Hole makes huge pumpkin ineligible for Alaska fair 破洞讓超大南瓜無法參加阿拉斯加博覽會

J.D. Megchelsen holds the record for giant pumpkins in Alaska, and the Nikiski gardener knew he had a candidate this year to beat the record of 1,287 pounds set in 2011. 梅格雀爾森是（美國）阿拉斯加州的大南瓜紀錄保持人，這位來自尼基斯基的園藝家知道，他今年有一顆能打敗2011年締造的1287磅紀錄的候選南瓜。 But when a boom truck gently lifted the behemoth on Monday with rigging and a sling, the big pumpkin revealed a big disappointment： a thumb-size hole that will make it ineligible for the competition at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer. 但當一輛起重機卡車週一以索具與吊索輕輕吊起這個龐然大物時，這顆大南瓜卻令人大失所望：一個拇指大小的破洞，讓這顆大南瓜失去參加在帕爾馬舉行的阿拉斯加州博覽會的資格。 Entries must be free of rot, chemical residue and serious soft spots. They can’t have holes or cracks that reach the pumpkin cavity. 參賽南瓜必須沒有腐爛、化學殘留，以及嚴重軟斑。不能有洞或直達內部的裂縫。 A scale on the crane indicated the big pumpkin weighed 1,500 pounds, but Megchelsen estimates the state competition scale would have registered closer to 1,420 pounds. 起重機上的磅秤顯示，這顆大南瓜重1500磅，但梅格雀爾森估計，州競賽的磅秤上秤出來的重量應該接近1420磅。 "It’s just killing him," said Pam Elkins, Megchelsen’s sister-in-law. "He eats, sleeps and dreams pumpkins. All he does is pumpkins." （AP） 「這簡直要他的命。」梅格雀爾森的小姨子潘．艾爾金斯說。「他吃、睡跟作夢都是南瓜。他眼裡只有南瓜。」（美聯社） 新聞辭典 ineligible：形容詞，不適任；無被選資格。 hold the record：慣用語，保持紀錄；beat the record：打破紀錄；set the record：締造紀錄。例句：You have to beat the old record before you set a new one.（你得先打破舊紀錄才能創造新紀錄。） free of：慣用語，免於，沒有。例句：This area is free of chicken pox.（該區已免於水痘威脅。）