weekly news: 日本擬捕殺座頭鯨 遭各方強烈譴責

Japan under fire for humpback hunt
　　
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　　Japan came under a storm of criticism Monday for going ahead with its largest whale hunt yet.
　　
2 Y6 b: D( h) R; h9 z1 d7 F. b( @　　Defying warnings from its Western allies that it would inflame anemotional row on whaling, Japan on Sunday sent its fleet to theAntarctic Ocean. The hunt will include famed humpback whales for thefirst time.
　　
　　A ship of Greenpeace environmentalists tried --so far in vain -- to track down the six-vessel whaling fleet as theUnited States, Australia, Britain and New Zealand all spoke out againstthe catch.
　　
　　Japan, where whale meat is an important part ofpeople』s food, plans to kill 950 whales on the five-month mission usinga loophole in a 1986 global moratorium that allows "lethal research"with scientific purpose on the giant mammals.
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7 k$ T* l, g" }" ?. D　　Australia』sopposition Labor Party, which is leading in polls ahead of nationalelections Saturday, said it would send out the navy to track theJapanese whalers and take video footage if it takes power.
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( X* V. v5 i9 X4 t　　Prime Minister John Howard said while "I totally disagree" with Japanese whaling, he opposed bringing in the military.
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+ K1 ~3 o) D& I# L　　The US acknowledged Japan』s right to conduct the hunt, but urged it to "refrain" from doing so.
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　　"While recognising Japan』s legal right under the whaling convention toconduct this hunt, we note that non-lethal research techniques areavailable to provide nearly all relevant data on whale populations,"State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
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# u9 s( R6 o5 g　　Theenvironmental group Greenpeace』s Esperanza ship was trying to find thefleet but said that the whalers had turned off identification equipment.
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　　"If they』re so confident they were doing the right thing, theyshouldn』t have anything to hide, but obviously they do," Greenpeaceactivist Dave Walsh said.
　　
　　Humpback whales, protected under a1966 worldwide moratorium by International Whaling Commission afteryears of overhunting, are renowned for their complex songs andacrobatic displays.
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　　 本週一消息，日本因啟動迄今規模最大的捕鯨行動而遭到各方強烈譴責。
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　　此前，日本的西方盟友向其發出警告，稱其此次捕鯨行動將會引起國際社會的公憤。但日本一意孤行，已於上週日派捕鯨船隊前往南極海。而且日本此次的捕鯨計劃首次將珍稀物種座頭鯨納入捕殺名單。
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% r) e; z$ o* K4 c2 i　　「綠色和平」環保組織已派船追蹤由六艘船組成的日本捕鯨船隊，但截至目前，還沒有發現他們的蹤跡。美國、澳大利亞、英國和新西蘭均對日本的捕鯨行動表示了抗議。
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0 Y/ A. z5 v3 N　　日本此次捕鯨行動將為期五個月，計劃捕殺950頭鯨。據悉，1986年出台的《國際捕鯨禁令》未明文禁止「以科研為目的」的捕鯨活動（譯者註：該禁令禁止以商業為目的的捕鯨活動），日本正是鑽了這個空子。但據瞭解，鯨肉一直是日本人餐桌上的美味。
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, [7 ?7 S5 x% J　　在上週六的大選民調中領先的澳大利亞在野黨工黨表示，將派海軍追蹤日本的捕鯨船隊，並將拍攝其捕鯨全過程。
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) y  r, m0 ~7 O& R　　澳大利亞總理約翰‧霍華德說，他「堅決反對」日本的捕鯨活動，但不贊成動用軍隊。
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　　美國承認日本有捕鯨的權利，但並不主張其這樣做。
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; ?/ n* k6 T( l( h) x* @　　美國國務院發言人西恩‧馬克考麥克說：「首先得承認，日本在遵守國際捕鯨禁令的前提下，開展捕鯨活動是合法的，但據我們瞭解，通過非致命性的研究手段就可以得到幾乎所有有關鯨類的相關數據。」
　　
! O. H2 u1 I; j+ y) v3 k: L) d( ~9 J　　「綠色和平」環保組織的「埃斯波蘭薩號」一直在尋找日本的捕鯨船隊，但據瞭解，日本的捕鯨船隊已關閉其識別裝置。
　　
1 J/ h% p, G* i. {) l# Z: b* ]　　「綠色和平」組織的環保主義人士戴維‧沃爾什說：「如果他們相信自己做得對，就不必隱藏什麼，但現在看來，他們顯然是在躲藏。」
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　　座頭鯨以會「唱動聽的歌曲」和表演雜技而著稱。多年來，座頭鯨被人類過度捕獵，1966年，國際捕鯨委員會出台捕殺禁令以保護這一物種。
　　
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　　馬特‧達蒙當選《人物》年度「最性感男人」
　　Matt Damon named 『sexiest man alive』
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　　Matt Damon, 37-year-old actor, named the "sexiest man alive" by Peoplemagazine -- the honor he said was a surprise to him, media reports saidThursday.
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　　"You gave an aging suburban dad the ego boost of alifetime," he says in a letter published in People』s annual issue, "My9-year-old stepdaughter now thinks I』m cool -- well, cooler."
　　
　　Damon, who has a 1-year-old daughter, Isabella, with Bozan, says "allthe campaigning" by Clooney and Pitt had finally paid off.
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: \- |- Z! Y5 W# \) }　　"Unfortunately, after all those years out on the trail, the meet andgreets, the fund raisers, the stump speeches, I』ve finally come toterms with the fact that this is a mantle I wasn』t meant to hold." hesays in the letter, which was signed "Matty."
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　　"Don』t get mewrong, though. I was really shocked and happy (Lucy said I actuallyblushed) when I heard the news. So I can』t thank you enough for that."
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　　Damon won a screenwriting Oscar with Ben Affleck in 1998 for "Good Will Hunting." Both Damon and Affleck starred in the movie.
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　　He has also starred in "The Departed," "Syriana," the "Ocean』s"franchise with Clooney and Pitt, and "The Bourne Identity" and its twosequels.
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　　People』s "sexiest man alive" list began in 1985with Mel Gibson. Others on the list: George Clooney (1997 and 2006),Brad Pitt (1995 and 2000), Denzel Washington (1996) and Johnny Depp(2003).
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' I" k$ F- ]- v* R! C　　據媒體本週四報道，37歲的影星馬特‧達蒙被《人物》雜誌評為年度「最性感男人」。達蒙說這一殊榮對他來說是個驚喜。
　　
: w( [% s' U+ g  D" t* |　　這期《人物》雜誌刊登了達蒙的獲獎感言，他在信中說：「你們讓一個上了年紀的鄉下老爸的形象光輝高大起來。我9歲的繼女現在覺得我很酷，對，是比以前更酷了。」
　　
* e9 S: p8 u7 l5 ]+ K4 g　　達蒙與妻子波贊有一個一歲的女兒伊莎貝拉。他說，克魯尼和皮特「所有的宣傳工作」都得到了「回報」。
　　
; a- L6 y# D/ \+ v　　達蒙在這封署名為「馬蒂」的信中說：「不幸的是，經過這麼多年的』折騰』，我得到了一個受之有愧的榮譽。」
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: Y4 Z3 {; Q3 y- v1 S　　「別誤會我的意思。我聽到這個消息後，十分驚喜，（露西說我的臉都紅了）。為此，我很感激你們！」
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7 G  E* `; W  c6 T- E& Z* V  l　　1998年，達蒙與本‧艾弗萊克擔任編劇的影片《心靈捕手》獲當年奧斯卡最佳原創劇本獎。達蒙和艾弗萊克共同出演了該片。
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　　此外，馬特‧達蒙還出演過《無間道風雲》、《辛瑞那》，與喬治‧克魯斯和布拉德‧皮特共同出演過《羅漢》系列，以及《諜影重重》三部曲。
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　　《人物》雜誌「最性感男人」的評選始於1985年，當年的「最性感男人」是梅爾‧吉布森。其他曾當選的名人包括：喬治‧克魯尼（1997和2006年）、布拉德‧皮特（1995年和2000年）、丹澤爾‧華盛頓（1996年）和強尼‧戴普（2003年）。