The end of the world is nigh, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard announces in a TV appearance, warning of flesh-eating zombies and demonic beasts from hell.
flesh-eating：肉食的
But don’t panic – true to Australia’s penchant for over-the-air pranksters in the wake of the Kate Middleton radio hoax – Miss Gillard’s dire warnings are just aspoof.
over-the-air：無線
She has agreed to make the short video to promote a radio station’s breakfast show as part of their ’end of the world’ celebrations following predictions that we will all die on December 21, according to interpretations of the Mayan calendar.
Her jokey, but emotionless, warning that Armageddon will be upon us in a couple of week’s time is reminiscent of Orson Welles’ radio production of H.G.Wells’ novel ’War of the Worlds’ ,which caused widespread panic across America when it went to air in 1938.
reminiscent of：令人回想起
With a straight face, British-born Miss Gillard stares into the camera and addresses viewers as ’My dear remaining fellow Australians.
straight face：無表情的臉=poker face
’The end of the world is coming. It wasn’t Y2K, it wasn’t even the carbon price (a reference to her Labour government’s introduction of a carbon tax).’
Y2K：千禧年危機(year 2000)
Then came the terrifying details.
’Whether the final blow comes from flesh-eating zombies, demonic hell beasts or from the total triumph of K-pop, if you know one thing about me it is this: I will always fight for you to the very end.’
Finishing the 46-second video, made for radio station Triple J’s breakfast show – which was not the broadcaster involved in the Kate hoax – she adds in a reference to a popular question-and-answer political programme she has appeared in: ’At least this means I won’t have to do Q&A again.’
Her tongue-in-cheek support of the Mayan belief that doom is upon us later this month has been met with mixed reactions from Australians.
tongue-in-cheek：半開玩笑的
Some thought she had been wasting taxpayers’ money, while others saw the funny side.
’Go Jules!’ said one man in an online comment. ’You went up a giant notch for this…And personally, I hope it’s zombies.’
Another writer commented: ’Just think of all the men that will be spared the X-mas eve shopping rush.’
A spokesman for the Prime Minister’s office seemed aghast when a newspaper asked for an official comment about Miss Gillard’s video clip.
’What Australian doesn’t mind a laugh from time to time?’ he asked
’Anyway, the world’s going to end tomorrow, so shouldn’t you be writing about that?’
The ’tomorrow’ reference is based on science writer Dr Karl Kruszeinicki’s theory that the world will end two weeks earlier than the Mayan prediction.
The author of ’50 Shades of Grey Matter’ came up with the earlier date after developing a complex algorithm using the Mayan calendar the Gregorian calendar, mathematics and, well, comedy.
【新聞快訊】澳大利亞總理吉拉德近日在一視頻網站上宣稱世界末日就要降臨，她將與澳人民一起戰斗到最后。經查，視頻確實是吉拉德本人錄制，但其實是一個搞笑事件。
作為“三J晨間秀”節目“世界末日”慶祝活動的一部分，吉拉德為節目錄制了這段視頻。這些笑話是之聲和吉拉德聯手起草的，有不少關于流行文化和政治暗喻的段子。
吉拉德講話全文：我親愛的澳大利亞同胞們，世界末日就要來啦。這不是千禧年危機，瑪雅人的年歷是真的。澳大利亞最權威的聯邦科學與工業研究組織還不能確認世界將要滅亡，但我相信“三J晨間秀”的預測，世界將要滅亡啦。不管最后我們是死在僵尸、惡魔怪獸后下，還是韓國流行音樂的全面勝利之下，如果你對我有所了解的話，那就是，我一定會為你們戰斗到底。還有，至少這意味著我將不用再去參加議會質詢了。祝你們好運!
