Paris Footbridge Laden with Love Locks Collapses|承受不了的爱

Paris Footbridge Laden with Love Locks Collapses

　　Love can often weigh heavy on the heart. Now it seems that tokens of love can also be weighty enough to take down a bridge. According to authorities in Paris, thousands of padlocks attached to a metal grill on the Pont des Arts footbridge, over the Seine River, are responsible for the partial collapse of the bridge. The locks, left by couples, have been popping up on several of the city's bridges and are now posing a serious problem that needs to be addressed.

　　Lovers inscribe their names or initials on the locks to symbolize enduring love and then toss the keys into rivers beneath the bridges. Even though the practice has been common in Serbia for at least 100 years, its popularity did not spread to the rest of Europe until the early 2000s.

承受不了的爱

　　爱情可能经常在人们的心中占有很重要的地位。而现在爱情的象征似乎也重到足以压垮一座桥。根据巴黎当局表示，横跨塞纳河的巴黎艺术桥金属护栏上所挂的数千个挂锁是造成这座桥倒塌的部份原因。巴黎市的好几座桥上却不断出现这些情侣们留下的挂锁，而且现在已造成了相当严重的问题，这个问题不得不处理。

　　情侣们在挂锁上刻上他们的名字或是名字的开头字母来象征恒久的爱情，然后将钥匙丢入桥下的河水中。虽然这种习俗在塞尔维亚司空见惯，且其历史至少有一百年，但直到二十一世纪初期，这股流行风才传到了欧洲其他各国。

 

Bulletproof Blankets: A Solution or a Delusion?

　　The horrific school shootings and the bitter gun debate in the USA have inspired an Oklahoma podiatrist to create a novel solution that he claims will protect children from crazed gunmen: The Bodyguard Blanket from ProTecht. It is a 5/16-inch pad made from high-density plastic, which is said to shield children from light to moderate semiautomatic weapons. The blankets, priced at US$1,000, have been selling like crazy to parents desperate for any form of protection for their loved ones.

　　Critics of the bulletproof blankets feel that it is foolish to believe they will be of any benefit against an attacker armed with a big gun. Sadly, until the US Congress finds a way to reduce the number of guns in circulation, people will be forced to defend themselves and their families any way they can. It remains to be seen as to whether bulletproof blankets are effective.

充满争议的防弹毯

　　在美国发生的可怕校园枪击案及有关枪枝使用的激烈争议促使一位奥克拉荷马州的足科医生打造了一种新颖的解决方案，他宣称这项产品将会保护孩子们免受那些疯狂的持枪歹徒所害，这项产品就是由 ProTecht 公司所推出的『保镳毯』。这是一块十六分之五英寸（编按：约零点七九公分）厚的垫子，是由高密度的塑胶所制成，据说可以保护儿童，其可对抗轻型到中型的半自动武器。这种要价一千美元的毯子已经造成那些渴望用各种方法来保护他们所爱的父母们疯狂抢购。

　　这种防弹毯的批评者认为，大家相信这项产品会有助于对抗身上带着大型枪械的攻击者，这种想法很愚蠢。不幸的是，在美国国会找到减少枪枝流通数量的方法之前，大家将被迫用尽各种方法来保护自己和家人。至于防弹毯是否有效还有待观察。