托福阅读材料之英国举行说谎大赛

A harrowing competition is underway in England, with billions of dollars and hundreds of lives at stake. OK, that’s not true. But competitors from around the world gathered on Thursday for the annual competition to crown the world’s biggest liar.

现在英国正在举行一场令人痛苦的比赛，数十亿美元的财产和上百条生命都因此而受到威胁。呃，好吧，这不是真的。但本周四确实有世界各地的参赛者齐聚英国，来参加一年一度的世界撒谎大赛。

Each contestant is given up to five minutes to weave the best fib in the contest, which was founded in honor of 19th-century Bridge Inn landlord Will Ritson, who was reportedly legendary for his lies.

比赛规定，每位参赛者应在五分钟内尽可能编出最无懈可击的谎言。举办撒谎比赛旨在纪念19世纪大桥酒馆的老板威尔-里特森，据说他因为非常善于撒谎而成为传奇人物。

Competitors gather at the Bridge Inn every year for the competition, a small pub in northwestern England.

大桥酒馆位于英国西北部，每年参赛者都将齐聚于此参加撒谎大赛。

Anyone can take part in the competition. Well, almost anyway; the Associated Press notes that lawyers and politicians are banned, citing “an unfair advantage” in the proceedings.

任何人都可以参加这项比赛，而且方式不限。但根据美联社的报道，律师和政客不得参加此项比赛，因为他们在讼辩方面“具备对他人而言不公平的优势”。

A study published this past July in the journal Evolution & Human Behavior found that nearly all lies are detectable through visible facial muscle reactions in the person telling a lie. “Thus, while interpersonal deception often is highly successful, signs of convert emotional states are communicated clearly to the informed observer,” the study concluded.

《进化与人类行为》七月期刊上的一篇研究发现，几乎所有谎言都可以从撒谎者的面部神经反应上得到判定。“所以，尽管人际交往上的欺骗往往总能得逞，但敏锐的观察者一眼就能识破情绪的转变迹象。” 研究如此总结道。

A bishop of Carlisle reportedly holds what may be the greatest lie of all time in the competition, simply stating, “I have never told a lie in my life.”

据说英国城市卡莱尔一位主教的谎言是比赛以来最为出彩的。他只说了一句：“我这辈子从没撒过一次谎。”

In 2003, Abrie Krueger of South Africa became the first non-Brit to win the competition. Ironically, Krueger was accused by some of cheating.

2003年，南非的阿布里埃-克鲁格成为赢得比赛的外国人。但讽刺的是，克鲁格后来被一些人指控在比赛中作弊。

In 2006, comedian Sue Perkins became the first female to win the competition, telling a tale about people riding camels to work as a result of climate change.

2006年，喜剧演员苏-帕金斯成为赢得比赛的女性。她讲述了一个人们因为气候变化不得不骑骆驼上班的故事。

Last year’s winning entry came from Glen Boyland, who told a lie about competing in a snail-racing competition with Prince Charles.

去年获得比赛的人叫格伦-伊兰，他撒谎说自己曾和查尔斯王子一起参加过“蜗速竞赛”。