《中英對照讀新聞》Let poor eat caviar：Milan authorities 讓窮人吃魚子醬：米蘭當局說

◎管淑平

Poor residents of Milan will receive an unlikely Christmas gift of contraband caviar this year from kindly prosecutors, a newspaper reported on 20th. Dec..

米蘭的窮人今年將收到不可能的耶誕禮物，由好心檢察官送來的走私魚子醬，一家報紙12月20日報導。

Customs inspectors seized 40 kilogrammes of beluga caviar last month from two couriers travelling from Warsaw, the report said.

海關調查員上個月從兩名來自華沙的走私客查獲40公斤大白鱘魚子醬，報導說。

Prosecutors will hang on to a sample of the prized sturgeon eggs worth a total of 400,000 euros （557,000 dollars） for the investigation, while the rest will be given to charities to give to the poor.

檢察官將把這批總計價值40萬歐元的高貴鱘魚魚子醬留一部分樣本供調查，剩下的將交給慈善團體分送窮人。

"Testing confirmed that the caviar was perfectly edible and we thought of giving a Christmas present to those who cannot offer one to themselves," Juri Mantegazza, the official who carried out the seizure, told the newspaper.

「檢驗證實這些魚子醬絕對可以吃，我們想送給那些吃不起的人當耶誕禮物。」執行查扣行動的檢方官員曼提加薩向這家報紙說。

Charities seemed to grudgingly accept the gift.

慈善組織似乎不太願意收這份禮。

"All donations are accepted," Father Virginio Colmegna of Charity House said. "However, we must remember that the poor are in need of rights and dignity, more so than luxury products."

「所有捐贈都會被接受」，慈善之家神父柯梅格那說，「不過我們也要記住，窮人對人權和尊嚴的需求更勝於奢侈品。」

◎新聞辭典：

hang on to：動詞片語，保留。例句：I have to hang on to these documents for months for my research. （為了我的研究，我得保留這些文件幾個月。）

grudge：動詞，不情願給、嫌惡、抱不平。grudgingly：副詞，不情願地。例句：She grudgingly admitted she’s wrong. （她不甘願地承認錯誤。）

in need of：介詞片語，需要。例句：He is broke and in need of help to raise his kids. （他破產了，需要幫助讓他能養活小孩。）