末日也瘋狂
末日搶購熱
In Sichuan province, panic buying of candles has swept through two counties in the fear that an ancient Mayan prediction that the world will end on December 21 proves to be true.
由於害怕古老的瑪雅預言所說的世界會在12月21日末日是真的，四川省兩個縣的人們紛紛搶購蠟燭。
“Candles are selling by the hundreds, with buyers constantly coming to the market. Many stores have run out,” the owner of grocery said, “At first, we had no idea why. But then we heard someone muttering about the continuous darkness”.
“蠟燭都是成百成百的賣的，購買者不斷涌進市場，很多商店的蠟燭都賣光了，”店主說，“開始我們也不知道發生什麼事。但是後來我們聽說有人傳言會有持續的黑暗。”
The source of the panic was traced to a post on Sina Weibo, predicting that there will be three days of darkness when the apocalypse arrives.
這個恐慌的來源來自新浪微博的一篇博文，說到在末日來臨那天，地球將會有三天全黑暗時期。
Daydreaming About Last Day
末日白日夢
Since the beginning of December, the word “Mayans” has trended on Weibo as millions of normally phlegmatic Chinese speculate that the end is nigh. “If the Mayans are right, I won’t pay my credit card bill,” was one popular post.
自從12月開始，“瑪雅”這個詞在微博上成爲熱詞，普通老百姓紛紛推測末日的到來。一條轉發量大的微博說到，“如果世界末日是真的，我就不付信用卡卡債了。”
To be Charitable on Last Day
末日慈善心
A spokesman said they had handled 25 apocalypse-related cases in one 24-hour stretch. Most of the scam artists took advantage of credulous pensioners, encouraging them to hand over their savings for one last act of charity.
一個發言人說他們在一天內接到25宗跟末日有關的案件。很多騙子利用退休老年人對末日的輕信，鼓勵他們把退休金及存款都交給他們做最後的善事。
In Shanghai, the police have had to issue a public warning about doomsday. “The end of the world is a rumour,” the police said, “Do not believe it and do not be swindled”.
在上海，公安不得不發佈對末日的公衆警告。警方說：“世界末日是謠言，不要相信，也不要受騙。”
In Nanjing, a 54-year-old university professor’s wife took out a £100,000 mortgage on her £300,000 home, saying she would donate the money to underprivileged children, saying she hoped to “do something meaningful before the world ended”.
在南京，一名54歲大學教授的妻子用她30萬歐元的房子拿了10萬歐元抵押，說她要把錢捐獻出來給貧困地區的孩子，她希望“在末日之前想做些有意義的事情。”Noah’s Ark for Last Day
末日造方舟
Last month, a man in the far west province of Xinjiang made news when he spent his life savings of £100,000 to build an ark for 20 people. He said if the apocalypse failed to materialise, he would use the boat to take tourists on sightseeing tours.
上個月，新疆省西部的一個男子說他花了一生的10萬歐元積蓄去建造可容納20人的方舟。他說，如果末日不是真的，那他就用這船去周遊世界。
Family Day = Last Day
末日團聚天
In Chengdu, a web company has given its workers a tongue-in-cheek two-day break on Dec 19 and 20. “We suggest you take advantage of this ‘final’ time to spend more time with your closest family. We wish everyone a meaningful doomsday.”
在成都，一個網絡公司給其員工一個半開玩笑的從12月19日至20日的兩天假期，說到，“我們建議你們要藉着這‘最後的’日子好好跟最親密的家人團聚，希望每個人都有一個有意義的末日。”
Foreign Carnival on Last Day
國外末日也瘋狂
In America, there was an explosion in sales of survival shelters .
在美國，搶購生存避難所的熱潮爆發。
In France believers were preparing to converge on a mountain where they believe aliens will rescue them.
一些法國信徒準備聚集在一座山上，他們相信外星人會拯救他們。
The city of Novokuznetsk faced a run on salt. In Barnaul, close to the Altai Mountains, panic-buyers snapped up all the torches and Thermos flasks.
新庫茲涅茨克(俄羅斯西西伯利亞東南部城市)面臨食鹽短缺。 巴爾瑙爾（俄羅斯城市），靠近阿爾泰山，電筒和保溫瓶被恐慌者一搶而空。
Meanwhile in Mexico, where the ancient Mayan civilisation flourished, the end time has been seen as an opportunity. The country has organised hundreds of Maya-themed events, and tourism is expected to have doubled this year.
在墨西哥，古老瑪雅文化的盛行之地，末日被看做一種機遇。墨西哥組織了上百個以瑪雅爲主題的活動，本年旅遊業績有望翻倍。
