在埃及被拘的「間諜天鵝」既非間諜也不是天鵝 ’Spy swan’ detained in Egypt is neither a spy nor a swan

管淑平- In a case that’s likely to once again ruffle feathers regarding the treatment of innocent animals as spies Egyptian authorities have detained a migratory bird that one citizen suspected of being a spy. working for the French security services. 埃及當局扣留一隻被人懷疑是間諜的候鳥，此事可能再度引發對於以無辜動物充當間諜的不滿。 According to reports, authorities detained the bird after a man in Egypt’s Qena governorate spotted the animal - described by officials as a swan - among a group of four others. 據報導，埃及奎納省一名男子在一群鳥中發現這隻被官員形容是天鵝的鳥，與另外4隻鳥為伍後，當局扣押了這隻禽鳥。 Officials say the man suspected the bird was an undercover agent because it carried an electronic device. 官員說，該名男子懷疑這隻鳥是臥底特務，因為牠攜帶一具電子器材。 The head of security in Qena said that officials examined the bird and the electronic box concluding - perhaps unsurprisingly - that the device was neither a bomb nor spying equipment. 奎納省安全部門負責人說，官員檢查這隻鳥和牠身上的電子器材盒，或許不令人意外的是，結果發現這具器材不是炸彈，也不是間諜設備。 The box was actually a tracker used by French scientists to follow the movement of migrating birds, and the device had stopped working when the bird crossed the French border. 這個盒子其實是法國科學家用來追蹤候鳥動向的追蹤器，而且在這隻鳥越過法國邊境時已停止運作。 In a further twist to an already bizarre story, authorities in Egypt appear to have misidentified the bird as a swan, after images were released showing the bird - looking very much like a stork - behind bars. 讓這樁已經很怪異的故事更曲折的是，這隻鳥被關在籠子裡的照片公布後，顯示埃及當局顯然誤認這隻鳥是天鵝；照片中這隻鳥看起來非常像鸛。 新聞辭典： ruffle feathers：動詞，激怒人，引人不安、不滿。例句：Tim was not invited to Jessie’s birthday party, which ruffled his feathers.（提姆未受邀參加潔西的生日派對，讓他頗為不滿。） （to, put） behind bars：片語，監禁。例句：He spent three months behind bars for stealing.（他因偷竊坐牢3個月。） twist：名詞，曲折，扭曲。例句：After many twists and turns, they ended up together.（歷經許多波折後，他們終於在一起。）