇航局航天飞机的首航。宇航局的官员因佛罗里达上空多云而将发现号的降落推迟了一天，佛罗里达是该飞机原计划的降落地。"很高兴我们回来了，"机长艾琳·柯林斯说，"我们祝贺团队出色地完成了任务。"发现号此次出航，较以前的几次任务更为繁重。它与国际空间站成功对接工作了9天，给空间站输送了急需的物资，同时对受损的部分进行了维修。机组花了不少时间对航天飞机本身进行了新维修技术的测试，完成了三次不同的太空行走（宇航员走出机舱，在舱外作业）。美国宇航局在航天飞机及机组安全返回到结实的地面上后，称这次任务取得了巨大的成功。
Indians: World's Biggest Readers
印度人: 最爱读书
Indians are the world's biggest bookworms, reading on average 10.7 hours a week, twice as long as Americans, according to a new survey. The NOP World Culture Score index surveyed 30,000 people in 30 countries from December 2004 to February 2005. Analysts said the desire to read could explain India's high figures. Time spent on reading meant fewer hours watching TV and listening to the radio－India came fourth last in both. The survey saw China take second place and the Philippines take third in average hours a week, spent reading books, newspapers and magazines.
最新一项调查显示，全世界最爱读书的是印度人，他们每周花在阅读上的时间平均达到10.7小时，是美国人的两倍。NOP世界文化评分指数在2004年12月—2005年2月对30个国家的3万人进行了调查。分析家们指出，热爱读书是印度人均读书时间超过别国的主要原因。把时间用于阅读意味着看电视和听广播的时间相对减少，印度人用于看电视和听广播的时间都排在倒数第四位。NOP调查发现中国人和菲律宾人每周用在读书、读报及杂志的时间分列第二和第三名。
Height of Love
爱情: 让世界之颠见证
Nepalese girl Moni Mulepati, 24, and her secret beau Pem Dorje Sherpa, 23, created a world record when they tied the knot on Mt Everest. Though married couples have been periodically climbing the 8,848m peak, this is the first time a pair ever said "I do" on the highest peak in the world.
24岁的尼泊尔女孩莫妮·穆勒帕蒂和她的神秘男友、23岁的夏尔巴青年番姆·多吉创造了一项世界纪录——在珠穆朗玛峰顶喜结良缘。 尽管不少夫妻登山爱好者曾定期攀登这座8,848米的高峰，但这还是头一次有新人在世界最高峰上向对方说“我愿意”。
Money Can't Buy You Love
伤心男人：金钱难买爱情
A wealthy lawyer says he must be the most ugly man in the world, after having 5,000 marriage proposals turned down. Croatian lawyer, Emil Kacic, who has recorded all the failures in a little black book, said, "Money can't buy you love, at least if you have a face like mine." Dejected Kacic said, "I've tried placing all kinds of different ads, but not a single woman I've met through my adverts has accepted my offer. What else is there to believe, other than that I must be the ugliest man in the world."
一位富有的律师在5000次求婚均遭拒绝之后，认定自己是世界上最丑的人。克罗地亚的律师艾米尔·卡西克，把所有受挫经历都写在一个小小的黑色日记本里。 “钱买不来爱情，至少长得像我这样的人买不到。”灰心的卡西克说，“我曾试登过不同的征婚广告，但由此认识的单身女孩没一个接受我。我要不是世界上最丑的男人，还能是谁呢？”
Couch Potato ：Always a Bad Term?
土豆：为什么受伤的总是我？
British potato farmers were taking to the streets for the expression "couch potato" to be removed from the Oxford English Dictionary for it harms the vegetable's image. The British Potato Council wants the Dictionary to replace the expression with the term "couch slouch". Kathryn Race, head of marketing at the Council, said, "We are trying to get rid of the image that potatoes are bad for you. The potato has been criticized in the past." The OED says "couch potato" started as American slang, meaning "a person who spends a great deal of time watching television."
英国种植土豆的农民涌上街头游行，强烈要求《牛津英语大词典》把短语“couch potato”从字典中拿掉，因该词有损土豆形象。英国马铃薯委员会要求用另一个词“couch slouch”来取代“couch potato”。其市场部主任凯瑟琳·莱思说：“我们试图消除这种印象：土豆是个害人精。土豆过去一直身背骂名。” 《牛津英语大词典》对这个词是如此解释的：“couch potato”出自美国俚语，代指那些“浪费太多时间看电视的人”。
Sharp Develops 'Two-Way Viewing-Angle' LCD
新款显示器：彻底解决频道争端
At last, a way to end quarrels with which TV channel to watch — without buying a second set. Sharp Corp. has developed a liquid-crystal display that shows totally different images to people viewing the screen from the left and the right. The "two-way viewing-angle LCD" goes into mass production in July and will cost roughly twice as much as a standard display. It could be used in cars so drivers can look at a map while the passenger watches a movie.
看电视的频道大战终于有个法子解决了！用不着买第2台电视机！夏普公司推出的新款液晶显示器可以让人们从左右不同方位观看到完全不同的画面。这种叫做“双向视角”的液晶显示器于7月正式投产，售价大约是普通显示器的两倍。如果用于公交业，在司机利用这种液晶显示器查找行车路线时，旁边的乘客可同时观看电影。
How a Fly Escapes Your Swat?
苍蝇：为何拍不着我？
Trying to swat a fly can be among the most difficult household activities. Now scientists know why it is so hard. The fly's escape secret: It jumps rather than just trying to fly. In a new study, researchers of the California Institute of Technology were interested in how a fly's brain reacts when threatened with its life. The research revealed that flies jump directly away from the incoming objects, using both their legs and wings.
拍打苍蝇可以算是特别棘手的家务了。现在科学家明白难在何处了。苍蝇逃跑秘密：它们会在危险来临时跳走，而并不是设法飞走。在一项新的研究中，美国加州理工学院的科学家们致力于发现苍蝇在面临生命威胁时其大脑是如何反应的。 研究显示，当有目标来袭时，苍蝇用腿和翅膀直接跳开。