World in Pictures
Photo source: ImagineChina

	Giant rooster sculpture 巨型公鸡雪雕迎新年 A 70-ton snow sculpture of a rooster, "the symbol of the forthcoming year" was made in the centre of Rybinsk, Russia, December 18.
	Dance on piano 钢琴上起舞 FAO Schwarz employees Tym Byerz(R) and Mike Cali reenact a scene from the Tom Hanks movie "Big" in their New York store on December 15. Fans can pick up their own dance on pianos for $150,000.
	Santa rappels 圣诞老人空降 分发礼物 A Santa Claus rappels the 127m Entel Tower, to give gifts to children of the Aldeas Infantiles (children's villages) Non-Governmental Organization, in Santiago, Chile, December 23. This NGO takes care of more than 4,500 orphans during Christmas.
	"Bush Monkeys" "猴头布什"亮相街头 A portrait of US President George W. Bush using monkeys to form his image by artist Chris Savido is projected on a billboard, December 22, near the entrance to the Holland Tunnel in New York. "Bush Monkeys", a small acrylic on canvas, was banned from a New York art show. Anonymous donors had paid for the picture to be posed on a giant digital billboard and the original will be auctioned on eBay, with proceeds donated to parents of US soldiers trying to supply them with body armor in Iraq.
	World's biggest tree house 世界最大"树屋"即将对公众开放 A huge tree house which is worth 3 million pounds or 4.6 million euros, believed to be one of the world's biggest, is seen in England. The tree house, which is turreted and stands up to 60ft off the ground, has been built on the grounds of Alnwick Castle, Northumberland and was used for the filming of the Harry Potter movies. The tree house will be officially opened to the public on January 12, 2005.
	Dog saves man 小狗救人 Roman Catholic Bishop Rolando of the devastated town of Infanta stops on his way to a mass to pat his pet dog named "Champ" outside his damaged quarters, December 26. Champ, a three-year-old Rotweiller, saved Dennis Dunque, a church worker, during the height of the flash flood, November 29.

World in Words
Collected & translated by Beverly

"I favor a strong dollar, but markets should make the decision."
"我也喜欢强劲的美元, 但是应该由市场来做决定. "

President Bush in commenting the dollar's decline. The dollar has fallen about 7 percent against the euro since President Bush won re-election on November 2.
--自11月2日布什成功连任以来, 美元对欧元的汇率已经下降了7个百分点. 对此, 布什总统还是有自己的看法的.


"It worries me. But, hey, the sun comes up, the sun goes down. You worry about the task at hand. That's the way I look at it."
"我很担心. 但是, 嗨, 有日出, 总会有日落的. 你总会担心手头上的工作. 我就是这么看待这个问题的. "

Many jobs have been cut by the auto parts giant Delphi, but some workers seem to have a positive attitude.
--汽车零件供应巨商德尔福公司开始大幅度裁员, 但是公司员工的心态看起来挺积极的.


"I suspect that as we get more spacecraft in orbit that it will increase the chances of seeing some kind of active eruption."
"我想, 只要我们送更多飞船上轨道, 我们能够看到火山喷发的机会也就增加了. "

Said Dr. James W. Head III, a professor of geological sciences. Photographs taken by a spacecraft orbiting Mars indicate that active volcanoes may still exist on the planet.
--言出地质学专家海德博士. 由一艘绕火星运行的飞船所拍摄的照片显示火星上仍有可能存在着活火山.


''Among some countries, China fever seems to be replacing China fear,''
"在一些国家, 中国热已经取代了中国慌. "

Wang Gungwu, the director of the East Asian Institute at the National University in Singapore, in commenting China's rising power as more and more Chinese travel abroad.
--随着越来越多的中国人出国旅行, 中国的影响力也加强了. 对此, 新加坡国立大学东亚研究院院长王光武表达了上述看法.