不知妻子内衣尺码=假结婚？

 　　Detainees held at Scotland's sole immigration removal centre (IRC) were asked for their wife’s national insurance number as well as bra size amid suspicions of sham¹ marriages, according to evidence heard by an independent review commissioned by the UK Government.

　　英政府授权的独立审查证据显示，苏格兰移民遣返中心要求被扣押的假婚嫌疑移民回答妻子的社保号码、内衣尺码等问题。

　　Former prisons and probation² ombudsman for England and Wales Stephen Shaw visited Dungavel immigration removal centre as part of a sweeping³ review into the welfare of immigration detainees.

　　前英格兰和威尔士服刑和缓刑监察专员史蒂芬·肖日前访问了邓盖夫尔移民遣返中心，这是广泛审查被被扣押移民福利状况的工作之一。

　　His report said a “surprisingly large number” of those who attended a forum⁴ organised at the South Lanarkshire facility had been detained because of alleged⁵ sham marriages, with most held after Home Office interviews in Liverpool or Manchester.

　　肖在审查报告中称，在南拉纳克郡接受法庭审理的人中，有“数量惊人”的一部分因涉嫌假结婚已被拘留，其中大部分人是在利物浦或曼彻斯特接受内政部面谈后被扣押的。

　　不知妻子内衣尺码=假结婚？

　　“The questions they said they had been asked by caseworkers to ascertain⁶ whether their marriage was a sham included their knowledge of their wife’s National Insurance number, the colour of her underwear, and her bra size,” added his report.

　　报告还称：“为了确认他们是否假结婚，办案人员会详细询问嫌疑人妻子的社保号码、妻子的内衣颜色及尺码等。”

　　“If this was indeed the case, it is questionable⁷ whether such questions were either appropriate or useful.”

　　“若此情况属实，这些问题的适当性和有用性则有待讨论。”

　　The Liberal Democrat⁸ Home Affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael MP slammed the tests as demeaning.

　　苏格兰自由民主党国内事务发言人阿利斯泰尔·卡迈克尔议员对这些测试问题进行了严厉抨击，认为这有辱人格。

　　“I have been in a genuine marriage for over 28 years and would not know the answer to these questions.”

　　“我和我妻子已经真结婚28年了，但我也回答不出这些问题。”

　　The six-month review suggests that “both for reasons of welfare and to deliver better use of public money”, the number of people held in IRCs across the UK should be reduced.

　　这项为期六个月的审查显示，“为社会福利和更好地利用公共资金着想”，应当缩减全英各地移民遣返中心扣押的移民数量。

　　Over 3,000 people - comprised of asylum⁹ seekers, ex-offenders and those who had been deemed not to have a legal right to remain in the UK - are currently being detained, while the number of people detained at one time or another during the year exceeds 30,000, Shaw said.

　　扣押在移民遣返中心的人包括寻求避难者、释囚和无留英合法权的人。肖表示，目前扣押人员已超过3000人，但过去一年扣押人次已超过3万人。

　　Vocabulary

　　ombudsman: 监察专员

　　demeaning: 降低身份的；有损人格的

1 sham   

n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的)

参考例句：

• They cunningly played the game of sham peace.他们狡滑地玩弄假和平的把戏。
• His love was a mere sham.他的爱情是虚假的。

2 probation   

n.缓刑(期)，(以观后效的)察看；试用(期)

参考例句：

• The judge did not jail the young man,but put him on probation for a year.法官没有把那个年轻人关进监狱，而且将他缓刑察看一年。
• His salary was raised by 800 yuan after his probation.试用期满以后，他的工资增加了800元。

3 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

4 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

5 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

6 ascertain   

vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清

参考例句：

• It's difficult to ascertain the coal deposits.煤储量很难探明。
• We must ascertain the responsibility in light of different situtations.我们必须根据不同情况判定责任。

7 questionable   

adj.可疑的，有问题的

参考例句：

• There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
• Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。

8 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

9 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。